Chapter 21 Section VI

"Pierce, get up!" At five o'clock in the morning, Jaeger, who was on guard, shook the anthropologist curled up on the leafy ground.Pierce groaned softly and opened his eyes.Akili and everyone else are sleeping. "What's wrong?" Pierce asked angrily. "I hear drums," Jaeger whispered. Pierce turned his head to the gloomy east.The deep timbre of percussion instruments came from the other side of the rainforest before dawn. "Can you hear what it is?" Pierce listened intently, then shook his head: "It's too far and too faint to hear."

It was hard to get rid of the pursuit of the armed forces the day before, but Jaeger and others were also forced to return to the depths of the Ituri forest, and the nearest village was more than 15 kilometers away. "The militants have started to move again?" Instead of answering, Pierce poured water from the kettle into his hands, washed his face, and took out his laptop from his backpack.Akili, who was sleeping beside him, also got up as if he had received a signal, his two big eyes glowing in the darkness.Jaeger subconsciously made a defensive posture. Pierce fires up his computer, accepting the news.It was an e-mail from "Japanese Reinforcements."

"What's new?" "Nothing particularly important. It's all emails to Akili." "For Achilles?" Pierce turned the computer to Achille.Akili put on the earphones and stared at the screen. Jaeger gradually understood Akili's expression.Now, the alien child's face is filled with happiness, like a child engrossed in watching a children's TV show.Jaeger also looked at the screen with great interest, and strange characters different from the alphabet emerged on it. "what is this?" Jaeger originally asked Achille, but it was Pierce who answered.

"He's learning languages." "What language? Chinese?" "A kind of Japanese." Aqili, wearing headphones, nodded from time to time, as if he was still learning the pronunciation of the language. "What is written?" "I don't understand Japanese either. Could it be 'thank you' and 'goodbye'?" Pierce stood up, listening again to the sound of the dialogue drum, and said, "It would be better if we started earlier. I have a feeling of foreboding." "me too." The two split up to wake up the others.It has been a week since they entered the rainforest, and the mercenaries began to emit a stench.

Jaeger grabbed Mick who got up and let him look at the computer screen that Akili was staring at engrossed: "Is that Japanese?" Mick glanced at it and said, "I think so." "What content?" "have no idea." "I don't know? Are you illiterate?" Mick glared at the angry Jaeger: "It's written about science and mathematics. But it's too difficult, and it looks a bit weird." "You can't translate a word." "No. It's all technical terms." Mick stared at Akili in awe and said, "What's in this guy's head?"

"Don't interrupt Akili's study," Pierce said, pulling the two away from the three-year-old. Everyone washed their faces quickly, finished breakfast, and circled the map to determine the marching route.Because of the sound of drums on the intended route, the comandar was abandoned, and they headed southeast to Beni.According to Pierce, a small plane with supplies was arranged at the airfield near Beni. In the process of eliminating traces of the night camp and preparing to set off, the continuous sound of percussion instruments made Jaeger uneasy.It took such a long time to pass messages between villages, something very important must have happened.However, no matter how carefully you listened, there was no sound of gunfire.

Everyone put on their backpacks, Pierce explained the marching route to Ashmore, and Akili, who had been on the computer all the time, suddenly stood up and gestured for Pierce to come over. "The latest information?" Pierce stared at the screen with an increasingly gloomy expression. "What happened?" Garrett asked. "The emergency response operation of the Nemesis plan has entered the second stage: a large-scale sweep." Pierce called out the map and explained to everyone, "Five groups of militants are marching towards the rain forest along the main road, with a total strength of 4,000 people. Look west for us."

He pointed to the enemy's line of advance, which ran north of where they were. "Exactly. That leaves the south free. We can escape to Beni in one go." But Pierce shook his head violently: "No, it's not good at all. Their route is in line with the Pygmies' camp. They intend to wipe out the Mbuti horde without leaving any behind." The mercenaries looked at each other.They remembered the frightening rumors they had heard in training meetings: that militants would hunt pygmies for food. "There will be genocide," the anthropologist said sadly. "The Pygmies in this area may become extinct."

