After restarting the journey, Ling Feng set out toward the Dragon Group Base with Alice. Along the way, Ling Feng kept coaxing Alice to chat, talking about her hobbies, her friends, and her little companions.

Alice, despite being relatively mature for her age, was still just an eight-year-old girl. Under Ling Feng's subtle and patient guidance, she quickly opened up to him, calling him "Brother Ling Feng" in a voice sweeter with each repetition!

Although Ling Feng didn't continue questioning Alice's background, he did learn some basic information about her, further confirming his suspicions about her identity—it was undoubtedly extraordinary!

Having worked hard to establish this rapport, Ling Feng didn't want to ruin it by asking about her family background. Most importantly, no matter how powerful the little one's family might be, it made no difference to him! Desireless, unyielding—Ling Feng simply couldn't be bothered to ask.

When the little girl truly trusts him, she would naturally speak about it herself.

After several hours of bumpy travel, Ling Feng and Alice finally reached their destination.

"Alice, we're about half an hour away now!" Ling Feng said with a smile. "You'll be able to rest properly when we get there."

Alice shook her sleepy head and excitedly said, "Big brother, I want to take a bath!"

"No problem, when we arrive, I'll give you a big bathroom so you can wash yourself squeaky clean. How does that sound?" Ling Feng said, still smiling.

Alice responded, beaming, "Great! I want to bathe and wear clean clothes! I must look terribly ugly right now!"

To be honest, Alice was very cute. Even though her clothes were a bit dirty and her hair a little messy, her charisma was undeniable.

Suddenly, with a screech, Ling Feng slammed the brakes and pulled over to the side of the road.

Alice blinked in confusion and asked, "Big brother, is this our destination?"

Ling Feng's face grew serious. Tilting his ear, he listened carefully, then said solemnly, "Something's wrong. The Dragon Group Base is under attack—I have to head there immediately!"

He had just heard faint sounds of gunfire and cannonfire in the air. This area was supposed to be part of the Dragon Group's perimeter, leading directly to its base. Gunfire in such a place was unthinkable.

The only explanation was that the Dragon Group Base was under attack! And those attacking it must not have succeeded yet!

"Big brother!" Alice instinctively grabbed Ling Feng's hand. "Big brother, don't leave Alice behind, okay? Alice will behave and won't cause trouble for you!"

After spending these few hours together, Alice's dependence on Ling Feng had deepened, and she didn't want to be separated from him.

"Don't worry, Alice, I won't leave you behind. But for now, I need to handle some minor trouble!"

...

Indeed, the Dragon Group Base was under attack—a sudden and ferocious attack.

The intense rain of bullets and shells outside had pushed everyone inside the base to the brink of despair.

"What exactly is happening? How did they breach our defensive network and sneak in undetected!?" asked Chen Wei, the base's commander, angrily as he watched silhouettes darting outside.

The number of combat personnel inside the Dragon Group Base was already limited, with most of their forces deployed elsewhere. If the base were occupied, it would sever the information flow across the region—a significant blow to the Dragon Group.

"Commander, what do we do now?" a warrior shouted while returning fire at the enemy outside. "We're low on both manpower and ammunition. We can't hold on much longer!"

"How much longer can we last?" Chen Wei asked.

"Thirty minutes, tops!" the warrior said with a bitter smile. "The enemies outside are experienced. They're encircling us without launching an all-out assault, trying to drain our ammo and energy."

Chen Wei was troubled. The base was completely surrounded by enemies, and their communications were blocked. The situation couldn't be relayed to headquarters, let alone draw reinforcements.

"Xiao Yang, how much longer will it take for you to break through the enemy's information blockade?" Chen Wei asked.

"At least forty minutes!" responded a young man, never lifting his head as he continued tapping on a keyboard, his eyes glued to the monitor.

Forty minutes? Everyone's hearts sank. It was unlikely the enemy would afford them that much time. And even if the blockade were broken, headquarters would still need time to send reinforcements!

By all appearances, this time they were doomed!

"Commander, what now?" The crowd's eyes were filled with inquiry, yet not a trace of fear or terror could be seen.

Stationed in the Middle East—this war-torn region—they had long prepared themselves mentally. "For the nation's gain, to live or die; avoid neither to escape calamity nor seek fortune."

Gradually, though, the gunfire outside ceased, and a gruff voice rang out, "I am Karry, your commander. I want to speak with the commander of the Dragon Group!"

"What the hell, Commander, should I take a shot and kill him?" came a sniper's voice over the earphones.

Chen Wei thought for a moment and said, "Hold your fire for now. I'll go see what's going on. Since the opposition has the upper hand and yet requested a meeting, it shows they must have demands. I'll try to delay them and figure out their motives!"

"Commander, that sounds risky!" a warrior said. "Let me go instead!"

"Get lost!" Chen Wei kicked him lightly, scolding with a laugh, "Wang Lei, I knew you've been eyeing my position as commander. Let me tell you—dream on! You're still far from qualified to snatch my role!"

"Haha!" Everyone couldn't help but laugh, lifting the oppressive mood.

Chen Wei adjusted his uniform and walked slowly out from the base, standing at its gates.

"You must be Chen Wei, the Dragon Group's commander?" the voice continued.

Chen Wei replied coolly, "That's correct. I am Chen Wei. Who are you, and why are you attacking the Dragon Group Base? Are you not afraid of Dragon Group's retaliation?"

The voice responded indifferently, "We're merely mercenaries carrying out our clients' orders. If Dragon Group wants revenge, they should deal with the true masterminds—it has nothing to do with us! Oh, and let me introduce myself—I am Karry, Deputy Commander of the Wild Wolf Mercenary Corps!"

At that moment, a tall figure appeared before Chen Wei and said, "I've always heard Huaxia warriors are unyielding fighters. I didn't expect you to actually show up—seems the rumors are true!"

Chen Wei sneered, "That's because you've never encountered Huaxia's warriors before. Otherwise, you'd have understood this basic truth long ago!"

Karry paused briefly, then clapped his hands and laughed, "Impressive, impressive. I'm starting to admire you now!"

"That's a disgrace to me," Chen Wei said coldly. "Now state your intent and purpose!"

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