King Of War: Starting with Arms Dealer

Karman might have sensed Joe Ga's unease, hesitating for a moment before taking the passenger seat and pointing to the prairie, "We'll take a detour, go around a few sections that are suitable for ambushes.

It might take a little more time, but if it can give you some peace of mind, it should be worth it."

It was then that Karman's abilities shone through. Many people could walk on the prairie—just put on some boots, carry a gun, and apply some insect repellent—but truly understanding the prairie and finding the right path in the dark was something Karman was definitely top-notch at.

The prairie at night was not a place you could simply walk out of with a GPS.

When Joe Ga drove into the prairie, following Karman's intricate guidance and navigating nearly 30 kilometers before joining the main road, he was truly glad he had hired Karman.

The old fellow knew the prairie too well; he could smell whether there were water holes ahead, judge by the growth of the vegetation where it was more convenient to drive, and sometimes, upon hearing certain calls, he knew what kind of wild animals were nearby and would guide Joe Ga to avoid them.

By the time Joe Ga got back on the main road, nearly three hours had passed.

South SD had no streetlights, and the aid-funded highways didn't have guardrails or anything like that either, with animals frequently crossing over the road.

In such circumstances, Joe Ga dared not drive too fast, maintaining a speed of around 70 kilometers per hour.

When Joe Ga had driven for nearly another hour, and was about 25 kilometers away from Wau, two pickup trucks suddenly appeared, speeding from the opposite direction.

For safety, Joe Ga turned the steering wheel to the right, edging closer to the side of the road. As his vehicle passed by the oncoming pickups, he saw that the drivers and passengers were white men, an uncommon sight in South SD, and they were all clad in Tactical Vests.

Joe Ga struggled to remain calm, but when he saw through the rearview mirror that the two vehicles had started to make a U-turn and were chasing after him, his entire body tensed up.

Karman noticed something amiss right away, but without Joe Ga's command, he didn't attack immediately.

It was this moment or two of hesitation that cost them the initiative.

"Pop, pop, pop..."

In the chasing vehicles, someone leaned out of a window and fired a burst of bullets at Joe Ga and his team.

Hitting a target accurately while moving at high speed was difficult, but the shooters were clearly skilled, as most of the bullets hit the tail of the pickup, with one shattering the rear seat window, causing Joe Ga to cry out as the splintering glass flew around, and he floored the accelerator in an attempt to shake them off.

But he quickly realized his efforts were futile, as the performance of the pursuers' vehicles was better than his own, and under these circumstances, he didn't even have a chance to return fire.

Karman was a true old soldier. In a fluid motion, he unbuckled his seat belt, grabbed his AK74, and steadied his body with his left hand wrapped around the headrest while stabilizing the gun, peering through the shattered rear window to take aim, all the while saying, "Steady, steady..."

Joe Ga gripped the steering wheel tightly, not swinging the car violently from side to side as they do in movies because he knew that being able to counterattack when capable was more important than anything during such a chase. Eliminating the enemy's living force was key to securing his own safety.

The moment the car behind was almost in a straight line with Joe Ga's vehicle, Karman pulled the trigger, unloading a full burst of bullets.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang..."

A series of explosions rang in Joe Ga's ears, and the hot casings that hit his face seemed to cause no sensation.

As Karman fired, the windshield of the car behind shattered completely. Joe Ga didn't know if the people inside were dead, but the vehicle veered off the road and plunged into the prairie beside them as soon as the gun fired.

Just when Joe Ga was about to let out a sigh of relief, several bullets suddenly shot out from the second pursuing vehicle.

The moment he heard the gunfire, Joe Ga felt the pickup shake, and then the steering wheel suddenly went out of control, sending the whole vehicle careening into the prairie to the right.

Clutching the passenger-side handle tightly, Karman shouted, "Sniper, lights off, lights off..."

As the car was about to stop, Karman pushed open the door and rolled out, lying prone on the ground in an irregular move and firing continuously at the pursuing vehicle, holding them back on the highway.

Joe Ga quickly followed suit, turned off the engine, and leaped out of the car, scrambling to Karman's side. Just as he was about to speak, two bullets hit the grass next to him.

Akin to a snake, Karman slithered against the ground, retreating several meters backward. When he was close to Joe Ga, he pulled him along, crouching and dashing into the dark depths of the prairie, instantly creating a distance of about 200 meters between the combatants.

"Follow me, they can see in the dark; just hope it's not thermal imaging."

A bullet grazed Karman's shoulder, and almost regaining his composure, Joe Ga said resignedly, "It's a sniper rifle equipped with an infrared night vision device. Luckily the sniper was shooting from inside the vehicle; we still need to be careful, though."

As he said this, Joe Ga heard the sound of an engine from behind. He grabbed his HK416, snapped on the rear flip-up 4x magnification scope, aligning it with the holographic sight, and said to Karman, "They have cars and night vision; we can't run on the prairie. We must strike back and take them down."

Karman, moving swiftly without making a sound, heard Joe Ga's words and turned to say, "They won't have a car to use soon. Follow me, there's a small mound 60 meters ahead. We can try to counterattack once we get around it."

Joe Ga had no idea what Karman was talking about, but after just a few seconds, he heard the engine behind them roar, followed by the distinct screeching sound of tires spinning in vain; they were stuck...

At that moment, Joe Ga had nothing but admiration for Karman; the guy had deliberately led them in an S-shaped route, luring the enemy into a boggy area.

Suddenly filled with confidence, Joe Ga let go of his tense emotions and chose to fully trust Karman's judgment, following him around a small mound over twenty meters high before climbing to its rear for a higher vantage point.

Joe Ga lay on the ground and quickly pulled out a pair of night-vision tactical goggles and put them on, instantly brightening his surroundings. Compared to the green palette of night vision in movies, Joe Ga's view was much clearer.

This future technology, akin to an electromagnetic gun barrel, instantly evened the tactical playing field between Joe Ga and the enemies.

Through the scope, watching the vehicle stuck in the mud, he aligned the black crosshairs on the driver's head and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

At less than 300 meters, Joe Ga had no reason to miss; the driver's head jerked violently, and a large hole instantly exploded on the back left side of his skull, the splattering blood and brain matter obscuring part of the window.

The suppressed HK416, firing 5.56mm NATO rounds, wasn't too loud.

Feeling the surprise in Karman's eyes beside him, Joe Ga didn't explain how advanced his tactical goggles were; instead, he decisively shifted his aim and emptied a magazine into the vehicle, killing the three figures inside within his field of view.

As the enemy vehicle's lights stayed on, providing guidance, Karman crouched and opened fire repeatedly at the car, coordinating with Joe Ga in an attempt to eliminate the enemies inside.

But soon a bullet whistled by, startling Karman to the ground; it reminded them that the sniper was still alive.

Lying on the ground, using the enemy vehicle's lights for visual aid, Karman observed for a while and said, "That guy is hiding behind the car. We need to go around to take him out; otherwise, we're in trouble when their reinforcements arrive."

While carefully sliding backward, Karman said, "Boss, fire at him to keep him pinned; I'll go around and take him out."