785: Chapter 776: I’m Right Here 785: Chapter 776: I’m Right Here Bantuna crawled forward on the ground and shouted loudly, “No matter how tired or uncomfortable you are, get on the ground and crawl away.
You’ve all seen what happens when you stand up.
If you don’t want to get shot, stay down and crawl.
Alright, now follow me, we’re leaving.”
Gao Yang squatted without moving an inch, with a crowd inching along on the ground behind him.
Everyone who crawled past him would softly whisper a thank-you.
Gao Yang could feel the emotions contained in the thanks from those people, but the problem was, their voices were affecting him, so Gao Yang could only shout, “Don’t talk, move quickly!”
Gao Yang hoped to lure a few of them out and deal with them.
He aimed his gun at the large tree where the old Tuareg man was hiding, although he thought it was unlikely that the crafty old soldier would fall for such an obvious trap.
Sure enough, some men left their cover and advanced a few steps.
Gao Yang forcefully restrained himself from shooting.
But seeing that no one else moved a muscle after those two, who were clearly not Tuareg, charged out, Gao Yang knew that the real Tuareg he wanted to deal with wouldn’t budge before those two scouted the situation.
The two men who left their cover were relatively far apart from each other.
With no other choice, Gao Yang quickly fired a shot.
After killing one, as he turned his gun towards the second, a movement caught his eye from behind the tree he was paying special attention to.
Gao Yang, unable to take a shot, dropped to the ground from his squatting position, then quickly rolled to the side.
After rolling once, he heard at least four or five gunshots.
Another roll, and he crawled forward as quickly as he could, both hands and feet scrambling.
By the time he had steadied himself again, he was covered in cold sweat.
The bushes where Gao Yang had been crouching were now broken in several places.
If he had reacted even a bit slower and hadn’t dodged in time, continuing to shoot at the second man instead, he would’ve been hit by now.
Moreover, judging from the pattern of the rounds landing where he had been hiding, there must have been at least three men shooting at him simultaneously, and they all hit the spot he was hiding.
The enemy was truly difficult to handle, and those Tuareg had used the two men who left cover as bait.
Gao Yang had set a trap for the Tuareg, and they had lured him into one as well.
Cunning, ruthless, and sharp—opponents like this were a headache for anyone who encountered them.
The Tuareg didn’t value anyone’s life, not even their own.
So, why would they care for those who had nothing to do with them?
Therefore, they had plenty of men to act as bait.
If someone approached, Gao Yang was faced with the question, to shoot or not to shoot.
Shooting would expose him, but not shooting would allow the enemy to continue closing the distance.
Gao Yang could’ve had an easier time if he just didn’t care about the lives of the hundred-plus people behind him.
That way, he could have withdrawn actively, increasing the distance between him and the enemy, and then it would’ve been a matter of who could outmaneuver the other.
But unfortunately, Gao Yang couldn’t do that.
He could only hold the Tuareg back, allowing the unrelated workers to escape.
In the end, he was just too soft-hearted.
After a moment of resigned self-mockery, Gao Yang had no choice but to pick up his gun again.
This time, however, he dared not squat down, nor stay behind a bush that provided concealment but not cover.
Looking around and seeing no one advancing on him, Gao Yang crawled rapidly on the ground until he came to hide behind a large tree.
If the Tuareg sent two or more men forward again to advance and serve as bait to lure Gao Yang out, he would have to steel himself to take the bait.
Otherwise, he would have to let them close in and massacre the workers.
Soon, three men ran out from behind the trees.
They didn’t expose themselves continuously but used various cover to move alternately.
There were too many hiding places in the jungle and too many trees that could serve as cover.
As the three men emerged at a considerable distance from each other, Gao Yang felt a severe headache.
It was extremely frustrating.
He had only one chance to shoot before he would need to run quickly to another location.
Otherwise, if he stayed still and got pinned behind a tree, he wouldn’t be able to move.
Once the Tuareg focused their attention on a single person, those veteran and deadly accurate marksmen could keep shooting non-stop, blocking Gao Yang’s way out, and then a simple charge would be enough to finish him.
Having more people always gave an advantage, and in this case, it was an absolute advantage.
In Syria, Gao Yang alone with a gun could kill hundreds, but the problem was those were truly as dumb as pigs, simply showing up to die fools, with no comparison to real enemies.
It was like one person could go around bleeding hundreds of chickens with a knife, but if four or five people came at him with knives, it would be clear who would die.
