Chapter 30: Chapter 30: I’ve Never Been in the Army
Joga and his team had a smooth drive out of Khartoum. The checkpoints set up by the SD Security Department were merely for show and were completely ineffective. The soldiers at these checkpoints, armed with outdated equipment, were in no position to stop ruthless terrorists, and they knew it, so they didn't put in much effort.
The Kendeweik in Darfur were not nameless figures, so finding them wasn't too difficult. The real challenge lay in the fact that SD troops couldn't enter Darfur. Any military action by SD would provoke a joint backlash from Darfur's internal warlords and tribes, which would have severe consequences.
However, this was of no concern to Joga. In fact, the attention Darfur's tribal warlords were paying to the SD army's movements gave Joga ample room to maneuver.
Once Niss input the coordinates into the GPS after they crossed into Darfur, the three of them took turns driving through the desert for nearly 20 hours before reaching the vicinity of their destination.
They were driving a pickup truck, loaded with enough fuel and supplies. Their vehicle was quite ordinary, so it didn't attract much attention along the way. Joga was somewhat familiar with driving in the desert, but after over 20 hours of continuous jolting, he was feeling quite exhausted.
When they finally arrived at the coordinates Niss had provided, Joga eagerly pushed the door open and got out of the truck, completely disregarding the scorching midday sun of the desert. Stretching his body and hearing his bones crack, he sighed with relief and chugged down a bottle of mineral water.
After Joga finished drinking, he noticed that Kaman and Niss seemed relatively unaffected by the long journey. Kaman's endurance was understandable, but it was surprising to see the seemingly delicate Niss looking unfazed, which made him feel a bit embarrassed.
"Aren't you tired?" Joga couldn't help but ask, only to regret it as Niss looked at him with an odd expression.
"Boss, didn't you sleep at all?" Niss asked, looking puzzled.
Joga rubbed his aching temples and shook his head. "How could I sleep?"
Niss, now in desert camouflage and with her headscarf tied back into a neat ponytail, shook her head and said, "You'll need some time to adjust. Long journeys by car are indeed painful, but if you don't ensure proper rest, it will be dangerous during combat."
Curious, Niss asked, "Don't your Chinese military forces have training for this?"
Joga, knowing Niss meant no harm, shook his head. "I don't know how the Chinese military trains because I've never served. I'm sure they're better trained than I am, but I always manage to adapt. I just sleep in the car if I'm exhausted."
Niss, incredulous, said, "You've never been in the military?"
Joga shrugged. "I've never been in the military, but that doesn't prevent me from being a good marksman."
Kaman, shaking his head, added, "The boss isn't just a 'good marksman'; he's an exceptional sharpshooter. During our first collaboration, he took out eight enemies from around 800 meters away, including a skilled sniper, in just under three minutes."
Niss, skeptical, said, "I saw you shooting with a pistol at the hotel. Ordinary people can't do that. Are you perhaps a retired soldier from a special forces unit? If so, just pretend I didn't ask."
Joga shook his head. "I've never been in the military. Why do you care whether I have or not?"
Niss walked to the front of the truck and pointed towards a distant mountain range. "The arsenal is in a valley over there. It contains many advanced weapons. If you've never been in the military…"
Joga, realizing what Niss was worried about, nodded. "You're concerned that I might not know how to use them, right?"
Without waiting for Niss to respond, Joga smiled and shook his head. "I don't need to know how to use everything. I just need to take whatever I can."
Niss, disappointed, shook her head and said, "There are a few well-preserved Mi-24 attack helicopters there. If someone knows how to operate them, things would be much easier."
Joga was taken aback. "Mi-24? Russian Mi-24 helicopters? There are those in Colonel Karr's secret arsenal? Do you know how much they're worth?"
Niss, with a hint of sadness, shook her head. "I don't know. I just know that my brother guarded this secret for many years. Besides some small arms, he never dared to try moving the larger items out. Unfortunately, someone still found him…"
Joga didn't pay much attention to Niss's expression. He quickly moved and got back into the truck, slamming the door and calling out, "Get in, get in. Let's go see."
Joga was completely captivated by the details Niss had mentioned about the arsenal. He had initially thought the arsenal might contain just some tanks and armored vehicles, but the inclusion of attack helicopters was a surprise. Regardless of whether he could use them or sell them, just seeing such valuable equipment was worth it.
Niss took the wheel and drove for another 40 minutes across the desert and then around 5 kilometers south along the mountain range. Eventually, she guided the truck into a hidden mountain pass.
The road inside the pass was in poor condition, but there was a rough, rocky path just wide enough for a truck to navigate. The pass was about ten kilometers from the nearest highway, and the barren desert with its winding, rugged valley road made it clear why no one would come here.
After driving for nearly 25 minutes in the valley, the terrain suddenly opened up. A valley of about a thousand acres had been flattened, surrounded by steep rock walls. Concrete warehouses lined the bottom of the valley, and their roofs were camouflaged.
In the center of the valley were numerous tanks and armored vehicles covered with camouflage netting. They looked weathered and unusable, with some tank barrels even clogged by sand and dust.
Kaman, who had never seen so many weapons at once, was thrilled. He got out of the truck and stared at the tanks with wide eyes, exclaiming, "You've left these to rust here?"
Joga wasn't as interested in the large machines. He patted Kaman on the shoulder and smiled. "If you like them, pick one out. If we get a chance later, we can take it back. I'm a pretty good mechanic; I should be able to fix it."
Kaman shook his head. "I don't need one, but why can't we sell them? I've heard tanks and armored vehicles are quite valuable."
Joga, walking around, noticed a few armored vehicles equipped with advanced 'automated weapon stations' and nodded. "If they were in good condition, they'd definitely be worth a lot. Unfortunately, they're in poor shape now, and fixing them won't be easy. Plus, if they flood the market, people will come looking for them."
Niss, following behind, shook her head. "My brother used to say that Gaddafi had dozens of secret bases, and some of them stored over 200 tons of gold. The exact locations of these bases were kept by multiple people, with my brother's superior being one of them. After his death, he passed the locations to my brother. The current governments of Eastern Liberia, France, and the U.S. are all trying to find these secret bases. Without absolute certainty, I advise against risking the sale of these tanks and armored vehicles, as they would be too conspicuous in Africa. Small arms are less of an issue; we can check those warehouses for what you might need."
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