Chapter 34: The Plan to Hunt Scorpion

There might be some sympathy for Fan Tianlei being kicked out, but time is limited—even an honest man like Guo Jing would only spare three seconds for it.

After all, in the original plot, although Scorpion was dealt with, Fan Tianlei also died at Scorpion's hands. By that reckoning, Nie Huaishang saved your life, so asking for one Red Cell Special Action Group—is that too much?

Zhang Chu'an and the others might feel sympathy for more than a second, but Nie Huaishang certainly wouldn't.

He was only worried that accepting Red Cell and kicking Fan Tianlei out right away might leave a bad impression.

As for what Fan Tianlei is thinking now—does that even matter?

Meanwhile, Fan Tianlei sat in his room staring at the photo of his son Fan Benben and his old comrade-in-arms He Weidong, silent for a long time.

His old comrade-in-arms He Weidong was killed by Scorpion trying to save him, and his son Fan Benben was also killed by Scorpion because of him.

He would never forget the cries of his wife and son begging him for help that day. After that incident, his wife chose to divorce him, and he did not refuse.

The deaths of his old comrade-in-arms and his son made Fan Tianlei's hatred for Scorpion run deep, but Scorpion was no simple foe.

As once Vietnam's finest special forces soldier, and now the mercenary commander of the French Foreign Legion's 2nd Paratroop Regiment, Scorpion's experience and tenacity were undoubtedly a real headache.

Fan Tianlei was still far from being able to kill Scorpion to avenge his old comrade-in-arms and son, so when Nie Huaishang proposed this wager, Fan Tianlei agreed without hesitation.

He hoped this young man would give him a pleasant surprise. If he could kill Scorpion Ruan Wenxiong, what harm was there in letting Nie Huaishang become the team leader of Red Cell Special Action Group?

Thinking of this, Fan Tianlei sighed: "Nie Huaishang, I sincerely hope you win this wager."

Of course, if Fan Tianlei knew that the very first thing Nie Huaishang did after taking over Red Cell was to kick him out, one wonders if he'd be so angry he'd spit blood.

Back in the chat group, everyone was discussing where to go from here.

Nie Huaishang: "Although the optics aren't great, for the sake of Red Cell and my own life, I still have to kick Fan Tianlei out."

Guo Jing: "So you're saying that with the brigade commander's support, you're going to Red Cell as an instructor for a while."

Nie Huaishang: "That's right, I'm a Major now."

Guo Jing: "Sigh, that's nice. The enemies Zhang Chu'an and I took out clearly didn't carry as much weight."

Zhang Chu'an: "Sigh, true enough. Going up against Gao Shu really costs more than it's worth, so Zhang Chu'an and I are only Captains now."

Guo Jing: "There's nothing to regret about that. No matter the rank, as long as you go into the army to fight for the country and the people, you're worthy of respect."

Guo Jing: "But our next enemies—whether drug lord Ma Yunfei or Scorpion Ruan Wenxiong—cannot be underestimated. We have to go together."

Nie Huaishang: "No problem there. We're all from the Wolf Fang Brigade anyway, so I'll just apply directly to the brigade commander when the time comes."

Guo Jing: "With the four of us against one Ruan Wenxiong, absolutely no problem. After all, none of us four is any weaker than him in combat."

Nie Huaishang: "But his combat experience is extremely rich. The moment you underestimate him, you'll pay with your life."

This guy Scorpion first fought in the Vietnam War, then went to the Soviet Union for training, and later started from the bottom as a private in Africa, working his way up to mercenary commander.

You could say this guy has spent his whole life in battle, and he's unusually cunning to boot.

But taking down Scorpion is easier than taking down Ma Yunfei, because soon Scorpion will fall out with the Board of Directors organization and be demoted to China to handle security for a drug lord.

And the first thing he does upon arriving in China is look up his former subordinate Wang Yadong.

And Wang Yadong's current identity is the owner of the Blood Color Outdoor Military Shop. When Scorpion arrives at Wang Yadong's store, Wang Yadong will slip out through the escape tunnel and head for the seaside.

Guo Jing: "This really is 'know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.' No matter how capable Scorpion is, he can't escape our net. When the time comes, should we bring a whole company or just a special forces squad?"

What Guo Jing had in mind was massing superior forces against Scorpion—after all, no matter how tough he is, he can't take on an entire special forces squad.

Nie Huaishang: "I don't think that'll work. Don't forget He Chenguang's father was killed by Scorpion trying to save Fan Tianlei."

Zhang Xiaofan: "Exactly. If someone's not strong enough, they won't be an asset but a liability. So everyone we pick has to be stronger than Scorpion."

Zhang Chu'an: "From the plot, the only one who can reliably beat Scorpion is Captain Gao. Should we call him in when the time comes?"

Nie Huaishang: "Better not call Gao Shu in. If Gao Shu isn't there, Zhang Chu'an can unleash his Golden Light Incantation, thunder arts, and all that at the seaside without holding back."

Zhang Chu'an: "Using the Golden Light Incantation and thunder arts—isn't that a bit like bullying? But I like the feeling."

If Zhang Chu'an uses thunder arts against Scorpion, the moment Scorpion gets within close range he's done for; and the moment his blood lands on Zhang Chu'an's hands, he's dead for sure.

What? You say Zhang Chu'an would die from a bullet too? Well, you'd have to actually hit him. When the time comes, Zhang Chu'an will activate his Thunder VIP membership—Scorpion will really struggle to aim.

Wait, no—knowing Zhang Chu'an's temperament, he'd probably never even give Scorpion the chance to fire.

Guo Jing: "Against a mercenary like him, what's there to talk about in terms of martial honor?"

Zhang Chu'an: "So the team this time is still the four of us. But we have to scout the location properly before we can wait for Scorpion."

Nie Huaishang: "I'll go ask the brigade commander about it right now."

Nie Huaishang arrived at the brigade commander He Zhijun's office door and knocked a few times.

"Come in."

After opening the door, Nie Huaishang called out to He Zhijun inside: "Brigade Commander, Red Cell instructor Nie Huaishang reporting in."

Seeing who it was, He Zhijun said amiably: "Oh, Huaishang. What is it?"

"Reporting, Brigade Commander. I made a wager with Chief of Staff Fan earlier, and I already have a preliminary plan."

Nie Huaishang explained the reason for his visit.

Hearing Nie Huaishang's words, Brigade Commander He Zhijun asked curiously:

"You've already got a plan this fast? You know this is Scorpion we're talking about—you're not just trying to fool me, are you?"

Nie Huaishang hurriedly explained:

"I wouldn't dare, Brigade Commander. But I have to be upfront with you—this Scorpion is way too cunning. Whether we take him alive or take him out, I can't guarantee it."

Hearing Nie Huaishang's words, He Zhijun laughed heartily: "You know that's Scorpion we're talking about. Whether you take him out or take him alive, it counts as a major merit for you."

Hearing this, Nie Huaishang breathed a quiet sigh of relief. All right—when the time comes, just have Zhang Chu'an activate his Thunder VIP membership and finish Scorpion off.

Nie Huaishang immediately raised the personnel deployment issue with He Zhijun:

"Brigade Commander, you also know Scorpion has always been cunning and his combat ability is nothing to scoff at. Anyone weaker than him will be a liability, so I want four people."

After saying that, Nie Huaishang handed the roster to He Zhijun.

Looking at the three names on the roster, He Zhijun couldn't help sighing that these three really were elite soldiers—none of them weaker than Scorpion Ruan Wenxiong.