The first thing to enter their field of vision was a white horse. The woman on its back had golden hair which streamed behind her as it galloped and what she held in her hands were not reins but an AK47. She had a smoking hot figure and her features were very pretty too but she had nothing of a gentle feminine air - she was like a ferocious bandit.
She was the chieftain of the White Hun Tribe, Dayetia.
A few hundred warhorses were right behind Dayetia and the women riding them were not just young girls - some were already white-haired with age while some were girls in their teens. They carried AK47s in their hands, and some some had World War Two bolt action rifles, while others carried spears and blades; their weapons varied. Just looking at their ages and weapons alone was like seeing a gathering of different birds, but if one would be making a big mistake if he really thought they were different. They were all ready for combat in mountains and forests and had the fighting spirit of the Huns. One would have a headache going up against foes like this, no matter who he was.
Around 300 horseback warriors fanned the area, surrounding them, and occasional shots were fired into the air as the horses galloped, or someone would let out a strange cry. This gave one the immense pressure of impending death.
Tang Yu-Yan wanted to lift her gun and start fighting but she did not do so in the end. It was not going to make a difference even if she managed to kill a target for every shot fired.
Xia Lei pulled the sniper rifle from his shoulder, threw it to the ground and raised both arms high. This was the international posture for surrender.
Tang Yu-Yan glanced at Xia Lei and also threw her gun to the ground and put her arms in the air. She said quietly, “Hope they give you a chance to talk.”
She’d just finished talking when some bullets. .h.i.t the ground in front of her and Xia Lei’s toes. The bullets sent leaves and dirt flying to their faces.
Xia Lei had not been nervous at first but this made him nervous. He and Tang Yu-Yan had killed off quite a few White Hun Tribe women last night and those women must have had friends and family. Could he blame anyone if one of them decided to shoot them out of hate or revenge?
“I regret…” Tang Yu-Yan suddenly started saying something silly.
“What do you regret?” said Xia Lei nervously.
“I haven’t fallen in love yet. If I die just like this…” Tang Yu-Yan’s expression was odd. “I’d feel some regret.”
A woman who died without having a romance was probably like a man who died without touching a woman, right?
Xia Lei’s head was a mess. A person of Tang Yu-Yan’s calibre had never fallen in love? He wouldn’t have guessed if she hadn’t talked about it. But it was difficult for Tang Yu-Yan to have a relations.h.i.+p with her status. She was similar to Long Bing in this regard and Long Bing was also a woman who had never had a boyfriend.
“You… You can treat last night as your romance,” said Xia Lei in consolation.
Tang Yu-Yan glared at Xia Lei. “f.u.c.k you. That’s not love. That’s you being perverted.”
Xia Lei was speechless.
A conversation topic like this was not appropriate at all in the situation they were in but it chased away their nervousness.
Before they could speak further, Dayetia’s warhorse came to a stop a few metres from them. The horses had completed their circle around them in the blink of an eye. Xia Lei and Tang Yu-Yan were surrounded, three rows in and out were women, and Xia Lei was the only man. This scene was terribly out of balance for Xia Lei; the yin and yang energy was way off.
“We surrender!” Xia Lei said in Pashtun.
The tribes had their own tribal language and it was said that their language was somewhere between Chinese and Tibetan, but it did not exist in the outside world. This White Hun Tribe was located deep in Afghanistan so they should know Pashtun, or they would have no way of communicating or trading with the outside world. This was how Xia Lei thought.
Dayetia did not speak. She stared coldly at Xia Lei and Tang Yu-Yan.
A young girl of eighteen suddenly jumped down from her horse’s back and strode over to Xia Lei. She had a child’s face but a surprising set of H-cups. Her appearance made him do a double take. Her adorable, naive face made her look like she was about 13 or 14, but her body was like that of a 23, 24 year old. He had never seen a girl like her before and he had no idea that this girl named Szlamy was the marks-woman of her tribe and had already claimed him as property.
Szlamy went up to Xia Lei and kicked the guns Xia Lei and Tang Yu-Yan had thrown on the ground further away. She then pushed Tang Yu-Yan violently away from Xia Lei and walked two circles around Xia Lei. She looked at him like she was a.s.sessing the health of a steed at market and measuring his value.
‘What’s this girl doing?’ Xia Lei was troubled. Szlamy seemed about the same as his younger sister, Xia Xue to him.
At that moment, the entire group of female White Hun warriors started laughing.
“Szlamy, hurry up. Test the goods,” said a White Hun woman with a laugh.
“Yeah, Szlamy. I’ll take him if you don’t want him. Trade you a goat for him,” said another with sincerity.
“Don’t be shy, Szlamy. Come on, take him right here, right now!” called someone.
“Shut up!” Szlamy’s face was red and she looked p.i.s.sed.
