692: Chapter 684: Escape to Freedom 692: Chapter 684: Escape to Freedom Gao Yang hadn’t actually seen Grand Ivan’s gesture; his shout was just a subconscious action, and furthermore, he didn’t have the time to continuously watch what gestures Grand Ivan would make.
Looking through the infrared night vision device, one eye could see through the smoke to the other end of the corridor, while the other eye could only see the thick, rolling smoke.
This difference made Gao Yang very uncomfortable and distressed.
Gao Yang thought that reinforcements should be arriving soon; if it weren’t for his reinforcements taking out or suppressing the external guards, the pressure he was under would definitely be greater.
The problem facing Gao Yang now was that he couldn’t distinguish between friend and foe.
He couldn’t hear what others were shouting, and while the naked eye could distinguish friend from foe, his vision was completely blocked by thick smoke.
The night vision device could see people but couldn’t differentiate between friend and foe, so whether to shoot or not after seeing someone became a problem.
Gao Yang thought for a moment and whispered softly, “Can you hear what I’m saying?
I can’t hear anything now.
I’m guarding the doorway.
If it’s one of us, wave your hand at the stairway entrance.”
The sound waves, passing through the listening device, reached Ryan’s headset, who immediately grabbed the walkie-talkie and said, “Attention, Ram can’t hear anything.
He’s still guarding the staircase entrance.
Assault personnel, wave at the second-floor stairway entrance to identify friend or foe.”
Jinfang rushed up fastest, with Eileen to his left, they ran up the stairs and, upon seeing the rolling smoke on the second floor followed by a body lying on the stairs, Jinfang immediately stopped in his tracks.
It was at that moment that he heard Ryan’s tip through the earpiece.
Jinfang immediately extended his right hand out from the corner and waved; he dared not rush out and then be shot by the bullets fired by Gao.
Gao was puzzled as he had just finished speaking when someone at the corner waved a hand.
He hoped it wasn’t an enemy pretending to be a friendly by overhearing his voice, but just then, he noticed that the person waving at the corner used a few simple hand signals.
The content of the hand signals was too familiar; Gao’s heart softened, and he called out loudly, “Come over.”
Jinfang waved his hand and immediately charged forward with the people behind him.
As the smoke billowed and Jinfang and Eileen burst out from the smoke, followed by Uriyangko, Gao finally could take a deep breath of relief.
When Jinfang and Eileen saw Gao covered in blood, their hearts tightened.
With one holding a gun on guard, Jinfang immediately bent down to check the injuries on Gao’s body.
Uriyangko also glanced down at Gao before immediately running to Grand Ivan’s bedside, seeing blood all over Grand Ivan, Uriyangko was half scared to death, but he soon saw Grand Ivan’s eyes were open.
“Are you okay?”
Grand Ivan didn’t answer Uriyangko’s question but instead pointed at Gao and asked, “What happened to him, what happened to Professor Barnard?”
Uriyangko responded urgently, “He is Ram!
How are you?”
Grand Ivan grimaced and said, “I won’t die, I won’t die now, it turns out to be Ram!
I knew it, but how did he come to look like Professor Barnard?”
Uriyangko didn’t have time to answer Grand Ivan’s questions; he waved his hand and yelled at those who were following him into the room, “Hurry, get the two of them on the stretchers, we’re pulling out!”
Grand Ivan was unable to move, and Uriyangko’s team had already prepared for this, though they had prepared two makeshift stretchers.
One stretcher was for carrying Grand Ivan, and the other was prepared for carrying Gao.
Although it wasn’t explicitly stated, Uriyangko and Ivan had already been ready to use the stretchers to carry out two corpses.
Now, the stretchers were being put to the best use imagined—not for carrying the dead, but for carrying the wounded.
After a cursory check on Gao and finding no bullet holes, Jinfang immediately shouted loudly, “Carry him out, quick!”
As Gao was placed on the stretcher, he called out loudly to Jinfang, “You guys finally came.
Is everyone okay?”
After making an all-safe gesture, Jinfang, along with Eileen on the other side, began escorting Gao and immediately started running outside.
As they ran down the stairs, the personnel who had just entered stood on the staircase, stepping to the side to give way to those carrying the stretchers, yelling out a few excited shouts.
Gao Yang watched the faces that swiftly passed by him, taking in every one of Satan’s men without missing a single one.
Lying on the stretcher, he raised a hand and made an OK sign to reassure his worried brothers who were watching him.
As he ran out of the yard and passed the main gate, Gao Yang saw the ground outside littered with bodies and the wounded.
It seemed there were significant casualties, and Gao Yang couldn’t help but sigh.
In fact, Gao Yang had known that he was in great danger in this battle of starting in the center and then holding out for help, and that the attackers were also in great danger.
