Chapter 1008: Old Soldiers Never Fade

"When is the latest the warship can leave?" He Yuzhu asked bluntly.

Deputy Minister Sun pondered for a moment and stubbed out the cigarette in his hand. "Tomorrow noon at the latest; that is the final deadline. You must bring the people back before then. If it really comes to it, you'll have to take them to a neighboring country to catch a flight. This is the briefing for this mission."

He Yuzhu took the cassette tape and turned to leave, skipping even a "goodbye."

As soon as his feet touched the pier, he broke into a sprint, his speed comparable to that of a sprinter.

Deputy Minister Sun walked to the side of the deck, watching the figure that was growing smaller and smaller, and subconsciously smoothed his sleeves.

Captain Li Jian leaned over, followed his gaze, and couldn't help but mutter, "Minister Sun, who is that man? How can he run so fast? Looking at him, he must be older than me, and I couldn't run that fast."

Deputy Minister Sun smiled and lowered his voice, saying, "You are a veteran soldier, so I can give you the inside scoop—that man fought in the War to Resist U. S. Aggression and Aid Korea."

"What?" Li Jian's eyes widened sharply. "That war was forty-seven or forty-eight years ago... then how old is he this year?"

"Around sixty-five." Deputy Minister Sun then straightened his expression and cautioned, "This matter is top secret. Once you step out of this door, act as if you never heard it."

Li Jian nodded, his Adam's apple bobbed, and his eyes suddenly turned a bit red. "Then I probably know who he is... He is a legend. My father told me about him back in the day..."

Deputy Minister Sun sighed, his gaze cast toward the surging waves in the distance. "We really had no one else this time. The people we hired locally are no good. If there were any other way, we wouldn't want someone of his age to still be rushing out there."

Li Jian pursed his lips, his voice slightly hoarse. "He is my idol. He has a fortune, yet he is still willing to risk his life for the country and the people... Such a senior is worth our lifelong reverence."

"When he returns, don't call him by the wrong name—he is currently using the alias Zhou Cang."

Li Jian nodded heavily, his eyes locked tightly on the figure at the end of the pier that was about to disappear.

He Yuzhu sprinted all the way outside the port, looked left and right to ensure no one was around, and with a flicker of his mind, the modified bulletproof off-road vehicle appeared out of thin air beside him.

He pulled open the car door, slammed the accelerator to the floor, and the car roared into the dust-filled air, instantly vanishing at the end of the road.

"That place is called Afugoye, just over thirty kilometers from Mogadishu. A river runs through the city; there is plenty of water and the terrain is good. Over the years, warlords big and small have taken turns fighting over it, and whoever occupies it doesn't want to let go. Our Huaxia built a humanitarian hospital there years ago. In the past, no matter how scummy the rebels or terrorists were, they wouldn't touch the people at the hospital. Moreover, Doctor Li is a famous surgical expert who has treated countless big shots in Somalia and has high prestige locally... But this time, it's likely M Country holding the knife behind the scenes; otherwise, who would do such an ungrateful thing..."

He Yuzhu played the cassette tape Deputy Minister Sun had given him, listening to the intermittent introduction while driving, his brows knitting tighter and tighter.

Not long after the car drove out, corpses began to appear on the side of the road, lying in disarray. There were civilians in casual clothes and soldiers in tattered uniforms, just exposed to the sun, with no one to collect them.

Flies gathered in black swarms, buzzing on the wounds, and as the hot wind blew, the stench of rot drilled into his nose.

He Yuzhu had wanted to use the Golden Space Shuttle to travel there directly as usual, but then he thought—he had to bring people back, so he had to figure out the route first; he couldn't just charge in blindly.

After running for ten kilometers or so, a team of soldiers appeared ahead; judging by their uniforms, they were from the Temporary Government side.

He Yuzhu stopped the car, rolled down the window, showed his passport, and handed over a stack of US dollars.

The middle-aged officer in charge took the money, his expression immediately softening. He nodded at him, his tone becoming a bit warmer. "Huaxia people are our friends. But brother, let me give you a piece of advice—you don't know yet, do you? Afugoye has already been occupied. Tanks, helicopters, heavy artillery—all new gear, and the ones firing are all white-skinned bastards. They are killing civilians and soldiers alike. Your doctor... is likely in grave danger. If you really want to charge in there, you're likely throwing your life away."

He Yuzhu smiled, but his eyes remained steady. "Even if they have truly met with misfortune, I must bring their bodies back."

