Chapter 38: The Enemy Has Arrived!

  After Wan Er left, Yang Xie walked over slowly with his sword slung over his shoulder. Actually, Yang Xie was very handsome, 180 cm tall, with a standard build and a pointed face that looked a bit like Wu Qilong. However, when he looked at me, the unfriendliness in his eyes made me lose interest in talking to him.

  The two of us stared at each other without speaking, and I didn't know what he meant by constantly staring at me. But after a while, he blinked his eyes, turned his head to one side, and said in a low voice: "You've killed quite a few people, haven't you? Otherwise, you wouldn't have become like this! I've only seen this kind of gaze once before on the old mountain front line, and that was from a real character! If it weren't for his lack of education, he'd probably be stronger than me by now!"

  "It's nothing, survival is necessary. Not worth being proud of!" But actually I'm not thinking that way in my heart, what I'm thinking is: I'm the real hero! I'm stronger than you!

  Actually, I didn't intentionally try to intimidate him, it's just that I couldn't stand his bureaucratic look and the fact that he had no relationship with Wan Er. Maybe it's because we've been in the mercenary camp for too long, our captain is strict but never uses his status to oppress others, and wouldn't stick his nose up in the air just because he's a superior officer. Yang Jian has an arrogant look on his face at such a young age, if not for family ties, you'd probably be stuck guarding some radar somewhere.

  After running two rounds on the front line of the battlefield, I knew that being a vanguard was not easy. With no merit or hard work, climbing so high made me feel sorry for the vast number of Chinese soldiers at the very front line. Although it's none of my business, I just didn't want to give him a good impression.

  "Do you still hate me? Because I hurt your pride?" Yang Jian raised his sword with a very petty expression.

  "No, I don't hate you, I just don't like you!" I said straightforwardly, staring directly at him.

  "Why?"

  "Like repels like!" I saw Wan'er waving at me, and I nodded to Yang Jian before running in her direction.

  Wan'er saw me running over and smiled at me, saying: "Xing Tian, this is my younger brother-in-law Li Ming. Brother-in-law, this is Xing Tian."

  "Hey kid, you're Xing Feng's little brother? Your big bro may not have been directly under me, but he was one of the best back in the day when I was in charge. That kid was something else, out of tens of thousands of people in the whole squad, only he got into military school through real talent and hard work, all the others were just pulling strings behind the scenes. Your bro is really something, always ranked first in the whole squad, especially in martial arts and marksmanship, I taught him myself, he's one of the best soldiers I've ever trained. He told me once that he had a little brother, never thought it was you, and we'd meet here in Africa, what a small world! Haha, how did you end up thinking about becoming a mercenary? Why not follow your big bro's footsteps and join the army in China, why bother coming all the way out here to cause trouble?" Li Ming spoke with a strong military air, clearly a seasoned commander. But how did he end up as an observer, isn't that asking for trouble?

  "Uncle Li!" He wasn't wearing a military uniform, and I didn't know his rank, so I just called him that: "Thanks for the compliment about my brother! Is he really that amazing? Haha, I had no idea. My coming here was also sudden."

  "Haha, never mind if you don't want to say. Your brother is quite impressive, but this kid's career ambition is too strong, he doesn't take care of himself. The soldiers under him are not bad either, the kid should be promoted to captain by now, he's rising up pretty quickly." Li Ming had a proud expression on his face, as if to say that there were no weak soldiers under his command.

  "This is him, he's good at leading troops, but every time he comes home, he bullies me. He spent three years in military school, trained for three years, and used me as a test subject for his troop-leading skills. I'm so miserable!..." As I walked, I told Li Ming about how my brother, who was special forces-trained, had been using his combat training to bully me at home.

  "Haha, it's like that, you're quite lucky too. Usually, soldiers have to go through a strict selection process to get the chance to receive this kind of training. You've learned so much without even leaving your door, and yet you still dare to complain!" Li Ming "Bang" hit me with his fist.

  I rubbed my head and smiled foolishly. Thinking about it, if I hadn't had my brother's three years of training, I wouldn't have been able to survive that robbery in Yunnan, nor would I have adapted so quickly to the high-intensity special forces training. I should thank my brother instead. In my heart, I said a thank you to my big brother who was far away in China, but I don't know if he could sense it.

