Chapter 235
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Chapter 235: Finding Peace
Of course, this was a paid call. Don’t expect much credit on this Iridium satellite phone that can be used only a few times a year. In this desolate wilderness, no newsstand or mobile shop offers card recharges.
“Hello, hello! Um, I’m fine. I’m not injured, everything is alright. I’m still in the mountains and have encountered a group of Patan migrants. I don’t know when I can get out. I don’t have a GPS; their device just broke, perhaps due to the electromagnetic pulse bomb. I will hurry back as soon as I can. I’ll let you know when I find something to locate myself.”
Lin Mo spoke in Chinese, neither revealing his identity nor asking the other person for theirs like a normal phone call. In fact, within the communication channel, only Lin Mo’s voice echoed, resembling a one-sided audio transmission.
As an emergency contact with a confidential number, such calls were often made for assistance in foreign situations or during urgent operations. These conversations featured high confidentiality and were one-sided; the caller’s voice would be matched with a specific system database to authenticate it.
Therefore, such confidential calls did not require someone to answer and were quite difficult to trace.
He believed that the "Night" headquarters would soon receive his message. Lin Mo hung up and smiled slightly at the bewildered Sally, who was obviously unable to understand what he was saying. It was already good that they could converse in English.
“You are…” Sally began to speak, but Lin Mo interrupted her with a gesture.
“Don’t ask. The more you know, the more dangerous it is for you. But you can call me ‘Knight’! That’s all I can tell you.” Lin Mo placed a finger to his lips to indicate silence. This girl clearly had no idea that asking such questions could endanger herself and her family.
The troubles Lin Mo had recently caused were enough for the Americans and Indians to send bombers to pay him a visit.
Let others guess his alias; that was Lin Mo’s usual style.
“Yes, Sir Knight!”
Lisa’s obedience reminded Lin Mo of the women of the Su Lan Empire, who revered Dragon Knights with deep admiration for their immense power, an instinct ingrained in human genes that draws the weak to the strong.
Once they confirmed the identities of the armed militants Lin Mo had taken down, they realized that there were Taliban members, East Turkestan fighters, and even some seasoned bandits among them, creating a notorious group of robbers.
During the process of clearing out the bodies in Mica Village, they had inadvertently profited, accepting all the supplies and weapons the bandits had left behind. Even the disassembled guns, chopped into fragments by Lin Mo, could yield spare parts, and the village had skilled blacksmiths, some of whom had even worked in gun-making small workshops.
As night fell, all the vehicles gathered together. Armed individuals scouted the terrain, looking for prey and edible plants, setting up guard posts. Women and children fetched water, kneaded dough, and tended to sheep, preparing food for everyone that night.
After their long journey, everyone had grown accustomed to a communal lifestyle. Each person found their place and busied themselves for the team’s well-being.
That night, they slaughtered two extra sheep and even retrieved some precious canned goods, as the Patan people were known for their hospitality and protection. Even if enemies visited, they would temporarily set aside grievances and extend their warmest welcome.
They collected straw and dry cow dung, and piles of bonfires were lit, not only to provide warmth and light but also to ward off wild animals and mosquitoes. Before sunset, various small flying insects emerged from the grass and rocks, swirling wildly around the fire. Some were singed by the flames, turning into barely perceptible wisps of black smoke dispersing into the air.
In the migration team, people of all ages, regardless of gender, carried guns. The AK-47s were the main weapons here. Many had long lost their paint, with wooden stocks battered and severely worn rifling. They were old guns, and some even carried two guns at once.
Curved knives and daggers were common; even children wore small knives with ethnic designs at their waists. The Patan people have historically had a fondness for weapons.
The price of this weapon admiration was that if conflicts arose within their tribe, it was inevitably filled with bloodshed and violence. However, longstanding customs moderated this violence, maintaining national unity and a survival baseline, preventing self-destruction due to excessive hatred.
When guests sought shelter, even if they were enemies, tribal leaders would offer a dagger or an outer garment. If a guest wore the clothing given by the leader, it meant they would receive protection from the tribe.
“Honored guests, our goal is to reach this place. We hope to hire you to protect us as we arrive at this settlement.”
The former village chief of Mica Village, Mude Zariyev, carefully unfolded a semi-new map between several LED lights, marking significant symbols with a pencil.
As the leader of the migration team, when Lin Mo was brought back by Sally, the experienced village chief immediately noticed this young man, clad in silver armor, was exceptional compared to ordinary people.
Though Lin Mo’s identity was mysterious and he showed no mercy in battle, Mude Zariyev knew that the young man’s background far exceeded his imagination and was from a realm completely apart from ordinary civilians like him.
Just as the young man warned, Mude Zariyev didn’t entertain thoughts of probing into Lin Mo’s background, as it was beyond their capabilities, with only old women, children, and a few men to handle it.
The ability to walk unscathed across this dangerous land with mere cold weapons was telling enough.
“Here?” Lin Mo moved his gaze to the corner of the map pointed out by Mude Zariyev.
It showed a location surrounded by mountains, where streams converged. Though he didn’t know the local environment, as long as there was water, it could sustain life, making it look like a paradise.
From his conversation with the Patan girl, he learned that this long convoy was leaving their homeland behind, forced to migrate from their war-torn and devastated homes in search of a land rich in water and resources for a stable life.
Throughout the journey, the people of Mica Village faced extreme dangers. All the vehicles, their supplies, weapons, and people, including women, became prime targets for nefarious armed militants. Fortunately, the Patan warriors were natural fighters, successfully repelling attack after attack.
Lin Mo understood Mude Zariyev’s intentions; they needed a strong protector. His single-handed defeat of sixty-seven armed bandits was proof enough.
Caught between returning to base and humanitarian efforts to escort the team, Lin Mo felt the half-shield at his side; he still hadn’t removed his armor.
This shield, enhanced by the gold giant dragon and infused with battle energy, could withstand the impact of 7.62mm bullets at close range. It bore many scars, but this didn’t diminish Lin Mo’s affection for it. He intended to take it back to base alongside his armor as a memento from his most trusted steed.
Seeing Lin Mo silent, Mude Zariyev spoke again, “For this migration, we have exhausted all our savings.” He hesitated a moment, then gritted his teeth and continued, “If you’re willing to help us, you can take anything you want, including…”
The old man’s gaze turned toward the Patan girl Sally, who was dancing and singing by the bonfire not far away. She was the most treasured possession of Mica Village, but for the survival of all villagers, he felt he had to make a choice.
As he had mentioned, all the village’s money had been pooled together. Women sold their jewelry and dowries, men emptied their ancestral savings, and children contributed their allowances. Together, they had garnered resources needed for the migration, but there was nothing left of value beyond food, transportation, and self-defense weapons—they couldn’t even present a single new Afghan (the currency unit).
The dangers faced during this migration exceeded everyone’s imaginations. Many strong young men had fallen fighting to protect the convoy, and merely using money to pave the way would only attract more greedy individuals.
But staying in their old village meant certain destruction by the roving armed militants; some villages nearby had turned to ashes overnight.
Even if it was a straw, Mude Zariyev would grasp it without hesitation, willing to pay any price.
It seemed that as Lin Mo and Mude Zariyev exchanged glances, Sally danced even more energetically around the fire, her sweet voice like a golden oriole in an empty valley, becoming more beautiful and melodious.
Though Mude Zariyev wished for such a strong ally to accompany them, ensuring that they could avoid further casualties and safely reach their destination, he couldn’t fully convince himself that Lin Mo would agree.
This wasn’t an easy matter; it meant that more young villagers could survive during the migration, ensuring that the entire village could be rebuilt and thrive again.
