Under the moonlight

Huang Meng covered her mouth in shock, afraid to breathe. Jiang Ying was also startled by the sudden change and stood frozen in place. Everyone else was sweating bullets at the sight and dared not utter a sound.

Xu Ao, his eyes fixed on the cold muzzle of the gun, showed no sign of flinching. Huang Meng and the others beside him were already sweating profusely, their hearts pounding in their throats. Just as the tension was about to reach its peak, Xu Ao heard a loudspeaker behind him: "Mercenaries, you have nowhere to retreat. Surrender."

Xu Ao couldn't understand the meaning of the words, but he could tell from the resentful look in the man's eyes that the S country's army had come to reinforce them, probably drawn here by the gunfire earlier.

The others were also drawn by the sound behind them and turned around. The army, in neat formation, surrounded them. Not only behind them, but Huang Meng looked around and saw that everyone there was an army.

Huang Meng turned to the mercenary and said, "Your men have been almost completely wiped out and captured. You should give up struggling."

The mercenary leader turned his head and spat on the ground, sneering, "I've killed so many of them, even if I surrender, I'll still die."

He glared at Xu Ao with a sinister look, gave him a hard shove, and twisted Xu Ao's body around. He pressed the muzzle of his gun against the back of Xu Ao's head and pushed him forward. Huang Meng tried to follow, but was pulled back by the other mercenaries. Jiang Ying and the others did not dare to make any rash moves and could only watch their every move anxiously.

The mercenary pushed Xu Ao to the front of the army officer, nodded his chin toward the vehicle behind the army, and said in a deep voice, "Let me drive that vehicle away. You are not allowed to shoot or chase after us. I guarantee your men will be fine."

The officer quickly noticed the oddity in his words and squinted, saying, "You're letting them drive away? What about them?" His eyes glanced at the men behind the mercenary leader, who were pointing their guns at the bound men, watching them with constant vigilance.

The leader chuckled coldly and said, "They are nothing but wolves following me. Have you ever seen a wolf king sacrifice his life for the pack?" Xu Ao couldn't understand what they were saying. He was anxious but dared not make a move. After all, the cold, hard feeling at the back of his head instinctively instilled fear and dread.

Upon hearing his words, the officer smiled contemptuously and said, "Indeed, you two are the same kind of people. When we were chasing those mercenaries on the outskirts, they were just like you. They gave up as soon as they saw the situation was not good and did not intend to protect you. Otherwise, we would not have caught up with you so quickly."

"Haha, we didn't make any money on this deal. It's good enough that everyone can save their own lives. I don't blame them, and of course, I hope they can understand me."

"Okay, I agree to your terms. You can leave, they can stay."

As Xu Ao listened to their back-and-forth conversation, he felt the force binding him loosen, and the gun pressed against the back of his head also came loose.

He slowly turned his head. The leader took a few steps back, waved his gun behind him, and gestured for him to go back. Xu Ao hesitated and retreated to Huang Meng's side. Huang Meng shook off the mercenary who was holding her and asked nervously, "What's going on?" Xu Ao looked at the mercenary leader who was still talking to the officer and said helplessly, "I don't understand what they're saying, but it seems like they've reached some kind of agreement."

The mercenary leader saw that the officer was still standing there, his eyes narrowed, looking at him with a half-smile. He understood what was going on, so he spread his legs and stood there casually. Then he took off his magazines, guns, and daggers and threw them on the ground. A soldier stepped forward and searched him up and down before letting him walk away.

His every move left the mercenaries, who were still standing there waiting, puzzled. They looked at each other, wondering what their leader was planning. Just as they were wondering, the S country soldiers who had been standing still suddenly surrounded them.

Although they were also carrying guns, the group consisted of soldiers, several times their number, and each of them held their guns pointed at their own foreheads. They waved their guns around, but dared not make a move.

Only then did they hear a mercenary shout: "Traitor! Coward!"

He glared at their leader with bitter resentment. They were desperate people who had come together for money, and they didn't have much emotional connection. Those things were fatal flaws for them. Their resentment and dissatisfaction were not an accusation of his betrayal of their feelings, but rather a resentment that they had been used by him as a stepping stone to survive.

