As a young marshal, it's reasonable for me to have 300,000 private troops, right?

Wang Bao glanced at his men, who were all in high spirits in the hall, and a look of satisfaction appeared on his face when he saw how arrogant they were.

He raised his hand and pressed down, and the noisy Tiger Hall instantly quieted down. His gaze finally settled on a one-eyed man wearing a black eye patch in the corner, who was none other than the third leader, Chen Hu.

"Third brother!" Wang Bao said in a gruff voice, his tone carrying an unquestionable air of authority.

Chen Hu, a burly man with a single, sinister-looking eye, immediately stood up and replied, "Big Brother!"

"Give the order: keep the brothers on their toes for the next two days!" Wang Bao tapped his fingers on the table. Although he still looked down on the Fengtian Army, he didn't dare to relax completely.

"Double the number of patrolmen, with shifts day and night, and no slacking off allowed. Regardless of whether those Fengtian Army bastards have any real skills, we can't afford to be caught off guard!"

"Don't worry, brother!" Chen Hu replied in a deep voice, his tone crisp and decisive.

"I'll make the arrangements right away, and I guarantee that Shirakawa-san will be protected like an iron fortress!"

Having said that, he turned and strode out of the Tiger Hall to deliver the order.

Wang Bao was able to remain a bandit on Baichuan Mountain for so long entirely because of his caution and prudence. Even though he knew that the Fengtian Army might just be putting on a show, he dared not relax his guard in the slightest.

Night fell as expected, and Shirakawa-san was quickly swallowed by the thick darkness.

The mountain wind howled past, swirling up withered leaves and making a rustling sound, adding a touch of eeriness to the quiet night.

Outside the bandit stronghold, groups of two or three bandits patrolled back and forth, carrying dim lanterns.

In the guard posts on both sides of the mountain stronghold, the bandits on lookout duty vigilantly watched the movements below the mountain, but their eyes inevitably carried a hint of carelessness and laxity.

Deep in the dense forest at the foot of the mountain, eighteen dark figures lay in wait.

Dressed in black, Yan Shuangying lay prone in the grass, taking in the entire layout of the bandit stronghold.

Behind him, the brothers of the Yan Ying Group also concealed their auras to the extreme, like shadows blending into the darkness.

Yan Shuangying slowly raised his hand, signaling everyone to come closer. The brothers tacitly moved forward, and he lowered his voice.

"This operation focuses on reconnaissance, to ascertain the organization and number of members of the bandit stronghold, as well as their shift change times and patterns. If an excellent opportunity arises, we can seize it to eliminate the bandit leader, Wang Bao, but remember, safety comes first, and no prolonged engagements are permitted. Does everyone understand?"

"Understood!" The eighteen deep responses were perfectly synchronized, without the slightest hesitation.

Yan Shuangying nodded slightly and waved again. The next second, eighteen figures, like ghosts in the dark, scattered and, under the cover of the dense forest and rocks, silently made their way towards the bandit camp.

It should be noted that all members of the Yan Ying Group are elites who have undergone rigorous assassination and infiltration training.

Dealing with these bandit strongholds that rely solely on brute force and lack any professional defense or counter-surveillance awareness is a piece of cake for them.

Yan Shuangying moved like a ghost through the shadows of the bandit stronghold, his steps light and silent.

Using the houses and fences as cover, he quickly scanned his surroundings. Along the way, he could see many bandits gathered in their barracks drinking and playing drinking games, with noise rising and falling. It was not difficult to judge the approximate distribution of the bandit camp's forces.

Every two incense sticks' worth of time, a patrol team would pass by, and the changing of the guard gradually became clear.

After searching for a while, Yan Shuangying's eyes locked onto the most magnificent wooden house in the center of the village. Two guards with rifles stood at the door of the house, their expressions vigilant, unlike the lax bandits in other places.

Without a doubt, this must be the bandit leader's residence.

Yan Shuangying slowly crouched in the shadows of the corner. Once the patrol team was out of sight, he suddenly exerted his strength, leaping out like a cheetah. His short knife was as fast as lightning, instantly slicing across the necks of two guards.

The guard didn't even have time to let out a scream before he collapsed limply, and Yan Shuangying dragged him into the shadows.

He gently pushed open the door of the wooden cabin. Inside, the candlelight flickered, and Wang Bao was sitting at the table wiping a Mauser pistol. There was also a half-empty pot of wine on the table.

Yan Shuangying held his breath, his steps as light as a cat's, and slowly approached Wang Bao from behind, his short knife already poised to strike.

