790: Chapter 781: Simple Mines 790: Chapter 781: Simple Mines Can’t fight, can only run.
Gao Yang’s sprinting speed was not impressive.
Within the Satan Mercenary Corps, when it came to short dashes, Gao Yang was mediocre, at best.
He could outrun Lucica, Glolov, Tommy, and sometimes Cui Bo, while at other times, Cui Bo would outrun him.
His endurance matched Eileen’s, making him marginally superior only to the older members and women.
But when it came to long-distance running, Gao Yang could outrun the entire Satan Mercenary Corps, even if they relayed against him, he would be the last man standing.
When it wasn’t about speed, but the ability to run great distances, Gao Yang felt that on this planet, only members of the Akuri tribe might surpass him; even professional marathon runners or long-distance athletes might not hold a candle to him.
Gao Yang had absolute confidence in his endurance.
After he started running, he didn’t care about the pursuers behind him.
He just ran at his own comfortable pace.
Gao Yang estimated that in about an hour, he should be able to shake off his pursuers completely.
Once he lost them, he would regain the initiative, continue to improve his disguise, or even ambush those Tuareg people if he so wished.
After running for more than an hour and coming across vines again, Gao Yang stopped.
He decided to perfect his disguise first.
Being less familiar with the plants of the African rainforest, Gao Yang did not know which plants’ sap could be used as camouflage paint.
After cutting a few slender vines, he carefully adorned his head and neck with leaves, adding bits of different colors to the leaves covering his face.
As he was about to camouflage his boots, Gao Yang faintly heard the sound of flip-flops, an incredibly unexpected noise.
He immediately hid and observed.
Within fifty meters, through the gaps in the foliage, he spotted a fleeting shadow.
There was no time to continue camouflaging.
Gao Yang had to start running again.
Struggling through his disguise, he checked his watch and was surprised to find that only eight minutes had passed.
The Tuareg people had caught up so quickly, while he had believed it would take at least fifteen to twenty minutes.
Running again, Gao Yang continued for another two hours, covering nearly thirty kilometers—though not in a straight line.
He believed those Tuareg people couldn’t possibly catch up this time.
Everyone’s physical strength has limits.
Some can run five kilometers, some trained individuals can go ten or even more, but when it comes to a barrier like thirty kilometers, most people can’t make it.
It had been a long time since Gao Yang had run this far.
His foundation from his time with the Akuri tribe was good, but just like any skill, if you don’t practice it for a long time, you’re bound to regress.
Thus, the distance that he used to run with ease now felt somewhat strenuous, but thanks to his solid foundation, he was able to persevere despite the difficulty.
Feeling a bit fatigued, Gao Yang dared not stop for a rest—once he stopped, it would be hard to start running again.
Instead, he adopted a slow walking pace to regain his stamina and at the same time, searched for materials for camouflage.
After ambling for nearly twenty minutes and also camouflaging his boots, Gao Yang contemplated whether it was time for a counterattack.
Now, Gao Yang didn’t need to worry about losing the Tuareg people.
Enough time had passed, and the workers were surely in a safe place.
There was no need to keep dragging the Tuareg along, so it was not essential to look for trouble with them.
However, to draw Captain Sadik over, he might need to push a little harder.
Although he felt that Captain Sadik should have already received news of the attack on the mine, to be on the safe side, Gao Yang decided he still needed to provoke those Tuareg people, preferably to the point of making them lose heart and compel Captain Sadik to feel he must return to the mine camp for support.
With his mind made up, Gao Yang turned around, but before he could take a step back towards where he came from, he heard faint footsteps.
The alarm he had deliberately left behind was warning him again.
Hearing the familiar flip-flop sound, Gao Yang felt a mix of relief and urgency, twisting around to continue his run.
Gao Yang knew something had gone amiss because he didn’t believe the Tuareg people could keep up so closely with him.
After carefully contemplating where the problem lay, he realized he had once again underestimated the Tuareg.
Gao Yang was not very familiar with the habits of the Tuareg, but he finally understood where the problem was.
The Tuareg lived in the Sahara Desert, and desert dwellers generally had great endurance.
Perhaps the Tuareg did not have to run dozens or even hundreds of kilometers to catch their prey, but when they had to travel between oases in the desert for grazing, the distances were not short.
Moreover, the Sahara Desert’s environment was harsher than the Sudanese Grasslands, with even scarcer water sources.
Different living environments perhaps mean that the Tuareg people are not adept at long-distance running, nor do they need to be.
