Ultimate Firepower
Chapter 290 - 276: Timely Rain

Chapter 290: Chapter 276: Timely Rain

Finding the place Joelson mentioned was not difficult, but being accepted by the Anti-American Armed Forces was a real challenge.

The United States had drastically reduced its troop presence and intelligence personnel in Libya, not because they had lost control of Libya, but quite the opposite. Having completely taken control and occupied Libya, they no longer needed to station many personnel.

With the current level of American control over Libya, any Anti-American Armed Force was not in a good position.

And Gao Yi and his group were being pursued, so unless they had a particularly convincing reason, no one would dare to shelter them.

Joelson had no choice, so he simply demonstrated his value to Gao Yi, pointed him in a direction, and then had nothing else to do.

What to do next was up to Gao Yi.

"What do you plan on how to approach them? We just knock on their door and ask for refuge, I guess that won’t be easy."

Feng Biao seemed worried, because in his view it was impossible. The direction Joelson pointed to was correct, but it led nowhere.

It was like someone who was very poor and desperate to find a way to make money, then someone tells him there’s money in the bank, so go rob a bank, something like that.

But Gao Yi had his own ideas.

Facing Feng Biao’s concerns, Gao Yi confidently said, "Don’t worry, I have a way."

Gao Yi always looked confident, sometimes pretending, even if he had no idea, he had to pretend he did.

But sometimes, Gao Yi truly had a way, a way that others couldn’t think of, or simply didn’t think of.

Now Feng Biao knew Gao Yi fairly well, but he couldn’t tell whether Gao Yi truly had a plan or was just reassuring them, so usually he wouldn’t say much, but today he couldn’t help asking, "Do you really have a way? What way?"

Gao Yi looked at Feng Biao, then proudly said, "Be the big brother."

"Be the big brother? No, boss..."

Feng Biao was a bit helpless, he said with a grim face, "The same old trick, eh? Well, if it works, keep using it. In that case, when you go in and take control of their leader, let me think, how should we say this."

Gao Yi shook his head and said, "Wrong, this time it’s not about recognizing the big brother, it’s about being the big brother."

Feng Biao opened his mouth, Lin Xianghua whispered despondently, "In our current situation, we still need to be someone else’s big brother?"

Gao Yi sighed and asked, "Have you read ’Water Margin’?"

"Yes."

"Of course."

"I’ve only seen the TV series."

After Feng Biao sheepishly admitted he had only watched the TV series, he seemed puzzled and said, "What do you mean, tell them about loyalty? But we don’t have any loyalty to talk about with them..."

Gao Yi indifferently said, "Let me ask you, who’s the most powerful in ’Water Margin’?"

"That would be, Baozi Head Lin Chong?"

Li Jie hastily said, "I like Xiao Li from Guang Hua Rong, but I think the one with the highest personal combat ability is Wu Song, then Lu Zhishen."

Lin Xianghua with a look of desperation said, "Is it appropriate to discuss this at such a crucial time?"

Gao Yi smiled and said, "You guys just can’t see the point. Let me ask you, was Song Jiang not the big brother at the end?"

The group exchanged looks, and Gao Yi nonchalantly said, "How did Song Jiang get his nickname ’Timely Rain’? Was Song Jiang really good at fighting? Not at all, so what did Song Jiang rely on? Money! He threw money at everyone he met and eventually became ’Timely Rain.’"

The group suddenly understood, and Gao Yi sighed, "Which Anti-American Armed Force isn’t short of money? Lacking people, money, guns, and ammunition is the norm for guerrilla groups around the world. So this time we are not seeking refuge, not asking for shelter – we’re bringing timely warmth, understand?"

The group realized.

Just then, as Luca was driving, he urgently said over the intercom, "We’re here!"

Gao Yi immediately opened the ambulance’s rear doors.

They were in the old town of Tripoli, where the streets were narrow, and the buildings varied in height, with both five- or six-story self-built buildings and one- or two-story old buildings. What Gao Yi saw before him was a three-story building, with a small hill at the back topped by a seven- or eight-story building.

The layout was a front shop with a factory behind, but calling it a carpet factory was more fitting than calling it a carpet workshop.

Gao Yi directly got out of the vehicle.

With a gun hanging at his waist and wearing a bullet-proof vest, his body was covered in blood, of course, all smeared from Joelson.

The sign for the Ziyad Carpet Factory hung vertically, and right below it was a glass door. The war had ended several years ago, but having a store with a complete glass door also indicated that this factory had some economic strength.

Just by looking at the front door, Gao Yi silently decided to raise his initial asking price.

"Add a zero to the expected number" kind.

Gao Yi pushed open the door, and inside the shop sat a man who looked to be in his fifties or sixties, with graying beard and wearing a small cap. He only glanced at Gao Yi before immediately raising his hands, his face filled with terror as he began to shout.

