Simulation Game: Crisis Management-Chapter 422 - 200: Escape (Part 2)

"Mr. Yasen, look quickly..."

Betty reminded him.

With a glance up, he noticed quite a few farmers hiding near the residential area, secretly observing the commotion in the woods. As soon as they saw the rifle in his hands, they quickly shrank back in fear.

"Ignore them."

Gu Ji was never a fan of senseless killing. Besides, things had escalated to this point; even if he killed all the farmers, it wouldn’t change the fact that the traffickers knew where the plane had crashed. The collaboration between Mexico’s drug farmers wasn’t something he, an outsider, could interfere with. The interests involved were deeply rooted in this country’s very essence.

He pulled out a car key he’d found on a trafficker’s body, opened the door, and was hit with a strong smell of cheap perfume mixed with tobacco and sweat.

He inserted the key and started the engine.

Gu Ji floored the pedal, the engine roaring as the car shot forward, heading southwest.

A walking journey that would have taken three hours was reduced to less than twenty minutes by car.

He estimated he was nearing the grasslands when, faintly, from the right-front forest, came a sharp buzzing sound like a mosquito.

In the next second, a black shadow whooshed past above the treetops.

Gu Ji’s face changed instantly, urgently twisting the steering wheel to plunge into the adjacent thicket.

"Ah! Mr. Yasen! What’s happening?"

"It’s a drone!"

Betty accidentally bumped her forehead on the A-pillar, rubbing it painfully. Hearing this, her eyes widened, "Have the traffickers found us?"

"This car is too big a target! Get out!"

Gu Ji opened the car door, gripping his rifle as he slipped into the forest on the left side.

He had agreed with Bolton that as soon as he left, Bolton would lead the passengers into the forest 500 meters northeast of the plane.

Buzz! Buzz!

Little did he expect there were actually two drones deployed by the traffickers, likely having pinpointed the crash site earlier, circling to search the passengers of the downed flight.

Gu Ji moved stealthily forward, and as soon as he sensed some movement, he gestured to Betty to crouch down.

He picked up a pair of binoculars.

Through the gaps in the branches, he saw a black-haired flight attendant biting her fingers, seemingly deep in thought, and then Bolton appeared in the field of view.

"Looks like they haven’t been captured by the traffickers yet!"

The tension in Gu Ji’s mind relaxed slightly, he beckoned for Betty to follow him through the brush.

"Who’s there!" Bolton, hearing the noise, picked up a wooden stick. Recognizing Gu Ji and Betty, his face lit up with joy, "Mr. Yasen? Great! Have you found rescue?"

"I have. I’ve contacted headquarters; they promised to coordinate with the Mexican government to deploy troops and federal police to support us immediately!"

Betty waved her phone as proof.

Passengers nearby, hearing the news, were overwhelmed with joy, jumping up and down with excitement.

"Really? Oh, thank God, we’re saved!"

"Boohoo, we can finally go home!"

"This damned place is so hot, I’ve been bitten by bugs everywhere, as soon as I’m back in Brazil I’m going to treat myself to a nice oil massage!"

"Mr. Yasen, there’s blood on you... and where’s Riddle who went with you?"

Bolton noticed he was holding an automatic rifle and, glancing around, saw only two had returned.

"Shush! Quiet!!" Gu Ji’s eyes sharpened, handing him an extra Glock pistol, "Take it, no time to explain, we need to leave immediately, the traffickers have found us!"

"What!?"

Bolton’s face changed drastically, giving the gun a serious look, quickly directing the passengers to pack up and move out.

But surprisingly, some young college students were busy packing bags, and Chloe was even bothering to stow away her makeup kit.

"I’m telling you for the last time! Move it!"

"Whoa whoa whoa..."

Gu Ji’s face turned stern, suddenly raising his AR rifle, scaring the college students into dropping everything, the crowd gasping in response, as they noticed for the first time the bloodstains on both Gu Ji and Betty.

A crew-cut flight attendant, in surprise, pointed at the shadow in the sky.

"What’s that..."

"Everyone get down! Get down now!!"

Gu Ji shouted, but alas it was too late.

The drone swooped over, circled back, hovering over the passengers.

"Run! It’s the traffickers! Run!"

"Everyone, keep up! Hold out till government support and we’ll be safe!"

Gu Ji and Bolton each shouted orders.

Now their location was exposed, their only option was to run as fast as they could.

Panicked screams arose from the passengers who finally dropped their luggage, throwing away anything hindering their pace, and fled frantically into the forest, the drone persistently shadowing them from above.

Gu Ji crouched, raised his AR-15 rifle, shoulder pressed against the stock, and right eye near the sights.

He took a half-breath.

Bam! Bam!

The gunfire caused more commotion; Bolton looked back to see a black object trailing sparks falling from the sky—it was the drone.

Gu Ji had shot it down!

Thanks to his firearm specialization, his shooting accuracy had improved significantly.

However, before they could celebrate, a series of engine roars erupted from the grassland behind, and quickly, four or five more drones swept past overhead, and then...

Tatatatata...

Intense gunfire rang out, bullets slicing through the trees, tearing finger-thick grooves into trunks, splintering branches like fallen spaghetti, shattering, a bullet piercing a young man’s back, blood spraying forward, hitting a young woman in front.

Blood splattered all over freckled Chloe, leaving her slumped in terror, screaming like a slaughtered pig,

"Ahhhh—!"

"They’re killing us!!"

"Run! Run, damn it!"

Noticing the casualties, chaos exploded, people scattering frantically like startled bees, cries echoing with screams, creating utter mayhem.

"Mr. Yasen!"

"It’s a heavy machine gun! Take cover! Cover!!"

Gu Ji shouted for Bolton to find cover behind a tree, astonished that the traffickers employed such overwhelming force. From the sound of it, it seemed to be the renowned M2 Browning heavy machine gun.

This weapon fired 12.7x99mm (.50 BMG) cartridges, designed for attacking lightly armored targets and low-flying defenses, but here used for slaughtering civilians!!

Under such firepower, bulletproof vests were useless, and even cars could be shredded by a salvo.

Screech—!

Soon, a convoy of over a dozen vehicles parked at the edge of the forest, fitted with black machine gun mounts on the red, black, and white pickups, the lead vehicle a genuine Ford F550 armored car!

The car doors flung open.

A swarm of forty to fifty hefty traffickers poured out, clad in bulletproof vests, wielding assault rifles as they charged into the woods.

"Go! Go!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"Everyone stop! Run and you die!"

With the rapid succession of gunfire, a short young trafficker, with blonde hair and eyeliner-like dark streaks at his eyes giving a sinister look, raised his AR rifle, firing skyward as he shouted in fluent English, threatening the fleeing passengers.

Many, out of fear, chose to huddle and squat on the spot, quickly overtaken and subdued by the pursuing traffickers.

Seizing the moment, Gu Ji glanced back, his brow furrowed.

There was something oddly familiar about this young trafficker, but he couldn’t place where he’d seen him before, no memory of any past encounter.

With his Central Nervous System enhancement nearing a value of 20, while not having photographic memory, his recall was nonetheless extraordinary.

Yet still, he couldn’t remember meeting him.

Am I face-blind?