Chapter 554 - Pursuit and Counter-pursuit
Chapter 554: Pursuit and Counter-pursuit
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The Libyan rebel fighters fired their RPGs and launched a barrage of rockets at Xiao Luo and the SEALs as they pursued them relentlessly.
The trucks and jeeps from both parties were tearing through the sandy terrain. Although the dunes looked flat, the ground was rock-strewn and undulating, making their ride exceedingly bumpy, even with the heavy-duty shock-absorbers installed in these military vehicles.
It was not an easy task to hit a moving target while firing RPGs.
Most of the rockets landed close to the rescue team’s three military vehicles, but none hit them directly. Clouds of smoke belched from the blasts and rose into the air, creating an atmosphere of fear and anxiety.
Xiao Luo, Powell, and the SEALs were in a dilemma as they maneuvered through the hazardous terrain with the rebels in hot pursuit. The bumpy ride was unpleasant, their ears were ringing from the blasts, and pieces of the shrapnel hit the trucks as they sped through the dunes. Even though their windows were specially manufactured tempered glass, they started to crack after taking repeated hits.
“Mr. Mie, I… I’m going to puke …” Sarah said.
Sarah was sitting next to Xiao Luo. The bumpy ride made her feel sick to the stomach, and she badly needed to throw up.
“Go on, you can throw up wherever you want!” Xiao Luo responded.
Xiao Luo did not have time for niceties, for there were at least forty or fifty Libyan rebel trucks hot on their trail. They were in the desert, and there was no place to take cover. No matter how powerful he was, it was impossible to deal with all of the rebels in such an open environment. He could only try to get away at this stage and find a location where he could apply his battle skills.
Then, without any warning, Sarah Michelle puked right on him.
Xiao Luo’s face hardened. He turned around and gave her a dirty look as if to say–there is so much space around the front passenger seat, so why the f*ck would you throw up on me? Are you blindly doing whatever I asked you to?
From his expression, Sarah knew what was in his mind and quickly explained, “Mr. Mie, I didn’t do it on purpose, the car was swaying around… I was trying to throw up beneath my feet, I swear to God.”
Xiao Luo did not have the time nor the inclination to argue with her in their present situation. He quickly directed his eyes back to the front of the vehicle and jammed his foot down hard on the accelerator.
The truck’s engine revved like a beast as it propelled the car forward.
The rear window of the truck shattered due to the impact of the blasts. Powell blew his top and shouted, “Sh*t! Return fire! Destroy them!”
“Yes, sir,” came a response.
All the SEALs responded instantly to the instruction with a clear understanding of what they had to do.
Mina grabbed her sniper rifle, leaned half of her body out of their vehicle’s window, aimed at one of the trucks closing in on them, and pulled the trigger.
BANG!
A high-velocity round from the sniper rifle ripped through the air and zeroed in on a military truck with a resounding crack. It went clean through the windscreen, leaving a bullet hole on it, and penetrated the head of the rebel guerrilla who was driving.
The truck immediately went out of control. It rolled over on its side and continued tumbling for some distance before crashing into another oncoming vehicle.
BOOM! CRASH! BOOM!
Five trucks smashed into one another in a sequence of domino-effect.
The trucks were all moving at breakneck speed, so when the vehicles collided and went out of control, they rolled over sideways, scattering broken vehicle parts all around them. Several trucks had turned turtle, while others lay on their sides. No rebel fighters crawled from the fallen vehicles, and they presumably did not survive.
“Great job! Attagirl, Mina, that’s how you do it!” Rice cheered.
He was very excited, and he, too, got half of his body out of the truck’s window and started shooting at the rebel fighters behind them. For a member of the SEAL team, doing such a thing from a speeding car was a piece of cake.
The other two SEALs in another truck fired using LAWs [1]. One drove, while the other popped his upper body out of the roof of their vehicle with the American-made rocket launcher on his shoulder and returned fire with steely resolve. Their LAWs were far more superior than those used by the Libyan rebel fighters. These were special weapons designed to destroy armored vehicles.
Whoosh!
The LAW rockets were three to four times more potent than the ones used by the Libyan rebel fighters. They left the launcher at extreme speed, leaving a smoke trail through the air before it hit one of many military trucks in the Libyan rebel convoy.
BOOM!
A heatwave blasted outward from the truck that took the hit, followed by an earth-shattering explosion before it burst into flames. Smoke billowed out from the damaged vehicle with fiery crimson flames flaring from within the dark cloud of smoke. The truck was blown to pieces, and parts were strewn everywhere, throwing burning debris up some ten meters high.
“Attaboy, Philip, haha, haha!”
Rice went a little crazy, and he could not stop laughing. He gave the team member who was shouldering the rocket launcher the thumbs-up sign.
“Bingo!”
The SEAL going by the name Philip flashed him a proud smile.
In the first truck, Xiao Luo watched how the American soldiers retaliated against the Libyan rebels from his rearview mirror. He was quite impressed by them. These Special Forces operators were indeed extraordinary, as they did not panic in the face of danger. Instead, they calmly organized their return fire to good effect. They had strong mental fortitude and outstanding combat capabilities.
“Look, there’s a small town up front!” Sarah cried out as she pointed toward the front of the vehicle. She had been vomiting for a while and was finally feeling better.
Xiao Luo gave her a quick glance. “That’s great!” he replied.
He offered a sympathetic smile as he replied in his American accent. He then turned the steering wheel and swiftly drove the truck toward the small town.
Powell and his SEALs were coming up in the rear, providing cover for Xiao Luo and Sarah Michelle as they made their escape. They were doing their best to protect the truck that Sarah Michelle was in, ensuring her safety.
Right after Philip destroyed three of the rebel’s vehicles using the LAW, one of the Libyan rebel fighters’ RPG rounds finally found its mark and streaked right into the top section of the truck that Philip was riding in.
BOOM!
There was an ear-shattering explosion. In a split second, flames engulfed the speeding truck as it was thrown into the air by the powerful blast and dropped heavily onto the ground. Like a re-entry capsule that had fallen to the earth, the truck kicked up clouds of sand and dust as it kept rolling over.
Thomas was in shock as he quickly turned the steering wheel. They barely managed to avoid the burning truck as it rolled over and burst into flames.
“Philip!”
Rice shouted hysterically. Another two of his team members whom he spent so much time with were now dead. He could not even stop to retrieve their bodies but was forced to keep going without even looking back. It was a pain that was unbearable.
Sorrow-stricken, Powell closed his eyes. They were a team of twelve when they landed on this continent. But now, only four of them were still left standing. As the captain, he could not help but blame himself.
However, nothing could bring the dead back. Those who were still alive had to carry on with this fight!
He took out a small explosive shaped like a plate from his bag and set the timer. His heart filled with hatred, and in a fury, he hurled the device behind his vehicle right into the path of the pursuing rebels. “Go to hell!” he screamed.
The explosive device was beeping. When the convoy of Libyan rebel trucks ran over the device, the beeping became more rapid, then exploded amid the pursuing vehicles. The explosion created a mushroom cloud. Four to five trucks were thrown up in the air, carried by the force of the blast. The other oncoming trucks were also affected, and the well-coordinated posse of rebel vehicles that had been pursuing them suddenly broke formation. The trucks were now moving in disarray, like headless chickens, and dozens of them started to crash into one another.
Footnote:
[1] LAWs: Light Anti-tank Weapon