The weather in August was very hot even in his own country, what more in Central Africa.
Chen Xiaolian dared not switch on the air conditioner as he wanted to save up on fuel. Although there were a few barrels of fuel in his Storage Watch, who knows where he would be able to find a place to refuel. Once he ran out of fuel, his jeep would be nothing more but scrap metal.
Chen Xiaolian opened the window. With a cigarette in hand, he checked his bearings every now and again.
According to the map, it would appear that there were around 200 kilometres between him and the capital city of Kombia, Kabuka. For this little country of Kombia, that length meant he would be going through a great portion of its lands.
The road ahead was hard. There was no highway in Kombia; neither were there any standard roads. The terrible conditions of the road slowed down his jeep’s speed of progress. After moving forward for around three hours, the sky began to swiftly darken. He continued driving forward through a mountain and two rivers. When evening came, he finally saw light somewhere in front.
It looked like a village?
Chen Xiaolian’s spirit was lifted and he stepped on it and sped forward.
When he was less than 100 metres away, suddenly…
Bang!
Chen Xiaolian quickly stepped on the brake, his face distorting.
He was able to discern the sound! It was the sound of a gun being fired! Chen Xiaolian quickly halted the jeep and kept it into his Storage Watch. Then, with one hand holding a military blade and the other holding the crappy AK47 that he got from old Jack, he moved forward stealthily. He quickly made his way through a little grove and crouched down behind a bush.
He was on a little slope. Pulling out a pair of binoculars, he used it to look at what lay before him.
Several buildings were situated several hundred metres away.
The buildings were constructed using mud and stone, appearing somewhat medieval… it was very simplistic. Chen Xiaolian observed it further and was able to barely make out a rudimentary cross fashioned from two sticks on the top of a building.
It looked like… a church?
Outside that building was a circular wall with a height reaching a normal human’s chest part. An adult human can easily vault over the wall. Not only that, there were also some gaps in certain areas.
Outside the wall were three shabby jeeps that could practically be put into a museum. The jeep had no top. Instead, tarpaulin had been used as a makeshift top for the jeeps.
There stood tens of African soldiers in camouflage clothing. They had a slovenly look, some were smoking cigarettes while some sported a crooked hat. They held onto firearms of varying lengths. Observing through the binoculars, Chen Xiaolian noted that some of the AK47 that they were holding were even shittier than the one he was holding.
The tens of soldiers were surrounding the wall and shouting something loudly.
It would appear that they were attempting to get past the wall and into the church.
Chen Xiaolian saw shadows flickering beyond the window of the church and the muzzle of a a firearm could be seen poking out of the window.
Several of those African soldiers attempted to approach but the muzzle poking out from the church window quickly fired out.
Bang! Bang!
The bullets struck the earthen wall and debris from the wall burst out! However, it was clear that the one inside had terrible marksmanship. That small amount of gunshot was unable to create too much of a deterring force.
The African soldiers outside the wall shouted loudly. Due to the distance between them, Chen Xiaolian was unable to hear those words clearly. However, he believed that those were likely threats of some sort.
Chen Xiaolian also spied a corpse on the ground between the church and the wall.
It was a man wearing a vest that sported many pockets. His head was shot through and blood covered his head. Beside him was a flag.
With just a glance, Chen Xiaolian was able to identify the flag. It was probably the flag of some UN Peacekeeping organizations. He had seen it a few times when he was in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria.
The corpse’s hand gripped the corner of the flag tightly even in death.
After observing the scene a moment, Chen Xiaolian was able to more or less figure out what was going on.
A bunch of undisciplined soldiers were besieging a UN Peacekeeping site?
Chen Xiaolian frowned and pondered on whether he should move forward to help.
Naturally, this had nothing to do with him. Rushing in to provoke those undisciplined soldiers may not be a wise move.
It was at that very moment that Chen Xiaolian suddenly heard a sound coming from the church.
“Help us!”
It was in Chinese! Additionally, it sounded like a woman’s voice.
Chen Xiaolian quickly made up his mind.
Since it’s someone from his own country, he had to do so!
…
The undisciplined soldiers were clearly untrained in military tactics. They did not form into small tactical teams and simply shouted from outside the wall. Although there was only one gun used to protect the church, the people inside might be armed as well. Thus, none of those soldiers dared to charge in and instead used threats.