Ashmore seemed to have noticed something strange, and began to ask loudly.Akili stared at his flustered father.While Pierce was introducing the situation, Garrett, who rarely spoke, said, "What should I do?" "No way." Mick replied immediately, "We have four thousand enemies." "Do you want to sit back and watch the Mbuti people be killed?" Miles lowered his voice, "The compatriots of Ashmore and Akili will be killed." "Don't be silly. Have you forgotten what happened yesterday? We have sat back and watched the villagers of Amanbere Village be massacred." Mick spat and laughed, "You are such a hypocrite."

"Bastard, what are you talking about?" Miles was about to catch Mick, but was interrupted by a scream.Aximo was waving his hands, telling the mercenaries something. "He said let him go back," Pierce translated. "He wanted to go back to his people." Jaeger shook his head and said, "No, I will die." "Can't we think of something?" Pierce spoke for the angry Ashmore, "Can't we help the Pygmies?" "The only thing we can do is escape." Jaeger concluded after considering the enemy's strength and position, "If we want to save Akili, we have to abandon the other Pygmies."

"Wait." Garrett said, "Calm down, everyone. There is a way to save Ashmore's compatriots." "any solution?" "Turn on our GPS." The mercenaries knew what Garrett was thinking, and all fell silent.Seeing that Pierce was unclear, Garrett added: "As long as the GPS is turned on, Zeta Security Company will know our current location, and this information will be immediately conveyed by the Pentagon to the militants in the north. They will then turn to the south. Marching away from the camp of the Mbuti people." Pierce assessed the risks while listening to the explanation, and then said with a stern look: "But if we do this, all four thousand enemies will come running towards us." "good." Jaeger looked at the map, calculating the distance between the enemy and us. "The nearest enemy to us is ten kilometers away. Perhaps we can escape." "Do you want to do it?" "Go ahead," Miles replied, before Mick said, "If you object, run away, you bastard." Mick just smiled unconvinced and didn't object. Garrett put down his pack, leaving only the portable radio and other satcom gear he didn't need, and took some of Pierce's equipment to lighten his load.Garrett held the GPS device and said to the crowd: "I will only drive it for ten seconds, and then we will start immediately. Then we will compare the speed with the enemy. I will read the GPS data, who will take the records?" Miles took out his waterproof notebook and pencil and said, "I'll do it." Garrett turned on the GPS and read the latitude and longitude displayed on the small screen.Miles wrote down with a pencil, and Jaeger next to him took out a map and marked the exact location of everyone.Right now, Zeta Security in South Africa is scrambling to contact the Pentagon. "Okay, let's go." Garrett turned off the GPS device, and the mercenaries formed a diamond formation, heading southeast.You must seize the time to distance yourself from the enemy.Jaeger, who was in charge of the defense on the right, had just confirmed the safety situation when a big explosion suddenly occurred.There was no warning, not even the sound of the shells flying.A sudden scorching shock wave pierced Jaeger's body, throwing him forward. Jaeger fell headlong into the creek, although his face was bruised, but fortunately he did not faint.Jaeger patted his head, hoping to restore the hearing lost by the explosion.Stand up and turn around to check. About 50 meters behind where everyone was just now, a big hole was blasted. With this as the center, the surrounding bushes were overturned. Jaeger was lying on the ground in a shooting position, but he didn't know where the enemy was attacking.He raised his head slowly, only to find that the branches covering his head were all broken off, and he couldn't help feeling horrified.Enemies are overhead. The "Predator" armed unmanned reconnaissance drone fired "Hellfire" anti-tank missiles at them from an altitude of 600 meters."Pilots" at a Nevada Air Force base remotely operate the surveillance drones to launch attacks, like playing a computer game. Only then did Jaeger realize that he had fallen into a trap.The enemy must have been waiting for them to turn on the GPS. The fallen mercenaries moved their bodies while groaning miserably. "Achille! Achille!" Ashmore walked at the front of the queue and suffered the least impact.He called out his son's name aloud.As Pierce fell to the ground in response, Akili's entire petite body was thrown out. At this moment, he was sitting on the fallen leaves and crying loudly. "Protect