181: Chapter One Hundred and Eighty: Exchange Hostages?
You must be joking.
181: Chapter One Hundred and Eighty: Exchange Hostages?
You must be joking.
As Torrey Gandyman issued orders to his subordinates, Gao Yang was also briefing Simon and the others on the latest developments.
“Team two, the agreement we’ve reached with the enemy leader is that you’ll put down your weapons and act as hostages, and then we’ll exchange hostages with each other.
The decision is in your hands; decide based on the situation.
We’ll now retreat first to the rooftop and wait for you there.”
Simon immediately said, “There’s no other way, we’ll put down our weapons and act as hostages.
Ram, if the situation turns sour, you guys retreat on your own.
There’s absolutely no need for us all to die here.”
Meanwhile, as Simon and Gao Yang spoke, Torrey Gandyman also loudly said, “No, we can’t exchange hostages on the rooftop.
I demand to go down and exchange in the lobby on the first floor.”
Gao Yang coldly said, “Your people outnumber us and have superior firepower.
To exchange hostages on the first floor would mean we’re all insane.
The exchange will take place on the rooftop; there’s no other choice unless you have another proposal that satisfies both parties.”
Torrey Gandyman couldn’t possibly come up with a proposal that would satisfy Gao Yang.
After a moment’s hesitation, he immediately yelled toward the first floor, “Bring their people up to the rooftop to exchange for me.”
“Toad and Little Fly, cover us; we’re coming up.”
“Roger that, you can come up now.”
After calling Li Jinfang on the radio, who had already retreated to the rooftop, and receiving Li’s response, Gao Yang cautiously led the way, with Glolov escorting Torrey Gandyman back to the fourth floor.
Although Gao Yang and his team hadn’t completed the search of the entire building, they didn’t encounter any enemies on their way up.
Li Jinfang provided cover alone at the stairwell to the rooftop on the fourth floor.
After signaling Gao Yang and the others to go up directly, Li also retreated cautiously back to the rooftop.
Jacklan was already piloting the helicopter on the rooftop; all the cabin doors were wide open.
Bob and Frey were already on the aircraft, but the helicopter wasn’t fully parked on the rooftop.
The main rotor was still spinning rapidly, and the retractable tricycle landing gear was touching the ground intermittently, occasionally lifting off slightly and then settling back down.
Jacklan was ready to take off at a moment’s notice.
The powerful downwash made it impossible to keep one’s eyes open.
Gao Yang and his two companions bent over and kept their heads down as they brought Torrey Gandyman to the side of the helicopter.
Then, after putting Torrey Gandyman on the ground, the three knelt on one knee and aimed their guns at the door that led to the rooftop.
They waited for about three minutes when they saw someone appear inside the doorway.
The first person to appear gestured to Gao Yang and his companions, then, holding an M4 carbine, slowly walked out of the doorway.
After scanning to both sides, he quickly moved to one side, shouted toward the doorway, and aimed his gun at Gao Yang and the others.
Finally, Simon and his companions were pushed out of the doorway.
They had been stripped of their weapons, body armor, and even their masks had been taken off.
Simon and the others were escorted by five men armed with M4 carbines, but to be precise, only Simon and Arthur walked out, while Destin was carried out by two men, and it was unclear if he was dead or alive.
Hill had been shot in the foot and was being supported arm-in-arm by one person as he hobbled out in front of the doorway.
Gao Yang and his comrades were all wearing heavy body armor; unless it was high-power, large-caliber ammunition, bullets hitting their torsos didn’t pose too much of a threat.
Therefore, including Gao Yang, most of the severe injuries were to limbs, as well as to the face and neck.
The faces of Destin and Simon were a bloody mess.
A large gash had been torn on Simon’s left face, stretching from the corner of his mouth to the base of his ear.
Destin’s left eye had a huge hole where his eyeball had been shattered; a significant portion of that area was missing.
Gao Yang thought Destin was probably dead; he didn’t believe someone whose head had been blown open could still be alive.
But now wasn’t the time to be angry about Destin’s death; what Gao Yang was thinking about was how to keep the others, who were still alive, alive.
Gao Yang was afraid that Torrey Gandyman would recognize Simon, but seeing the state of Simon’s face, Gao Yang’s worries were dispelled—now, even Morgan might not be able to immediately recognize him.
Gao Yang nudged Torrey Gandyman in front of him with his gun and bellowed, “How do you plan to exchange the hostages?
And how will you give us the money you promised?”
Because of the strong noise and downdraft from the helicopter, it was very difficult for Torrey Gandyman, who was pressed face down on the ground, to speak.
Although he shouted a few sentences with all his might, Gao Yang couldn’t understand a word.
