424: Chapter Four Hundred and Twenty-One: The Uncontrollable Situation 424: Chapter Four Hundred and Twenty-One: The Uncontrollable Situation Upon learning that Teodulo had returned to town, Gao Yang’s first consideration was whether to launch an immediate attack or to continue waiting.
Teodulo’s men numbered over a hundred, giving them an absolute advantage in terms of personnel, and they were scattered across several locations, making an immediate attack obviously too risky.
If they were to fight outnumbered, conventional tactics called for a night attack as the first and only choice.
Therefore, even if there was a chance that Teodulo would not stay in Santo Onos, Gao Yang had to wait until evening to act.
This was not a battle in the jungle but an urban combat scenario on the streets of a small town.
Although street combat was recognized as one of the two most difficult types of battle alongside jungle warfare, Gao Yang and his team were familiar with urban combat tactics and faced no pressure in such battles.
And if they were to conduct a nighttime surprise attack, their confidence was even greater.
Gao Yang issued the order, deciding to wait until evening to make their move.
Besides being on high alert, it was best to continue resting for the time being.
Lucas and five other children were playing not far from his house in an open space.
They were kicking a soccer ball around, and if you peeked over the fence, you could see them playing.
It was midday, and people began to call their children home for lunch.
Soon, only Lucas and one other child remained in the street.
Even while playing soccer with the other children, Lucas was holding his hand grenade.
As the other children left one by one, taking the soccer ball with them, Lucas showed no intention of going home.
Lucas and the other kid were still on the street.
To the envious gaze of the other child, Lucas nonchalantly tossed the hand grenade into the air and caught it, flaunting it proudly.
Gao Yang was planning to relieve Cui Bo and Lucica from their shift so they could take a break inside the house.
He and Sirte went to the back of the courtyard wall, and when they peered out and saw the proud Lucas, Gao Yang felt his actions were inappropriate.
He shook his head at Cui Bo and said, “Rabbit, letting a little guy like Lucas wander outside with a hand grenade isn’t a good idea.
Call him back; let him leave the grenade at home.
This is too dangerous, and it could give us away.”
Cui Bo responded with a helpless expression, “This kid is too cocky.
There are still other kids around.
Maybe we should wait a bit; I can’t go out either.”
Gao Yang slapped his forehead and then said, “We don’t need to go ourselves.
Lucica, go inside and tell Lucas’s dad to call him back.”
Lucica nodded and turned to head inside.
But just as she had taken only a few steps, Bruce suddenly called out urgently into the walkie-talkie, “Attention, enemies are approaching in the street!”
The moment Bruce finished speaking, Gao Yang immediately tensed up.
He waved his hand, and Li Jinfang, who was about to climb the ladder, quickly crouched and ran to the courtyard wall, while Lucica also ran back to Gao Yang’s side right away.
“The enemy group numbers around twenty, moving in a loose formation.
Weapons are mostly slung on their backs, not appearing to have discovered us, ready for battle.
No trace of the target is found, but the attire of the approaching men matches the characteristic of the Phantom Mercenary Group.
One of them in the group has a single eye, fitting the description of the Phantom Mercenary Group’s leader, the Chameleon.
They are around two hundred meters away and getting closer.”
To see the situation on the street, Gao Yang had to stick his head out, whereas Bruce could observe the street conditions better from the roof.
However, due to the low height of the houses and the limited view, as well as the walls obstructing the view on both sides of Santo Onos’s streets, visibility only extended up to two hundred meters at most on either side.
Gao Yang waved his hand, and everyone in the courtyard ducked below the wall.
Unless someone looked down from outside the courtyard or entered the yard itself, they wouldn’t be noticed.
But if everyone came out of the houses, there wouldn’t be room to hide behind the wall.
“Everyone get ready for battle, those inside the house stay put unless ordered otherwise.”
Gao Yang gave hurried orders and then suddenly remembered Lucas, who was still outside.
Cursing under his breath, he immediately said, “Test Tube, report the enemy’s position and movement, also tell me Lucas’s situation.”
“The enemy is one hundred and fifty meters away and still approaching.
Lucas is near the fence on our side, I can’t see him.
From where Lucas is, he can’t see the enemy.”
The enemy was still over a hundred meters away, and Lucas and his playmate were less than thirty meters away from Gao Yang and the others.
Gao Yang felt that if he shouted softly, the enemies would not hear it.
Gao Yang immediately said to Lucica, “Call Lucas back, keep your voice down but be quick.”
Lucica stood up, cupped her hands around her mouth like a megaphone, and called out, “Lucas, come back, it’s time for lunch.”
After shouting twice, Lucas showed no reaction, too engrossed in conversation with his friend.
Lucica’s voice was not quiet, but Lucas didn’t seem to hear her at all.
“The enemy continues to close in, now one hundred meters away.”