The mercenary leader had already gotten into his car. Looking at his comrades who had fought alongside him, his eyes showed not a trace of remorse, but rather disdain. He feigned a nod, removing his hat, but a smug smile played on his lips. He then started the car and drove off. The officer, true to his promise, did not send troops to pursue him. Huang Meng looked at Xu Ao with some confusion, but he simply shook his head slightly. Since it was the S country's military's decision, they couldn't interfere.

The civil war finally came to an end when the last few mercenaries were disarmed and tied up.

Xu Ao walked up to Jiang Ying and asked directly, "What's the deal with that document?"

As if she had anticipated his question, Jiang Ying took the document out of her pocket and handed it to him. Xu Ao took it, glanced at it, and then burst out laughing.

He looked at Lao Zhang and the others with amusement, and said helplessly, "You guys are really something, digging this out. Luckily, they don't recognize Chinese characters."

Seeing that he wasn't angry, Jiang Ying breathed a sigh of relief and said, "We had no other choice at the time. We couldn't contact you, and the army and mercenaries were already fighting on the outskirts. We were anxious, so we thought of using this to guard the city's edge, just in case..."

"What if? Aren't you afraid of the worst? If anything happens to you, I'll become a sinner. Not only will the plan fail, but almost all the embassy staff will be wiped out. Are you trying to kill me and make me a sinner in history?" Xu Ao folded the document and handed it back to Jiang Ying, raising his eyebrows as he spoke.

"Hey, boss, isn't the ending pretty good? Let's not talk about that anymore, hehe..." Old Zhang said with a laugh.

Xu Ao glanced at him and said as he walked, "Go check on our people; some of them are seriously injured."

Old Zhang, Chen Che responded to his words and followed him to find Lao Wu and the others. Lao Wu had been watching the situation and movements here, and only after seeing Xu Ao and his men leave did he feel relieved and boldly come out.

"How's it going, Fifth Brother?"

"Well, thankfully, apart from those few wounded, everyone else was terrified, but none of them suffered any major external injuries," Lao Wu said in a low voice, turning around to look behind him as he spoke. Xu Ao followed his gaze and saw that everyone was indeed like frightened rabbits, huddled together and cowering. The little girls were even hugging each other tightly, their tear tracks stained with dust.

Xu Ao approached and briefly inquired about everyone's condition. He then looked at the wounded on the stretchers. Fortunately, they had been secured to the stretchers beforehand, so the chaos had not caused them any additional injuries. However, they were somewhat tense and breathing rapidly.

Xu Ao briefly checked and asked a few questions, then asked Lao Zhang, Chen Che, and the others to take them to the embassy first, and instructed the people on the stretcher to take extra care of them.

The army has cleared out the remaining mercenaries from the city, and the survivors have been rescued and settled in the army's refugee camp, including Nasha and Yaqin's family.

They no longer had to worry about not having food every day. The army would distribute meals regularly. The people's hearts, which had been tightly gripped, finally relaxed. The sky was still a clean, clear blue, and the white clouds still looked sweet. In this world free from war and casualties, the same scenery brought people an unprecedented sense of joy. The smiles on people's faces returned, a joy of surviving a catastrophe and a new beginning.

Xu Ao and his group led them back to the embassy. The people inside the embassy already knew the gist of what had happened. It was dinnertime, but no one ate. They stood silently in front of the restaurant on the first floor, waiting. When they saw Xu Ao and his group appear, their anxious expressions turned into joy and cheers.

Li Linlin rushed out of the crowd and into Chen Che's arms. As if anticipating her move, Chen Che opened his arms and embraced her tightly. The already excited crowd became even more enthusiastic upon seeing the two of them, clapping and cheering. Some, who loved a good laugh, kept shouting "Kiss! Kiss!" The embassy was filled with joy.

Xu Ao looked at his fellow countrymen laughing and joking, then looked up at the red flag in the courtyard, which was flying high in the air, rustling in the wind. Only then did they realize that they were truly safe. The people who were supporting each other finally showed relaxed smiles. The tears they shed were no longer tears of worry and fear, but tears of joy and happiness at being reborn.