Starting to Gain Experience from Push-Ups Chapter 1610 - 773:

Shan Cai, with dark skin, sat cross-legged on the carpet, his hands swiftly disassembling and reassembling a large-caliber sniper rifle.

Sensing Pei Tianci’s movement as he turned, the "click" of loading and the sound of gun assembly stopped simultaneously.

The four people raised their heads in unison, all eyes focusing on the leader.

Pei Tianci left the floor-to-ceiling window, walked to the center of the living room, and sat down on the single sofa.

Facing everyone’s gaze, his eyes behind the glasses exuded a sense of sternness, and he announced solemnly:

"The West Mountain operation officially begins now!"

No sooner had he finished speaking, Kun blew a whistle in excitement.

"Finally, the wait is over!"

He spat out the cigarette butt from his mouth and slapped the magazine heavily on the coffee table:

"Been in Xia Country for so long, playing tourist and pretending to be a fool every day, my whole body is itching from inactivity. Finally, tomorrow night I can go all out!"

"Once we get the money, we’ll buy a yacht, hire a few young models, and have a great time."

"Kun is right!"

Mang suddenly opened his eyes, his thick neck twisting left and right, causing his joints to crack:

"These days, fiddling with flowers and plants as a gardener, my hands are itching. Once the boss gives the order, I’ll blow this place to smithereens."

Seated on the carpet, Shan Cai licked his lips at the words.

His dark face showed a ruthless determination, clearly eager to go as well.

Du Juan said nothing, merely holding the transparent dagger in a reverse grip in her palm, eyes fixed on Pei Tianci, awaiting the next instruction.

Pei Tianci raised his hand, pressing it down, interrupting his team’s agitation.

"Don’t get too excited yet, we need to rework the plan."

Upon hearing this, Kun immediately opened his mouth wide:

"Ah, boss, isn’t it according to what you just said on the phone? First kidnap those big stars, then head to the rooftop?"

"Heh."

Pei Tianci let out a cold snort, leaning back against the sofa backrest, speaking calmly:

"That was only to placate the employer."

The content he was about to arrange next was entirely different from the promise made to Mr. Ye on the phone earlier.

Having been in this line of work for so many years, he instinctively sensed a whiff of danger.

The more the employer emphasized sticking to the plan, the more his vigilance deepened.

Since someone wanted to use the Red Demon Mercenary Corps as a pawn, he didn’t mind adding a little twist, preparing a surprise for the other party at the critical moment.

Of course, if the other side played fair and cooperated with the operation, he would also stick to the rules and do his job for the money.

To do business out here, maintaining some credibility is essential.

Pei Tianci gathered his thoughts, straightened up, and looked towards the short-haired woman in the corner:

"Du Juan, have you mapped out the hotel’s underground conduits according to the diagrams?"

Du Juan nodded, her voice cold:

"Checked thoroughly, there’s no surveillance or security near the conduits, and the exit leads directly to a relatively secluded river to the west of the resort."

As the chief scout of the Red Demon Mercenary Corps, she possessed extraordinary optical invisibility ability.

With the crystal dagger capable of slicing hair, she could silently infiltrate enemy territory to assassinate high-priority targets guarded by heavy forces.

No matter how confidential the information, for her, it was as easy as picking something from her pocket.

All the security rotation patterns and related information of the resort in recent days were gathered by her efforts alone.

Pei Tianci then turned to the burly man on the sofa:

"Mang, how’s the task of preparing the charges going?"

Mang grinned, revealing his sharp white teeth:

"Rest assured, boss, everything’s set, guaranteed not even a fly would notice."

Mang was the team’s professional demolitions expert and also a mutant who awakened the ability to alter terrain.

Despite his massive build, he was as agile as the legendary Earth Traveler Sun, adept at the Earth Escape Skill.

As long as it’s inorganic materials like soil, wood, and bricks, he could manipulate them at will, even merging his entire body into them.

With this specialty, he could pass through walls and chambers, sealing bombs inside load-bearing walls, so that others couldn’t detect any anomalies even after shattering the wall surface.

