"Let him learn a lesson too. Don't look down on women, or he won't even know how he died."
Mr. Zhao secretly touched his lower back. "That girl really hit hard, almost killed me!"
"Move out!" she said, leaving Soldier Zhen standing there, completely confused.
"You want a man like me, 1.8 meters tall, to fight a little girl? That's just bullying!"
"Commander Zhao must've been bitten silly by those mosquitoes." Soldier Zhen stared in shock at their swift and agile backs, rubbed his bald head, and muttered quietly.
"There's a secret knock. I'll do it." Freya stepped forward and knocked lightly three times, waited two seconds, then knocked hard four times. The tree door slowly opened.
A man standing on a ladder poked his head out. "Ah, who are yo…" Before he could finish, Freya quickly stepped forward, covered his mouth, and twisted his neck. A cracking sound followed as his head drooped, lifeless.
Mr. Zhao and the others: "…"
"This is some dumb trick Grandpa Lu taught you? You've never killed anyone before, right?"
Mr. Zhao looked closely at Freya, who had just thrown the dead spy out of the hole like tossing garbage.
She was so quick and efficient it sent chills down everyone's spine. If she were an enemy, they might have all been wiped out. Mr. Zhao broke into a cold sweat at the thought.
Freya really had gone easy on them earlier.
"I learned that secretly. Grandpa would never teach me that."
"Killing someone… this is my first time since coming to this world."
Freya nodded at the people behind her, signaling them to hide the body somewhere safe.
A young soldier with dark skin looked at the short woman in front of him, full of admiration.
"Freya, this was your first time killing someone, and you just did it like that? You're not scared?"
He remembered his own first time killing someone. He had thrown up for a long time and couldn't eat for two days. After all, they were still people.
"It's not scary. It's like killing a chicken."
Freya raised her eyebrows and said casually.
She touched her pointed chin, thought for a moment, and continued:
"As long as I remember that if I don't kill him, he'll kill me. Showing mercy to the enemy is being cruel to myself. Then I'm not afraid at all."
Her eyes were firm and calm, like she was talking about something completely normal.
"After all, I'd much rather he die than me."
She smiled faintly, a soft smile on her lips. In the apocalypse, it's kill or be killed. There's no room for hesitation.
"That's the right mindset. We're doing this to protect our country and our families. Nothing to be afraid of."
Mr. Zhao led the way carefully through the damp, dark tunnel, listening to their conversation and nodding in agreement.
"Here, flashlight."
Freya pulled two flashlights from her utility bag, handed one to Mr. Zhao in front, and gave the other to someone behind her to pass to the last soldier. Clearly, they hadn't prepared enough.
"Hey, thanks, Comrade Freya. Female comrades really are thoughtful. You came so well prepared."
Mr. Zhao fiddled with the palm-sized flashlight awkwardly while joking with Freya.
"Yup. I'm just naturally lucky," Freya said casually, while staying alert and watching the walls.
"Ah, I envy your luck." Mr. Zhao stroked the little flashlight lovingly, full of envy and jealousy.
"Luck is all about luck, you just can't envy it!" Freya said casually.
Mr. Zhao: "…"
You basically just said nothing.
"We should be close to our destination. Turn off the light," Freya said with alertness after faintly hearing voices ahead, reminding Mr. Zhao, who was leading the way.
Sure enough, not long after, they could faintly see lights ahead.
"Hey, Ah-De, why aren't they here yet? It's almost nine o'clock.
These are supposed to be elite undercover agents!
We agreed on eight, and it's already this late—don't tell me something went wrong?" a deep elderly man's voice came through.
"How would I know?
Third Uncle Yang, we've been hiding in these mountains for almost three years, I'm about to turn into a wild man!
We finally found the stuff and completed the mission from above. There better not be any mess-ups. Otherwise, who knows when we'll get out of this godforsaken place!"
Ah-De, a man in his early thirties, took a bite of his roasted sweet potato and spoke to the sharp-browed old man across from him.
"If that group's dead, even better. Best if they're all dead!
We'll keep the goods for ourselves, change our names, get new IDs, marry a few young wives, and live in luxury forever," Third Uncle Yang said in a low voice to Ah-De.
"Better stay alert and survive first. Guys like us at the bottom, guarding the gate, are always the first to die," Ah-De sighed helplessly.
Freya listened to their conversation and knew these two weren't important targets.
She and Mr. Zhao exchanged a knowing glance, and she made a throat-cutting gesture.
Mr. Zhao gave a signal to the comrades behind them, instructing them to wait.
Then he and Freya each crept along a wall, moving quietly forward.
Not far from the cave entrance sat two strong men in clean matching polyester clothes, gnawing on roasted sweet potatoes and eating chicken legs.
"Who's there? Come out!" Ah-De suddenly turned his head, alertly staring in Mr. Zhao's direction.
"Come out now, or I'll shoot!" Ah-De quickly pulled out a pistol from his waist and aimed toward Mr. Zhao's hiding spot.
Freya rolled her eyes silently and shot a glare at Mr. Zhao, who had accidentally stepped into a puddle and made a noise.
Mr. Zhao gave her a sheepish smile, clearly embarrassed at making such a rookie mistake.
Freya quickly regained her calm and gave Mr. Zhao a look to stay put, then watched as one of the men carefully approached their position.
When the man was about three meters away, a fine silver needle between Freya's fingers shot out like lightning and pierced Ah-De's neck.
"Hahaha! Ah-De, why are you just standing there?
I told you you heard wrong, right? No one's out there. Those people moving the goods probably got lost!
You're just too cautious!" Third Uncle Yang laughed and walked forward to slap Ah-De on the shoulder.
Ah-De fell straight down, eyes wide with shock and disbelief.
Mr. Zhao stepped out of hiding and rushed at Third Uncle Yang before he could draw his gun.
The old man wasn't young anymore and hadn't trained in the mountain hideout, so he was quickly overpowered by Mr. Zhao.
"Freya, give me another pill," Mr. Zhao glanced at the still-struggling Third Uncle Yang and looked up at Freya, who was watching the show with amusement.