Super Soldier in the City-Chapter 1903 - 1968: Crossfire

But these vehicles can now serve as a means of transportation, reducing the need for Li Yifei and others to walk. After all, the attack site is over a thousand miles away. Relying on legs alone would take ten days to half a month to complete this raid.

"Mr. Golden Eagle, we’ll reach Badan tomorrow. Once we arrive, we’ll be in dangerous territory. With so many people, it’s impossible to use the highway; otherwise, we’d be subject to military inspections. Therefore, we must take mountain paths, which might delay our arrival past the planned time..."

"It’s okay, arriving late is fine. Safety is most important." Li Yifei looked at the map provided by Ayurhan and said, "Rest tonight, we’ll move out tomorrow."

Truth be told, Li Yifei has never commanded a large battle, but he has directed several small skirmishes with one or two hundred people. He has just studied some tactics, so he’s not in a hurry. The equipment from Aragon can’t be obtained in two days anyway, so arriving late is acceptable.

Thus, early the next morning, everyone was ready. At Li Yifei’s command, several vehicles charged into the mountain paths.

After traveling for half a day, covering over 200 kilometers, the cars weren’t the problem; the bad road conditions made it impossible to go fast. On either side of the road, often there were remnants of war, bullet holes of various calibers, spent shells, and larger artillery shells. The paths were frequently damaged by explosions, forcing detours or simple repairs.

This significantly slowed the pace. The greatest danger along the way came from the unseen landmines. This is already a terrorist active area, with countless eyes in the forests on either side of the road, ready to shoot at any moment.

During the half-hour rest at noon, Li Yifei and the others encountered at least two groups closing in, casting unfriendly glances. If it weren’t for Li Yifei’s side having more people, those groups might have attacked.

The men, dressed in long robes with big beards and piercing black eyes, were quite unfriendly. Each carried a gun, even the children, with loaded weapons.

Ayurhan’s people drove away the two groups, and the cars resumed the journey, hiring a few more vehicles along the way, making the ride less crowded.

Li Yifei’s car led the way. When encountering suspicious spots, he would lead the investigation.

In this manner, three days later, Li Yifei reached the agreed location, a particularly small town with few inhabitants. The town was first dominated by Middle Eastern terrorists, so apart from a few local residents, the remaining people were abnormal, according to Ayurhan. In reality, they were terrorists, divided into various factions, engaging in frequent battles. Gunshots were common, and locals were accustomed to it. To greet Li Yifei and his team, the town chose a special method—gunfire!

A few bullets struck the lead vehicle’s body, blowing out the right front tire, causing it to swerve and stop. The occupants were visibly upset, including Li Yifei. The convoy stopped, and in front of them stood over ten heavily armed men with numerous ammo clips, all sporting big beards and robes, some revealing only two dark eyes, full of provocation.

Li Yifei opened the door and got out, followed by his team quickly exiting the vehicles.

Ayurhan’s people went over and loudly questioned in the local language. The other side responded stiffly, but their tone weakened significantly. They hadn’t expected so many people in the cars, and crucially, these people seemed better armed than them.

Seeing the Caucasians, Africans, and even Asians, the opposing group became agitated again. Soon, another twenty or thirty armed men appeared, raising their gun barrels threateningly.

The reason is simple: within some organizations, there is generally a bounty system. Killing an American can earn a substantial reward, with some organizations offering tens of thousands of US dollars. Killing an African or Asian might yield a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. These people harbor the deepest resentment against Caucasians, thus the highest bounties.

Li Yifei had brought international mercenaries, thus attracting much hatred.

Understanding this, Li Yifei stepped forward. Ayurhan’s people had nearly finished negotiating, so it was his turn. A leader from the other side approached and pointed a gun at Li Yifei, saying, "Two hundred thousand US dollars, and you can stay here overnight; otherwise, leave within five minutes, or you’ll become corpses."

A shakedown, huh? Li Yifei nodded subtly; the other side mistook it for agreement, visibly relaxing, saying, "Since you agree, hand over the money quickly."

