807: Chapter 798: Stop While You’re Ahead 807: Chapter 798: Stop While You’re Ahead Gao Yang had always considered his heart to be hard and his hand to be ruthless; indeed, calling him a prolific killer wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
But for so reason, seeing the Tuareg old man standing in waist-deep water, Gao Yang felt a kind of heartache.
An old man, his hair and beard almost completely white, was holding his fallen veil, trying hard to put it on his face with one hand, while the other hand paddled in the water, barely keeping himself from falling in.
Old Fox shivered and said, “Could you let get onto dry land?
I don’t like water.
I don’t want to die in it.”
The feeling of a hero in his twilight years isn’t likely to be a pleasant one.
Perhaps Old Fox could hardly be called a hero, but he was an old soldier, and a very good one at that.
Even as an enemy, Gao Yang couldn’t help but maintain respect for Old Fox.
Gao Yang wasn’t necessarily a hero either, but that didn’t stop him from feeling a sense of camaraderie for the old soldier, the sort of sentint that little people have, albeit they were just minor characters.
Gao Yang had intended to shoot Old Fox dead, but seeing the old man’s condition, he found it difficult to go through with it.
Of course, they were still enemies, but he could give Old Fox an honorable way to die.
After sighing, Gao Yang nodded and said in a deep voice, “You can co up, but what about the other person?”
The old man’s body was so shivery he could hardly move, and the place where Gao Yang had shot him, although not imdiately fatal, made it impossible for him to move smoothly.
After taking two steps forward, Old Fox couldn’t keep himself upright, much less make it back to shore.
After stopping helplessly in the water, the old man shook his head and said, “Don’t worry, the war is over.
The other person, he has already left.
I let him go.
My eldest son’s death allowed us to leave the house, but since I couldn’t kill you, I let my younger son go.
Yes, the only one who was alive beside was my youngest son.
He has left.”
Gao Yang remained silent for a mont, then said, “Among all the old n I’ve t, you are the toughest one.
As a Tuareg, you are remarkable, and although you are my enemy, I respect you.”
Old Fox sighed and said, “I hate you.
I really want to kill you because you killed all the people I brought out of the tribe.
Yes, I hate you to the bone.
But I also respect you.
You are young, but you are very capable.
I’ve been fighting for a while, and you are the toughest guy I’ve ever t.
So, I have to admit, as much as I hate you, I also admire you.
To die at your hands, I have no complaints.”
Gao Yang exhaled and said, “You are a respectable adversary.
I want to give you a dignified death.
So, tell , what is your request?”
The old man smiled, muttered sothing in his native language that Gao Yang couldn’t understand, then tremblingly said, “It’s a saying from my holand.
I can’t say it in English, but roughly, it ans: ‘Don’t let a person die in the water.’ I co from the desert.
I cherish and like water, but I also fear it and certainly don’t want to die in it.
So please help , get to the shore.”
Gao Yang thought for a mont and said, “Okay, I can get you out of the water, and I can put the veil back on for you, but please, don’t try any tricks.
I think you know what the consequences would be.”
Old Fox bowed slightly to Gao Yang and said, “Thank you.
You really are a respectable opponent.”
Gao Yang turned to Kusto, who was beside him, and said, “Help get him out of the water, be careful.
I think he probably won’t do anything, but we still need to be cautious.”
Kusto jumped into the water without another word, while Gao Yang raised his gun nervously.
If Old Fox tried anything, like suddenly pulling out a knife, he would shoot the old man’s head off at an even faster speed.
Old Fox was already very weak, and after being soaked in the water for so long, even if he wanted to do sothing before dying, he no longer had the strength.
After Old Fox was dragged ashore, he lay there on the ground, catching his breath contentedly, then said to Gao Yang, “I want to ask you for sothing.
I know you have the ability to follow soone’s trail and find them.
Please let my son go.
Let him leave and don’t chase after him.
You want the diamonds from here, and you have succeeded.
Please let him go, will you?”
Gao Yang crouched next to Old Fox, holding up his head with one hand, and carefully placed the veil back on Old Fox’s face.
With the wet veil covering his face, Old Fox’s voice was muffled, but he spoke with a pleasant tone, “Thank you very much.
This makes feel much more comfortable.”
Gao Yang said solemnly, “The one who left, he is your son, isn’t he?
I don’t have ti to chase after him.
If he doesn’t co back, there won’t be any issues.
But if he wants to beco an Avenger, well, that’s not sothing I can control.”
Old Fox sighed and said, “No, he won’t co back.
He’ll take the money back to our tribe.
We hardly have any n left, and he should stay in the tribe.
Besides, we didn’t earn a small amount of money.
He has no need to be a rcenary anymore.”
Gao Yang thought for a mont and said, “Do you have anything else to say?”
Old Fox shook his head and said, “Except to thank you, there is nothing else.
Ah, I’m old.
I should have stayed in the tribe.
