84: Unprecedented despair

"Captain, the firepower we're facing is at least the size of a platoon!"

The soldiers tried to fight back, but were constantly hit by rocket-propelled grenades.

Machine guns swept continuously, and rocket-propelled grenades struck accurately. They were completely unable to raise their heads to fight back.

Two fast-running soldiers had already rushed towards the armored vehicle parked on the roadside.

Just as they breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to start the vehicle, they heard a piercing sound.

"Damn it, it's an armor-piercing round!"

The soldiers only had time to let out a desperate roar, and then flames engulfed the entire compartment.

The explosion's light reflected on the armored vehicle's bulletproof glass, and the soldiers inside fell silent.

"Damn it, where are the enemies?"

"Unclear! It's like we're being attacked from both sides!"

Gunshots and painful screams intertwined. The soldiers tried hard to fight back, but could never find the enemy's exact location.

The enemy forces were like Ghosts, their attack fierce, yet they were nowhere to be seen.

This made the soldiers feel an unprecedented despair.

The two soldiers who were just escorting Kadeyafu had long since fled for their lives, hiding in a small house with a few other quick-witted soldiers.

"Their firepower is too fierce! Was that really explosives? How could it be so accurate?"

A soldier trembled as he closed the door, his legs still shaking uncontrollably.

"Oh god, are you crazy?"

"How could you leave Kadeyafu and the Captain outside!"

At this moment, someone noticed Kadeyafu was curled up on the ground dodging stray bullets, while the Captain was behind the mother and daughter, slowly dragging them along. Fortunately, none of the stray bullets hit them.

"Quick, call for support!"

"Right, quickly call for help!"

A soldier hurriedly went to get the phone, but suddenly the window was shattered.

"Boom!"

The room was immediately filled with flames, and the closed door was blown away by the air blast.

"Boom boom boom..."

Explosions rang out continuously inside the small house. Clearly, the other side was not at ease and fired several explosives consecutively, each one landing accurately inside the house until the house was completely destroyed before stopping.

Kadeyafu trembled every time he heard an explosion, truly experiencing the horror of war.

It was unknown how long passed, perhaps like a century, or maybe just a few minutes. The explosions and gunshots finally stopped, and silence fell all around. A few surviving refugees waited nervously for a while before daring to raise their heads.

At this moment, they found that the surrounding soldiers had all fallen to the ground and were motionless. Just a few minutes ago, these soldiers were full of life, but now they had all been wiped out.

No one dared to move, fearing a new attack. After a few minutes, a refrigerated truck slowly drove towards the intersection.

There's actually a refrigerated truck?

Basayev couldn't believe his eyes. The first truck had refugees, the second was empty, and the third was the real enemy?

This group of enemies is too cautious.

He didn't expect things to turn out like this. At this moment, he was already pointing his weapon at the mother and daughter, hiding behind a tree by the roadside.

Only by doing this did he feel slightly safer.

But...

How could a refrigerated truck hide a platoon of soldiers?

The firepower just now was like a full platoon of soldiers firing, otherwise, how could people like us be taken care of so easily?

Could this just be the opponent's vanguard?

Basayev felt his scalp tingle. Facing such an opponent, he knew he had encountered a truly formidable enemy this time.

The refrigerated truck slowly stopped, and several Asian City people wearing special bulletproof vests jumped out.

One of them held a conspicuous sniper rifle aimed at Basayev, while the others quickly checked the fallen soldiers around to confirm if they showed any signs of life.

To Basayev's surprised gaze, they dragged the curled-up Kadeyafu to the back of the refrigerated truck and quickly tied his hands with zip ties.

He tried to resist, but as soon as he felt the coldness on his neck, he immediately gave up struggling.

Where did these Asian City people come from?

What are they doing here?

An Asian City-faced team member, after confirming the situation was under control, said into the communicator: "Boss, you can come out."

Kadeyafu seemed to understand some Chinese. After hearing this, he looked up towards the inside of the refrigerated truck.

A young man wearing a Zhongshan suit walked out. He was handsome, slender, and seemed quite thin, but his eyes revealed a look of determination that was striking.

"Do you understand Chinese?" Xu Ning asked when he saw Kadeyafu staring at him.

Kadeyafu was stunned for a moment, then nodded.

"What about the person outside? Does he understand Chinese?"

Kadeyafu quickly shook his head.

"What about russian?"

Seeing Kadeyafu nod, Xu Ning breathed a sigh of relief.

If that person only spoke the local language, things would be much more complicated.

Xu Ning appeared with the five members of the Hunter Vulture Squad.

Basayev hadn't expected that the platoon he thought was there was actually right here.

Xu Ning helped Kadeyafu up, led him out from behind the refrigerated truck, and shouted in fluent russian at Basayev, who was hiding behind the tree: "Hey, Big Beard, how about we make a deal?"

"This person should be very important to you, right? If you release the hostages, I'll hand him over to you and let you leave."

Basayev was stunned. He hadn't expected an Asian City person to speak such standard russian.

But he quickly regained his composure, "Hmph! Why should I believe you? Unless you release him first and let us leave with the hostages!"

Their armored vehicle had been destroyed, and they could only retreat using the refrigerated truck.

However, none of that was important. Judging from their reaction, there was still a chance for things to turn around.

Now, the hostage in his hand seemed to have allowed him to grasp the opponent's weakness.

He had always favored hostage tactics, as people often made unwise choices driven by sympathy.

Apparently, the person opposite had also fallen into this trap.

When he used that lady as a shield, he felt a sense of control. Otherwise, the scene just now should have been her blocking bullets for him, and then being abandoned by him, just so he could escape for his life.

And now, he had the chance to rescue Kadeyafu.

Basayev knew that as long as he controlled the mother and daughter, the other side would definitely compromise.

But time was pressing, and they had to act quickly, otherwise, when the enemy's main force arrived, the situation would become complicated.

He said confidently: "That's impossible. I can only agree to a hostage exchange."

"You can take them one kilometer away before stopping to exchange. This is my final bottom line."

Basayev's face revealed an even more sinister smile. He slowly drew out a small knife and gently ran it across the hostage's cheek and neck.

"Hmph! The Chechen Republic of Ichkeria is not a coward. Even if he sacrifices, his soul will return to Allah."

He emphasized, "The initiative is in my hands. The terms should be set by me."

Although the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria belonged to the Bear faction, they believed in Islam, which was also one of the reasons they sought autonomy.

Basayev used this method to remind Xu Ning that he didn't care about these threats.