415: Chapter Four Hundred and Thirteen: A Glimmer of Hope 415: Chapter Four Hundred and Thirteen: A Glimmer of Hope Gao Yang’s words made Tommy laugh, he said in a deep voice, “No need for revenge, no meaning to it.
Once the landmine goes off, the enemy will definitely notice, so let’s hurry and retreat.
Boss, you’re a good man.
What you said made me almost want to blow myself up, thanks!”
Gao Yang shrugged and said, “If you don’t die, at the end of this operation you could also get a million or eight hundred thousand US dollars, so if you want to throw your life away, I can only say you’re too foolish.
Got anything else to tell me?”
Sirte hurriedly said, “Buddy, it’s only three hundred and ten thousand US dollars, barely over three million in ten years.
Please, don’t get yourself killed over such a small amount of money for me.
I still want to have a go at Ram.”
Tommy laughed heartily and said, “Just a joke, just a joke, Gao.
My former boss knows where my dependents are.
If possible, please take care of them for me.
Okay, nothing more to say, let’s get out of here fast, I’m about to start working.”
Gao Yang saluted Tommy and Sirte, then said solemnly, “Gentlemen, good luck.
I’ll be waiting for you on the other side.”
After that, Gao Yang turned and walked away, but as he had just taken a few steps, Tommy suddenly said, “Boss, we’re still not clear on what kind of landmine it is, move back farther, a distance of over thirty meters isn’t safe.”
Watching Gao Yang leave, Sirte shrugged and said to Tommy, “Buddy, it’s a bounding mine, the hardest stuff to disarm.
How confident are you?”
Tommy shrugged as well and replied, “Got no confidence at all, just trying my luck here.”
Sirte laughed and said, “Then I owe you even more, buddy.
I thought you all would have left.
I didn’t expect you to try and save me.
If I survive this, I owe you my life.”
Tommy sighed and said, “I thought Ram would order everyone to evacuate, but he didn’t.
He asked me if I was willing to come save you, and then here I am.
You have to understand, I’m new to the Satan Mercenary Corps, but I’m indeed the only one with mine clearance experience.
That’s my value, I have to show what I’m worth.”
Sirte shook his head and said, “That’s rare, I mean both you and Ram are rare.
After all, I’m an outsider, and I might even become an enemy in the future.”
Tommy smiled and said, “No matter who you are, you’re at least our comrade right now, so for sure, the Satan Mercenary Corps can’t just leave you behind.
I’m surprised you’d even ask that.”
Sirte said with a look of pride, “The Angel Mercenary Corps would never leave anyone behind in this kind of situation.
I’m surprised that Satan can do the same.
You’re an old soldier, so you must understand, in the mercenary world there are a handful who can do this too, but very few, very few.
At least I haven’t seen it.”
Tommy shook his head and said, “I’m not a mercenary, I only just joined the Satan Mercenaries.
So, I’m not very clear on the affairs of the mercenary world.
I used to be in a guerrilla force, Serbian civilian militants.
There, as long as you acted together, whether with familiar old teammates or strange new ones, in situations like this, those who can demine always stay to save others.
If we’re lucky, we survive together; if not, we die together.
Anyway, we never leave anyone behind.
Actually, I’m glad that Ram didn’t order to leave you, you know, it’s more reassuring to follow a boss like that.”
Sirte laughed again and said, “Buddy, to be able to laugh in the face of death, you are a brave man!”
Tommy also laughed and said, “Comrade, thirty thousand US dollars a year in death benefits.
When I was a guerrilla I couldn’t even dream of earning so much, and later, working as a hired gun, I barely made a hundred thousand a year.
Even if I die now, I don’t have to worry about anything, so of course I can laugh.”
Sirte shook his head and said, “F**k, you’re truly a magnificent pauper, but I understand you.
Watching one comrade after another die, someone has to take care of their wives and children.
I’m better off, I don’t have these problems.
Alright, wait before you start, I want to speak with Ram.”
Sirte pressed the transmit button on his throat mic, and then loudly said, “Hey, Ram, got something to tell you.
There’s probably around three to four million US dollars left in my account, not sure exactly how much, I’ve almost spent it all.
Whatever the amount, if I die, remember to tell the Major and say I gave all the money to you, then you transfer it all to Worker Bee.
Anyway, my brothers don’t lack money.”
After speaking through the intercom, Sirte turned off his throat mic, said loudly, “Come on, buddy, let’s get to work.”
Tommy slowly walked over to Sirte’s side but didn’t immediately start to disarm the landmine under Sirte.
Instead, he first scanned the surroundings, especially along the tripwire to find the trip-activated mine hanging on a tree.
After a careful search, Tommy said with a smile, “Good news, although we’re dealing with a chained mine, the setup isn’t too complicated.
