After Crossing Over, I Marked the Empress

When Shen Han’s team of four set out, they all carried system positioning devices.

Now, Gu Junwan listened to intelligence reports from the front line while intently watching the small red dot representing Shen Han on the projection screen.

Just days ago, she had done the same thing.

But then, her nerves hadn’t been quite so taut.

The Fugui Gang members were after money.

Even if Shen Han’s identity had been accidentally exposed and she fell into their hands, it wouldn’t necessarily spell immediate disaster.

But tonight’s situation was entirely different.

Those who attacked were professional mercenaries. On a battlefield of gunfire and bullets, they would show no cowardice or mercy.

The fire at the farmers’ market was finally under control. The hundreds of soldiers Gu Yuwei had sent were now heading towards the commander’s incident site.

Gu Junwan didn’t stop them and even dispatched additional combat personnel and medical staff to accompany them.

Just then, she noticed the two close-together red dots on the screen suddenly slow down. She immediately said to a nearby officer: “Track Shen Han and Ning Xi’s current location. Pull up a terrain map of their surroundings. Also, have the 11th Division soldiers who’ve already arrived here go provide reinforcements.”

The officer immediately relayed the first two orders.

Then he frowned and saluted the Empress: “Your Majesty, we can’t send the 11th Division elsewhere. If the Northern Commander’s situation were to unfold here, we need to maintain sufficient forces to counter enemy attacks.”

The officer’s consideration was quite reasonable.

The most terrifying aspect of the attack on Gu Yuwei’s side was its swiftness, ferocity, and cruelty, catching people completely off guard.

According to intelligence, the enemy had about 50 on-site combatants, yet they inflicted heavy casualties on the commander’s force of over 200.

Moreover, for battles erupting on the outskirts of towns, the army group wouldn’t easily employ heavy firepower with excessive destructive force.

Because that would harm innocent civilians.

Gu Junwan didn’t anger at her subordinate’s disagreement.

In fact, her voice was even calmer and steadier than usual.

“Two drone operators, one sniper, and over forty armed assault personnel – this is the standard configuration for high-level mercenary teams from the Fuyang Grasslands outside the Third Division. Mobilizing so many personnel and equipment here would be extremely difficult.”

“An insider in Gu Yuwei’s team detonated explosives strapped to their body. All information indicates their target was the Northern leader. If they still have the capability to arrange an attack of equal scale here, then I might as well step down as Empress.”

At this point, Gu Junwan raised her finger to point at the unfinished theater newly projected on the screen and quickly ordered:

“Have the 11th Division soldiers go directly to this location. All the enemy’s remaining firepower should be focused on pursuing Gu Yuwei.”

This time, the officer didn’t raise any objections and immediately began issuing orders according to the Empress’s wishes.

At the same time, he secretly marveled: As expected of the Empress! No matter when, she never seems to panic, always able to make wise and decisive decisions.

However, what this officer didn’t know was that at this moment, Gu Junwan’s heart was more anxious than anyone else present.

This was something only Xu Zhao, who had been by the Empress’s side for years, could sense.

The Special Assistant knew she couldn’t be of much help at this time and could only silently accompany her Empress as they awaited the final outcome.

She lowered her gaze slightly, focusing on Gu Junwan’s hand hanging beneath her sleeve.

She saw that the skin, once smooth as jade, now had protruding blue veins.

Those blue curves on Gu Junwan’s pale white skin looked like detonators buried beneath the surface, vividly exposing their owner’s current worry and tension.

……

At a planned site by a township road, ignored by all, Shen Han’s trio finally reached their destination just before their tires could be shot out.

This was originally meant to be a “wellness sanctuary” developed by a listed company, but the project was only halfway complete when the company imploded.

The once-bustling development project became a hot potato overnight, eventually discarded by the roadside like garbage.

The previously constructed themed streets and wellness villas had long been dismantled, not even bricks remaining.

Now only a circular open-air theater remained, continuing to weather the elements.

Shen Han chose this as their final battleground not only due to time constraints but also because it was suitable for guerrilla tactics.

The open-air theater was as large as a football field, surrounded by stone steps at varying heights and some stone pillars of unknown purpose.

After the trio entered the theater, Shen Han immediately led them to crouch down, using the stone pillars as cover to quietly move diagonally.

“You two don’t fire for now. Their marksmanship isn’t bad, and they outnumber us. We’d be at a big disadvantage in a direct firefight.”

Just as Shen Han finished speaking, the five pursuers also entered the theater.

They didn’t see their targets but knew they must be hiding somewhere nearby.

“Open fire! Search in tactical formation.”

One of them issued the order, and gunfire immediately spread across the theater.

The five arranged themselves in an inverted ‘V’ formation, spaced about 3 meters apart, advancing forward like an arrow.

