Chapter 73

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Chapter 73: The Bus on the Grassland

“Thank you, Station Chief Liu. I look forward to working together!” Lin Mo said formally to Liu, the station chief in Aralsk. He knew that Liu had no idea about his true identity or actions; he was merely an outsider meant to serve as cover, so there would be little interaction between them.

Liu quickly arranged a single dormitory for Lin Mo. The station had many empty rooms, and although it was remote, the wealthy China National Petroleum ensured that each employee received generous treatment. After all, in such a desolate area, with no beautiful scenery to see and where one rarely encounters anyone, who would want to work here? Even the border posts were more appealing.

“Thank you! I’ll drop off my luggage and familiarize myself with the surroundings before starting work!” Lin Mo’s task was merely to check in and mark his presence, but the personnel at the oil pipeline station were highly mobile, so it was perfect to use this cover identity.

“Sure, take your time! If you need anything, just let me know!” Liu thought about Lin Mo’s circumstances. The fax from headquarters stated that this inspector was only responsible for oversight, at the same level as him, reporting directly to headquarters. There was no need for him to handle the assignments or specifics; in short, Lin Mo was virtually a free agent, whether he worked or not was up to him.

Could he really be here just for appearances? If so, he might have been better off in Saudi Arabia, where the conditions were certainly better! Liu shook his head and sighed as he walked back to his office.

In his new dormitory, Lin Mo began to unpack. This was merely a cover; he could not remain here all day, as his planned itinerary was just beginning.

On the third day, Lin Mo stayed mostly indoors, intentionally crossing paths with the permanent staff and returning patrol members to prove his existence. Then, he casually made up an excuse about secretly inspecting the oil pipelines and set off early in the morning, hitching a ride with a passing truck.

When Station Chief Liu realized that Lin Mo had left the station, he suspected that the new inspector was probably overwhelmed by the harsh environment and had concocted an excuse to escape to a big city, rather than genuinely inspecting the oil lines.

A 40-passenger Mercedes bus traversed the grassland roads, which resembled black velvet ribbons extending into the horizon. To prevent the driver from dozing off on the empty and sparse roads, the route intentionally included some twists and turns.

Entering early summer, the grassland contrasted sharply with the sun-drenched deserts of Kazakhstan. Grass thrived, and various vibrant green plants formed a thick carpet across the earth. Occasionally, cattle and sheep could be seen grazing alongside the roaming herdsmen.

Inside the bus, there were only about twenty passengers, making it feel somewhat empty. The cabin echoed with unique Kazakh folk songs and some songs from the former Soviet Union. Lin Mo sat at the back, alone. With Kazakhstan’s proximity to China, there was frequent interaction between the peoples of both nations. The Kazakh and Han faces were quite similar, with only slight differences around the eyes, making them distinguishable. Lin Mo had grown accustomed to the curious gazes he attracted. In China, when locals see someone with a high nose and deep-set eyes, or with noticeably dark skin, they would undoubtedly look twice.

Since not every Kazakh could speak Chinese, Lin Mo remained silent as he waited to meet his assigned guide, as the bus was headed directly toward the location of the task.

The journey felt lonely, and even the most beautiful scenery outside began to blur together after a while, causing visual fatigue. The passengers, who had been lively, started to feel drowsy. Even the children ceased their energetic chattering. Other than the music playing and the driver’s steady focus, the bus was filled with murmured conversations and the occasional snore.

Suddenly, a violent screech of brakes jolted the drowsy passengers awake. Lin Mo, groggy from sleep, heard loud pounding noises outside the bus, followed by panicked shouting. With each loud bang, the female passengers screamed collectively.

Gunfire?! Lin Mo blinked his eyes open, realizing that the bus had stopped unexpectedly. To be honest, ordinary firearms posed little threat to a Dragon Knight such as himself, who possessed a gold giant dragon. No matter how many bullets flew his way, they would simply be absorbed, feeding the dragon a bit of free candy. Lin Mo glanced at his wristwatch; he was most concerned about why they still had not arrived at their destination.

