Under the moonlight

Chapter 169 Inner Struggle

The expression on the mercenary's face, holding the gun, was forever frozen in that moment: bewilderment and disbelief.

The remaining mercenaries watched helplessly as his body fell straight off the tank, not reacting for a moment. Vala looked towards the direction from which the shots had been fired; those were their men.

The man who fired the shot seemed unable to believe he had killed a mercenary. He stood there, gun in hand, completely stunned. Vala reacted faster. Seeing the other mercenaries on the tank, their anger ignited, searching for a target, Vala rolled and ran to the man's side, pressing him down so their bodies were pressed tightly to the ground. The cover in front of him was just a small rock. The two men, pressed against the ground, dared not breathe, their breaths almost stopping. Beads of sweat dripped from their foreheads onto the ground, raising a small cloud of dust, but it was quickly dispersed by their restrained breathing.

Seeing that the mercenaries on the tank were enraged by the gunfire behind them, Zhao Meng did not hesitate to fire at the mercenaries on the tank in order to cover Vara and the others.

"Bang." A gunshot rang out, and a mercenary fell. But this time, they reacted quickly and immediately pointed their guns at Zhao Meng. Zhao Meng also quickly slipped to the ground and hid behind cover. Li Shuo, who was next to him, stuck his gun out from the crack in the rock where he was hiding and fired wildly at the mercenaries. The mercenaries on the tank had forgotten that they were supposed to be retreating. Everyone felt disgusted by these people who suddenly appeared out of nowhere and bit them like mosquitoes.

They had a better view from their high vantage point, and the mercenaries on the tank had taken the initiative because they hadn't reacted in time. Now the mercenaries on the tank had formed a line, surrounding the tank from all sides, ready to fire indiscriminately.

Just then, Saudi Arabia, who had been pointing a gun at Xu Ao, spoke up: "Since they want to give up their hope of survival, then we shouldn't be polite to them anymore. I think the families of these rats hiding with guns are probably hiding in the embassy. They were almost fooled by you!"

Saudi Arabia spoke with a smile, but his words carried a chill. Xu Ao, who had been keeping his eyes closed, opened them and stared at him as if he wanted to devour him alive. "I advise you to give up this idea if you still want to live a carefree life with your reward money."

"Hmph, you think you can subdue us just because you have weapons? Or at least hold us back? You probably already know that the international aid organization will be here soon. But before that, we still have time to play with you." After saying that, Saudi Arabia threw Xu Ao onto the tank and then signaled the others to take Xu Ao onto the tank.

"Friends, I don't have time to waste here with you. I'm going to find your wives and children, haha~" Saudi Arabia said, laughing smugly.

Sure enough, after a short while, several men couldn't hold back and stood up from behind the rocks where they were hiding. "I'm going to kill you!" Saudi Arabia looked at the men who stood up, and the smile on his face quickly froze. "Kill him!" As soon as he finished speaking, the mercenaries on the tank raised their guns and shot the three men dead.

"No!" Vara, who was hiding to the side, cried out in grief, but thankfully he did not get up. The mercenaries on the tank had already begun firing at the areas below where there was movement. In addition to the three men who had stood up at the beginning and died, many others who had been frightened by their threats and exposed themselves were also injured to varying degrees, clutching their wounds and groaning incessantly.

The initial excitement and thrill of receiving the weapons had long since vanished. After truly experiencing the ruthlessness of bullets and the cruelty of mercenaries, fear followed.

Hearing the smug laughter of the mercenaries on the tank, Vara's eyes seemed to spit fire. Zhao Meng and Li Shuo had only narrowly escaped the previous volley of fire. Large beads of sweat dripped from their foreheads. Zhao Meng, panting heavily, looked at Li Shuo a few meters away. Seeing his pale face and slightly trembling lips, he realized that he himself was probably in no better shape.

"Tsk tsk, only three? We lost seven or eight men! Guys, cheer up and avenge our brothers!" Saudi's words successfully ignited their desire for revenge. One by one, they raised their guns and continued firing at the targets they had just discovered. As long as they hid and didn't move, the bullets would only graze the rocks where they were hiding, maybe even their ears or the tops of their heads, but they would never directly hit their bodies. However, they were just ordinary people who had taken up the evil weapon to protect their families. Compared to the ruthless mercenaries, their mental fortitude in this situation was far from sufficient.

As a result, more and more people couldn't bear the constant whistling of bullets past their ears. The fear of not knowing when they would be hit was like a rising tide, relentlessly eroding their mental defenses. Many people, though they tried to remain still, couldn't help but scream. Their screams directly revealed their positions, allowing the mercenaries on higher ground to deliver bullets into their bodies more easily. Even if they couldn't kill them instantly, for those whose bodies were already weak, maiming or death was only a matter of time.

Vara watched as the man not far from him clutched his head and screamed in terror. With a muffled thud, he was shot in the shoulder. Perhaps his nerves hadn't had time to react, or perhaps he was finally free from the unknown terror, he actually quieted down.

Vala lowered his eyes, and for a moment he realized he was wrong. They had underestimated these mercenaries, and overestimated themselves. Even if they were infected with the plague, it was just a slow death announcement before they left this world. At least they knew how long it would take them to leave this world.

But when facing these mercenaries, death comes without warning, or even a prelude. They had barely escaped the plague, only to find themselves in an even more perilous situation. Perhaps they should have stayed in the shantytown and waited quietly for the mercenaries to leave and for international aid organizations to arrive. Then they would have been saved, or at least their sacrifices would not have been in vain.

No, no, how could it be a sacrifice in vain?

Vala turned around and glanced through the gap at Xu Ao, who was imprisoned in the Tucker truck. He didn't have to deliver the medicine to the shed; it wasn't his obligation. Without their timely delivery of the medicine, even if the international aid organization had arrived, they would have been nothing more than a group of people slowly walking towards death.

How can it be considered a sacrifice in vain?

They suffered for their country and families, enduring hardship because they believed our small nation was incapable of independence and autonomy. Now is the time to prove to the world that we, without any aid, can drive away the wolves that invade our land and people's safety. Isn't this the meaning of sacrifice? Independence without bloodshed!