[Reconnaissance 1 completed, you gained 3,000 EXP]

Han Xiao was woken up by the pop-up message on the screen. He looked out of the car’s window to see it was twilight, and the sky was a grayish blue hue and was gradually getting brighter.

The previous night, Han Xiao had been busy creating new machines and only had two hours of sleep. He took out his water bottle and splashed the water onto his face. The cooling splashes refreshed his senses. Then, he went out of the storage and headed for the base.

Lin Yao had worked throughout the night, and she was exhausted. Qi Bai Jia was next in line for the shift, and he woke up from his nap on the couch.

“How was last night’s operation?” Han Xiao asked.

Lin Yao replied with fatigue, “The bald guy revealed the positions of his comrades to us in the forest, and we managed to apprehend them. Also, we discovered the exact location of the Dark Crow Valley base from the captives’ statements. However, our prisoners are low-ranking personnel, and therefore, they do not have the authority to access confidential files.”

Han Xiao nodded to himself. The outcome was what he expected.

“Is the operation team still in action?”

“Yes, the agents are all still hidden in the forest, waiting for new orders.”

“There is no point waiting in the forest. The agents should return,” said Han Xiao.

Qi Bai Jia, who was munching on his breakfast rations, blurted out, “Hey, I am supposed to be in-charge here.”

“Aren’t you in-charge because you are supposed to take the blame for all of us?” Han Xiao questioned.

Qi Bai Jia choked on his rations. He wanted to rebut Han Xiao but was interrupted by Ye Fan.

“Fellow agents of Division 13, our guys have successfully obtained critical intelligence of the Dark Crow Valley base.”

Qi Bai Jia was puzzled. In less than a day, the Hesla agents had managed to complete the mission. Their efficiency seemed too impressive to be true!

“You guys really secured information about the base?”

Ye Fan nodded in affirmation. “Winna captured an enemy officer. Our operation is done, and we are getting our agents back. After which, we will compile the gathered intelligence and pass the critical information to the military.”

Although it was claimed that the mission was completed, Han Xiao’s tablet indicated that [Reconnaissance 2] was not completed. He frowned and then questioned, “Can you ensure that the information we obtained is accurate and not fake. Also, can you explain the flow of events to us?”

“Of course,” Ye Fan and Winna briefly described the completed operation.

“Don’t you think the mission seemed to be too smooth-sailing?” muttered Han Xiao.

“The mission was indeed easy, but there is nothing especially suspicious. Perhaps, it was a result of the enemy letting their guard down. Also, our mission this time was supposed to be a covert assault.”

“I have second thoughts to the reliability of the information obtained.”

“In our line of work, we must not be too trusting, but you must also back your word with evidence.” The frustrated Ye Fan frowned even harder and ordered, “In any case, we will move out at dawn tomorrow.”

Looking at the Ye Fan’s back as he left, Han Xiao’s face dimmed. He could confirm with hundred-percent certainty that there was something wrong with the intelligence gathered by Ye Fan.

Han Xiao started thinking about the events that Ye Fan had described. Although Winna and her fellow agents were a little too brash with their actions, they had not made any critical mistakes. Therefore, the only possibility was that Dark Crow Valley contained hidden traps that outsiders were unaware of.

Han Xiao unfortunately had no evidence, and even if he voiced his opinions, nobody would believe him.

A mere speculation was insufficient to convince anybody.

“Looks like I have to go and take a look at it myself.”

In the morning, Di Su Su and Winna returned back to the base. Both brought with them their prisoners. Since Roman was an officer, his value exceeded that of all the prisoners brought in by Di Su Su.

Winna beamed with pride like a victor. In her opinion, the operation was likened to a battle between the two countries of agents. It was exhilarating for her that the agents from Hesla had trumped the agents from Stardragon.

The agents from Division 13 were irritated by the arrogance of the agents from Hesla. Li Ya Lin remarked, “If we were the ones in charge of your mission, we would have been winners ourselves.”

Winna smirked. “Accept the sad truth that you guys lost.”

Han Xiao went forward and said, “The information you guys obtained might be fake.”

