Chapter 1436: Chapter 1,417: Invincible

Happiness comes suddenly, but it can disappear just as quickly.

Firing a rifle at a drone, Gao Yang had done that before, but it was really quite difficult. Yet, whether it’s difficult or not depends on who does it. Djo Malthael’s bodyguard managed to shoot down the drone, which naturally meant they could no longer use it to track Djo Malthael.

Jansen had another backup drone, but this time everyone was traveling light, so Jansen hadn’t brought a backup drone at all.

Gao Yang said angrily and helplessly, “These bastards are really something, fine, let them shoot it down. He still can’t escape!”

Even without drone surveillance, Gao Yang could still catch up to Djo Malthael. His skills in tracking traces came in handy, although it would be a bit troublesome.

“Boss, can you guys go to the drone crash site and pick up the wreckage? Maybe the camera or something could still be usable.”

Gao Yang said in a deep voice, “No time!”

Jansen was reluctant to leave the equipment the drone carried. Just the observation and targeting equipment on it was worth tens of thousands of dollars, and it couldn’t even be bought. But Gao Yang had no time to pick up the drone. Even if it was worth tens of thousands, if lost, so be it.

Although the drone was shot down quickly, at least they had a rough idea of the enemy’s position. Gao Yang said in a low voice, “Let’s keep chasing! Two-person teams, Villain, hold your position at the back, be ready to support and provide medical aid at any time.”

Albert said helplessly, “Boss, although I’m a medic, I’m also quite capable in a fight. Can you not just use me purely as medical support?”

Gao Yang touched his mouth and nodded, “Alright, inverted triangle formation, Toad with me, Tyrannosaurus and Postman, Villain in the middle, pay attention to mutual support.”

After speaking, Gao Yang took down his shotgun, hanging the rifle under his right arm for easy access should the need arise. However, in the almost non-existent visibility of the grassland, the shotgun was more convenient.

After switching weapons, Gao Yang grabbed a handful of mud and smeared it on his face. The stench of the mud made him shake his head several times before saying in a deep voice, “Let’s go.”

Gao Yang stood up, crouched, with one hand holding the gun and the other carefully parting the grass in front, beginning to slowly advance forward.

The swampy ground was difficult to navigate; the water was shallow, barely covering his ankles, but stepping on it would immediately sink into the mud. To move silently, he had to proceed very slowly, as increasing speed would only produce a squelching noise.

The roots of the grass were entwined together; stepping on the grass roots wouldn’t make him sink right away. However, the grass here wasn’t ordinary grass. Over two meters tall, it was unclear if it was thatch or bulrush, growing in tufts, with tough bases that were difficult to kick down. Using the grass for cover was fine, but stepping over the roots required forcefully pushing through the grass.

Squeezing through the grass caused a lot of noise, and the swaying grass served as a target for the enemy. Most critically, the bases of the grass were full of sharp stubs left after the winter grass had died, which could easily puncture feet, and Gao Yang and his men were barefoot.

After advancing like a snail for barely three meters, Gao Yang was compelled to abandon the tactic of group pursuit.

Li Jinfang and the others weren’t accustomed to fighting in the swamps. In such terrain, specific training might not help much, unless one lived or regularly fought in such areas to move as if on flat ground.

As for Gao Yang, he was actually quite familiar with swamps.

The grasslands of South Sudan during the dry season were just grasslands, but in the rainy season, the ponds or large areas of grassland turned into swamps. These were places where animals had to come to drink. In the years Gao Yang spent as a wild man hunting in Africa, during the rainy season, he often operated in the swamps with the Akuri tribe.

Whether tracking down prey he’d shot or ambushing prey in the swamp, Gao Yang was skilled, especially when it came to ambushing prey silently and rapidly in swamps. This required speed and stealth.

So, not only was Gao Yang quite familiar with swamps, but he was also skilled at hunting in them, and sometimes hunting and warfare weren’t all that different.

Gao Yang decided to abandon the mode of group combat to become a lone hero, pursuing Djo Malthael on his own.

A squad leader who always seeks to be a lone hero and abandons the team isn’t a good leader, but when the team needs it, a leader who can’t step up and be a lone hero isn’t a good leader either.

Sharpening the axe doesn’t delay the work, so having decided to pursue solo, Gao Yang began to prepare.

“I’m fast, I’ll chase on my own. You guys advance slowly and try to capture someone alive, and find Big Bird’s drone. Anyway, you can’t keep up with me, advance slowly and stay safe.”

