novelweb Chapter 1505 A Fool of Myself
Chapter 1505 A Fool of Myself
For the rest of the journey, Chen Jun was utterly speechless.
It was as if he wasn't driving a car, but a giant, mobile device radiating an aura of "come and kill me."
Almost every time there was a relatively quiet stretch of road, I would encounter various forms of "welcome ceremony" - piling stones and scattering nails in the middle of the road was considered gentle; there were also several groups of people lying in ambush on the hillside by the roadside to take sniper shots; and once, the other side even tried to sandwich me from the front and back with two dilapidated pickup trucks, playing a rudimentary version of vehicle interception.
Of course, in Chen Jun's eyes, the military skills of these attackers were appallingly low. Tactical coordination? Absolutely nonexistent. Marksmanship? Depends on luck. Mental fortitude? They'd cry and scream at the loss of just two comrades, completely routed.
In Chen Jun's words, they were not even as good as fresh recruits who had only undergone three months of training in China. For them, firing a gun was more about boosting their courage and creating a show of force; accuracy relied entirely on faith.
These fly-like attacks posed no real threat to Chen Jun's life. With his reaction speed, driving skills, and the early warning capabilities of "hacker space," he could always anticipate the traps and resolve the immediate trouble in the most violent and efficient way before making his escape.
But... too many flies, buzzing around, are really annoying. Especially when he needs to concentrate on thinking about his next move, or just wants to drive quietly for a while, these oblivious harassers will jump out at the most inopportune time. Chen Jun himself has lost count of how many waves of these "appetizers" he's dealt with along the way. Ten waves? Fifteen waves? Maybe more. He's used up a lot of ammunition, and the car's fuel is running low.
By the time his specially modified bulletproof SUV from the National Security Bureau wobbled and chugged into the South Vietnamese capital, it was in a terrible state.
The car body was riddled with bullet holes of varying depths, the bulletproof coating was chipped and peeling off, and there were several obvious dents. Although the windshield was not broken, it was covered with spiderweb-like cracks, severely obstructing visibility.
The most outrageous thing is the passenger-side door—it was blown off by homemade explosives during a close-quarters battle, leaving only a bare door frame, with the night wind blowing in without any obstruction.
The whole vehicle looked like it had just been dragged out of a pile of wrecked cars from some fierce battlefield; the fact that it could still run was a miracle.
Chen Jun parked his car haphazardly in a corner of a hotel parking lot that looked fairly proper but was in a relatively secluded location. He turned off the engine, got out, glanced at his battle-damaged vehicle, and couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "Damn it! Don't let me catch that son of a bitch Hai. If I do, I'll force him to lick every single bullet hole clean, and then make him eat shit until he's stuffed!"
He grumbled as he dragged the dusty but still sturdy military-style duffel bag from the nearly deformed trunk and slung it over his shoulder. Then, covered in dust and grime, with smudges of engine oil on his face, he swaggered towards the hotel lobby, bag in hand. He completely ignored, or rather, didn't care about, the astonished, curious, and alien-like stares from passersby.
At the hotel entrance, a security guard in uniform, who had been idly leaning against the wall, was also drawn to the "uniquely styled" car and the "even more uniquely charismatic" guest. At first, he thought it was some kind of performance art or a car modification enthusiast, and curiously approached the battered SUV to see what kind of "cool" modification style it had.
Upon closer inspection, the clear bullet holes, the blown-out doors, the shattered glass... this wasn't a modification! It looked like it had just been driven off a battlefield!
The security guard turned pale with fright and instinctively took two steps back. Then, seeing Chen Jun approaching, he hurriedly stepped forward and stammered in heavily accented English, "S-Sir...do you need...do you need me to call the police? Or an ambulance? Are you...are you alright?"
Chen Jun stopped, glanced at the security guard who was clearly quite frightened, waved his hand, and said calmly, "No need. Get a room and rest. Don't worry about anything else, and don't ask any questions. Understand?"
His gaze was calm, yet carried an undeniable air of authority. The security guard felt a chill run down his spine under his gaze. Though filled with questions and fear, he instinctively felt this man was not to be trifled with, and hurriedly nodded frantically, "Okay, okay... sir, please, please follow me to complete the formalities... We here... are a bit chaotic, but a guest like you... is truly a first for us..."
As the security guard led Chen Jun towards the lobby, he couldn't help but glance back at the beat-up car, shaking his head helplessly. This area wasn't exactly safe, and fights occasionally broke out, but to damage a car like that and then act like nothing happened while checking into a hotel… that was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
After checking in and receiving his room key, Chen Jun picked up his bag and went straight upstairs. The room wasn't luxurious, but it was clean and tidy, and had a private bathroom, which was enough for him at the moment.
He locked the door and drew the curtains. Chen Jun tossed his bag into the corner and the first thing he did was go into the bathroom and turn on the shower. The warm water washed away the dust, sweat, and even the faint smell of gunpowder and blood from his journey. He closed his eyes, letting the water flow over his taut muscles and the small abrasions on his skin.
"Phew..." He let out a long breath.