Occasionally, some of the African soldiers would raise their weapons and open fire.
The two sides fired at each other but it was obvious that the church side was lacking in firepower. It did not take too long for them to be suppressed. Then, some of the African soldiers took the opportunity and attempted to breach the earthen wall once more.
Sharp screams rang out from the church once more.
Chen Xiaolian charged forward!
The sky had turned dark and the undisciplined soldiers did not assign anyone to watch their backs. Chen Xiaolian took advantage of those two factors and rushed forward stealthily at an alarming speed. He used merely 20 seconds to cross the distance of several hundred metres and reached the back of one of the jeeps.
Leaning upon the body of the jeep, Chen Xiaolian looked at the tarpaulin covering the jeep’s trunk. He gently pulled the corner of the tarpaulin and saw two old wooden boxes.
It contained a few hammers and other tools. To Chen Xiaolian’s surprise, he also found two hand grenades there.
Chen Xiaolian smiled and snatched them.
Next, he forced open the front cover of the jeeps and saw that the fuel tanks were not tightly sealed. Pulling out ropes from his backpack, he stuffed one end of the ropes into the fuel tank and lit the other ends with a lighter. Then, he quickly ran away!
Tens of seconds later, several of the African soldiers were seemingly on the verge of reaching the door of the church when a loud noise reverberated out!
Behind them, where they had parked their jeeps, a fireball soared up to the sky and a jeep flew!
The soldiers panicked. However, before they could react to it, the other two jeeps exploded as well! The soldiers fell into a state of disarray and many among them subconsciously threw themselves down the ground.
Chen Xiaolian charged forward!
In the darkness, his figure was as fast as a leopard!
One of the African soldiers got up from the ground and was about to reach for his gun when Chen Xiaolian arrived beside him!
Chen Xiaolian had originally been hesitant whether he should kill.
However, when he saw what that undisciplined soldier was wearing on his neck, he made up his mind!
There was a string over the fellow’s neck. And the items hanging off that string were… fingers of varying length!
There were both white and black coloured fingers on them!
Chen Xiaolian showed no hesitation and stabbed his military blade into the fellow’s neck before rushing forward!
The soldier who was stabbed clutched his neck and knelt down on the ground, his body twitching.
Chen Xiaolian charged into the middle of the bunch of soldiers! Next, he let loose a hail of bullets from the AK47, killing off at least three to four of those African soldiers. At the same time, Chen Xiaolian also stabbed with his military blade, stabbing one of them in the chest before kicking him away. The stabbed fellow fell onto another fellow soldier and they fell together. Chen Xiaolian continued moving forward as his AK47 continued firing out. Two black soldiers who had just raised their weapons were struck and killed off!
The soldiers attempted to fight against Chen Xiaolian, however, he was simply too fast! Be it his speed or strength, Chen Xiaolian whose body had been enhanced held an absolute advantage over them!
Some of those African soldiers panicked and fired their guns randomly. Unfortunately for them, it did not hit Chen Xiaolian. Instead, it struck their companions.
Soon, the sound of gunfire dwindled until only sporadic bursts could be heard. Chen Xiaolian then threw his military blade at the final fellow, which pierced right through that poor sod’s neck. Chen Xiaolian stood amid the scene of carnage, not a single African soldier remained standing!
He exhaled but did not let down his guard. Instead, he pulled out a dagger from his waist and began to search around the battlefield. He checked to make sure that he did not miss anyone. He had no desire to be secretly shot at by some injured soldier.
Inside the window of the church, several pair of eyes watched what was happening outside in shock.
They watched as Chen Xiaolian calmly and almost mercilessly investigated the corpses on the battlefield. Occasionally, he would discover a soldier who had yet to die. When he did, he would simply use his dagger to cut off that soldier’s neck!
Behind him, the fires from the exploding jeeps were still raging. Under the illumination of the fires, Chen Xiaolian’s face appeared murderous!
Chen Xiaolian’s heart was filled with killing intent!
He had already known that this was a Hellish wasteland. Unexpectedly, it was even worse than what he had imagined!
Before he had found the first surviving soldier, Chen Xiaolian did not feel the impulse to kill them. However, when he saw what that soldier was hanging across his neck, a murderous impulse blossomed within his heart and he hesitated no more!
