The Return of the Cannon Fodder Trillion Heiress-Chapter 1067 Tracking Dave And Luke

Dave nodded in agreement. "I think you’re right. If they were truly desperate to kill us, they wouldn’t be taking their time to herd us or chase us around. We’re cornered, and there’s only one entrance."

"Sure, they can’t come in, but they could easily lob a few grenades and finish us off if they wanted. They’ve clearly considered that. But it seems... they need us for something else. Killing us outright just isn’t part of their plan."

Luke let out a tired sigh. "Let’s rest for a moment, conserve our energy, and see what their next move is. We’ll act accordingly," he said. "Until then, keep your senses sharp, especially your hearing."

He leaned back against the dusty board behind him, unconcerned with his appearance or how filthy he’d become. His assault rifle rested casually in his arm, the barrel angled upward as if it were an extension of himself, ever ready despite his seemingly relaxed posture.

"Right..." Dave replied, knowing Luke was correct. Keeping his nerves wound too tight would only wear him down faster than their enemies ever could. With only the two of them and limited resources at hand, conserving energy mattered more than blind vigilance.

If an opportunity presented itself after they’d rested, then they could move, strike back, or, if they were lucky, carve out a path for escape.

The two of them leaned back and rested. Their eyes were closed, but their attention was anything but relaxed; both men focused on the sounds around them, listening intently for any movement outside the warehouse. Even the slightest change in rhythm or footstep would not escape their notice.

Time dragged on. Outside, the men standing guard and pacing the perimeter were beginning to lose their patience. Without confirmation on whether the escapees had managed to call for reinforcements, every passing second became a risk. If backup was already on the way, then they could no longer afford to stall.

Sooner or later, they would have to force their way in.

The man leading the group swept his gaze over the equally menacing figures around him, then raised his index finger and traced a slow circle in the air, pointing upward. The signal was clear; they would encircle the warehouse.

He didn’t believe there was truly only one entrance. If a final sweep revealed an alternative way in, they would use it. If not, they would force their way through the front.

The men around him nodded, lips pressed into grim lines, and quickly split into three teams. The leader remained at the main entrance with one group, holding their position to ensure Luke and Dave couldn’t slip away. The other two teams moved out to the left and right, fanning around the warehouse to close in from behind.

Even a hole meant for stray dogs would be enough. As long as they could get inside, they could take Luke and Dave by surprise and capture them.

Luke and Dave heard the commotion while resting, but neither of them opened their eyes. Instead, their ears were fully alert, every nerve attuned to the sounds outside. Footsteps brushed against grass and scraped over loose rocks; they tried to make the movements subtle, but they were far from silent. No matter how careful their enemies tried to be, their weight betrayed them, and the faint noises still carried clearly through the warehouse.

The movement confirmed what Luke and Dave already knew. And that is, they needed to conserve every ounce of strength now, so when the enemy finally made their move, they would still have the energy to fight back.

"They really aren’t giving up..." Dave murmured, his eyes still closed.

Luke didn’t respond. The answer was already obvious.

At the same time, the captain leading Dave’s team had finished planning the extraction. The unit was already on the move, running hard as they followed the trail left by the men pursuing Luke and Dave. The footprints were heavy and deep, pressed clearly into the ground, so obvious that no special tracking skills were needed. They simply followed the marks.

There was no suspicion of false trails or traps. The captain could easily distinguish fabricated tracks from genuine ones, and more importantly, Luke and Dave’s footprints were mixed in among them. Neither of them had been wearing tactical boots, making their shoe prints distinct and unmistakable.

The captain quickly understood their intention. Luke and Dave hadn’t bothered to hide their tracks on purpose. With enemies already close behind, there was no point. Instead, they had chosen to leave a clear path for their own people to follow, turning their trail into a signal rather than a liability.

"Why is it so muddy around here?" the youngest soldier muttered as he jogged alongside his team, glancing at the ground beneath his boots.

Fortunately, they were equipped with night-vision goggles. Night had already fallen, and without artificial light, the path ahead would have been nearly impossible to make out, especially with the uneven, treacherous terrain. Through the green glow of their lenses, every footprint, puddle, and depression in the ground was clearly revealed.

Dave and Luke, however, had no such advantage. They had been forced to rely purely on instinct and judgment, feeling their way through the darkness step by step, while the enemy followed closely behind. Now, Dave’s team was guided by technology and the very tracks the two of them had left in the mud.

"There’s a small stream coming down from the western side," another soldier said, half explaining as he scanned the ground. "That’s why the path stays muddy even when it hasn’t rained. It’s also why the vegetation grows so tall around here; there was never a real trail to begin with."

He then gestured ahead. "But since Young Minister Dave and Mr. Greyson came this way, the grass has already been pushed aside. They left clear footprints, and with so many of the enemies chasing them, the path’s practically been carved out for us."

There was a hint of disbelief in his tone. They weren’t even dealing with proper guerrilla tactics, no misdirection, and there was even no effort to hide their tracks. For all their reputation, those two were being hunted down by what looked like amateurs in stealth, and yet they couldn’t even slip through their fingers earlier.

The only real obstacle now was the darkness.

Unfortunately for Dave and Luke, darkness was exactly what this team had prepared for. They were fully equipped with night-vision goggles already in place. Earlier, in the abandoned area, there were truck headlights and portable spotlights that had flooded the surroundings with light, making night vision unnecessary. But out here, away from artificial illumination, the situation had changed.

Now they were hunting like predators in the dark, and this time, they held the advantage.

"Stop talking," the captain snapped quietly. "You sound like buzzing mosquitoes in a silent night. Keep it up, and you’ll hand over our position to the enemy. Keep Moving."

He led from the front, assault rifle raised, his gaze constantly sweeping the darkness. Around them, insects chirped, and tall grass rustled softly in the night wind. So far, there were no voices, no unnatural sounds, nothing that confirmed the enemy’s position.

That silence unsettled him.

The lack of contact didn’t reassure him; it warned him. Mafias might not like soldiers which was organized with plenty of tactical experiences and strategic theories, but that didn’t make them harmless. They thrived on ambushes, chaos, and sudden violence. In that regard, their tactics were no different from those of terrorists who are unpredictable, ruthless, and willing to strike without warning.

That was exactly what made them dangerous.

Underestimating them would be fatal. The moment he assumed he understood how they thought would be the moment a trap snapped shut, and by then, it would already be too late.

He needed his team to understand this, especially the youngest among them, who lacked experience compared to the others but possessed undeniable potential. They had already failed to carry out the original plan due to the ambush. Now, they could not afford another failure. Extracting Dave and Luke was no longer optional, which meant they had to be more cautious and far more focused.

Pushing aside the tall grass in front of him, he caught sight of movement nearly three hundred meters away, too distant to confirm. He immediately clenched his fist and raised it into the air, signaling his team to halt and stay quiet. Then he gestured toward the one o’clock direction, ordering them to advance slowly and verify whether they were seeing the same thing.

The soldiers behind him responded at once. They carefully parted the tall grass, keeping their bodies concealed, exposing only their heads for a clearer view. Moments later, they all saw it, movement not far ahead, and a solitary building standing in the distance.

Although they couldn’t make out the faces of the people up ahead, investigating them wouldn’t be difficult. They needed to know who those people were and what they were doing in that building.