898: Chapter 888 This Place is Particular 898: Chapter 888 This Place is Particular Bringing my own gun was a must, but once in Iraq, not having an extra AK strapped on was manageable, but I absolutely had to have a spare AK in the vehicle.
Besides, Gao Yang and his team were about to drive thousands of kilometers for a convoy mission; should a fierce battle occur and they ran out of bullets, having an AK with ample ammunition would definitely change the situation.
AK47s were easily replenished anywhere, so Gao Yang and his team didn’t need to bring them all the way here.
Although AK47s were easy to find, it took some effort to find ones of solid quality.
Russian, Huaxia, and Eastern European manufactured ones were all acceptable.
As for those poorly made from unknown origins, they were not even worth bringing.
Cui Bo had once been short-changed with counterfeit goods, acquiring a Dragunov that he treasured, only to later discover that it was a fake made in Iraq by Aokade.
Being new to the area and unfamiliar with the locale, finding a dozen good guns themselves was a bit troublesome; therefore, Gao Yang hoped that Tomler’s contacts here could provide spare weapons since they were driving the convoy, and carrying extra guns wouldn’t be a burden.
“Do you want an AK?
Sorry, I didn’t prepare any because I wasn’t informed to prepare for you.”
Hearing the responder’s reply, Gao Yang felt somewhat disappointed, he shrugged and said, “Then, you must know where to buy one, right?”
“Of course, there’s a black market inside the Green Zone where you can find anything you want in great quantity and quality, expensive, but as long as you have money, there’s nothing you can’t buy.”
After speaking indifferently to Gao Yang, the person who came to meet them picked up a walkie-talkie and said in a deep voice, “Depart, taking a detour on the way back.”
The convoy started moving, and once the vehicle was underway, the person sitting in the passenger seat turned to Gao Yang and said, “You can call me Fellini.
I’ll get you into the Green Zone and take care of you.
We don’t know when you’ll depart yet because we haven’t received a notice.
Now, tell me, are you satisfied with these vehicles I’ve prepared?”
Not satisfied.
Gao Yang was very dissatisfied because in Iraq, driving a military armored Humvee was a surefire way to die quickly.
Leaving Baghdad and driving Humvees marked with the government army’s insignia all the way to Syria was practically suicidal.
Gao Yang straightforwardly said, “Not satisfied, buddy.
I don’t want to die, so I absolutely won’t drive a Humvee in Iraq and be a target.”
Fellini shrugged his shoulders and said, “Are you really not going to reconsider?
Buddy, this is an armored vehicle, and it’s quite effective.
It even has a pseudo-rocket grille, and it’s only twenty thousand US dollars per vehicle, almost like giving it away for free.”
Gao Yang suddenly realized and said, “It’s not free, it’s charged?”
Fellini looked at Gao Yang oddly and said, “Of course, it’s charged.
We’ve already paid you a commission, and you still expect free vehicles?
There’s no such good deal.”
Gao Yang now understood why Fellini was pushing his Humvees so hard; he was keen to get rid of them.
When America withdrew from Iraq, they left behind a massive amount of surplus materials.
The US Army figured the cost of shipping these materials back was too great, better to just leave them behind or sell them at extremely low prices, which included a considerable number of Humvees.
The Iraqi military took a large batch of Humvees, and PMC naturally got their fair share as well.
However, driving Humvees in Iraq was problematic because such vehicles were highly provocative and attracted rockets and bombs.
When the U.S.
Army was present, driving armored tanks at the front and having a line of impressive Humvees was somewhat normal.
However, after the US troops pulled out, aside from the government army soldiers who had no choice but to drive Humvees on the streets, small PMC units absolutely didn’t dare to wander around in Humvees.
As for leaving Baghdad and entering chaotic zones, nobody dared to drive a Humvee, because, with such vehicles, if you dared to drive them, someone would dare to target you.
Laughing a little, Gao Yang waved his hand and said, “Give me vehicles that are in good condition but dirty and worn on the outside—the dirtier, the better; the more broken down, the better.”
Fellini muttered under his breath, then turned to Gao Yang and said, “Once we’re in the Green Zone, I’ll help you find a car.
But have you ever thought about taking a bulletproof Hummer back to America with you?”
Gao Yang chuckled and replied, “Maybe.
If I want to collect one, I’ll contact you.”
Fellini fell silent, focusing on the road ahead.
The streets Gao Yang and his group were driving down were sparsely populated, but cluttered with obstacles and trash.
After driving for a while, Fellin grabbed the radio and shouted, “Stay sharp, we’re about to enter Black Gun Street!”