Pei Tianci adjusted the glasses on his nose, a slight smile curling at his lips.

On the surface, he had his subordinates place explosives at the strategic high points and load-bearing columns assigned by the employer.

But in reality, he’d long had Mang secretly relocate some of the explosives according to Du Juan’s diagrams, burying them in the main underground sewer channels of the resort.

He had no intention of boarding any cursed helicopter.

Leaving his back to an unfamiliar employer was equivalent to putting his life in someone else’s hands.

According to Pei Tianci’s real plan, after seizing the hostages and obtaining the ransom the following night, they would pretend to retreat to the rooftop, detonating the explosives in the stairway midway to create chaos.

Amidst the police’s disarray, they would blow a hole in the basement’s sewage pipes, don the pre-prepared diving gear, and escape through the pipes to outside the resort.

Then, drifting down the river to the foot of the mountain, they would escape unnoticed, not even leaving a trace for the hunting dogs to follow.

"Excellent."

Pei Tianci nodded in satisfaction, then looked at the slightly confused Kun and Shan Cai, explaining:

"The employer’s escape route is unreliable. After we get the money tomorrow night, we’ll retreat through the underground waterway."

Kun was stunned for half a second, then realized and excitedly slapped his thigh:

"Damn, boss, you’re always the sharp one!"

"Who cares what tricks the employer has up their sleeve, we’ll grab the money, dive, and get out, leaving them and the cops staring at each other on the rooftop!"

Though not too fluent in Xia Country’s language, Shan Cai also chuckled:

"The water route is solid, I grew up on the Mekong River, I’m good with water. Once there, I’ll wrap the gun in two layers of waterproof oilcloth; upon surfacing and landing, I can start shooting right away."

While speaking, he patted the heavy sniper rifle beside him to show he was ready to follow orders.

Pei Tianci stood up and walked to the coffee table.

He pushed aside the pile of golden bullets and took a planar map of the resort’s building from the bag, laying it flat on the table.

Then he extended his index finger, pointing at a red circle on the map:

"Here’s how our real plan goes next..."

The room’s atmosphere instantly became tense.

Du Juan, Kun, Mang, and Shan Cai all set down their weapons and leaned forward, gathering around the coffee table.

The few dim wall lamps cast their shadows long and at an angle.

In the room, besides the sound of discussion and conversation, there was only the low hum of the central air conditioning.

.........

Two in the morning, West Mountain.

A thin layer of fog had risen in the night, reducing visibility greatly.

A somewhat worn black sedan cut through the mist, its engine emitting a dull growl.

The shrubs on both sides cast distorted shadows as the headlights swept past.

The winding, two-lane mountain road stretched upward, the taillights of other vehicles nowhere in sight, presenting an especially profound and quiet scene.

The car interior was air-conditioned, with a string of metallic peace charms hanging from the rearview mirror.

As the car swayed, they gently bumped against the windshield, making a soft tapping sound.

The driver, a man in his early thirties, had a closely shaven haircut.

A glimpse of a blue-grey tattoo peeked from the side of his neck, while he held an unlit cigarette stub in his mouth.

Meanwhile, the youth in the passenger seat had reclined the seat back extremely low, both feet propped directly on the glove box.

He was fiddling with a metal lighter, the flint sparking with a sharp rasping sound.

"Brother Liang, do you think those old guys at the hall have gone crazy?"

The young man on the passenger side snapped the lighter shut, turned his head, and spat:

"Having us deliver these weapons to the mountains in the dead of night, we can’t even get a proper sleep."

The blue shaven man driving kept one hand on the steering wheel, giving him a sideways glance:

"Quit whining. The hall just got new management; they’re watching everyone below to see where we stand."

"Need I remind you, our Chairman has been convalescing at the resort lately. If anything goes wrong, you and I will both be tossed to fill the artificial lake."

The youth shrugged, reaching to turn on the car’s radio, only greeted by a burst of static noise.

After switching through several channels, he heard nothing but harsh white noise.

He cursed his luck and switched the radio off with a jab:

"But seriously, Brother Liang, have you ever heard the supernatural stories going around about this area of West Mountain?"