868: Chapter 858 Jungle Guerrilla Warfare 868: Chapter 858 Jungle Guerrilla Warfare Gao Yang’s hand fiercely slapped the flames on his buttocks, but the flames from the flamethrower were not only easy to ignite but also highly adhesive.
Most critically, it was very difficult to extinguish the fire with hands alone.
Luckily, they were not far from the water.
Frey, at the front, dove headfirst into the water.
By the time Gao Yang reached the water’s edge, he found Frey desperately struggling, but the river was too deep, and Frey could only occasionally stick out his hand and violently shake it.
Lucica and Li Jinfang also jumped into the water, but after realizing the depth, they slid into it from the riverbank.
Gao Yang sat by the riverbank and slid into the water as well, then he reached out with his gun to try to catch Frey’s occasionally surfacing hand, hoping Frey would grab the barrel.
Frey wasn’t a non-swimmer, but the weight he carried was too heavy—a submachine gun, three hundred bullets, and a full forty grenades.
With several dozens of kilograms weighing him down, it was odd that Frey could swim at all.
Andy He, who had grown up in Brazil and was a good swimmer, hurried over from behind.
However, Andy also carried a hefty load, so instead of diving in to save Frey, he jumped into the water, grabbed Gao Yang’s gun barrel, then dove underwater and grabbed Frey’s helmet before pulling him up by the rear rim of it.
When Frey’s head emerged from the water, and Andy pulled him to shallower water, Frey opened his mouth and coughed out water.
Only after he threw away the grenade he had been holding—even when he plummeted into the water—did he start to vomit more water.
Li Jinfang had already started firing violently in the direction from which the flames had come, and the people who followed up had begun suppressing fire.
A wall of flames ten meters wide indicated just how dangerous the situation had been for Gao Yang and his companions.
After turning back the gun, Gao Yang climbed a few times up the muddy, steep riverbank, which was about a meter high.
Unable to climb up due to the slippery mud, Gao waited until he felt someone lift him up from behind before finally climbing up the riverbank.
He then crawled forward a few steps before lifting his gun.
The fire still blazed, causing severe interference with the thermal imaging, and rapidly Gao Yang switched to a shotgun.
Jansen used a whole jug of water to extinguish the small flame on Glolov’s back, grateful that not too much fuel had splashed on him.
If too much fuel had covered him, it would have been disastrous for several of them.
After catching his breath, Gao Yang commanded in a deep voice, “Cease fire!
Cease fire!”
The gunfire ceased, but the fight was far from over.
Gao Yang turned back to see Lucica and Frey had climbed up the riverbank.
He whispered, “Bat, what now?”
Lucica shook her head and answered softly, “The enemy has left.
They’re skilled and won’t stay in one place for long.
In the jungle, staying in one spot too long means relying on firepower strength and luck.
They have inferior firepower; they won’t stay.”
In the jungle, where they could not see each other, exchanging gunfire was a foolish and helpless act.
For those with good gunmanship, like Gao Yang, tolerating hitting the enemy by luck rather than skill was unacceptable.
The Satan Mercenary Corps had no poor marksmen, and neither did the Iron Madonna, where any random individual was former Special Forces.
Naturally, none of them were poor shooters; thus, quick withdrawal after an encounter was the mutual choice of both groups.
Unless certain, under Lucica’s command, the Satan Mercenaries would never engage with the enemy for longer than necessary.
The enemy evidently felt the same, aiming for a quick success or an immediate retreat to regroup for another attack.
Two top teams carrying out guerilla warfare in the rainforest was the nastiest type of battle imaginable, absolutely.
Part of Iron Madonna continued to attack Friend of Nature and divided into groups to block Satan, putting Satan apparently in an offensive position.
However, the initiative was still in Iron Madonna’s hands, as Gao Yang and his team had to meet up with members of Friend of Nature, whose location was constantly monitored by Iron Madonna.
That meant, as long as Satan wanted to complete the mission, they had to cope with Iron Madonna’s snipers.
Gao Yang was troubled about how to continue the fight; he of course wanted to neutralize Iron Madonna’s men before safely extracting his team, but he knew that was impossible.
While Gao Yang agonized over this, Lucica expressed her lingering fear, “What was with that fire earlier?
It was terrifying!”
Only then did Gao Yang remember that Lucica didn’t know about the flamethrower.
Flamethrowers peaked in use during World War II, and they were instrumental against enemies hidden in trench tunnels or behind dense vegetation, instantly resolving combat situations.
Therefore, flamethrowers were particularly suitable for jungle warfare, like during the Battle of Guadalcanal, the American Vietnam War, and the Huaxia Vietnam War, where they were widely employed.
Although flamethrowers were extensively used in conventional warfare, they were indeed specialized weapons.