Bad news is, the hanging mines are all American M16A1s.”
Sirte whistled and then shook his head, “A big mine, buddy, this is a big one.
I bet the mine under my feet is an M16 too.
If that’s the case, if the mine under my feet goes off, all the mines in this area will explode.”
Tommy nodded and then pressed the walkie-talkie, saying, “Boss, take your men and retreat some more, fifty meters ain’t safe.
We’ve come across M16A1 mines, at least three of them, chained together.
If one goes, they all go, and they’re strung up in trees.
They can leap up to three or four meters high, so fifty meters is still dangerous.
You guys pull back to a hundred meters before we talk.”
Gao Yang knew of the American-produced M16A1 anti-personnel bounding mine.
These bounding mines weighed over three kilograms and were considered the heavyweights among anti-personnel mines, capable of leaping to a height of 1.2 meters.
Their maximum effective range reached fifty meters, and if one were triggered while hanging from a tree and leaped before exploding, who knows how far the shrapnel could reach.
After waiting for Gao Yang and his team to retreat beyond a hundred meters, Tommy received confirmation and lay prone on the ground.
He used his bayonet to gradually clear the dirt beneath Sirte’s feet, slowly exposing the body of the mine.
Upon seeing it, Tommy let out a wry chuckle, “Just as I thought, M16A1.
Buddy, our luck is downright terrible.”
Sirte sighed and said, “F**k, it’s over, buddy.
Although I haven’t prayed in a very long time, and the chances of me going to heaven are slim, I want to pray now.
Buddy, leave, I mean it.
You’ve been a real pal, I’ll be grateful.”
Tommy replied in a deep voice, “Since you’re destined for hell, there’s no point in praying.
Now shut up and don’t distract me.”
Sirte shook his head, “Buddy, of course I wouldn’t mind if there was hope for you to save me, but the M16A1’s fuzes are too sensitive.
There’s no hope now.
Your staying means nothing but dying alongside me.
Get going.”
Tommy glanced at Sirte and said, “We’re not dealing with a ‘Bouncing Betty’ here; the M16A1 is just powerful, not impossible to disarm.
So shut up!”
After repeating himself, Tommy concentrated and started to hurriedly dig through the soft earth with his bayonet, slowly revealing the fuse of the mine that Sirte had stepped on.
This was the most dangerous moment; the M16A1 had a dual-purpose pressure and pull fuse.
They could confirm that the fuse was set as a tripwire mine, but if the fuse was accidentally touched again, the mine could explode instantly.
Once he could see the fuse, Tommy used his fingers to clear the dirt around it.
After exposing half of the fuse, he sighed and said, “The mine’s fuse has been triggered; I can’t insert the safety back in, so I have to figure out something else.”
“If you really have a way, then try it.
But if there’s little hope, you should just leave.
We’re just strangers, and I won’t be happy dying with you here, nor will I be sad if you leave.
It’s bound to happen sooner or later.
The only difference is where I die.”
Tommy ignored Sirte and pondered for a moment before saying firmly, “I have a plan, at least it’s worth a try.
Do you have a knife, an especially thin one?
My bayonet is too thick.
Anything thin and sturdy will do.”
Sirte drew his own knife, a Mercworx Sniper, a double-edged fighting knife.
He reversed the handle and handed it to Tommy, “Will this do?”
Tommy took Sirte’s fighting knife, looked at it, and shrugged, “Double-edged, large enough, it should work.”
After brandishing the knife under Sirte’s foot for quite some time, Tommy suddenly spoke into the walkie-talkie, “Ram, there’s a chance I can save Can Opener, but I’ll need your help to make it happen.”
Gao Yang had been lying still on the ground, fearing he would hear a sudden explosion.
Yet what he ended up hearing was good news.
Hearing Tommy’s words, Gao Yang immediately asked, “What do we need to do?”
“Listen, I’ve got a bottle of strong glue here.
I’m going to fill the fuse with it, but this method isn’t very reliable.
Thus, I also need something large and heavy.
The base must be hard and flat.
After pouring the glue into the fuse, I’ll need to insert the knife between the sole of Can Opener’s boot and the mine’s fuse.
Then, place the heavy object on top of the knife.
This will significantly increase our chances of success and could save our lives.”
“What else do we need?
Anything else required?”
“Nothing more.
Just hurry up, will you?”
Gao Yang got up quickly and called out urgently, “Something heavy, with a hard and flat base.
Search, quickly, go!”
Glolov exclaimed, “The quickest way is to fill a backpack with dirt; it’ll definitely be heavy enough.”
Gao Yang clapped his hands, “Good.
Put the ceramic plates from the bulletproof vests in the bag; that’ll ensure it’s flat and hard.
Rabbit, grab your entrenching tool, clear out a bag, fast!” (To be continued.
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