The outside of the hospital had turned into utter chaos.
Charles never expected to be standing at the hospital entrance, arguing with Hart and planning to coerce the UN colonel into arranging another air transport for him, when the guard team issued a warning through the channel.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
Bang—
Before Charles could react, a warhead hit the front of the armored vehicle to his left, ricocheted upwards, and soared high.
"Enemy attack?!"
Captain Charles instinctively pressed himself against the armored vehicle, taking cover behind its wheels.
"Who?! Who's attacking us!"
In his mind, this area should have been safe.
Even if rebels advanced here, they wouldn't fire at him.
This was within Colonel Damar's attack range; currently, he was in the Machar Swamp, and his troops were fully mobilized, making it impossible to launch an attack northward.
Nor could it be the Sudan governnt army from the north.
He was driving a UN vehicle, carrying UN credentials and docunts.
They wouldn't shoot at him either.
Was there so misunderstanding!?
"Are they rebels? If so, inform them we're allies!"
After blurting this out, Charles himself found it absurd.
He was holding a UN identity now, calling rebels "allies" was truly ridiculous.
"They don't look like rebels, these people are professionals..."
Before finishing the sentence, the guard team mber fell silent after a scream.
"Contact the guard team!"
"There are only two of us left!"
Charles quickly received the reply.
The peripheral guard team initially had four mbers.
In less than a minute of firefight, two were lost?
"Imdiately shrink the defensive periter, retreat into the hospital building, and then I will contact the Peacekeeping Forces!"
Charles was plotting well now.
Retreat into the hospital, relying on the building to resist stubbornly.
Then call the Peacekeeping Forces to stop the firefight.
He would be safe then.
After all, he was a UN mber now.
Calling UN troops was logical.
Though Peacekeeping Forces are not allowed to intervene in wars, they could carry out ergency rescue operations when their own were threatened.
Under his orders, everyone began retreating into the hospital.
Boom—
An RPG rocket flew over.
Sparks erupted from the body of a UN armored vehicle at the entrance, followed by the rocket detonating inside, making it jump half a ter high, and flas soared ters high, illuminating the hospital entrance brightly.
"Retreat! Quickly retreat!"
From the gunfire, Charles determined the guard team wasn't wrong—these were professionals!
No!
To be precise, they were top-tier!
The sounds of the assault rifles were short bursts, even single shots.
Only veterans fired this way.
Even the machine gun sounds from the other side were mixed long and short bursts, clearly operated by a seasoned shooter.
The "Satan" rcenary Group had never faced such tough opponents in Africa.
The peripheral guard team of two couldn't make it back, no matter how much they were called, there was no response.
Charles led the remaining six team mbers into the hospital.
The hospital was rely a small courtyard with a three-story building and a row of bungalows, extrely rudintary in terms of conditions and facilities.
Seeing the soldiers rush in like wolves, so local wounded and patients, and little nurses inside scread in terror.
"Shut up! Scream again and I will kill you!"
Charles, filled with rage with no outlet, was further irritated by the chaotic environnt.
"Guard the entrances! Guard all entrances!"
Charles spoke while picking up the satellite phone, which had remained connected, dialing Colonel Hart.
This ti it took a while for the call to connect.
Charles suddenly realized Hart was hesitating to answer.
Maybe he thought Charles was dood.
If caught, it could implicate him.
"The old fox!"
He hung up and texted Hart—Colonel, you can't escape, if you don't answer, I will take this to the United States!
The ssage was loaded with implication.
And, indeed effective.
Thirty seconds later, Hart initiated the call.
"Hmph!"
Seeing Hart's number, Charles sneered triumphantly.
"Colonel, don't think abandoning us now will clear things up, I said, it's useless. Now I am under attack at Kodok Hospital, if you don't want exposure, mobilize Peacekeeping Forces in the na of UN, stop the battle, and protect and my team to leave here!"
"You're insane! You're not part of the UN Peacekeeping Forces, how can I mobilize them? UN forces are not one nation's army, nor do they have to obey my orders! How do I move them to rescue you? You're not on any UN Peacekeeping Forces list! Your identities are fake! Fake!"
Colonel Hart was also losing control.
Given the ss, his mood was predictably terrible.
Charles dared to threaten him.
These bastards!
Son of bitches!
He cursed Charles internally, cursed the "Satan" Corp, cursed the tycoon hiding in the US, sending pawns like Charles and him to Africa for certain death!
After venting, he faced reality.
"Even if I secretly mobilize so troops under the guise of stopping the conflict, it will take at least an hour! An hour, can you hold out?"
"Of course, I've ordered my team to retreat into the hospital, holding out an hour isn't a problem!"
"Alright, hold on, I will send help imdiately!"
He hung up.
Charles relaxed a bit.
He wondered curiously who the attackers were outside?!
In Africa, attacking UN personnel, daring to fight "Satan" Corp was rare.
He peered outside from the entrance window and quickly pulled back.
Saw no one.
He asked the two guards at the door, "Did you see who they were?"
Both shook their heads.
One guard said, "But I think I heard soone speaking Russian on their side."
"Russians?!"
Charles frowned.
In the past year, a batch of Russian rcenaries ca to Africa, rumored to be backed by the Russian governnt. The leader, "Chef," was Russian, but those rcenaries were protecting Russian businessn's mines in northern Sahel countries, not appearing in South Sudan.
Sahel Zone is the territory of France, UK, and the US, Russians avoided direct conflict.
So who were they at the door?
As he doubted, a familiar voice suddenly ca.
"Attention people inside the hospital, we are targeting the rcenaries who just escaped inside. They are not UN mbers; they are rcenaries posing as UN personnel. You have five minutes to leave the building, or after five minutes, a lethal strike will be launched, and collateral damage is not desirable."
The voice ca from the loudspeaker of the UN armored vehicle.
UN armored vehicles had this device to disperse crowds or warn hostile ard personnel during missions.
Unexpected…
His armored vehicle fell into enemy hands!
"Song Heping!"
Charles recognized the voice! Calling out was his target tonight—Song Heping!
He felt terribly embarrassed.
Ca to assassinate Song Heping.
Now it's reversed, Song Heping was hunting him??!
This is surreal!
Suddenly, Charles had new insight into Song Heping.
Prior analyses indicated Song Heping was a fierce fighter, but omitted his madness, no, rabidness.
Only a mad dog acts this way.
Strike it, it'll chase you nine streets, until one's dead or alive.
Charles felt his scalp go numb.
Such an insane opponent, unseen before!
He noticed sudden silence around.
Doctors and nurses peered from all room doors.
Originally suspicious of these n being UN mbers, the doctors and nurses now believed Song Heping's ssage—these were rcenaries, not UN Peacekeeping Forces...
"Soone escaped!"
A guard reported in the channel.
"Captain, stop them?!"
"Kill! Anyone fleeing, kill! Warn them to stay inside lest they die!"
Charles realized to hold longer, best use hostages.
He wasn't sure if Song Heping would be cautious.
A hostage is better than none!
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