Pierce! Watch out for drones!" Jaeger yelled at the other three, then dropped his backpack and ran out.The tree canopy above Akili's head was bare and unobstructed, and if captured by a Predator infrared camera, the three-year-old would have been bombarded by Hellfire missiles. Jaeger stretched out his arms and hugged Akili. As soon as he circled behind the big tree, the second wave of explosions followed.The supersonic incoming missile made no sound before exploding, and hit exactly where Akili was just now.Although Jaeger behind the big tree escaped the shock wave and flames, his internal organs felt a violent shock. "The Predator carries only two missiles." Miles, who was hiding behind a big tree, shouted, "We won't launch an attack! Pay attention to surveillance!" Jaeger focused on comforting Akili.As he did to comfort Justin in the past, he stretched out his arms, hugged Akili from behind, let him sit on his lap, and rocked gently.Whether it's body temperature or a soft body, the touch that Akili brings to his hands is exactly the same as Justin's.Jaeger stroked Achille's head, and finally realized that this kid was actually the same as Justin.Originally, this child would be an ordinary person, but because of a small genetic mutation, he was hunted down and killed.He is not at fault at all, nor is it his wish to become a new human being. "Achille! Achille!" Aximo screamed and ran over, followed by the staggering Pierce and the wounded mercenary. Jaeger handed Achille, who was having a fight, to Aximo, and asked Miles, "Are you okay?" The corner of Myers' mouth was bleeding, and he said, "Well, it's just scratched the skin." Both of them were still ringing in their ears, so they had to talk loudly.Miles put down the medical bag and began to check the injuries of his companions.Akili, Ashmore, and Mick had no obvious trauma, and the eardrums were fine.Pierce was relieved. Like Jaeger, he suffered from falls and abrasions, but he was not seriously injured.The only one who was seriously injured was Garrett at the end of the queue. Countless metal plates were inserted into the inside of his legs, and his flesh was bloody.Thanks to the fact that he was carrying a backpack, the torso was not injured. "The bone is not broken, and the main artery is not injured." Miles said while dealing with it, "It will be fine if the bleeding stops." "Can you walk?" Jaeger asked. Garrett nodded. With a relieved expression on his face, Pierce took out the small computer for communication.He turned on the computer and heaved a long sigh of relief when he saw that the screen was displayed normally.This little machine is our lifeline. "After taking care of Garrett, we leave here immediately," Jaeger said. Meek chimed in, "Wait. What the hell is going on here? Shouldn't we be keeping track of what's going on in the Pentagon?" Pierce, who was being questioned, frowned and glanced at the Japanese: "There are limits to the collection and processing of intelligence, and the enemy took advantage of our loopholes." "Don't be kidding! You don't know anything, do you! We just believed that guy, so we were unlucky!" "Shut up! You bastard!" the anthropologist yelled, startling even Garrett, who was being bandaged. "I did my best! You idiot have no right to talk to me!" "What? Try saying it again, you idiot!" Although Mick's English is poor, his curse vocabulary is quite rich.The scolding battle between the two intensified. "Enough!" Jaeger stopped and pulled Mick from behind.The quarrel quickly subsided.Pierce, who was yelling, suddenly tilted his face, weeping uncontrollably.After witnessing the massacre in the village of Amanbere, his life was in danger several times and his spirit began to break down.Jaeger put his arm around the anthropologist's shoulders, leading him away from the others. "I'm sorry." Pierce stopped crying, "I know I'm not normal." "You started this thing and it can't be done halfway. If you lose your mind, we're all in danger." Pierce nodded and said intermittently: "I didn't know war could be so horrible." At this time, Ashmore came over with the child in his arms.The Mbuti looked up at Pierce worriedly, and began to chat with each other sentence by sentence.Ashmore seemed to want to comfort his friend and said something to Jaeger. Pierce, finally calmed down, translated: "He said, 'Thank you for saving my son'." Jaeger couldn't help smiling, and the atmosphere eased a little. "you are welcome." Ashmore also laughed, and said something to Pierce again.This time the tone was pleading.Pierce listened with a slightly puzzled look on his face. "what did he say?" "He wanted to take Akili back to his compatriots." This is obviously impossible.If