The driver, Xiao Hei, quickly steered the car towards the roadside. The two jeeps sped through the woods and soon stopped in an open area.
The group quickly got out of the car.
The four black bodyguards, looking extrely tense, crouched down and scattered into the woods, hiding behind the trees.
Seeing this absurd operation, Song Heping was absolutely stunned.
"Shit!"
Jiang Feng cursed.
"What are you doing!"
Logically, the bodyguards' role should be to protect their employer. Before confirming their safety, bodyguards must stand in front of their employer, set up a periter, and create an effective line of defense to avoid attacks.
These four bodyguards just ran into the woods, leaving the group on the open ground with no sign of professionalism.
"You have to rely on yourself."
Song Heping checked the Type 56 submachine gun in his hand.
This ti entering Sudan, Song Heping had already understood the situation here.
So when hiring guides and bodyguards, he paid the guide a generous fee to request several guns.
Each of them, Song Heping, Jiang Feng, Antonov, and Nura, had an assault rifle, a handgun, and four hand grenades.
As for tactical vests, they did without; bullet belts were enough.
The guide did co through, and Song Heping and Jiang Feng were amused when they saw it.
It turned out he got them Type 56 and Type 63 bullet belts, but the handgun was a TT-33, a classic from the old Soviet Union.
Money makes things happen; they even got hand grenades, M67 models, good enough.
The guide had bragged and laughed at Song Heping, saying it was unnecessary because with him and the bodyguards, they wouldn't need the guns.
Luckily Song Heping had foresight and didn't believe the guide's boasting, otherwise they would be in trouble now.
The group didn't enter the woods because there were lots of old tires and car parts piled up around the so-called open ground, clearly showing it was a junkyard.
Maybe the previous owner ran a junk car business here and fled when the war broke out, leaving the assets behind.
In Africa, second-hand goods are treasures.
Even old tires, when cut up, can be made into shoes that sell.
"Let's stay out of it and see what happens."
The group dispersed behind the piles of old tires, taking defensive positions in different directions. After setting up, Song Heping issued his first order.
"Got it."
Antonov agreed strongly with Song Heping's decision.
"Right, don't get involved in their affairs."
Jiang Feng's words even tasted a bit like Buddhist philosophy.
The gunfire was coming from the west, where the highway to Ethiopia was. Another forty kiloters would put them inside Ethiopia.
Soon, Song Heping saw a smoking black SUV heading towards them. It was billowing white smoke from the front, indicating a penetrated radiator with coolant spraying out.
Three pickups were chasing the SUV.
Pickups are the typical armored vehicles in Africa, akin to the role of the Humrs in the US Army—though the forr lack the latter's superior protection but similarly offer strong mobility, firepower, and good load capacity.
However, the cargo beds of these three pickups were not mounted with large caliber machine guns but filled with militants carrying AK47 and FAL automatic rifles.
These guys, chewing khat, were as excited as on steroids.
They didn't seem eager to destroy the SUV; instead, they toyed with their prey like a cat with a mouse.
Anyone could see that the front SUV was leaking and couldn't get away.
Bang bang bang—
Bang bang bang—
"Hahaha! Look at those guys! They're panicking!"
"Oh! Crash into the roadside! No need for us to waste bullets!"
"Cowards! Stop and fight us!"
The militants in the pickups hooted and whistled, occasionally firing shots to further disorient the SUV's driver.
Finally, the front black Toyota SUV, perhaps unable to move any further or the driver having completely collapsed ntally, swerved a few tis and crashed into the roadside ditch, burying itself halfway in the tall grass. The wheels spun a few tis, and the engine stalled.
The doors opened, and two bodyguard-looking black n sprinted away, leaving their guns behind, only the bullet belts proving their bodyguard status. It made Song Heping want to laugh and cry.
"Oh my gosh! There might be soone else in the car, probably the employer!"
Jiang Feng's words made Antonov glance at the hiding bodyguards in the woods before turning to Song Heping, "I already warned you, these cheap bodyguards here are no good. You should have hired Russian ones."
Song Heping responded, "I asked you to get them, why didn't you?"
Antonov was speechless, for Song Heping did ask him.
Antonov had heard there were Russian rcenary groups in Africa, but didn't know where to find them.
Bang bang bang—
Rat-a-tat-tat—
Rat-a-tat-tat—
While they were conversing, the three pickups stopped in the middle of the road. The militants, excited by the fleeing bodyguards, began enthusiastically firing at them.
To Song Heping, the chaotic shooting had nothing to do with tactics, but they had numbers and bullets, making the barrage dense.
Though many bullets hit the road around the bodyguards, several lucky shots struck the hapless guards, taking them down with sprays of blood.
One bodyguard fell to the ground, struggling on seeing the others hiding in the woods and the heads peeking from behind the tires in the junkyard.
He realized there were people here.
Instinctively, he wanted to cry for help.
But as he opened his mouth, blood poured out.
Jiang Feng frowned.
"No saving him, his organs are destroyed..."
The wounded bodyguard soon breathed his last.
But the surrounding militants, seeming unsatisfied, continued their fun. Laughing and jeering as though they'd killed animals, they fired another burst at the bodies, then turned to head towards the Toyota SUV with glee.
"Well, the employer in the car is toast..."
Jiang Feng's remark was cut short as he suddenly exclaid, "Chinese?!"
Two people erged from the wrecked SUV, heads raised in a surrender posture, signaling to the militants that they posed no threat.
But before Jiang Feng's surprise settled, Song Heping gasped under his breath, "Hell! It's Ah Guan!"
For Song Heping recognized both people from the car!
One was his forr business partner in Illiguo, Ah Guan, and the other, Song Heping had seen before, brought by Ah Guan to Illiguo for lumber business. He rembered this guy's na was Hou Xing, who had boasted about taking Song Heping to Africa if Illiguo beca tough to survive or went under, offering to make him fly high in business here.
Uh...
"I know these two, we have to intervene."
Without hesitation, Song Heping made the decision.
"Jiang Feng, circle around to the three o'clock position."
"Anton, you and Nura provide fire support from here. I'll flank. Once you hear my gunfire, imdiately form a crossfire and quickly eliminate them, no survivors!"
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