These women were speaking Pashtun. Xia Lei could understand a large part of it and it was clear to him what this young girl wanted to do. He had a headache, and it worsened with the cajoling from the surrounding women. A man worth billions like him was worth a goat here in Afghanistan, and it was also possible that he would be taken advantage of in front of hundreds of women. He felt rather ill.
He was about to pull the photograph out and end all this when Szlamy shouted at him, “Don’t move! Or I’ll shoot you!”
Xia Lei braced himself has he said, “Don’t be mistaken. I have something you want. I want to do a trade.”
He’d just finished speaking when Szlamy abruptly reached over and grabbed a certain part of his. Xia Lei felt like he had stepped into a quake zone and was held in place with uncertainty.
Xia Lei did not dare move but Szlamy did, and she touched where she pleased. She felt up Xia Lei’s private area, then felt at his face and lower abdomen, ending her inspection with a grab at his b.u.t.t. She seemed satisfied; her face was red and excitement shone in her blue eyes.
“Szlamy, he’s not yours alone. We all have a share!” said someone loudly.
“Yeah! If you want him then you have to claim him in front of us!” said someone.
“Hurry up or he’ll be put up for sale in the market! I think he can fetch 20 goats!” said a young woman with a smile.
“I raise, 21 goats!” another White Hun Tribe woman started bidding.
“Hah! You think I don’t dare to? I’ll satisfy your cravings right now!” Szlamy took the AK47 from her shoulder and pointed it at Xia Lei, saying fiercely, “Take your clothes off! All of it!”
Xia Lei put his arms down but he did not take his clothes or his trousers off. He took the photograph out of his pocket.
Szlamy did not even glance at the photograph. She kicked Xia Lei, then reached out to grab his belt.
Tang Yu-Yan was anxious for Xia Lei but she could not be of help. She could only say anxiously, “Hurry up and talk to their chieftain! Idiot! You like this girl or something?”
Xia Lei glared at Tang Yu-Yan and he hurriedly raised the photograph again. Szlamy had already undid his belt at this point - she just hadn’t torn his trousers off yet.
“Hold on!” Dayetia finally spoke.
“That’s…” A White Hun woman suddenly said in surprise, “Isn’t that the sword of Attila?”
They all quieted down immediately at the mention of Attila’s name.
Szlamy retracted her hand from Xia Lei’s trousers. She had seen the ancient sword in the photograph too and her eyes were full of wors.h.i.+p.
Dayetia jumped down from her horse’s back and looked at Xia Lei with eyes aflame. “Tell me. How do you know of this sword? If you keep anything from me or say one false word I will kill you and your companion.”
Xia Lei took in a deep breath, and calmed himself a little before saying, “I know what this sword means to you. I know where it is. I’d like to make a trade.”
“Where is it? Tell me.” Dayetia walked to Xia Lei.
Szlamy knew her place. She moved aside but her large eyes still lingered on the s.p.a.ce between Xia Lei’s legs. She was very satisfied with him and full of interesting thoughts.
“I said I want to make a trade.” Xia Lei adjusted his belt as he spoke. This was a group of women savages and he did not want to attract their l.u.s.tful gazes because of a little exposure.
“What do you want?” asked Dayetia.
“Let us go, me and my companion.” Xia Lei pointed at Tang Yu-Yan, and said, “And the experts you have captured.”
Dayetia snorted. “You sure have an appet.i.te. One photograph for so many lives? You think me a fool?”
Click-click-click. Guns were raised in all directions.
“Don’t shoot!” Xia Lei raised both hands. “I know who has this sword.”
“Who has it?” asked Dayetia.
Xia Lei smiled wryly. “I’m no fool. Will you still let me and my companion go if I tell you now? Show me some sincerity. I can also give you an additional million US dollars if you’re willing to let us go. This money can buy you a lot of advanced weapons.”
Tang Yu-Yan interrupted, “We are not enemies. We just want our people. Let’s make this deal. It’s useless for those people to remain in your hands too. They won’t make you a million US dollars even if they worked a hundred years for you. Besides, you will still have a chance to get back your sacred relic.”
Dayetia hesitated for two minutes, then waved a hand. “Take them back first.”
Szlamy drew close and grabbed Xia Lei by the hand to drag him to her horse.
“Get on!” Szlamy demanded.
“Can’t I share a horse with my friend?” said Xia Lei.
Szlamy reached out and smacked Xia Lei’s a.s.s. “Get on the horse! Or I kill that woman. You have value but she doesn’t!”
Tang Yu-Yan spoke anxiously, “Get on the horse, quick!”
Xia Lei smiled wryly and climbed atop the horse.
Szlamy mounted too. Her underbelly and b.r.e.a.s.t.s pressed close to his back and her arms circled his waist as she grabbed the reins.
The horses started galloping, clippety-clop…
“Can you not touch me everywhere?”
“You’re mine!”