927: Chapter 917 An Accident Born of Stupidity 927: Chapter 917 An Accident Born of Stupidity The team had grown larger, and far from feeling safer, Gao Yang felt even more danger.
Suddenly there were a lot more people, and how to arrange the vehicle positions posed a problem.
However, Gao Yang and his companions didn’t have to worry too much.
Given their status, they couldn’t even approach the truck if they wanted to.
Hence, the Satan Mercenary Corps followed at the rear, while those mercenaries brought by Krulney went ahead, heading towards Damascus.
A sudden change of course to Damascus instead of Aleppo; why there would be such a change was beyond guessing, so Gao Yang couldn’t be bothered to think about it.
Getting to Damascus was much closer than getting to Aleppo— not only was the direct distance shorter, but also, when traveling to Aleppo, one had to take a detour to avoid airstrikes.
Moreover, for the last few hundred kilometers, the route had to pass through densely populated areas and there was no way around it.
But, to get to Damascus, they could just head west through the desert, with most of the danger coming as they approached the outskirts of Damascus.
Therefore, for the Satan Mercenary Corps, heading to Damascus was welcome news.
The convoy set out in the evening and soldiers on through the desert all night.
By the following afternoon, the direct distance to Damascus had already shrunk to less than a hundred kilometers.
From the moment the convoy crossed the border, the straight-line distance to Damascus was only three hundred kilometers.
However, Syria and Iraq were different.
Iraq might be chaotic, but it was not undergoing a large-scale civil war like Syria.
The straight-line distance was one thing, but the actual distance they had to travel was another.
Nearly one hundred kilometers in a straight line, but the detour almost amounted to two to three hundred kilometers; besides, the route was not an actual road but a traverse across the desert after leaving the highways.
In the desert, where there were no roads, every direction was a path.
However, don’t think about speeding up.
It was already eight in the morning, and the convoy in the desert could no longer maintain a straight line.
The sand clouds kicked up by the front vehicles completely obscured the vision of those following, so they had to arrange themselves into a V formation.
Gao Yang’s original plan was to switch to traveling at night after entering Syria, but with the expanded team, he had already lost control of the entire group.
It was obvious that they didn’t plan on hiding in the scorching desert until nightfall to move.
Instead, they aimed to make a beeline for Damascus in one go.
Although he had lost control, seeing the sky filled with sand dust, Gao Yang couldn’t sit still.
Moreover, Damascus was the heart of Syria; the Syrian Air Force was no mere display.
As long as the Air Force sent out reconnaissance planes and actually patrolled towards Damascus, if the pilots weren’t blind, their convoy stirring up clouds of dust would inevitably be discovered.
Unable to restrain himself any longer, Gao Yang said over the radio in a deep voice, “Slow down, and keep some distance from the main force.”
After asking his men to slow down the vehicles, Gao Yang picked up the radio to contact Krulney, saying in a serious tone, “Mr.
Krulney, I suggest we halt our advance to avoid airstrikes.”
“I understand your worry, but buddy, the temperature will soon rise to at least fifty degrees, hot enough to kill a person.
We could not possibly stay in the desert all day, could we?”
Gao Yang replied helplessly, “We are already very close to Damascus.
It will only take a short time to arrive, and even if it’s hot, it’s only for a day.
Isn’t that better than encountering an airstrike?”
After a pause, Krulney replied with a bitter smile, “Sorry, pal.
They—they being who you know I’m referring to—think it’s fine to travel by day.”
Gao Yang felt both helpless and angry.
Raising his voice, he said sternly, “Mr.
Krulney, you’re here too, don’t you want to consider your own life?
If you haven’t been confused by the heat, try to recall something.
Haven’t you seen a report, or any online video, showing how the Syrian Air Force bombs Rebel Army convoys?
Buddy, even arms dealers now know to travel at night after entering Syria because the Syrian Air Force lacks nighttime ground-attack capabilities, but they sure don’t lack the capacity to bomb during the day.
Think about it.”
After dropping the radio, Gao Yang cursed, “Idiots, Fuck, I can understand their lack of anti-air raid capabilities, but these idiots don’t even have the sense to anticipate air raids.”
Eileen chuckled and said, “Don’t get worked up, Boss.
This is pretty normal, and you should get used to it.
If they had basic combat discipline, Israel would be gone by now.
Also, we are already falling way behind.
If I were a pilot, I’d prioritize bombing the big convoy ahead rather than our few vehicles that have broken away from the main group.”
Gao Yang smiled, then added angrily, “I just hate not letting the Syrian Air Force planes actually come and bomb them once, to teach them how modern warfare should be fought, these idiots.”
Gao Yang had just finished speaking when Krulney’s somewhat agitated voice suddenly came through the radio.
“Fuck, I’m fed up too, let those idiots go to hell.
They actually rejected my suggestion, refusing to stop.
Oh, shit!
We can only keep on moving, buddy.
Our money is still on that damned truck!”
Krulney’s voice was very annoyed too, for Gao Yang was right.
