Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Chu He hired a driver from the front line and paid him 100 USD as well as food and water.
Because of the war, his family had lost their sources of food. They even had to eat tree bark and soil to survive.
Before sending her to the battlefront, the driver made a trip home and gave all the food to his wife and daughter. They then headed to her destination.
Along the way, the driver got a little curious about why she was carrying such a huge back pack and had requested to go to the front line.
At this point, even the government soldiers and many others were trying their best to escape from the war zone. Hence he found it extremely strange meeting someone who was asking to go to the front line. He asked curiously in broken English, “Are you a war reporter?”
“No.”
“Then why do you want to go to the front line? It’s raining bullets there. There are anti-government troops and corpses everywhere. It’s simply hell!” The driver smiled and continued, “However, one morning, I sent two batches of reporters to the front line. In the end, one of the reporters was shot by a bullet and they got me to come back for him. Fortunately, he survived.”
“When did the war break out?”
The driver sighed and said helplessly, “Just a few days ago! Logically speaking, the neutral territory shouldn’t have fallen. However, because of the crossfire between the two sides, the situation has expanded. In addition to the intervention of the other ally forces, the neutral territory is about to fall…”
“Have all the neutral zones fallen? What about the people from other countries?”
“All evacuated.”
“Do you know the Wirth Arms Factory?”
“Wirth? You’re going to Wirth?”
“Yes.”
“Wirth has been closed down. All the factory workers have been dismissed. Many of the employees are locals. Those who can have been evacuated. Those who didn’t make it in time are trapped there.”
Chu He fell silent.
She had planned to go to Wirth first. That was the Gu family’s military factory. From there, she thought she would be able to track down the man…
Butler Fu was also trying to contact Gu Jinglian. Although they had lost contact, they might be able to locate him.
It started raining heavily.
It took more than four hours to drive from Tripoli to Sirte. The roads were muddy and overgrown with weeds. It was a difficult journey. In the evening, it was still raining heavily and the road was bumpy. There were no street lamps and the road ahead was pitch black. In addition, one of the headlights of the car was broken, making it difficult to see the road ahead clearly.
The driver suggested, “Why don’t we rest for the night and leave at dawn?”
“Are you tired?”
“Not that I’m tired! At night, I can’t see the road ahead clearly. I’m afraid I’ll encounter an ambush. It’s very dangerous.”
Chu He nodded in agreement.
Along the way, they encountered a run-down motel. Chu He carried her back pack and entered the hotel with the chauffeur. The moment the boss saw the door open, he instinctively hid behind the counter and trembled. The war had been going on non-stop for the past few days, and many soldiers had come to rob them. As a result, they were all jittery!
The driver quickly said, “We’re not soldiers! We’re civilians.”
Only then did the boss heave a sigh of relief. However, he said, “The hotel is closed. We have to pack our bags and leave this place early tomorrow morning. This place is full of anti-government troops. How is it that you dare to come here?”
Just when the chauffeur was about to say something, Chu He walked over and placed a hundred yuan bill on the table. In fluent English, she said, “We’ll leave together in the morning! Please let us stay for the night.. We’ll go when day breaks.”
