When I said those words, I was thinking, "I'll never come to East Africa again in my life!" And what I never expected was... that this vow would actually come true in the near future!!
*****************
The propellers roared as our group finally sat once again on the G country's head of state's private plane—a Soviet Cub transport aircraft that was almost completely scrapped.
In just a day and a half, I had close contact with a warlord tyrant from a small African country, and we even became friends! I witnessed him shooting innocent miners, his men killing without blinking an eye, me shooting his own soldiers, and me executing the assassin who came to kill him with the most terrible punishment in the world… I witnessed his extravagance, his extreme indulgence… He could live in luxury, in a magnificent palace, with countless beautiful women, even the handles of his bathtub were made of gold! But for the miners outside, a plate of almost rotten beans every day was considered a blessing.
And I, in turn, took away tens of millions of dollars in revenue from him every year...
I'm not a good person, but this time, I suddenly felt a sense of guilt that I couldn't describe!
At that moment, I suddenly felt little resentment towards the wrecked plane. It suddenly occurred to me that if General Kunta were to spend money to buy himself a better plane… then the miners might not even have rotten beans to eat!
Part Three: The Pinnacle, Chapter Thirty-Eight: Death Brushes By
Perhaps something was said between Khunta and his men, because the Black soldiers who brought us back on the plane this time were much friendlier to us.
Qiaoqiao next to me was still listening to music out of boredom. I didn't tell her about Kurikaka; I didn't want to tell her about such cruel and disgusting things. I leaned back in my chair for a while, but as soon as I closed my eyes, it was as if I could see the image of that killer being devoured down to bones, his eye sockets filled with man-eating ants…
"Fifth Brother...you don't look well." Hammer in front of me suddenly turned around and looked at me with some concern on his face.
I shook my head: "I'm going to get some water."
After I finished speaking, I stood up and headed towards the cargo hold at the back of the plane.
Of course, the so-called cargo hold was actually just a section of the cabin that was separated from the rear by a metal panel. Our luggage was placed in the back, along with a case of spare bottled water.
I went into the cargo hold, rummaged through the luggage for a while, and was just bending down to take a bottle of water out of a box...
Suddenly, at that moment, a sense of alertness flashed through my mind! Almost without hesitation, an instinct seemed to compel me to lunge forward and then roll to the left!
A chill almost brushed past the back of my neck! At that moment, all the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end!
I was still on the ground when I turned around and a figure leaped over and pinned me down. Almost simultaneously, I felt several powerful blows to my chest and abdomen! I raised my hands to block the blows, but my abdomen was still hit. The intense pain made me realize that it was a heavy blow to my abdomen from the other person's knee!
The person who attacked me seemed extremely experienced! A large hand swiftly covered my mouth, and then the person was on top of me, while the other hand gripped a dagger and plunged it towards my neck!
My life was at stake! I struggled with all my might, and immediately pushed upwards with one hand, pressing hard against his chin and shoving him up!
This man was incredibly strong; I couldn't push him away at first. He just swayed slightly, and then the dagger was almost pressed against my neck! I used my arm to push against his chin, preventing him from thrusting the dagger forward, and used my other hand to pull his wrist upwards to block... Luckily, he had to use one hand to cover my mouth, otherwise I probably would have been dead!
I've gotten a clear look at him. He's a Black man with strange face paint that obscures his features. He's wearing a camouflage military uniform...
Could it be one of Kunta's men? Is Kunta trying to kill me?
A thought flashed through my mind.
We were sparring; the veins in his neck were bulging, and the knuckles in his arms were cracking from the exertion! Finally, I seized an opportunity. I took a deep breath, then used the strength of my waist to spring forward...
Bang!
I immediately knocked this guy over my head and threw him over. As soon as I was free, I jumped up. Just as I was about to shout, this guy's strength far exceeded my expectations!
When I threw him, his body slammed into a pile of suitcases, but he immediately jumped up as if he hadn't lost his balance at all, and then his body instantly reappeared on top of me like a ghost!