  Seeing Wan'er running to the back to see the patient, Li Ming grabbed me and whispered: "You little devil, you're really something! You didn't die and hid here to enjoy the peace and quiet, making our sister cry so much. It's not a big deal, what can't you let go of? Life is short, we should make the most of it!"

  He stunned me with one sentence, and I shed tears. What's going on?

  "Uncle Li, Wan'er and I are just ordinary friends, she refused to be my girlfriend. I'm not disappointed, we're still good friends!" I asked with a heart full of doubts.

  "She rejected you? I thought you were her boyfriend! You don't know about that?" Li Ming's face was full of confusion.

  "What's wrong?" I had a bad premonition, and at first, Wan'er refused me for some reason.

  "If she didn't tell you, I couldn't say it first, or else Liao Tou would be suspicious, and I wouldn't be able to bear the consequences!" Li Ming's face changed as he shut his mouth.

  All of a sudden, I was left hanging in mid-air. What had happened that made Wan'er refuse me and not even dare to speak to me? I thought for half a day, and suddenly the two words "rape" flashed into my mind. My eyes widened instantly - who the hell dared to mess with my woman! Men are like that, hearing his younger brother-in-law say so, they can't help but think in that direction.

  Li Ming jumped up and gave me another "bang", I didn't wear a helmet, just wore a sun hat with a camouflage net outside, this time he hit my brain was all in pain.

  "What's wrong?" I shouted out loud.

  "Hey, you little rascal, stop thinking crookedly, it's not that kind of thing!" I didn't expect him to be so sharp and perceptive, no wonder he was sent as an observer.

  "Why did she refuse me then?!" I really couldn't think of any other reason.

  "Don't think about it anymore, she'll tell you naturally when she wants to!" Li Ming said.

  I thought about it and let it go, since the situation is like this now, we can't even be sure if we'll see tomorrow's sun. Thinking about these things that don't bring food to the table isn't useful, let's talk about it when we get back to base. I nodded my head, took a glance at the guards beside Li Ming, none of them had guns, only two or three were holding AKs, looks like they've been confiscated. I turned my head around, borrowed a few spare weapons from my teammates and handed them over to Li Ming, then slowly made my way back to the end of the team. As I passed by Yang Wei, I deliberately ignored his puzzled gaze.

  The lion pack had long dispersed, leaving only a few stray dogs following us from behind. However, these small creatures didn't dare to approach the team, and we didn't think they posed any threat, so we just ignored them. By this time, it was already past 4 am, and the sky had started to lighten up. We had been walking for eight hours, and some people were starting to fall behind, while others fainted. Even those carrying stretchers were exhausted.

  "Take a break. The Eagle Eye should be here soon!" the captain ordered. Everyone let out a sigh of relief, and many people collapsed to the ground immediately. We quickly helped them up. But when I grasped their arms, I was startled - they were only as thick as two fingers, looking like withered branches. Supporting these emaciated guys, I couldn't imagine how a person could become as thin as a mummy. How long would it take to starve someone who was originally 180 cm tall down to less than 60 kg? Although we had given them enough food, they were unable to recover their energy. People in this state wouldn't be able to march tens of kilometers. But the priest refused to abandon his brothers and sisters, so all we could do was hope that Eagle Eye would bring enough planes; otherwise, we might as well wait for death!

  A group of people sat in a small clump of grass, with soldiers on the outside and the wounded in the center. I was on the first watch, while others were catching up on sleep. This is a characteristic of warriors - as soon as they lie down, they can fall asleep, and at any noise, they wake up. Although I'm not yet as skilled as those who have been through battles, as long as someone relieves me from my watch, I can sleep soundly. If not, I'll remain in a state of half-sleep, unable to enter deep sleep no matter what. Watching the grassland slowly come alive under the sunlight, I sat in the clump of grass, hugging my rifle and constantly stroking the barrel, feeling its coldness keep me awake.

  Two hours later, it was the butcher's turn to be on guard. I hugged my gun and fell asleep as soon as I closed my eyes. I don't know how long I slept, but the watch on my hand hadn't alerted me that it was my turn to be on guard yet when the sound of a helicopter came from above. I opened my eyes, hugged my gun, and got up. When I looked up, a CH-47D Chinook transport helicopter landed on the grassland under the cover of an Mi-24 Hind. The two huge propellers stirred up yellow dust that made it hard for people to open their eyes. The eagle eye stuck out his thumb from the hind, signaling us to get on the plane quickly.

