Yama Reborn

Chapter Two Hundred and Seventeen: Night Raid

Night raid!

In the darkness, gunfire resounded endlessly from all directions.

Chen Nuo didn't panic. He quickly calmed down, pulled Sato Ryoko up from the ground, and dragged her to the side as he ran.

After reaching the shelter of a large tree, Chen Nuo looked at Sato Ryoko. She was clearly panicking. He shouted at her forcefully, "What are you afraid of?!"

"Ah?"

"Idiot!" Chen Nuo glared and yelled, "Use your abilities! Either hide here or bring out your abilities and fight!"

After speaking, Chen Nuo let go of Sato Ryoko, took his pistol from its holster, handed it to her, then turned and left, paying her no more attention.

They had merely met by chance; dragging her to a relatively safe corner at a time like this was already quite considerate.

Once again, a piercing whistle cut through the air!

But this time, the shell didn't land!

A figure shot up from the camp, trailing light like a meteor ascending through the night sky!

BOOM! The shell exploded far from the camp.

Sea Monster Bruno's voice came from mid-air, "It's bombardment from a gunship! I'm going to retake the gunship! Golden Bird, come with me!"

This was followed by Golden Bird's shrill voice, "Let's go!"

Amidst the blaze, Golden Bird, covered in blood, rushed out.

Chen Nuo had already left the shelter of the tree and returned to the camp.

Less than ten meters away, three fully armed soldiers were rushing into the camp in a standard triangular assault formation, their automatic rifles firing in bursts. Two Steel Fire Mercenaries were shot and fell. The enemy soldiers ran to a tent, quickly pulled out a grenade, and threw it inside.

BOOM! The tent was instantly blown to smithereens in a burst of fire!

Chen Nuo lunged forward. Under the influence of his Telekinesis, the foremost soldier was sent flying. The other two soldiers raised their guns at Chen Nuo. He quickly formed a Telekinesis barrier in front of himself and lunged. He slipped through the gaps in the dense barrage of bullets, closed the distance to the two soldiers, and sent them flying with a punch and a kick.

TING...

His keen ears picked up a faint metallic sound from behind. Chen Nuo instantly looked back to see two more soldiers rushing toward him. They wore jungle camouflage combat fatigues, their faces painted with camouflage, and one had already pulled the pin on an oval grenade, which they threw directly at him.

Chen Nuo snorted. The grenade had flown less than two meters before it miraculously reversed direction, flying back at them. The camouflaged soldiers had no time to react before the grenade landed at their feet.

An explosion followed, and fire consumed the two figures.

Chen Nuo found Vanel near the communications center tent.

Vanel was with three mercenaries, taking shelter behind a makeshift barricade of stacked boxes and returning fire fiercely.

When Chen Nuo reached the cover, Vanel loudly ordered the mercenaries to cease fire and growled at Chen Nuo, "What's happening?"

"How the hell would I know!" Chen Nuo replied irritably. "Where are the others?"

"How the hell would I know!" Vanel's tone was frantic. "All our communications are dead! Completely dead! Everyone's scattered!"

"What about the Professor and Bonfrey? And Gray Cat?"

"Don't know! Haven't seen them!" Vanel's face was ashen.

Chen Nuo snorted. "First, let's drive these night raiders back!"

Just as he said this, he suddenly saw a figure crouching and darting past. Chen Nuo, recognizing it was Gray Cat Black, immediately called out, "Get over here!"

Black rolled behind the cover, then looked at Chen Nuo and exclaimed, "This—"

"Stop talking. Let's figure out how to repel these attackers first."

"I've taken down four," Gray Cat shook his head. "But… it's strange."

"What's strange?" Chen Nuo asked, frowning.

"Bonfrey and the Professor are gone."

Chen Nuo snorted, grabbed Gray Cat's clothes, and barked, "Forget about that for now! The communication equipment needs protection. You stay here and guard it. If the communication equipment is destroyed, this operation will have failed even if we win the battle!"

"Okay! I'll guard this place. What about you?"

"I'm going to do my thing!"

With that, Chen Nuo had already leaped from cover and charged back into the camp, which was ablaze with firelight.

