Starting from South America, speeding through the world

Chapter 332 Leaving
The ridges of North Kivu were shrouded in a thin mist.

The moonlight was dim, and the trees on both sides swayed in the wind.

Dust hangs in the air, mixed with fine ash from the burning.

They ran for nearly three hours after leaving the safe house.

The road conditions get worse and worse from the Ugandan border onwards.

The pickup truck would occasionally crash into the crack, jolting you so much your back would go numb.

The atmosphere in the carriage was somber.

Jim sat in the passenger seat, his right hand resting on the radio.

Zhou Yi leaned against the back row, next to the contractor sent by the company.

An ordinary-looking white man who called himself Mark.

He had a thick stubble and dressed casually.

His local guide was driving.

Black, taciturn, with sunken cheeks.

Mark was the first to break the silence.

"Less than forty kilometers to go, two hours to Goma."

He said it with a hint of comfort, yet it sounded like he was talking to himself.

"The boss is waiting for you. John and Jim, right?"

"I have to say something on behalf of the company: I am very sorry about Colin."

Zhou Yi reached under his seat for a bottle of mineral water and unscrewed the cap.

"You know him?"

“We’ve never worked together,” Mark shook his head.

"But I've heard a lot about him. He's a good person, and has a good reputation."

The scenery continued to recede into the distance.

The car headlights swept across the low-lying houses.

The walls were mottled, and the window frames were empty.

Occasionally, a few scattered pedestrians would pass by, all carrying burlap sacks and looking indifferent.

Even worse, some people instinctively retreat into the darkness upon seeing a pickup truck.

Zhou Yi stubbed out the cigarette that was about to burn out.

Then, he took out a lighter and lit another one.

A few minutes later, Jim turned to look at Mark:
"Your boss is waiting for us. What are his plans?"

"Direct handover? Or are there some procedures to follow?"

Mark nodded, looking tired in the dim light.

"Yes. The body was moved out long ago; the company is responsible for transportation."

"We'll use special channels, so you don't need to worry about the procedures."

"We'll rest in Goma tonight, and he'll see you in person tomorrow morning."

Jim grunted in response and turned his gaze back to what was in front of him.

The wind blowing in at that moment didn't smell very pleasant.

Upon closer inspection, it seemed to be the strange smell of some kind of rotting substance.

Zhou Yi leaned back in his chair and continued smoking.

Not long after, a shallow ditch appeared next to it.

Several mutilated corpses lay scattered among them, barely clothed.

Just then, the driver, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke up—

"Within one kilometer, there are obstacles set up by local people who want to charge money."

He spoke with difficulty in his not-so-fluent English.

Upon hearing this, Jim immediately sighed, "Can we go around it?"

"We're running out of gas, we'll have to take a longer route, adding 20 kilometers to our journey."

The driver shook his head slightly as he spoke. "It's best not to try."

As soon as he finished speaking, Mark opened the canvas backpack at his feet.

"Prepare in advance; these people are getting crazier and crazier lately."

"We need money, food, people. Everything you can think of."

As he spoke, he pulled the rifle slightly out from between the seat and his thighs.

That was a commercially modified Daniel Defense.

The barrel is 10.5 inches, and there's a sticker on the handguard.

"The boss knew, that's why he sent me to follow him."

"Of course, try not to make any moves unless they come first."

"clear."

The pickup truck began to slow down, and the driver held the steering wheel with one hand.

Through the windshield, the curve ahead gradually came into full view.

Several logs lay across the center, with charred tire remains on the sides.

Five or six men stood behind.

Some were carrying machetes, while others were gripping AKs tightly.

Upon seeing the car stop, they did not immediately raise their guns; instead, they first raised their voices and delivered a declaration.

The driver rolled down the window slightly and said a long string of words.

His tone was calm, and his movements were slow.

Then, he carefully took out a few banknotes and handed them over.

The young man at the front took the money, flipped it over, and then looked up at the people in the car.

Then he laughed and said something, his tone becoming sharp. Another person walked to the car and peered inside with great interest.

When her gaze fell on Zhou Yi in the back row, she was first taken aback, then grinned.

Hey! Hey! Chinaman—Chinaman!

Jim silently moved forward a little, adjusting the shooting angle slightly.

Zhou Yi stared expressionlessly at the man who was so excited that he was gesturing wildly.

One second, two seconds.

He suddenly smiled and said softly:

"Come closer, I'll show you."

The man didn't understand, but seeing Zhou Yi's response, he became even more excited.

He was shouting incoherently, his upper body almost entirely inside the car window.

Zhou Yi seized the opportunity and grabbed the man by the neck.

Suddenly, the man felt himself being gripped by a powerful force, and his skull slammed heavily onto the handrail.

Boom!
There was a muffled sound.

The next second, a gun was pressed against the back of his head, and the trigger was pulled.

boom--!
Gunshots rang out in the carriage, and blood mist mixed with bone fragments sprayed out.

At the same time, Jim started moving as well.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, he pressed his body against the vehicle and shouldered his rifle.

Only at this moment did the militants completely erupt in chaos.

In the ensuing chaos, some people began firing indiscriminately.

The bullets struck the road in front of him, sending up fragments of debris.

"Left, two!"

Jim fired two short bursts.

Recently, that person's chest collapsed, and he fell into the dust.

Before he finished speaking, Mark turned to the man who was trying to escape.

The three shots were swift and clean, knocking the man down next to the tire.

The last man had already given up aiming and was firing blindly while lying on the ground.

Bullets landed on the roof of the car, sparks flying everywhere.

“Right side, prone!” Jim shouted.

The gun was locked on, and the battle ended in an instant.

The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder.

The three paused for a few seconds, calmed their breathing, and quickly scanned their surroundings.

“Close good,” Mark said.

Zhou Yi nodded, his gaze shifting to the house not far away.

"Push".

There was no further communication.

He moved first, cutting across the front of the car, and moved the gun barrel horizontally.

Mark simultaneously moved to the right, hugging the mound of earth, maintaining the angle, and keeping the window locked at all times.

Jim brought up the rear, crouching beside the bunker to cover the outer sector.

As they closed the distance, a sudden crashing sound came from inside the house.

Someone shouted a couple of times in a panic.

The next second, a shadow fell out, before the gun was even raised.

Dual-shot control, the shadow falls backward.

The earthen house returned to its deathly silence.

Mark pressed himself against the door frame, inserting the muzzle half an inch to avoid a straight line.

Jim stood to the left, forming a diagonal position.

Zhou Yi glanced at them, and the two nodded.

With a gentle push of the fingertip, the door opens.

The left side is empty.

There was a pile of miscellaneous items on the right side, and it was shaking.

A flashlight shone, illuminating the shadows.

Soon, an even louder sob rang out.

Three boys with their hands bound huddled on the ground, their eyes wide open in terror.

Zhou Yi checked the corner and behind the door again.

Confirm that there is no secondary space, tripwires, or weapons.

Mark turned to look outside and stood guard in the corridor.

"What are you planning to do?" he asked.

Jim stared at his retreating figure with a strange expression.

"What should we do?" he asked. "Let's leave."

"But this is against company policy."

Zhou Yi scratched his head.

"So how do you usually handle this?"

"Inform your employer or superior, and then they—"

At this point, Mark sighed, "Never mind, let's go."

(End of this chapter)