  "Why doesn't another one come down?" Wan'er asked loudly, having run to my side at some unknown time.

  "That's an armed helicopter, it's providing cover! Can't come down!" I yelled loudly, the din of the gunfire was too loud.

  "But it's absolutely impossible to take everyone away!" Wan'er exclaimed.

  "Take as much as you can, that's it! Arrange for the most seriously injured to leave first. You're a nurse, you should take the plane too. I think they had a hard time coming this time, and whether they can come again next time is still a question." I saw that the bulletproof glass on the ambulance was all shattered, so I guess they must have encountered enemy fire.

  Wan'er didn't say a word and ran back to arrange for the wounded to board the plane.

  "Your girlfriend is really a country bumpkin!" REDBACK said mockingly, covering his hat on the side.

  I know he said that Wan'er didn't understand, transporting helicopters requires armed helicopter escort, this kind of military common sense.

  "She is not a soldier!"

  "What is she doing here then? She's definitely not a nurse!"

  "She's a typist!" I concluded definitely.

  "Typist? Haha! Typist comes here? Where is his typewriter?" REDBACK burst into laughter.

  I have to admit, REDBACK is really beautiful. Even though her cold jokes made me feel uncomfortable, her golden hair shone with a silver light in the sunlight, her flower-like face, and her jade-like teeth made me lose my mind for a moment. I couldn't associate her with the redback spider at all. Seeing me staring at her, REDBACK stopped smiling and stared back at me seriously. After a while, I realized that I was being very rude to stare at someone like that, so I quickly turned my gaze away, looking in the direction of the transport plane. Behind me, I heard REDBACK's triumphant laughter, making me blush bright red.

  The CH-47 Chinook can carry 24 stretchers or 44 soldiers. The seriously wounded were all on board, but there were too many lightly wounded and weak people, and no matter how hard they tried to squeeze them in, there were still not enough seats. Before long, the pilot of the Chinook indicated that it was full, closed the door, and took off. Under the strong request of the kind clergy, the reluctant captain ordered the Eagle Eye's Mi-24 to come down as well, but the female deer could only carry 8 people. The clergy pushed all the weakest people from the remaining crowd onto the plane, but none of them boarded themselves. Looking at those faces with tears in their eyes pressed against the glass window, I couldn't help but be moved by the kindness of these pastors and nuns. It's worth taking risks to protect them; after all, there are fewer and fewer people like this in today's society, and they should be protected like giant pandas.

  I turned around and saw Wan'er and Li Ming's group standing on the ground, I ran over and shouted: "Why aren't you boarding the plane?"

  "How could we possibly fight with those people for a seat, do you think we are what kind of people? Moreover, there are still many healthy Chinese workers who need our protection." Yang Jian took over the conversation and said a long and moving passage. Listening to it, Wan Er nodded in agreement several times.

  So simple and pure! I looked at the innocent face of Wan Er, and I really wondered how she could still maintain a childlike heart after seeing so many wounded people! Looking at the Congolese government officials on the side, if it weren't for so many people watching, they would have run away long ago.

  "Alright! You don't want to leave, suit yourselves! But don't regret it later!" I said to Yang Jian.

  "Everyone come here for equipment." The captain pointed to the ammunition taken down from the helicopter, but they were all AKs. Chinese soldiers had all switched to AKs.

  Li Ming held the AK-47 rifle in his hand, patted the gun body: "This thing is still comfortable to use!" All Chinese soldiers showed the same expression, looking at me with a stunned look, haha, AK really wins people's hearts!

  Watching Wan'er frowning at the pile of weapons, I walked over and handed her an MP7 submachine gun. This thing is small enough for her to handle. I taught her how to release the safety catch, how to pull the trigger, and how to aim. Watching her excitedly aiming left and right, I couldn't help but smile. She really has no idea what war is like, thinking it's just a game of house.

  The plane flew away, according to the description of the fast and slow machine, walking forward for another ten miles is the forest, entering the forest and crossing three mountain peaks can reach the government-controlled area. However, he encountered unknown firepower harassment on his way here, almost being shot down, estimating that the road ahead is not very peaceful. Entering the forest, if you want to carry out a second rescue, you need to cross at least two mountain peaks before landing. The captain has arranged the itinerary, and we will meet there. Now, apart from our wolf group of thirty or so people, plus the eight people of the Divine Assassin, six nuns and priests, fifteen Chinese workers and officers, and nineteen refugees, more than 80 people in total.