For example, in Huaxia, flamethrowers were assigned to chemical troops.
In regular armies, flamethrowers still made frequent appearances, but they were almost never used by special forces, and they were nearly extinct among mercenaries.
This was because flamethrowers required very stable and efficient logistics.
A flamethrower with one fuel tank could operate continuously for only about fifteen seconds at most.
Plus, flamethrowers were very heavy, not viable as secondary weapons.
For a mercenary, a powerful weapon that could only be used within fifty meters and needed frequent refueling after just a few uses didn’t hold much value.
Another significant reason mercenaries were reluctant to use flamethrowers was that during World War II, seeing an enemy flamethrower operator would lead to everyone firing bullets at him, aiming to kill him before being burned; if a flamethrower operator was captured alive, he was executed on the spot without a second word.
“The fire just now was from a flamethrower, the fuel was gelled gasoline, with a maximum range of about fifty meters and a continuous spray duration of about twelve seconds,” Gao Yang said.
“The flame temperature is extremely high, causing severe burns in seconds.
If a lot of gelled gasoline gets on you, the fire is almost impossible to put out, if you pat it, it only flares up more, and rolling on the ground will cover your entire body in flames.
Even if someone is nearby, don’t try to help extinguish it, as it would transfer the burning fuel onto yourself and both could end up burned to death.”
Gao Yang didn’t have time to explain the history of the flamethrower to Lucica; he just highlighted the key points about facing one.
After speaking softly, Gao Yang waved his hand and said, “Our timely return fire and the distance, plus the cover of plants, meant only a few burning oil droplets landed on us, but you’ve seen the consequences.”
Lucica touched her neck, shuddered in pain, and whispered, “It’ll definitely leave a scar, luckily, it’s not large.”
Gao Yang chuckled lightly and said, “From catching fire to us jumping into the water, it all took less than two seconds, we were close to the water, we should feel lucky.
Look at Big Bird and Big Dog, their conditions are more serious.”
Jansen’s hands were burned when he tried to pat out the flames on Glolov’s back, and then his hands caught fire too.
Fortunately, he had easy access to water, and it really was just a few drops of gelled gasoline; otherwise, trying to use water from a water bottle to extinguish it would have been a joke.
After speaking to Lucica, Gao Yang with a solemn face announced, “I formally declare that the enemy has flamethrowers which are indeed unexpected.
We were lucky just now and didn’t suffer severe injuries, but if we encounter flamethrowers again and someone gets seriously burned, no matter who it is, don’t try to save them.
It won’t be possible to save them.
If you are near, the kindest thing would be to shoot the person on fire to end their suffering.”
After a moment of silence, Gao Yang continued sternly, “No matter who it is, do not attempt a rescue.”
Everyone nodded silently.
Gao Yang sighed softly and said, “Alright, let’s continue forward and make an effort to find that flame thrower and eliminate him!”
Lucica said urgently, “The enemy wants to engage us in guerrilla warfare, but if their intent is to prevent us from reaching the Friend of Nature, they won’t stray far.
Moreover, they must be stationed along our essential path.”
Gao Yang frowned and said, “Do you mean we can set a counter-ambush?”
Lucica frowned, thought for a moment, shook her head, and said, “No, not a counter-ambush.
How should I put it?
It’s more like a focused area clearance.
Any place that could potentially be exploited by the enemy, we’ll handle as if the enemy were hiding there.”
Gao Yang bitterly smiled and made a large circle with his hand, saying, “Then, where exactly is the focus area?”
Lucica sighed and replied, “Hard to say, it’s not something we can predict in advance.”
Gao Yang bitterly said, “Then how do we fight?
We still can’t take preventive measures, according to you.
Are we supposed to proceed step by step as if under on-going battle for the rest of our route?”
Lucica said gravely, “Exactly, treat the entire upcoming route as if it were a focus area clearance.
In jungle guerrilla warfare, there’s hardly a chance of failure.
Otherwise, what would make jungle warfare considered the toughest of battles?”
Gao Yang nodded and declared, “Alright, guys, let’s fight through the toughest battle.”
Andy He said gravely, “Boss, I request to be strengthened in the vanguard.
I grew up in Brazil, and I’ve been through the rainforest.
Although I’m not as skilled as Lucica, I’m still quite familiar with the rainforest.”
Andy He had served in the French Foreign Legion.
Even though he hadn’t undergone specific jungle warfare training, he had been to Central Africa during his service and grown up in Brazil.
Even if he wasn’t adept at jungle warfare, he indeed knew more about the rainforest than most, and this gave him a slight advantage over many others.
After a moment’s thought, Gao Yang nodded and said, “Alright, you, Bat, and Toad will lead the vanguard.” (To be continued.
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