Chapter 518 - Rebel Troops (2/2)

After the loss of the earlier jeep, Xiao Luo’s vehicle led the convoy.

It was very risky to put the commander’s jeep in the lead, but Jiang Zhiming chose to take the risk because he trusted himself, and he could rely on Xiao Luo’s judgment. Should any sign of danger present itself that he did not spot, he was confident that Xiao Luo would be able to notice it and warn him.

Except for the land mine incident earlier in the day, everything was relatively quiet on the first day.

“When will we reach Stantine City?”

The campfire was flickering in the dark night, and Xiao Luo asked Jiang Zhiming.

“We should be able to reach there by noon tomorrow.” Jiang Zhiming answered.

“Alright, got it.”

Xiao Luo sat leaning against the tire of his jeep and rested. As they were in a warzone, he kept his ears peeled even when he was resting, and he would react immediately if there were any suspicious sounds or movements.

But the night remained silent and incident-free.

When the first rays of dawn broke, the Special Operations team prepared to depart.

The terrain in Libya’s central region consisted of countless hills, and staying in one place for too long presented risks and made anyone feel ill at ease. The events of the previous did not help as anxiety played on the minds of the troops. “Captain, look, there seems to be a Libyan force ahead!”

Kong Hongyun pointed ahead and shouted, “But, are they with the government, or are they rebel troops?”

Xiao Luo had seen them way earlier. There were five heavily armed vehicles with Gatling guns on top of their roofs.

“Regardless of their identity, prepare for battle!”

Jiang Zhiming jumped off the jeep first and ordered everyone to get ready for action. He also adjusted the flag’s position on the bonnet to make their identity more visible to the unknown force ahead.

Looking through his binoculars, Jiang Zhiming made out the approaching party and quickly identified them as rebel troops. It was easy to differentiate them from the government forces, as the rebels’ flag and uniform were darker in color, whereas the government forces had a relatively lighter color scheme. The contrast could not be starker.

When their jeeps had come to a halt, the Libyan rebel troops also stopped. Both leaders were using binoculars to observe the other party.

“They are giving hand signals, and it seems like they are asking us to go through. I think we can avoid a confrontation with them, Kong Hongyun said, letting out a sigh of relief.

Jiang Zhiming looked at Xiao Luo and asked, “What do you think, Mr. Mie?”

“Let them go first, in case we are forced into a kill zone in the confrontation!”

Xiao Luo answered calmly as he would never expose his back to an unfamiliar group of people.

Jiang Zhiming nodded in agreement. Had the other party turned out to be the government forces, it would be acceptable to go ahead. The fact was that they belonged to the rebels, it was prudent to take precautions and keep their guard up.

But, before he could react, the Libyan rebel troops suddenly initiated their assault.

Whump! Whump! Whump!

A dozen mortar rounds were launched and blasting towards them from the sky mercilessly.