Chapter 38: 38 Preparation
Joe Ga was willing to give Dorian a chance because he wanted to understand more about his potential future enemies, the Mori Family.
There are no walls that cannot be breached in this world. No matter how cleanly Joe Ga operated in southern SD, there would always be traces left behind.
Of course, it would be best if they couldn't find anything, but that didn't stop Joe Ga from wanting to learn more about the Mori Family and the Sea Hound Mercenary Group.
However, all of these would have to wait until after the events concluded, and only if Dorian managed to survive.
From the way he talked, it was clear that he actually despised the Mori Family.
Joe Ga felt that if he survived, it wouldn't hurt to make use of him. Not to mention that the guy was elite, but even a little bit of information would be good.
Once Boss Huang and the others had left, Joe Ga nodded to Karman, and the three of them drove about 8 kilometers west in two cars before getting out to walk about 2 kilometers on foot to reach a nearly abandoned small village.
The village was home to some Bedouin elders and no trace of women or men could be seen.
The expressions on the elders' faces looked numb, as if the 'hardships' imposed on them by life were no longer felt by them.
Mechanically repeating the same actions day after day, until they fell and could no longer rise, seemed to be their fate.
This was the place Boss Huang had agreed to exchange hostages with Jindawei. By the time Joe Ga arrived, Boss Huang and his people were already there, a group standing by the truck at the center of the village, waiting.
This time, Joe Ga was carrying two guns, an HK416 and an SVD.
As they approached the village, Nis, as a sharpshooter, quickly spotted a piece of high ground very suitable for a sniper position.
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On the wind-shielding side of the desert village, Joe Ga took out several MON-50 directional mines and carefully slid down the slope to set them up on the ground.
This device is called a mine, but it's more like a bomb, as directional mines have a specific killing area, so most come equipped with stands from the factory. After being fixed, they can be placed on any flat surface, and the angle to face the enemy is simply adjusted.
After setting up 8 directional mines and installing the detonators, Joe Ga carefully labeled each remote control with a number, then handed them over to his favorite, Karman.
This way, they could control their own directional mines in front of them and detonate them when necessary to buy time for retreat.
It wasn't certain that they would be needed, but with the mindset of fearing the unexpected rather than the expected, Joe Ga still did meticulous setups. After all, these things didn't cost money.
According to his shooting habits, Joe Ga found a suitable position on the semi-circular wind-shielding slope, laid out a blanket on the ground, piled up a natural gun support with sand and stones in front, and then lay down to monitor the situation in the village through a telescope.
The distance from here to the trade site was a straight-line distance of 750 meters, well within the range of Joe Ga's SVD.
As for Nis's TAC-50, there was even less need to mention. This 12.7mm caliber anti-materiel sniper rifle had an effective range of an astonishing 2000 meters. However, the actual lethal effect would be even greater in a plateau area, with a non-armored target being fatal within at least 3000 meters.
It was said that the longest recorded sniper kill on record was at 3400 meters. Joe Ga found it hard to imagine how a bullet could fly over 3400 meters and accurately hit a target.
In his opinion, luck played a bigger part in this feat than skill.
It was similar to those terrorists in the news who shot guns into the air in celebration, only for someone to be found dead the next day from a bullet that had fallen from the sky.
Female snipers using anti-material rifles were a rarity. Joe Ga always wondered about Nis's choice of weapon, as it was too heavy and had a magazine capacity of only five rounds.
The rifle's bolt-action loading method improved its precision but greatly reduced its firing rate.
However, when he saw Nis expertly install the detachable buttstock to buffer and then pull out an anemometer to measure the wind speed, while consulting the ballistics table she had attached to the side of the gun and adjusting the 25x scope,
Joe Ga, who had only read about snipers in books and on the internet, didn't quite understand this math problem-like shooting technique. But he was now starting to believe in Nis's professionalism, as she seemed very familiar with the TAC-50.
When Nis had finished all her preparations and lay down to wait, Joe Ga was surprised to discover that a small pit had been dug out at the spot where her toes were positioned at some point.
Her feet braced against the pit, allowing her whole body to counter the massive recoil with the strength of her ankles, ensuring that after a shot was fired her body could quickly return to position to search and shoot again.
These personal shooting techniques only slightly improved speed and accuracy in actual combat, and those who hadn't experienced combat might never learn or need them in a lifetime.
Joe Ga was eager to learn, but after trying it, he found that he didn't need it as the recoil of the SVD wasn't enough to push him backward. One of his legs naturally stretched straight while the other was slightly bent, comfortable yet stable.
Although he didn't learn much, Joe Ga was now quite sure that Nis was an excellent shooter with her own shooting characteristics.
Just as Joe Ga was about to discuss firing ranges with Nis, Karman, who had been monitoring the northern road, suddenly said, "They're coming!"
Upon hearing Karman's call, Joe Ga turned his telescope toward the north and saw a convoy approaching the small village at high speed, raising a trail of dust.
The desert dust was so thick that Joe Ga could barely discern that there were four vehicles in the convoy: two armed pickups in the front followed by two military trucks.
Unable to see people inside the vehicles, Joe Ga put down the telescope and said, "Take cover. We'll wait. No firing without my order."
With an AK74 in hand, which at over 700 meters was nearly useless, the old man lay on the ground, turned his head to Joe Ga, and said, "Boss, do I really not need to get any closer?"
While saying this, Karman made a pincer movement with his hands and said, "This way, the attack will be most effective. If you miss on the first shot, I could hold them off for a few minutes."
Joe Ga decisively shook his head and said, "There are only three of us; don't take risks.
It doesn't matter if we can't kill Jindawei this time. If possible, try to ensure the hostages' safety and help them escape; otherwise, try to inflict maximum casualties.
As for the rest, we can give them a big fireworks display when they return to their base."