Mercenary's War

Chapter 2457: Chapter 2433: Trapping the Turtle in the Jar

The Yemeni delivering the food next to him also had a gun. Realizing they’d engaged in a firefight with the enemy in the helicopter, he yelled and lifted his gun toward the sky, pulling the trigger.

"You damn turtle bastard! Wasting bullets, you old turtle shell! What the hell do you think you’re doing, you old turtle shell!"

The Yemeni didn’t understand English, nor could Liang Dong speak Arabic. Language barrier aside, Liang Dong spat out the words he was most familiar with and rushed forward to push the Yemeni’s gun down, shouting, "Take cover, take cover! Curtis, do you understand take cover?"

The helicopter in the sky was at least three to four kilometers away. From the Dagger Assault Team under attack, the direct distance was about two thousand meters. To get down and climb through a valley would be at least three or four kilometers away. Shooting at this distance—are you joking?

Liang Dong didn’t know what he could achieve. The Dagger Assault Team had plenty of people here; his presence didn’t make much difference, but doing nothing was unbearable for him.

The walkie-talkie was already in chaos; the command center had thoroughly occupied the communication channel with Vorvitsky, his call reporting the attack and requesting support, with the command center instructing him to either find a way to retreat or hold out until reinforcements arrived.

The helpers around him were busy causing chaos with no practical purpose. Watching the battlefield turn into a frenzy, Liang Dong was genuinely anxious.

Driving closer wasn’t an option; the vehicle was too large a target and would surely be spotted by the armed helicopters up there. It might already have been spotted and soon attacked. The helicopters just need to turn slightly to fire rockets or missiles or autocannon, a distance too far for rifles but not for helicopters.

There might already be a helicopter turning. Standing idly by the car wasn’t an option, and driving off would be suicide; in a blink of an eye, he’d be blown sky-high.

Giving the Yemeni a forceful shove, Liang Dong shouted, "You turtle bastard! Don’t get me killed; hide, take cover! Take cover!"

The only Arabic word he could use right now was "cover." Shouting at the Yemeni twice more, Liang Dong immediately dashed to the side.

Running downhill, he started looking for a large rock for cover. Just thirty meters out, Liang Dong heard a series of deafening explosions behind him.

Taking advantage, Liang Dong dove beside a house-sized rock, then heard a sound like a sudden ripping through oilcloth.

After lying down, Liang Dong discovered that the rock had a niche big enough to squeeze himself into; it was simply an irregular projection on the rock, leaving a narrow and short gap underneath, but it was enough for him to hide.

Taking advantage of the dust and smoke from the exploding shells, Liang Dong squeezed into the rock crevice and began breathing heavily.

The autocannon from the armed helicopter sprayed a wide area; fortunately, the shells were precise enough to hit the pickup truck with just one burst, so the helicopter didn’t continue firing.

The shells from the helicopter were dual-purpose high-explosive armor-piercing rounds. Although they had both effects, the explosive power wasn’t strong, and they hit higher up while Liang Dong was running downhill, plus the helicopter only fired a dozen rounds. A few rounds landed not far behind him, scaring him half to death, but miraculously, he remained unscathed.

"Longbow Apache, damn it! Seeing the real deal after all these years; those old turtle shells, you’ve got to admit defeat!"

Muttering low curses, he vented the tension from narrowly escaping death and celebrated his luck in surviving.

"Mouse calling Head Sheep, Mouse calling Head Sheep, I’m not far from Cobra and the others. I’m trying to find a way to assist them. Be cautious; there are four Longbow Apaches, don’t come without anti-air weapons and get yourself killed! Over!"

Finally finding a gap in the walkie-talkie chatter, Liang Dong urgently reported the situation. He also heard the buzzing of helicopters and peeked out from the rock crevice to see a Longbow Apache flying through at super low altitude, quickly retracting his feet and hiding in the crevice.

"Head Sheep calling Mouse! This is not something you can handle. Leave immediately. If you cannot leave safely, then take cover quickly. Over!"

Gao Yang’s voice was urgent and fast; although Liang Dong knew the people on the helicopter couldn’t possibly hear him speak, he instinctively lowered his voice and said, "Boss, I’m a Cook Soldier, a cook who is also a soldier. There’s no way to stand idly by at a time like this! Even if you order me, I won’t be a coward now! I know what to do; keep the channel clear. Over!"

Shutting the walkie-talkie off, Liang Dong murmured to himself, "Damn it! Even if I die, I won’t disgrace the face of the Liberation Army! You may call me Mouse, but I won’t truly become mouse-hearted!"

Gunfire, the whistling of rockets, and explosions filled the air; at this moment, the helicopter noise was completely absent. Liang Dong cautiously poked his head out to take a look, discovering that the helicopter, while increasing altitude, hadn’t flown away. Its nose was now facing the direction of the Dagger Assault Team, likely having approached to scout and check if there were any enemy troops over the ridge, reviewing the previous attack’s impact and getting ready to head back.

Quickly ducking back in, Liang Dong waited a while, cautiously emerging from the rock crevice and surveying carefully.

Bravery and reckless acts are two different things; if he wanted to save someone, leaving aside whether he could make a difference, he definitely couldn’t be spotted and blown to bits by the helicopters above first.

Crawling out slowly and carefully observing for a while, Liang Dong saw two helicopters swiftly flying toward a nearby hill where the Houthis Armed Forces had a hundred-man stronghold. The helicopters were definitely moving to strike reinforcements, leaving only two helicopters in the distance, still firing at the hiding spot of the Dagger Assault Team.

Seeing an opportunity to approach the battlefield, Liang Dong sprinted, not backward, but towards the thick of the fight.

Running down the hill swiftly, he occasionally slowed to avoid slipping and falling. After sprinting a few hundred meters, the battlefield suddenly grew quiet—the gunfire continued, but the helicopter’s 30mm cannon and rockets had paused.

Leaning against a rock, scanning the front, Liang Dong quickly understood what was happening and cursed furiously, "Damn it all, that’s a trap to catch me!"