  The captain thought it was too conspicuous, so he divided us into three groups of 28 people each. I and REDBACK, the monks, the servants, the priest, all the Chinese, six nuns and the pastor, Big Bear, Wolfman were in one group. The others mainly protected those weak refugees.

  We had just divided into teams and hadn't had time to move forward when the sound of motorcycles suddenly came from behind. Everyone turned their heads to look, and dust was flying everywhere. It seemed that the large troop chasing us had caught up, and unexpectedly they dared to drive over openly.

  "SHOWTIME!" The captain shouted: "Cover team go first! Sniper team cut off the back! Bushes are good cover! LET'S MOVE!"

  I exchanged a glance with the big bear and werewolf, obeying orders to retreat first. I looked at the captain, butcher, and others holding guns as they sneaked into the bushes. Turning back, I saw the tense faces of the nun, priest, and worker. I think these people are really troublesome, dragging us down and preventing us from fighting with our comrades! However, we still need to execute orders first.

  "We're off!" The werewolf led the way, with me and Father REDBACK bringing up the rear. A group of people rushed ahead to the northeast at high speed. Before we had run a mile, a huge explosion sounded from behind us. I ran while looking back, several black smoke columns rose into the sky from the ambush point, it's on fire! Although we were already some distance away from the battlefield, sometimes the whistling sound of stray bullets could be heard around me. Looks like the battle is fierce!

  "Don't look back! Let's go, if we don't hurry, the captain won't be able to retreat quickly!" The werewolf shouted on the team path.

  At the wolf man's words, everyone exerted their strength and took off running. Wan'er and several nuns were obviously running very slowly, and sometimes they would even fall down. We had no choice but to either carry or support them, hoping to increase our speed. I caught up to Wan'er and just managed to grab her arm when Yang Jian ran over from the side and also supported Wan'er on the other side, glancing at me as he did so.

  I thought to myself: Ass! You little brat, at this critical moment you're still thinking about romantic feelings, you're really not a good thing. If you want to support her, then support her, I don't have the energy to argue with you about this. Thinking of this, I let go of my hand and ran to the back, hugged a fairly old nun and started running. REDBACK was watching us from the side, laughing hehe. It made me quite embarrassed.

  Hugging the nun at 100 jin, I still ran very fast. Usually, 10 kilometers were easy for me to run, but now it seemed endless. We had been running for twenty minutes before we vaguely saw a green forest line in the distance, and this speed was as slow as a snail's crawl. But when I looked back at our team fifteen meters behind us, I almost burst out laughing - even the head of the Congolese government army was now being carried on the shoulders of the elite troops. On our side, only Sister Pastor and a few workers were a bit troublesome, but the Chinese soldiers carrying guns and people on their backs were not in a hurry or panting. Ha ha, great job by the Chinese soldiers!

  As I ran and ran, I got closer and closer to the forest line. The treetops on the distant mountain peaks were clearly visible. Suddenly, I noticed a flash of light in the woods.

  "SNIPER! 9 O'CLOCK!" I yelled into the radio. Everyone immediately took cover in the bushes, except for four workers who were a bit stunned and just stood there. Wolfman and I ran out and grabbed two each, dragging them back to safety.

  "Don't you guys understand English? What are you staring at?" I cursed at the four of them in Chinese.

  "We don't understand, we only speak French!" a worker muttered. I then remembered that the official language of Congo is French and I had scolded the wrong person!

  "Sorry! I forgot!" I apologized hastily.

  "It doesn't matter!" they said politely

  I rushed to Father and REDBACK's side, raised the gun and observed the opposite jungle from the scope. There was nothing at all!

  "Have you found anything?" I asked REDBACK in a low voice.

  "No! But from the light just now, it doesn't seem like a sniper scope, but rather binoculars! There's an abnormal movement in the treetops at 9 o'clock, someone is trying to get us!" REDBACK didn't turn his head and continued searching.

  "What's going on? I've arrived at the edge of the forest and can't go in. Who is inside?" I muttered to myself in a low voice.

  "It should be a raid on Eagle Eye's guys." The werewolf and the great ninja whispered beside us.

