897: Chapter 887: Show of Force After Dismounting 897: Chapter 887: Show of Force After Dismounting What the closest place to Hell looks like, Gao Yang had seen it many times on the news, and in his opinion, Jason’s words were a bit of an exaggeration.
Baghdad, well, it’s chaotic, but it’s no longer particularly tragic or messy compared to those areas engaged in active conflict.
Gao Yang had been to places like Libya and Syria, so to him, saying that Baghdad was the closest place to Hell was a bit much.
When the plane landed at Baghdad Airport and Gao Yang stepped off the aircraft, he was drenched in sweat just from walking down the airstair.
Gao Yang knew Baghdad was hot, so he didn’t feel too uncomfortable with the temperature, especially after experiencing the humid heat in the Amazon Rainforest; this dry heat wasn’t too unbearable.
Jason and his company’s people had disembarked before Gao Yang, and they immediately scurried toward the terminal building.
Gao Yang and his group, however, lingered to look around the moment they set foot on Baghdad Airport’s tarmac.
Glancing back, Jason saw Gao Yang and the others dawdling like tourists, turned his head and shouted at Gao Yang, “Move away!
Don’t be foolish.”
Carrying a large backpack, Gao Yang said to the person beside him, “Pick up the pace, considering their reaction, this airport might not be safe.”
Frey laughed, “Isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration?
This is an airport…”
With a loud bang, an explosion sounded in the distance.
Gao Yang and his group didn’t duck, but they all instinctively ducked their heads and then quickly scattered to understand what had happened and to locate the source of the explosion.
Just then, Tommy shouted, “107mm rockets!”
Tommy pointed to a pillar of smoke.
The location of the blast was quite far from Gao Yang and his group, perhaps a kilometer or more, but it was already too close to the runway.
While Gao Yang and his group were observing what had happened at the explosion site, a few people who had gotten off the plane behind them chuckled, “Rookie, you react fast, but no need to look anymore, this is Baghdad Airport.
There are rocket and mortar attacks every day; you’ll get used to it soon enough.”
People familiar with the area were entirely indifferent to the recent blast, passing by the on-alert Gao Yang with giggles and laughter.
After a self-deprecating smile, Gao Yang waved his hand and said, “Let’s go, let’s enter the terminal.”
Feeling embarrassed, Frey grumbled, “Are the Iraqi Republican Guard guys all idiots?
This is Baghdad Airport, and it’s still getting bombed like this.”
A PMC jogging by Frey stopped, looked at him with a smile and said, “So young?
A rookie, right?
Here you’ll quickly learn a few things, like indeed the Republican Guard soldiers are a bunch of slackers.
Plus, you’ll have to get used to the idea that bombs could explode at any moment.
Anyway, just enjoy it, kid.”
It seemed like every person found delight in educating a rookie.
While another group of snickering people walked by, Tommy suddenly halted and then yelled, “60mm mortars!
Get down!”
Gao Yang also thought he heard the whispering sound of a mortar shell.
Since Tommy had ordered to hit the ground, they hit the ground.
Even if it was just a false alarm and they were ridiculed for lying down, let them laugh; the principle of the Satan was to take any warning seriously!
Gao Yang and his group immediately went prone again, and unsurprisingly, they were met with snickers from the people around them.
“Haha, look at those rookies…
F**k!”
“F**k!
Cover!
Take cover!”
While the people in a line headed for the terminal were laughing at the Satan Mercenary Corps who dropped to the scorching ground that was likely over seventy degrees Celsius, a shell exploded with a bang only about twenty meters away from the crowd, and then those who had been laughing scrambled to lie down in a panic.
While everyone else lay down, Tommy loudly said, “Run, run fast!”
Mortar fire typically comes in a barrage, and Tommy feared staying in the same place would mean being hit by subsequent calibrated rounds, so he hurriedly urged everyone to leave the spot.
As the others threw themselves to the ground, Gao Yang and his squad quickly stood up and sprinted toward the terminal.
After waiting another ten seconds and seeing no more shells drop, those who had received quite a fright from the nearby explosion dared to rise from the ground and rush toward the terminal.
Once inside a terminal that had no air conditioning and barely any intact windows, a black man in shorts and a T-shirt jumped up and down, exclaiming, “F**k, my legs are blistered from the burn!
This damn place, this cursed weather.”
At that moment, a displeased white man also said, “Those bastards are getting more accurate with their shots.
F**k, sooner or later they might just get lucky.”
Baghdad Airport had been attacked, which seemed all too common for anyone here; no one made much fuss over a shell that was merely a bit too close to a group of passengers.
Gao Yang couldn’t recall any news that reported Baghdad Airport, such a crucial location, was under daily artillery fire.
