Chapter 1374: Chapter 1374: Drawing Lots
The turbulent storm outside has given Peng Bird immense pressure, but Ye Fan and the others are not really interested. The reason for spreading the losses of the Poison Dragon Mercenary Corps is very simple: Ye Fan’s purpose is to put pressure on the Poison Dragon Mercenary Corps.
If Hawk, Grizzly Bear, and Sea Horse, these three leaders, feel the pressure, they will surely tighten defenses and prepare for battle, waiting for Ye Fan and the others to arrive, which is exactly the outcome Ye Fan hopes for.
Wanting to take the Poison Dragon Mercenary Corps by surprise is obviously impossible now, and there’s no way that Hawk and the other leaders would be so foolish as to have no defenses whatsoever, waiting for a surprise attack.
Since a surprise attack is not possible, then we can only fight a tough battle, confronting the Poison Dragon Mercenary Corps head-on. This is the only option left.
At this moment, the seven of them are in the dense forest, consulting on a strategy.
The base of the Poison Dragon Mercenary Corps is inside the mountains, with a complex jungle environment and steep terrain.
"Let’s discuss, the only thing we can be sure of is that the Poison Dragon Mercenary Corps is in one of these four areas. The other three places might be decoy bases, but we can’t discount the possibility that someone is stationed there." Ye Fan looked at the unfolded map, the four key areas marked, showing a thoughtful expression.
These four areas are marked as 1, 2, 3, and 4, without much meaning; these are just their own designations.
"We exterminated the second and fifth leaders of the Poison Dragon Mercenary Corps and the Spine Team. It’s no exaggeration to say the task is half-finished. The crisis we’re facing has also reduced, and the Poison Dragon Mercenary Corps has been crippled by us, undeniably." Zhang Lu said, "But we can’t be careless, as long as one of Hawk and the other leaders is still alive, that’s our target."
Yang Shu said seriously: "We have no idea about the specific situation in the four major areas inside. The intelligence we want to obtain is also limited. We can only approach one area and probe one by one. The four areas are far apart; we can’t split into four teams, which would increase the danger and diminish our ability to handle unexpected situations."
"This is indeed a difficult problem; splitting into four teams is clearly unwise. If we scout one by one, it’s easy to attract the enemy’s attention and expose our movements." Shen Tingting voiced her concern.
"Wanting not to be discovered by the enemy is unlikely. Hawk and the others know we’re coming and should be on the lookout, so we should not worry about being exposed; it’s impossible to hide it from the enemy." Ye Fan said calmly.
"Do you have a good idea?" Zhang Lu looked at Ye Fan for his opinion.
The others also turned their eyes to Ye Fan, who can usually make decisive decisions.
"There is no good idea; we can only choose one from the four regions. Only when we break in can we know what the situation is, then infiltrate other suspicious areas one by one until we find the target to eliminate them." Ye Fan said.
"But which area should we choose for the first attack?" Zhang Lu couldn’t make a decision.
Yang Shu and the others were also at a loss. If they happen to pick the right place, it would directly be the base of the Poison Dragon Mercenary Corps. If they pick the wrong one, it would only add extra battles, which wouldn’t help much in eliminating targets and would waste time and effort.
Considering this, no one could judge which of the four areas should be attacked first.
"Since we can’t choose the first region to attack, how about we let the instructor randomly pick one?" Yang Shu suggested.
"Why not leave it to fate; let’s draw lots." Ye Fan said casually.
"Draw lots?" Zhang Lu’s eyes widened.
Yang Shu, in surprise, almost stumbled to the ground.
The others were also astonished, never expected the instructor to make such a decision.
Such an important choice seemed quite casual.
Zhang Lu chuckled, took out a piece of paper, folded it twice, tore it into four pieces, wrote numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, crumpled them into paper balls, shook them a bit with both hands clasped, then laid them out in the palm, smiling: "You pick."
Ye Fan picked a paper ball at random, opened it, and saw it was number 4.
"Since luck dictates, we’ll have to target region number 4." Yang Shu said cheerfully.
"Isn’t the number 4 a bit unlucky? Looks like the instructor’s luck isn’t so good either." Shen Tingting teased.
"Whether it’s unlucky depends on the target, whether it’s unlucky for the enemy or for us, there’s a difference." Zhang Lu laughed.
"Such a major decision, if outsiders knew we determined the target by drawing lots, they’d laugh to death. Such a casual decision, besides the instructor, others wouldn’t dare make it." Zhang Kui chuckled bitterly.
"Don’t worry about it; just a random target area, there’s no need to fuss." Ye Fan interrupted further discussion among them, speaking loudly: "First target, region number 4, proceed."
"Yes!" The others responded enthusiastically.
...
The base of the Poison Dragon Mercenary Corps.
Hawk, Grizzly Bear, and Sea Horse, three leaders gathered with heavy expressions.
Of course, they don’t know how Ye Fan’s group of seven is challenging them. The target regions known to Ye Fan and the others are made according to their intelligence. Hawk and the other three leaders naturally don’t know that their possible hiding place or base has become just numbered regions in others’ mouths.
"What’s the situation outside?" Hawk asked grimly.
"Not optimistic; previously no one was interested in Peng Bird’s group, but now they’re all watching us as a joke, and have high hopes for Peng Bird, watching how we and Peng Bird fight to see who survives. Some even placed bets, three-to-one odds against us winning." Sea Horse said helplessly.
"This is understandable; Black Shark and White Whale are dead, the Spine Team is wiped out, and with the outside nervousness, it’s natural they won’t have faith in us." Hawk felt somewhat powerless, eyes filled with fatigue.
From Black Shark, to the Spine Team, to White Whale, it’s like mountains pressing down on them.
Constant reports of casualties have made Hawk and the others keenly aware of an intense sense of pressure and crisis.
"Since things have come to this, for survival, we can only fight desperately." Hawk’s eyes showed a fierce determination, saying: "I’ve already summoned Black Cat, who is now active at another of our bases. Once those seven collide with it, they’re doomed."
"US Special Forces?" Sea Horse exclaimed in shock.
"Great, really great." Grizzly Bear laughed wildly.