  Crouching in the bushes, the scorching sun beats down on my head, and the exposed skin feels like it's being roasted over an open flame. I won't be able to stay here for long without getting heatstroke, but this is already much better than the last ambush. At least I have enough food, clean water that doesn't taste bad, no stinky mud pits, no giant ants that can eat people, and no African mosquitoes that can suck a person's blood dry. Most importantly, I have trustworthy comrades by my side; I'm not alone.

  "We can't stay here, we have to keep moving forward." The vanguard's voice came from the wireless.

  "There's a sniper ahead! If we make a move, it'll expose our target. I don't know what to do anymore."

  The priest looked at us with a pair of binoculars for a while, slowly turned his head and said: "There's no way around it, we have to get past the sniper too. If not, they'll be on our tail soon and Colonel Roger's efforts will all be in vain. Who among you is a good shot? We'll charge forward, if the sniper fires, I hope he can take him down immediately." The priest looked at us with an expectant face.

  "Kuaisuoji is a sniper!" I said to the priest: "He must be able to do it!"

  "Slow down! Slow down!" I shouted into the wireless.

  "Don't call him anymore, he's staying ahead!" The elite's response stunned me.

  "Who else is a sniper?" The priest asked anxiously:

  "We can all use sniper rifles, but he's the best shot. He's the key figure in our training program!" The bear-like man pointed at me: "He completed an outstanding mission last time!"

  "What? I'm the focus of cultivation for a sniper?! Why didn't you tell me that the slow machine wanted to cultivate me as a sniper?! I thought the last mission was just a compulsory course for all mercenaries, but it turns out that the devil's sniping skills are also very good. If so, then won't I have to spend every day with stinky mud, mosquitoes, and large numbers of enemy troops?! I don't want to!!!"

  "Because your performance was good! You did a great job that time! Reverse search successful, and even took down a senior military officer and a female elk!" The werewolf said with ill intentions.

  I was just about to plead, when the priest interrupted me: "Don't say any more, since it's you, then rely on you! Don't let our people die in vain!" After finishing, he crouched down and led his men out.

  How can this be? I've never had a mission like this before. Entrusting the lives of my comrades to me, such a huge responsibility, just thinking about it makes me afraid. Just as I was about to decline the task, REDBACK beside me spoke up.

  "Don't let us down! Our lives are in your hands now." After finishing, he also crawled out. The big bear beside me patted my shoulder and said: "We trust your ability! Go for it!"

  I'm speechless, what else can I say? Everyone's already said that, damn it! Now the only thing left to do is stake my life and make a desperate attempt. Otherwise, I'll really have no face to show my brothers!

  I nodded, starting to adjust my G3 sniper rifle. Although my G3 sniper rifle is custom-made, I'm not very confident in its accuracy at such a long distance. It seems I still need to switch to a more professional gun. Measured the distance - 700 meters, fortunately within the effective range. Wind direction: headwind. Wind force: level 3.

  I adjusted my gun, switched to a specialized sniper heavy bullet, took a deep breath, flexed my fingers, set the shooting mode to single shot, raised the gun and aimed at the direction where the flash came from earlier. Then I nodded to the big bear beside me who was already ready and said: "Let's go!"

  The bear and the werewolf pulled out the Russian 6H-3030mm light grenade launcher that had just been transported, loaded with smoke bombs. The two fired quickly, firing 12 smoke bombs in a matter of seconds, covering the area from the forest line to the grass thicket. In no time, a thick fog covered the 1-kilometer route from the forest line to the grass thicket.

  The priest gave the order, and everyone sprinted towards the thicket under the cover of smoke. I alone remained still in the grass, staring intently at the scene through my scope, oblivious to the chaotic situation unfolding around me. The personnel ran into the woods in batches, my heart racing with anticipation, fearing that the sniper would fire and I would miss my target. Everyone had entered the thicket, but the sniper did not fire, perhaps he was unsure of hitting his mark in the thick smoke, afraid of exposing himself.

  "Xing Tian! It's your turn! Quick! Quick!" The anxious voice of the wolf man came from the radio. I put away my gun and rushed out of the bushes, taking advantage of the remaining smoke to rush towards the forest. Just as I was halfway there, "Bang!" A gunshot rang out, and I felt a pain in my leg, my leg went soft and I fell to the ground with a thud. One thought flashed through my mind: "Damn! I said why didn't you fire earlier? It turns out you were waiting for your grandfather me!"

  Click to view picture link: Russian 6G-30 30mm light grenade launcher