Chapter 505: Cat-Covering Feces

Chapter 505: Cat-Covering Feces (Update 3)

Someone once said that depleted uranium rounds are vicious armor-piercing munitions.

It’s not just the exaggerated penetration power that’s dangerous.

It’s that, upon a massive impact, they can generate temperatures exceeding 6000°C!

Yet Zhou Lie managed to survive a hit from such an armor-piercing rifle round.

It was as if Death himself had gotten a bit too drunk—a miracle, really.

Xiao Yu quipped humorously, “Is this guy the real protagonist?”

Over 700 meters away.

On a mound about 130 meters from the border.

Xiao Yu squatted down, scrutinizing two patches of ground that had been ‘sliced’ open.

Due to the sniper rifle’s immense power, firing it produces tremendous recoil.

The marks in the soil clearly show where the rifle’s support frame had scraped the earth.

The enemy was very ‘professional’—no casings were left behind.

Then there was a clump of grass roughly 210 meters from the border.

This was where the sniper shot at Zhou Lie.

At that spot, Group Nine members discovered a total of six casings.

It can be deduced that the enemy employed burst fire.

It’s not hard to infer they used a three-round burst mode, firing in two separate sequences.

“M16A2 Assault Rifle.”

Xiao Yu murmured, “Playing Chicken, are we?”

Nowadays, this gun has long been replaced by the M series, virtually retired from the assault rifle stage.

At most, you’d only see its ghost in video games!

Activating his Falcon’s Eye, Xiao Yu advanced steadily toward the border.

His sharp eyes picked out every mark and the elusive… footprints.

Both shooters wore combat boots, and the weight of their weapons

caused the impressions of their footprints to vary in depth.

From the size of these prints, one can roughly deduce their height and weight.

They all stood over 1.8 meters tall—discounting weapon weight and the possibility of obesity.

One weighed around 75 kilograms, while the other was approximately 85 kilograms.

The Border.

Xiao Yu stopped and frowned slightly.

Something wasn’t adding up.

When someone runs, their steps have a distinct stride.

Whether sprinting, jogging, or walking, each pace has a unique rhythm.

By analyzing the footprints and stride lengths, one can tell how the shooters fled.

Given their condition after attacking Zhou Lie, if they had fled, they would have dashed off at full speed out of the territory.

So why do the prints suggest a leisurely pace—as if they deliberately left a clue?

It’s almost as if they’re taunting their pursuers: “We’re gone—are you mad?”

Xiao Yu chuckled coldly.

Not only was he not angry, he laughed in a mocking tone.

When things don’t add up, there’s always something fishy!

Take a simple example.

A robber breaks into a house, and after the heist,

let’s just say—even if we discount the utterly foolish—

would a normal person bolt in a frantic sprint or casually amble away?

Imagine if the culprits were two mercenaries carrying out a terror act upon crossing the border; it’s inherently absurd.

The most bizarre part is that after shooting, they nonchalantly make their getaway.

Even more nonsensical, they brazenly give away their identity as ‘mercenaries.’

All these inconsistencies—don’t they seem downright illogical?

What kind of warped mind could orchestrate such behavior?

Years of solving cases had taught Xiao Yu one lesson.

Some criminals may seem to do ordinary things on the surface,

but their covert actions are often completely contrary.

Much like a cat,

which always covers its feces after it goes.

No matter— the mess is still there.

Just covering it up won’t make anyone oblivious to its presence, right?

“Were you trying to make us think you got away?”

Xiao Yu slowly turned, looking at the sacred homeland before him, a wry smile creeping over his face. “Back again, huh?”

He began to walk steadily along the border.

Moving slowly, his eyes remained fixed on the ground.

He maintained this pace for a full forty minutes.

Suddenly, Xiao Yu stopped and squatted once more.

Through the lens of his Falcon’s Eye,

he noticed footprints in the soil—

but these weren’t from boots; they were marks left by bare feet.

Unless Xiao Yu was cheating, such subtle prints would barely be visible.

At best, one might only see some trampled wild grass.

But if not spotted early, in just a day or two,

··· Plead for flowers ···

the resilient regrowth of the wild grass would erase the traces.

Standing up, Xiao Yu looked towards the nearby barbed wire fence.

“Three sets of footprints?!” Xiao Yu’s eyes turned icy.

He could distinctly see the traces of two individuals scaling the border fence from the opposite side.

And inside the territory, there was someone… providing support?

A cold, deep light shone from Xiao Yu’s eyes.

He focused on a spot in the jungle over 200 meters away…

……

Ten figures—a lead followed by nine—swiftly maneuvered through the jungle.

Xiao Yu monitored his stamina while carefully noting the footprints certain individuals left behind.

Suddenly, he stopped; all nine of his team members behind him halted as well.

Bending down, Xiao Yu picked up two dry twigs that had been trampled on.

After a careful glance and a moment’s thought, he continued forward.

This time, however, he walked slowly instead of running.

“Boss, did you notice something?”

A fully armed team member approached Xiao Yu.

“Three individuals—one of them is very familiar with the jungle.”

Xiao Yu whispered, “It’s normal for someone to get injured trekking barefoot through the jungle. But that none of the three were hurt under his lead… that suggests he’s a local!”

The faces of Group Nine’s members darkened.

There are inhabitants at the border,

and a few mountain strongholds where locals reside.

Earlier, Xiao Yu mentioned that two individuals had slipped in.

At first, they didn’t believe him.

After all, a stranger entering unfamiliar territory is bound to leave traces.

But now, with a local guide in play…

“That’s not the main issue,”

Xiao Yu continued at a measured pace, “It’s been 18 hours since Zhou Lie was injured and since I arrived. If we don’t catch them soon, things could escalate quickly!”

Eighteen hours is plenty of time for someone to cover a long distance.

An ordinary person slipping into the territory might manage,

but if they were two mercenaries, the threat is enormous.

Thankfully, there are no major roads nearby—only jungles and mountain paths where vehicles struggle.

The border Armed Police had long since sealed off the entire area after the incident.

The enemy’s chances of escape are equally slim.

We need to act fast if we’re going to catch them!