Volume 1: The Fierce Tiger Leaves Its Tether Chapter 12: Following the Vine to Find the Melon (Part 2)
At the foot of Noshak Peak, a lithe figure sprinted westward along the snow line. Ling Tianxiang chose what looked like the most dangerous but was actually the safest route - following the mountain footline of Noshak Peak. The US military had previously searched this area and, having found nothing, would necessarily conclude that this search route was incorrect and therefore would not continue to search here, making it the safest route.
After leaving the cave, Ling Tianxiang did not immediately run away. He was very clear that with US helicopters and drones circling above his head, he couldn't run far. Moreover, Gu Dajun's mountain tracking ability was one of the best in the team. If he immediately headed west, it would be easy for Gu Dajun to catch up with him. Ling Tianxiang chose to hide and erased the traces outside the cave entrance. When Gu Weimin led his teammates out to chase after him, Ling Tianxiang hid in a patch of rocks about 150 meters away from the cave entrance. Several team members walked by near him without discovering him. It wasn't until Gu Weimin led his teammates back to the cave that Ling Tianxiang began to sprint wildly westward.
The sun had already set on the western mountain top, and the sky was about to darken. Ling Tianxiang stopped in his tracks, glanced at his watch, 5:50, he had been sprinting for over three hours. Immediately, he turned around and looked back in the direction of the cave, roughly having run out 20 kilometers, Gu Weimin would need to bring people to chase him, because it was a large-scale operation, the speed would be slower, probably taking more than four hours to arrive here.
Thinking of this, Ling Tianxiang sat down and took out a high-calorie energy bar. He only broke off a small piece, as one energy bar could sustain a person for three days. This morning, Ling Tianxiang had already eaten one piece. Now his physical and mental strength were basically fully recovered. The biggest problem was where to find that box, and also, how to find the intelligence officer named Sweeney?
After swallowing the dry food with water, Ling Tianxiang's gaze fell on the village at the foot of the mountain. It was only then that he realized he had returned to the place where he had hidden yesterday, except this time there were no US military helicopters hovering in the sky. Under the last rays of the sunset, the several houses in the village that had been burned into ruins could be seen clearly, and almost no villagers were active outside, probably because the recent disaster had left them all with lingering fears.
Ling Tianxiang thought of the girl who had helped him, and her family. Like all the residents of remote and impoverished areas, the mountain people were not complicated, but rather simple and straightforward, with a kind of refreshing simplicity that could not be found in big cities. Thinking of the disaster that the girl's family had suffered, Ling Tianxiang's hand holding the water bottle was slightly trembling. On the day he put on his military uniform, Ling Tianxiang knew he didn't have the ability to change anything, but at this moment, he very much hoped he had a huge energy, a kind of divine power that could change the world.
A cloud of dust rose on the highway connecting the village, and Ling Tianxiang quickly got down, setting up his sniper rifle. Through the scope of the rifle, he saw a convoy of over ten "Humvees" and several "Stryker" armored vehicles speeding towards the village. On the vehicle, the US military machine gunner vigilantly watched around, as if they would engage in combat with the enemy at any time.
Damn it! Ling Tianxiang cursed quietly, looking at the US military's momentum, could it be that they wanted to destroy the entire village and kill everyone to silence them? The US military had done such things before, more than 30 years ago in Vietnam, and similar incidents had occurred in Afghanistan in recent years, only to have the blame shifted onto the Taliban.
When the US military convoy arrived outside the village, Ling Tianxiang quickly adjusted his sniper rifle. The distance was over 1500 meters, which far exceeded the range of the M40 sniper rifle. At this distance, even the best sniper couldn't guarantee hitting a target the size of a human body. Moreover, .30 caliber bullets were no threat to armored vehicles. Ling Tianxiang gritted his teeth and slowly moved his finger away from the trigger. Now he could do nothing. At this moment, he hated himself for not having enough ability. If only he had a "Barrett", he would have been confident enough to take out those armored vehicles and most of the US military before being surrounded. But it was impossible for him to carry such a large gun in the mountains alone.
The convoy stopped outside the village, and the US military did not enter the village or surround it. At this time, Ling Tianxiang let out a sigh of relief, as this was not the posture of a massacre. Next, he saw the US military pull out a frail figure from a "Striker" vehicle, and a muscular American soldier threw the girl onto the main road at the village entrance. The surrounding US soldiers were vigilantly watching the villagers who had rushed to the village entrance, although their guns were pointing at the ground, but as soon as there was any change, these American soldiers would undoubtedly raise their machine guns for a sweep.
The situation was very tense, with villagers gathered at the entrance of the village. Perhaps several villagers had AK rifles hidden under their robes. In Afghanistan, weapons were more numerous than livestock. The US military remained highly vigilant, and the officer in charge yelled at the villagers a few times before waving his hand to signal the infantrymen to retreat slowly back to the convoy. As they boarded the vehicles, the machine gunners on top of the cars remained highly alert.
Under the "attention" of several machine guns, the villagers didn't dare to move, and the convoy quickly turned around and returned along the highway. Ling Tianxiang continued to "see off" the convoy as it disappeared into the distance, only then turning his gaze to the girl lying on the ground at the entrance of the village. A middle-aged woman had already picked up the girl, apparently a relative of hers. The girl's head was tilted back, facing the mountain slope, and Ling Tianxiang quickly adjusted the scope to maximum magnification. When he saw the girl's face clearly, his suspicions were confirmed - this was indeed the girl who had helped him!
After the last ray of sunset had flashed, the earth was shrouded in darkness, and the mountains and fields became even more quiet. Ling Tianxiang's mood, however, was not calm at all. He did not see the girl's parents among the villagers, which means they may have been killed or captured by the American army.
What to do? Ling Tianxiang hesitated, he took a look at the village below the mountain, then closed his eyes and let out a long breath. Maybe he didn't have the ability to change the whole world, but at least he could change a small part of it! The sharp blade rolled away, and the tiger went to the reins. Chapter 12: Following the vine to find the melon (Part 2)
