Chapter 39: The Trading Trap

The two sides quickly made contact in the village...

Mr. Huang's men, each armed with an AK-74, found themselves intimidated once Jindewike's men disembarked. Anyone facing heavy machine guns mounted on the back of pickup trucks would feel their nerves start to fray.

The only one who kept his composure was Dorian, who stood slightly behind Mr. Huang, his AK-74 subtly trained on the machine gunner in the pickup truck.

The legendary Jindewike was rumored to be a strong Black man with a mouth full of gold teeth, but the person who showed up was a small, refined Black man wearing a suit and glasses. Compared to the foul-smelling and brutish terrorists, this man seemed like a breath of fresh air. As he stepped out of the vehicle, covering his nose and mouth with a handkerchief and signaling everyone to lower their weapons, Mr. Huang breathed a sigh of relief.

The small Black man waved his hand dismissively, apparently displeased with the dusty surroundings. When he spotted the two military trucks not far away, his eyes lit up. With a broad grin, he approached Mr. Huang and extended his hand, saying, "You are very trustworthy. I believe we will have a pleasant transaction."

Mr. Huang forced a stiff smile and shook the man's hand, replying, "I hope so."

The small man shook his head with a smile, "May we inspect the goods? If you prove your capabilities, Jindewike's militia will prove to be your best customer."

Mr. Huang, struggling to maintain his composure, shook his head and said, "Where are my son and his friends?"

The small man looked at Mr. Huang for a few seconds, noting the tension in his eyes. Then he raised his hand, signaling a few fierce-looking terrorists to open the truck's cargo bay. They roughly shoved several young men and women out.

While the men were in relatively good condition, two of the women were unable to stand. Mr. Huang watched as his son, bruised and battered, tried to protect one of the women, only to be struck down by a Black man with a rifle butt. His face turned livid as he glared at the small Black man in front of him, saying in a low voice, "What about the deal we made? I give you weapons, and you ensure their safety."

The small man spread his hands and smiled, "I guaranteed their lives. Look, they're still alive. Don't look at me like that. I did my best to keep those women alive, but you know how rough those militiamen can be. There wasn't much I could do."

Suppressing his anger, Mr. Huang signaled his men to open one of the truck's cargo bays. They unloaded a few crates of weapons, opened them, and revealed the AK-74s inside.

The small Black man had someone test the weapons, but he seemed unsatisfied and demanded to inspect more of the cargo. Reluctantly, Mr. Huang had more crates unloaded and opened for inspection.

Once the small man seemed sufficiently satisfied, he signaled his men to load the crates onto their trucks. They then escorted the six hostages over to Mr. Huang's group.

Seeing the anxious expression in Mr. Huang's eyes, the small Black man said slowly, "Very well. Our cooperation has been successful. They are your reward for your integrity."

Joga, lying in wait on the outskirts, watched the transaction unfold smoothly, but something didn't feel right to him. He couldn't put his finger on what it was, though.

Just as Jindewike's men finished loading the trucks and were preparing to leave, Kaman, who had been observing with binoculars, suddenly said, "Boss, there's someone in the village taking pictures, and another group is approaching from the south."

Joga pointed his binoculars south and immediately saw two pickup trucks emerging from some shacks near a well two kilometers away. The gunners in the back of the pickups opened fire when they were still a kilometer from the village.

The small Black man in the village didn't seem alarmed. He calmly bowed to Mr. Huang's group, then leisurely boarded a pickup truck and left the village with his convoy.

When Joga saw the appearance of the men in the new pickups, he froze for a moment. Then, spotting the person taking pictures in the village, he suddenly realized something. He quickly pulled out his phone and called Mr. Huang. As soon as the call connected, he shouted, "Run! Run! It's a trap..."

Mr. Huang was stunned. When the gunfire started, he thought it was the SD army. But upon receiving Joga's call, he snapped back to reality and immediately began shouting for his men to get into the vehicles.

But it was already too late. The two speeding pickups charged into the village, and the large-caliber machine guns instantly tore into several vehicles, scattering everyone in panic as they instinctively sought cover.

"Dragon Lizard, keep an eye on that guy taking pictures. Don't let him escape. Devil Bird, take out those pickup trucks..."

As he spoke, Joga aimed his rifle at the machine gunner on the lead pickup...

With a loud bang, the machine gunner's head exploded like a watermelon.

Ness didn't sit idle either. The moment Joga fired, she pulled the trigger. It wasn't easy to hit a driver in a moving vehicle, but taking out the engine of a pickup moving in a straight line was much simpler.

Another loud bang, and the first pickup not only lost its machine gunner but also had a hole blown in its engine, causing it to emit white smoke and come to a halt.

There were still nine men between the two trucks. Realizing there were snipers in the area, they quickly adapted. The second pickup accelerated and overtook the first, placing itself in front. The gunner steadied himself and began sweeping the area where Joga and his team were positioned with suppressive fire.

As soon as the vehicle stopped, the others quickly dismounted, seeking cover among the village buildings.

Once they were out, the driver of the second pickup tried to maneuver the vehicle closer to Joga's position, hoping to establish effective suppression and give their sniper more time and space.

The machine gun continued to spit bullets, keeping the area around Joga and Ness under constant fire.

Ness tried twice, but only managed to hit non-critical parts of the pickup. As she prepared for a third attempt, Joga fired his SVD.

With a loud bang, the bullet hit the machine gunner squarely.

It wasn't over yet. The second shot followed immediately, piercing the windshield and hitting the driver in the neck, turning the cab into a crimson mess.