RMM -Chapter 190 So-Called Timing and Terrain

“Take a few people and move out with me. The delivery location is Zha River Bay. The rest of you stay put and wait for further orders!”

As he walked, Xi Yuechen spoke rapidly. “Where’s the car?”

“Over there.”

Gao Yunxiao’s heart was already churning like a storm at Xi Yuechen’s words, yet his movements were not delayed in the slightest.

Damn it—he had almost fallen for it!

Xi Yuechen took Gao Yunxiao’s communicator and contacted the armed police commander who was also lying in ambush nearby.

There was no unnecessary chatter. He gave the same instructions: part of the armed police were to remain behind and continue guarding the area, while the rest were to follow him to Zha River Bay.

When the armed police commander heard Xi Yuechen’s orders, his expression tightened. What sudden change had occurred? Hadn’t they been told to wait here and lie in ambush?

But he dared not hesitate. He immediately passed the order down. He could hear the urgency in the other man’s voice—something unexpected must really have happened.

Now that they were outside Imperial City, even someone as dull as he was could guess that tonight’s operation was likely connected to the drug lord wreaking havoc in D Province.

Since the man had said so, he would comply. Before coming, higher-ups had already instructed him that all actions were to follow the command of the task force.

But… what task force? Where had this mysterious task force come from? Higher-ups hadn’t given him a single explanation—only told him to follow orders.

Now it seemed that the person who had just contacted him must be from this so-called task force. What a mess—such a large-scale operation, yet he hadn’t heard even a whisper about it.

Then again, it did feel like something the higher-ups would do—quietly setting up a task force right under his nose and letting it operate smoothly. This task force really was capable.

He naturally knew about the relationship between Imperial City and the Yan Sect. Now that this task force had set its sights on Imperial City, it was likely inseparable from the Yan Sect.

He was also familiar with some of the situation in D Province. They had launched several operations before, but never managed to secure solid evidence. Each mission ended inconclusively, and eventually the higher-ups stopped assigning him tasks in that direction. Meanwhile, the Yan Sect continued to roam free. Now this inexplicable task force had actually targeted the Yan Sect.

It wasn’t that he looked down on them—he genuinely doubted whether they had the ability.

Still, if this task force really succeeded tonight and took down the Yan Sect, it would be a remarkable achievement. He’d be happy to cooperate. After all, watching those drug trafficking organizations run rampant for years had been suffocating, especially since he himself hadn’t been able to eliminate them.

Success or failure would be decided tonight. Since higher-ups had ordered them to follow the task force’s command, he certainly wouldn’t slack off. If something big went wrong, he wouldn’t be able to shoulder the responsibility.

On the task force’s side, fifteen people—including Gao Yunxiao and Xie Haomin—set out with Xi Yuechen for Zha River Bay. Han Zhiyuan and five others stayed behind to continue guarding the area, awaiting Xi Yuechen’s instructions.

They sped along the road, with Xi Yuechen personally driving at the front. Several vehicles followed behind—two carrying task force members, the rest sent by the armed police.

Although the Zhao family’s delivery location was well concealed and known to no one else, that didn’t mean Bai Xiong had let down his guard. He still made all the necessary preparations. Especially after being ambushed by the Zhao family last time, Bai Xiong now preferred to be fully prepared for any contingency.

So even though they were rushing over, they couldn’t afford to be careless. Neither manpower nor weapons could have the slightest mishap. This opportunity would come only once.

The road to Zha River Bay was almost entirely mountainous—winding and time-consuming. Yet Xi Yuechen seemed not to care about the terrain at all. His speed only increased, never slowing. The car darted along the twists like a swimming dragon.

This made things miserable for the vehicles behind them, especially the armed police. Who drove like this on a mountain road? They weren’t daredevil racers—being forced to speed like this was pure torment.

But with the two cars ahead driving that way, what choice did they have? They couldn’t afford to lose them. Putting their lives on the line, they gritted their teeth and pushed on.

It wasn’t just the drivers who suffered—the passengers weren’t doing much better. They were tossed left and right on every curve. Forget their stomachs churning like the sea; just watching that death-defying speed was nerve-wracking enough. No one even had the mind to feel carsick anymore.

If they died heroically on this mountain road before even reaching the mission site, it would be far too embarrassing to tell.

Meanwhile, the Zhao family’s convoy was in no hurry at all, trundling along leisurely. The people in the cars were even cursing the Yan Sect, showing not a shred of concern.

Everyone’s attention had been drawn to Imperial City—who would have thought they’d be making the delivery here? Besides, they had numbers on their side. With the reputations of the Zhao family and the Yan Sect, who would dare trouble them?

So tonight’s mission wasn’t expected to have any major issues. There was no need to stay tense and on edge.