To conserve ammunition, they didn’t spray bullets indiscriminately but fired one or two shots into empty spaces occasionally.

This was both to test their luck and to create psychological pressure on their prey.

Fortunately, Shen Han’s group had good luck, their hiding direction just avoiding the enemy’s first search range.

Shen Han observed briefly in the dim moonlight, then whispered to Ning Xi: “Protect her. I’ll go kill a round.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she darted away along the stone steps like an agile cat.

This type of shooting battlefield with cover had always been where Shen Han could best utilize her advantages.

Similar environments included the border jungle battle when she first met Gu Junwan and the fight against bandits at Mount Zhixing’s Tiger Tower.

Now, though the low stone pillars limited her movement, correspondingly, the enemy couldn’t hide as easily as among trees.

As she advanced, Shen Han picked up two palm-sized bricks and tucked them into her clothes.

After choosing a shooting position, she threw one brick towards the grass behind the five-man squad.

The quickest to react wasn’t the one closest to the grass, but the tall, thin man acting as the arrow’s tip at the front.

The brick bounced off the stone steps beneath the grass stems in a small arc.

Before it could hit the ground, the tall, thin man shattered it with a single shot.

Seeing he had hit a brick, the man immediately shouted: “Everyone get down!”

How could Shen Han miss the opportunity she had created?

While he was speaking, she had already leapt diagonally from her hiding place, rapidly firing and quickly taking out two men on the left flank.

Then, without lingering, she dove onto a grassy stone step and began crawling forward.

When she threw the first brick, she had already roughly tested the five enemies’ reactions, gun accuracy, and speed.

She knew that if she greedily tried to kill one more person, there was a 70% chance of being shot by the tall, thin man.

Such a risk wasn’t necessary.

The tall, thin man led his two remaining subordinates to fire in the direction of the moving grass.

After a burst of intense gunfire, the entire theater suddenly fell into an eerie silence.

Gu Yuwei, hiding far away, secretly observed the enemies’ positions, then whispered to Ning Xi: “Shouldn’t we go help?”

Ning Xi shook her head at her.

Her palm, drenched in sweat, quietly gripped her weapon.

At this moment, the three enemies had surrounded the spot where the grass had last stopped moving.

One used his gun barrel to part the grass, only to find no blood, just brick dust shattered by bullets.

Gunfire erupted again, and one enemy fell to the ground with a scream.

The tall, thin man fired in the direction of the sound while quickly saying to his remaining companion: “Flank left and right! Once we take out this person, the other two won’t be a threat!”

The subordinate nodded and immediately charged out firing madly.

However, his team leader didn’t flank with him as agreed.

Instead, while changing magazines, he hunched over and turned to run out of the theater.

“Ning Xi!”

Shen Han only managed to take out the enemy closest to her, so she unhesitatingly called for her comrade.

Now with four enemies eliminated and one fleeing before their eyes, Gu Yuwei’s side was relatively safe. They no longer needed to divide their forces to constantly guard her.

Ning Xi had been itching to act.

Hearing Shen Han’s call, she immediately stood up and gave chase, firing as she went.

Shen Han quickly joined the pursuit.

At a spot in the theater, Gu Yuwei craned her neck, looking towards the area of intense gunfire.

From her angle, she could only see three blurry figures and the muzzle flashes as bullets were fired.

In less than half a minute, the gunfire abruptly stopped.

Gu Yuwei held her breath, crouching on the stone steps without daring to move.

Only when she saw two figures walking back did she rush out, overjoyed.

Naturally, it was Shen Han and Ning Xi who had returned.

As Gu Yuwei approached them, she excitedly said: “I really owe you both for today! Have you considered coming to work as my guards? Whatever salary Gu Junwan pays you, I can pay ten times as much!”

Hearing this, Ning Xi’s eyelid twitched violently.

She felt this commander was courting disaster!

Ah, this? Poaching right under the owner’s nose!

There are a thousand roads, why choose the hardest one to walk!

Just as Ning Xi was waiting to see how her captain would explode, she saw Shen Han shout “Look out!” and pounce like a cheetah, pressing Gu Yuwei’s head down as they both fell sideways to the ground.

Gu Yuwei thought it was an enemy attack. Though her body ached from the fall, she gritted her teeth and didn’t cry out.

“Phew~ That startled me. I thought I saw a shadow flash by and worried there might be more ambushes.”

As she spoke, Shen Han quickly pulled Gu Yuwei’s arm to help her stand, saying apologetically: “I overreacted. Are you alright?”

With half her face swollen, Gu Yuwei sincerely waved it off: “It’s fine, it’s fine! I understand.”

Ning Xi stood rooted to the spot, dumbfounded.

She silently mourned for Gu Yuwei in her heart: No! You have no idea what you just went through!