925: Chapter 915: Surprise 925: Chapter 915: Surprise The convoy set off again at daybreak.
To avoid another episode of heat exhaustion inside the truck, this time a Caucasian actively chose to sit in Gao Yang’s vehicle.
Throughout the journey, there was silence as the convoy departed in the morning.
After a day’s journey, they left the highway around 10 p.m.
and crossed the Syrian border just after midnight.
Gao Yang sat in the backseat, and the white man with the big beard took the front passenger seat.
Next to Gao Yang was an AK47.
If things really went sour, he would use the AK47 to kill the white man with the big beard in the front passenger seat, rather than his primary weapon.
If they had to forcefully check the cargo, now was the time.
As if nothing was amiss, Gao Yang spoke into the radio, “Guys, we have safely crossed the border, there’s no danger now.
Let’s stop to refuel the vehicles and use the restroom.
After that, we won’t stop again for the remainder of the journey.”
After informing the others to be ready to act, Gao Yang grabbed the radio to communicate with the truck.
But before he could speak, Mulafa’s voice came through first.
“John Lee, we need to stop.
Our backup has arrived.
We need to regroup.”
Gao Yang’s heart skipped a beat.
He asked in a grave tone, “What backup?”
“It’s our backup.
They’ve arrived and are on our route ahead.
So let’s stop now, so we don’t miss them.”
Needless to say, something unexpected had occurred.
Gao Yang was not one to panic, but his mind was racing to decide if he should stick to the original plan.
The fact that the truck had other backups didn’t need further broadcasting; the radio had already transmitted his conversations to every member of Satan’s team.
Li Jinfang and the others in their vehicle knew something was up, so they didn’t stop but kept driving forward.
Then, Li Jinfang suddenly said, “There are lights ahead!
Do we proceed with the original plan?”
Gao Yang responded calmly, “Stop!
Everyone stop.”
The night sky in the desert was exceptionally beautiful, untainted by any form of pollution, including light pollution.
This allowed them to see the lights of distant cars.
After the convoy halted, Gao Yang then saw the lights that emerged to their left front.
The appearance of additional backup was unanticipated.
Realizing his miscalculation and that they might have lost the chance to forcefully inspect the cargo, Gao Yang sighed internally and then commanded through the radio, “Everyone out, refuel quickly.”
To say ‘drink water’ meant to forcefully inspect the cargo, but to say ‘refuel’ meant to put the plan on hold, waiting for the right moment to act.
Gao Yang got out of the car holding his AK rifle.
The white man with the big beard, on the other hand, silently went straight to the truck.
That’s when Li Jinfang urgently spoke through the radio, “Why is there suddenly backup?
What do we do now?”
Gao Yang replied sternly, “I’ll go have a look first; you all stay put.
If there are many of them, we give up on acting.
If there are only a few, proceed as planned.
Be on high alert and await my command.”
Their vehicle had stopped strategically; the positions of the four vehicles allowed for crossfire that facilitated mutual cover.
After disengaging the safety on his AK47, Gao Yang, rifle in hand, walked over to Mulafa, who had just got out of the vehicle.
He appeared quite relaxed.
Approaching Mulafa, Gao Yang asked with slight displeasure, “Why are there others, and why wasn’t I informed?”
Mulafa chuckled and said, “You didn’t need to be informed.
After all, your job was just to escort the cargo to its destination.”
Gao Yang said gravely, “Our job is to deliver the goods, but how do I know whether more people means more safety or more risk?
More people could end up being a liability.”
Mulafa laughed and retorted, “That’s your problem.
For me, obviously, the more people, the safer.
Just like you don’t trust others, I feel the same.”
Gao Yang didn’t continue with pointless talk, because another convoy was already speeding toward them.
He urgently said, “Are you sure they are your backup?
Have them quickly identify themselves or we’ll open fire!”
Holding a satellite phone and a radio, Mulafa lifted the radio and loudly instructed, “Flash the vehicle lights twice as identification.”
After a short wait, at least a dozen vehicles in the convoy flashed their lights.
Gao Yang immediately abandoned the plan to forcefully inspect the cargo, as that opportunity had slipped away.
Through the radio, Gao Yang announced, “Let them through.
These are the backups.”
The lead vehicle raced straight toward the truck, kicking up a sky-full of dust, and the speeding convoy raised a dust storm in its wake as if a sandstorm had been unleashed.
Gao Yang glanced over and saw that the approaching convoy had at least six pickup trucks, all mounted with heavy machine guns.
However, the newcomers didn’t seem hostile, as no one manned the guns at the rear of the vehicles.
The lead vehicle was an off-road vehicle.
By the time the off-road vehicle slowed down considerably and neared the truck, its speed had reduced to the point where it no longer stirred up the dirt.
After the off-road vehicle came to a halt, a man opened the door and jumped down.
