We replicated the same approach, positioning ourselves as if resting on the ground, then quickly moved towards the seniors' hiding spot. I led the team, sticking close to the walls as we headed for Brother Hui’s room.
Between us and that room was a crocodile pit about tens of meters long, followed by our training room, and then Brother Hui’s villa.
This distance was two to three hundred meters, and a swift passage would take at least three minutes.
That was assuming no obstacles.
Estimating, all attention was currently on Ah Bei. When we dealt with the three sentries earlier, those nearby hadn't noticed.
I signaled to the others. Xiao Zhang took the lead, with me right behind. The seniors, accompanied by two Taoist brothers, followed closely. We moved swiftly, hunched over, hugging the walls.
There was no one near the building, suggesting they hadn't expected us to enter from this direction.
We crossed the crocodile pit and the training room without incident. In the distance, we saw two men in black standing under the gantry, though I wasn't sure if Ah Zhan was among them.
This meant there were at most four more people guarding Brother Hui.
Brother Hui’s room door was shut tight. Lights were visible through the window, and no voices could be heard.
I approached the main door and gently pushed it open. With a creak, it swung inwards.
I gave the signal, "Prepare," and we rushed into the room.
The room was brightly lit, and my eyes couldn't immediately adjust to the dazzling white, leaving me unable to see anything.
Within a second or two, I saw several men in black charging towards us, their gleaming short blades dangerously close.
I shouted, "Let's go!"
The seniors had already bypassed the guards and reached Brother Hui, who was seated in a grand chair, holding a pistol to his head.
Their movements were so swift, a blur, that the men in black hadn't even reacted.
Almost simultaneously, with a tearing sound, a cut opened on my left arm from a black-clothed man's dagger. Blood instantly stained my sleeve, and the searing pain nearly made me faint.
Suppressing the pain, I swept my leg up, kicking at the man’s knee. He stumbled forward, and I seized the opportunity to punch him in the head. Unable to dodge, he bent his legs and fell to the ground.
I followed up with a kick to his stomach. It was a heavy blow; I estimated he wouldn't be getting up anytime soon.
The other Taoist brothers were also injured, but they didn't stop fighting, locked in fierce combat.
"Everyone, stop!"
The seniors shouted. The men in black retreated a step, exiting the fight, and the Taoist brothers also ceased their attacks.
"You're Li Hua, aren't you?" Brother Hui, with the senior’s gun to his head, tilted his head and spoke to me with a ferocious expression.
I slowly peeled off my disguise, enduring the intense pain in my arm, and replied, "It's a pity you found out a bit too late. Thank you for the high-intensity training these past few days, and for providing us with so much good food. Otherwise, I truly wouldn't have had the confidence to challenge them."
"Consider me blind, outmaneuvered by you again. But don't forget, there are dozens of people outside, and a battalion of armed soldiers behind us. Even if you kill me, you won't get out of the barracks."
"Are you so sure? What if we do manage to get out? Brother Hui, no, Uncle, you overestimate yourself. Since we dared to come in, we have a way out. For now, you should focus on saving your own life."
Xiao Zhang and the Taoist brothers pointed their guns at the two standing men in black, signaling them not to move. I took a nylon rope, over a meter long, from my pocket, walked behind Brother Hui, looped it around his neck, and then brought his hands forward to tie his wrists.
This method of binding was taught to me by the seniors. Once tied like this, he wouldn't dare to move recklessly; the tighter he struggled, the tighter the rope around his neck would become, potentially leading to suffocation.
Seeing me bind Brother Hui, the seniors asked about my injury with concern. I glanced at my arm; it hadn't penetrated the flesh, just a skin cut.
I told the seniors it was nothing serious. They handed Brother Hui over to me and quickly moved to the men in black, incapacitating their limbs in a few swift moves. Then, they instructed the Taoist brothers to bind them using their techniques.
Brother Hui watched his subordinates being subdued, asking me with resentment, "What do you want? It's impossible for me to go back!"
"It's not up to you now. I'm definitely taking you back. You've committed so many heinous acts, killing you here would be too easy. You need to face a trial by justice!"
"Heh heh, I admit you, Li Hua, are someone. But this is Myanmar, and everyone here is my person. You too, are overestimating yourself!"
"Then let's try!"
I didn't waste words with him. I grabbed him by the neck and lifted him from the grand chair. I told the Taoist brothers to move the incapacitated men in black into Brother Hui's bedroom.
I pushed Brother Hui and walked into the bedroom.
Opening the door, Zhou Yingying stood at the entrance, watching us enter in a line, and then quickly moved aside.
Brother Hui glanced at Zhou Yingying askance and said angrily, "You *****, you're in league with them, aren't you?"
Zhou Yingying remained expressionless, standing there in silence.
"Brother Hui, losing is losing. What's with all the talk!"
"Lost? Who says I've lost? Don't forget, there are still dozens of people outside, and one of your comrades is being roasted on the gantry. I'll admit I've lost only when you've dealt with them!"
I ignored him, asking the seniors for a handkerchief. We drugged the men in black and Brother Hui, ensuring he would be silent.
This drug would take effect in fifteen to twenty minutes, and we needed to use this time to resolve matters outside.
I left one Taoist brother to watch them. I asked Zhou Yingying for several sets of black-clothed men's attire, which we all changed into before exiting the room.
As I left, I told Zhou Yingying not to come out of the room, no matter what happened outside, and to wait for our return.
After all, the people outside were armed, and bullets were indiscriminate. Unexpected events could occur.
Our true test was dealing with the people outside.
It was no wonder Brother Hui was so confident; as long as he wasn't killed, he had a chance to turn the tables.
Even if a single person pulled the trigger, the sound of a gunshot would alert the people in the barracks. While we could fight the men in black, facing hundreds of armed individuals meant we had no chance of escaping.
There was another critical problem: Ah Zhan was not in the room; he was in the plaza.
What now?
Ah Bei was still on the rack, his life uncertain. Although the men in black and Brother Hui in the room were bound and unconscious, once the drug wore off, even if they didn't resist, their shouts and commotion would be extremely disadvantageous to us.
The seniors frowned again, clearly still without a solution. Including Ah Zhan, there were at least three men in black in the plaza. We were all injured to varying degrees, diminishing our combat effectiveness.
The seniors suddenly looked up at me and said, "We can only invite the wolf into the house."