31: Chapter 31 Rabbit 31: Chapter 31 Rabbit The opposition’s mercenaries stormed the hotel quite smoothly and, in less than three minutes, had completely resolved the fight.
Afterward, several people who stayed outside the hotel gradually entered the building.
Having occupied the hotel as a stronghold, the opposition forces were now just across the street from the government troops.
Yet, it seemed that the opposition had no immediate plans to attack, and at this time, the firing from the building opposite the hotel ceased as well.
The gunfire fell silent for a moment, and the local civilians hiding behind cheered and rushed over.
By this time, Rabbit had already left the rooftop, but what weighed on Gao Yang’s mind was Cui Bo, who was nowhere to be seen emerging from the hotel.
After waiting a few minutes and watching thirty to forty locals pour into the hotel, Gao Yang began to feel anxious.
Fedor, who had been in constant communication with Cui Bo, said to Gao Yang, “Don’t worry, Rabbit has made contact with the opposition, he said he’s grabbing something and will be right over.”
Gao Yang couldn’t fully relax yet.
He was closely monitoring the movements inside the building across from the hotel.
The enemy was not completely eliminated, only temporarily suppressed, and Gao Yang feared that Cui Bo might be attacked while leaving.
Rabbit finally came out of the hotel, holding an AK47 in his hand and carrying another gun on his back.
After exiting the front door of the hotel, he gestured to Gao Yang to get moving, then crouched and hurried over.
Cui Bo ran to the spot beneath Gao Yang without incident.
Standing at the doorway, he shouted a few words in Arabic, and then Malik opened the door for him from the inside.
Now that Cui Bo had safely made it across, there was no need for Gao Yang to stay on the rooftop.
“Mr.
Brauchitsch, Bob, you guys go first.”
After Fedor and Bob had descended to the stairwell, Gao Yang was about to pack up his gun when he suddenly heard a sharp whistling sound.
His instincts told him something was wrong, but he did not know what was making the noise.
Just then, Fedor reappeared at the stairwell, shouting at the top of his lungs to Gao Yang, “Mortar!”
No sooner had Fedor’s words ended than a shell exploded about twenty to thirty meters from Gao Yang.
This distance posed no danger to Gao Yang, but the deafening blast left him feeling somewhat dazed.
Another sharp whistle followed quickly.
Gao Yang immediately hit the deck, but the ensuing explosion sounded even further away.
Nevertheless, Gao Yang panicked; he wanted to get off the roof to somewhere safer below.
In his panic, Gao Yang even thought about just running without getting up.
But his legs failed him disgracefully.
He stumbled as he attempted to stand and fell flat on the ground again.
Green soldiers fear cannons, seasoned soldiers fear machine guns.
There is truth in that saying.
It was Gao Yang’s first time hearing the sound of a shell exploding.
Despite a strong mental command not to be afraid, his body’s innate response wasn’t something he could easily control, and Gao Yang felt utterly weak.
Fedor, standing at the stairwell, waved frantically at Gao Yang and yelled, “It’s adjusting fire!
Damn it, get over here!
Are you waiting to die?”
No matter what, Gao Yang was a veteran of several battles.
The first explosion might have scared him excessively, but after just a brief moment, his composure had already returned.
Although still frightened, his movements were no longer hindered.
Gao Yang scrambled towards the stairwell, rolling and crawling.
Just then, another blast sounded.
Instinctively, Gao Yang lay flat and paused.
As he was about to continue forward, he heard Fedor shout, “They hit it, my God!
The target is not you, it’s the Huaxia City Restaurant.”
Fedor stood fully on the roof, completely unafraid of being exposed to gunfire.
Gao Yang peeked up, glanced back, and saw a cloud of dust rising from the rooftop of the restaurant.
A shell hit the restaurant, heralding the start of a substantial artillery barrage.
Of course, “substantial” was relative, yet for Gao Yang, having five or six shells falling at the same time definitely qualified as a massive shelling.
Realizing the target was the restaurant, Gao Yang’s courage surged anew.
He didn’t rush to go downstairs but crouched and started observing.
Explosions rang out nonstop, and plumes of smoke, formed by the blasts, surrounded the restaurant.
To Gao Yang, the smoke of a mortar shell was virtually indistinguishable from a nuclear mushroom cloud.
Gao Yang ducked his head and dared not linger any longer; he scurried to the stairwell and descended to the corridor on the second floor.
Fedor followed closely and, after coming down, patted Gao Yang on the shoulder, shaking his head, “It’s just mortars.
Look at how scared you got.”
Bob also gave a weird laugh, clapped Gao Yang on the shoulder, and said loudly, “Welcome back, hero, don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone about your little mishap, hahaha, it’s killing me, brother.
I always thought you were a fearless superman.
To think that an explosion nearly scared you piss your pants, haha.”
“It’s just that it was my first time hearing an explosion, so a little nervousness is inevitable.
There’s nothing to make a fuss about.
Alright, alright, let’s go to the window and have a look.”
As soon as Gao Yang finished speaking, Cui Bo rushed up from downstairs, stood in front of Gao Yang with an excited face and looked him up and down.
Gao Yang punched Cui Bo lightly on the shoulder, smiling, “Gone dumb?
Can’t recognize your brother?”
Cui Bo nodded repeatedly, then blurted out in a daze, “Not dumb.
Just checking if you’re a human or a ghost.
I just thought only deities could save me now, I never expected to still be alive.”
Gao Yang was poignantly amused.
He thought that after three years apart, and such an unexpected reunion in a foreign land, Cui Bo would at least be moved to tears.
He didn’t expect him to come out with such a remark.
Cui Bo looked at Gao Yang for a long time and then nodded thoughtfully, speaking in a serious tone, “You’ve lost weight and got tanned, but it’s alright, your voice hasn’t changed.
These past years must have been hard, haven’t they?”
“Damn it, please, can you not use that tone and say such an asinine thing?
Forget it; I’ll be straightforward with you.
If you keep talking to me like this, I’ll beat the hell out of you!”
Gao Yang was entirely exasperated; any excitement from the reunion had vanished, shifting the conversation back to how it was three years ago.
Cui Bo laughed heartily, “Just joking, don’t get worked up.
I’m really happy to see you, Brother Yang.
Where have you been these past years?
I heard from your uncle and aunt that you were in a plane crash?”
Gao Yang waved his hand, “We don’t have time to talk about that now.
The opposition is in big trouble.
Did you hear the explosions?
That’s your restaurant getting shelled.
If government forces attack again later, we’ll have to run.”
Cui Bo was taken aback for a moment.
He suddenly patted his chest, then pulled a gun over from behind him.
Touching the gun with a blend of relief and fear, he said, “Lucky, so lucky.
Lucky I ran when I did, or my gun would have been ruined.”