The flames lit up the camp, turning night into day, as Chen Nuo darted through. Bullets whizzed by him from all directions. But Chen Nuo had already released his spiritual power, allowing him to anticipate attacks and navigate the battlefield like a fish through water.

The Steel Fire Mercenaries in the camp were utterly suppressed.

The night attack had been too sudden and without warning—the camp's patrols and hidden sentries had been useless!

When the attack occurred, all of the camp's communication equipment failed. Unable to organize an effective command structure, the mercenaries became a scattered group, each fighting on their own. They could only return fire from their positions, desperately seeking cover.

As Chen Nuo ran through the camp, he casually dispatched seven or eight of the night raiders. He then gathered nine Steel Fire Mercenary soldiers who were attempting to organize a counterattack, directing them toward the communications center tent.

Just at that moment...

BANG!!!

Chen Nuo suddenly felt the Mentality Barrier he had erected in the air shake violently!

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a high-speed bullet slam into his Mentality Barrier. Although slowed, it continued to break through, layer by layer!

Chen Nuo grunted as he furiously unleashed his spiritual power.

Then, with another BANG...

Chen Nuo's body was thrown backward, and he swiftly dodged to the side.

To his left, the upper half of a Steel Fire Mercenary's body exploded into a shower of blood and gore!!

"Damn it!" Chen Nuo cursed under his breath. "An anti-materiel sniper rifle! That motherfucker's meant for taking out armored vehicles."

After scrambling back to his feet, Chen Nuo pinpointed the direction of the shot. He suddenly bent low, pushed off the ground with his feet, and shot forward like an arrow!

His figure became a blur, almost impossible to track as he raced through the camp!

Shortly after, Chen Nuo burst from the camp and plunged into the jungle!

BANG!!

Another anti-materiel sniper rifle bullet came flying!

This time, Chen Nuo was prepared. His Telekinesis was already densely layered ahead of him. With a sinister laugh, his airborne form flickered, and he easily dodged it! A few dozen meters later, Chen Nuo suddenly leaped onto a large tree and brought his palm down in a chop!

The tree trunk was sliced in two by the sharp Mentality Cutting!

A figure fell from the tree. Mid-air, Chen Nuo caught him with his Telekinesis, snapping his bones before the man landed limply on the ground.

When Chen Nuo approached, he saw a sniper in full camouflage lying there. Beside him lay an anti-materiel sniper rifle, damaged by his Mentality Cutting.

Seeing the sniper was still breathing, Chen Nuo picked him up for a closer look, and then...

"???"

Chen Nuo froze.

The sniper's face showed no sign of pain. His face, covered in grease paint, was expressionless. Especially when he lifted his eyelids; his pupils were constricted...

It looked as if his eyes were rolled back in his head!

Just at this moment...

BOOM!!

A loud explosion erupted in the distance. In the night jungle, a blaze could be seen reaching for the sky!

Chen Nuo glanced at it and immediately made a judgment. The direction of the riverbank! The shelling hasn't resumed for a while now. Clearly, Sea Monster and Golden Bird have retaken the gunboat!

Then, a barrage of gunshots erupted from the southwestern jungle!

After identifying the direction, Chen Nuo hoisted the sniper onto his shoulder and quickly rushed over.

Fierce fighting was raging in the southwestern corner of the camp!

When Chen Nuo arrived, he saw a team of Steel Fire Mercenaries in assault formation, charging toward the camp from within the jungle.

It was the team Selena had led out on a search that afternoon; they had fought their way back!

This team attacked the unidentified enemies assaulting the camp from the rear, quickly engaging the outermost enemy forces in fierce combat.

Selena's command was flawless; she directly ordered her soldiers to push forward and storm the camp.

Both sides were locked in a fierce battle within the jungle.

Chen Nuo entered the combat zone from the flank. Moving like a ghost, he swiftly slipped behind a patch of jungle and eliminated two enemy machine gun nests that were attempting to suppress Selena's troops.

BOOM!!

An explosion!

Selena watched as a machine gun nest in front of her was engulfed in flames. Then she saw Chen Nuo leap out from the blaze, bellowing at her, "Get back!"

