Chapter 526: Break Out

BOOM!

The rocket inside the bazooka launch tube exploded and reverberated in a deafening report, sending waves of the blast through the entire area. The Libyan rebel who had positioned the bazooka on his shoulder died in an instant. He literally disintegrated, and burned flesh and broken bones splattered everywhere. Fire and smoke filled the air, and the Libyan rebels who were within four or five meters of the explosion sustained injuries as well. They fell to the ground, groaning in pain.

The remaining Libyan rebels stared at the mayhem and their injured compatriots writhing in pain. They were dumbfounded and had a look of horror on their faces. They all had the exact same thought that the sniper inside was none other than the Grim Reaper! There’s no way they could defeat such a terrifying force.

“What are you p.u.s.s.ycats huddling here for?”

A strange, unfamiliar voice suddenly came from above, and they were all shocked. That person was mocking them in their own language.

The Libyan rebels instinctively lifted their heads and could only see someone standing at the top of the wall. The unknown man was wearing a Blackhawk camouflage coat. He had a handsome face and a pair of steady eyes, and he was looking at them with a smile on his face. As they looked up, they realized that he was holding on to two grenades. The safety pin had already been removed, and white smoke was emitting, giving off a sizzling sound.

The rebel commander’s eyes dilated as he screamed, “Watch out! Stay down! Get down!”

Xiao Luo casually dropped the two grenades down and then leaped off the high wall quickly. He casually walked back toward Jiang Zhiming’s position cradling his sniper rifle in his arms.

BOOM! BOOM!

The blast of energy swept through like a hurricane following the two explosions. Thick smoke rose over the blast zone, throwing a cloud of sand high into the air, along with broken arms and legs. The limbs and body parts were strewn all over as they dropped back to the ground. Strangely, the fingers of some of the severed arms twitched as it lay on the ground due to neural reflex, and all the broken body parts were charred black because of the intense temperature.

Xiao Luo didn’t even bother turning his head around. All the Libyan rebels outside the factory had grouped up too close together, and two grenades were all it took to wipe them all out.

“It’s time to retreat!” Xiao Luo said as he walked toward Jiang Zhiming.

“Retreat? Our compatriots are still in there. Are we not going to go and save them?” Kong Yunhong asked, looking a little confused.

“They’re already dead. Since the Libyan rebel soldiers chose to ambush us here, they would have set up the kill zones to turn this place into a trap. They wouldn’t have risked the hostages giving them away, so the easiest and most direct method would have been to kill them all,” Xiao Luo responded.

After hearing that, the bodies of all the members of the Special Operations team trembled a little. It became a little bit hard to breathe when they realized just how cruel the Libyan rebels actually were. The soldiers now realized what Xiao Luo said was right, and the reality was that all their citizens they had come to rescue were already dead, and their effort was all for naught.

Jiang Zhiming clenched his fist tight, gritted his teeth, and said, “Listen to Mr. Mie. It’s time we retreat!”

There were more than twenty of them. While one group kept a lookout on their surroundings, the other group dashed toward the factory’s main door.

Xiao Luo made a point to take care of Tang Wantian since they used to be cla.s.smates. He kept a close eye on her as they were retreating. This woman was so scared that her legs were shaking, and her head was in a daze. She would definitely impede the entire team’s progress if he didn’t give her special attention.

“b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l, chase after them!”

Hamis screamed into his walkie-talkie as he barked out his order. He then gave instructions to the Libyan rebels that were patrolling Stantine City as well. He reported what had happened and told them the direction Xiao Luo and his team were headed toward. Right now, Xiao Luo and the Special Operations team were nothing but a growing threat to this city.

…

“Abandon the jeeps! The Libyan rebels have heavy machine guns, RPGs, and bazookas, so driving a car is only inviting them to shoot at us!”

Xiao Luo stopped Jiang Zhiming and his troops from getting into the vehicles. He then looked at his surroundings, pointed toward a small alley, and said, “That way!”

Then, he dragged Tang Wantian along with him and headed in that direction.

“Follow them!” Jiang Zhiming commanded and waved his hands at his other team members.

It was a really dark alley, roughly ten meters long. The width was only a little more than a meter, and by chance, they found a map of Stantine City on top of a rubbish bin by the side that was still in good condition.

Xiao Luo quickly opened it up and had a discussion with Jiang Zhiming.

“We should split up and break up the strength of the Libyan rebel soldiers. We’ll gather at this church. Are there any problems?” Xiao Luo said as he pointed at a particular location on the map.

They had adequate military knowledge and were well-trained soldiers, so they were familiar with reading maps and quickly pinpointed the location. Xiao Luo’s suggestion was clearly the best strategy for them to break out of the situation they found themselves in. They were going to be an easy target if they retreated as a group. Even if there weren’t tens of thousands of enemy troops, Stantine City could still hold at least five or six thousand Libyan rebel fighters. The Special Operations team had no choice but to split up. It was similar to the strategy used by the Eight Immortals when they crossed the sea to deal with their enemies—except here, it was a vast city, and they had to find an escape route.

“No problem!”

Jiang Zhiming nodded his head and then raised his hand as he split the group into four teams of five to six.

Tang Wantian was naturally with Xiao Luo. Considering that Tang Wantian had never undergone any military training, Jiang Zhiming didn’t want to burden Xiao Luo with any other members, so Xiao Luo only had Tang Wantian with him.

Thud, thud, thud!

Heavy footfalls could be heard coming from the alley.

Xiao Luo didn’t even lift his head. He grabbed a grenade from his waist, pulled out the safety pin, and threw it in the alley.

BOOM!

With a loud explosion, seven to eight of the Libyan rebels were instantly killed and slumped into a pool of blood. A cloud of dust and sand filled the alleyway before it settled over the bodies of the fallen men.

Jiang Zhiming and his team clicked their tongues and couldn’t help being impressed by Xiao Luo’s quick thinking and fast reaction. They were only beginning to react to it now.

“Let’s go!”

They could no longer stay there. Xiao Luo held on to Tang Wantian, still in a state of shock, and ran through the alley.

“Mr. Mie, take care! We’ll meet up at the church!”

After getting out of the alley, Jiang Zhiming and his Special Operations troops ran in the opposite direction of Xiao Luo.

Xiao Luo turned back and looked at him but didn’t say anything at all. He knew this was going to happen, and had he been by himself, he would not have been laden with this many responsibilities on his shoulders. But right now, there was no way he was going to allow all of them to die, and more importantly, he wouldn’t let Tang Wantian die in this forsaken land.

…

The Special Operations team’s decision to split up caused the Libyan rebels to split into different groups and pursue them. Gunshots and bomb blasts broke the silence of Stantine City.

Tang Wantian, who was being dragged along by Xiao Luo through this ravaged city, had not looked away from Xiao Luo for a single moment. This man had shocked her again and again with his excellent skills, profound military knowledge, and ability to make swift and correct decisions all the time. All the things that he had done only told her one thing—this man was a national secret department member.

“Oh, Xiao Luo, just what have you been through these past few years?” Tang Wantian thought to herself, wis.h.i.+ng she could dig everything out from this man.

All of a sudden, Xiao Luo stopped and let go of her hands. He crouched on the floor. It looked as if he was trying to listen to something from the ground.

“What… what are you doing?” Tang Wantian asked as she couldn’t understand what he was doing.

“Shhh…”

Xiao Luo made a gesture, signaling for her to keep quiet.

He then closed his eyes and tried to listen carefully. Sound could be transmitted through the ground, and an experienced soldier could make sense of the weak vibrations picked up and determine potential threats and locations of his enemies were. Xiao Luo had this kind of ability.