783: Chapter 774 Tuareg People 783: Chapter 774 Tuareg People “Jansen, go on guard duty.
Radar, press the captive for more information, we move too slowly with him in tow.
If that guy won’t open his mouth, kill him.”
Time was pressing, and danger had not yet passed.
After assigning Jansen and Bantuna their separate tasks, Gao Yang turned to the laborers following him and said, “All right, now tell me, how many of those bastards are left, and how far is their camp from here?”
The laborer who had offered Gao Yang diamonds pointed in the direction of the China Northeast Area and said, “The camp is over there, not very close to here.
We were searching for diamonds along the river, and after panning the upstream parts, we gradually came closer to this place.
Yesterday, many men left, and about half of the bastards remain in the camp.”
The information from the laborer confirmed that the captive had not lied; indeed, there were about fifty people left in the camp, but Gao Yang did not know exactly how far away the camp was.
“How far, then?
If they come after us, how long will it take them to catch up?”
This question frightened the laborer because seeing that there were only three people with Gao Yang, they naturally feared falling back into the hands of the bastards.
“If they are fast, half an hour.”
Bantuna was interrogating the captive.
Since they didn’t want to slow down, two laborers carried the captive as Bantuna walked and questioned him, but their pace inevitably slowed, and they fell behind the group.
Gao Yang stopped and yelled to Bantuna, “Got anything out of him?”
Bantuna shook his head, replying, “Nothing too valuable, boss.
We need to speed up or we’ll be caught.”
Gao Yang waved his hand, and then Bantuna’s blade struck the captive’s neck.
With one slash, Bantuna nearly severed the captive’s neck.
After sidestepping the blood spray from the captive’s body, Bantuna quickly caught up to Gao Yang and whispered, “Boss, there’s a radio in the camp, they definitely informed Sadiq.
Your objective was reached, so what’s next?
Are you really planning to leave with these people?”
After hesitating for a moment, Gao Yang looked at the people beside him and then motioned for Bantuna to step aside with him before whispering, “There are more than a hundred lives at stake.
We can’t really leave them behind, can we?
Look, seeing their plight, I genuinely feel some pity.”
Bantuna shrugged it off, countering, “I’d be happy to help them if there was no danger, but maybe you should think of your own safety first.
If it were just us, the remaining enemies wouldn’t be much trouble.
But with these people with us, that’s a real hassle.
First of all, we lose the element of stealth.”
Gao Yang exhaled and said, “I know, but I promised them, I can’t really leave them behind.
Here’s what we’ll do: you and Jansen take them to a safe place to hide, and I’ll go to the enemy camp to make some more noise.
Those people are no threat to me; I can take them out one by one like hunting, it’s not a big deal…”
“Enemy attack!”
Before Gao Yang could finish, he suddenly heard Jansen’s desperate shout.
Following the sound of gunfire, one laborer carrying a rifle in the group fell to the ground.
Many of the laborers had picked up rifles from the bodies of guards, and any laborer with a gun became a target for the enemy.
“Marksman!
Marksman!
Get down!”
Jansen’s voice roared out again, and amidst the chaos, another laborer fell to the ground.
Gao Yang immediately hit the deck and shouted, “Everyone get down, get down to the ground now!”
Bantuna also yelled out.
Thankfully, the group of laborers didn’t scatter and after the initial chaos, more than a hundred people hit the ground.
Gao Yang and Bantuna were on the right side of the group, and the bullets were coming from the left.
After quickly crawling through the crowd, Gao Yang looked around but saw no one.
Gao Yang grabbed the walkie-talkie, speaking urgently, “Where are the shots coming from?
Where are the shots coming from?”
Jansen replied just as urgently, “The east, they’re shooting from the east.
I saw two people, but now I can’t see them anymore.
They’re hiding, no more than a hundred meters away.”
Gao Yang looked eastward; after getting down, the bushes blocked his vision, and with the abundance of trees, he could see no one.
Cautiously lifting his head a little, Gao Yang saw several figures advance swiftly a few steps taking cover behind trees before hiding in the woods again, but no one fired.
Glancing at his watch, Gao Yang realized that nearly twenty minutes had passed since they attacked the guards by the river.
If enemy reinforcements had arrived, that meant they had heard the gunshots or received the message and had been moving in their direction since the battle started, and now they had caught up.
After a moment’s thought, Gao Yang said in a low voice, “Take down the pursuers before we leave; Jansen, be careful.”
After speaking, Gao Yang knelt on one knee, raised his rifle, and after a brief wait, someone in a black robe suddenly darted from behind a tree.
Gao Yang swiftly took aim and shot the person in the stomach.
After the man in the black robe fell, no one else made a move.
Gao Yang kept his aim for a full five minutes but saw no further sign of anyone.
