923: Chapter 913: Trap 923: Chapter 913: Trap As dawn broke, the convoy hit the road again, and west of Ramadi, it was desert all the way.
Gao Yang could have chosen to rest well during the day at Masum’s and then set off at night, but he insisted on traveling during the day.
It was the peak of the scorching summer.
In the desert, the temperature could easily soar above 40 degrees soon after the sun rose.
By midday, it rose to around 50 degrees, and the road surface could reach a scorching 70 to 80 degrees.
Sitting inside an air-conditioned vehicle, Gao Yang did not feel too uncomfortable, nor was he worried that the car tires would not withstand the high temperatures of the road; Polovich’s meticulously prepared vehicles were not so easily damaged.
They had been driving non-stop since the early morning, with speeds varying, often having to detour onto the desert next to the unmaintained road or being forced to drive very slowly.
Thus, by noon, Gao Yang and his group had only covered a bit over two hundred kilometers.
Gao Yang picked up a can of Coke from beside him.
There was air conditioning in the car, and the temperature was always comfortable; the ice keeping the Coke chilled had barely melted.
After opening the Coke and handing it to Eileen, who was driving, Gao Yang looked at his watch and said, “Keep going for two more hours, then we’ll switch drivers.”
Eileen took a sip of Coke, sighed in relief, and said with a smile to Gao Yang, “Boss, you’re really mean.”
Gao Yang picked up a can of Coke for himself and said with a laugh, “How am I mean?”
“The truck’s cabin has no air conditioning, it’s full of diesel fumes, four people crammed together without proper ventilation—I wouldn’t be surprised if someone gets suffocated after we stop.”
Gao Yang gave a slight smile and responded, “I’ve asked Mulafa, he said himself it’s not a problem and you heard him.
Besides, if we weren’t planning to get them out of the cabin, why travel during the day?”
After finishing her Coke, Eileen rolled down the window and rather rudely tossed the empty can out.
The hot air pouring in through the window made her break out in a light sweat.
After closing the window, Eileen laughed, “Now I have no doubts that someone could die from the heat.”
Gao Yang couldn’t care less about whether the people in the truck lived or died; right now, he just wanted to figure out what the cargo was.
If there was no problem with the cargo, he could complete the task masterfully.
If there was a problem, the people in the truck would become his enemies.
Almost no chance of an ambush in the desert, rarely even encountering other people, there was not much to worry about.
Gao Yang found a comfortable position to lean into his seat, and with a smile, he said, “We’ll stop in two hours to switch drivers and also check if the people in the truck are still alive.”
Gao Yang dozed off for a while and woke up when the vehicle stopped.
Looking at the off-road vehicle already parked, he said into the walkie-talkie, “I think it’s time to welcome our guests, get ready.”
After speaking, Gao Yang picked up the walkie-talkie and said sternly, “Mulafa, get out and check the tires, and while you’re at it, use the bathroom or something.”
Getting out of the car, Gao Yang pretended to check all four tires before heading to the roadside to relieve himself.
Then he saw Mulafa and the person in the passenger seat checking each of the truck’s tires one by one.
Just getting out of the car for a moment had made Gao Yang sweat profusely.
Wearing a helmet and a bulletproof vest, he worried that if he stayed out in the sun any longer, he might die of heatstroke.
Gao Yang approached Mulafa and asked, “Any problems?”
Mulafa shook his head, “No problems.”
Gao Yang shook his head and said, “I’m not asking about the tires.
It’s about the people, buddy.
Aren’t you worried about those guys in the back?”
After mumbling something, Mulafa shook his head, “Nothing can be done.
They can’t leave the cargo, not even half a step; that’s a strict order.”
Gao Yang shrugged and said, “Including getting smothered in that cabin?
Buddy, I think you should check on them.
Of course, if you refuse, we can continue on until we stop for the night.”
After wiping off his sweat, Mulafa finally said, “Alright, I have to go check on them.”
Mulafa walked to the back of the truck, knocked on the door, called out, and immediately, the doors of the cabin sprung open from the inside.
As the door swung open, a figure tumbled out headfirst.
Mulafa’s quick reflexes allowed him to catch the falling person, keeping him from crashing head-down onto the ground.
Gao Yang saw that the tumbled-out person was one of the white men, while the remaining three inside looked as though they were fished out of water, drenched in sweat and lethargic.
As for the one who had tumbled out, he had long passed out.
Gao Yang shouted loudly, “Medic!
Come here, someone’s got heatstroke.”
Bruce hurried over.
Gao Yang then waved at the three men in the truck and yelled, “Get out, go cool off for a bit!
Do you want to die from heat?”
