After Crossing Over, I Marked the Empress

Chapter 204 : Don't Look Back

"Boom!"

A massive explosion echoed through the dense forest.

Shen Han and Fang Yue had just dealt with their opponents and hadn't had time to help their comrades when they were knocked to the ground by the shockwave from nearby.

Shen Han lay on her side, protecting the bag in her arms, unable to recover for quite a while.

Her left shoulder and back were covered in tiny, stinging pains, as if countless insects were tearing at her flesh. One ear was ringing.

Only when Fang Yue urgently helped her up did she suddenly prop herself up and look towards the site of the explosion.

Amidst the devastation lay two mangled bodies.

One was a Federation special ops member, the other the Yin Country soldier he had been fighting.

The explosive was carried by the Yin Country soldier, who had intended to throw it at the unsuspecting Shen Han and Fang Yue, but was tackled along with the explosive by the Federation operative.

Battlefield sacrifices are heroic, but departures are silent.

Shen Han's eyes reddened, filled with grief and anger.

"Fang Yue, go help Hu Zhen!"

There was no time for mourning now. Shen Han barked at her teammate beside her, then rushed at top speed towards another comrade.

The pistol she had just seized still had two bullets.

She didn't waste a single shot, accurately killing one Yin Country soldier mid-sprint, then pressing the gun to another enemy's head, sending him to the afterlife.

At this point, the battle was essentially over.

All seven Yin Country soldiers were dead or dying, while the Federation special ops team had lost two members completely.

The last comrade Shen Han had saved now lay convulsing in his captain's arms.

A Yin Country soldier's knife had pierced his heart. Unless he was immediately rushed to an operating room for emergency treatment, nothing could stop his life from rapidly slipping away.

Shen Han dug out hemostatic gauze from her bag and pressed it around her comrade's wound.

She knew everything she was doing was ultimately futile, but she still kept encouraging him.

"Old Zheng, hang in there! The rescue team Empress sent is on the way. Just hold on a bit longer, you'll be fine."

"Didn't you tell me a few days ago that next month is your daughter's birthday, and you wanted me to help pick out a gift? I've already thought about it - our whole action team will each give her one. She'll definitely be very happy!"

At this point, Shen Han could no longer hold back her grief, tears falling like summer raindrops.

Two members of their action team had now left their lives forever in this place.

Old Zheng's name was Zheng Zhihe, and he wasn't actually very old.

It was just that compared to twenty somethings like Shen Han and Fang Yue, he was a few years older and had started a family early, so his comrades always called him Old Zheng.

Seeing his captain crying sorrowfully, Old Zheng wanted to say a few words of comfort.

But when he tried to open his mouth, blood gushed uncontrollably from his throat.

He knew he didn't have much time left.

Old Zheng reached into his pocket and pulled out a laminated photo from between the fabric layers.

The photo was only about an inch in size, similar to an ID photo. In the picture, a little girl was seriously practicing piano.

The little girl was Zheng Zhihe's daughter, who was very talented in music.

Among all instruments, her favorite was the piano.

Not long ago, the little girl had made a promise with her dad that when he returned from his trip, she would play him the newest piece she had learned.

Old Zheng stuffed the photo into Shen Han's hand. Before he could leave any last words, all life seemed to drain from him, and he quietly lay his head on Shen Han, as if falling asleep.

Fang Yue and Hu Zhen stood silently nearby, bowing their heads in silent mourning for their fallen comrade.

Not far from Shen Han and the others, Sun Yu lay on a tangle of intertwined tree roots.

His vision was blurred by tears, pouring down like a torrential, endless rain.

He wanted to run over and accompany Shen Han in sending off the departed one last time.

But his feet wouldn't obey him at all. His limbs were weak and powerless, unable even to stand steadily.

The lingering smell of blood and gunpowder in the air made his head ache and his stomach contract spasmodically.

He had already vomited several times earlier. If he hadn't been forcing himself to stay conscious, he might have fainted already.

The reality of the battlefield was so cruel, nothing like what a hot-blooded youth might imagine.

There were no cinematic close-ups or slow-motion shots on the battlefield, no superheroes under spotlights.

Here, human life was so fragile.

A vibrant face encouraging others one moment could be eternally silent the next.

Shen Han carefully put the bloodstained photo back in her bag, bent down to hoist Old Zheng's body onto her shoulders, and said in a deep voice, "Bring Cheng Hui and Xiao Wenz. Let's take them home."

Cheng Hui and Xiao Wenz were the other two Federation special ops members who had fallen in battle.

The latter was the youngest, but earlier he had tightly grappled an enemy, preventing him from throwing a grenade at his comrades.

Fang Yue and Hu Zhen immediately complied.

Just as they were about to leave the area, Fang Yue hesitantly asked, "Captain Shen, aren't we going after the two who escaped?"

Shen Han shook her head and said, "No pursuit. Our most important task now is to bring the Dragon Horn Ginseng back safely and intact."

