Chapter 322: Shifang Mountain
After his subordinate left, Xiao Ye got up and walked to the window.
'Shifang Mountain... I hope there's nothing in there.'
'But if there is, they'll have no one to blame but themselves for what I do.'
「Shifang Mountain.」
This was a mountain range located north of the Imperial City.
It had been purchased by the Ouyang Family in the last century.
No one knew what the Ouyang Family did there, but the vegetation grew more lush with each passing year.
Dragon Country's policies changed annually. The current policy stated that even on one's own mountain, trees could not be felled indiscriminately. Violators would face hefty fines and other penalties.
As a result, the mountain remained unchanged, as it always had been.
Its dense growth was a stark contrast to the surrounding mountains, like a young man with a full head of hair standing next to a balding middle-aged one.
Xiao Ye stopped a good distance away from Shifang Mountain.
He took out a pair of binoculars. "What's the security like over there?"
"We didn't dare get too close for fear of being discovered, so we could only observe from a distance. There are regular patrols every day, with about ten men per team."
"They rotate every hour, on the hour. There are no gaps; the two teams meet face-to-face to conduct the handover."
"We also discovered several secret sentry posts. They're hidden inside the trunks of large trees and are extremely well-concealed."
If they hadn't spotted a reflection and seen people suddenly vanish and reappear, they would never have realized those tree trunks had been hollowed out.
Xiao Ye nodded. "Alright, I've got it. Draw me a map of their patrol routes."
"We've already drawn it. We also used a drone to film from high altitude, but we couldn't see much."
The vegetation was so dense that much was hidden beneath it.
The Ouyang Family had likely done this to conceal things on the ground.
Looking at the photos, Xiao Ye didn't find anything, just as he'd expected. He did, however, spot a path that was reasonably distinct.
"Alright, I've got it. Wait here. Give me a gun."
His subordinate immediately handed one over. "This is the newest advanced pistol. It has eight rounds in the magazine and one spare."
"Patriarch, we also have an invisibility cloak and some concealed daggers. Do you need them?"
The invisibility cloak couldn't provide true invisibility. Instead, it worked by refracting the surrounding light, making the wearer momentarily undetectable to the naked eye.
However, a careful observer could still spot the wearer.
Furthermore, the cloak could not evade infrared or thermal imaging.
Xiao Ye geared up and left the vehicle.
He moved at top speed to the base of Shifang Mountain's flank.
The entire area was surrounded by barbed-wire fencing, and it was electrified.
Anyone who rashly approached would be hit with a high-voltage shock and knocked unconscious.
However, the shock was brief, so it wasn't fatal.
Xiao Ye was prepared. He donned a pair of specialized insulated gloves, grabbed the fence for leverage, and vaulted over.
He landed steadily on the ground and quickened his pace up the mountain.
It was daytime, and the chirping of birds occasionally broke the silence of the woods.
Many people believe infiltrations must be done at night. What they don't realize is that the more heavily a place is guarded, the harder it is to penetrate after dark.
In contrast, guards on daytime patrol were less vigilant. They'd grown complacent, believing no one would dare attempt something like this in broad daylight.
Moreover, at night, the searchlights and a whole host of high-tech security systems would be activated.
During the day, however, they were shut off, since everything was visible to the naked eye. This was precisely why Xiao Ye chose to make his move in the daytime.
He found a spot on the guards' patrol route indicated on the map and waited.
Sure enough, about half an hour later, a group of people approached.
RUSTLE. RUSTLE.
"When this patrol's over, I'm gonna go back and get some serious sleep."
"What, didn't sleep well last night? Don't tell me some woman wore you out?"
The other men smirked.
As guards here, once you were in, you were in for life to protect the secrets.
Therefore, their daily needs—and even their psychological well-being—had to be provided for.
And for these men, women were the best medicine.
Every so often, a new batch of women was brought in for them to brutalize as they pleased.
"You know it. Had a real feisty one yesterday. She kept fighting back, so I beat her senseless. That's when I found out... a corpse is even more fun than a fucking live one!"
The group's voices drew nearer.
Xiao Ye glanced at the patrol.
Although they were chatting and their vigilance seemed low, their formation remained unbroken. 'Someone must be watching them,' Xiao Ye figured.
Suppressing the urge to act, Xiao Ye picked up a stone and flicked it at the back of the last man in the line.
"Ah!" the man cried out.
"What is it?"
"I don't know. My back just stung for a second, like something hit it."
The others glanced around and laughed mockingly. "There's no one here. Did you wear yourself out yesterday? You can't handle it anymore, can you!"
The man clutched his stomach. "Ugh, I gotta take a crap. I can't hold it! Wait for me!"
"We can't wait. You'll have to catch up."
The spot Xiao Ye had struck wasn't just a random point on his back; it was a specific acupressure point.
When stimulated, it could cause severe digestive distress in a very short amount of time.
The guard didn't run far before finding a patch of bushes and pulling down his pants.
Before he could get down to business, he felt a sharp pain in his neck, and everything went black.
Xiao Ye stripped the guard's uniform and put it on, not forgetting to take his equipment as well.
After confirming he hadn't missed anything, he forced a long-acting sedative down the guard's throat, hid the body, and stepped out from the bushes.
He walked quickly for a few paces and caught up to the patrol.
The others were still chatting. They merely glanced at him, tossed out a few jokes, and then turned away.
Soon, it was time for the handover.
They met the next patrol at the designated location.
After the handover was complete, Xiao Ye turned in his standard-issue weapon along with the others.
He followed the other guards deeper into the mountain forest.
After walking for about ten minutes, buildings came into view.
The buildings were not tall; in fact, they were quite low to the ground, even shorter than a typical single-story house.
Every roof was covered in sod. Some were also strewn with pebbles and dry grass.
From the air, this would make them blend seamlessly with the surrounding trees and even the ground itself.
The other guards filed into their rooms to rest. Not knowing which room was his, Xiao Ye simply stood outside for a moment.
A voice called out from one of the rooms. "Number Three, what are you doing? Get in here. You're not supposed to linger outside during rest periods."
Xiao Ye took the cue and entered the room.
The room contained four beds, arranged as two sets of bunks.
There were also wardrobes and bookshelves, making it look much like a military barracks.
Beyond that, there was also a bathroom.
Xiao Ye lay down on an unoccupied bunk. The other men had already pulled out their phones and were playing on them.
They only had access to an internal network, but it was enough to keep them occupied.