Cleaning up a few small-time thieves was not difficult for David.
The young killer before him threw away the pistol that had fired its last round, drew a dagger from his waist, and pointed the blade at David.
"You don't seem to hold much hope for victory."
David watched with interest as the killer numbly emptied his magazine earlier. His actions looked more like an attempt to comfort himself than an effort to wound the enemy.
Just moments ago, David had discovered something unexpected. After the weapon deployed by Trisolaris to ambush the UN forces was used, Sophon surveillance was also interfered with. At least for a short period, it could no longer directly command the Jihadists and ETO rebels on this land. This was one of the reasons why Chang Weisi and the others were able to hold out until now.
"You might not understand the rules of our trade," the killer codenamed Smoothbore said, his face lacking the fear common to those facing death. "As a killer who graduated with honors from the 'M' specialty, my 'processing distance' isn't as far as those 'L' specialty killers who can change history from three kilometers away or more, but my maximum reach is nearly a thousand meters."
"For a killer proficient in sniping, being approached by an enemy at close range is effectively the same as being dead."
David stepped, turned, and dodged a slash from Smoothbore. The cold gleam of the blade swept past his eyes, but with the aid of psionic energy, David's martial skills had already reached the level of "sensing the cicada's movement before the autumn wind stirs."
He only needed to flick two fingers lightly against Smoothbore's arm. Smoothbore felt a mysterious numbness in his forearm, and the dagger slipped from his hand.
"'Processing'?" David raised an eyebrow. He tapped Smoothbore lightly on the neck. The killer's body went limp like a noodle and collapsed to the ground.
"Should I take this opportunity..."
David placed the limp bodies of the three killers together. Looking at these three human forms, a cold light flashed in his eyes. Considering his future plans, whether for a superhuman legion or psionic modification, human corpses would be extremely valuable experimental materials.
Should he?
David's gaze swept over the three men. After a moment, he made a decision. He would leave "Old Ke" and "Tooth" behind, but take "Smoothbore" to the small base left by the Americans on the moon for backup.
After all, Smoothbore knew David had taken down Old Ke and Tooth, but Old Ke and Tooth didn't know David had captured Smoothbore. With these two "combat achievements," perhaps his position in the Earth Defense Security Department could move up another notch.
David spread out the assassination list found on Tooth. When he saw the names of Chang Weisi and Shi Qiang prominently listed, he raised an eyebrow. No matter how much they resisted, humanity would probably have to officially declare war on the Trisolarans starting today.
"The electromagnetic interference has ended. I've re-established contact with the command center in Syria. The first wave of supporting air force is on its way."
Facing the good news provided by the excited American, Chang Weisi nodded tiredly. For the first time, he accepted a cigarette handed over by Shi Qiang inside the dust-filled trench.
The Jihadists' attack was fierce. In just the past half-hour, they had repelled three consecutive enemy assaults. The VDV and American special agents fought side-by-side, producing an exceptionally brilliant record.
On the asphalt ground less than a hundred meters from the valley to the village, hundreds of militants' bodies lay scattered among twenty burned-out armed technicals. On the coalition side, there was only one serious injury and three minor ones. They had even captured an automatic rocket launcher left over from the Soviet military aid era and two heavy machine guns from a US military base in Iraq to reinforce the village's temporary defense line.
"That's good," Chang Weisi said as he inserted the last magazine into his Type 20 short-barreled submachine gun. "If they didn't come, we would have had to fight the enemy with our fists and teeth."
"I still don't understand." Shi Qiang reapplied oil to his beloved "Big Black Star" pistol, tucked it into his belt, and picked up the Type 85 silenced submachine gun he had specifically requested to bring on the plane. "What exactly are these things we're fighting?"
Shi Qiang knew the American officer nearby understood some Chinese, so his gaze swept equally across Chang Weisi and the American.
"Maybe aliens?" the American replied in broken Chinese. He took a deep breath of the cigarette Shi Qiang offered and was choked to tears. Clearly, this third-generation American military officer also couldn't figure out what kind of organization the "Earth Defense Security Department" was. "Or maybe the Bible is true, the seal of Hell has loosened, and all humanity must unite to resist the Great Flood sent by the Avenging Angel?"
"Maybe," Shi Qiang replied wistfully. He glanced at Chang Weisi, wondering if he could get some real internal information from this cold-faced officer. "At least we all just saw how advanced the enemy's weapons are. Obviously, if there wasn't a special reason, they could never be nobodies."
Shi Qiang spoke, and Jon, the American officer, nodded repeatedly. However, to Shi Qiang's disappointment, there was no sign of interest in this topic on Chang Weisi's face. The Major General's eyes were fixed on the mountains on the eastern side of the position—the place that had silently swallowed both the VDV reconnaissance team and the US Secret Service squad.
"By the way, where's David?" Shi Qiang, sensing he still wouldn't get answers today, looked around and didn't see the familiar figure.
"..."
Only Chang Weisi's silence responded to him.
A sense of unease rose in Shi Qiang's heart. He stood up abruptly from the dirt pit, a bullet grazing his scalp and flying through his hair.
"Chang Weisi! Where did you send my brother?" Shi Qiang shouted sternly.
"He volunteered! To deal with the snipers on the mountain." Chang Weisi hid nothing. He stood tall, looking directly at Shi Qiang. "He stepped forward like a hero. If we can find his body, I will personally place his ashes in the Martyrs' Cemetery—"
"Bullshit!" Shi Qiang cursed loudly. "You ruined him! Even if a college student has some skills, how could he be more useful than a P5 reconnaissance team!"
"Enough, Shi Qiang! Don't forget, he also signed a contract! He is no different from us—one day, his name will be carved on the monument of glory!" Chang Weisi raised his voice. He looked at Shi Qiang, emphasizing every word.