Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 222: Dangerous Mission

Chapter 222: Chapter 222: Dangerous Mission

One day, after a busy shift, Cui Qi was feeling tired and ready to rest when suddenly he heard the sound of an emergency bell. Knowing something had gone wrong, he rushed to the gathering place.

On his way, Cui Qi saw many people looking panicked and confused, probably aware something had happened. Could they be sure of what to do next?

Upon reaching the gathering place, Cui Qi saw people distributing items. When he looked closer, he realized they were masks. A sinking feeling overwhelmed him as he realized what this signified.

When most people had gathered, the woman in charge spoke, "One of our trucks was intercepted while passing through the slum, and the cargo was stolen. Do you remember what I told you?"

Of course, Cui Qi did. The local law couldn’t control the slums here. If they were to recover their goods, they would have to do it themselves - meaning, they could resort to illegal actions to protect their legitimate interests.

She continued, "Our goods all have tracking devices. There are ten groups in total, with four people in each group. After you enter the slum, find the goods and retreat as swiftly as possible."

Some raised their concerns: "There are numerous desperados in the slum, and they’re armed. Are we going on a suicide mission?"

The leader nodded, "Each group leader will receive a gun. Remember, in that slum, conflicts break out every day, gunshots are daily routines, injuries and deaths are common. If anything happens, you can shoot freely. There’s no need to hold back."

"Seriously?" Although they knew the risks, this was the first time they had to risk their lives for a task. It gave them a heavy feeling of uncertainty.

"Those who participate will get one hundred thousand each, those who retrieve the goods get an additional two hundred thousand each, and if something unfortunate happens, one million will be given to your family." Upon saying this, the leader solemnly added, "Since you’re here, you should be prepared. How will we get through without taking risks?"

After hearing this, Cui Qi noticed the fear in the other three members of his team. They seemed ready to back out but there was no way out. Being in an unfamiliar place with chaos all around, survival would be difficult without this operation.

Cui Qi considered resistance but the sight of the well-trained security personnel surrounding the woman quashed the thought quickly.

So the plan began. Four people per group, one car per group. Ten groups, ten cars moved into the slums from different directions at dawn. As soon as they entered, they could hear gunshots. It was just like the woman had said: conflicts and violence were daily occurrences here.

Cui Qi parked the car. The monitor indicated that the goods were in a nearby house. Bursting in seemed easy because there were no high walls or fences in the slum, but they had no idea what kind of weapons the enemies inside were equipped with.

"Brother Cui, let’s not do it. Let’s run," proposed one of the team members out of fear and concern. They hadn’t signed up for this.

However, Cui Qi knew they couldn’t retreat, and said sternly: "If we run, where can we go? Strangers in an unfamiliar world with a poor security situation - let’s face it, we can’t survive without them. We have to take this risk. That’s why we’re here, to take risks."

By this time, the other groups had arrived. Seeing the increased numbers gave them more courage, so they steeled themselves, got out of their vehicles and charged in together.

The people inside the house were counting their loot and celebrating their catch when they suddenly heard a multitude of footsteps outside. Realizing something was amiss, they rushed to grab the guns on the table.

Cui Qi was the first to rush in. He instantly opened fire, shooting one of them. The man screamed and fell to the ground.

Seeing the situation go south, another man raised a machine gun, ready to start a massacre when a bullet from outside pierced his head.

With no weapons left, and outnumbered, it didn’t take long for Cui Qi and his group to overcome the rest, leaving them bloodied and unconscious. The stolen goods were reclaimed.

Things had gone smoothly so far. Cui Qi looked outside the window, wondering who had such exceptional shooting skills. He was surprised to find that it was the training woman in charge. He was grateful for her timely intervention. If not for her, the machine gun spray could have killed a number of them.

"Hurry up, these people cannot be trifled with," she instructed. They hastened their actions and began to load the goods into their vehicles.

Maybe because the slums were ungovernable by local law, it fostered many powerful factions. By attacking one group, there was a high risk of inviting trouble from their powerful backers.

