Chapter 345: Request

The Chinese martial arts thing was naturally meant as a joke and not meant to be taken seriously. However, it ended up creating an even more mysterious image of him in the eyes of those present.

Lin Leyan was the most curious. After all, they were of the same colour, race and speak the same language, making the conversation between them easier.

The middle-aged German was the most experienced among them. He was the first to lead the others to sweep the battlefield.

A moment later, the German returned and said, “We found some firearms and also gathered up the ammunitions. We can arm everyone here. But, we have a problem… we don’t have a vehicle.”

After saying that, the German looked at Chen Xiaolian.

The jeeps belonging to the rebel soldiers were all destroyed by Chen Xiaolian in the fight earlier.

“Don’t you have your own vehicles?” asked Chen Xiaolian with a frown.

The German hesitated for a moment. Then, he cast a look at Lin Leyan, which carried the meaning: You do it.

Lin Leyan sighed and led Chen Xiaolian to the back of the church.

There, Chen Xiaolian saw a modified pickup truck.

The vehicle’s hood had been opened and a toolbox lay beside, within it were wrenches and the like.

“Our vehicle broke down,” said Lin Leyan sadly. “If not for that, we would not have been delayed and end up being trapped here.”

One of the Caucasian women came over and handed her a towel, which she accepted and used to wipe her face.

Chen Xiaolian noticed that the women had all wiped off the paint and dirt on their faces.

“Just now, we were surrounded by those rebel soldiers. So, everyone dirtied their faces… you understand, right?” Lin Leyan shook her head.

Chen Xiaolian nodded his head.

The meaning was self-evident. Still, Chen Xiaolian felt that there was no point in doing that. If those beasts wanted to do anything to them, they would not care if their faces were dirty or insufficiently pretty.

After Lin Leyan had wiped away the grime off her face… truth be told, she was not some incredible beauty and was only better than most. However, due to her working out in the field most of the time, her body figure was very enticing. Perky breasts and contoured butt, that was clearly the result of constant exercise.

Chen Xiaolian coolly looked around and saw that they have all equipped themselves with firearms. He knitted his eyebrows and said, “So, you all…”

“We cannot stay here,” said Lin Leyan as she shook her head. “Since the rescue personnel have yet to arrive, it is likely that something had happened. Perhaps… they won’t even come. The region nearby has been occupied by the rebel forces. It will be too dangerous for us to continue staying here. That is why we need to rush to Kabuka. If we can meet up with Zayad’s soldiers, then with the command documents from Zayad, we might be able to gain their protection. In short, we must make our way to Kabuka immediately as that is the only safe place.”

The German who was beside them said seriously, “I’ve been here for ten months now, so I can say I understand this country. After each rebellion, what follows is a large-scale ethnic cleansing. We could die at any given time if we stay in a danger zone. Those butchers would not care which organization we are from. As long as we do not come from the same tribe as them, we will be killed.”

“Can you repair it?” Chen Xiaolian looked at them.

“Kind of.” The answer came from the younger Caucasian fellow. He smiled bitterly before continuing, “I know how to repair machines, so repairing a vehicle is not an issue. However, this vehicle’s engine has already broken down. There is nothing I can do about that since we don’t have the necessary spare parts.”

Lin Leyan looked at Chen Xiaolian and said, “You… you have a car, right?”

Chen Xiaolian smiled.

Unlike what he had imagined, these volunteers were not just some bookworms.

They were quite the rational bunch and also virtuous – perhaps many would consider them foolish and idiotic. They’ve got their own lives to worry about, yet they had chosen to travel all the way to Africa to suffer.

Even so, Chen Xiaolian respected people like them.

At the very least, they were tens of thousands of times better than those keyboard warriors who pretend to be good people.

Additionally, these people were not fools, and neither were they mere bookworms.

They were all highly educated people. At the same time, they have experienced the most brutal environment in Africa, witnessed bloody massacres and diseases…

Be it their knowledge or experiences, these people could all be considered as elites.