"Come..." I only managed to utter a short syllable before the dagger, carrying a chilling aura, slashed across my chest. I gasped sharply and shrank back a third of my body. His dagger missed its mark, and he was probably quite surprised. But then, seeing that the dagger couldn't subdue me, he suddenly shot the dagger at me!
This is probably the closest I've ever come to death in my life!
I've already honed my knife-throwing skills to a considerable degree. So, the moment I saw him raise his wrist, I knew something was wrong! His posture clearly indicated he was a veteran, extremely skilled and adept! Based on my experience, at this distance between us, I absolutely couldn't dodge a dagger thrown by such an expert!
It’s over!
Just as this thought flashed through my mind, it was as if God heard my voice again...
Well, in other words, my luck has turned around again.
Presumably to avoid some turbulence, the entire fuselage suddenly jolted violently! Immediately, both of us staggered and fell to the side, and at that moment, his dagger just slipped from his hand!
Bang! Clang!
The dagger grazed my face, and although I knew it was impossible—I swear, for that instant, I could almost feel the cold, metallic touch of the dagger brushing against my skin!
The dagger slammed into the partition not far behind me with a loud thud, even piercing through the outer sheet metal and embedding itself directly into the wooden board inside!
I was shocked! At such close range and in such a short time, how did this guy manage to generate such force in his wrist?! How could a dagger fired have such power!
I had just narrowly escaped death, but because of the jolt of the plane, we both fell to the ground again, this time side by side! I was about to raise my hand to fight him and block his attack, but my body froze as soon as I moved.
Something cold was pressing firmly against my chin below my neck!
muzzle!
Looking at this guy up close, his skin, though black, wasn't as dark as other Black people; it was more like a deep brown, probably because he was of mixed race.
His eyes held a fierce, beast-like glint. After the gun was pressed against my chin, I saw his finger on the trigger.
At that critical moment, my mind suddenly became exceptionally clear, and all my reactions became unusually sharp!
In an instant, I saw the terrifyingly skilled man in front of me! His camouflage uniform was different from that of the soldiers under Kunta's command, and it was covered with obvious mud and grime, even grass clippings! What surprised me even more was that, standing so close to him, I suddenly smelled a bloody odor!
I noticed his shirt was slightly open, revealing muscles as strong as a cheetah's, but it was also quite obvious that there was a bandage wrapped around his body with visible bloodstains! This guy was actually injured!
This makes it very clear that even if Kunta wanted to kill me, he wouldn't send an injured subordinate.
After immediately ruling out that it was Kuntagan who did it, it suddenly dawned on me...
This guy's disheveled appearance and the grime on his body clearly indicate he'd been through the jungle! And his camouflage... it's strikingly similar to the one worn by the assassin I saw who killed the tower!
In that instant, I understood!
And just as his finger seemed about to pull the trigger, I suddenly whispered, "I'll help you kill the tower!"
The man's murderous gaze, which had been exceptionally sharp, seemed to soften slightly. He seemed to stare at me intently for a couple of moments, and then I saw his finger holding the gun loosen its grip a little, and the muzzle of the gun against my chin no longer hurt as much.
Finally, he moved the gun away and said in a voice as cold as an iceberg, "Who are you?"
Thank goodness, he was speaking English!
"There's no time to explain. I know you went to kill the people trapped in the tower, right? You had a companion, but they were captured by the people trapped in the tower, weren't they?"
His gaze sharpened again.
“Your companion is dead, killed by the Tower of Imprisonment. I’m not one of the Tower of Imprisonment, but I can help you, at least get you out of here,” I said quickly.
In an instant, I understood everything!
Two people went to assassinate the tower. One of them was captured by the tower's soldiers and taken back, while the other escaped into the jungle. However, he was injured for some unknown reason, but he was incredibly audacious enough to board this plane! And then he actually escaped in this way!
That's quite normal. In that jungle, surrounded by barren mountains, that airport was the only quick way to escape.
He stared at me for a long time, and I added, "Either you kill me, and there are still a dozen or so fully armed men on the plane! If you fire your gun, it will definitely alert them! See if you can kill them all?" He stared into his eyes and said, "Or you can trust me and I can help you get out! — You're going to die anyway, so you might as well take a gamble and bet that you can trust me to help you and that there's still a chance for you to survive."