However, Gao Yang didn’t need to hear what Torrey Gandyman had to say anymore.
What mattered was that Torrey Gandyman’s bodyguards could see him speaking.
After feigning a listening pose and nodding pretentiously, Gao Yang gestured to Li Jinfang to get ready, then waved to Glolov.
Subsequently, the two of them put their guns on the ground, stood up, and slowly walked towards Torrey Gandyman’s bodyguards.
The rooftop was pitch dark.
Torrey Gandyman’s bodyguards weren’t equipped with night vision goggles, but each of their guns had flashlights attached.
Some flashlights shone on Gao Yang and Glolov, while others illuminated Torrey Gandyman on the ground, brightly lighting up the rooftop for a time.
Gao Yang shielded his eyes from the blinding light and yelled, “Your boss and I have come to an agreement.
now release our people, and you won’t move.
Once our people have boarded the plane, you can go over and get your boss.
Once you can ensure your boss’s safety, we’ll take off.
That way, if either side opens fire, the other will pay a devastating price.
So neither of us should shoot.
If you agree, let me take them away.”
Gao Yang’s proposal was sensible, because if he released Torrey Gandyman first, the bodyguards would certainly shoot.
Yet, if Gao Yang took Torrey Gandyman with him, his bodyguards could spray bullets randomly, killing both Torrey Gandyman and Gao Yang’s team.
Even if Gao Yang’s team shot at Torrey Gandyman after boarding the plane, the distance would mean Torrey Gandyman was already protected.
At close range, a civil Sikorsky S-76 helicopter provided no real protection, and the result would still be mutually-destructive for both sides.
Quickly analyzing Gao Yang’s proposal, the bodyguard named Loew immediately said, “Let’s do it that way.
A warning, no tricks, always let me see your hands.
If you plan any tricks, you’ll all be buried with my boss.”
After speaking, Loew waved, and several bodyguards holding onto Simon and the others let go.
Glolov immediately bent down, and, together with the uninjured Arthur, lifted Destin towards the helicopter.
Simon, shot in the foot, supported Hill, nodded at Gao Yang, and headed for the plane.
Gao Yang nodded at Loew, took a few slow steps backward, and then turned and limped quickly towards the helicopter.
Just as Gao Yang turned to leave, more of Torrey Gandyman’s bodyguards came up from the gatehouse.
More and more of Torrey Gandyman’s bodyguards appeared, and the rooftop now housed over a dozen men armed with automatic rifles, arranged in an arc.
They aimed their weapons at Gao Yang’s team, ready to fire without hesitation at any suspicious movements, even if it meant killing their boss in the process.
Gao Yang, limping, hastened forward as fast as he could.
When he was only four or five meters from the helicopter’s door, he suddenly saw Glolov, who had already boarded, making a ‘get down’ gesture.
Almost at the same moment Glolov signaled, a bodyguard walking to the right flank noticed something at the corner of his eye.
He didn’t take a careful look at what it was, but as his flashlight illuminated it, he yelled “Spread out!” instinctively.
In the moment before a bodyguard behind shouted “Spread out!”, Gao Yang was throwing himself forward onto the ground, and as he dove, Li Jinfang’s right hand, which had been concealed behind him, moved.
The tail end of the bodyguard’s “Spread out!” had not finished when the object illuminated by the flashlight exploded.
It was an M18A1 directional anti-infantry mine, but it’s more widely known by another name, “Scottish Claymore.”
The Claymore directional mines, normally detonated with a tripwire or manually with a detonator, had been modified by Gao Yang’s team to include cameras and could be detonated remotely.
Whether there were cameras or not wasn’t important at that moment; what mattered was the ability to detonate remotely.
Two Claymore anti-infantry mines, placed on the flanks, detonated simultaneously.
The steel jets flew towards the bodyguards, who, focused on Torrey Gandyman and not paying close attention to the slightly forward flanks, had sealed their tragic fate.
The effect of a directional anti-infantry mine on unprotected soft targets was like a scythe through wheat; where the blade passed, no stalk could remain standing.
Under the high-speed impact of the steel jets, Torrey Gandyman’s bodyguards, arranged in an arc, fell in unison, like wheat before the scythe.
Almost at the same moment the Claymore directional mines exploded, the gatehouse behind the bodyguards also blew up.
Frey had placed all the remaining plastic explosives on the back side of the gatehouse.
The explosion thoroughly demolished the gatehouse, sealing off the access to the rooftop from the building and burying those inside the gatehouse under the rubble.
(To be continued.
If you like this work, we welcome you to vote and recommend on Qidian (qidian.com).
Your support is my greatest motivation.
Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)