However, long-distance running is a test of endurance, and as long as someone has good endurance, they can naturally run farther.
Gao Yang, measuring the Tuareg people’s endurance against the standard of an average person, was greatly mistaken.
After all, one should not underestimate the heroes of the world.
There are many with good endurance, and those skilled in tracking are not limited to the Akuri tribe.
Realizing where the problem lay, the only thing Gao Yang could do was to keep running.
Even if he wanted to strike back with a retaliatory attack, he first had to find an appropriate location to set up an ambush in advance.
Gao Yang kept leading the pursuers behind him in circles, without straying far from the little hill beside the mining area.
He planned to lure Captain Sadik there.
As he ran, he surveyed the terrain, hoping to find a suitable place for an ambush.
In the jungle, the environment was much the same everywhere: dense trees were advantageous for concealment on both sides, while areas with fewer trees would make it easier for Gao Yang to shoot his opponents—but he would also lack cover, making it easier for the enemy to shoot him.
With no other choice, Gao Yang decided to utilize his superior camouflage skills.
Upon finding a spot with not many trees but dense shrubbery, he immediately hid himself there.
After running a long distance, Gao Yang was greatly fatigued, but his hands holding the rifle were still very steady.
Once he stopped, Gao Yang suddenly thought of something: the highest combat power of the Tuareg, after all, were all old men.
Experienced, precise in gunmanship, and as cunning as loaches, they had one flaw: their physical strength could not possibly be as good as it was when they were young.
Gao Yang’s eyes started to sparkle.
Sitting quietly in the bushes, he stayed still and took the time to recover his strength.
By the time the pursuers arrived, he would be in better shape to deal with the weary soldiers who hadn’t had the chance to rest.
After waiting for almost fifteen minutes, Gao Yang heard faint footsteps and, unable to help himself, he smiled and then raised his rifle.
In Gao Yang’s field of view, he quickly spotted four or five Tuareg people.
The one in the lead kept his head down, observing the ground, while those following were constantly looking around.
Although it was called running, it was really just a slow jog, a little faster than brisk walking.
Being able to hear the sounds meant the enemy was close.
Seeing that the Tuareg people all had their guns slung on their shoulders, Gao Yang decided not to rush, waiting until his pursuers got closer before shooting.
He wanted to be sure that he could take out all the pursuers he saw in one go.
The one in front was less than ten meters from Gao Yang, and the last one was not even thirty meters away, with no trees in between to obstruct his view.
After seeing the dense thicket, the leading Tuareg stopped.
He sensed danger but did not spot Gao Yang; his caution was simply because any place suitable for hiding was inherently suspect.
Before the Tuareg could lower his rifle, Gao Yang shot first.
This time he could take his time, shooting them one by one before the several Tuareg men could even get their rifles ready.
All five Tuareg men were laid down before they could react.
When shooting the Tuareg wearing sandals, who had been acting as an alarm for him, Gao Yang truly felt an immense reluctance, but it couldn’t be helped.
That alarm failed to turn and run, making it impossible for Gao Yang to spare him a second time.
He couldn’t just not shoot and wait for the alarm to shoot at him.
Indeed, the factors of age and stamina had caused a disconnect in the Tuareg formation.
After waiting for a moment and seeing no enemies coming or hearing any shots fired, Gao Yang quickly exited the shrubbery where he was hiding.
He didn’t leave the area but checked the five bodies one by one.
After lifting the face veils to look, he found that all five were young men.
Though it was regrettable, this result was within Gao Yang’s expectations.
Shaking his head and about to leave, Gao Yang suddenly felt that he couldn’t just leave like this.
He removed the face veils from several bodies, turned one of them face down, took out the last grenade, pulled the pin, stuffed the grenade inside the body’s collar, and used the body to hold down the lever of the grenade before leaving.
He had set a simple booby trap with the grenade.
The reason he stuffed the grenade inside the clothing was because the grenade needed time to explode once its lever was released.
If someone moved the body and found the grenade immediately, they could easily kick it away or throw it.
Hidden inside the clothes, the enemy was more likely to be caught off guard because they wouldn’t see the grenade coming.
Additionally, Gao Yang knew exactly which Tuareg men would be sure to move the bodies, because he understood that a Tuareg man’s face must not be exposed to strangers.
Having their face veil removed was a great insult, and even in death, the veil must be worn.
So, whoever arrived would certainly replace the veils on the bodies.
Gao Yang didn’t go far but hid again about forty meters away.
After all, it was more interesting to have surprises come continuously.
(To be continued.
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