Body Warning Signs

Nguyen Khang Dien's warning was like a stone thrown into a swamp, sinking without a sound.

He was just a mercenary working for money; here, his words carried no weight.

When he said in a low voice, "There is danger at the summit," the expressions that flashed across the faces of the Luzon military officers present were not of vigilance, but a greedy excitement.

"Danger?"

The military commander, a dark-skinned middle-aged man with a scar by his eye, sneered and waved his thick hand forcefully in the air.

"Then we must rush up there at the fastest speed! Drag whatever is at the top out for me!"

Everyone acknowledged the order, completely ignoring Nguyen Khang Dien's advice.

Instead, a few soldiers beside him subtly adjusted their positions, implicitly sandwiching Nguyen Khang Dien in the middle.

Their muzzles seemed to hang casually, but they sealed off all possible angles of escape.

They were cutting off his retreat.

They had long heard of this mercenary nicknamed "Lucky Nguyen."

In any near-death mission, while others in the squad would lose arms or legs, he alone would return completely unscathed.

So everyone felt that bringing him along was a good thing.

Bringing him was like bringing a protective talisman.

How could they let their talisman run away?

Nguyen Khang Dien cursed inwardly, frustration instantly washing over him.

He really had a big mouth, knowing full well what kind of people they were.

He should have kept his mouth shut, waited for them to go up to their deaths, and then found a chance to turn and run; that would have been the best plan.

Now look at him, turned into a mascot being roasted over a fire.

He could only stiffly follow the team, feeling the faint surveillance around him, while calculating a plan to escape.

On the other side, the western flank of the mountain.

The marching posture of the American soldiers was completely different from the desperate charge of the Luzon side.

"Hey, make sure you rub that insect repellent on evenly, don't let the bugs in this hellhole make a home on your asses!" an old soldier reminded them in a low voice, carefully pushing aside the broad leaves in front of him.

Having experienced the nightmare of the jungle, they were deeply in awe of this hot, humid, and dark environment.

Even though the surroundings were so quiet that only insect chirps could be heard, they took every step as if they were defusing a bomb.

Just then, a burst of static crackled simultaneously from the radios on everyone's shoulders.

"Wolverine Squad, Grizzly Squad, change direction immediately. Target is the mountain peak directly above. Repeat, target is the mountain peak. There may be hostile targets in the area ahead. Stay alert."

The order was brief, but it instantly froze the atmosphere of the two squads.

Enemies!

"Damn it, it must be those Luzon monkeys trying to get ahead of us!" a young soldier cursed in a hushed voice, his face full of irritation.

An older soldier checking his magazine next to him heard this and grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

"What are you afraid of, kid? They're just Luzon monkeys. Are you afraid they'll shoot you into a porcupine with two-meter-long blowguns from a hundred meters away?"

"Hahaha!"

Unsuppressed laughter suddenly rang out in the jungle, dispelling the tension from moments ago.

"I bet five bucks they won't even be able to touch our shadows."

"I bet ten bucks they'll be chased by wild boars in the mountains crying for their mommies!"

The unrestrained laughter of the soldiers echoed through the jungle.

However, they still advanced toward the mountain peak, their footsteps accelerating.

If those Luzon monkeys really beat them to it, they would definitely be mocked too.

Meanwhile.

The sea breeze carried a salty, fishy smell. Jack checked the magazine on his chest one last time, hearing a click to confirm it was fastened tight.

"Alright, the target location is roughly confirmed, so it's time to move out."

He turned around and looked at Major Mike at the temporary command post on the beach behind him.

"Major."

Jack shouted without looking back, "If you don't hear from us in an hour, order someone to wipe this mountain off the map."

The corner of Major Mike's mouth, holding a pipe, twitched. He exhaled a puff of thick smoke, which was blown away by the sea breeze.

"Stop joking around."

"I never make jokes like that."

Jack slightly pulled down his sunglasses, revealing a left eye flashing with an inhuman red light.

It was a precise mechanical prosthetic eye. In his vision, the distant mountain peak was not a physical entity, but rather enveloped by a massive, viscous, and highly unstable energy field, like a bomb about to detonate.

"Let those Luzon monkeys act as free mine detectors first."

He turned back and looked at the crowd.

"Is everyone ready?"

The burly man codenamed Explosive Bear was humming a tune, stuffing a shiny yellow ammunition belt into his backpack. The Gatling gun beside him looked like a man-eating monster.

"Boss, this hellhole is so wet and hot, my 'baby' is about to rust," Explosive Bear complained, but his hands moved with incredible agility. He put on the ammo belt backpack and grabbed the Gatling gun.

Nearby, a lean Japanese man, codenamed Onitake, was slowly and methodically wiping his long sword with a piece of deerskin. He was completely indifferent to everything around him, as if the purpose of this trip was just to find a place to test his blade.

Jack ignored them and just gently raised his chin.

"Move out."

It seemed this squad had its own unique strengths.

Just as they set off, the large group led by Nguyen Khang Dien heading up the other side had already approached the summit.

After all, the mountain on this island was not very high, and they were used to operating in the wild, so climbing the mountain was a breeze.

"Boss, look! Right there!"

A Luzon soldier lowered his voice and pointed forward excitedly.

The scene at the summit made their breath catch in their throats.

Centered on a single point, within a radius of hundreds of meters, everything had been turned to charcoal. The trees were twisted, maintaining their pre-death postures, pointing pitch-black toward the sky, and the ground was cracked black scorched earth.

The air was filled with a pungent smell of ozone and the charred scent of charcoal, mixing into an eerie atmosphere.

"There must be good stuff here!"

"With a commotion like this, it must be some treasure appearing!"

The excitement in the soldiers' eyes practically overflowed, sweeping away all their previous fatigue.

However, they also felt that something was wrong here. Even wearing thick military boots, the soles of their feet could still clearly feel the residual heat radiating from deep underground, as if they were stepping on an iron plate that had just been taken off the fire.

"Shut up, all of you!"

The Luzon military officer shouted coldly, his sharp eyes sweeping the surroundings. "Stay alert!"

Only then did the crowd restrain themselves a bit, raising their guns and carefully walking toward the center of the scorched earth.

The closer they got, the more erratic Nguyen Khang Dien's heartbeat became.

A high-frequency buzzing began to sound in his ears, like countless mosquitoes holding a meeting inside his head, making him extremely agitated and causing his temples to throb.

This was his body's instinctive warning, more sensitive than any instrument.

"Boss, there's nothing at the center!"

The team reached the center point, and a Luzon soldier shouted in disappointment.