Ayurhan was anxious; they had brought money, more than two hundred thousand, but it was meant for buying weapons. Giving it away was out of the question. Just as he was about to speak, Li Yifei raised his hand to stop him and spoke to the leader in Arabic, "I don’t have two hundred thousand, but I’ll still stay here tonight."

"Does that mean you want war?" The leader’s tone cooled.

Li Yifei shook his head, saying, "No desire for war either."

"You’re playing me?" The leader immediately tried to pull the trigger, but as he made the move, he felt a quick blur before the gun was in Li Yifei’s hand, and his finger was snap-twisted, Li Yifei’s other hand already gripping his throat.

The movement was so fast that the surrounding people failed to react. Once they did, they found the leader under control with a large-caliber pistol pressed against his head.

"I’m not playing you!" Li Yifei said calmly, glancing around. "I’m just passing through, staying temporarily. I don’t want to take your turf or rob you, but you better not come for me; otherwise, you’ll meet Allah."

The leader never imagined these outsiders were so tough. Realizing they weren’t to be trifled with, he nodded quickly, saying, "Okay, I allow you to stay in the town, but release me first!"

Li Yifei shook his head, saying, "Releasing you is impossible. You damaged my car, and I need compensation."

"Fine, I’ll compensate!" The leader gritted his teeth and nodded forcefully.

Li Yifei didn’t budge, instead saying, "Good, to prevent your people from getting too excited, you must stay with me while I’m here."

"You! Don’t bully us too much!" the leader exclaimed. His men stepped forward, guns trained on Li Yifei. Of course, Li Yifei’s dozens of men responded by aiming back at those men, outnumbering them by two to three times.

Ordinary people might never see a gun in their lifetime. Here, over a hundred guns were present, many pointing at Li Yifei. If asked if he was afraid, Li Yifei would surely say... afraid, but not too much. After all, he had a hostage, making it crucial not to release the leader.

After a few minutes of standoff, the leader reluctantly conceded, surprised at how aggressive these outsiders were. The town lacked decent housing; Li Yifei rented two dilapidated buildings from the owner for three hundred dollars.

Of course, Li Yifei wasn’t too harsh on the leader. After inquiry, Li Yifei learned this man’s name was Muhammad Huba, a local with a hundred-strong team. They occupied the town for years as an organization called Huba’s Kin. The name is unusual, but not all terrorists aim to establish a nation or overthrow governments, so the military hadn’t eradicated them, possibly due to Pakistan’s forces unable to control this area.

Dinner was simple. Ayurhan’s people bought a few sheep, roasted and shared with everyone, along with some local food. During the meal, Li Yifei chatted with Huba briefly, assuring him they were just passing through, not seeking trouble, leading Huba to accept reality. He instructed his men to tell others not to cause trouble.

This way, at least the night wouldn’t require high vigilance, but relaxation wasn’t an option, since the town had multiple factions. Li Yifei led the night watch, ensuring security and indeed catching two sneaky individuals with ill intentions. After interrogation, it turned out they were from another faction, coming to investigate, mistakenly thinking Li Yifei’s team was hired by Huba to target other factions.

Li Yifei told them he was just passing through, didn’t want to provoke anyone, and advised them not to stir trouble. As for Huba, Li Yifei wouldn’t collaborate with him either.

The two ran off. How they reported back, Li Yifei didn’t know, but around three in the morning, a series of gunshots sounded, about a kilometer away at several residences. The continuous gunfire woke many, prompting them to grab their weapons and remain alert.

The gunfire grew louder, eventually accompanied by the sound of explosives. Shoulder-launched weapons were used, sending a fiery streak crashing into a residence, turning it into a huge blaze, with deafening explosions.

"This really isn’t a place for humans!" Ayurhan remarked, looking at the distant scene. Their team was resting here. If someone fired a few rounds of such weapons, the occupants might be heavily casualties, unable to escape. At the moment, Ayurhan had no idea how many harbored such intentions.