Later, Li Qingyu sent Xiaodao, the Silent One, and both Joels back. He had begged Rudaosen for an automatic rifle for little Joel.
They had to wait for the rebels at the ventilation shaft, exchange the rifle for provisions, take the supplies back to the base, and immediately start a new brew. Li Qingyu himself intended to visit the Middle Hive.
As a farewell, he asked little Joel:
"Do you need anything delivered to your sister? I'll be passing by the Ecclesiarchy church, I can stop by."
Joel took an envelope from inside his tunic.
"Please deliver this to her, sir."
Li Qingyu took the envelope. It was plump. It seemed the guy had borrowed money from Xiao Dao to make his sister's life a little better.
He nodded, promising to fulfill the request. Then Big Joel spoke up:
"Sir, my wife says there's a problem with the spices in the kitchen. If you want the food to be tastier, bring some seasonings. Any kind will do."
Li Qingyu agreed. Delicious food was the key to high morale. He'd have to stop by the grocery store.
When his men left, Li Qingyu pulled Rudao Sen aside:
"Has that bastard Winchester made any moves yet? My hands are itching to finish him."
Rudao Sen lowered his voice: "He's not in the camp. His family summoned him to the Upper Hive."
"They're probably discussing his career. I'm sure as soon as he returns, he'll immediately start an operation against the rebels. I'll let you know then."
"What's his force disposition? Does he have any armored vehicles?"
Li Qingyu's sniper skills, after his recent upgrade, allowed him to confidently hit a target from a kilometer away, but he was worried about the prospect of the target hiding in an armored vehicle.
Besides, armored vehicles had auspexes – legal "wallhacks": the sensors of the BMP "Chimera" could scan the area for about three kilometers, just within the range of its autocannons.
It would be foolish for Li Qingyu to lie in ambush with a sniper rifle, only to be detected by radar on his approach and blown to pieces by a shell.
The rifle Rudao Sen gave him was an anti-infantry weapon. It wouldn't penetrate armor.
Although the "Chimera" was called a transport, by the standards of the third millennium, its armor would give any tank a run for its money. Without anti-tank weapons, Li Qingyu couldn't crack it.
Rudao Sen himself didn't know what to advise. He also had a "Chimera" at his disposal, and he knew that for poorly armed rebels, this machine was an impregnable fortress.
"Winchester has a company similar to mine: one hundred and twenty infantrymen with light firearms, one 'Chimera', one command vehicle with an open top, and several trucks."
"But there's a difference. His family assigned him a personal guard – a squad of twelve men. All in plate armor and with lasguns."
Li Qingyu's face darkened.
"So I need to not only crack the 'Chimera' but also take down Winchester surrounded by twelve terminators with laser rifles?"
Rudao Sen spread his hands apologetically.
"Listen, if you're not sure, it's better not to get involved. Honestly, even I would have a hard time getting to him."
"Let's just trade. We'll wait a couple of years – maybe there'll be a chance to become a combatant. At worst, we'll buy a position."
Li Qingyu shook his head. He had to fight. He could resurrect as many times as he wanted, but he didn't want to lose his equipment. He needed reconnaissance.
The target turned out to be a tough nut to crack. A regular army, after all.
But he had ideas too.
What if, before Winchester attacked Old Man Sen, he sold his soldiers a batch of cheap rotgut? Let them get drunk. A drunk soldier is a bad soldier.
He could also try to sneak into the enemy camp and sabotage the "Chimera": plant a bomb or pour something nasty into the fuel tank. Something that wouldn't work immediately, but in the heat of battle. Let the vehicle stall right on the field.
The second step was to warn Old Man Sen.
Upon learning of the impending attack by the elite PDF units, the old man might react in various ways.
First: he would simply run away. That was also good. Winchester would fail his mission, and the colonel wouldn't be able to promote him.
According to Rudao Sen, the colonel was his relative and favored him, while Winchester was being pushed from above. If he messed up, Rudao Sen would have a chance to prove himself and get a position honestly.
Second: Old Man Sen would fight back and set an ambush. That's where Li Qingyu would come in handy.
He could blend in with the rebels and start picking off Winchester's soldiers, especially his personal guard.
Ideally, he'd kill the lieutenant himself. But even if he just inflicted heavy losses on the unit, it would slow down his career.
Li Qingyu explained his thoughts to Rudao Sen, who replied that two things worried him.
First – whether he could find out about Winchester's departure in advance.
Second – the damn "Chimera" and its auspex.
After thinking, Rudao Sen said: "I can warn you in advance. He'll need to report to the colonel before leaving. I'll ask my uncle to stall for a couple of days, and I'll signal you."
"As for the 'Chimera'... If the engine is damaged, its sensors will only work for about ten minutes on the batteries. They consume a lot."