Chapter 74: Chapter 74 The Boss is Very Cautious
Joe Ga's "grand gesture" had all the guys stunned.
They'd seen people offering cigarettes and liquor, but who offered pistols and grenades right off the bat?
Though they could do without the grenades, the pistols indeed had a group of poor guys who couldn't let go.
In this unfortunate place of Sudan, operating as PMC armed security, everyone having an AK was standard, but getting a close-quarter defense weapon was a bit difficult.
The company providing them with bulletproof vests was already considered conscientious; having a pistol for every person was out of the question.
It wasn't that PMC companies lacked money, but rather the United Nations' arms embargo policy on South Sudan limited them.
For a "newbie company" in South Sudan to acquire the weapons they wanted through legal channels required a period of exploration.
This security company, a joint venture between China and Malaysia, hadn't completely figured out the ropes of the international security industry, so taking some detours was the most normal scenario.
Joe Ga was offering these "gifts" in an attempt to build relationships and see if he could drum up some new clients.
Just as he was about to chat a bit more with the few guys, his radio suddenly crackled with Nis's voice, "Boss, we've found the target, but we can't confirm if the sniper is inside."
Joe Ga paused for a moment, gave Lu Jun a nod, and then jogged up to the rooftop of the small building.
Seeing Nis and Antar sitting behind a position fortified with sandbags, Joe Ga rushed over and crouched down before saying, "How many of them are there, and where are they?"
Antar turned his head to look at Joe Ga and said, "They are 1.6 kilometers southwest of us, in the woods on the other side of the hill. They seem to have no intention of giving up the attack but are waiting for something."
As Antar spoke, he showed Joe Ga the tablet in his hand, then pointed at the white figures on the screen, saying, "They don't seem to be setting up camp. There's a small road nearby; they must be waiting for something."
"What are they waiting for?"
Antar shook his head and said, "I'm not sure, but it's either a rendezvous or waiting for further reinforcements."
Speaking, Antar hesitated for a moment, then added in a lower voice, "However, they know we have helicopters and still choose to stay there. I suspect they plan to attack the helicopters. Boss, I suggest you take off now and use the helicopter to scatter them. Otherwise, once the enemy obtains anti-aircraft weapons, the previous 'Little Gazelle' that flew away, once it returns with support..."
Joe Ga listened, furrowed his brow, and thought for a bit before shaking his head; he didn't believe anyone would bring anti-aircraft weapons to South Sudan because you simply couldn't find buyers for that stuff.
But even if it wasn't anti-aircraft weapons, an RPG was enough trouble for the Little Gazelle.
As long as the visibility was good, and they could infiltrate within an 800-meter range, the Little Gazelle would encounter danger upon landing.
The mining camp was established on the outskirts of a series of hills, with a highway in front, a river to the side, and hills everywhere else to the southwest.
If the enemy hid on those hills, they could directly target the warehouse area's temporary helipad with RPGs from above.
Helicopters were indeed useful, but they were too vulnerable when landing; a hit would result in severe casualties.
Yet Joe Ga was unwilling to risk entering the jungle for a night battle with those guys.
He had received 200,000 yuan from Lu Jun to suppress the opponent's snipers and prevent them from inflicting further casualties on the community.
Now it was clear that the enemy had retreated. Venturing out did not fit Joe Ga's character; after all, night battle in the woods was too risky. If the enemy had set up booby traps, he would be the unlucky one to set them off.
After careful consideration, Joe Ga shook his head and said, "The helicopter's effectiveness over the forest isn't great. If it flies too high, it can't see anything; if it flies too low, it's easy to shoot down.
"Here's what we'll do: keep an eye on the hills to the southwest, and mark all positions that can attack the temporary helipad."
As he spoke, Joe Ga used a rangefinder and gestured, saying, "The hills on both sides are 700~1200 meters away from us in a straight line—our guns should be able to cover that.
The enemy probably doesn't know we have drones. Even if they got their hands on RPGs, they would definitely use them in concentration. As long as we can pin down their position, we can give them a surprise."
Antar knew that since the enemy had support, scattering the few remaining people was just self-comfort, not an effective way to inflict casualties. It would only solidify their resolve to continue the attack.
Hearing Joe Ga's arrangement, Antar began to recall the drones.
Seeing Joe Ga's curiosity, Antar smiled and said, "This is a small drone Eric helped me improve. It has an endurance of only 40 minutes, but it integrates both optical and infrared lenses, so it can be used at night."
At that moment, Joe Ga felt he truly hadn't misjudged. Antar's usefulness far exceeded his expectations, and best of all, this woman had a decent personality—she was easy to get along with. Enjoy stories on m_v lem|p-yr
After waiting a few minutes and seeing a small drone with very little noise slowly land on the rooftop, Joe Ga smiled and said, "I like this kind of stuff. You can think of a codename for yourself now."
Antar put the drone back into its special box and plugged it in to charge.
Upon hearing Joe Ga's words, Antar fell silent for a moment before saying, "I don't mind. My duty is to observe, so let's go with 'Owl.'"
Joe Ga laughed and said, "Devil Bird, Owl, you two are quite a match."
Just as Joe Ga was joking around, a blast sounded from the front of the building, followed by an abrupt gunshot that made Joe Ga duck and hide his head behind the sandbags.
"Sniper, sniper hasn't left, why didn't the drone see him?"
Antar remained calm, leaning against the sandbags with her eyes closed, estimating, "The gunshot came from the south. Judging by the sound of the wall shattering, the bullet must be 7.62 millimeters.
The bullet arrived before the sound, so that sniper is at most 600 meters away from us.
He can't see us; shooting at the building is just a show of force."
As she spoke, Antar looked somewhat apologetically at Joe Ga, saying, "Sorry, boss, the sniper's hiding spot must be able to shield from overhead thermal detection, which is why I didn't find him."
Joe Ga waved his hand dismissively and said, "Looks like we're dealing with a tough nut. I hate this exposed position—it's not safe. If they get to the top of the hill, we'll become targets. Find a position inside the building."
With that, Joe Ga turned to go downstairs, shouting to Lu Jun, "Clear out the rooms on the south side of the building. It's not safe there now."
Watching Joe Ga spring into action, Antar touched the sandbag behind her and remarked to Nis, "Not safe here? Is our boss being too cautious?"
Nis smiled and shook his head, replying, "Our boss can hit a golf ball from 800 meters away, so he thinks all the snipers in the world can do that.
I think that's good. You can't be too careful on the battlefield."