"Takeda Tatsuya is very cunning. He always prepares multiple escape routes for each operation. Rash pursuit might lead us into his trap."

There was another point Shen Han didn't elaborate on.

Takeda Tatsuya could use his ability to mentally control others.

Her comrades were now physically exhausted and emotionally unstable, making it easy for the enemy to break through their psychological defenses and cause them to do something reckless.

The three of them, each carrying a fallen comrade, walked to where Sun Yu was.

"We need to evacuate quickly now. You-"

Before Shen Han could finish her inquiry, Sun Yu had already forced himself to stand up. "I can walk. I'll... I'll continue to guide you."

As he spoke, the tears Sun Yu had just managed to stop began rolling down in large drops again.

……

Just as Shen Han's battle with the enemy had erupted, the tactical team Gu Junwan had arranged to ambush in White Light City's wealthy district successfully captured four Yin Country operatives.

These four were originally engaged in illegal border crossing between the Jiying Empire and the ancient kingdom of Solan.

Because they were familiar with the cultures of both countries, they had been temporarily recruited to do some errands and odd jobs in White Light City.

They had neither the combat ability of Yin Country soldiers nor systematic counter-intelligence training.

Takeda Tatsuya had never even shown his face to these four, always relaying orders through his disciple.

This feeling of putting in a lot of effort only to be treated lightly aroused the resentment of those four 'amateurs'.

After the auction item theft incident, their task should have been to hide in the city and observe how the situation unfolded.

But they had decided on their own to go to that luxurious villa for a vacation, as a reward to themselves.

They knew that mysterious boss wouldn't return, and the villa he had rented still had nearly half a year left on the lease.

The door access code was no obstacle at all. An opportunity right before their eyes - why not take advantage of it?

However, when these four excitedly drove into the wealthy district and used a decoder bought on the black market to open the door of the detached villa,

What awaited them was not a lavish party venue, but well-trained Federation special ops members.

Upon receiving news of the capture, Gu Junwan ordered interrogations to be conducted right in the villa, with any information extracted to be reported immediately.

After giving instructions for the villa situation, she asked Xu Zhao, "How's the progress at the consulate?"

Xu Zhao replied, "The connection was smooth. Our people have now obtained authorization and are about to reach the Tengyun Mountains."

"The border police of the ancient kingdom of Solan will provide assistance, guiding our people into the mountains for search and rescue."

With major progress on both fronts simultaneously, Gu Junwan's taut nerves relaxed slightly.

Several hours earlier, Shen Han's team had already entered a signal dead zone.

She didn't know if her alpha's operation was going smoothly and could only mobilize resources from all sides as quickly as possible to provide reinforcements while also guarding against any traps Takeda Tatsuya might have left behind!

...

Shen Han's judgment was very accurate.

Takeda Tatsuya, carried on his disciple's back, had only been traveling for twenty minutes when they encountered the Yin Country soldiers coming to assist them.

This support team wasn't large - one captain plus five assault team members.

But compared to Shen Han's group who had just been through a fierce battle, this Yin Country tactical team was definitely a fresh force.

Moreover, they were carrying firearms.

After injecting two syringes, Takeda Tatsuya fully regained consciousness from his half-dazed state.

His eyes gradually regained focus, and once he clearly saw his current situation, he immediately began giving orders.

"The important item the Prime Minister needs was intercepted by the enemy. They haven't left this forest yet. Everyone pursue immediately!"

"If we can't retrieve it, you and I will both face a military tribunal!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Yin Country soldiers immediately began to act on his orders.

The disciple once again hoisted his teacher onto his back, following steadily behind the tactical team with a pace that was not slow at all.

...

The setting sun was like blood.

Shen Han and her two comrades carried their fallen brothers, moving forward in silence.

They were retracing their steps along the path they had come, but three comrades who had once trod this land with them would never again respond to their captain's orders.

As they walked, Shen Han suddenly stopped.

The most excellent hunters always have the keenest sense for danger.

And at this moment, Shen Han had a feeling that a crisis was about to descend.

She walked to a clearing just barely unobstructed by the dense forest, looked up at a flock of birds startled into flight not far behind them, and her already gloomy face suddenly took on a fierce expression!

Shen Han bent down to lower Old Zheng from her back, carefully pushing his body into the shallow grass nearby, then took off her bag and gave orders to the three people before her.

"Fang Yue, Hu Zhen, hide our comrades' bodies well. Remember this place; we'll come back for them later!"

"Give me all your weapons. Escort Little Yu out of here as fast as possible. This is an order!"

After speaking, she walked up to Sun Yu and securely fastened her bag to his chest.

"Remember what you promised me by the lake? Military orders are absolute. What you need to do is obey like Fang Yue and the others."

"You must bring back what's in the bag."

"Remember! As long as you're not captured, I have ways to protect myself, so from now on, don't look back."

"Fang Yue, execute the order!"