It was… a skull! Additionally, judging from the size of the skull, it did not belong to an adult. It had most likely belonged to a baby!
And then there was the necklace made of fingers he saw earlier… only God knows how many innocents these beasts had killed!
People like these, not even their deaths could wash away their sins!
The only one that made Chen Xiaolian hesitant was the last surviving soldier.
That fellow had been hit in his arm by a bullet and his hat had fallen off. He was lying on the ground playing dead.
However, when Chen Xiaolian grabbed him up, he screamed frantically as he desperately attempted to back away.
The face revealed after the hat had fallen off was… a still childish looking face!
Chen Xiaolian’s heart sank!
The legendary African child soldiers!
Although it was not possible for him to confirm this African child’s age, Chen Xiaolian was certain that the child was younger than him, making the child a minor!
The child’s trembling eyes and body caused Chen Xiaolian’s dagger-wielding hand to pause.
He coldly assessed the child to determine that he did not have those disgusting ‘jewelry’. Then, he slowly put down his dagger.
“Don’t kill me, don’t kill me…”
Although the child was speaking using his native language, Chen Xiaolian who possessed the system was able to understand his words.
Chen Xiaolian harrumphed. He tore off a piece of cloth from his sleeve and stuffed it into the child’s mouth. Next, he knocked the child unconscious.
Chen Xiaolian straightened himself and dragged the African child by the leg as he moved toward the church’s door.
“Don’t come over!”
The voice rang out from within the church.
Chen Xiaolian shook his head and replied in a loud voice, “I mean you no harm, I am here to help.”
He said those words using English and repeated them again in Chinese.
Soon, a reply came from inside the church. This time, it was a female’s voice and the words used were Chinese.
“You are… a Chinese?”
Chen Xiaolian tossed the African child forward and said, “All right, the danger is resolved. You people can come out or I can go in. But please don’t point a gun at me through the windows.”
“All right.”
The door of the church was opened.
A middle-aged man appeared through the door. He wore a white coloured-t-shirt but was covered with dust. There were also bloodstains on his forehead. Chen Xiaolian noticed that he had a gun in his hand.
Chen Xiaolian spread open his arms before moving inside.
There were several chairs positioned on both sides of the door inside the church… clearly, they had used these chairs to block off the door earlier.
After entering the church, Chen Xiaolian glanced around.
The interior was not particularly spacious and was only the size of an ordinary classroom.
There were two men and three women inside. Two of the women were in a corner and they looked at him with trembling eyes.
As for the two men, one was the middle-aged man with the gun. The other was a very tall and muscular Caucasian who wore an outdoor jacket. The one that caught Chen Xiaolian’s attention was a young woman.
A glance was suffice for him to tell that she was Chinese. Her figure was petite and slender and she was slightly shorter than Chen Xiaolian. She wore shorts, waterproof boots, camouflage clothing and her long hair was tied into a ponytail. Her face was smeared with black coloured paint and dirt.
Chen Xiaolian looked at her and asked, “Are you the one who spoke out in Chinese just now?”
“Yes…” The young woman hesitated for a moment before taking a step forward. She asked, “Who are you? Are you the rescue personnel we called for?”
“Rescue personnel?” Chen Xiaolian raised an eyebrow.
A few minutes later, Chen Xiaolian was able to gather what had happened.
These people were part of a charitable organization affiliated with UN Peacekeeping and had come from all over the world. Take the middle-aged Caucasian with the gun for example. He had come from Germany. The younger Caucasian man came from Australia and the two women in the corner came from Ohio, America.
They were all members of the charitable organization.
There was respect in Chen Xiaolian’s heart for these people. They had travelled across thousands of miles to Africa for the sake of charitable missions without any personal agenda.
Kombia was a place without mineral deposits, thus the large international organizations will not care about it. However, some peace and charitable organizations would still care for the humanitarian crises occurring here.
Famine, disease and disorder were the biggest crises here.
These people were all volunteers who willingly came to Africa in order to help others. They were truly virtuous people.
The middle-aged German was a doctor while the younger one was a veterinarian. As for the other two women, they were also members of the medical team.
The Chinese young woman was called Lin Leyan, 25 years old. To Chen Xiaolian’s surprise, she had come from Taiwan and was a botanical and water resource specialist.