Just as the dagger was about to strike, Wang Bao suddenly turned around!

Having spent years living on the edge of a knife, he had developed an alertness comparable to that of a wild beast. He had even managed to pinpoint the barely audible sound of the wind when Yan Shuangying pushed open the door.

"Who?!"

Wang Bao shouted and suddenly dodged to the side.

Yan Shuangying reacted extremely quickly. With a flick of his wrist, the short knife missed its vital point, and instead aimed at Wang Bao's heart.

Unexpectedly, Wang Bao was also quite skilled. He swiftly sidestepped the short knife attack, then swung his arm and delivered a powerful punch with a whistling wind, aiming straight for Yan Shuangying's face!

Yan Shuangying's fighting skills were already superb. He instantly sensed the immense force in his opponent's punch and immediately abandoned his attack, crossing his arms to protect his chest and switching from offense to defense.

"Bang!"

A dull thud rang out, and immense force instantly traveled from his arms to his entire body. Yan Shuangying's pupils constricted slightly, completely unprepared for Wang Bao's astonishing strength.

Caught off guard, he was forced back several steps, his heels slamming heavily against the threshold before he could barely regain his balance.

Wang Bao pressed his advantage, regaining his footing with his Mauser pistol, which he held firmly against Yan Shuangying's chest, his eyes as sinister as a wolf's.

"To be able to infiltrate the core area of ​​my Shirakawa Mountain, you're no ordinary person. Tell me! Who sent you?"

Yan Shuangying slowly straightened up, patted the dust off his shoulders, and remained calm.

"You don't need to know."

"Ha!" Wang Bao chuckled, amused by these words, his eyes full of disdain.

"Still trying to talk tough even when you're about to die? I've never seen anyone so good at pretending. Look closely, with just the slightest movement of my finger, you'll be lying dead on the spot!"

Upon hearing this, Yan Shuangying showed no fear whatsoever; instead, a cold smile appeared on his face.

"Oh? Really? I bet your gun is empty."

"Bullshit!" Wang Bao's face darkened. He didn't believe it at all and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

With a crisp "click," the bullet didn't fire; the gun had indeed jammed!

Yan Shuangying accurately captured this momentary opening.

Almost at the same moment the gunshot rang out, he drew his pistol from his waist with lightning speed, aimed the muzzle steadily at Wang Bao, and pulled the trigger without hesitation!

"Bang!" A gunshot suddenly rang out in the cramped wooden hut.

Wang Bao reacted very quickly, instinctively dodging to the side. The bullet missed a vital spot, but it pierced right through his left arm, and blood gushed out instantly, staining his clothes red.

The crisp sound of gunfire shattered the silence of the night, instantly drawing the attention of the entire bandit stronghold.

In a short while, a flurry of footsteps and roars came from all directions.

"Catch the assassin!"

"Protect Big Brother!"

Countless lanterns were lit, and a dark mass of bandits surged toward the wooden house like a tidal wave, forming an impenetrable encirclement.

Yan Shuangying frowned, knowing that the opportunity for assassination had been completely missed, and further delay would only lead to being surrounded.

Without further hesitation, he turned and rushed outside, pulling out three specially made smoke grenades from his waist and throwing them forcefully at the surging band of bandits.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Smoke grenades exploded one after another, and thick white smoke instantly filled the air, obscuring the soldiers' vision.

Under the cover of the smoke, Yan Shuangying kept running, like a thunderbolt in the dark, towards the pre-arranged evacuation point.

Along the way, he encountered several fearless bandits who tried to stop him. With a glint of cold light in his short knife, he instantly took them down. His movements were clean and swift, without the slightest hesitation.

Upon seeing this, the Yan Ying group brothers, who had been lying in ambush on the perimeter, immediately launched a coordinated attack. After a few crisp gunshots, the bandits at the forefront fell to the ground.

The remaining bandits were startled by the sudden attack and dared not pursue rashly.

In this brief gap, Yan Shuangying successfully broke through the encirclement and reunited with his brothers who were waiting outside.

Without a word, everyone turned around in unison and disappeared into the deep night, quickly vanishing into the dense forests of Shirakawa Mountain.

In front of the wooden house, Wang Bao clutched his bleeding left arm, his face ashen, veins bulging on his forehead.

He stared intently in the direction where Yan Shuangying had disappeared, his teeth grinding together as he roared at the top of his lungs.

"Chase him! Chase him! Dig three feet into the ground and find this assassin! How dare he make a move on my turf? He's got a death wish!"