Chapter 357: Escaping From Kabuka

It would appear that Lin Leyan had been badly terrified by the ordeal. Although she was in Chen Xiaolian’s embrace, her body was stiff. It was only after Chen Xiaolian patted her a few times did her tense body loosen somewhat.

“Can you still walk?” Chen Xiaolian put a little distance between them and looked into her eyes.

Lin Leyan nodded her head and said, “Mm.”

“Then let’s move. We can’t stay here for long,” Chen Xiaolian quickly said. “The rebel army had already entered the city. Kabuka City will surely fall by tonight.”

Lin Leyan was quick to gesture in affirmation.

If the bandits outside were savage wolves, then the rebel soldiers were man-eating lions! In Kombia, whenever there was war, the crimes committed by the soldiers would be beyond heartless.

Chen Xiaolian released his grip on Lin Leyan and began cleaning up the scene. There were quite a few firearms left on the ground by the African bandits. As he was presently lacking in weapons, it was only natural that he would not waste this opportunity. He picked them up one by one and kept it.

Then, he pulled Lin Leyan and ran out of the shop. Chen Xiaolian had already secretly summoned Garfield, who was outside, back into the system. By the time the two of them stepped through the door of the shop, there were no longer any more living people outside.

Tens of corpses were piled on the ground and Chen Xiaolian quickly used his hand to block off Lin Leyan’s view – the Four-eyed War Cats would not care about things like table manners when killing. Garfield had gone pure beast mode on his targets and the remaining scene was so bloody, it was practically the picture of a slaughterhouse.

Lin Leyan’s body had gone limp and she leaned upon Chen Xiaolian’s body, depending on his support to move away.

Lin Leyan’s vehicle was still parked outside beside the street. Although the tires had been chained, it was not an issue for Chen Xiaolian. He simply pulled the chains apart, brought Lin Leyan up into the vehicle before starting it up and driving away from the street.

As the vehicle drove forward, sharp and miserable screams could be heard coming from both sides of the street. Some suspicious looking people would even cast their gazes at their vehicle. However, Chen Xiaolian simply revealed one of his guns through the window. Seeing the muzzle of the gun pointing out of the vehicle, no one dared to trouble them.

This vehicle that Lin Leyan had gotten from the hotel was a van. Although it seemed rather old, it was still useable.

Chen Xiaolian had originally intended to drive straight to the hotel. However, as they were making their way past a street and had only around 500 metres more to go, he suddenly heard an intense burst of gunshots from the intersection before them!

Chen Xiaolian quickly stepped on the brakes. At the same time, he also turned off the lights on the van.

Enveloped by darkness, Lin Leyan’s body shook and Chen Xiaolian reached out with his hand to grip her hand. At the same time, he also leaned forward to see what was happening. What he saw caused his heart to sink.

A large number of soldiers wearing military uniform charged forward through an intersection located around 200 metres in front of them. It did not take long for them to occupy the intersection. Additionally, they also had two old pickup trucks with machine guns installed upon them.

Despite the circumstances, it was not difficult for Chen Xiaolian to recognize that they were not some bandits. Rather… they were soldiers from the army!

Zayad’s soldiers that were stationed inside the city had long since run off. Thus, the soldiers before him must certainly belong to the rebel army.

Observing the number of soldiers there, Chen Xiaolian saw that there were at least 100 soldiers there. All of them were equipped with firearms of varying length and Chen Xiaolian wisely chose not to charge forward.

If he was alone, it might have been possible for him to charge out. However, he had Lin Leyan beside him. Thus, he immediately turned down this idea.

The road leading to the hotel was now blocked.

Clearly, the rebel army had completely broken through into the city and was in the gradual process of occupying the east side of Kabuka City.

Chen Xiaolian turned the van around and drove north.

Although the van’s lights had been turned off, those rebel soldiers could still hear the sound of the van being started up. Thankfully, they did not decide to give chase… it was likely that they were more interested in occupying the city. They had simply considered Chen Xiaolian to be an ordinary citizen that was attempting to run away. Some of the rebel soldiers raised their guns and fired out a few shots at them before laughing out loudly.

Some stray bullets struck the van’s window and Lin Leyan screamed out. Chen Xiaolian already had one hand out to pull her head down.

Pushing the throttle to its limits, they charged into another intersection and made a turn. Seeing that there were no rebel soldiers chasing them, both Chen Xiaolian and Lin Leyan heaved a sigh of relief.

“Let’s head north. We’re currently closer to the north side, so we’ll head north to leave the city,” said Chen Xiaolian after considering it. “Hans had said before, their plan is to head east after getting out of the city. Then, they’ll head for the border and attempt to head to Cameroon where there will be someone waiting for them.”

Her face pale, Lin Leyan nodded. “There is a branch of our organization in Cameroon. They will probably organize someone to welcome us.”