Akili returned to the camp, everyone there could be killed.Although Ashmer was doomed to say goodbye to his child, Jaeger felt deep sympathy for the short man's father. "Tell him that if your son returns to the camp, the lives of all Mbuti people will be threatened." When Ashmore heard the answer, despair appeared on his face.He lowered his eyes, hesitated for a moment, and then made up his mind and said, "Then can I go back alone?" Jaeger understood Ashmore's inner struggle.He wanted to be with his son very much, but he was worried about his compatriots who depended on each other, helped each other and loved each other. Jaeger must make a realistic judgment.What if there is no Ashmore as a guide?"Any new information?" he asked Pierce. Pierce operated the computer in his hand, staring at the screen. "It's the surveillance intelligence of the United Nations peacekeeping force. The militants in the north have already begun to attack here. They are transmitting our GPS coordinates through the radio." Jaeger checked the map.If the east-west direction of the Ibina River is used as a reference, they can reach the southeastern town of Beni even without the assistance of Aximo.However, if a "predator" appears, the situation may become unfavorable.Because the drones could see them clearly from above as they crossed the vast Ibina River, they would be easy targets for Hellfire missiles.If the northern army reaches the river bank and cuts off their retreat, they will die. In any case, after Ashmore finished his guiding mission, he had to return to his compatriots alone.For his safety, it is better to let him go back now. "Tell Ashmore that he can go back to the camp. However, it's best to go back from the west, otherwise the enemy may find him." After Pierce translated in Jinbuti, Ashmore thanked him repeatedly.Jaeger went back to his teammates, explained the situation and gave them a brief goodbye. Not only Garrett and Miles, but even the stern-faced Mick expressed his gratitude to Ashmore.The mercenaries never forgot that it was the little Mbuti who rescued them from danger. Ashmore shook hands with everyone one by one.Finally, the tall Pierce bent down and hugged Ashmore.The two people who were born and raised at the two poles of human society have formed a profound friendship. The Mbuti man always had a shy smile on his face. When he entrusted his son to Pierce before parting, he let out a short and sharp cry, which was a sad sound gushing from the bottom of his heart. Aqili stretched out his arms, as if he was holding back his father who was about to leave.Ashmore was crying as he walked, looking back every two or three steps.The invisible fetters make this father reluctant to let go. The mercenaries watching suddenly heard a soft call, and looked at the alien child in surprise.Akili, who had never said a word before, was held in Pierce's arms, moving his small mouth, trying to say something to his father. "Epa..." This is not a baby's random pronunciation.Akili was opening and closing his lips awkwardly, repeating a word. "Epa... Epa..." Hearing Akili's pronunciation, Pierce widened his eyes, shook his head sadly, and whispered to the mercenary, "'Epa' means father in their language. Akili is calling for dad." Jaeger thought of his sickly son in the Lisbon hospital.Justin was probably rolling in pain because he couldn't breathe, and he called "Dad" in the same voice. "Tell Ashmore." Yeager suppressed his grief and said, "We will swear to protect Akili. He will definitely see his son again, please wait for that day." Hearing this, Ashmo thanked repeatedly, hugged his son tightly, and then ran away.The mercenaries took turns to comfort the weeping Akili. After a while, Ashmer's short figure was swallowed by the rainforest.Everyone present felt that the forest elves who guarded them had disappeared, but they had no time to be sad.If this continues, they will be overtaken by militants within an hour.After Garrett finished dressing, Jaeger urged everyone to get on the road: "Let's go." Garrett stood up: "He dropped something." Then he picked up a large leaf that had fallen to the ground.In the curled leaves, the fire that Ashmore cherished remained. "It was the fire of their life," said Pierce. "I have lived with the Pygmies for a long time, and there is still a mystery to be solved. I have never seen them use any other means of making fire than fire." method. Perhaps this fire has been burning in the forest for tens of thousands of years, passed down from generation to generation among the Pygmies." Ashmore returned to his compatriots, to the warm firelight.Jaeger secretly prayed that the fire of life of the Pygmies would burn forever.