The corpse outside the church was their team’s liaison’s officer, driver and guide.
According to Lin Leyan, they had come to Kombia to render humanitarian assistance and their headquarters was in Kabuka.
“If that is the case, then you fellows should have the official permission from Kombia. Why would those soldiers attack you?”
There was melancholy in Lin Leyan’s voice as she answered, “We do have the permit and licence signed by the President of Kombia, but… the present Kombia is in a state of chaos. Several tribes in the west are rebelling and it seems they are trying to overthrow Zayad… these things happen quite often. Zayad’s soldiers are fighting the rebels. We had heard that there was a famine here, so we came here to render aid.
“We brought with us some food and medicine.
“This place was originally a safe zone. However, one of Zayad’s military camp that was located around 20 li away from here was ambushed and defeated. We had planned to evacuate today, but we were too late. The rebels came here and surrounded us. The ones surrounding us just now were all rebels.
“We showed them our identities and out flag, but those fellows… they still…”
When she reached that point, her voice turned hoarse and she continued, “Frank took the flag and went out to negotiate with them, but them simply opened fire on him, killing him on the spot! Those bastards!”
Chen Xiaolian sighed.
Before coming here, he had learnt about the chaos in Kombia from old Jack. Here, those thieving, undisciplined soldiers would not care where you were from. It did not matter if you were with the government or the UN Peacekeeping organization, to them, everyone were simply prey.
“If I may, who are you?” The German fellow walked forward. Just now, Chen Xiaolian and Lin Leyan had conversed in Chinese and the German man did not understand what they were talking about. He simply stood beside silently. Now however, he had stepped forward. He stood beside Lin Leyan and asked in English.
“Me? Just consider me a passer-by.” Chen Xiaolian pursed his lips to the side.
Lin Leyan was seemingly about to ask something when the German fellow tugged at her. He shook his head and whispered in German, “Don’t ask anything more. To have the courage to run into Kombia alone, he is either a smuggler or an arms dealer.”
As he spoke, he cast a vigilant gaze at Chen Xiaolian.
Lin Leyan swiftly replied in German, “Arms dealer? But he seems very young…”
Chen Xiaolian watched as they conversed in German with a smile. Then, he spoke out, interrupting them, “Actually, I am not an arms dealer.”
The German fellow was shocked. “You understand German?”
Chen Xiaolian shrugged. He ignored the question and looked at Lin Leyan. “I am going to Kabuka for a business deal… mm, it’s a foreign business deal.”
“Foreign business deal? How could this state have any foreign business deals?” Lin Leyan was surprised by Chen Xiaolian’s words for a moment. Then, she shook her head and said, “I understand, you are in the smuggling business?”
“We have already called for the rescue personnel today,” said the younger Caucasian who was standing beside. He had a very gentle disposition and he slowly continued, “We have a radio that can contact Kabuka. Our headquarters had already sent rescue personnel to help us. However, there is no set time for when the rescue personnel would arrive… perhaps they were delayed on their way here. After all, the situation is pretty chaotic here.”
“You fellows even have rescue personnel?” asked Chen Xiaolian with a smile.
“Mercenaries,” said Lin Leyan with a sigh. “In these chaotic places, mercenaries are needed to help protect us. We have a special fund to be used for situations like these. Sigh… the money that our organization raised had to be used on this.”
“Zayad do not care about international image and would not send troops to save us. To him, our deaths might end up benefitting him instead. He might try to make our deaths into an international issue and ask UN Peacekeeping for assistance to fight the rebels,” the German fellow said calmly.
Chen Xiaolian sighed and said, “You sure got your work cut out for you.”
“I must say this though, we are very thankful to you!” The German fellow said in a very solemn tone. “Just now, if not for you… we would surely be dead. We only have one gun. There was no way we could have stopped them.”
“That’s right! You have saved us!” Lin Leyan said in a hushed tone.
The other three people also stepped forward, thanking him in a very sincere tone. The German fellow looked at Chen Xiaolian and said, “You skills were simply unbelievable! I saw it earlier, how you singlehandedly defeated them all… who are you? A top secret agent? Or a high-rank mercenary?”
Chen Xiaolian smiled and said, “No… just consider those as… Chinese martial arts.”
Lin Leyan stared at Chen Xiaolian with widened eyes.