NOVEL WEB Chapter 946: The Massacre
The captured mercenaries didn't waste too much of Joe Ga's time...
Mercenaries worked for money; to their employers, they were merely tools of production.
Employers wouldn't pay extra for their loyalty, so mercenaries naturally didn't have anything called "loyalty" either.
The concept of "contractual spirit" was already the highest moral standard for mercenaries.
When a mission failed, to avoid being shot on the spot, selling out the ones behind them became an almost instinctive choice.
"My name is Gerard Porter; I work for the Black Operations Unit of the Armor Group.
Our original target was the Presidential Palace, but we were temporarily reassigned here.
I've never heard of any 'Bardlake Asset Management Company.' We are employees of the Armor Group.
We lost. Don't kill us; our families can pay our ransom.
Our commander is Aiden. He's in a red building two kilometers south of here, on the top floor where you can see most of the slum area. There's a car repair shop next to it…"
Joe Ga listened, stroked his chin, and smiled, saying, "Looks like Armor Group not only collaborates with G.I.D. Company but also has close ties with Bardlake Company…
How many of you came for this mission?"
Gerard Porter leaned against the wall, clutching his thigh in pain, and said, "Sixty people. We brought ten teams in total.
But starting yesterday, we all split up. Currently, there are two teams and a group of Congolese militia near that small red building…"
Joe Ga pressed his communicator and said, "Curry, search the southern edge of the slum for a small red building. The building is next to a car repair shop…"
As he spoke, Joe Ga looked at the injured Gerard Porter in front of him, smiled, and said, "I'll send you to the temporary detention area. There are specialized people to take your statement.
I hope you're not lying to me because the consequences will be very severe!"
Gerard Porter shook his head painfully, replying, "We lost. I have no reason to lie to you. Can I have a dose of morphine…"
Joe Ga didn't make things difficult for these unlucky ones. Putting them on trial and using European logic to defeat them was the strongest form of retaliation.
Of course, this was aimed at those hiding behind the scenes. Bringing these survivors to court was just a tactic; the real goal was to provide a legitimate excuse for future revenge.
Just like Israel's pursuit of the Nazis, revenge with a veneer of legitimacy was always treated with more leniency!
"Elephant, is Tony ready? We're pulling out…"
When Joe Ga called out, Dorian came downstairs, carrying several bags with Tony in tow.
He was panting heavily, shoved the last bag containing missile equipment to one of the Ferryman's men, and then looked at Joe Ga, saying, "Boss, we're ready. Let's move…"
Joe Ga patted Ayu on the arm and smiled, saying, "King Kong, help out, get the captives into the vehicle…"
Then Joe Ga looked at 'Monkey' and 'Comet,' saying, "I need someone to get close to confirm the target coordinates and the enemy's identity, then call for mortar strikes on them."
'Monkey' paused for a second and asked, "Boss, don't we need anyone alive?"
Joe Ga frowned and said, "I'm not interested in their tricks and schemes…
Just tell me who's in charge, where they are, and then smash them. That's enough!
Boys, we're short on manpower. We don't have the luxury to overthink these things!"
Joe Ga's blunt and straightforward approach made 'Monkey' shrug helplessly and nod…
"Boss, what about those guys outside?"
Joe Ga thought for a moment before replying, "I'll drive and create a diversion, luring some of the enemies toward the riverbank to let the armored gunboats deal with them.
Be cautious when carrying out your mission. As soon as you confirm the target, call in an airstrike immediately."
'Monkey' decisively nodded, glanced at 'Comet,' and said, "We can handle it. You focus on protecting the boss as he leaves…"
'Comet' nodded, adjusted his gear, handed over extra grenades and ammo to 'Monkey,' and then started helping to photograph the bodies on the ground and collect the enemy's weapons and equipment. After bundling everything together, he rigged them into a remote-controlled bomb with explosives…
When Joe Ga arrived, they had two pickup trucks. Now 'Comet' and three others took one truck, along with the three captives…
The prisoners were thrown into the truck bed. The machine gunner set up a gun mount from the base of the truck bed, locked it, mounted a machine gun, tied it down with a safety tether, and then banged on the roof to signal readiness.
By this time, Joe Ga's side was also ready. 'Hatchet' started the first vehicle while Dorian drove the one following.
The two trucks slowly moved to the front of the building. Ayu, acting as the machine gunner, fired first…
"Bang bang bang bang…"
The strafing bullets struck a small alley 200 meters away. The green streaks from the night vision formed a whip-like pattern on the alley, forcing anyone inside to scramble backward in panic.
By then, the machine gunner from the other truck had also opened fire…
The two vehicles crawled forward at a slow pace, using relentless firepower to draw the attention of the black armed fighters, allowing Night Tiger to sneak out from the flank.
Just as the black fighters began organizing a counterattack, the two pickup trucks suddenly made a U-turn and sped off.
The black fighters exchanged puzzled looks. To them, retreat was a sign of fear.