Hesitating for a moment, Mulafa still began to speak to the three people inside the truck.
Afterward, they climbed out one by one with looks of immense relief.
At this point, Bruce and Cui Bo had run over.
Gao Yang pointed to the vehicle he had been sitting in and shouted, “Get into the car to cool down, quick!
From now on, unless it’s night travel, you are not allowed to stay in the cabin.”
Mula hesitated, then said nothing.
Gao Yang looked at him and said, “What’s up, do you disagree?
If you do, I don’t mind, though I really don’t want to see them suffocated in the carriage.”
Finally, Mula resignedly spoke a few words to the three people who could barely stand, then said to Gao Yang, “Alright, let them get on your vehicle.”
Gao Yang immediately shouted, “Take them to a vehicle with empty seats to rest.”
Cui Bo quickly stepped forward, supported an elderly Pakistani, and walked towards the pickup truck towing the mortar, while Gao Yang beckoned to the remaining two to follow him, with a young-looking Pakistani following him to the sedan.
At that moment, Mula suddenly said, “We can fit two more people in our vehicle; these two can stay with us.”
Bruce gave the white man who had fainted from heatstroke an injection and after feeding him something, Li Jinfang, Mula, and Bruce lifted the heat-stricken white man onto the truck.
There was a spot at the back of the truck cabin where someone could lie down to sleep.
After the heat-stricken white man was laid down in the back, Li Jinfang and Bruce returned to their respective vehicles.
The convoy set off again, and this time Gao Yang was the one driving; an extra person now occupied the passenger seat.
Gao Yang gestured, smiling at Eileen in the back, “Get our guest something to drink; he needs it.”
Eileen opened the cooler and from a pile of ice cubes, she took out a can of Coke and handed it to the man in the back seat.
Gao Yang smiled at the man, “Drink up; this should make you feel better.”
After guzzling down the Coke, the man nodded at Gao Yang in thanks.
Gao Yang thought his passenger was Pakistani, but it was just a guess.
Though the main languages in Pakistan are English and Urdu, he was worried his guest might not understand English, so he smiled and said, “Translate for me; tell him there’s plenty of Coke, and he can drink as much as he wants.”
Eileen could speak Arabic, and since Mula had used Arabic to converse with these people, Gao Yang figured the man beside him might understand.
But if the man only spoke Urdu, then Gao was out of luck.
However, just as Eileen began to speak, the man sitting beside Gao suddenly said, “I can speak English.”
Gao was thrilled inside.
“Oh, you speak English, that’s great, friend.
It must have been stuffy for you.
What would you like?
Something to drink, to eat?
What do you need?”
The man looked back and pointed at the cooler, “If possible, could I have some ice cubes?”
The man seemed to have an aversion to Eileen, declining the ice cubes she offered, instead reaching into the cooler himself for some ice cubes, which he then crunched on.
After watching his passenger finish the ice cubes, Gao Yang smiled and said, “Hi, it’s nice to meet you.
My name is John Lee; what’s yours?”
“Asif Zardari.”
Gao had an idea of who he was dealing with and smiled, “Would you like something to eat?”
Asif replied coldly, “No, thanks.”
Difficult to deal with, not a good sign, but not unexpected for Gao Yang.
Fishing for information from these men wasn’t going to be easy.
It was apparent that Asif felt uncomfortable with Eileen’s presence, which made Gao regret not having her switch cars.
Gao went on cheerfully, “Are you from Pakistan?
I have a good friend from there; he’s Punjabi.
How about you?”
Asif merely said indifferently, “I am also a Pakistani, I’m tired, I want to sleep now.”
Gao tried to engage Asif in conversation, but Asif clearly had no interest in chatting.
After a brief exchange, he closed his eyes and stopped paying attention to Gao.
Gao was frustrated, but the good news was that Cui Bo seemed to be making good progress on his end.
Their walkie-talkies were voice-activated.
Once adjusted, they would transmit any sound loud enough, effectively doubling as eavesdropping devices.
Now that Gao was silent, he could constantly hear the conversation from Cui Bo’s side.
Cui Bo was getting along with the older man, speaking a mix of Arabic, Urdu, and a bit of English, and Gao now confirmed that the man was indeed from Pakistan.
Stuck with someone tight-lipped and seemingly unfriendly, Gao felt helpless yet relieved, knowing it would have been a disaster to swap passengers with Cui Bo.
Neither he nor the older man could communicate, and as for Eileen, although she spoke Arabic, it seemed these bearded men had a strong aversion to women as they all looked at Eileen and Lucica with unfriendly eyes.
Now, it all depended on whether Cui Bo could obtain any useful information.
(To be continued.
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