186: The taste of the edge of death

Xu Ning listened quietly, then lightly patted the tank's outer shell. "Finished speaking? Then, open fire."

With that command, the entire stage was engulfed in an earth-shattering explosion. When the smoke and dust gradually dissipated, only a pile of ruins remained.

All the guests were shocked beyond belief by the scene before them.

Amidst the chaos, Gromyko took the opportunity to crawl under the stage, narrowly escaping death.

He looked up at the Asian man who was still sitting steadily on the tank, fear in his heart. What kind of courage made him dare to do such a thing?

"Sometimes, people overestimate their value too much," Xu Ning shook his head. "Even without you, that aircraft carrier would eventually be mine."

As the smoke cleared, only a mess was left on the stage.

Xu Ning's gaze swept across the entire scene, finally settling on Gromyko, who was trying to hide himself. "Tell me, who has the highest status here now?"

All eyes turned towards the pale-faced Gromyko, who was clearly panicked.

Xu Ning calmly leaped down from the tank and walked steadily towards Gromyko. "So, are you in charge here?"

Gromyko's gaze flickered through the crowd. Everyone whose eyes met his seemed to be pushed away by an invisible force, turning their heads and leaving behind only the guilt in their backs.

At this life-and-death moment, self-preservation became the only thought in everyone's mind. Who had the energy to care about others?

"Yes, it's me," Gromyko said with a slightly hoarse voice.

Xu Ning's voice was cold and powerful: "Are you the mayor here?"

Gromyko pondered for a moment before replying, "No, I am not the mayor. I am the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Utopoonia, here to sign an important agreement and meet with Mr. Harvey."

Facing this person who was clearly not to be underestimated, Gromyko chose to be honest.

Lying in front of a wise person was like playing with fire.

Xu Ning nodded slightly. "A wise choice. Mr. Makarov has already informed me about the local situation. If you had concealed anything just now, I'm afraid you would have tasted the bitter fruit by now."

As soon as he finished speaking, beads of sweat began to drip from Gromyko's forehead. He was grateful that he hadn't chosen the path of deception.

Xu Ning examined the other party. He had originally planned to find a local dignitary for assistance, but unexpectedly met someone of even higher status. "Since that's the case, you will assist."

With that, Xu Ning easily grabbed Gromyko by the collar and lifted the outwardly bloated but actually feather-light person.

Perhaps it was because his body became exceptionally light under extreme tension, or perhaps out of consideration for his own safety, Gromyko offered almost no resistance.

Just like that, Xu Ning took Gromyko back into the tank, and the space immediately became more crowded.

With a brief command, "Squat down, move to the side."

Gromyko had to try to adapt to this extremely difficult posture for him, struggling to curl into a ball, though it looked somewhat comical.

His companions in the vehicle witnessed the entire process, and their eyes were full of admiration.

The scene just now was like a thrilling action movie, and Xu Ning was undoubtedly the most dazzling hero in it.

When the so-called opponent was easily subdued, a sense of victory naturally arose, especially for Malyshev, who had always wanted revenge.

Subsequently, a series of praises rang out in the vehicle: "Mr. Xu, you are truly amazing."

"That's right, when you ordered the cannon to fire, even I was so excited that my hands trembled. It was simply awesome."

"Yes, yes, I even turned up the volume of the radio communication just now. It was truly exhilarating."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Adam's face was beaming with an expression of utter satisfaction.

Xu Ning just smiled faintly. "Alright, enough of that. Quickly notify the team, we need to withdraw immediately."

He had no intention of showing off. His words at that moment had simply flowed out naturally with the tense atmosphere.

"Yes," Xiao Adam immediately responded, then asked, "Mr. Xu, where are we going next? Back to Malyshev?"

"No," Xu Ning's gaze was firm. "We must continue forward, towards Nikolaev Shipyard."

"Understood, I will relay that to the other teams now," Xiao Adam quickly turned to execute the order.

Gromyko, curled up in a ball nearby, heard these conversations, and a chill couldn't help but run through his heart.

Malyshev, revenge for the Skorlov brothers, Nikolaev...

Could it be that this man is really going to retaliate against me? Although those decisions were made according to Harvey's instructions, he was ultimately responsible.

Perhaps, he will take me before the Skorlov brothers and end my life with his own hands.

Thinking of this, cold sweat seeped from his forehead like fine rain, and the shadow of death seemed to be right before his eyes.

As the driver lightly pushed the control lever, the Poor Oddity Tank emitted a heavy and powerful "clank" sound, slowly rolling over the gravel and debris, and exited the banquet hall.

The other three tanks followed closely behind, retreating in an orderly fashion.

Left behind were the startled guests, exchanging disbelieving glances. They knew that the events of this night were destined to become the focus of tomorrow's headlines.

After leaving Hulifuka, Xu Ning's heart tensed up again. Without Golovdev's support, the road to Nikolaev would undoubtedly be more difficult.

Looking back, he also felt a bit fortunate. If it weren't for the soldiers guarding the entrance to the banquet hall being Golovdev's old subordinates, and all of them being ordered away by him, he probably wouldn't have been able to deal with Harvey so smoothly.

Once the fight started, even the slightest sound could make that cunning man, as shrewd as a fox, sense the danger and look for an opportunity to escape through the back door, never allowing himself to be captured like this.

At that time, four coaxial machine guns were simultaneously locked onto him, and any slight movement would have led to fatal consequences.

Although Harvey's fate ultimately wasn't much better than this, at least at that moment, the feeling of despair allowed him to experience the taste of being on the edge of life and death.

In this land chased by time, Xu Ning was like a commander on a forced march. He issued the order for everyone to become drivers, taking turns at the wheel, and rushing to Nikolaev at the fastest possible speed.

The tank team on the road was like a giant steel python, kicking up clouds of dust, advancing directly towards their destination.

This journey, which was originally expected to take several hours, was shortened by a third of the time under their full effort.

Along the way, all vehicles seemed to be guided by some invisible force, making way for them.

Whenever they passed, faces full of astonishment would peer out from the stopped cars, as if witnessing an incredible spectacle.

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