Understanding the complexity of the place, she knew they couldn’t stay long - they would only be safe once they were out of there.

By this time, other teams had also found this location. The increased manpower sped up the process; they swiftly moved all goods and made a quick getaway.

Soon they were far from the slums. This operation had gone smoothly, with no major hitches. However, as Cui Qi looked at the slums fading in the rearview mirror, he couldn’t shake off a sense of unease. He knew that there would be a next time, and they wouldn’t always be so lucky to escape unscathed.

Once they returned to a safe area, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. They checked the goods and amazingly, nothing was missing. The female supervisor immediately fulfilled her previous promise; each person received a 200,000 cash reward.

Cui Qi also got his share. After some thought, he calculated: forty people, each receiving 200,000, that’s 8 million in total. Yet, the stolen goods might be worth more than 8 million.

Cui Qi furrowed his brows. He felt that the supervisor wasn’t merely interested in recovering the goods, but instead, she wanted to throw these freshly recruited members into the battlefield. He suspected she would’ve preferred the goods to be stolen, providing an opportunity for him and the others to retrieve them.

"Why cause unnecessary trouble? Isn’t peace preferable?" Cui Qi was increasingly worried. If his deductions were true, they would soon embark on their next mission.

Someone voiced their concerns: "Considering the formidable forces within the slums, aren’t we afraid they’ll seek revenge?"

The female supervisor quickly reassured them: "Don’t worry. Even though those forces in the slums are strong, their influence is limited to the slums. Outside it, they’ll face legal consequences. And there was no one tailing us when we left, so there’s no need for concern."

After hearing these words, those who had been worried felt somewhat relieved, believing they should be safe.

Cui Qi, not a novice in spying for Zhuo Hang, wasn’t so gullible to think they were completely safe. If they had upset truly ruthless individuals, payback was guaranteed.

Meanwhile, in the slums where the fight had just occurred, Mosi, a powerful boss, walked in. He saw his subordinates, beaten and twisted on the ground, with one having been shot.

Mosi was furious: "What happened? Who did this? Everyone knows these men are under my protection."

One of his men replied: "We’re not sure who they were. They stole our stolen goods, then they drove off, seemingly not locals."

"Could outsiders know we had stolen the goods, so they sent people to take them back?" Mosi coldly hummed at this conjecture: "Do we know whose goods we stole?"

His subordinate answered: "No idea; we just took the stuff without considering who they belonged to."

Another battered man added: "They spoke foreign languages, not local dialects; it sounded like that one nation."

"Oh, that nation?" Mosi furrowed his brows and his expression turned grave: "It doesn’t matter where they come from, they don’t have authority here. Find them so they pay."

One recently joined team member said: "Boss, something similar happened when I was with another gang in different slums. We had just stolen a large amount of goods, and we were attacked that very night. The captured raider was indeed from that country, affiliated to a factory to whom the goods belonged."

Hearing this, Mosi was displeased: "We’ve stolen plenty of goods, but only those from that factory dare to fight back. They don’t respect us. Tell me where this factory is."

Someone reminded him: "Boss, the factory is outside the slums. If we retaliate there, the government forces won’t take it lightly."

Another person nodded in agreement: "Yeah, boss, we can do as we please in the slums without legal repercussions, but that’s not the case outside."

Mosi dismissed their fears: "What’s there to be afraid of? We can retreat here after the act; it’s not our first time committing crimes outside the slums."

Seeing Mosi’s determined expression, his subordinates chose not to voice further objections. Still, the newly joined member insisted on advising: "Boss Mosi, the only reason I left my previous gang and came here was that after they sought revenge on that factory, they were annihilated overnight. I survived by sheer luck since I was out."

"What are you implying? That I should be scared? This is our territory; no one has ever successfully stolen back what we’ve taken. This matter isn’t over; they have to pay." Mosi, exuding a murderous look and an unwavering attitude, decided resolutely.

That day, Mosi gathered a force of two hundred members. They set off, fully armed and in various vehicles, with the intent to strike before dawn and retreat back before the local law enforcement could react.