Gao Yang was getting anxious and said sharply, “Call him again, louder this time!”
Using Spanish, Lucica called out again, “Lucas, come back!
I have something for you, come back quickly.”
It was no use, Lucas didn’t seem to hear Lucica’s cries, but he remained indifferent.
Gao Yang was getting anxious, he suppressed the urge to run out and call Lucas back in, and said in a deep voice, “Lucica, shout again, louder, like a mother calling her child.
It’s okay if the enemy hears.”
Lucica cleared her throat and called out loudly, “Lucas, come home, it’s time for lunch.”
Finally, Lucas heard Lucica’s shouts and after a slight pause, he ran back.
After stepping through the courtyard gate, however, Lucas didn’t continue to come in.
He waved to Lucica and Cui Bo, who were crouching by the corner of the wall, and said a bunch of words with a cheerful face.
“He said he’s not coming home, his dad will hit him.
He wants to go eat at Luis’s house, Luis’s mom will give him food to eat.
Also, he said the Chameleon is going to the Ferreo family to sleep with his daughter and there won’t be any problems.”
The language barrier was fatal.
While Lucica translated Lucas’s words, Gao Yang and Cui Bo desperately waved at Lucas, but he didn’t seem inclined to come inside.
Lucica urgently said, “Come inside quick, you’re holding the grenade in…”
Lucas spewed a bunch of words hurriedly, and just as Lucica began to urge Lucas to come in, Cui Bo, in a moment of panic, stood up and ran towards Lucas, attempting to drag him back.
However, before Lucica could finish speaking, Cui Bo had only just stood up when Lucas twisted around and ran back out.
Gao Yang’s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets because of Lucas’s mischievous behavior, and as Cui Bo reached the courtyard gate, Lucas had already run back onto the street, leaving Cui Bo with no choice but to stop, seething, inside the yard.
Lucas running out was harmless, but if Cui Bo ran out, he would be seen by the Phantom Mercenary Group, so he had to stay behind the courtyard wall and couldn’t step outside the gate.
“The enemy is forty meters away, they’ve seen Lucas, but they’re not paying him any attention.”
Cui Bo ran back to crouch in the corner of the wall, and Gao Yang could only exhale in frustration, realizing that if he went out now, not only would he expose himself to the enemy, but it would also do no good for Lucas’s safety.
“The enemy and Lucas have encountered each other, they didn’t stop.”
Lucas returned to his friends, and at that moment, the Phantom Mercenary Group finally walked past Lucas, but no one stopped, which gave Gao Yang a slight sigh of relief.
Gao Yang didn’t have any particular concern for Lucas, he was just worried that the Phantom Mercenary Group would notice the grenade in Lucas’s possession, which could raise suspicions and thus expose them.
From the start, this was a mistake, and Gao Yang was now regretting allowing Cui Bo to give Lucas a grenade.
Giving a twelve-year-old troublemaker a grenade was a mistake, and after handing Lucas the grenade, not keeping control of him and letting him run around was the second mistake.
Everybody makes mistakes, but failing to correct a mistake promptly is the greatest error Gao Yang had made today.
Gao Yang now hoped that the Phantom Mercenary Group would pass by Lucas without noticing the grenade in his hand, but his wish ultimately fell through.
When the Phantom Mercenary Group’s line was halfway past Lucas, a voice suddenly sounded.
“Kid, stop, what are you holding in your hand?”
Even with only one eye left, the Chameleon’s vision was still sharp, and he was cautious enough to immediately call Lucas to a halt upon seeing what he was holding as he walked by.
When the Chameleon called out, Gao Yang’s heart plunged into an abyss, and Lucica, after shaking visibly, immediately translated the Chameleon’s words in a low voice.
Having been halted, Lucas stopped and hid the grenade behind his back, shouting loudly, “Nothing, just my toy.”
“Bring me what’s in his hand.”
After the Chameleon spoke impatiently, Lucas started to run, but it was too late.
One of the Chameleon’s men was already closing in on him.
One grabbed Lucas’s neck and twisted his arm around, and simultaneously, another drew a pistol.
After Lucas struggled fiercely for a moment, the man with the pistol, visibly impatient, shot Lucas in the head.
After the gunshot, Gao Yang’s mind went blank.
He knew Lucas’s grenade had been discovered and the situation was spiraling out of control, but he hadn’t expected that the Phantom Mercenary Group would act so decisively.
Gao Yang thought they would at least ask Lucas where he got the grenade from, but they didn’t even intend to question him, they just shot him.
As Gao Yang’s mind went blank, he heard the Chameleon suddenly bellow in anger, “Damn it, dammit all, you bastard!
You’ve dirtied my shirt.
Do you know how hard it is for me to keep a clean shirt?
Idiot!
Now it’s covered in brain matter, damn it, how am I supposed to wear this?
Couldn’t you have pulled him away before blowing his head off?”(To be continued.
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