He shouldered the shotgun on his back, stood up, and while speaking, unbuckled his belt and took off his trousers.

Eileen’s eyes went wide, and she whistled lightly before chuckling, “Boss, your legs are quite slender, why are you taking off your pants?”

Gao Yang replied solemnly, “They’re sticking wetly to my legs, I can’t run at all.”

Li Jinfang looked dissatisfied, and said in a grave tone, “We can keep up, just tell us your trick if you have one.”

After tossing his pants to the ground, Gao Yang began smearing mud on his legs.

With mud smeared on his legs, Gao Yang took down his shotgun, exhaled a breath, and said softly, “There is a bit of a trick, but if you don’t use it well, it’ll be a disaster. Watch and you’ll understand, here I go!”

After speaking, Gao Yang suddenly sprang forward.

With a push of his single foot on the edge of a grass root, Gao Yang didn’t stop but instead leapt forward to the right, his right foot tapping the edge of another grass root before leaping again towards another bush.

The edge of the grass root can take some weight, but only a tiny part of the edge can be stepped on. If not, it will sink immediately, and standing on the edge of an outwardly expansive bush with one foot is impossible, unless you hug the bush with both hands and stand there.

Gao Yang wasn’t walking or running, but hopping forward, moving quickly because he couldn’t slow down; any slow speed would cost his balance and lead to a fall into a mud pit.

Watching Gao Yang’s way of moving, Li Jinfang exhaled and jumped forward the same way, but on his second jump, he stepped wrong and lost balance, falling sideways into the mud pit.

Kung Fu is used to hit people and also has some fitness benefits, and a Kung Fu master surely is agile, but being agile doesn’t mean you can do everything, otherwise, wouldn’t Kung Fu masters always win in football or basketball? Some things aren’t just about being agile or quick.

Fallen into the muddy pit, Li Jinfang couldn’t even climb up by himself and was eventually dragged out by Eileen and Taylor.

After wiping away the mud clogging his nose and mouth, Li Jinfang said helplessly, “Can’t catch up anymore, let’s do what we can.”

The swamps in South Sudan and Ukraine certainly aren’t the same, but they must have some common traits, so Gao Yang’s experience in South Sudan was applicable in Ukraine. His actions seemed simple but were in fact not simple at all.

Eyes must be quick, legs must be quick, the brain must be quick, coordination must be good, you need to know where you can step and where you can’t, and when picking landing points, you have to find those that allow continuous movement, linking one point to another to form a route.

With just one misstep, you’ll end up eating mud, and in this very deep mire, falling in and getting out is another story.

Watching Gao Yang’s rapidly disappearing back, Eileen muttered to herself, “Toad, I think the Boss now really looks like a true Toad.”

With a suit and tie on top, and nothing on the bottom, Gao Yang looked comical, indeed comical, but when he suddenly appeared in front of Djo Malthael’s bodyguards with this image, they didn’t find it funny.

Gao Yang also didn’t know Djo Malthael’s location, he just chased in the general direction, so it was not surprising when he jumped out of a bush and suddenly encountered the rear guard left behind.

Gao Yang jumped out of a bundle of grass, and in front of him to his left was a bare-bottomed burly man who was stunned as he turned his gun towards Gao Yang.

In mid-air, Gao Yang swung his gun, BOOM, with a shot, the burly man less than three meters away toppled over, and as Gao Yang landed on one foot and leaped again, he fired another shot, blowing the head off a bodyguard less than five meters away.

Then Gao Yang continued to hop forward.

Forgot to mention, Gao Yang’s way of moving was very quiet, and it hardly made the bushes sway, even if someone heard something, they couldn’t pinpoint his location and shoot since the sound came from all directions.

Gao Yang’s moves were fast, certainly not fast as running on level ground, but in the swamp, his speed was remarkably fast. The only issue was he couldn’t maintain a straight line, only a general direction.

Moreover, Gao Yang was very tired, because his way of moving required full concentration not to make errors, and although his hopping movements looked dashing and comical, they were extremely physically exhausting.

It was already an exhausting way to move both mentally and physically, and he still had to be ready for combat while tracking down the traces left by Djo Malthael’s escape, Gao Yang wasn’t just worn out, he was also very tense.

For some people, potential needs to be realized under pressure; fully immersed in the battle, Gao Yang used up all the energy available in him, and at this moment, he was at his strongest, his peak moment.

To put it simply, Gao Yang at this time was invincible. (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to go to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations, monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)