Mercenary's War

Gao Yang had always been worried at heart. On the African continent, in this remote corner, the most likely encounter would be with black people, and the dangerous sort at that.

Thinking back to the gunfight he stumbled upon when he had first arrived three years ago, Gao Yang felt that the most likely scenario was running into a group of armed militants or poachers whose background he did not know. However, Gao Yang was not the type to give up without understanding the situation, so he decided that if the people he encountered seemed like non-threatening civilians, he would reveal himself and ask for help. If they looked dangerous, he would quietly leave.

Gao Yang had always hoped to meet someone from the civilized world, but now that traces of civilization had appeared, he began to feel uneasy. After hearing from the Chieftain about the cruel and indiscriminate killings committed by these mysterious people, Gao Yang could only pray that he would encounter truly civilized individuals, not scum who possessed the products of civilization but acted worse than beasts.

After running for about three to four hours, Gao Yang was starting to falter. With his current pace, it was more like a slow walk. Kusto, who had been running ahead, suddenly stopped and ran back to Gao Yang.

"White Child, there are many people there, and some strange things."

Kusto was excited because he had discovered a convoy, and Gao Yang was even more excited after hearing Kusto's words.

Gao Yang sprinted forward, and soon he saw about four or five hundred meters ahead, four vehicles were parked. Three were off-road vehicles, and there was also a medium-sized truck. Behind the vehicles, there seemed to be several large tents, but Gao Yang did not see any people.

After observing for a moment, Gao Yang decided to go in and have a look. He pulled Kusto down to crouch and said sternly, "Listen, Kusto, if you hear gunshots, very loud noises, or if you hear me telling you to run, you must run back quickly and take Kumtom home with Bali. If you hear me calling your name, then come and find me, understand?"

"I understand. If I hear gunshots or hear you telling me to run, I will save you. If you die, I will run," said Kusto.

Though Kusto was from a primitive tribe, that did not mean he was foolish.

Gao Yang patted Kusto on the shoulder, picked up the bow and arrow in his hand, and started to approach the convoy, crouching low.

The distance was closing. When he was about two hundred meters away, Gao Yang saw the shadows of people moving between the gaps of the vehicles, but he could not make out their attire.

Gao Yang circled around to change his direction, and after the vehicles no longer blocked his view, he saw a camp with five large tents. In the center of the camp, there was a sunshade set up, and beneath it, two large tables were placed. At that moment, about fifteen or sixteen black people formed a circle under the sunshade.

The attire of those people put Gao Yang somewhat at ease. Although two of them were wearing camouflage, most were in regular clothing, and Gao Yang only saw two people armed with guns. Although the view wasn't clear, Gao Yang thought that one of the guns was likely from the commonly seen AK47 series in Africa and the other might be a double-barreled shotgun.

Luckily, Gao Yang felt these people did not look like an army, nor did they resemble poachers. He thought it was safe to approach. Just then, the group standing together suddenly dispersed, and the sight that presented itself once they parted filled Gao Yang with joy.

Four white people were sitting under the sunshade, and one of them was fiddling with a large camera. Seeing such a scene, Gao Yang's heart completely settled.

"Hello, help me, I need help!"

Shouting loudly, Gao Yang ran out from the bushes he was hiding in. He dashed towards those white people, and it wasn't strange for Gao Yang to be so excited. It wasn't just because the Chieftain and Bali were now likely to be saved, but he also finally had a chance to go home.

Seeing Gao Yang shouting and running out, the white people under the sunshade, as well as the black people who had just dispersed, were all startled. A few armed black people immediately pointed their guns at Gao Yang. At that moment, Gao Yang realized that there were not just two people with guns but five.

Gao Yang was now very close to the white people, but he stopped in his tracks when he was aimed at with guns, and raised his hands. Just then, he heard someone exclaim.

"Don't shoot, put down your guns, don't shoot, see what he wants, damn it, put down your guns, you'll scare him. Everyone, back off, don't frighten him, Daniel, did you get that on camera?"

As the gun barrels were lowered and the group of black men slowly retreated, only a few smiling white men kept their eyes on him. Gao Yang reached the white man who had spoken and just said, "Hello," when he heard a woman exclaim: "Oh my God, what am I seeing, he's wearing boots!"

"Don't talk, don't make a fuss, don't scare him, don't provoke his hostility, heaven sakes, have you all lost your minds?"