Finally, the murderous intent in his eyes faded. Although his eyes were still cold, I knew that, for the time being, the killing intent had been dispelled!
We quickly separated. He looked at me warily, then slowly backed away, leaning against the cabin wall... At that moment, I noticed that although he tried his best to hide it, there was still a trace of weakness, powerlessness, and pain on his face.
He leaned against the cabin wall, his chest heaving as he breathed heavily. I looked at the guy and said, "Trust me."
Clang! His gun suddenly fell to the ground. He was startled and seemed to reach out to pick it up, but as soon as he moved, an unbearable expression of pain appeared on his face. Finally, he glanced at me helplessly, rolled his eyes, and collapsed, unconscious.
...
Are you dizzy?
You're already dizzy?
This was beyond my expectations. I cautiously approached him, checked him over, put away the gun first, and then confirmed that he had indeed passed out... After a simple check, I couldn't help but marvel!
Is this guy even human?
Part Three: The Pinnacle, Chapter Thirty-Nine: Freedom!
He suffered a terrible chest wound! It looked like he had fallen from a great height; at least three ribs were broken! In addition, there was a clear penetrating wound below his left shoulder! It was obviously a bullet wound!
He had several minor injuries, and the strangest thing was that I suddenly noticed a tear in his pants. When I lifted them up, I was shocked! His calf was swollen, and there was a clearly visible, tiny bite mark on the muscle!
It was clearly a bite from a snake or similar creature, and I suspect it was venomous, because the area around the wound was blackened. However, it seems he had covered the wound with some herbs, and there was still a strange paste-like substance with plant fibers remaining.
It's a ghost!
This guy had several broken ribs, was shot, had seven or eight minor wounds, and was bitten by a venomous snake on his leg... Even a person in good health would have collapsed long ago under such circumstances!
And in this state, with my body on the verge of collapse... this guy almost killed me three times in just a short moment!
How can he be so skilled?! Just how powerful would this guy be if he were healthy?
I hesitated for a moment before making a decision.
I didn't call anyone in; I decided not to hand him over to Kunta's men. I moved him to the back of the suitcase, then took out a bottle of water, unscrewed it, and poured it into his mouth.
He woke up once during that time. He glanced at me, a sharp glint in his eyes at first, but then, seeing that I was holding water, he seemed relieved.
"Can you still move?"
He nodded.
I took a deep breath. I said quickly, “Listen, I can help you. This plane will land in an hour, and there are a few soldiers trapped on board. When it lands, I'll try to distract them, and then you'll have to figure out how to get off the plane yourself! Understand? I can help you distract these soldiers… Can you move?”
"I'll be able to move again after a short rest," he replied coldly.
...
I straightened my clothes, made sure I hadn't given myself away, and then walked out of the cargo hold.
After returning to my seat, I said in Chinese, "Hammer."
"Fifth Brother?" Hammer turned around immediately.
"Listen, don't show it on your face!" I said to him in Chinese: "When we land, you find a few brothers to help you hold off these black soldiers and figure out a way to slow them down. Do you understand what I mean?"
Hammer nodded, though surprised. He's excellent in this respect; he meticulously carries out anything I assign him, and he never asks questions even if I don't tell him.
I dozed off in my chair, but I was a little nervous. Luckily, the soldiers didn't go into the cargo hold. Finally, the plane landed at an airport in another small country in East Africa where we had transferred flights before.
The landing of that dilapidated fox transport plane always made me nervous, fearing it would crash into the ground. After landing, I finally breathed a sigh of relief, and as soon as I got off the plane, I immediately winked at Hammer.
The flight crew inside the plane didn't move, but the soldiers sent by the guerrillas got off the plane and prepared to open another cargo hold door at the rear of the cabin to help us unload our luggage.
At this moment, Hammer, who was prepared in advance, immediately approached with several of his men. These men had planned this with Hammer on the plane. They approached, some enthusiastically grabbing the soldiers, while others immediately took out cigarettes.