Another bullet whistled past the side of several officers. A Russian sniper, who had been conducting counter-sniper operations using the command vehicle as cover, let out a muffled groan and collapsed to the ground, clutching his shoulder.
"Give me a weapon."
David, who had been helping the medics drag wounded soldiers into abandoned houses, used his psionic energy to roughly estimate the enemy sniper's position. He carefully avoided the ballistic path and returned to Chang Weisi's side.
Scanning the valley, David said, "I'll see if I can take him out."
On the road directly in front of the village, both sides had already begun trading fire. The Jihadists relied on truck-mounted machine guns and rocket launchers, at one point pinning down the Russian paratroopers with suppressing fire. Fortunately, the unit Russia had dispatched this time was the prestigious 31st Guards Independent Air Assault Brigade—the famous VDV.
Relying on their superior military discipline, the Russian paratroopers withstood the massive disadvantage and repelled several surges from the Jihadists. Compared to the "spray and pray" faith-based shooting of the militants, most casualties came from the cold shots of snipers on the hillsides. Within ten minutes, no fewer than three soldiers had been taken out of the fight by hidden fire.
Chang Weisi took a deep breath. He looked at this young man whom he had originally thought entered the Earth Defense Security Department through the back door due to his connection with Shi Qiang.
"Come back alive," Chang Weisi said solemnly, handing David his own sidearm and extra magazines. "I will personally pour your celebratory wine."
The squad sent up the mountain earlier to find the snipers had sent no word back. Chang Weisi had very few mobile units left. He had no choice but to trust David—this young man whom Shi Qiang claimed possessed extraordinary martial skills.
David nodded. After gathering the equipment, he used the ropes left by the previous mountain team to scale the rock face.
Through his scope, Smoothbore watched a Russian soldier struggle in agony on the ground, his right leg pierced by a shot. Smoothbore folded the bipod resting on the rock and slung the rifle over his back.
He knew it was about time. According to the training he received in Moscow, he had to move to his next designated position now.
However, to Smoothbore's surprise, the voice of his leader, "Tooth," came through the specialized earpiece provided by the mysterious organization. Smoothbore checked his watch. Only five minutes had passed since their last contact. This was half the time of their agreed ten-minute status checks.
Clearly, something had happened on Tooth's end.
Smoothbore dared not be careless. He carefully hid his body behind a rock wall and connected to Tooth's channel.
"..."
There was a long silence in the earpiece. Smoothbore was puzzled, but he waited patiently. Everything he had seen today had exceeded his expectations. Whether it was the employer's mysterious identity, the powerful and unknown energy weapons, or the unusual movements of the UN forces, it was enough to make Smoothbore—young but already a backbone of the organization—feel a lingering unease.
This unease made him strictly follow the unspoken rules of his organization: when dealing with the "Five Giants" (the P5 nations), even if missions conflicted, they tried to wound rather than kill to avoid blood feuds.
"Hey! It's me, Smoothbore."
The earpiece remained silent. Smoothbore skillfully curled his body completely behind the rocks. Normally, he wouldn't entertain any doubts about whether his boss had met with an accident.
As one of Tooth's bodyguards, Smoothbore knew exactly where his boss came from. Tooth was the head of an internationally renowned assassin organization and the owner of a real estate company. Theoretically, Tooth, who had long since laundered his assets and gone legit, didn't need to be on the front lines. Unfortunately, this employer was too big and demanded zero failure, forcing Tooth to take the field himself under threat and enticement.
To ensure safety, Tooth had not only sent the organization's best killers but also brought his two most trusted bodyguards: Smoothbore and Old Ke.
Unlike Smoothbore, Old Ke was Russian and ex-KGB. Smoothbore knew that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, there was a trend among domestic wealthy circles to hire former KGB members as bodyguards. But most of those hires were just office clerks. Few were like Old Ke, who had been active on the front lines of intelligence warfare in Eastern Europe for a long time and was an expert in political security.
According to East German archives that had yet to be declassified, Old Ke's public identity was a former guard for the CPSU Central Security Bureau and one of Gromyko's protectors. Without a doubt, Old Ke was a professional. Although Smoothbore was confident in his own abilities, he felt humbled when he first met Old Ke. The gap between them was obvious. After an initial adjustment period, Old Ke's rich experience and professional capability earned Smoothbore's absolute respect. Old Ke also appreciated Smoothbore, teaching him professional security knowledge and recommending him for further study at an assassin school in Moscow.
Smoothbore waited quietly for a response. He firmly believed that as long as Old Ke was there, no one could silently neutralize Tooth.
A rustling sound came from the earpiece, like someone dragging an unknown heavy object across the sand. As time ticked by, Smoothbore's unease intensified. He could feel sweat seeping from his palms.
After a long silence, an unfamiliar voice came from the earpiece. It spoke in Mandarin much more standard than Tooth's.
"I see you."
Hearing this voice, Smoothbore ripped off his earpiece as if struck by an electric shock. He leaned against the rock, gasping for air, feeling as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.
"Tooth," "Old Ke," and... "Smoothbore."
David expressionlessly let go of the head of the bald man named Tooth. He stepped aside slightly, dodging an elbow strike from the former KGB agent, and then kicked Old Ke in the chest.
Although David didn't use any strength beyond normal human limits, the kick sent Old Ke crashing to the ground, hissing for air, unable to get back up.
Listening to the familiar names he had just interrogated from Tooth, David pulled a suppressed pistol from Old Ke's waist. He removed the magazine and fell into deep thought while gazing in Smoothbore's direction.
These names reminded David of another science fiction short story by Liu Cixin.
"If this really is the Liu Universe?" David pondered.
No, let's assume for now that only the short stories "Taking Care of Humanity" and "Taking Care of God" are real.
Then... besides the Trisolarans, there are probably at least three other civilizations harboring ill intent toward Earth, wandering within 200 light-years, eyeing human civilization like predators.