It was then that Gao Yang realized he had made a mistake. He had been speaking the Akuri tribe's language for the past three years, so when he had run out, the words he had shouted were in a language that only the Akuri tribe could fully understand.

"Hello, sir, please help me..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Gao Yang stopped again, realizing he was speaking Mandarin Chinese.

After slapping himself lightly on the mouth, the overly excited Gao Yang was about to switch to English when he saw the white-haired elderly man in front of him do the same to his mouth, then with a smile said, "Copy his action; it must be their way of showing friendliness."

With several crisp smacks, everyone standing in front of Gao Yang patted themselves on the mouth, with two of them being noticeably loud.

With a wry smile, Gao Yang finally said in English what he had been wanting to say, "Hello, sir, I am very pleased to meet you. I am in dire need of help now. One of our people is about to die, please help us urgently."

Though he hadn't spoken English in years, Gao Yang's speech was clear and fluent. The elderly man standing opposite him with a smile opened his mouth wide and stared at him, trembling lips uttering, "Oh God, can someone tell me what is happening?"

When Gao Yang arrived in Africa three years before, it was the rainy season, so he wore a quick-drying shirt and pants, which dried fast and kept him cool but were thin and easily torn. After scrambling through the savannah, his clothes were reduced to tatters, but the Danner military boots he wore had survived three years of hardship without a scratch.

So there stood Gao Yang, in six-inch military boots and a skirt of grass about his waist, his body painted with geometric patterns using white and red clays as pigments. After three years of exposure to the sun, his skin glistened a dark brown, quite contrasting with the genuine black of the other members of the Akuri tribe. Except for his slightly lighter skin tone and the fact that Gao Yang's hair was unevenly shorn to stubble with a knife, there was hardly any difference between him and the rest of the tribe. Of course, the biggest difference was the pair of boots on Gao Yang's feet.

So, seeing a member of a primitive tribe asking for help in fluent English was bound to cause a sensation.

The old man in front of Gao Yang seemed to be scared witless; apart from an exclamation, he gave no immediate response, but stared at Gao Yang from top to bottom. At that moment, a young woman stepped forward from behind the elderly man, placing herself in front of Gao Yang.

"Professor, it's clear he's asking for help. We can discuss everything else later. Right now, let's find out what kind of help he needs."

The man referred to as the professor woke up as if from a dream. After apologizing to Gao Yang with a smile, the professor, eager, said, "I'm sorry. I got a little excited. Ah, let's talk about the important matters. Please tell me exactly what happened?"

"Someone in our tribe is injured. A man's neck was bitten by a leopard, leaving two wounds about half an inch deep. He didn't hit the major artery, but I think some capillaries have burst. He's in a bad condition. He needs surgery and probably a blood transfusion. Another person was scratched by the leopard, so we also need antibiotics, sir. The man has been injured for three to four hours, and we're really running out of time. Please help us, sir."

"Where is the injured person?"

Gao Yang pointed in the direction he had come from, "Over there, about twenty miles, I think. I'm not sure. I ran three to four hours to get here."

The professor immediately turned and shouted, "You all heard that. Yves, bring your first-aid kit, and do we have anything for a blood transfusion? If so, bring it. Daniel, bring the compact cameraman. We're going by car, and we need to be quick."

The woman standing in front of Gao Yang urgently said, "Professor, I must go too, and we should take at least two armed guards; it's not very safe here."

After finishing, the woman smiled at Gao Yang and said apologetically, "I'm sorry. We need to bring guns. Please understand this is not against you or your tribe. This is Africa; there are many dangerous animals around, and we need guns for protection."

Gao Yang nodded and earnestly said to the two in front of him, "It's okay. I completely understand. Thank you for your willingness to help. Thank you."

"Let's set out now. We can talk later. Gentlemen, please hurry up and get ready. As soon as we're ready, we'll set off."

After the professor finished speaking, he also started to pack hastily. A group of people scrambled to load the necessary items into two off-road vehicles, and within minutes, after everything was ready, the old man waved at Gao Yang, "Get in the car, you lead the way. We're leaving."

A total of seven people, four white and three black, guided by Gao Yang, headed in the direction he had come from in two off-road vehicles. Once out of the camp, Gao Yang had the cars stop, called out for Kusto, and after Kusto got in, the vehicles set off again at high speed.

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