According to the original plan, driving from the border to the capital, excluding the "interludes" along the way, would take about a day and a night. Add to that the constant threat of attacks, requiring constant mental focus and significant physical exertion. It would be a lie to say it wasn't tiring; the start of this infiltration mission was indeed quite "tiring."
Strangely, this physical exhaustion gave him a long-lost sense of... fulfillment? Even a hint of excitement? It seemed... more stimulating than hiding in the lab, calculating, debugging, and verifying data over and over again with those sophisticated instruments?
Chen Jun wiped the water from his face, a self-deprecating smile playing on his lips. It seemed that deep down, he was still a man of the battlefield. The tranquility and creativity of the laboratory were important, but the thrill of gunfire and life-or-death struggles seemed to ignite something dormant within him.
After showering and changing into clean clothes, Chen Jun felt much refreshed. He walked to the window, pulled back a corner of the curtain, and observed the street and parking lot below. The old car was still quietly sitting in the corner, showing no signs of anything amiss.
at this time--
"Dong dong dong."
A clear and rhythmic knocking sound came from outside the door. Three short knocks followed by one long one were the pre-arranged code.
Chen Jun's eyes narrowed. He walked to the door and looked through the peephole. Two men in ordinary jackets and baseball caps stood in the doorway. They had ordinary faces but upright postures and sharp eyes.
After confirming everything was correct, Chen Jun opened the door.
The moment the two men outside saw Chen Jun, their faces immediately lit up with barely suppressed excitement and respect. They stood at attention almost simultaneously and whispered, "Director!"
They were among the first members of the elite task force that infiltrated South Vietnam to establish intelligence networks and provide support.
Lu Da and Zhang Tie.
According to the original plan, they thought Chen Jun would arrive secretly at least a week later, or even longer, or enter the country through other more covert channels. Unexpectedly, only three days later, they met their superior in the pre-arranged safe house.
It felt like comrades who thought they were going to be separated for a long time were suddenly reunited. Although the occasion was not right, the surprise and sense of security from the unexpected reunion still warmed their hearts.
Chen Jun stepped aside to let the two in, then closed and locked the door. His face showed no joy at the long-awaited reunion; instead, it held a hint of suppressed anger.
"I've been harassed and attacked on the way here." Chen Jun cut to the chase, his tone harsh. "The frequency of the attacks is ridiculously high, but the skill level is extremely poor; it doesn't seem like something a professional organization would do. Find out for me if it's that 'Brother Hai' from Thailand who's been haunting me, extending his reach here. If it's him..." Chen Jun's eyes turned cold. "This time, I'll make sure he's completely 'castrated,' turning him into 'Eunuch Hai,' so he can forget about ever causing trouble again!"
Lu Da and Zhang Tie exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of understanding and... a mixture of amusement and exasperation in each other's eyes.
"Director..." Lu Da hesitated for a moment, his expression somewhat strange, before speaking, "You...you don't know yet?"
"Know what?" Chen Jun frowned.
Zhang Tie picked up the conversation, his voice lowered, but his tone carried a clear sense of helplessness and gravity: "Just yesterday, several underground black and dark web channels in South Vietnam suddenly and simultaneously displayed a top-level bounty. The target description is: a Yan country man driving a dark SUV who entered South Vietnam from the northern border. His characteristics... well, roughly like you. The bounty is..."
He paused for a moment, then uttered a staggering figure: "One hundred million US dollars. Dead or alive, no matter. A million US dollars will be awarded for providing valid clues to your whereabouts. The bounty poster is anonymous, but through channel analysis, the source of the funds is likely smuggled money from Country T. Moreover... the other party, through some unknown means, has actually roughly outlined your possible route. Although it's not precise, combined with the bounty amount, it's enough to make all the desperate outlaws, small warlords, and bandits in South Vietnam pounce on you like sharks smelling blood."
Lu Da added, "We only confirmed this intelligence this morning and were preparing to send a warning to you and the domestic authorities through encrypted channels. We didn't expect you to act so quickly, having already fought your way through and arrived here directly."
After hearing this, Chen Jun was stunned for a moment, and then his expression became extremely interesting.
He was silent for two seconds, then squeezed out a single word through gritted teeth:
"grass."
No wonder!
No wonder it was like stirring up a hornet's nest the whole way!
No wonder the attackers were of varying skill levels, but their numbers were outrageously high!
It turns out it wasn't a targeted hunt by "Abyss" or "Brother Hai," but rather that he'd been put on the "black website headlines" and turned into a "mobile gold mine" worth a hundred million US dollars!
One hundred million US dollars! In this economically backward and war-torn region, that's enough to drive any armed force crazy and make any desperate person take the risk! Not to mention those unprofessional bandits, even regular troops would probably be tempted!
"So that's how it is..." Chen Jun sneered, but his eyes burned with an even more intense flame.
"Fine, a hundred million for my life? They really think highly of me." He cracked his wrist, making a slight "crack" sound, and glanced at Lu Da and Zhang Tie. "Since they're playing the game like this... then let's play along. Let's see if this hundred million dollars is enough to buy them their own coffins!"