“We’ll head out and think of a way to meet up with Hans.” Chen Xiaolian then took a deep breath and turned to look at Lin Leyan. “Don’t worry. Just follow me and I will protect you. There won’t be any issue.”

“… … mm.” Lin Leyan forced out a smile.

Their van headed north, moving through the city of Kabuka. Clearly, this place had yet to be occupied by the rebel army. However, the streets had fallen into a state of anarchy. Flames rose up everywhere as many people took advantage of the situation to create chaos. Chen Xiaolian’s approach to this situation was very direct. He simply stepped on it and had the van charge forward, ignoring any attempt to stop the van.

An hour later, the van quickly made its way out of the city area and into the suburbs in the north side of the city.

Chen Xiaolian did not lower his guard.

He understood that the reason they had not encountered any rebel soldiers was because the rebel army was entering through the east side of the city. They were focused on clearing and occupying the city. Even so, the rebel army would certainly send out small teams to surround the city in an attempt to devour the retreating soldiers from Zayad’s National Army.

This was a race against time! If they were able to escape fast enough, they would be able to escape the encirclement of the rebel army. But if they were too slow, they would fall into the rebel army’s grasp. When that happened, they would have to fight their way through.

The roads outside the city were very rugged and the van encountered many bumps along the way. Additionally, they were driving in the middle of the night, making it even harder on them.

On their way, they would occasionally see some broken down cars by the road. Those people had likely escaped from the city as well. However, their cars had broken down and they now stood there waving desperately and asking for help. Some of them simply pulled out a gun and attempted to rob them. Chen Xiaolian had no interest in being a saint. Thus, he simply stepped on the throttle and had the van rush forward.

The amount of bumps he had to endure alone caused Chen Xiaolian to curse the dead Zayad.

As President of this country, can’t you at least build proper roads leading out of the city? Just look at how crappy this road is. No wonder your rule would be toppled by others!

Although Kabuka City was not too big, to circle around the city to the east side was not easy… additionally, the farther east they go, the higher the risk they face. The east side was where the rebels had broken through the city.

As such, if Chen Xiaolian was lucky, he would be able to slip by the back of the rebel army.

But if he was unlucky, he would end up bumping into the rebel army head on. Those were very real possibilities.

Perhaps the Heavens had heard Chen Xiaolian’s pleas…

Two hours later, their van had left Kabuka City far behind it as they drove to the east… they had made a huge turn and finally ran out from Kabuka City. It was highly likely that they had also escaped the encirclement set by the rebel army.

Chen Xiaolian checked the time and saw that it was close to 12 o’clock.

“We should be safe now,” said Chen Xiaolian who reduced his driving speed. As he did so, he turned around and glanced at Kabuka City.

Amid the darkness of the night, the city appeared to be shrouded by flames… even from afar, he could still hear the sounds of gunfire.

Chen Xiaolian knew full well that tonight, Kabuka City would become the closest thing to Hell!

Those rebel soldiers were simply an undisciplined lot. After breaking into the city, the only things that they would do were to kill and pillage.

The massacre of an entire city was most likely going to happen.

He could imagine the miserable ending that would befall the people who were still inside Kabuka City tonight.

Chen Xiaolian sighed.

After continuing on for another half an hour, Chen Xiaolian stopped the van.

The old van was likely even older than Chen Xiaolian. They had used it to break out from the city and used it for so long; Chen Xiaolian did not have too much faith in its quality.

By the time they stopped, the engine had already overheated. Chen Xiaolian had to open up the engine cover to let the heat dissipate.

He retrieved out a bottle of mineral water and unscrewed it before handing it to Lin Leyan who was seated in the front passenger seat.

Lin Leyan was in a state where she could not think properly. She did not care where this bottle of mineral water had come from. She simply accepted it and gulped down a good portion of it.

Chen Xiaolian lit up a cigarette, stood beside the van and quietly looked at the road behind them.

After finishing one cigarette, Chen Xiaolian’s face became ugly to behold.

He had noticed something. However, he kept it to himself and did not inform Lin Leyan.

The road that they were on right now was the only road heading away from Kabuka City.

The only one.

Considering the situation with Kombia’s road development, Chen Xiaolian had no doubt about that.

Most importantly, as Chen Xiaolian was driving the van through this road just now, he had not seen any recent traces of vehicles moving along this road.

There were no marks on the mud roads. The grasses on both sides of the roads did not sport any evidence of being trampled over.

Chen Xiaolian was certain that, in the past few hours, no vehicles had travelled through this road.

Hans and his team… they were a team! If they had headed east when they left the city, this should be the direction they had taken!

By analysing this matter…

In other words, Chen Xiaolian had gone on ahead of Hans and his team.

However… the city of Kabuka had completely fallen. Hans and the others… did they manage to run out?

The big question hovered over Chen Xiaolian’s head.

Perhaps they had all fallen together with the city.

Chen Xiaolian did not tell Lin Leyan about this speculation of his. This young woman had had too many shocking incidents happen to her tonight.

