Volume 1: The Fierce Tiger Leaves Its Leash Chapter 19: Worries About the Future (Part 1)

  The wailing sounds coming from the manhole cover sent a hollow echo, making Ling Tianxiang's skin crawl. During special forces training, interrogation and anti-interrogation were one of the "required" courses, but Ling Tianxiang was assigned to the sniper class from the start. Although interrogation wasn't his specialty, judging from those heart-wrenching wails, the resistance organization's interrogation experts must have had a few tricks up their sleeves. However, Ling Tianxiang soon began to worry - the instructor had said that as long as one could endure pain, once they reached their limit, the pain would no longer have any effect on the person being interrogated, and would instead strengthen their resistance will, making the interrogation more difficult. Therefore, inflicting pain was only the most basic, and also the lowest-level, interrogation method.

  "Don't worry, no American has lasted more than eight hours yet." Abbad seemed to have seen Ling Tianxiang's doubts.

  Ling Tianhui turned his head and looked at the grassland below the mountain slope. The cool night breeze made people feel very comfortable. "Have you also interrogated Americans before?"

  Abad didn't answer the question, his gaze remained on the village at the foot of the mountain opposite. After a while, he suddenly asked: "Why do you want to raid Zebeck's US military camp?"

  "Why did you attack the US military base in Sangin again?"

  The two turned their heads at the same time and burst out laughing. The resonance between soldiers made both of them put each other in the ranks of those worthy of respect.

  "My partner was captured by the US military, I won't abandon him, so I have to go rescue him." Ling Tianxiang first gave an answer, "What about you?"

  "Just like you, only it was our country that the Americans caught, not our partner." Abbad let out a deep breath and fell silent.

  Ling Tianxiang could understand the meaning of this sentence. In books and in the army, he had read and heard many times that when the enemy's army set foot on the country's soil, how many generals and soldiers rushed to the battlefield one after another, engaging in a desperate battle with the enemy. Although they ultimately lost the war, it was these generals and soldiers who shed blood and sacrificed themselves to defend their country's interests, winning independence, dignity, and the opportunity to rise again for their country. Perhaps Afghanistan would never become a powerful nation in the world, but Afghan warriors could certainly become the best warriors in the world.

  "We have been fighting the enemy from the north for ten years." Abad spoke in a low, slow voice. "After ten years, when we drove out the invaders, everyone thought they could live a peaceful and stable life, but the continuous civil war destroyed almost everyone's dreams. When we were reunited under one government again, we suffered another invasion by another enemy, so we had to take up arms again and fight against the invader. Maybe our generation cannot defeat the invader, but there are still our sons and grandsons, they will continue to fight until all invaders are eliminated!"

  "But isn't the US military also providing you with food, clothes and helping you recover economically?"

  "Damn it!" Abad suddenly turned around, his eyes seemed to be spitting fire. "I know you're talking about the US military bringing us so-called democracy and new life, but have you ever thought that when they're instilling democracy, they've already made us slaves at their beck and call? What's the difference between this and the Soviet army back then? Afghans are not slaves, we only have fighters who are still fighting and those who have fallen. We don't need the enemy's democracy or charity, what we need is our own land, our own home, our dignity, and our faith!"

  Ling Tianxiang fell silent, in fact Abbad was not a devout Muslim because he did not pray towards the holy city at dusk, but this did not prevent him from becoming an outstanding warrior. Perhaps it was decades of fighting that made Abbad forget how to pray. For a true warrior, what is needed is not blind faith, but firm conviction, conviction in victory, and unwavering determination to defeat the enemy, all of which were clearly evident in Abbad.

  "You will never understand Afghans." Abad's emotions gradually calmed down, "Just like we don't understand why you would cede territory and admit defeat in the first place. But there is one thing that both of us have."

  "Mutual respect."

  Abbad nodded slightly, that's what he wanted to say. "What we need is friends who respect each other, not enemies who enter your home with weapons, burn, kill and loot. For such beast-like enemies, we will only be more ruthless than them, and only more ferocious than them, this is the philosophy of Afghans."

  Ling Tianxiang nodded slightly. Any nation that is self-reliant and unyielding is the same, if you want to defeat a ruthless enemy, you must be even more ruthless than the enemy.

  At this time, a footstep sound came over, and both of them turned their heads back at the same time.

  Maddy quickly walked up behind the two and handed a small recorder to Ling Tianxiang. "The things you needed have been asked."

  Ling Tianxiang immediately pressed the play button, and after a burst of mournful cries, the loudspeaker emitted Swire's low voice, panting heavily. There was only one name, which was enough, and Ling Tianxiang needed just that name.

  Abad stood up and said something to Maidede in the local language. After Maidede left, he turned to Ling Tianxiang and said: "I'll have Maidede send you back, we also need to prepare to move out, the US military's search will expand soon, so it's best for you to leave here before dawn."

  Ling Tian Xiang quickly put away the recorder, hesitated for a moment, and extended his right hand to Abad. The two hands clasped together, at this moment, both sides knew that the other was the most excellent soldier, the most formidable warrior.

  There was no farewell ceremony, nor a send-off ceremony. Ling Tianhui took his own weapons and equipment, as well as the "Plikon" safe, and followed Maidi out of the cave from another exit. This time, the two did not use their long robes and donkeys as disguises. After the US military base was attacked by the resistance organization, the US military would search every village nearby and would not let any mountain passersby go.

  The mountainous area was quiet and cold at night, and the two of them were running quickly on the slope like a pair of agile rock goats. Maidi's speed was not slower than Ling Tianxiang's, and he would occasionally stop to wait for Ling Tianxiang to catch up, which made Ling Tianxiang exclaim that they were indeed the masters of this vast mountain range.

  The Blade of Bravery: The Tiger's Roar, Chapter 19: A Worrisome Future (Part 1)