The Middle East: From War Correspondent to Middle Eastern Influencer

Without the slightest hesitation, Wu Hen gripped the M9 bayonet in reverse and noticed the ventilation louvers at the junction of the iron gate and the wall.

That was a backup ventilation opening for the fire escape, directly connected to the escape ladder on the outside of the building. The ventilation opening was welded shut by several old, rusty steel bars.

Without further hesitation, Wu Hen gripped the bayonet tightly with his right hand and thrust it out fiercely.

"laugh!"

The sharp blade tip precisely cut into the weld point where the steel bar connected to the wall.

Wu Hen flipped his wrist and used the principle of a lever to pry it open hard.

"Crack!"

The metal broke, and Wu Hen repeated the process, smoothly prying off three steel bars in less than five seconds.

He ripped off the blinds and squeezed out through the narrow vent.

"Alert! There's movement up above!"

Just as Wu Hen's feet touched the rusty fire ladder on the outside of the building, he heard shouts from armed men behind him.

Immediately afterwards, with a loud bang, the locked iron door was blasted open by a shotgun.

Wu Hen held his breath, pressed his body against the shadow of the building's exterior wall, and dared not move. There was no cover on the outside of the fire escape ladder, and if those armed men peeked out, he would be very likely to be exposed.

Several fully armed soldiers rushed onto the rooftop with their guns.

"Safety!"

"Machine gun team, establish a firing point in the southeast corner immediately!"

"Captain, the ventilation shaft here has been pried open, and the cut is very fresh," a soldier reported to his superior.

Wu Hen's heart was in his throat. He gripped his M9 bayonet tightly with his right hand. If the other party peeked out, he would have no choice but to lash out and kill them.

"Never mind that nonsense! It's probably just some homeless person who escaped! Government armored vehicles are advancing this way, everyone get into combat positions and prepare to intercept!" The captain's voice drowned out all doubts.

"Good captain!" Wu Hen's tense nerves finally relaxed a little.

However, the crisis was not over.

Wu Hen looked down the rusty fire ladder. The sun was already setting, and the afterglow dyed the entire city blood red.

Below the building, the once wide main road was now in complete chaos.

At a street corner in the distance, two camouflaged BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles are roaring forward.

Meanwhile, inside the buildings on both sides of the street, countless militants were unleashing a barrage of fire from RPG rocket launchers and automatic rifles at the armored vehicles.

The ammunition weaved into a dense network of fire in mid-air, sending sparks flying against the walls and vehicles.

Flames shot into the sky, and the explosions were deafening.

This place is a battlefield of carnage.

Wu Hen swallowed hard. The building he was in was strategically located at this crossroads. If the militants on the roof opened fire, it would inevitably attract heavy firepower from the government forces.

He cannot stay here; he must leave immediately.

But to leave, he had to climb down the rickety fire ladder to the bottom floor and then walk across the fire zone below.

This is almost an impossible task.

But Wu Hen had no other choice.

He sheathed the bayonet back into its scabbard on the outside of his thigh, tightened the straps of his backpack, and took a deep breath.

The rusty fire ladder looked precarious and seemed about to break at any moment.

Wu Hen gripped the iron railings tightly with both hands, his palms sweating profusely, but he dared not stop. The intersection beneath his feet was now a complete meat grinder.

A camouflaged BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle was reversing with a roar, surrounded by civilians running around and opposition militants with colorful strips of cloth tied to their heads, who were firing their AK-47s recklessly at the vehicle.

When he was still more than two meters from the ground, the bottom section of the fire ladder broke off. Wu Hen pushed off with both legs and jumped down, rolling once on the spot to cushion the fall, and was just about to stand up.

A huge crowd swept him in; it was a mass of civilians fleeing in all directions. Several bloodthirsty government police and soldiers were waving batons behind him, smashing anyone they saw.

"Get out of the way! All of you, get out of the way!"

A government soldier wearing a helmet noticed Wu Hen, who was carrying a tactical backpack. Perhaps he thought Wu was an militant, or perhaps he didn't care who Wu was, he swung his stick and smashed it down on Wu Hen's head.

If that hits hard, it'll most likely be ruined.

Wu Hen immediately tilted his head to the right, and the baton almost missed his nose. Then, using the tilting motion, he grabbed the policeman's wrist with his left hand, pressed it down, and used the force to his advantage, while his right shoulder slammed into the other man's chest.

After a muffled thud, the man was knocked off his feet and fell heavily into the mud, where he didn't get up for a long time.

Wu Hen didn't even glance at him, continuing to bury his head in the crowd and push his way through.

"Whoosh! Puff!"

Wu Hen felt as if his left ear had been scalded by boiling water, followed by numbness on half of his face.

A bullet, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, grazed his ear and struck a fleeing man in the back.

The man didn't even have time to scream before he collapsed to the ground, blood rapidly spreading down his back.

Wu Hen touched his ear; his hand was covered in blood.

It was truly a matter of life and death; just a few millimeters away, that bullet could have blown his skull open.

He couldn't continue along the main road; it would make him too conspicuous and an easy target. He turned around and rushed into a dark alley between two dilapidated buildings.

Just as I rushed into the alley, the system voice came through again.

[Host detected has entered the core area of ​​the Tripoli street fighting.]

[Current hazard rating for this area: Extremely dangerous!]

[Should we immediately perform a danger check-in?]

"Sign in! Sign in now!" At this moment, every extra card you have is an extra life.

[Check-in successful! Congratulations, host, on successfully checking in at the danger zone.]

[Item obtained: One lightweight polymer bulletproof vest.]

[Gain buff: Faster Movement (Duration: 10 minutes), buff effect: Increases speed, burst damage, and stamina by 50%.]

Almost the instant the system notification sounded, Wu Hen felt as if a layer of close-fitting bulletproof vest had suddenly appeared inside his sweat-soaked clothes.

At the same time, a surge of heat rushed from his groin all the way to his toes, and he felt his legs were full of power and explosive force.

Just then, three armed men with rifles suddenly rushed into the alley.

They spotted Wu Hen running inside. The leader shouted something in Arabic and immediately opened fire.

Wu Hen had no time to dodge.

"Bang!"

A bullet struck him precisely in the back. The immense impact felt like someone had pushed him hard from behind. Wu Hen staggered forward several steps, almost falling to the ground, and the pain made his vision go black.

But he didn't die! Luckily, he had a bulletproof vest! The shock-absorbing material prevented him from suffering even the penetrating fractures common in bulletproof vests.

"Cough cough!" Wu Hen spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, pushed off the ground with one foot, and instantly darted away.

With each step, he covered two meters, and with ease, he used the momentum to leap over a nearly two-meter-high barbed wire fence.

The three militants behind them were dumbfounded.

"Damn it, is this kid some kind of ghost? He runs so fast!"