“You must surely have a vehicle, right? Since you are heading to Kabuka, surely you aren’t simply walking there.” Although Lin Leyan was only making a guess, the tone used revealed her certainty. She looked at Chen Xiaolian and said, “Can you help us?”

Chen Xiaolian hesitated for a few seconds.

Bringing them with him as he travelled onward would cause him a bit of an inconvenience. After all, there were many secrets on his person.

However, it was only a bit of an inconvenience.

If it meant being able to help out these really good people, Chen Xiaolian was willing to help them.

“We’ll ride with you in your car to Kabuka. Then, our organization can give you a reward in accordance to the standard for mercenaries.” Lin Leyan was clearly quite a good speaker. “I know you must surely have your own secrets – we will not attempt to pry into your private affairs. Even after this is over, we will keep our lips sealed. This is Africa, we will observe the rules here.”

“All right.” Chen Xiaolian nodded his head and said, “My vehicle is parked a bit further away. You fellows stay here and I will go get my vehicle… I’ll go alone.”

Lin Leyan breathed a sigh of relief and her emotions showed through her eyes. “Thank you!”

This young woman from Taiwan called her companions over and informed them about it. The German fellow showed a very grateful expression and he said, “God will bless you!”

Chen Xiaolian was surprised and Lin Leyan who was beside smiled. “He is a devout Christian.”

“What about you?” Chen Xiaolian turned to look at Lin Leyan.

Lin Leyan smiled and replied, “Me? I follow my family members who practice Buddhism.”

Chen Xiaolian left the place alone and deliberately walked far away. Then, he circled a stretch of greenery and determined that no one was looking at him…

In that remote spot, he summoned out the jeep from his Storage Watch.

After considering it, he also retrieved some supplies and placed them in the trunk – since he was taking those people with him, it would be inconvenient to pull things out from his Storage Watch later.

Chen Xiaolian had no desire to be seen as a magician.

He started up the jeep and drove toward the church.

When he returned, he saw a funeral in progress.

Those people had dug up a hole and buried the dead guide there. They also erected a cross on top of the mound.

However, they showed no intention of burying the corpses of the black rebel soldiers.

Firstly, they were not saints. Secondly, there were too many corpses. To dig so many holes would consume too much time.

The German fellow led the Australian and they gathered the corpses of the rebel soldiers together before setting them on fire.

Sitting in the jeep, Chen Xiaolian included, were a total of six people. Thus, it felt rather cramped.

Chen Xiaolian was the driver while the most experienced German fellow took the first passenger spot. Lin Leyan, the other two women and the Australian fellow sat in the back row.

Other than firearms, they did not carry too much else with them. The only exception was the German fellow who brought a large bag pack with him. It contained some essential medicinal substances.

As for the African kid that Chen Xiaolian took captive, a disagreement broke out on how to deal with him.

It never came to the point of killing him. These people were volunteers after all, not butchers. However, the German fellow felt that they should tie him up while the other two women felt that doing so to the kid was the equivalent of killing him.

This was Africa!

The scent of blood will lure in wild beasts. If this little youngster who was tied up were to be found by those wild beasts that were lured over… his chances of survival could easily be deduced.

“If we let him go, he might go back and report this,” said the Australian fellow with a frown. “Only God knows if there are any rebel soldiers nearby. In case there are rebel soldiers nearby and he reports to them, we will likely be pursued.”

The one to resolve the problem was the German fellow.

After considering the issue, he walked forward and dragged the African kid over. Next, he pulled out a rope and began tying him up.

”I’m tying a special knot that I learned during my time in the army. This knot can bind him for at least half an hour. After he struggles against it long enough, it would automatically untie itself.”

After he was done, he dragged the black kid into the church. When he came out, he locked the door and entered the SUV. He looked at Chen Xiaolian and said, “After he breaks free from the ropes, he can escape through the window.”

Chen Xiaolian looked at the little church and nodded his head.

The jeep made its way to the east.