Even if the agents from Hesla did not believe him, Han Xiao still felt the obligation to voice that fact.

Winna’s face instantly slumped and questioned, “Any evidence?”

“My intuition.”

Everyone was astonished by the answer.

Winna laughed. “Then I guess you have to shut up. Who do you think you are?”

Han Xiao calmly replied, “Do you have any evidence then?”

Winna patted on the shivering Roman and said, “He is my evidence.”

Han Xiao squatted down and gave Roman a thorough scan. It seemed like the Dark Crow Valley base had a master of deception.

Roman did seem to be genuinely frightened, and this showed that he was not providing fake information to the agents on purpose. Therefore, the only reasonable deduction was that the higher-ups of the enemy base had never intended to reveal genuine military information to their lower ranking officials. The sentry guards on the outer circumference of the base were merely posted as bait.

The information obtained by Ye Fan was highly likely to be deceptive.

To uncover the truth, Han Xiao needed to go deeper into the Dark Crow Valley base.

A plan started formulating in Han Xiao’s mind. However, he needed to wait till nightfall to execute the plan.

All the other agents were busy interrogating the prisoners and consolidating the intelligence report. They would leave the next morning. Therefore, he could carry out his plan at night.

…

Night arrived, and the bright moon masked the twinkle of the stars.

Han Xiao told his fellow agents that he wanted to be in the truck.

Nobody replied. The agents of Hesla could not be bothered with him, and the agents from Division 13 were too lazy to say no. Only Zhang Wei said, “Go if you really want to, nobody’s stopping you.”

Han Xiao nodded. After which he proceeded out of the camp. He went into the container and equipped himself with Lambert’s sniper-rifle. He also took other necessary equipment. After a few quick glances, he realized no one was present around the camp. Han Xiao sneaked out into the woods

He did not plan to inform his teammates. Qi Bai Jia would surely not approve of his actions, and this would only create more trouble.

After hours of trekking, he finally reached the stipulated location.

Equipped with his thermo-tracking night vision goggles and camouflage suit, after confirming that there were no enemies around him, he started digging a trench deep enough to fit himself.

After which, Han Xiao took out a small mechanical spider from his toolbox. The mechanical spider was the size of his palm. He flicked the switched, and the mechanical spider immediately stoop up before his eyes as if it was awaiting orders from its master.

[Miniature biological sensor (Spider): Miniature bug-like sensor]

This was the latest creation by Han Xiao. It was a practical tool due to its size, ability to camouflage, and ability to be remotely controlled. It also had thermo-sensors that enabled it to avoid other animals. It was like a walking surveillance camera. Han Xiao was not required to move up close to the sentry, and therefore, he was also less likely to be caught.

Han Xiao took out his tablet computer to remotely control the spiders. He was able to locate the positions of several sentries and most of them were hidden beside trees. Han Xiao pictured the location of the sentries in his mind so that he could come up with an optimal route for the assassination he was going to carry out.

Han Xiao carried the heavy sniper-rifle and trudged through the condensed vegetation. The target was now within the range of the rifle.

Lambert’s rifle had a silencer that allowed it to fire out a large beam of energy at a sound that was as light as a finger knocking on wood. In this dark and condensed vegetation, a seasoned agent would able to spot the any slight movement within the range of one hundred meters. However, Lambert’s rifle could be operated from a distance of eight hundred meters. It was also the main reason that compelled Han Xiao to select this weapon for the mission, which offered greater safety and convenience.

Han Xiao looked into the scope with great concentration and held his breath. The distance somehow did not matter, and Han Xiao could feel the adrenaline rushing through him.

The target was the enemy’s head!

The wind was blowing in 8 o’clock direction!

Wind-speed at 1.3 m/s with a 43 mm inaccuracy!

All the corrections and modifications were completed.

Han Xiao pulled the trigger. His body absorbed all the recoil coming from the butt of the rifle, and his hands gripped the rifle to stabilize it.

Through the thermo-sensing scope, Han Xiao could see that the bullet had managed to hit the target. The target had instantly lost his head, and blood was spurting out.