Chapter 518: Rebel Troops
KABOOM!
The lead jeep in the convoy suddenly swerved right as it was engulfed in a flash, sending out a deafening explosion and waves of extreme heat from soaring flames. The second vehicle, where Xiao Luo was in, had its entire windscreen shattered from the impact. Numerous gla.s.s shards and debris blew through the cabin like a raging tsunami hitting the driver, Kong Yunhong, Xiao Luo, and Jiang Zhiming in their faces.
It was fortunate that the driver was quick to react and had stepped on the brakes at the moment of explosion, and avoided being in the blast zone.
“Ahrrg!”
The shrill shrieks of the wounded pierced through the air, sounding like ghouls being tortured in h.e.l.l. Two survivors scurried out of the lead vehicle, escaping from a sea of fire, but their entire bodies were engulfed in flames. It wasn’t long before they collapsed writhing on the ground and died an excruciating death from severe burns.
“Enemy! Enemy attacking…!”
Kong Hongyun was overwhelmed by fear and panic, and he screamed hysterically in a state of panic.
Jiang Zhiming got off the jeep immediately and dashed toward the two soldiers who had escaped the burning wreckage in front of him. He took off his clothes and use them to beat the flames out. The soldiers from the vehicles in the rear of the column were already approaching, and several were a.s.sisting Jiang Zhiming, while the others fanned out defensively to provide cover.
It did not take too long for the troops to smother the fire on the two bodies, and as expected, they had long lost their life. Some parts of their bodies were charred, and much of their exposed skin was covered in blisters. Their twisted faces were blackened and literally unrecognizable, and the acrid smell of burning flesh filled the air.
In the burning wreckage, the men in the front seats were killed instantly when the vehicle was struck. Their bodies were fused to the tangled frame of the wreck.
The Special Operations team was in shock, for even though they were trained soldiers, they had never actually been in combat and had never witnessed the horrors of actual war. Here in Libya, they were to experience it first-hand, and for them, it would be a tour to h.e.l.l and back. It had never crossed their minds that they could be so close to death, for it was only moments ago that their comrades were joking with them, and now they laid on the ground, nothing but burnt corpses.
The realization hit them hard, and they felt a sense of anxiety and fear, but at the same time, their hearts wept for their dead compatriots.
“What’s going on? What the heck is going on? Where did the explosion come from? Wasn’t it a smooth ride? I didn’t see any enemy nearby either,” Kong Hongyun cried. He could not make sense of the situation as he kept questioning his colleagues, looking quite puzzled.
“It’s a landmine.”
Jiang Zhiming lifted his head and stared into the road ahead. He had some superficial injuries on his face from the shattered gla.s.s debris that flew into the cabin.
“The entire two kilometers of the road ahead is likely mined. We need to take a detour!”
Xiao Luo said as he walked up with his hands on his back. His const.i.tution of King of Mercenaries helped him notice those nondescript symbols on the road earlier, and now he decrypted their meaning clearly. They would be meaningless to those unfamiliar with the territory, but he knew very well that they indicated the locations of landmines in this area. Those were likely buried by the rebel troops, and they had left those warning signs to alert their comrades.
“How… how did you know?” Kong Hongyun.
Although Jiang Zhiming was silent, his eyes also beckoned for answers. Xiao Luo’s order to halt coincided with the first explosion, and he was very sure that Xiao Luo had noticed something unusual. The question was, how did he detect the signs?
Xiao Luo sighed and did not plan to dwell on that topic. “Let’s take a detour,” he said.
He turned back to his jeep right after he spoke.
They had no choice but to take a detour. Jiang Zhiming did not bother him further but told his subordinates to throw the bodies into the flames as a symbolic cremation. They had no other options and could only settle with the most practical means.
After making a detour around the landmine zone, they continued their journey toward Stantine City. They soon left the burning wreck far behind, and many of the soldiers could not help staring back at it as it gradually disappeared from their sights. They pictured four heroic spirits saluting to them in the rising thick smokes.
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They had lost four warriors before even reaching Stantine City, which affected every member of the Special Operation team. The fresh memory of the explosion served as a constant reminder that this was an actual war and not an exercise. Should any incidents occur, the only end for them was death itself. Everyone had to brace themselves for the worst, and they did not even dare to let their guard down.
After the loss of the earlier jeep, Xiao Luo’s vehicle led the convoy.
It was very risky to put the commander’s jeep in the lead, but Jiang Zhiming chose to take the risk because he trusted himself, and he could rely on Xiao Luo’s judgment. Should any sign of danger present itself that he did not spot, he was confident that Xiao Luo would be able to notice it and warn him.
Except for the land mine incident earlier in the day, everything was relatively quiet on the first day.
“When will we reach Stantine City?”
The campfire was flickering in the dark night, and Xiao Luo asked Jiang Zhiming.
“We should be able to reach there by noon tomorrow.” Jiang Zhiming answered.
“Alright, got it.”
Xiao Luo sat leaning against the tire of his jeep and rested. As they were in a warzone, he kept his ears peeled even when he was resting, and he would react immediately if there were any suspicious sounds or movements.
But the night remained silent and incident-free.
When the first rays of dawn broke, the Special Operations team prepared to depart.
The terrain in Libya’s central region consisted of countless hills, and staying in one place for too long presented risks and made anyone feel ill at ease. The events of the previous did not help as anxiety played on the minds of the troops. “Captain, look, there seems to be a Libyan force ahead!”
Kong Hongyun pointed ahead and shouted, “But, are they with the government, or are they rebel troops?”
Xiao Luo had seen them way earlier. There were five heavily armed vehicles with Gatling guns on top of their roofs.
“Regardless of their ident.i.ty, prepare for battle!”
Jiang Zhiming jumped off the jeep first and ordered everyone to get ready for action. He also adjusted the flag’s position on the bonnet to make their ident.i.ty more visible to the unknown force ahead.
Looking through his binoculars, Jiang Zhiming made out the approaching party and quickly identified them as rebel troops. It was easy to differentiate them from the government forces, as the rebels’ flag and uniform were darker in color, whereas the government forces had a relatively lighter color scheme. The contrast could not be starker.
When their jeeps had come to a halt, the Libyan rebel troops also stopped. Both leaders were using binoculars to observe the other party.
“They are giving hand signals, and it seems like they are asking us to go through. I think we can avoid a confrontation with them, Kong Hongyun said, letting out a sigh of relief.
Jiang Zhiming looked at Xiao Luo and asked, “What do you think, Mr. Mie?”
“Let them go first, in case we are forced into a kill zone in the confrontation!”
Xiao Luo answered calmly as he would never expose his back to an unfamiliar group of people.
Jiang Zhiming nodded in agreement. Had the other party turned out to be the government forces, it would be acceptable to go ahead. The fact was that they belonged to the rebels, it was prudent to take precautions and keep their guard up.
But, before he could react, the Libyan rebel troops suddenly initiated their a.s.sault.
Whump! Whump! Whump!
A dozen mortar rounds were launched and blasting towards them from the sky mercilessly.