The officer was stunned, then grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, and patted the car door. "Then you are a hero. But be careful; that bunch isn't as easy to talk to as I am."

He Yuzhu nodded, floored the accelerator again, and the car roared away, kicking up a trail of red dust.

After running another seven or eight kilometers, a checkpoint indeed appeared ahead.

Several young black men wrapped in headscarves and holding rifles stood across the middle of the road, their gun barrels pointing diagonally at the front of the car. One of the younger ones patted the hood and cursed, "You motherfucker! Who the hell are you? Daring to trespass on our territory?"

He Yuzhu pushed the door open and stepped out, glanced at him coldly, and retorted in English, "Fuck your mother, I'm going through today, what are you going to do about it?"

The kid's expression changed, and his hand reached for the holster at his waist. But just as his fingers touched the grip, He Yuzhu flipped his wrists, and two pitch-black pistols appeared in his palms as if by magic.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The three gunshots almost merged into one. The three slacker sentries hadn't even realized what had happened before their heads blossomed.

He Yuzhu put away the guns, turned, and got into the car. The vehicle brushed past the edge of the checkpoint and sped out, kicking up a cloud of yellow dust.

Less than five kilometers later, two iron lumps appeared at the end of the yellow sand ahead—two tanks, their tracks crushing the gravel as they rumbled over.

He squinted and saw they were actually German Leopard 2s, looking quite new, their gun barrels gleaming and reflecting light.

Behind them followed three heavy trucks, likely carrying maintenance personnel and accompanying infantry.

He Yuzhu's heart skipped a beat; he wanted to hide, but it was too late.

Both sides of this road were open fields; he couldn't even find a dirt mound to hide behind.

If he turned around now, they would fire a shell, and he and the car would be blown to the sky.

He Yuzhu gritted his teeth; instead of slowing down, he floored the accelerator.

The two tanks had been watching the hatches on top, and suddenly two white Big Heads poked out.

The person in the first vehicle appeared to be the leader of this unit, wearing sunglasses and puffing on a cigarette. He shouted at him at the top of his lungs in English with an East European accent, "Hey! Where did you steal this car from, kid?"

He Yuzhu rolled down the window and replied in fluent English without changing his expression, "I am from M Country, working for the Black Stone Group."

The white man grinned and turned to shout behind him, "Stop! This kid is a spy!"

The two tanks and the three trucks behind them braked to a halt one after another.

A group of people jumped off the vehicles with a clatter, raised their guns, and surrounded him.

But when they saw that it was just He Yuzhu in the car, with no companions and no reinforcements, their tense nerves immediately relaxed. The gun barrels were lowered, and some even slung their guns over their shoulders, starting to watch the show.

He Yuzhu raised his hands with a grin, putting on a cowardly act. "Gentlemen, if you are short on cash, I can offer a little tribute. I hope you can accommodate me; I'm in a rush to get things done."

The white leader pushed his sunglasses up and examined him with interest. "Get things done? Where to?"

"Afugoye."

The white leader sneered and didn't respond. Seeing them gathered close, He Yuzhu added, "How about this—I'll give you ten thousand dollars in cash, how about it?"

"Ten thousand?" The leader's tongue subconsciously licked his lips. "Fine, but I need to inspect your car."

He Yuzhu nodded vigorously, playing the role of a spineless wretch perfectly. "No problem, feel free to look."

The leader stared at him for two seconds and grinned. "Fine, you're a sensible one."

He Yuzhu held up both hands, walked slowly to the rear of the car, and gestured for the leader to open the trunk himself.

The leader didn't move; he crossed his arms, took half a step back, and nudged his chin at a lackey nearby. "You, open it."

The white lackey ran over and flipped open the trunk. Seeing the suitcase inside at a glance, he was so happy his mouth almost stretched to his ears, and he reached out to open it.

The white leader immediately cursed. He Yuzhu didn't understand it, but the pronunciation sounded like Polish or something similar; he was likely scolding his subordinate not to touch things randomly.

"You, open it!" The leader tilted his chin at He Yuzhu.

He Yuzhu cursed inwardly—this fellow was burly and rough, yet he had quite a few tricks up his sleeve.

He personally hooked his fingers into the latch, and with a "click," the lid sprang open, revealing stacks of brand-new hundred-dollar bills arranged neatly, the scent of printer's ink rushing out to meet him, mixed with the hot air.

The leader's eyes went straight instantly, and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down.

Several mercenaries nearby also crowded over, their eyes glowing green like wolves.