So, what others took as normal still felt unsettling to him.
If even airports were under constant attack, it suggested that the country’s official government was not far from complete collapse, or maybe it had already fallen apart.
In Gao Yang’s memory though, Iraq, although not exactly stable in recent years, seemed to have at least had its situation largely under control by the official government.
Inside the terminal, armed guards were everywhere.
Likewise, there was no shortage of armed passengers, and it appeared that bulletproof vests were practically part of the standard attire; Gao Yang had yet to spot anyone not wearing one.
Even the locals were donning very American-style bulletproof jackets.
Entering a completely foreign world, Gao Yang and his companions waited briefly in the terminal, but they still hadn’t spotted anyone who seemed as if they were there to pick them up.
According to the instructions given by Tomler, someone should have been there to meet them by now.
Gao Yang watched as Jason and his group gathered and then left the terminal.
They were seasoned figures who had spent quite a bit of time in Iraq, just returning from leave.
As such, Jason and his group were chatting and laughing, undisturbed by the situation in Baghdad.
As they were leaving the terminal, Jason looked back and, upon seeing Gao Yang, waved with a smile.
Klaus, seeing Jason’s gesture, also turned around and waved.
Gao Yang smiled and waved back at Jason and Klaus.
These two veterans had provided him with plenty of advice.
Although much of it was already known to him, there were indeed things he had just learned, such as making a sign to wear on himself when convenient.
As for whether there was any chance of meeting these two again, Gao Yang held out no hope.
It was a mere chance encounter; they likely both used fake names, and if they met again, heaven knows what they would call themselves.
So, there was no need even to remember their names.
Watching Gao Yang say goodbye to the two men, Glolov chuckled and said, “You’re quite earnest.
Just by looking at those two guys, you can tell they’re mercenaries, not rule-abiding security personnel.
Do you really expect to make friends on first meeting with mercenaries?”
Gao Yang shrugged and laughed, “Of course not.
I just feel that if we’ve had a good chat, we should part on good terms.
I’ve seen enough violence and combat, so I truly cherish the opportunity to have a pleasant conversation with a stranger.”
In the midst of their banter, Cui Bo suddenly said, “Here they come, look at those two entering the gate.
They must be here for us, right?”
Gao Yang saw two people with rifles briskly walking into the terminal.
They weren’t carrying their guns over their shoulders or cradling them like others, but holding them up in the air, a sign that usually meant they had just fired their weapons.
One of the men holding up an M4A3 extended his hand to someone beside him and, after receiving a sign, lifted both the weapon and the sign.
The sign read a few letters: “ADKD”.
Gao Yang immediately said, “They’re here for us, let’s go.”
As Gao Yang said to go, the man holding the sign also spotted Gao Yang and his group.
There weren’t many people in the terminal, so both parties began to approach each other.
When Gao Yang and the man holding the sign stood face to face, the man said in a grave voice, “Honey.”
“Honey Badger Squad.”
“Good, follow me.
I’m sorry for being late, we ran into some trouble on the way here.”
The man with the sign threw it to the ground and turned to head outside without another word.
Gao Yang followed behind the sign holder, quickly exiting the terminal with the two people, and upon leaving the building, the sign holder pointed to a row of seven bulletproof Humvees, painted with the Iraqi flag, and said, “Get in.”
Gao Yang noticed that there were two typically dressed PMC operatives, tense and holding weapons, standing next to each Humvee.
On top of the first Humvee, there was even a mounted remote-controlled machine gun.
The man who carried the sign lowered the rifle he was holding up and then urged, “Just get in any vehicle, quick, we need to take a detour, there might be trouble, so we must hurry.”
Gao Yang waved his hand, and his people, paired up, ran towards the Humvees, while Eileen stood by Gao Yang’s side, waiting to join him in the same vehicle.
The man who came for Gao Yang looked at Eileen and then at Lucica, who was boarding another car, and suddenly said, “Why are there women?
Remember to have them cover their heads.
Alright, you two get in the car with me.”
The man who was to meet Gao Yang never introduced himself, and Gao Yang didn’t ask; he followed him into the back seat of a Humvee, then watched as his escort took the front seat, placed his M4A3 beside his legs, and picked up an AK47.
Gao Yang couldn’t help asking, “You’ll provide the vehicles, right?”
“Yes, we’ll do our best to supply a sufficient number of vehicles to meet your demands.
What do you think of these Humvees?
Satisfied?”
Gao Yang didn’t respond to the question but pointed at the AK47 in the man’s hand and said, “We can talk about the vehicles later, but could you equip our vehicles with AKs, and of course, enough ammunition?”(To be continued.
If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation, monthly ticket, your support is my greatest motivation.
Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)