170: Chapter 170 Cat and Mouse Game! A Shameful Armed Parade!

"All units, prepare to advance!"

He Jun's command was crisp and decisive, transmitted through the command system to every corner of the defensive line.

Rumble—!

The awakened steel behemoths began to move!

Military jeeps and trucks, long since primed and ready, roared as their engines tore through the air, kicking up clouds of yellow sand as they charged out of the positions one after another!

Although these vehicles could not be counted as armored vehicles, on this desert, in the eyes of those tribal militants who had already been scared out of their wits, they were life-reaping iron cavalry!

The First Company of the National Defense Force, consisting of one hundred and fifty soldiers, with the exception of necessary personnel left behind, all jumped nimbly onto their respective combat vehicles.

"Move out!"

Following He Jun's order, this elite, small-scale mechanized unit kicked up a towering wall of sand and pursued at full speed in the direction where the routed Sudan troops were fleeing in panic.

It did not take long for them to catch up with the tribal militants, who had abandoned their armor and weapons, wishing only that their parents had given them more legs to run with.

"Da-da-da-da-da!"

The remote-controlled heavy machine gun mounted on the leading military jeep opened fire!

Tongues of fire spat out, but the bullets were not aimed at the crowded masses; instead, they swept in strings across the sand at their feet.

Pfft, pfft, pfft!

A long string of sand was kicked up by the bullets, striking the legs of the routed soldiers and causing them sharp pain!

"Ahhh!"

The routed soldiers, fleeing for their lives, were scared out of their wits by this "greeting." Some lost control of their bladders on the spot, while others stumbled and fell face-first into the dirt. Regardless of the pain, they scrambled back up and ran even faster than before!

This was precisely the tactical order issued by He Jun.

No killing, only driving them away!

What they were doing was the work of sheepdogs, using gunfire and intimidation to herd this flock of disobedient sheep in the direction specified by their master.

The mechanized unit of the Cyber Freedom Republic transformed into a group of cold, hunting machines, trailing close behind the routed soldiers.

If they ran fast, the convoy drove fast.

If they ran slow, the machine guns on the roofs would immediately issue a "friendly" reminder, using bullets to "cheer them on."

Some routed soldiers who truly could not run any further simply hardened their hearts, lying down on the ground to play dead, or dropping to their knees with a thud, raising their hands high and crying out for mercy.

But the pursuing convoy didn't even bother to glance at them, simply driving around them.

Immediately afterward, several large engineering trucks that had been specially dispatched pulled up. Several soldiers jumped out, used pre-prepared zip ties to quickly bind the captives, threw them roughly into the high cargo beds, and then continued following the main force.

The whole scene was not a pursuit battle at all.

It was clearly an absurd, bizarre, and utterly humiliating armed parade!

Thousands of tribal militants who, only hours ago, had been arrogant and clamoring to trample the "Great Wall," were now like a herd of wildebeest being toyed with by a pride of lions, fleeing in disarray across the vast desert.

And behind them were the orderly, relentless steel beasts.

"God! What on earth do they want? Why don't they just kill us?" one routed soldier cried out in a mental breakdown while running, his face smeared with snot and tears.

"They want to drive us back to Sudan! They're going to chase us all the way to our homes!" another person shrieked in a voice distorted by terror.

This kind of pursuit—where they wouldn't kill you but refused to let go—this kind of herding laced with ridicule and mockery, was more capable of mentally destroying a person's will than simply blowing them into fragments with artillery shells!

Musa Ibrahim was also among the crowd fleeing for his life.

The magnificent robe he wore, which symbolized his status as a leader, had long since been torn to shreds. His face and hands were covered in scratches from falling, making him look exactly like a refugee beggar.

He couldn't help but look back.

The relentless mechanized unit appeared and disappeared in the kicked-up dust, every vehicle like a silent and cold monster. That aura chilled him from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

Musa Ibrahim's body stiffened.

The enemy... they had never considered them an enemy from the very beginning!