With their leader's stern orders, they began regrouping, gathering all usable vehicles, and chased after Joe Ga and his team.
Thanks to guidance from the UAV, the retreating convoy didn't face heavy assault.
However, as the pursuing forces doubled down, reinforcements from adversaries along the route began to merge into the chase, forming a convoy lit by headlights that rapidly approached Kinshasa's garbage-strewn riverside.
When Joe Ga and his team boarded a speedboat, bearing the stench of the river water to head toward the 'Blue Whale' at the river's center, the chasing mob reached the shore.
As they fired blindly at the river under dim natural light, trying to hit Joe Ga's escape craft, the river suddenly lit up with floodlights…
The glaring beams landed on the shore, forcing the wild gang of black gunmen to shut their eyes involuntarily.
When some of them squinted and looked out onto the river, they were shocked to find six gunboats broadside to the shore…
Seeing the twin-barreled cannons on the foredeck and grenade launchers on the aft decks aimed at them, someone let out a panicked shout…
"Run!"
"Boom boom boom boom…"
"Boom boom boom boom…"
The twin-barreled Bofors guns and automatic grenade launchers roared to life in unison. The six gunboats spread out and unleashed their firepower without restraint…
Caliber and explosive power truly reign supreme on the battlefield!
The difference in intimidation between 40mm Bofors high-explosive rounds and ordinary rifle bullets was colossal.
Sure, a hit is fatal in either case, but the sheer destructive force and dismembering effect of the larger rounds instantly shattered the morale of the black gunmen.
As they found nowhere to hide, overwhelmed by the flying shreds of flesh, many dropped to their knees on the blood-soaked riverbank and prayed for surrender to the gunboats.
Unfortunately, the smoke from the high-explosive grenades obscured their movements, and the gunners on the boats couldn't see their gestures, pouring fire onto the 50-meter-long stretch of riverbank without hesitation.
The enemy numbered barely 200 in total. Whether any managed to survive this slaughter remained uncertain to those on the boats.
When the smoke cleared, the shore was littered with mangled corpses, laying bare the effectiveness of the bombardment.
After confirming their boss had boarded the 'Blue Whale,' the armored gunboats switched off their searchlights and slowly retreated to the Congo River's center. There, they readjusted their mortar positions and began bombarding a location 10 kilometers to the east…
The rebels in the east had already entered a 10-kilometer range, numbering over a thousand fighters. For Congo, this should have been an unstoppable force.
Guarding the checkpoint 8 kilometers east of Kinshasa were 50 members of the National Defense Forces, loyal to the Defense Minister Ngonga, with three Lazar 3 armored vehicles to back them up.
They were prepared to attempt blocking the advancing rebels. If the effort proved futile, they planned to turn their guns around and cooperate with the rebels to enter the city.
However, as the rebels came into their sights, they were met with a fierce assault.
"Boom."
"Boom."
......
......
Eleven 120mm mortars roared in unison, launching long-range strikes on the battered highway under the UAV's guidance, forcing the rebels to halt.
A thousand-strong force attempting to move through the dense Congolese jungle with their equipment was untenable.
Faced with one round of dense bombardment after another, the once-confident rebel forces scattered and fled back the way they came.
The 50 Congolese National Defense soldiers exchanged looks, then started up their Lazar 3 armored vehicles, blocked the road, and began chasing the fleeing rebels with autocannons.
At a kilometer's distance, the cannon fire couldn't achieve much, but they engaged the rebels, fired their weapons, and ultimately claimed a victory…
These soldiers recklessly fired hundreds of rounds. When the mortar barrage ended, a junior officer decisively ordered his driver to advance, actively pursuing the stragglers…
They figured capturing a few prisoners would secure their achievements.
But as the armored vehicles moved, a thunderous noise emanated from the skies…
Two Su-27s, each armed with eight cluster bombs, dove down from Kinshasa's direction, strafing the highway with their payloads…
A cacophony of explosions blanketed the highway!
The grenade-sized bomblets covered every inch of space on the road, leaving no room for escape.
The seven- to eight-hundred-meter convoy was entirely obliterated under the saturation bombing of 16 cluster munitions.
At the rear of the convoy, a few vehicles narrowly avoided the blasts and began reversing in an attempt to flee. The Su-27s banked around, swooping low like blades slicing through the air…
Large-caliber aerial bombs instantly shredded the retreating vehicles!
The expected rivers of blood were absent. The areas hit by the explosions were entirely scorched black.
The fuel from vehicles spilled onto the ground, igniting into spreading flames, and the car frames themselves caught fire. The remains of the occupants were quickly reduced to nothing but charred corpses.
Some lucky stragglers who had hidden in the jungle during the initial mortar strikes witnessed this apocalyptic scene. Overcome with terror, they let out a horrified scream and fled deeper into the forest, vanishing in moments.
At the same time, aboard the 'Blue Whale,' Joe Ga received a call from Night Tiger…
He rolled up his sleeves, cradled a mortar shell in his hands, loaded it into the tube, and turned away, covering his ears…
"Boom"...