But I got used to a nomadic life.
I’ve fought for too long, long enough that war beca my instinct.
Neither the tribe nor a ho can hold anymore.
I always knew that this day would co.
To die by the hands of a respectable enemy is better than being blown up by a landmine.”
Old Fox said he had nothing more to say but then said a lot more.
However, Gao Yang really didn’t mind letting an old man talk a bit more before he died.
After listening to Old Fox’s words, Gao Yang also felt quite moved and said, “As a rcenary, dying on the battlefield seems like the inevitable outco.
From the first day as a rcenary, many people are destined for this fate.
Besides, as a rcenary, you have lived long enough.”
The Old Fox smiled and said, “I started fighting in wars with my father when I was fourteen, and now I am fifty-four years old.
I’ve lived for so many years on the battlefield; indeed, I’ve been rather lucky.”
Gao Yang shrugged and replied, “You’re only fifty-four?
By your appearance, I thought you were at least sixty-four.”
“Can’t help it, I age noticeably.”
“It’s indeed noticeable, but that’s normal.
The life of a rcenary does accelerate aging.”
“I’ve thought about it, and I do have one last request.”
“Go ahead.”
“Could you retrieve my rifle from the water for ?
I’m a man of the desert, and my gun is a gun of the desert too.
I don’t think it would want to rot in the water.
I’ve been using it since the start of my fighting days.
Could you place it beside after I die?”
Gao nodded and said, “Yes, I can do that.
Also, do you need to bury you?”
“Of course, being buried is always better than being eaten by bugs.
I’d be imnsely grateful if you’re willing to bury !”
Gao Yang said to Kusto, “Go into the water and fetch his gun.”
Kusto dived back into the water and after groping around for a while, he raised a mud-covered rifle.
He rinsed it in the water, removing the mud from the barrel before returning to the shore and handing the rifle to Gao Yang.
Gao Yang took the dripping old rifle, examined it briefly, and after ensuring the safety was on, he swung the gun to shake out most of the water before laying it across the Old Fox’s chest.
The Old Fox clasped his rifle and hugged it tightly to his chest, saying in a very contented voice, “That’s wonderful, I didn’t expect you to give it to while I’m still alive.
Thank you.
Seeing as you’re so generous and also planning to bury , I won’t curse you.
Though my hatred for you won’t be lessened by the slightest.”
Gao Yang pointed to the Old Fox’s rifle and asked, “You can’t seriously have been using the sa rifle for forty years, can you?”
The Old Fox proudly said, “That’s right, forty years.
Apart from replacing the recoil spring, I’ve never had to repair anything else, and it has never let down.”
Gao Yang frowned and asked, “The rifling must be gone by now, can it still shoot accurately?”
“The rifling is pretty much gone, it’s basically a smoothbore now.
The bullets start to stray past a hundred ters, but surprisingly, the power seems to have increased because I found that sotis the bullets hit sideways, and whoever gets hit dies faster.
I haven’t been very good at hitting distant targets anyway, so not being able to shoot accurately at a long range doesn’t really matter to .”
Gao Yang clicked his tongue and said, “Tough guy, you are.
It’s the first ti I’ve heard of soone willing to use such a gun.”
“No choice, if war has beco a habit for , then fighting with this gun is my instinct.
You should understand.”
“Sure, I get it.
I probably won’t change my rifle in this lifeti either.
Luckily, my rifle is strong, very, very impressive.
It’s the pinnacle of gunsmithing art, a combination of the gunsmith and the highest technology.
I reckon even if I use it for decades, the accuracy of my gun won’t reduce.
Pretty impressive, right?”
“Oh, oh, I don’t really understand; I’m outdated.
I don’t know much about those high-tech gadgets people use now.
But your rifle does sound impressive.
You’re lucky to have such a good gun.
Mine used to be very good, too, with an accuracy that didn’t resemble an AK47, but like , it’s gotten too old.”
“That’s true, guns and people alike age, but not to show off, my rifle might still be as good as new even when I’m too old to move.
By the way, my gun is called the ‘Blade of Satan.’ What’s yours?”
Gao Yang had initially planned to put the Old Fox out of his misery with a shot, but seeing how the Old Fox seed to enjoy talking, he continued speaking with him as if chatting with an old friend.
However, the Old Fox was getting weaker and weaker, and he barely had the strength to talk.
“You’ve nad your rifle?
I haven’t.
I never nad mine.
Uh, looking at you and your style, I guess you’re a rcenary, too.”
“You guessed right, I’m a rcenary.”
The Old Fox nodded, took several deep breaths, closed his eyes, and upon opening them again, whispered, “I’m out of strength.
I think I’m about to die.
Please rember your promise to bury , thank you.”
After speaking, the Old Fox hugged his rifle even tighter, swallowed his saliva, and closed his eyes to say faintly, “Quit while you’re ahead…”(To be continued.
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