The scorching sun beat down mercilessly on Libya’s war-ravaged lands, and the skies were darkened with billowing smoke from countless fires. Buildings were left in ruins from the constant bombings, leaving behind a landscape of despair and desolation. Winds carried the fine sands of the sprawling Libyan desert far and wide, adding to the woes of travelers and ever threatening to turn into sandstorms.
A tight convoy of five military vehicles was making its way through trunk roads of Libya’s interior, no more than 20 meters apart from the first vehicle to the last. To a pilot looking from high above, it would appear like a furious snake winding its way through the vast desert, as dust clouds trailed behind it. They were the Special Operations team that Xiao Luo was embedded in.
The last vehicle was a FAW 5-tonne truck, which carried twelve soldiers, and the other four were jeeps with three passengers and the driver–in total, they had thirty members in the group, which was equivalent to a platoon.
Libya was a land at war, and everyone was armed to the teeth. Xiao Luo donned a bulletproof vest over his camouflage fatigues and wore a ballistic helmet. For self-defense, he was armed with a rifle and a few hand grenades.
The lead jeep of the convoy flew a Hua nation flag stretched over its bonnet, and its primary purpose was to alert the Libyan government forces of their identity to avoid an inadvertent exchange of fire. It was not in the interest of the government troops to blatantly attack foreign soldiers who had ventured deep into Libyan territory to evacuate their compatriots. Likewise, the rebel troops saw no reason to pit themselves against any foreign forces they came across, as any reckless attack on these forces would only compel them to side actively with the government, which would be to the rebels’ disadvantage and minimize their chances of securing victory in this civil war.
“The rebel troops are ruthless, and given a chance, they will pounce on any party not aligned to them.”
Jiang Zhiming was speaking to Xiao Luo as they sat together in the second military jeep. This was not his first time leading an evacuation mission, so he had a better grasp of Libya’s situation. However, going as far inland as Stantine City was surely a first, even for him.
Xiao Luo nodded, acknowledging the team commander’s input. He looked out of the window and occasionally saw bodies of civilians killed indiscriminately, strewn by the roadside like the dead stray cats or dogs. The bodies were badly decomposed and filled the air with a putrid stench, attracting large swarms of flies hovering around them.
Along the way, Xiao Luo also saw throngs of Libyan civilians in exodus trying to escape from the warzones with their families–their clothes were torn and tattered, and they were covered in dirt and dust, mixed with their sweat to form thick crusts that clung on to their skins. They all wore forlorn looks from the neverending trauma of gunfire and bombing that dulled their senses. The look of fear was etched into their lifeless eyes, and they appeared like they had lost all hope to get through this war.
Many of them were terrified when they saw the convoy roll by and instinctively raised both of their hands in surrender.
It was impossible for Xiao Luo not to feel for these people after he had witnessed for himself the living hell they had to live in. He empathized with them as fellow human beings who shared the same skies and lived in the same age, for many people in other countries were fortunate enough to live in a stable and safe environment, and they did not need to worry about the possibility of dying in a conflict.
But here, in this corner of Earth, embroiled in a raging war, no one could isolate himself from the cruel realities of death. These people had lost their homes, and their families were torn apart, just like the seeds of wild grasses carried in the wind. They had no idea where they will resettle or what lied ahead for them. Who was to say that they would become another cold and lifeless body in the very next moment, consumed by this monster called war?
Jiang Zhiming sighed. “Nobody knows about the cruelty of war better than us. One could only appreciate the value of peace after experiencing the pain of war!” he exclaimed.
“Don’t overthink it, or you’ll be asking for trouble,” Xiao Luo replied.
He felt the need to allay Jiang Zhiming’s concerns. “We just need to focus on our immediate task and take everything else like a passing cloud, the kind that will dissipate into oblivion in a heartbeat.”
As long as even a hint of humanity remained in a person’s heart, he was bound to be touched by the people’s plight in Libya. However, Xiao Luo did not wish to expend his energy and mind on such matters, for there were many more tragedies taking place in many corners of the world right now. It was simply too much for a mere mortal to worry and mourn every mishap that occurred in the world.
Jiang Zhiming nodded in agreement as that was indeed the case. They were not the saviors of the world, so all they had to do was focus on completing their mission and leave the rest of it to others as there was nothing they could do about it.
“Mr. Mie, I’ve heard that everyone in the NSA is a monster, so you sure are powerful, right?”
At the front of the vehicle, a soldier sitting in the passenger seat excitedly turned around and asked Xiao Luo. He was a relatively younger man, and Jiang Zhiming had introduced him to Xiao Luo after boarding this car. He was Jiang Zhiming’s assistant, Kong Hongyun.
Xiao Luo smiled and did not answer him.
Kong Hongyun continued to press on and said, “Since you chose rifle as your main weapon, then it must be your forte! Our captain is also a great sniper. He took out the chief of the blue army from one kilometer away with just one shot and completed the assassination mission with outstanding results, then escaped the encirclement of a few hundred blue troops successfully. This made the blue army thought that they had run into a ghost, and ever since then, he was known to everyone as the ‘Ghost Bullet.’ Am I right, captain?”
“Ahem…”
Jiang Zhiming dry coughed and put up a stern face. “How is it that I’ve only come to discover that you’re such a gossip? You should keep your thoughts to yourself!” he chided.
He did not like to flaunt his personal achievements, and his intuition was that this Mie from the NSA was somebody special. Even trained soldiers like them felt slightly nervous, going deep into Libya’s central region, but Mie remained calm and indifferent as if such missions were a common thing to him. This complete lack of nervousness could not be faked, and his unflinching eyes said a lot about this man.
“I am not gossipy, but just stating all the facts.”
Kong Hongyun frowned and shrugged it off. He was quite close to Jiang Zhiming and knew his temperament very well, so he was not intimidated by Jiang Zhiming’s admonishment.
“Fine, just shut up now. If you are really bored, just go to sleep,” Jiang Zhiming snapped.
Kong Hongyun replied, “How can you be this mean, captain. This is a land of war; what if I took a bullet while I’m asleep and never wake up again? Wouldn’t that be so unfair?”
“Glad that you still know that.”
Jiang Zhiming sighed.
His jaws dropped when he turned over and realized that Xiao Luo had closed his eyes leaning against the window. His still position looked as if he had fallen asleep.
Oh, my God, this Mr. Mie is truly unwavering!
Kong Hongyun was so shocked that he forgot to close his mouth.
Jiang Zhiming was dumbfounded, and since Xiao Luo was not his subordinate technically and had completely different missions, he did nothing. If any of his subordinates dared to do that, he would definitely have slapped them and put some sense into their heads. That was undoubtedly the most effective method to keep his confused subordinates alert.
Of course, Xiao Luo did not fall asleep, but it was his way of ending a conversation. Jiang Zhiming wasn’t too bad, but Kong Hongyun was simply too chatty once he started talking.
As it turned out, Xiao Luo’s approach proved to be very useful in keeping the car quiet.
When he finally opened his eyes, he observed the situation outside carefully. They were near the Libyan hill, which was located close to the edge of the desert. The ground was entirely covered with drought-resistant plants. After three kilometers, he noticed a signboard by the road with a unique symbol scratched into it. When they advanced further, he saw another board with those markings.
Suddenly, Xiao Luo sensed something was wrong. “Stop the cars!” he shouted.
What made Xiao Luo shout with such urgency?