After he was done with his cigarette, he got into the van and continued to move forward.

Their movement speed was not too fast. The old engine on the van was clearly having difficulty operating and the sounds it made reminded him of an old man having a coughing fit. Occasionally, there would be a faltering sense coming from it.

Chen Xiaolian dared not increase their speed of travel by pushing the engine too far. He simply had the van continue forward at a low speed.

Truth be told, they were already safe.

After occupying Kabuka City, the rebel army should be focusing all of its forces on pillaging and killing. For the time being, they would not dispatch any of their soldiers to raid the east.

Kabuka City was the equivalent of a big juicy meat that had attracted the attention of the rebel army. Only after having gorged and digested this piece of juicy meat would they consider taking action by sending soldiers to the east.

At most they would send out a small team of soldiers for show.

After moving for another half an hour, the van finally died. Its engine coughed out violently a few times before sputtering to a halt. It was no longer capable of starting up anymore.

Chen Xiaolian sighed.

Oh well. This old vehicle had pretty much given its all.

Considering the time, Chen Xiaolian estimated that they were at least 20 to 30 lis away from Kabuka City (1 li = 0.5 km).

Since their vehicle had broken down, Chen Xiaolian could only get Lin Leyan to come down from the van and walk.

He shoved a gun into Lin Leyan’s hands.

“Do you know how to use it?” asked Chen Xiaolian who looked at her.

Lin Leyan nodded her head. She had already calmed down. “I know how to use it.”

“Mm.” Chen Xiaolian took a deep breath and said, “Should anything happen, I will protect you. However… what I mean is, just in case something dangerous occurs, don’t hesitate to open fire. At a time like this, you must not be soft-hearted, understand?”

“I understand,” said Lin Leyan who vigorously nodded her head.

The two of them did not linger. They began walking to the east. The more steps they take the closer to the border they will be.

After walking for nearly one hour, Lin Leyan’s breathing gradually became ragged.

This young woman was originally feeling exhausted to begin with. Her forehead was currently soaked with sweat and she was barely able to force herself to keep on walking.

Chen Xiaolian cast a glance at Lin Leyan and frowned – continuing like this was not an option. Considering her stamina, it would be impossible to reach the border.

However, he no longer have a vehicle… there was none in his Storage Watch as well. Well, he did have two barrels of gasoline inside.

“Let’s stop to rest for a while.” Seeing as there was nothing he could do, Chen Xiaolian led Lin Leyan and they found a place to sit.

Chen Xiaolian did not lower his guard at all – this place was Africa, the wilderness could well be playing host to jackals, tigers, leopards or the likes.

He quietly summoned out Garfield and three Garfield doppelgangers appeared within the grasses… if any jackals or lions did appear, they would only end up becoming supper for these Four-eyed War Cats.

Naturally, Lin Leyan was unable to see Chen Xiaolian’s pets. After resting for a bit, she raised her head and said, “Let’s continue to head onward.”

“No need to be impatient. You need to restore your strength.”

“We need to move faster and chase up to Hans and the others…” After saying that, Lin Leyan’s eyes suddenly turned red and tears flowed out from her eyes.

Chen Xiaolian frowned.

“Am I not an idiot?” Lin Leyan clenched her fists.

Chen Xiaolian remained silent.

“We may never have the chance of meeting them anymore, right?” Lin Leyan whispered. “Don’t lie to me. I can think for myself. Perhaps, they did not even make it out, isn’t that right? But even if they did make it out and are in front of us… now that our vehicle have broken down, just by walking, we won’t be able to chase up to them who have vehicles. Isn’t that right?”

Chen Xiaolian was silent for a moment. Then, he said in a hushed tone, “By my estimate, the rebel army is now occupying Kabuka and would massacre the city… however, that would only give us a day. Then, they will send out their soldiers east to give chase… as long as the commander of the rebel army is not an idiot, he will not pass up on such a good opportunity. It was not an easy task for them to take the capital city. Not using this opportunity to increase their winnings would be the actions of an idiot. However, that means we still have one day. In this one day, the rebel army would not get to us… the soldiers from the rebel army would have to vent their feelings inside Kabuka City. Otherwise, it would be hard to rouse their military spirit and morale.”

“One day… there is no way for us to make it to the border in one day’s time,” whispered Lin Leyan. “We don’t have any vehicle. Even if we walk for the whole day, once the rebel army dispatches their soldiers east, it will be difficult for us…”

“There’s only two of us. That makes us small targets.” Chen Xiaolian deliberately let out a casual laugh. “When the time comes, we can just find a corner to hide. Do we have to fear being found?”

“They are not just my colleagues, they are my friends.” Lin Leyan cried out in a low tone.

Chen Xiaolian shut his mouth. He simply stood beside Lin Leyan and used his hand to pat her on her shoulder.

It was at that moment that several illuminating lights appeared from the road behind them!

Chen Xiaolian rapidly turned his head to look at it!

Those were… lights from vehicles!