The enemy was patient, but Gao Yang was losing his patience.
The enemy could afford to delay, but he couldn’t; he didn’t know when the enemy reinforcements would arrive.
If they were surrounded, it was all over.
Perhaps he could escape, but the laborers wouldn’t stand a chance.
After waiting another two minutes and the enemy still didn’t move, Gao Yang felt he couldn’t wait any longer.
He whispered to Bantuna, “Radar, you take the men and go first.
We can’t all get stuck here.
I’ll keep an eye on the enemy, hurry.”
Bantuna nodded and quietly instructed the people around him, “Follow me, be careful, don’t stand up, crawl away.”
After Bantuna had finished speaking, they began to crawl forward.
Those close to him managed to follow suit, but crawling bare-skinned on the ground was inconvenient and slow.
After moving only about ten meters, someone couldn’t bear it any longer and stood up, starting to run forward.
Seeing one person stand up, most of the others did the same.
Bantuna roared, “Get down, don’t stand up, do you want to die?”
But it was too late.
Just as people were standing up, someone sprang out from behind a tree opposite them and fired three shots at the crowd.
At the sound of gunfire, people fell.
Not a single bullet missed its mark.
Those who had just stood up immediately hit the ground again, but three more people were shot down.
The weather was very hot, and Gao Yang was sweating profusely, but his sweat was cold with fear, not from the heat.
The enemy had opened fire, but Gao Yang had no chance to shoot at one of them because he saw his own reflection in the enemy.
The shooter’s rapid-fire speed, less than two seconds from emerging to ducking back behind the tree, paired with deadly gunmanship that hit the targets even during quick shots, meant that by the time Gao Yang aimed at the shooter, he had already lost the opportunity to fire.
As people were hit and fell, Jansen’s voice was also heard shouting.
“Sniper!
Be careful!”
Gao Yang instinctively felt danger; the enemy was strong, very strong.
After hearing Jansen’s words, Gao Yang murmured to himself, “No, not a sniper—he’s a marksman.”
Having murmured this, another person in a black robe peeked out from behind the tree, saw that everyone was down, and immediately ducked back.
There was no chance to shoot, but Gao Yang saw the black-robed person’s attire clearly.
With a start, Gao Yang exclaimed loudly, “Tuareg!
They’re Tuareg!”
Clothed in a black robe with their faces also covered, Gao Yang was familiar with such attire; he had dealt with similarly dressed people for a long time.
After his exclamation, Gao Yang urgently asked the laborers behind him, “Are they Tuareg people?”
One laborer shook his head, “I don’t know, I don’t know what Tuareg people are.”
Then, a person speaking a language that Gao Yang couldn’t understand spoke loudly.
The laborer by Gao Yang hurriedly said, “Yes, they are Tuareg.
The one speaking, he’s from Mali.
Those Tuareg are also from Mali.
They’ve spoken before.
There are more than thirty Tuareg in total; some left yesterday.
Also, they are not all from Mali and not from the same tribe.”
Gao Yang took a few deep breaths and said to Bantuna, “Radar, take the men and leave.
I’ll hold off the enemy, hurry up.”
Bantuna crawled to Gao Yang’s side with a grave expression, “Are those Tuareg newbies or veterans?”
Gao Yang struggled to reply, “Veterans, do I even need to ask?
Those Tuareg opposite can hit the target with their eyes closed; F**k, they’re no newbies.”
Bantuna muttered to himself, “We’re in trouble now, real trouble.
F**k, why are we encountering Tuareg here?”
Gao Yang clenched a fist and fake-punched twice before saying solemnly, “No matter who they are, we fight to the end.”
Bantuna stared at Gao Yang and said, “Your plan didn’t include encountering Tuareg.
If those Tuareg were newbies, I wouldn’t say a word, but they’re veterans!
Buddy, these aren’t your average cannon fodder; these are not only extremely skilled but also cunning old-timers.
Tuareg old-timers!”
Gao Yang looked at Bantuna and said, “I know who they are, and I also know what the Tuareg elders are like.
But what should we do?
Do we three leave and abandon these people?”
Bantuna immediately nodded, “Exactly, that’s what I’m thinking.”
Gao Yang sighed, his face filled with irritation, “F**k, f**k!
My sense of justice and sympathy couldn’t have come at a worse time, but I’ve already promised them.
I need to get them home alive.
I’m not a good person, but I’m someone who keeps his word.
What can I do?
I can’t just leave these poor souls to those Tuareg.”
Gao Yang was truly upset.
Had he not made a promise, maybe he really would have left the laborers behind.
But after accepting diamonds and making a promise, he had to take responsibility for them to the end, because his principle was always, as a man, you don’t have to be decent, but you must keep your word.
(To be continued.
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