Xu Cheng nodded. He turned to go back to the car and asked Luo Yi, “Who are these people?”
“Local bandits. This area isn’t rich, and the people are good at raising horses and using them as means of transportation. When they reach a certain scale, they become a team of bandits. Although they are poor and aren’t as properly armed, they usually win in numbers, and most of the time, they pick on the weak, rob some cars and resources, and then sell them to some other military groups in the area right after. Especially cars. Cars are pretty expensive in this area because they can’t be imported by normal means. Like our Ford pickups, the normal market price is about 30 thousand dollars, but it’s over a hundred thousand dollars here. Which means, right now, our fleet of ten trucks are worth at least a million. It’s no wonder they are tempted to rob us.”
Xu Cheng understood.
He turned around to look at the bandits’ captain and asked, “Sorry, it’s our first time out and we don’t know the rules. But, we have a lot of engineers with us, and if we give you our cars, we wouldn’t be able to move to our destination. I hope we can work something out; we have a hundred thousand dollars in cash here, is that alright? It will be us paying the toll for this road, so let’s all just take a step back and work something out.”
“Are you trying to dismiss a beggar?” the captain snorted. “10 trucks, plus about a hundred people, and you are giving me a hundred thousand dollars? It’s fine if you don’t understand the rules, I will teach you. 1.5 million dollars, if you can take that much out, you can leave. If not, then I guess we will just have to take whatever’s valuable or kill you all if you don’t want to give it up.”
Then, the bandits surrounding them all pointed their guns at them, numbering over 40 rifles in total.
At this time, Chris shouted, “If we have the money, just give it to them. They have too many people, so if we don’t want to risk losing too many people, we should just avoid conflict.”
The African man also chimed in, “Yeah, if we weren’t escorting these guys, we would’ve fought back already. We are professional mercenaries, how could we not handle them? But right now, we have too many ordinary people to take care of.”
Xu Cheng looked at the head of the bandits and asked, “How much is your life worth? To buy your life for 1.5 million, do you think it’s worth it?”
If he were to compromise today, then on this road, they would keep on getting bullied.
The bandits directly pointed his gun at Xu Cheng’s head and said with a grin, “It seems like you don’t speak the human language, huh? 1.5 million dollars for a toll, or leave behind all the cars and valuables, or… you can leave behind both the cars and valuables and also your lives! You can make you pick.”
“I pick to resist!” Xu Cheng said as he suddenly dragged down the muzzle of the gun and pulled the bandit off of his horse. He whacked the end of the rifle against his face, almost knocking him unconscious. Then, taking control of the rifle, he held it against the bandit boss’s head and shouted at the other bandits, “Don’t move, or I will take his life first!”
With more than 40 guns pointed at Xu Cheng, Xu Cheng was already hiding behind the bandits’ boss and holding him hostage.
“Let him go!” the bandits shouted at Xu Cheng.
Xu Cheng didn’t flinch at all. He said fiercely as he smacked the bandit boss’s head again, “Do you want the money or want your life? If you want money, I will kill you off right now. If you want your life, then let my cars and people go.”
The bandits’ boss smiled. “You are not going? You want to trade your life for mine? If I die, my people would travel through this whole land to find your people and kill them all!”
“Just shut your mouth up. If you want to live, hurry up and let my men leave,” Xu Cheng said to him.
The bandits’ boss nodded and immediately shouted at his subordinates, “Let them leave!”
The bandits on horses gave way, gesturing impatiently that the pickup trucks could leave.
“Is this enough?” the bandits’ boss shouted at Xu Cheng.
Xu Cheng said to Luo Yi, “You guys go first.”
Luo Yi nodded and started the engine and drove out from the siege of the bandits
The other cars also followed.
Chris caught up to Luo Yi’s car and shouted from a parallel angle, “Are you really leaving your boss behind like this? He will die a very gruesome death. He doesn’t have a car, so if he snatches a horse and tries to run, he will be caught very quickly.”
