Chapter 136: An Old Friend in a Strange Land

Qin Yang and his team soon arrived at the airfield arranged by Zak.

Seven or eight men were guarding the site, consisting of Zak’s subordinates and Azalias’s men, but they were quickly dispatched by Chu Dongtian’s precise marksmanship. Xu Lai was the first to jump off the vehicle. He inspected the helicopter, poked his head inside, and said, "A CH-46. It’s an old piece of junk from over twenty years ago. I reckon Zak scavenged it and modified it, but it’s still functional. Let's board."

They had the hostages board the aircraft first.

Qin Yang, however, unhurriedly pulled a stack of posters from his bag and tossed them to the others, saying, "Paste these on the helicopter."

"What the hell is this?" the men asked, stunned.

Upon opening them, they saw pictures of Azalias. The team recalled that to expand his influence, Azalias had plastered his posters all over Kano. They were even found on transport trucks and tanks—a constant visual assault meant to bolster his prestige.

"Where did you get these?" Yang Guang asked with a chuckle.

"Tore them off the walls while we were walking," Qin Yang replied. He applied paste to one of the posters and slapped it onto the underside of the helicopter. The others followed suit, and within moments, the helicopter was covered in Azalias’s posters. They even hung a massive banner from the tail section that read "Long Live Azalias," accompanied by a large portrait.

"Did you swipe this one too?" Zhao Wu asked in surprise.

Qin Yang grinned. "I nicked it off the hotel wall while you guys were sleeping. My bag was nearly bursting, so I tossed out all my rations to make room. I don't want to get blown out of the sky by a missile."

"That’s some aggressive product placement," Yang Guang quipped, looking at the craft that now looked like it was held together by paper.

"Quit yapping and get on board," Qin Yang snapped. Once everyone was inside, Xu Lai took the controls. He was a skilled pilot, and handling such an antique was no challenge for him. After takeoff, they headed south.

The three hostages, exhausted by days of psychological torture, fell into a deep sleep as soon as the plane was airborne. Qin Yang took the opportunity to contact Major General Zhao of the United Front Department.

"Qin Yang, how are you all doing?" Elder Jiang’s voice came through as soon as the call connected.

"We’re managing. We’ve rescued the three people in Kano City, but Azalias has started sending men to search for the others. We need their contact information," Qin Yang said, "so we can locate them as quickly as possible."

"Understood." Elder Jiang provided the contact details for the remaining civilians. Hearing the roar of engines in the background, he asked with some suspicion, "Are you driving?"

"It’s nothing, just borrowed an aircraft," Qin Yang replied nonchalantly. "Alright, I’m ending the call so they don't track the signal."

After cutting the connection, Qin Yang used the provided information to contact the group of civilians. It rang for half a minute before a cautious voice answered: "Who are you?"

"We are the Huaxia God of War Squad, ordered to rescue you and bring you home," Qin Yang said. "Report your location; we will reach you as soon as possible."

"Who are you, really?" The person remained highly skeptical. "In the last few days, we’ve received over a dozen calls claiming to be from Huaxia special forces, but every time we’ve been led into an ambush. We’ve already lost three people."

Qin Yang paused, feeling a begrudging respect for both Azalias and this man. The former was clever enough to use such counter-intelligence to lure them out, while the latter had managed to maintain his composure and caution under such desperate circumstances to avoid capture—he was clearly a seasoned veteran. Of course, this was only possible because Azalias lacked a satellite tracking system, otherwise, they would have been caught. Qin Yang felt troubled and replied with a bitter smile, "How can I prove it? Even if I gave you my name, you wouldn't know who I am. I’ll have the United Front Department contact you."

"We don't trust anyone," the voice replied coldly. "This trick has been played before. We’ve been on the line for thirty-two seconds. If you can't prove your identity within two seconds, I’m hanging up."

"What the hell, do you think I have some magical proof on me right now?" Qin Yang blurted out a curse.

The rest of the team winced; there truly was no way to prove it.

"Yu Jian, come quickly! His wound has burst open!" Suddenly, a familiar voice came over the phone. Qin Yang froze. Hearing Yu Jian about to hang up, he hurriedly shouted, "Don't hang up! Put Yang Yaxin on the phone. She can confirm my identity. Hurry!"

The person on the other end hesitated, clearly surprised that this self-proclaimed squad member knew Yang Yaxin’s name.

A moment later, a woman took the phone. Her tone was familiar and guarded: "Who is this?"

"It’s Qin Yang." Qin Yang smiled. He could tell from her voice that it was indeed Yang Yaxin. "Meeting an old friend in a foreign land—aren't you happy?"

"Qin Yang? You’re really Qin Yang?" Yang Yaxin cried out in excitement. "It’s really you! Oh my god, Qin Yang!"

"Alright, sweetheart, don't get too worked up. Where are you? We’re coming to get you right now," Qin Yang said with a smile.

Yang Yaxin seemed to get permission from Yu Jian, and she quickly reported their location. Before the call ended, she could be heard sobbing, "Qin Yang, so many of us are injured, please, you have to hurry."

"Don't worry."

After hanging up, Qin Yang stretched his limbs and pulled out a map. He studied it carefully and said, "Contact Tang Li. Give him two days. No matter what, they must reach our designated extraction point. If they're a minute late, they’ll answer to me."

Xie Chengyang immediately made the call.

Qin Yang walked to the cockpit and sat in the co-pilot’s seat. Through the glass, he could vaguely see armed rebels in the jungle below. However, none of them paid the aircraft any mind. After all, Qin Yang’s method of camouflage was shamelessly effective—the plane looked exactly like an Azalias supply transport, and his soldiers certainly wouldn't dare fire a shot at it.

"How long until we arrive?" Qin Yang asked.

"An hour and a half," Xu Lai replied. "The plane is heavily loaded, and we have to maintain a search pattern to avoid suspicion."

"Fine. Wake me when we get there. I’m going to catch some sleep."

"OK," Xu Lai chuckled.