Chapter 558: Powell’s Change
Just as Powell and the SEALs were recovering from the shock of the large-scale explosion in the center of the small town, a dark green military vehicle sped noisily towards them from a distance. Then it suddenly halted right in front of the house they were hiding in.
Vrooom! Vrooom! Vrooom!
They raised their guns instinctively, taking aim at the vehicle, ready for action.
And in the next second, the car door swung open, and a figure dressed in camouflage fatigues stepped out, waving at them to come over.
“It’s Mr. Mie, he’s back!” Sarah cried.
She was elated to the point of tears. There was a cheery smile on her face as she raced over to Xiao Luo.
Powell and the other three SEALs stood rooted to their spots in disbelief. The look of bewilderment brought color to their faces.
“He’s back in one piece?” Mina said, stunned.
“This man is terrifying! How did he pull that off?” Rice exclaimed.
It was evident that Xiao Luo was coming from the direction of that ma.s.sive explosion triggered by him. How did he return in one piece and not sustain any injuries on his body?
Powell did not lower the gun he had raised. His finger was still resting on the trigger as he thought about putting up a fight. If he fired this shot, there was about a 90% chance he would kill this unarmed Hua Nation citizen. But they were still a long way from the sh.o.r.e base, and killing Xiao Luo would mean they would have no one else to turn to for help. If they were to run into any more soldiers, the situation would be dire.
Forget it. The team had to rely on Xiao Luo for the time being!
He made his choice and lowered the gun. He waved his hand to his team and said, “Come on, let’s go!”
Turning to them, Xiao Luo went straight to the point. “Get in. We have to leave this place now!” he urged.
Leave this place?
Powell and the other three soldiers visibly blanched at that suggestion. If they left this town for the desolate Gobi Desert, what if the Libyan rebels caught up with them? They wondered if they would all be annihilated.
As if knowing what the team was thinking, Xiao Luo said, “You don’t have to worry about the rebels here anymore!”
He had said his piece, then took the lead and opened the door, sitting behind the wheel.
They did not have to worry about the rebels anymore?
What did that mean? Yesterday, the man told them not to worry about the Khun Sa Mercenary Corps, and now he was saying the same thing about the rebels. Just what did he mean?
The four of them felt chills run down their spines, and they were shocked. They understood what Xiao Luo was saying, but it was just that they could not believe what they were hearing.
Sarah Mich.e.l.le, on the other hand, hopped into the vehicle without question. That a.s.surance of his made it clear that they were out of the woods.
…
…
“Mr. Mie, did you cause that explosion?” Sarah asked.
“Yes,” Xiao Luo responded.
“Was that the ammunition storehouse?” she was eagerly asking him.
“Yes,” he replied.
“And the town’s rebels? Did you wipe them all out?”
“No,” he answered with a slight frown.
In the car, Sarah Mich.e.l.le continued to pose questions at Xiao Luo. He responded curtly with single-word answers.
As the questioning went on, the team seemed more and more surprised at what they were learning from him. They heaved a sigh of relief when Xiao Luo answered that last question with a negative response. There were about 500 soldiers in that town. If Xiao Luo had wiped out all 500 of them alone, then he was something that was far more terrifying than seeing a ghost in broad daylight.
It was impossible to imagine how he had done that. He had almost wiped out the Libyan rebels leaving only a handful of them alive.
After spending two to three hours, they finally got out of the Gobi Desert, and the surrounding landscape started showing more greenery. After close to four hours into their journey, they ran into a contingent of Mei reinforcements who were there to back them up.
There were close to two hundred soldiers, all armed to the teeth, and there were also helicopters equipped with weapons. Powell and his three SEALs were overjoyed as they left the truck to meet the soldiers.
“Look, Mr. Mie, it’s the Mei army. We’re close to the sh.o.r.e, I can already smell the sea in the air!” Sarah said.
The first thing Sarah Mich.e.l.le did when she stepped out of the vehicle was to breathe in the air. They were no longer in the Gobi Desert. There was a dense layer of the forest and a heavy blanket of security forces that surrounded them.
“You’re safe now. I should take my leave, then!” Xiao Luo said to Sarah.
Xiao Luo did not want to hang around amid such a large force of Mei troops, so he bid her goodbye and quickly prepared to leave in the truck.
At that moment, Powell hurried over with a slight smile on his face. “Mr. Mie, are you taking your leave already?” he asked.
“Can I help you?” Xiao Luo replied.
“The Hua Nation’s sh.o.r.e base is more than 200 miles from here, I think it’s best you stick with us. We’re heading in the same direction anyway. I’ll personally send you to the airport once we return to Mei Nation,” Powell said.
“Yeah, Mr. Mie, come with us. I want to invite you back home as a guest to thank you for all that you’ve done for me,” Sarah said, eager to extend an invitation to him.
Xiao Luo stared right at Powell for a brief moment and then gave him a smile. He shook his head and declined them both. “That’s alright, but may we meet again!” he said.
Without waiting for Powell or Sarah to respond, he drove off in a hurry.
Trying to run?
Sorry Mr. Mie, but we are going to need you to stay here forever!
There was malice in Powell’s gaze. He waved his hand as he gave out a command. “Listen up! All of you are to escort Miss Sarah back to the sh.o.r.e base immediately!” he barked to his men.
“Yes, Captain!” the soldiers called out in unison.
Sarah Mich.e.l.le noticed that something was amiss with Powell. “Captain Powell, what are you planning? Why aren’t you returning with us?” she asked.
“That’s a military secret. There’s no need to concern yourself with this, Miss Sarah,” he responded.
Powell waved a hand, and two Mei soldiers immediately went over, to forcibly take Sarah Mich.e.l.le away. The sound of her struggle to break free gradually began to fade as she was dragged off until it could no longer be heard.
Powell turned to Mina and asked, “You hate the Hua Nation soldiers, don’t you?”
There was an insidious smile on Powell’s face as he said, “Well, I detest them too, especially the kind of Hua soldiers who are exceptional with their fists. I’m giving you a chance to reciprocate the disrespect he showed you before. Use that sniper rifle of yours and blow a hole in his head.”
“Sir!” Mina responded in a booming voice.
It was Rice who seemed hesitant this time. “Captain, if it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t have accomplished this mission. We…”
“Enough!” Powell interjected and cut him short.
There was a fierce and guileful look on Powell’s face. He reached out a large hand to grab Rice by his collar. “If you can’t do it, then you can get the h.e.l.l back to the sh.o.r.e base. Have you forgotten how he humiliated you when he slammed you into that wall with just one slap?”
With Powell’s reminder, Rice recalled the shame he had had to endure earlier.
He saluted Powell and said, “I haven’t forgotten, Sir!”
Powell relaxed his grip on the man and gritted his teeth. “Then raise your weapon and kill the man. Make him pay with his life,” he bellowed.
“Sir!” Rice responded in a loud voice.
“Go!” ordered Powell.
On his orders, around 20 military vehicles headed out in Xiao Luo’s direction. Two attack helicopters had their coordinates locked in on Xiao Luo’s truck in the air, which was about a mile away from them.
“That man cannot be allowed to leave this place alive. Keep in mind that this is a ferocious beast we’re dealing with, so don’t lower your guard!”
Powell had a range of weapons prepared. He communicated with his soldiers through the walkie-talkie he held. That man was a monster who single-handedly annihilated the Khun Sa Mercenary Corps and a war machine who escaped unscathed after being chased by more than 500 Libyan rebels. No matter what, they could not allow Xiao Luo to get away, he thought as he prepared his a.s.sault on Xiao Luo.