If the enemy remains still, we also remain still; use the unchanging to respond to the ever-changing. Old Xu now only hopes that the other party is merely passing through, so based on this thought, he picked up the hand-held radio and ordered: "Huazi, Little Duan, stay where you are and do not move! All other units also maintain radio silence, over!"
The correct choice, Old Xu’s decision avoided rash actions and alerting the enemy unnecessarily.
After all, the current information from the front only indicates that the convoy is passing through.
Passing through does not mean stopping, stopping does not mean conflict.
And if Old Xu had just given Hua Biao and Duan Chengwu harassment orders, then once the fight started, it would be a relentless battle.
If later on he wanted to negotiate peace, you might agree, but the other side probably wouldn’t.
"They are approaching the intersection!"
"They’re turning!"
"Old Xu, they are heading for the village!"
Hidden in the piles of weeds, Hua Biao accurately reported the enemy’s status back to the base one by one.
And upon receiving this news, the strings of tension among those at the base grew even tighter.
Judging by the opponent’s posture, it was clear they were headed for the village, which made Old Xu’s recently made decision begin to waver.
Should they strike preemptively?
If they do not act now, it will be more troublesome to defend once the enemy enters the village.
But if they act now, and the enemy means no harm, wouldn’t that be a blunder?
The problem returned to its starting point. Old Xu quickly pressed the communication button to further confirm: "Huazi, how many of them are there? Can you see their weaponry?"
"I can’t, Old Xu, their windows are tightly closed, but judging from the jeep’s wheel indentations, it seems fully loaded."
A fully loaded jeep means five people, plus the Dongfeng Warrior, which accounts for at least seven people on the opposing side.
Upon hearing this, Old Xu’s brow furrowed tightly.
This way, the base attempting to overwhelm by numbers becomes a problem.
It seems it is still better not to act rashly at the moment!
Just as this conclusion was reached, the car engines began to rumble closer.
Before Old Xu could think further, the hand-held radio buzzed with Hua Biao’s urgent call: "Old Xu, the convoy is less than 100 meters from the base. Shall I act to divert them? Repeat, the convoy is less than 100 meters from the base. Shall I act to divert them?"
"No! Continue to hold your position! Repeat, continue to hold your position!" Lowering his voice, Old Xu firmly relayed the command.
After the order was given, he and Lei Tong pressed themselves against the wall, trying to hide in the shadows as much as possible.
Just as Hua Biao had reported, moments later the convoy arrived.
"Screech!" Due to the barrier poles blocking the village entrance, the lead jeep came to a stop.
Inside the village, Old Xu could clearly hear the screech of the brake pads.
Then, everything became quiet again.
Undoubtedly, the people in the convoy were very cautious; they did not get out of the vehicles, nor did they roll down the windows.
And since the other party did not move, Old Xu’s side also remained hidden along the wall, not moving.
In terms of patience, Old Xu and others from the Sharp Blade Company were naturally adept.
Sure enough, after about five minutes of this stalemate, the convoy outside finally grew impatient and began to take action.
"Old Xu, two people got off the Warrior Vehicle? Both are armed, the model... Type 95 automatic rifles!"
Hearing this, Old Xu’s heart sank again; there was no need for doubt, the opponent’s weapon allocation was entirely superior to theirs.
If a street fight broke out, their side would surely suffer considerable losses!
But the crucial issue facing Old Xu now was not whether he acts, but rather that the enemy had already taken action.
The time left for him to decide between battle or negotiation was running out.
And while Old Xu was hesitating, tormented, a man’s shouting came from outside the wall: "Is anyone there? Are there any survivors in the village?"
Old Xu was taken aback, not expecting the other party to adopt this approach.
However, upon reflection, Old Xu found it understandable.
Their approach was undoubtedly very correct, clearly showing that these newcomers were quite experienced with such "engagements."
Old Xu did not respond; since they spoke up, he thought they might as well observe what their next move would be.
"Is anyone in the village? If there are any survivors, come out and speak!"
The man continued shouting, his loud voice echoing throughout the deserted village.
The survivors embedded at different spots in the village could hear him clearly without any report from the front.
"What the hell is going on? Are these guys idiots? If they’re coming in, just do it. What’s with all the howling?" Wen Quanxin, whose drunkenness hadn’t entirely passed, was quite displeased by the enemy’s "shouting nonsense."
"This could be a probe from the other side," Tang Xiaoquan casually remarked, playing with his fringe.
"What do you mean?"
"It’s simple! We don’t know the situation of the other party, and likewise, they probably don’t know much about the village. That’s why they didn’t come in, opting for a more cautious approach."
"****! So what do we do? If it’s a blessing, it’s not a curse; if it’s a curse, you can’t avoid it. Huazi just reported that the other side is fully equipped with standard weapons. I reckon even if we don’t respond, they won’t just leave us alone."
"Huh~" Sighing, Tang Xiaoquan shrugged noncommittally: "Let’s wait for news from the front, I’m sure Old Xu will handle it properly."
"No worries! If they don’t come, that’s fine. But if they dare eye our base, humph! They’ll surely leave with nothing gained!"
Clutching his knife tightly, Wen Quanxin exuded a certain coldness.
In response, Tang Xiaoquan chuckled softly to himself.
Thinking: If only it were that simple. Now, I just hope things don’t develop as we imagine.
"Beep! Beep!" Pressing the horn twice, the visitor continued to shout: "Is anyone in the village? If there’s someone, let a person in charge come out, we mean no harm."
At this juncture, Old Xu felt that keeping silent seemed somewhat unfeasible.
After all, they had demonstrated enough sincerity.
Besides, from the way things were developing, even if he did not engage with them, they would definitely enter on their own.
Thinking about this, Old Xu took a deep breath and then responded: "State your purpose for coming!"
"Haha, that’s great, brother, it’s lucky to encounter survivors here. May we meet and talk face to face? We mean no harm."
"Is that so!? But from your actions, it’s hard for me to believe!"
"What do you mean by that? Could you clarify?"
Old Xu signaled to Lei Tong beside him, indicating for him to circle around to the back of the house.
Seeing Old Xu’s gesture, Lei Tong immediately crouched down and moved quietly.
Using the wall as cover and the darkness as his ally, he stealthily made his way to the back of the house, moving like a silent panther right under the enemy’s eyes.
"Since you mean no harm, why carry guns? Appearing like this makes it hard for me to trust your words!" Old Xu drew his Type 64, chambering a round, ready for confrontation.