Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Li Du had made the decision for a few reasons. One was based on morals. In secondary school, when he had learned that the conservation team leader had been shot by the poachers, he cried.
Every youth had once dreamt of being a hero.
Second, it was for their own safety. Although they did not have a good relationship with the rangers, those people were only protecting the environments and would not harm them.
It was different for the poachers. If they were to set up base there, it meant that Li Du and his people would be operating with a ticking bomb near them.
Now that the rangers were surrounding the protectors’ camp, it was an opportunity to strike them all at once. Only by defeating those people for good they would be able to search for meteorites safely as long as they were on the island.
Besides, if they did not deal with the poachers, once they knew that Li Du’s group had meteorites, they could possibly try to steal the rare stones.
After all, meteorites were highly valued. Steve already had six pieces of them, which was equivalent to at least a few hundred thousand. That was a sum poachers would die for!
Hence, they had to deal with that problem once and for all.
Next, it was time for them to make their battle plans. Li Du said, “I suggest that we think of a way to connect with the old soldiers and launch a double attack. From the outside and from the inside. That would be more efficient.”
Young Ford said as he grilled sausage, “That would be easy. The helicopter can take someone to their camp.”
Brother Wolf shook his head. “No need for that. They have one of our radios with them.”
The combat equipment that Li Du had received previously was a complete set. Each set was equipped with an advanced individual radio station. The radio station could be utilized for communication with the whole network once they were connected to the satellite signals. Even without satellite support, they would be able to communicate through LAN networks.
Steve knew about the existence of those radios and asked in surprise, “How would they have your radio transmitter? Did you give them one?”
Brother Wolf said, “Yes, I gave them one last night.”
Steve laughed and said, “You guys have deduced that we would enter the picture?”
Brother Wolf said simply, “You guys will fight for the right causes.”
“A good reason to join in a fight,” Big Ford smiled. He patted his gun and said, “Let’s go, buddy, let’s kill those d*mn b*stards!”
“Everyone who joins in the fight will get twenty thousand dollars!” Steve added.
The bodyguards suddenly perked up and hurried to check on their weapons and make preparations.
Young Ford said thoughtfully, “Indeed, conflicts are about money. We have to throw out about a million bucks just to fight those poachers.”
Li Du did his calculations. That was true. Twenty thousand dollars’ bonus for each fighter added up to quite an amount.
Almost all of the bodyguards had chosen to join in the fight, and the same was true for the meteorite hunters. After all, twenty thousand dollars was no trifling sum. It was more than they would normally be able to make in the course of a year.
With the helicopters, heavy-duty SUVs, and mountain bikes, they were now equipped. Everyone set off once Brother Wolf had drawn up the attack strategy.
With the radio equipment on his back, Brother Wolf rode a motorcycle with one of the Russian bodyguards. Once they were within the signal radius the radio transmitters, they started trying to establish a connection with the old soldiers.
There were eight larger transmitters and six smaller ones. The latter was for the six smaller fight teams. Each team had a radio and that was how Brother Wolf directed his commands and coordinated the people.
There was also a radio on the helicopter and Big Ivan could connect it to receive signals. He was wearing the headset, plugged in and ready to receive instructions.
Li Du went closer to the window and peered out. Then he said, “Big Ivan, go higher. Be careful of those b*stards’ bullets.”
Big Ivan smiled. “Don’t worry, boss. They do not have weapons that can shoot this high. They will not be able to threaten the Mi-171. This helicopter has been designed to withstand bullets. As long as you guys don’t fall out, there should not be any life-threatening situations.”
Li Du, Steve, and the Ford brothers were on the helicopter. Although it was rather cowardly of them, they had not much choice, as their lives were too important for them to be taking risks.
Steve stayed low beside Li Du and said, “Don’t you have very good eyesight? Go on, try to find those sons of a b*tch. See where they are.”
Li Du let out the little bug. The helicopter was flying slightly over one hundred meters above the ground. The little bug could scan a rather large area surrounding them.
As arranged, when the helicopter reached the airspace above the old soldiers’ camp, they sent out a signal to attack. Both parties attacked their enemy at the same time, from outside and inside the camp.
As the helicopter flew over, they saw a bunch of old men emerging from inside the camp. If it were not for the little bug’s ability to see from a distance, Li Du and the rest would not have been able to see the expression on their faces.
The veterans were indeed very experienced in combat. They were either dressed in self-made guerilla clothing or had rolled themselves up in dead leaves and mud. They covered for each other as they dashed out of the camp and remained well camouflaged as they attacked.
After Li Du spotted the old soldiers, he directed the little bug to scan the surroundings. Very soon, two poachers who were hiding in a trench appeared in his vision.
Through the radio on the helicopter, Li Du contacted Brother Wolf. “There are trenches 60 degrees southwest of the camp and about 50 meters away. Two people hiding there.”
“Got it. 60 degrees southwest, between 40 to 65 meters, team two, go for it!”
The little bug flew forward. There were some people camouflaged in the bushes. Li Du prepared his gun and then aimed at the spot before firing consecutively. Bang, bang, bang! Bang, bang, bang! Bang, bang, bang!
The helicopter continued to move and he was unable to aim correctly. Besides, he was not a very good shot. Hence, he was unable to strike the target.
However, the bullets struck the surroundings. The shots impacted the ground, causing fountains of mud to fly everywhere and sending gravel into the air. In any case, the mud, grass, and grit flew right up!
The first wave of bullets hit them and some of them started to get anxious. They picked up their guns and crouched down to start retreating. Behind them, someone yelled, “This is just a test attack! They do not know that we are…”
Before he could finish his sentence, there came a second and third wave of bullets. They fell all around them, tearing up grass and splashing mud.
Seeing that, the men immediately picked up their guns and ran off. They realized someone must have discovered them.
They continued to run farther away from the campsite but by then, the old soldiers had caught up with them. The veterans watched them as they started shooting. At the same time, they were shouting angrily, “Surrender or die! Put down your weapons! Get down!”
The eight heavy-duty SUVs approached. The vehicles, too, had bulletproof exteriors. Steve was excellently equipped. The cars could drive smoothly on the rough ground.
The poachers were not trained soldiers. They were daring and good at operating the guns. However, they lacked combat strategy and understanding.
These people would have no trouble fighting easy opponents, but once there was a change in the combat situation, they would not be able to cope.
With the intelligence from the helicopter and the ongoing firing from both above and on land, the defense that the poachers had planned broke down easily.
Keen to join in, Steve and the Ford brothers stuck their guns out of the helicopter too and started to shoot. They yelled, “Go to hell, you devils!”
Brother Wolf’s voice boomed from the radio. “Stop the attack from the helicopter! The ground troops have entered the area. Stop the attack from the air!”
Li Du continued to keep his eye on the fight. He said, “To the north of the camp, there are four or five people getting ready to flee. They are about two or three hundred meters away.”
“Understood. Team six, get ready. North of the campsite. Attack from 150 meters to 400 meters.”