As soon as Fellini finished speaking, the lead vehicle suddenly swerved, turning onto a road bustling with pedestrians.
The so-called Black Gun Street was a commercial street lined with small shops.
Though there were more pedestrians, the convoy sped up significantly.
The lead vehicle with the machine gun blared its horn continuously, speeding through pedestrians who made way in a frantic hurry, leaving only a trail of cursing bystanders waving their fists.
Not long after the cars had driven onto a relatively busier street, Gao Yang suddenly heard a ‘ding’.
He jumped, startled by the gunfire that hit their vehicle; he couldn’t remain indifferent.
Eileen and Gao Yang immediately grabbed their guns, but Fellini didn’t move until a small white spot suddenly appeared on the front window of the Hummer, followed by a loud ‘pop’.
Only then did Fellini turn his head from the passenger seat and say to Gao Yang, “See?
Bulletproof cars are quite effective.
A 12.7mm bullet can’t penetrate it!”
Gao Yang, still shaken, exclaimed, “F**k!
You didn’t choose this route just to sell me your car, did you?”
Gao Yang let out the truth by accident.
A hint of embarrassment appeared on Fellini’s face.
He quickly turned his gaze forward and said, “You’re kidding, right?
Although people in this street love to shoot, it’s Hazazzani’s territory.
At least nobody dares to use RPGs here, and there are no bombs either.
Relatively speaking, it’s safe.”
Gao Yang couldn’t help but ask, “What level of attack here is considered a major incident?
Or is it judged by how many people die?”
Fellini looked back at Gao Yang and answered, “Here, shootings aren’t considered big incidents, nor are bombings or car bombs.
If there’s a day without these, then that’s a big incident!
Also, people die here every day, so no matter how many die, it’s not considered a major event.
You might not know because no one wants you to know.
If you’ve heard about this place through the news, then I can only say you’ve been misled.
They want you to see a fabricated beautiful world.
Once you’re here, you’ll see that this is literally Hell!”
After speaking, Fellini turned back to the front and loudly said, “Luckily, we are about to leave this damned hell soon.
We need to get rid of everything we won’t need after we leave.”
Gao Yang immediately pointed at Fellini’s AK47 and said, “If you’re leaving, why not sell me the gun, buddy?
I’m more interested in your gun than your car.”
The driver chuckled, and Fellini turned to Gao Yang seriously and said, “Buddy, let me remind you.
Here, unless he’s an arms dealer or you’re looking to start a major conflict, never tell anyone you want to buy their gun.
It’s a taboo.”
The driver grinned and said, “Buddy, a word of advice: if someone actively offers to sell you a gun, don’t buy it; it’s bad luck because only guns from dead people are sold.
If you want a new gun, not one picked up from a dead body, it’s best to look for a freshly unboxed one on the black market.”
Fellini also nodded and added, “Right, it doesn’t matter if you don’t care, but if you want good luck, better not to take stuff from dead bodies.
It’s really bad luck.
Remember Old K?
The last unlucky guy from California, the one who retired from the Rangers?
He thought himself quite something, bought a gun from Dead Harry, and then got his head blown off the first time he went out.”
The driver nodded, saying, “I remember that.
I was the one who drove them out of the Green Zone.
Remember the Green Giant, the guy called Hook?”
“A vague memory.
Didn’t he lose a hand and then go home?”
“Exactly.
Do you know why he lost his hand?
Because he bought a gold watch from Bad George that I knew George had taken off a dead man’s wrist, then he sold it to the Green Giant for a thousand dollars.”
Fellini laughed and exclaimed, “No wonder.
Bad George really is the worst!
Stay away from that bastard from now on.”
Fellini and the driver started chatting, while Gao Yang felt that these two either wanted to sell him something new or had been in Iraq too long, making them superstitious.
Superstition, all superstition.
Not taking guns or watches from dead bodies was nonsense to Gao Yang.
He had used guns taken from fallen enemies without issue, and he’d worn a watch picked from a corpse for a while as well without any trouble.
Of course, Gao Yang did feel that taking things from the dead was somewhat unlucky, so after Catherine gave him a new watch, he threw away the one he had taken from a corpse.
But that was merely a matter of mental cleanliness, completely different from fearing it would cause bad luck.
Fellini, perhaps sensing Gao Yang’s thoughts, chatted with the driver for a few more moments before turning to Gao Yang and saying, “Don’t think we’re trying to sell you anything.
Rest assured, we steer clear of belongings from the dead, so you don’t need to worry about us pushing anything on you.
This place is evil enough, and things taken from the dead are even more so.
You’d better be careful too.” (To be continued.
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