155: Chapter 155 Suddenly Ambushed

The howling winds in the African desert at night perfectly masked the sound of the ship-borne helicopter flying low.

The Special Operations Team led by Jiao Long performed a quiet fast-rope insertion in the wasteland three kilometers from the village. Under the cover of the night, sand dunes, and rocks, the entire team advanced in tactical formation.

The special ops uniforms on the team members blended into the desert night, and the camouflage paint on their faces obscured their features.

The two members of the Sniper Team went first, quickly moving toward the high ground on the outskirts of the village. Lying behind a dirt slope, they set up their sniper rifles with silencers firmly attached to the muzzles. Their scopes locked onto the militants on guard in the village, ready for precision shots at any moment.

The Assault Team split into two groups, advancing along the base of the walls. Holding tactical knives, they intended to silently take out the sentries first, gradually closing in on the adobe house where the hostages were being held.

The Demolition Team followed closely behind, ready to clear any obstacles at a moment's notice.

Before long, the special ops team had already reached the edge of the village. Two militants at the sentry post were drowsily clutching American-made rifles, completely unaware of the arrival of the Grim Reaper.

The Assault Team members flashed forward, covering the sentries' mouths with one hand and cleanly slitting their throats with their knives. The two militants' eyes bulged before their bodies slowly slumped to the ground, only to be quickly dragged into the shadows and hidden.

Next, the team continued deeper. The main adobe house where the hostages were located was right before them. Through the broken window, they could clearly see the 12 Citizens of Dragon Country tied up in the corner, with seven or eight militants guarding the room and another twenty or so patrolling outside.

Jiao Long made a hand signal, indicating for the team members to take their positions. The Assault Team prepared to breach the door and save the people, while the Sniper Team kept a close eye on the surroundings. They were just about to successfully break in and complete the first step of the rescue plan.

At this critical moment, the leader of the militants inside seemed to sense something amiss. He suddenly let out a roar, shouting in an obscure local language. Immediately after, the militants inside and outside the house simultaneously pulled out white canisters and smashed them hard against the ground!

"Not good! It's a trap!"

Jiao Long's expression changed drastically as he let out a sharp, low growl, but it was ultimately a step too late.

The moment the white canisters shattered, a pungent and thick Ether mist instantly gushed out, turning into a vast white smokescreen that spread frantically outward from the adobe house.

The mist spread extremely fast. In just a few short seconds, it enveloped the entire core area of the village. Whether it was the special ops members, the hostages, the local civilians, or the militants who didn't have time to evacuate, anyone within the range of the Ether was not spared.

The first to be affected were the hostages inside the room. Their faces, originally full of terror, saw their eyes instantly become vacant after inhaling the Ether mist. Their bodies went limp, and they collapsed to the ground, falling directly into a coma.

The militants guarding the room didn't intend to run out either; they also collapsed one by one, falling unconscious as their firearms scattered across the floor.

The special ops members outside were caught off guard and inhaled the knockout smoke. Even though they held their breath and tried to pull out gas masks immediately, the Ether spread too quickly and at such a high concentration that there was simply no time to react.

Jiao Long felt his head spin and his body go weak. The scene before him began to blur. He used the last of his strength to try and warn his team to evacuate, but he didn't even have the strength to open his mouth. His body tilted, and he fell heavily to the ground, completely losing consciousness.

The team members around him also collapsed one after another, lying haphazardly in the dust. Their weapons slipped from their hands as the entire team fell into a coma; not one of them could remain standing.

The local civilians in the village, who had been hiding in their own adobe houses, were not spared as the Ether mist drifted inside. The elderly, children, and women all fainted in their homes, and the entire village instantly fell into a deathly silence.

Among the militants patrolling the perimeter, those who ran slowly were directly overtaken by the knockout smoke and collapsed. Those who ran a bit faster also stumbled and fell unconscious after only a few steps. In the entire area, only the lingering white Ether mist and the people unconscious on the ground remained.

The originally meticulous rescue plan was completely thrown into disarray by this sudden, underhanded move.

The elite special ops team led by Jiao Long, before they even had a chance to display their skills, was entirely knocked out and lost their combat effectiveness.

Although the detained hostages were not in life-threatening danger, they were deep in a coma, and their situation remained perilous.

On the high ground outside the village, the two remaining snipers lay behind the dirt slope. Through their sniper scopes, they witnessed the entire process of the white mist sweeping through the village and everyone collapsing. Their hearts sank.

Something's gone wrong!

The spotter immediately reported via encrypted communicator:

"Calling Command Center! Calling Command Center! This is the special ops Sniper Team. Please respond!"

"Command Center received. Go ahead!"

"A large amount of white knockout smoke suddenly appeared in the target village, suspected to be Ether gas. Captain Jiao Long's Assault Team members, as well as the hostages, militants, and local civilians, have all collapsed and are unconscious. The rescue operation is obstructed! Requesting emergency backup!"

At the same time, in the provocative livestream opened by the militants, the scene also changed.

The camera, which could previously clearly see the hostages and militants, somehow tilted to point out the window. The lens was instantly and completely covered by thick white mist. In the vast white expanse where nothing could be seen clearly, only a few muffled thuds could be heard before everything went silent.

Before the white mist covered everything, the netizens in the livestream caught a glimpse of a group of people in different clothing carrying weapons outside the window. Before they could see clearly, they were covered by the white mist!

This eerie scene left everyone stunned—whether it was the domestic netizens who had bypassed the firewall or the Western netizens waiting to see a joke.

Then, bullet comments came one after another:

"What's going on! Why is it suddenly all white mist? What's the situation!"

"Where are the hostages! Where are our compatriots! Why can't I see anyone? Don't scare me!"

"Did an accident happen? What on earth happened? I'm so nervous!"

"Could it be that something happened to our compatriots? Please, let it not be so!"

"The mist is so thick, is it poison gas? Those militants must be crazy, they don't even care about their own people?"

"I'm worried to death! What exactly is the situation? Does anyone know! I hope it's not bad news!"

"Praying for safety. No matter what happened, our compatriots will surely be fine!"

"Oh God, what happened? The whole village is covered in white mist."

"It seems Dragon Country sent special forces to save the people, but the rescue was botched. How laughable, a bunch of useless people."

"I think a fight broke out inside. Maybe the hostages have already been executed. Dragon Country has completely failed."

"Just wait and see. Dragon Country is going to lose a lot of face this time. They can't even save people and ended up getting themselves caught."

"Is this the so-called great power rescue? It's simply like a farce."

"I bet Dragon Country will have to admit defeat this time; they can't save the hostages at all."