The Yan Sect, however, was more cautious than the Zhao family. They arrived early at Zha River Bay to wait for the Zhao family’s arrival.

They brought plenty of manpower and vehicles, and their cars were loaded with weapons and equipment. Better safe than sorry—Big Brother had repeatedly instructed them to proceed with caution and never be careless.

Time ticked by, second by second. Xi Yuechen’s convoy and the Zhao family’s vehicles raced toward Zha River Bay at different speeds. At this moment, it was a contest of speed.

Xi Yuechen’s side, driving with reckless determination, ultimately arrived at Zha River Bay before the Zhao family.

But Zha River Bay wasn’t a tiny place. Charging in blindly would not only alert the Yan Sect, they wouldn’t even be able to find the exact delivery point.

To avoid making too much noise, once they reached Zha River Bay, Xi Yuechen slowed the convoy, moving quietly and steadily. They even turned off their headlights.

Xi Yuechen drove slowly, concentrating on where the delivery site might be. But he wasn’t very familiar with L City—he had even come to Zha River Bay by following the navigation system, let alone knowing the detailed terrain here.

For a moment, the group really did feel like headless flies.

The moon was bright overhead, its clear light casting a faint, hazy glow over the ground. It was still enough to illuminate the road—otherwise, they wouldn’t have dared turn off their headlights and keep moving.

Xi Yuechen frowned slightly. As he casually glanced at the moonlit road, his eyes suddenly froze, then brightened.

He told the vehicles behind him to stop before stepping on the brakes. No matter how bright the moon was, visibility was still limited. If he stopped abruptly, the cars behind might crash into them if they weren’t careful.

When Gao Yunxiao saw Xi Yuechen get out of the car and squat down to inspect the ground ahead, he couldn’t help but feel puzzled. What was the captain looking at?

Xi Yuechen seemed to confirm something. His expression relaxed, and he quickly returned to the car and started driving again.

Xie Haomin, sitting in the back, was bursting with curiosity. What had the captain seen? Though Xi Yuechen still hadn’t said anything, the cold, tense aura around him had clearly eased.

“Captain, what did you see just now?” Xie Haomin finally couldn’t overcome his curiosity and asked.

Gao Yunxiao also turned to look at Xi Yuechen, seemingly waiting for his answer.

“Tire tracks,” Xi Yuechen said succinctly, eyes fixed on the road as he drove. “Fresh ones—probably Yan Sect vehicles.”

At present, the road hadn’t split yet. If they kept going straight, they should be close.

With that explanation, everyone in the car understood. They all began carefully observing the road surface. This was a dirt road—far from the city, mostly abandoned wasteland. Few people came here, so transportation infrastructure was backward. But precisely because it was remote and desolate, the Yan Sect had chosen it as the delivery location.

It had likely rained not long ago. The road was still damp. Looking closely, there were indeed tire tracks in the muddy ground.

The tracks were somewhat chaotic, indicating that there were many vehicles. Watching the muddy dirt road winding ahead, Gao Yunxiao silently admired Xi Yuechen’s extraordinary powers of observation.

Xie Haomin raised an eyebrow and curled his lips slightly. This “rival” of his really did make him see him in a new light again and again.

At this moment, the Yan Sect’s people were waiting patiently at the delivery point for the Zhao family to arrive. Because of Bai Xiong’s instructions, they were alert—but more than that, they were smug. Such a remote place—who could possibly find them?

Little did they know that this advantage in terrain had been undone by timing. The rain that had just fallen had already exposed their tracks.

After driving for a while, a fork in the road appeared ahead, and Xi Yuechen stopped the car.

Without needing instructions, Gao Yunxiao and the others got out to examine the tire tracks as soon as the car stopped.

Fortunately, because there were many vehicles, the tracks left behind were very clear. Even in the dim light, it was easy to identify the direction they had gone.

When the vehicles behind saw Xi Yuechen’s team stop twice to inspect the road, they also caught on, each one suddenly enlightened.

They couldn’t help but admire how calm and meticulous the captain was under pressure. If it had been them in command, they would probably have been rushing around like headless flies.

Not long after passing the fork, Xi Yuechen ordered all the vehicles to drive into the roadside grass. He had observed earlier that the surroundings were dense forest, and this stretch was a grassy area—undoubtedly the best place to hide vehicles.

Further ahead, there might not be such grassland. They wouldn’t be able to conceal the cars, and if they got too close to the enemy, they could easily be discovered. Moreover, they still didn’t know which direction the Zhao family’s vehicles would come from.

Time was almost up. Every extra minute wasted increased the chance of running into the Zhao family head-on. That would leave them trapped between advance and retreat—an even worse situation.

So stopping here was undoubtedly the wisest choice.