In their eyes, they were just a group of rats to be toyed with and humiliated at will!

They were enjoying this game of cat and mouse!

This humiliating "desert marathon" lasted the entire night.

When the clouds on the horizon revealed a fish-belly white, this "flock of sheep," exhausted from being driven, finally stumbled across the border of Sudan and returned to their own territory.

"Hoo... ha... it's over..."

"We're home... they wouldn't dare chase us here, right?"

Countless people thought the nightmare ended here, collapsing onto the ground, their throats making wheezing sounds as they gasped for air.

But the next second, a sight appeared that made their livers and gallbladders split with terror.

The Cyber Freedom Republic convoy did not pause at all; their wheels rolled over that border line, which existed only on maps, emitting a low, crushing sound as they also entered Sudan!

Continuing the pursuit!

"They... they really chased us over here!"

"Lunatics! They're all lunatics! They've invaded our country!"

The hope that had just ignited was completely extinguished, and the routed soldiers fell back into bottomless despair. They could only drag their legs, which were too heavy to lift, draining the last remaining strength from their bodies as they continued to flee deeper into the interior.

Their next destination was a border town nearest to the border, named "Heglig."

That was their assembly point when they set out, and the town still held some of their remaining logistical supplies and garrison personnel.

When the routed soldiers, covered in dust and looking like evil ghosts, rushed into the town, the early-rising residents were all given a great fright.

And when they saw that armored unit, painted with unfamiliar flags and exuding a murderous aura, following closely behind the routed soldiers, it was as if a bomb had been dropped on the whole town, causing immediate chaos!

Screams! Cries!

The residents didn't even have time to think about what was happening; they dragged their families out of their homes and fled for their lives toward the distance.

The entire town of Heglig turned into a ghost town within half an hour due to the arrival of these uninvited guests.

He Jun's troops did not encounter any decent resistance and easily drove into the town's central square.

He jumped down from the command vehicle and looked around at the empty town, which was filled with exotic charm, his expression indifferent.

"Clear out all remaining militants and establish a temporary defensive line," he issued the order calmly.

"Yes!"

The soldiers acted immediately, their movements so efficient they seemed devoid of human emotion. They dragged out all the routed soldiers who were hiding in the town and attempting to resist, disarmed them, bound them tightly with ropes, and detained them together.

After everything was handled, He Jun walked to the front of the town government building, which was still quite imposing.

On the flagpole in front of the building, a flag representing the sovereignty of Sudan was fluttering weakly.

"Mark, take it down," He Jun said, tilting his head toward Mark Smith beside him.

"Understood, sir!"

Mark Smith grinned, stepped forward, and skillfully untied the flag rope.

Under the gaze of dozens of National Defense Force soldiers, and within the humiliating, angry, yet powerless sight of the captured Sudan routed soldiers nearby, that flag slowly, slowly descended.

Subsequently, He Jun carefully took out a brand-new, blue and white hexagonal star flag from his bosom.

The national flag of the Cyber Freedom Republic!

He personally tied the national flag to the flag rope, and then, with a forceful tug of his arm!

Whoosh!

Under everyone's gaze, on the territory of Sudan, the national flag of the Cyber Freedom Republic rose slowly for the first time!

An embedded propaganda officer immediately raised a high-definition camera and, from different angles, completely recorded this highly historical, yet also highly humiliating scene.

Photos and videos clearly recorded the entire process of the flag rising, as well as the imposing images of the Republic's soldiers patrolling the town with guns.

After finishing all this, He Jun raised his wrist and checked the time on his watch.

"We will stay here for two hours."

His voice was not loud, but the weight of his words was irresistible.

"Two hours later, release all captives, return all non-weapon supplies, and then blow up their ammunition depot and withdraw all personnel."

He looked up at the national flag fluttering fiercely over the foreign town, his lips curling up, the smile carrying a chill.

"Immediately encrypt all the video footage we've captured and transmit it back to Beijing!"

"Tell them that the good show has just begun, and they can prepare for the next phase of work!"