At that moment, the bus was somehow off the road, tilted on the grass, and completely still. Outside, seven or eight people in various outfits, all armed with different guns, rode horses surrounding the bus, occasionally firing shots either at the bus or into the sky.

Lin Mo felt a slight tremble as bullets struck the bus body, and several terrifying holes appeared above the windshield, fracturing into countless tiny cracks. Some passengers had already been hit, but thankfully the bus was solid, and the bullets weren’t steel-core rounds. They didn’t penetrate deeply, but the injured passengers shouted in pain, plunging the bus into further chaos.

The bus driver showed no signs of cowardice. Ignoring the guns threatening him, he shouted angrily out the window, and shards of the shattered windshield cut small wounds across his face, leaving him bloodied.

However, their response was filled with mocking laughter and deliberate targeting of him.

They were a group of robbers!

Lin Mo couldn’t understand a word of the driver’s curses and the robbers calling out from outside. This was not an unfamiliar circumstance in China: highway bandits and urban enforcers! He felt no pressure at all.

As several AK barrels poked into the driver’s window, aiming at the furious driver, his face turned pale. Faced with robbers, being shot at was pointless. After a few shouted orders, the driver trembled as he reached for the bus’s automatic door switch while uttering something, which drew the impatient insults of the robbers outside.

As the front door of the bus swung open, despair erupted in a chorus of terrified screams within the cabin.

The robbers, armed with guns, took charge of the cabin’s life and property as if they had the right to decide who lived or died.

Some brave passengers, a mix of Kazakhs and Russians, pulled out knives they carried and charged toward the entering robbers without fear. The nomadic Kazakhs often had a small knife at hand, an important traditional tool in their lives.

The first robber to step through the doorway saw the gleaming short knife coming his way. With a scream, he fired his weapon in panic, the bullet flying past the passenger’s cheek and creating a small hole in the bus’s roof.

Before he could pull the trigger again, the resisting passenger rammed the first robber out of the bus, causing him to clutch his neck.

The nomadic bravery ignited in that instant. The women who had just been crying out in despair began to cheer for the resisting male passengers, quickly clearing up the chaos in the bus.

Outside, the robbers hesitated not at all, blasting multiple shots toward the front door, forcing the driver to jump amidst the chaos of flying bullets. The first male passenger to defend himself with a small knife found it powerless against the onslaught, unable to dodge quickly enough and got shot twice, rolling out of the bus. Seeing their companion fall spurred the robbers to madness as they began firing at the fallen passengers without remorse.

In mere moments, the victim’s screams echoed, and a passenger who managed to injure one robber fell limp next to the bus’s wheel, convulsing in the rain of bullets without making a sound.

The bus’s front tire blew out, causing it to tilt sharply to the right and lose balance. A wave of retaliatory bullets swept across the bus’s front windshield, and several standing passengers who were preparing to fight back were struck down. Tragically, a child was hit in the head, causing brains and blood to splatter across the cabin, transforming his innocent face into a shattered watermelon. His mother, momentarily stunned, erupted into a wailing fit of despair.

The aftermath of the robbers’ rampage left the cabin in chaos, resembling a hell on earth, while a male passenger groaned in agony on the floor.

After a moment of silence, realizing they had come to rob, not to kill, the bandits rushed back, this time showing no resistance whatsoever, brandishing weapons at the passengers, threatening them to hand over their belongings. They rifled through bags, demanding all valuable items. The slightest hint of reluctance was met with fists to the face or kicks, while the guns were shoved perilously close to the passengers’ mouths, enjoying the fear and cries they incited.

These robbers were clearly seasoned in their craft, adept at uncovering hidden valuables among the passengers. They searched thoroughly from the front to the back of the bus until they reached Lin Mo at the rear.

The robber hesitated for just a moment before stepping forward without any courtesy. He growled at Lin Mo, his incredibly bad breath and the unmistakable smell of sheep penetrating the air, making it almost unbearable.

Seeing Lin Mo blink in confusion, the robber noticed his foreign appearance and recognized an easy target. Twirling an antiquated metallic TT33 pistol from Russia, he waved it in front of Lin Mo, gesturing imperatively with his finger.

The meaning was clear: a robbery!