Gao Yi couldn’t understand him, but he didn’t plan to chat with the old man either.

"I am looking for Khalid Balram, tell him to come out and see me, quickly!"

Gao Yi spoke in English, unsure whether the old man understood. Gao Yi glanced at his watch and then gestured towards the old man by twiddling his fingers, mimicking the counting of money, and urgently said, "Fast, fast! The CIA will be here soon; hurry up!"

The gestures didn’t quite match the spoken words, but Gao Yi believed that since this carpet factory was a hideout for the Anti-American Armed Forces, it was unlikely that the old man minding the shop was just some clueless old fellow.

Looking at Gao Yi’s outfit, his demeanor, and the blood on him, it was clear he was no ordinary man. Yet, whether he could meet Khalid depended on Khalid’s own courage.

The old man lowered his raised hands. Indeed, he wasn’t just some ordinary old man. After hesitating briefly, the old man suddenly turned and dashed towards another door of the shop.

Gao Yi didn’t follow, he just shouted, "Hurry, hurry!"

Less than a minute after the old man entered, a man with a large beard, not wearing a cap but draped in a black robe, appeared.

The full beard made it hard to determine his exact age, but Gao Yi guessed the bearded man was somewhere between thirty and fifty. He also looked calm, possibly someone who made decisions.

It didn’t even matter whether he was Khalid himself, but it was still necessary to ask.

Gao Yi assessed him from head to toe and immediately asked, "Are you Khalid Balram?"

"Who are you?"

"I am an enemy of the United States. Americans are hunting me, and many of my people are badly injured and in urgent need of assistance. Help me treat the wounded first, let’s talk other matters later. Also, that ambulance outside is being chased by the Libyan National Army, and soon a large number of military police will arrive, so you need to take care of the vehicle."

The man in front of him was indeed Khalid, as his facial expression was quite revealing.

Rushing into someone’s home, exposing their dangerous identity, attracting myriad pursuers, and then imperiously instructing them to do this and that.

Khalid didn’t immediately pull out a gun and shoot; either he was good-tempered or patient.

But Gao Yi hadn’t played his trump card yet.

Gao Yi continued calmly, "Don’t worry about who I am right now, I’m a big deal, and I’ll explain it to you later. Are you short on money? I’ll give you five million dollars as operating funds. Do you need weapons and ammunition? I’ll give them to you. Whatever you need, I’ll provide. But now, go pick up my people, hide them, find a doctor, and take care of the vehicle, quickly! If you can take down an ambassador in Benghazi, you can surely handle this."

Khalid was startled.

Being called by name, specifically asked to meet, was the main reason Khalid appeared, but now Gao Yi not only knew his name but also revealed that he was behind the plot to take down the American ambassador in Benghazi, which scared him half to death.

Gao Yi waved his hand again, "Hurry!"

Now was not the time for explanations, as there was too much to explain. Instead of trying to dispel Khalid’s doubts, it was better to get him moving without giving him time to think.

Khalid took a deep breath, then suddenly started shouting and causing a commotion.

In no time, six men burst through a small door behind Khalid, all carrying guns. Although now, aside from two of them who continued to point their guns at Gao Yi, the other four lowered their guns.

Gao Yi urgently said, "Someone has fainted; bring him in. Others help out a bit. You have some place to hide here, right? Is it clean? Quickly, hide us."

Khalid began whispering instructions to the men next to him holding guns, glanced at Gao Yi, then tucked away his gun and ran out, not knowing what he was going to do.

"You..."

Khalid’s English was good, but after speaking only one sentence, he bowed his head in thought for a moment, then with a dark expression, turned to Gao Yi and said, "What do you want?"

"I need to take refuge in your place because apparently, you’re the only one in Libya who isn’t afraid of Americans."

Inconspicuously flattering Khalid, then Gao Yi, adopting a superior demeanor, added, "But being unafraid is not enough. Do you have the strength?"

Khalid frowned; he really wanted to kill Gao Yi now, but everything happening was too baffling, and most importantly, it was clearly urgent to manage the traces Gao Yi and his people had left.

Taking a deep breath, Khalid turned to Gao Yi and said, "You just said..."

"Firstly, I’ll give you five million, the first installment of your funding. I surely won’t let you work for nothing, nor let you take risks for nothing. It’s your luck that I could come here."

Gao Yi confidently smiled, then confidently continued, "As long as you show good performance, as long as you demonstrate the necessary strength and courage, I’ll take care of your funding and equipment for your armed forces in the future."

Gao Yi was adopting the attitude of those who consider money to be dirt beneath them.

Unfortunately, Gao Yi wasn’t very convincing, managing only a pale imitation.

But three parts were enough.

Khalid’s expression tightened, his face filled with disbelief as he said,