As they made their way forward, the atmosphere in the jeep was silent.

It would appear that these people knew that Chen Xiaolian had a lot of secrets on him. Thus, they wisely chose not to ask anything of him. Chen Xiaolian was very satisfied with the situation. However, too much silence made the atmosphere rather depressing.

Thus, Chen Xiaolian casually conversed with the German fellow and asked about some of the things in Africa.

The German spoke in a very cautious tone… just like the German characters in the stories, his words were very methodical and in order.

Chen Xiaolian soon came to know more about the German fellow.

His name was Hans… a very typical German name, 39 years old despite appearing somewhat older. It was likely an effect of him constantly going out and doing fieldwork.

Hans had served in the military before, but he was a military doctor and not the combat type. That explained why his marksmanship was not that good.

Hans had been in Africa for over eight years and had been to many of its countries…

Rwanda, Gabon, Central Africa, Nigeria…

He had been working here in Kombia for half a year now. In fact, Hans was also this bunch’s leader. The Australian fellow was called Winston. His family operated a large ranch back in Australia while he himself was an outstanding professional veterinarian. After joining some peace organizations back in his university days, he ended up becoming a volunteer – he was a second-generation nouveau riche with a loving heart.

Chen Xiaolian was very curious. Ordinarily, people with a family like Winston, one that owned such a huge business, would spend their days hunting and riding happily.

This fellow was someone who harboured a great ambition within his heart. He came to Africa with the desire to save the world.

Lin Leyan who was in the SUV spoke very little… truth be told, all three women were feeling exhausted. Add the shock from earlier, the three of them soon fell asleep.

Chen Xiaolian had originally thought of this act of bringing these people with him as him doing a good deed on the side. Unexpectedly, he was able to gain something from this.

When Hans saw the map of Kombia in Chen Xiaolian’s hand, he quickly took the map and produced a pen, which he used to draw a line.

“Your map is too old and incomplete. The information by the Transportation Department of Kombia has always been incomplete and many roads are left unmarked in their maps.” Hans spread open the map and said, “Here, this line I drew is a small road. Not many people know of this road. A few months ago, I sent some herbs to a tribe and their hunters told me about it. Only the local hunters know of this road.

“The condition of the road is not bad and we had used the road on our way here. A vehicle can more or less use this road. Additionally, it would be safer as we could potentially avoid the rebel soldiers and other troubles. Furthermore, the distance would be reduced by tens of kilometres.”

Chen Xiaolian was satisfied with this unexpected discovery. Next, he followed Hans guidance and changed his direction, circling a stretch of trees and hill before entering the little road mentioned by Hans.

The little road could actually not be considered a ‘road’. However, it was fairly even. Other than the resulting bumpiness, which caused their speed to falter, there was no other issues.

After driving for over two hours, Hans proposed to take over as the driver. Chen Xiaolian did not refuse and they exchanged places. He then sat in the first passenger seat and rested, sleeping for a bit.

However, Chen Xiaolian’s luck soon ran out.

The jeep suddenly lurched and the engine produced an unusual sound that woke Chen Xiaolian up.

Hans face was ugly to behold and the jeep soon slowed down before coming to a halt.

White smoke seeped out from the hood in front.

Hans cursed out and the people in the jeep woke up. Hans then glanced around.

They were in the wilderness and the surrounding grasses were very tall.

Chen Xiaolian frowned and asked, “What is it?”

“The car has broken down. It could be a problem with the engine,” Hans answered helplessly.

Chen Xiaolian was about to open the door and step down when Hans suddenly reach out with his hand to hold Chen Xiaolian’s shoulder. “Wait!”

“Mm?” Chen Xiaolian calmly looked at Hans.

“This is Africa!” Hans said grimly. “What lies outside the door is the wilderness! Other than tyrannical dictatorship and ethnic cleansing, Kombia is also known for two other things.”

“What is it?”

“Lions and wolves.”

Chen Xiaolian released his hand that was about to push the door open.