Selena had no time for words and led her men charging forward. Chen Nuo immediately caught up.

As he drew closer to Selena's team, Chen Nuo instantly sensed something was off.

Every member of Selena's search party looked extremely battered and worn.

The return of the search party instantly boosted the morale of the Steel Fire Mercenaries in the camp, who had been forced to defend in a scattered, disorganized manner.

The sound of gunfire in the camp intensified. Selena's team charged in, gunning down many of the night raiders along the way. Soon...

Piercing whistles echoed from all directions, and then, under the cover of darkness, the numerous night raiders began to retreat.

The battle ended quickly.

Sitting on a waterproof supply crate, Chen Nuo silently smoked, one leg crossed over the other.

In the camp, the mercenaries were busy clearing the battlefield, every soldier's face grim.

Bodies were carried out one after another and placed in an open space in the middle of the camp.

These corpses—some belonging to Steel Fire Mercenaries, others to the night raiders—were laid out on opposite sides of the clearing, distinctly separated.

Gray Cat Black had suffered a minor injury. His torso was wrapped in gauze, his face was pale, and he sat not far from Chen Nuo, coughing softly.

"He saved us," Vanel explained. "We were defending the communications center when someone threw several grenades at us. This guy blocked them but was injured in the explosions."

Chen Nuo nodded.

The bodies were finally cleared away.

The Steel Fire Mercenaries had suffered heavy losses!

Eighteen men in the camp were killed in action, six were seriously injured. Five other soldiers, though not fatally wounded, had lost their combat effectiveness and needed to be evacuated for medical treatment.

The night raiders left thirty-one bodies behind.

No enemy wounded were found.

The only prisoner taken was the sniper Chen Nuo had carried back.

What infuriated Vanel even more was that although the communication equipment was intact, the supply warehouse had been bombed, and at least two-thirds of its contents were destroyed.

The mercenaries were quickly sorting through and salvaging the remaining supplies.

Selena, the mercenary leader, had an even more terrifying expression!

"The night attack was too sudden, and the advance warnings set up around the camp were utterly useless! Among the corpses found, six belonged to our night sentries and patrollers. All dead... I suspect they were killed at the very beginning of the raid!"

Selena spoke angrily, "These men were outstanding, all experienced veterans! Their coordination and discipline were impeccable! But how could such a well-trained, professional military force appear in the jungle?!"

Chen Nuo glanced at the furious woman.

Gray Cat coughed twice and then spoke.

He was cradling his cat. How it survived the battle was a mystery. Chen Nuo hadn't seen Black with the cat during the fighting earlier. Just moments ago, the cat had appeared from nowhere, darted over, and leaped into Black's arms.

"I have doubts too," Black said icily. "Our camp has many Ability Users! Including those of the Mentality Series! Ability Users with strong spiritual power should be the most sensitive! But none of us sensed anything before the attack began!"

Chen Nuo's expression darkened as well.

He remembered the dream he'd had just before the night raid.

For an Ability User of his level... dreaming meant he had lost complete control over his own spiritual power! He had fallen into an unconscious sleep! This was exceedingly rare.

"And what about the Professor and Bonfrey, those two! Has anyone seen them?" Chen Nuo asked coldly.

Just then, a noise came from outside the camp.

Then, escorted by two mercenaries, two figures slowly approached!

"Bonfrey?!"

Chen Nuo was the first to jump up. He strode over, seemingly overcome with anger, grabbed Bonfrey by the collar, and demanded, "Where the hell did you two run off to during the night raid?!"

Bonfrey's handsome face was caked with grime, and his clothes were filthy, as if he had rolled around in a mud pit.

He slowly looked at Chen Nuo, his gaze finally resting on the hands clutching his collar.

"Mr. Harvey, you should let me go first. We have more urgent matters to attend to."

"What?"

Bonfrey patted the Professor, whom he was supporting.

"If he doesn't get treatment soon, the Professor might die."

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*[Author's Note: I apologize, I've been swamped these past few days. As we approach July 1st, and with this year being the centennial, there are numerous meetings and learning sessions. Today's update is all I can manage, please forgive me!]*

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