The most critical person was undoubtedly Gao Yang; if he succeeded, there was a reason to continue, but if he failed, then everything would be in vain at best, turning a mission to rescue hostages into mere revenge.
Yet, it was also because of this battle’s uniqueness that the risks for the troops attacking from outside increased considerably.
Gao Yang initiating the action from inside meant that reinforcements had to attack swiftly from the outside, but this swiftness could not resemble a normal battle.
With rocket launchers and mortars, Ivan and Uriyangko could have provided enough heavy firepower to prepare the Consulate General with artillery support.
Normally, they would start with artillery and then send in troops, which even if not ending the battle, would significantly reduce the pressure.
However, these measures could not be used in this battle.
The most crucial aspect of this combat was time.
If they started with bombarding and allowed snipers to precisely kill the defending forces inside the Consulate General, it could be easily done but would delay them.
No matter how smoothly the battle outside went, if Gao Yang could not hold on inside the building, then no matter how small the casualties outside, it would all become meaningless.
The best strategy was the simplest and most direct one: storm the Consulate General and get the troops into the building as quickly as possible to rescue Gao Yang, who was fighting alone.
To put it plainly, Ivan and Uriyangko decided to attack using the fastest tactics to enter the building at the expense of human lives, disregarding the casualties completely.
At all costs, they would not give the CIA Special Activities Division personnel time and opportunity to enter the building from the yard, nor allow the CIA forces to regroup and attack Gao Yang or kill Grand Ivan.
Why split the attack into two groups?
To keep the first group engaging the defenders in the yard, making them believe they could hold the Consulate General while still pressuring them enough to prevent them from dispatching troops into the main building.
If the first group driving in managed to breach the yard, they would then focus all efforts on storming the building.
If they couldn’t break into the yard, they would join forces with the second group arriving on foot to push through together.
The result wasn’t bad; after the Special Activities Division personnel had redirected several guards from inside the building to the yard, the opponents Gao Yang initially faced were reduced by half.
The Americans had anticipated that someone might risk a daring rescue of Grand Ivan, so they were mentally and strategically prepared, but they never expected that the battle would start at the core zone, where the defense was strongest.
The guards of Grand Ivan couldn’t report what was happening outside; people on the same floor who heard the gunfire and ran to check only added to the casualties.
It was only after the Special Activities Division personnel dispatched two to investigate and they were killed that everyone understood that a firefight had already broken out above, but by then, the Americans still couldn’t figure out exactly what had happened.
The guards of Grand Ivan were damn strong, and even if the battle turned unfavorable, the Americans believed they could absolutely prevent Grand Ivan’s rescue.
The Americans guarded Grand Ivan as if protecting their own hearts, but after the six guarding him were indeed killed by Gao Yang, the area with the strongest defense was completely breached.
When the heart was tightly gripped, no matter how strong the outer defenses were, they lost their significance.
The fight lasted only about three minutes, but the casualties on both sides were heavy.
All the American combatants were killed, though most of the others, such as civilian staff within the Consulate General who hid in their rooms without showing themselves, were fine, considering Uriyangko’s objective was to extract Grand Ivan, not to come and kill.
After Grand Ivan and Gao Yang were escorted out of the Consulate General, Uriyangko excitedly shouted, “Everyone evacuate, take the bodies, back to the first rally point.”
After escorting Grand Ivan and Gao Yang out, those remaining on guard began to withdraw.
They carried the bodies of the fallen, ensuring no wounded or bodies were left behind, and then rapidly left the Consulate General.
Only after Grand Ivan and Gao Yang were loaded into the vehicle and started moving did Uriyangko excitedly announce over the radio, “We succeeded!
Both men made it out alive.”
Ivan urgently asked, “I’ve already heard.
How are they doing?”
“Not very well.
It looks bad, but I’m not sure of the details yet.”
Ivan urgently said, “Get them to the hospital immediately, go to Cape Town University Affiliated Hospital, don’t worry too much.
As long as Grand Ivan is alive and rescued, we won’t have any problems.
Also, someone has already contacted me.
After you clean up the battlefield, South African police and military will enter the Consulate General for aftermath management.”
Uriyangko looked outside and said, “I’ve already seen the police lights; let them in.
We’ve cleaned up already.
Also, this incident is too big; the Americans will go crazy.
Do you think we’ll be safe staying in South Africa?”
After hesitating for a moment, Ivan immediately said, “First, get the people to the hospital for emergency treatment.
Everyone else should scatter and leave South Africa immediately.
Once Grand Ivan’s health is secure, we’ll head to South America!” (To be continued.
If you like this work, you are welcome to recommend and vote for it at qidian.com.
Your support is my greatest motivation.
Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)