Chapter Sixty-Three: The Crimson Iron Legion

Only one step away from freedom.

Chen Cao counted silently, though he wasn’t sure his luck had truly improved. He gripped the rope fashioned from a robe tightly in his hand and closed his eyes, feeling his own breath, as well as Zhou Hongye’s. At this moment, he understood he had become Zhou Hongye’s only hope—perhaps this was just wishful thinking. If Zhou Hongye were a traitor, he certainly wouldn’t want Chen Cao to escape. Above all, survival was paramount; everything else could be considered once he was out.

A crackling surge of electricity raced through the corpse, blazing blue fire across the improvised rack made from weapon parts. Chen Cao weighed the strength of the rope in his hand, gave it a sharp tug, and with a harsh tearing sound, the gun barrel shifted slightly. In that instant, accompanied by the acrid scent of burnt flesh, the iron door was ripped open, leaving a gaping hole.

“It worked!” Zhou Hongye couldn't help but cry out in excitement.

But it wasn’t over yet. Chen Cao strode to the door and kicked it forcefully. With a clattering crash, the door, already weakened by the electricity, splintered further at the crack. Another hard kick, and the breach widened.

Chen Cao leaned in, pried the opening wider, then, wasting no time, went to Zhou Hongye, helped him up, and slung his arm over his shoulder.

After days without movement and food, kept alive only by enemy-administered glucose, Zhou Hongye’s earlier cheer seemed to have drained the last of his strength. Now, as Chen Cao supported him, every step felt like a journey through hell.

By the time they reached the doorway, Zhou Hongye was panting heavily in the dark. “Brother Chen, you should go ahead. I’m just slowing you down.”

Chen Cao set Zhou Hongye gently on the ground, his voice cold. “Thinking of staying behind? Not so easy. Your business isn’t finished yet—dying now would be a waste.” Without giving him a chance to protest, he hoisted Zhou Hongye and shoved him toward the opening.

Chen Cao pushed Zhou Hongye out, darted his head through, slipped out one after the other, and shoved Zhou Hongye to the ground, readying his curved blade for battle.

All around was pitch black, silent—there were no guards or soldiers in sight.

“Looks like our luck isn’t bad. Sebastian didn’t post any guards. Maybe he’s absolutely sure we can’t escape,” Chen Cao said softly in the darkness.

“Or maybe we’re not important enough,” Zhou Hongye replied, his voice barely audible.

Chen Cao remained vigilant, scanning the surroundings as he tried the transmitter in his hand. The signal went through, but the other side stayed silent.

“Could they be in danger? We can’t stay here. I need to get out and contact Chen Diwen, or who knows what trouble they might run into. As long as Zhou Hongye gets out safely, half the mission is accomplished. Then comes the school’s affair.” Chen Cao thought grimly, hoisting Zhou Hongye again, who this time was docile, knowing Chen Cao was determined to save him and resistance was pointless.

The silence remained. The passage felt like another world compared to hours ago, when soldiers and gunfire filled the air. Now, only dead quiet—like a hellish underworld.

Blade in one hand, Zhou Hongye in the other, Chen Cao moved cautiously. Truth be told, he had no confidence they could make it out. The darkness was so thick he couldn’t see ahead; he didn’t know the way, so he moved by instinct.

He didn’t know how long they walked. Days of mental strain and exhaustion soaked Chen Cao’s back with sweat. Zhou Hongye’s only sound was heavy breathing, not a single word spoken.

When they reached a wall, Chen Cao propped Zhou Hongye against it, sat himself down, and sent another signal through the transmitter. The signal was live, but still, silence. He checked the device Moseska had installed on his back—no response. Chen Cao sensed a larger conspiracy at play.

Utterly exhausted, their bodies now severely lacking fuel after hours of struggle, water was of utmost importance in this desert country—none was to be found.

Leaning against the wall, Chen Cao’s thoughts raced: “Ordinarily, joining Unit 0611 requires rigorous vetting, and their families are closely tied to the state. How did Yu Hongxiu become a traitor? How did Huang Tianyu die? If Yu Hongxiu is a traitor, everything she said is false. What intelligence were Huang Tianyu and the others after in this desert battlefield?”