Gao Yang’s miraculous achievements on the Syrian battlefield were akin to a single person wielding a knife in a chicken farm, slaughtering hundreds of chickens.
But now, it was as though he was armed with a knife while three or four, or perhaps even six or seven others also armed with knives were pressing towards him, and this was the difference between combat-ready veterans and green rookies on the battlefield.
After biding his time for a while, and upon determining the distance was adequate and spotting a route the enemy would inevitably take next, Gao Yang prepared to shoot.
However, this time he dared not raise his rifle; he had to complete the entire process of drawing his gun, firing, and then dodging to hide again all in less than a second.
Concealed behind a tree, with his rifle pointed to the ground, Gao Yang held his breath.
When he saw a Tuareg in a black robe leap from behind a tree and pounce towards a bush in front of him, Gao Yang took a shot with a rise of his hand.
He didn’t check to see if the enemy was hit, nor did he clearly see the figure; he simply fired on instinct and immediately threw himself to the side, rolled on the ground, then got up and ran.
Gao Yang did hit his target but failed to kill.
His shot struck the target’s leg, and after completing the shooting process in less than half a second, he landed behind a bush he had already picked out, then quickly took a few steps and, using the bush for cover, reached the other side of a tree some ten meters away.
After Gao Yang’s hiding spot, a large tree, was hit by a few shots, all the enemies went back into hiding.
With no certainty of their target, no one wanted to expose their position, and the battlefield fell into a suffocating standoff.
Gao Yang had been firing for several rounds, and those workers hadn’t completely left yet.
The ones at the front had crawled out a hundred meters or so, while those at the back were still slowly inching behind Gao Yang.
In poor physical condition and with a long, drawn-out line of over a hundred people crawling on the ground, the evacuation was not something that could just be up and done with.
Many witnessed Gao Yang’s actions and predicament, and Bantuna urgently said through the walkie-talkie, “Boss, I really admire you, and I know you’re amazing, but now you see, those Tuareg elders are not the fools we’ve encountered before.
You better come with us.”
When I can no longer hold this position, I will have to run and fight at the same time.
It’s not just a matter of us wanting to leave anymore.
Those Tuaregs can easily kill all these workers and then continue chasing us.
I believe they have the capability.
Now go, do as I say.”
After speaking, Gao Yang surveyed the surrounding terrain.
He needed to first find a place to hide and cover after firing his weapon and even plan the route and movements for shifting his shooting position.
One misstep, and he could get killed during the move.
Gao Yang’s compassion and heroism were ill-timed.
Against a bunch of weaklings, he could have slaughtered all his enemies and enjoyed the feeling of being a hero, but unfortunately, he was now facing formidable opponents.
However, Gao Yang’s competitive spirit was also ill-timed.
At that moment, he was eager to find out if he truly deserved the title of “Number One Marksman,” which had been bestowed upon him, when facing truly fierce opponents.
Gao Yang hadn’t encountered worthy opponents in a long while, and this time, although the opponents lacked good guns and equipment, their combat instincts were etched in their bones, making them highly valuable.
With the rifle barrel pointing downward, Gao Yang tried to relax his body and ease his tensions.
He needed to maintain enough excitement but couldn’t afford to be overly nervous, as that would affect his movements.
It had been a long time since Gao Yang felt this tense or this excited, especially as he hadn’t encountered such extreme danger in a while.
This wasn’t the kind of danger where he faced bombs dropped from planes overhead or artillery bombardment but rather a pure gunfight between marksmen, a confrontation using the simplest of weapons that posed a tremendous pressure on him.
Once he felt his mindset wouldn’t affect his motions, Gao Yang cautiously peeked out, and after noting that his enemies had ceased movement, he slowly lay down on the ground, observing the enemies’ activities through the gaps in the bushes.
Hiding behind the bushes, and peering through the foliage and branches might restrict visibility but wouldn’t reveal him.
Gao Yang crouched motionlessly, like a statue.
The workers behind him had mostly moved on, and they had left the area.
Those at the front had crawled over a hundred meters before starting to run, and once the last group stood up outside the safe distance and began walking, Gao Yang was finally free to engage the enemy fully.
The enemy was capable of biding their time, and Gao Yang was even more so.
When finally one of them, a person in a black robe, couldn’t help peering over, Gao Yang didn’t reveal himself but fired directly from within the bush, blowing off half of that Tuareg’s face, announcing to the enemy that he hadn’t left, that he was right there.
(To be continued.
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