The man who got out of the vehicle was Big Beard, wearing a black robe, but right behind Big Beard, a white man in a T-shirt and shorts also got out.
After getting out of the vehicle, the white man saw Gao Yang and immediately spread his arms, laughing and saying, “Haha, my friend, we meet here, how are you?”
The white man who had gotten out was one of Tomler’s assistants, whom Gao Yang had seen before and knew.
Gao Yang paused, then said, “It’s Krulney, what are you doing here?
What’s the situation?”
Big Beard and Mulafa began to converse, while Krulney sidled up to Gao Yang.
He shrugged helplessly and said, “This batch of goods is too important.
There was another incident in Mahmaudiya, and the employer is very worried about another mishap.
Although we assured there would be no problems, the employer insisted on bolstering the escort force.
So, we had no choice but to find some additional people for the escort.”
Gao Yang spoke in a grave tone, “You should have notified me in advance.
This situation is not good.”
Krulney with a helpless expression said, “It was sudden, no choice.
But it doesn’t affect anything.”
Gao Yang tilted his head to look as more and more people disembarked from the vehicles.
What made him tense was that several heavily armed individuals emerged from the vehicles behind Krulney.
A lot of Big Beards, almost all in black robes.
In addition to the Big Beards with AK47s, about a dozen men were equipped almost identically to Gao Yang’s group—helmets, night vision devices, the monochrome combat uniforms that had almost become standard PMC gear, bulletproof vests, M4 rifles with various attachments—clearly mercenaries.
In total, fifteen men, two Black, thirteen white, and that was just those who had gotten off the vehicles.
Gao Yang gestured with his chin and spoke in a low voice, “Who are these guys?”
Krulney smiled and said, “Can’t say, buddy, you should know the rules.”
At this point, aside from Glolov and Lucica operating the machine guns, and Tommy and Jansen who were on the mortar, everyone else had gathered around Gao Yang.
The plan for a forceful inspection had completely fallen through, but Gao Yang didn’t regret it much.
Given how important the truck’s cargo was and how many people had come to escort it, even if they had forced a check the previous night and taken out the people on the truck within Iraqi territory, they wouldn’t have been able to pin it on anyone else.
Gao Yang would not dwell on what could no longer be amended.
He immediately said, “The mission I accepted did not include any rendezvous with another force, nor working alongside another team.”
Krulney laughed, “Buddy, don’t worry.
Your payment won’t be affected at all.
So having more people won’t cause any harm to you, don’t you think?”
Gao Yang shook his head, “That’s not how I see it.
I’m not accustomed to working with other mercenary groups, so this mission ends here.
We’re pulling out.”
Krulney pursed his lips and sighed, “No, buddy, don’t do this.
It’s not good.
If you pull out now, it means mission failure.
You won’t receive a cent of the remaining payment and you’ll have to return the deposit.
Do you like that?”
Gao Yang spoke with a heavy voice, “Our agreed terms did not include the presence of another mercenary group.”
Krulney wagged his index finger, chuckling, “But it didn’t say there couldn’t be one, right?
So, you can’t prevent the employer from increasing the security detail.
If you pull out now, that means mission failure.
You don’t have objections to that, do you?”
Gao Yang nodded, “Yes, if we pull out now, it indeed means mission failure.”
Krulney smiled again, but Gao Yang immediately added, “But I’ve still decided to pull out.”
Krulney’s smile abruptly ceased, and he said in astonishment, “Why?”
Gao Yang shook his head, “No reason.
I’ll return the deposit.
That’s it.”
Krulney spoke urgently, “No, wait.
You need to be clear, why are you pulling out?
Buddy, we still have a long road ahead, and it’s very unsafe.
You guys are the core force.
Leaving like this is too irresponsible.
Buddy, your reputation today didn’t come easy.
Why would you so easily discard the image you worked so hard to obtain?”
After a moment of thought, Gao Yang decided to be honest and said to Krulney, “Let’s be clear.
I think the goods we’re escorting are too hot to handle, not something we should be involved with.
Compared to twenty million, our lives are more important.
I promise we won’t disclose any information about this mission, but we’ll leave.
If you try to forcefully stop us, then expect shells and armor-piercing incendiary rounds to land on this truck.
I trust you have no doubts my men could hit this truck, right?”
Gao Yang was adamant about leaving, yet Krulney just laughed.
He pointed at the truck and said, “What do you think is in that truck?
Buddy, you’re overthinking it.
Whatever’s inside is indeed important, but it’s definitely not something that mercenaries would dare not touch.”
Gao Yang just smiled, “I don’t believe it.”
Krulney shrugged, “I didn’t know what was inside at first, but now I do.
Buddy, if you’re not at ease, you can have a look at what the cargo is, and then decide whether to pull out, okay?” (To be continued.
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