Chapter Thirteen: Perhaps I’ve Just Been a Bit Luckier!

Qin Feng and Su Yun exchanged a glance, and both could see certainty in each other's eyes. Just now, Su Yun had struck the drug lord Parker in the head, and Qin Feng had hit his chest; now, the drug lord Parker had been eliminated by them. They had not managed to escape across the border. They had succeeded.

Qin Feng approached White Skull. The man's eyes were wide open in rage, filled with a yearning and reluctance for life, and at the same time, a look of bewilderment, as if he could not understand how Qin Feng had managed to finish him off. Qin Feng looked at him and said, "Even though your Blood Skull Mercenaries are ranked seventh in the world, no matter how strong you are, even if you were the world's most invincible mercenary corps, the borders of China will always be forbidden ground for you. Whoever offends China, no matter how far, will be punished."

A powerful aura emanated from Qin Feng. Whoever the enemy was, the principle remained: those who offend China will be punished, no matter the distance. This was the undying military spirit of China.

"Qin Feng, well done," Su Yun said, coming to stand beside him. She could sense the formidable fighting spirit emanating from him.

"But just now, it was too dangerous. If you hadn’t been lucky, things could have gone very badly," Su Yun continued, glancing at Qin Feng. She found him to be someone highly skilled in combat, with an indomitable fighting spirit. She knew how perilous the situation had been; if he had been even a fraction slower, he would have died. She couldn't help but admire his luck, almost as if he were blessed on the battlefield. She also felt some respect for Zhang Cheng.

"No matter how dangerous, I have to fight. These people killed my squad leader, my deputy, and my brothers. I swore to avenge them, so I had to wipe them out," Qin Feng replied, his face set with determination, his heart filled with the resolve to kill the enemy and avenge his brothers.

Though the Blood Skull mercenaries present had been wiped out, he would grow even stronger to eradicate the Blood Skull Mercenary Corps completely.

Su Yun nodded. She understood Qin Feng’s feelings; she too had lost comrades and brothers in arms, and so she could empathize with his pain. She looked at the lifeless bodies of the drug lord Parker and White Skull, confirmed their deaths, and knew her mission was complete. She took out a radio earpiece and reported back, "All enemies eliminated, mission accomplished. No need to worry."

"Su Yun, what do we do next?" Qin Feng asked, looking at her. He knew her abilities surpassed his own, and she could better assess their surroundings and decide what they should do now. With the enemies destroyed, there was little reason to remain.

"We withdraw for now; someone else will come to handle things here. We don’t need to worry about what comes after," Su Yun replied. Her mission was complete, and now it was time to retreat; there was no longer any need to pursue the enemy.

"All the Blood Skull mercenaries here are dead. Will there be any more of them?" Qin Feng asked, voicing a question that weighed on his mind.

Su Yun did not answer immediately. Instead, a look of remembrance and a trace of pain appeared on her face. She raised her head and spoke softly. Her voice was so low that Qin Feng could not make out her words. He wanted to know more, but seeing her pained expression, he held back. He realized now was not the time to press her—he didn't want to see her in pain and felt a desire to protect her.

After about half a minute, Su Yun composed herself, the pain fading from her face. She said, "Qin Feng, thank you. There were twelve of them in total. Before you arrived, we killed five; then you took down four, and I killed three—they're all dead now. That’s all I can tell you. The rest, due to regulations, I cannot share."

"The Blood Skulls number more than just these dozen people. They are a mercenary group ranked among the top five in the world, with hundreds of soldiers, each highly skilled. You must always be careful; don’t let them take you down. They are like bloodstained skeletons, relentlessly attacking their targets until the end."

"So, you must protect yourself. Only then can you live to avenge your fallen brothers."

"I understand. Don’t worry, I won’t let the Blood Skulls take me down. As for your real mission, I won’t ask; I know it’s a matter of discipline, and you must keep it secret. I won’t ask you to break the rules. By the way, you mentioned having companions earlier—were they comrades who have fallen?" Qin Feng asked. He understood discipline: what should not be asked, he would not ask. Whatever he needed to know, Su Yun would tell him.

"It’s good that you understand. I did have a comrade who was killed before; he was murdered by the Blood Skull mercenaries. Now, vengeance has been served. How did you manage to eliminate the Blood Skull mercenaries?" A flicker of pain flashed in Su Yun's eyes. She was unwilling to dwell on it and quickly changed the subject, walking into the jungle.

"Maybe I was just lucky. I didn’t think too much at the time, only about taking out the enemy and avenging my brothers. Perhaps the spirits of my brothers above were watching over me, helping me finish them off," Qin Feng replied, briefly recounting how he had eliminated those enemies. He felt it must have been luck that allowed him to prevail.

Su Yun nodded gently. She knew Qin Feng had his own way of fighting—otherwise, mere hot-bloodedness would not have kept him alive. Lost in her own thoughts, she quickened her pace.

Seeing Su Yun's sorrow, Qin Feng couldn’t bear to see her sad and reminded her, "Should we head back now?"

"Oh?" Su Yun’s cold eyes flickered with realization. She quickly composed herself, regaining her usual calm, and carefully checked her weapons, ready to respond to anything. Just then, her military earpiece crackled with a report that the battlefield had been cleared. She replied, acknowledging the message, then looked at Qin Feng and said, "The battlefield has been cleared. Now we return."

"Let's go back, then. I want to return as well, to the border camp, to see the outcome of the battle," Qin Feng said. Su Yun nodded.

The two of them quickly made their way through the jungle. After about three minutes, Su Yun suddenly looked at Qin Feng and asked, "Qin Feng, I was able to avenge my great hatred thanks to you. You’ve earned great merit for this, and you’ll be rewarded by the higher-ups. What kind of reward would you like?"