“How can I find my way out of this labyrinthine underground compound? Even running into a few jihadist guards would mean supplies—yet after all this time, not a soul appeared!”

Chen Cao’s mind was in chaos.

Meanwhile, Zhou Hongye seemed unable to bear it any longer. Once resigned to death, he had managed to withstand hunger through willpower. Now, with his survival instincts awakened, he felt himself returning to life, rediscovering his humanity and its desires. Though Chen Cao supported him, walking through this confined darkness for so long, facing constant danger, and enduring the pain of severed tendons, his mental strain was no less than Chen Cao's.

Yet, to ease Chen Cao’s burden, he never uttered a word.

Chen Cao came to himself, gave Zhou Hongye a push. “Hey, what’s wrong? Can’t take it? On the platform you claimed you were an intelligence elite, trained by the Republic of Da Chen’s finest unit. Surely this pain is nothing?”

Zhou Hongye knew Chen Cao was lightening the mood for his sake. “That was in a life-or-death moment. Who says Da Chen’s intelligence elites don’t need food or water?” Mentioning water, Zhou Hongye smacked his parched lips twice.

“Right, we all need food and water. This can’t go on!” At that, Chen Cao’s stomach rumbled. He rubbed his belly. “By the way, I’ve met Yu Hongxiu. If she was telling the truth, did you encounter the Black Robe Warriors here? Are they connected to the Crimson Iron Army terror group on Da Chen’s border?”

In the darkness, Zhou Hongye was silent for a long while, then spoke slowly. “This was top secret. We never expected Yu Hongxiu to be bought off. You might not believe me, Brother Chen. Remember when we first joined Unit 0611, what the instructors said? We were raised with lifelong training plans, our families deeply tied to Da Chen’s Republic. I always firmly believed that. But I never imagined Yu Hongxiu would turn traitor. Our intelligence courses started before your combat training, but I never expected Yu Hongxiu to be bought so quickly!”

Chen Cao gave Zhou Hongye a shove, impatient with the rambling. “Just answer the question. Are all intelligence people so verbose? Is that why you mingle better in social circles?”

Zhou Hongye, pushed aside, quickly shifted his body and took a breath. “This was top secret…”

In the dark, Chen Cao raised his voice, gripping Zhou Hongye’s collar, anger tinged in his words: “You’re still going on?”

Coughing, Zhou Hongye hurriedly said, “Alright, at this point, I might as well tell you. It was… secret, but since you’re involved now, and I don’t know if I’ll make it out, you might be the only one able to bring this secret back to the school.”

Chen Cao said nothing, listening quietly.

Zhou Hongye paused, then continued. “There is a connection to the Crimson Iron Army. You know, you studied the classified files at school. Over the past years, Da Chen’s military has clashed openly and covertly with the Crimson Iron Army more than once. Each time, we crushed their schemes to split the country, but they never disband. The reason is their leader—we never found him. Intelligence agencies have spent years trying to root out the Crimson Iron Army. I, Instructor Huang, and Yu Hongxiu got wind of the leader’s appearance in Audelu, so, after getting approval, we came here to investigate.”

Chen Cao mused, “I see. But according to the school’s classified files, including recent data, it seems Da Chen’s military has no record of skirmishes with any Black Robe Army under the Crimson Iron Army.”

Zhou Hongye replied, “That’s the smokescreen Yu Hongxiu threw at you. To make a lie believable, it needs ninety percent truth. Everything was going smoothly—our intelligence gathering confirmed Crimson Iron Army terrorists were embedded in the jihadist group. That’s understandable; everyone knows the jihadists can’t stand against hundreds of thousands of allied troops. But why have they held out so long? That’s our mystery. During a jungle reconnaissance, we discovered this strange Black Robe Army.”

Flame King 63—Flame King full text free reading—Chapter Sixty-three: Crimson Iron Army update complete!