"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!" Several incendiary bombs whistled through the air, striking the horses and cals. In pain, the animals ran wildly, their eyes bloodshot, charging at anyone they saw. The ard militants were thrown into disarray, jumping into the caves to hide. Only after the horses and cals had left did they erge, to find their targets had driven away.
The angry militants charged toward the cliff cave, driving out many small cars. Lan Xue and Mountain Eagle, covering the retreat, didn't understand how large the cave was or what treasures it hid. Without ti to think, they aid at the erging vehicles and opened fire.
"Swoosh!" Two incendiary bombs viciously smashed into a pickup truck, setting it ablaze. The driver, now on fire, howled as he jumped from the vehicle and rolled on the ground. With the pickup blocking the exit, more vehicles trying to escape could only detour, but Lan Xue and Mountain Eagle sniped them, blowing up several cars and completely sealing off the cave entrance.
The two smiled with satisfaction. Seeing people chasing after them, they packed away their weapons and quickly retreated. They ran and soon saw the waiting car ahead. Both jumped into the car one after the other. The pickup roared off, leaving the ard militants without vehicles, helplessly watching them drive away.
Everyone sped along the desert highway. The forced march through the desert combined with continuous combat had exhausted everyone, and they were severely worn out. Feeling relaxed now, drowsiness crept over them. Luo Zheng, observing his team's weary faces, knew they could fight no more and they needed to find a safe place to hide and recuperate soon.
With that thought, Luo Zheng imdiately said, "Let's leave here now, head for Lucia's village."
"Good idea," Lan Xue said, also aware of the severe depletion of everyone's energy, which was not conducive to continuing combat. She quickly agreed, and the others had no objections.
With his family's Breathing Skill, Luo Zheng was in much better physical and ntal condition. He relieved Ghost Hand from driving, taking the wheel himself and speeding off, while checking the GPS for the village location. With vehicles, the pace was naturally fast. A desert stretch that would take two to three days to cross on foot would only require two to three hours by car.
By dawn, the team had crossed the desert highway and continued onward. After about three more hours, the pickup ran out of fuel, and they had to abandon it and proceed on foot. Walking was slower, but they could traverse terrain impossible for vehicles and take shortcuts, significantly reducing the distance.
By noon, they arrived at the village. Seeing the familiar settlent, a large group of ard people rushed out. A sense of safety spontaneously erged among the team. To avoid any misunderstandings, they didn't move or reach for their guns, simply watching the approaching people with warm interest.
Different from their first arrival, the group rushing out included not only won but many sturdy young n, surprisingly led by the middle-aged man they had rescued from the cave. The middle-aged man also recognized Luo Zheng and his group, expressing great joy and indicating for everyone not to shoot, welcoming them with enthusiasm.
Reuniting with old acquaintances was especially heartfelt. The group was led into the village and arranged to stay in the sa small courtyard. Lucia ca running over, expressing her gratitude with joyful surprise. Luo Zheng and his team had inadvertently saved everyone, and the whole village was grateful, offering their best food and water.
Eating the delicious food, the team was moved. Indeed, good deeds are rewarded. Initially, they had entered the village to get so food, taught the villagers how to handle guns, and had a good three-day rest. In the retreat, they rescued people from the cave, sowhat exploiting the situation, but inadvertently, it turned out they rescued villagers. Their friendship deepened, and on their return, they were treated like benefactors.
After chatting for a while, Luo Zheng curiously asked, "Has the Wata Organization been back to bother you again?"
"They have, but we beat them back. However, I think they'll co again in a few days," Lucia replied swiftly, her expression dimming; being targeted by an ard group was no small matter.
"Then let's stay here for a few days, see if we can help out," Lan Xue said imdiately. The team needed to rest and recover, so they had a good reason to stay.
Lucia was overjoyed when she heard that Lan Xue and the others were willing to help, but then she hesitated and awkwardly said, "Thanks for your kindness, but we don't have any reward to offer you."
"No need for a reward, just provide food and shelter," Lan Xue said, recalling the rcenary cover story they had concocted. "The village's defenses need to be adjusted. We'll organize so people to help out. Oh, and how many from Wata ca last ti? How many do you expect next ti?"
"Last ti nearly a hundred ca, next ti we don't know. But we've heard that the Terrorist Organization fought with them for so reason. The Wata Organization is now preoccupied, wary of being attacked by the Terrorist Organization, and probably can't send many," Lucia said unsurely, furrowing her brows.
Luo Zheng and the others couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this. The infighting between the Terrorist Organization and the Wata Organization had been instigated by them, but of course, they wouldn't disclose that. Luo Zheng smiled and said, "We're not afraid if there aren't many. We just need to build three lines of defense. Even if we leave, you'll hold against three hundred but I can't be sure about more."
"That's great! Just tell us what to do. The several hundred people in the village will follow your orders. We'll start preparations imdiately. There's no ti like the present," Lucia said with great happiness, whispering to soone nearby who then excitedly hurried off.
"There's one more piece of news, I don't know if it's useful to you," the middle-aged man suddenly spoke up. Seeing that he had captured everyone's attention, he continued, "During the retreat, so tall-nosed foreigners shot so of us. It seems they were looking for you, but nobody spoke up."
"Eh?" Luo Zheng was montarily stunned, then quickly realized they were likely talking about Snow Bear. He said apologetically, "I'm sorry for troubling you. I will definitely avenge everyone."
"No need, you already took risks to save us. As for them, there's no need for you to act. The big boss of the Terrorist Organization has spread the word that any of Allah's children will attack them on sight, and every ard group within a thousand kiloters is hunting them down," the middle-aged man explained.
"Ah? Why?" Luo Zheng exclaid in surprise, pressing for an answer.
"Because they shot civilians. We have a rule: no matter who the shooter is, other people must set aside their hatred and conflict to unite and take down the shooter until they are dead. Ard militants aren't civilians, so you don't need to worry about being hunted for killing them," the middle-aged man said seriously. Seeing the solemn expressions on everyone's faces, he continued, "The militants are not civilians. You can kill them without worry of retribution."
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