It didn’t matter if he wasn’t there, but the critical point was that he was currently in this conspicuously targeted convoy, and if it got bombed, he would have to suffer too.
Gao Yang smiled at Eileen and then picked up the dropped radio, saying, “Pal, if I were you, I’d ask the driver to edge over to the side, away from the convoy…
Oh, Fuck!
Air raid!
Air raid!
Disperse the convoy, full speed maneuvering to evade, spread out!”
Gao Yang’s sudden shouting on the radio was not from anticipation; they were indeed facing an air raid.
When bombs were dropped from planes above, it was impossible for the convoy on the ground to be forewarned without radar.
Only when the bombs exploded on the ground could people realize they were under attack.
Eileen jerked the steering wheel and swerved violently to the side of the convoy, then accelerated to escape as fast as possible.
Gao Yang bent over, but from inside the vehicle, he couldn’t see any planes at all; he could only see sand being constantly blasted up around the large convoy.
Gao Yang yelled into the walkie-talkie, “Spread out, spread out, don’t run in the same direction!”
On the battlefield, some people die easily, others do not.
Knowing the dangers one might encounter and taking measures to avoid them in advance will certainly increase the chances of survival.
Damascus is important.
The Syrian Air Force had not suffered much damage and had been working hard to control the situation in Damascus, launching airstrikes on the main locations where the Rebel Army’s logistics and personnel entered.
These facts were not secrets at all; anyone with a basic military literacy knew them.
Yet even so, there were people who refused to take even the simplest measures to avoid danger.
If such people didn’t die, who would?
The circumstance that one should avoid—and could easily do so—had just unfolded before Gao Yang’s eyes.
Gao Yang felt that, today, his perception of the depths of stupidity some people could reach had been refreshed once again.
Cars couldn’t outrun planes, and being held back by idiots to the point of both laughter and tears, Gao Yang could only hope he wouldn’t be targeted by the pilots above and pray there weren’t many planes in the sky.
In short, leave it to fate.
Eileen drove the car in an S-shaped route to its limit.
Gao Yang opened the side window, stuck his head out, and eventually leaned almost halfway out of the car, hoping to spot the aircraft in the sky and, even better, to make out the attack patterns of the planes.
Gao Yang heard the dull roar of the planes but couldn’t see them.
The car jolted so much that it was good enough he wasn’t thrown out.
At that moment, he heard Glolov yelling in his earpiece, “Su-24!
Su-24!
Two of them, two!”
Su-24, Gao Yang nearly cried.
The Syrian Air Force didn’t have many advanced aircraft, and the Su-24 wasn’t advanced, but still, the Su-24 was a dedicated fighter-bomber, the most suitable aircraft in the Syrian Air Force’s arsenal for attacking ground targets.
Gao Yang could still hear the rumbling of planes in the sky, the planes dragging a dull, low sound as they flew by at low altitude, followed quickly by the sound of explosions.
Whenever Eileen’s hands were free, she made the sign of the cross over her chest and then yelled, “Have they gone?
Are they gone?”
While Gao Yang struggled to look for the planes, he shouted, “They haven’t gone!
They haven’t gone!
F**k, I see them!”
Gao Yang saw a plane.
He couldn’t make out its altitude or model, and in fact, after being jolted, he lost sight of the plane’s shadow, but he thought he saw a flash of light from underneath the belly of the plane.
Quickly, Glolov shouted, “Missile!
Air-to-ground missile, not rockets; oh God, protect us, it’s not targeting us!”
Gao Yang couldn’t see any other vehicles; he and the other Satan Mercenaries had scattered long ago, and after the airstrike, they had run at least two to three kilometers away.
Finally, as the rumbling of the planes in the sky gradually faded until only the roaring of the car engine remained in his ears, Gao Yang immediately yelled, “They’re gone!
The planes are gone.”
Eileen didn’t stop the car.
Gao Yang climbed back inside and then immediately shouted, “Don’t stop the car, keep driving a bit further and then take cover.
Don’t rush to regroup; report your status!”
“Lead car safe!”
“Machine gun vehicle safe.”
“Cannon car safe.”
Thank heavens they were all safe.
Gao Yang immediately grabbed another walkie-talkie and yelled, “Krulney, Krulney, are you dead?”
“Thank God, thank God, I’m not dead; thank God, I’m not dead!
Oh f**k, what do we do now?”
Gao Yang yelled, “What can we do?
Keep driving until you’re far away, then get out of the car and run.
Stay well away from the vehicle.
Before it gets dark, don’t f**king think about getting back in!
We’ll talk after dark!”
After finishing the rant, Gao Yang said to Eileen loudly, “Here, stop the car.”
Once the car stopped, Gao Yang and Eileen opened the trunk and quickly pulled out a sandy camouflage net, draping it over the car.
Then each of them shouldered their weapons and picked up two large cans of drinking water, running far away to one side.
After that, all that was left was to wait.
Generally speaking, if a plane has spotted ground targets and begun attacks, unless it has completely eliminated the targets, it will always come back for a few more runs, or more directly, call in more planes to bomb.
(To be continued.
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