Farming Life Starting in Africa

Guan Yuming seemed to have anticipated his reaction and waved his hand, "The US military does take on some delivery jobs privately. For legitimate businessmen like us, their transport planes or military vehicles can help escort some goods, and the risk is not too great."

Rosen pondered for a moment. "Wouldn't that be very expensive?"

"It's not that expensive. It's mainly because we have a large and stable supply, but compared to using local suppliers, the US military is still quite expensive. They're not primarily delivering to us; we're just doing it as a side service." Guan Yuming paused here, glancing to the side.

"So who do they usually deliver to?"

Guan Yuming coughed twice, cleared his throat, and then, as if he hadn't heard, continued looking at the checkpoint not far ahead, tapping his fingers twice on the steering wheel. "Why is there a traffic jam today?"

As their black Nissan Sunny slowly moved forward with the flow of traffic, Rosen realized that the US-Mexico border was several times busier than he had seen on television.

The sun was already high overhead, its heat softening the asphalt road surface, and a wave of heat, a mixture of asphalt and exhaust fumes, filled the air.

The convoy heading from Mexico to the United States was packed tightly together, stretching as far as the eye could see. Vehicles of all types were crammed together, including dilapidated pickup trucks, cars loaded with luggage, and several dusty buses with bundles of luggage and plastic buckets strapped to their roofs.

In contrast, the lane from the United States to Mexico was much clearer. The car moved forward a little further and could already see the white checkpoint booths and the rotating cameras on them.

Guan Yuming suddenly asked again, still uneasy, "You don't have any contraband in your bag, right? You didn't bring a gun or anything, did you?"

"He definitely didn't bring it."

They're all inside the capsule space; their X-rays can't detect them.

Suddenly, Rosen asked, "Are they going to investigate the drones?"

"That doesn't matter."

Rosen nodded, and just as he was about to look away, he suddenly noticed something flicker in the slowly moving traffic on the opposite lane. He instinctively squinted and fixed his gaze.

It was a red Hyundai car window, with half a gun barrel sticking out from the back seat. It was short and thick, like the muzzle of a shotgun, and it retracted after reflecting the sunlight for a moment.

He glanced to the side again, and two cars behind the red Hyundai, the outline of a long gun was visible through the gap in the door of a white Nissan. The hand holding the gun was covered with dark tattoos, which stretched from the wrist to the back of the hand.

"Uncle Ming," Rosen lowered his voice, "is it illegal to carry a gun here?"

Guan Yuming's gaze was still fixed on the checkpoint ahead, and he casually replied, "Yeah, what's up?"

Just then, Rosen saw that many people in the four Fords sandwiched between the two cars had also raised their guns.

"Holy shit!" Rosen's voice suddenly rose a half-octave, he reached out and patted Guan Yuming's arm, gesturing with his chin towards the opposite lane, "Look over there! They've all got their weapons on!"

Guan Yuming suddenly turned his head and looked over. His gaze lingered on the red Hyundai for a moment, then moved to the white Nissan, and then looked ahead in the direction between the two cars. He could also make out the outlines of the Ford SUVs in the middle of the opposite lane.

The windows of all the vehicles were rolled down, and the bodies were fitted with sturdy bumpers. The tires were clearly off-road grade. The people inside were wearing dark combat uniforms, headphones, and their guns were raised; they were clearly regular soldiers.

Guan Yuming's expression changed. He reached for the car door handle. "Quick, get out of the car and hide. A fight is about to break out here."

Without asking any further questions, Rosen grabbed his backpack, opened the passenger door, and jumped out.

He pulled the mask around his neck up to cover most of his face, then followed Guan Yuming over the low concrete barrier by the roadside and crouched down to hide behind another concrete barrier.

The mound was about half a person's height, with a sloping back that could just cover a person's entire body.

People in the cars nearby also noticed the unusual commotion across the street. Some people pushed open their car doors and staggered to the side of the road. A fat woman tripped and fell because she was running too fast. She didn't even pat herself down and just kept running.

The snack vendors by the roadside also abandoned their stalls and hid behind the van. A child was pulled into an adult's arms and had his mouth covered.

Rosen crouched behind the concrete block, listening intently to the sounds coming from the other side.

Someone was speaking in Spanish, very fast and in a harsh tone, sounding like both an accusation and a warning. The voice was amplified by the car's loudspeaker, and it went quiet after a few loud hums.

He tried to peek, but as soon as he raised his head slightly, Guan Yuming's hand pressed down on the back of his head, forcing him back down. "What are you doing here! Are you out of your mind?"

"I'm just curious what they're doing."

Guan Yuming said in a low voice, annoyed, "What else could it be? Most likely, the drug dealers clashed with the local police and are now retaliating. What bad luck! We've run into this before even reaching Mexico."

Before he could finish speaking, a series of gunshots suddenly rang out from the opposite lane.

"Da da da—da da—" Interspersed with a few muffled thuds, like the sound of shotgun shells or large-caliber pistols.

The bullets struck the car's metal exterior with a crisp "clang," followed by the sound of shattering windows and a crash. Then someone screamed, and the scene became quite chaotic.

Rosen squatted behind the stool, patiently waiting for things to pass.

The gunfire didn't last long, only about half a minute. After the initial burst, it turned into intermittent bursts of fire, then stopped for a few seconds, then fired three or four more shots, and then it went completely silent.

Rosen waited a while longer before he and Guan Yuming slowly peeked out.

The middle lane on the opposite side has been cleared, and the Ford SUVs in the middle are speeding away, kicking up a small cloud of dust from their rear ends.

The red Hyundai parked by the roadside had several bullet holes in its hood, half of its window was shattered, and the people inside were torn to pieces, with blood dripping from the gaps onto the scorching ground. The white Nissan's door was open, and its interior was also littered with corpses.

Guan Yuming stood up and brushed the dust off his knees. He glanced at the situation in the opposite lane, then looked away without saying a word, simply turning and walking back. "Let's go, the road's open now."

Rosen watched the Ford cars gradually disappear into the distance, lost in thought.