120. Winning Trust Through Strength

Duke!

In the hierarchy of hereditary titles, the Duke is undoubtedly among the small group of people at the very pinnacle of the pyramid.

A Duke's title signifies glory!
Distinction!
Unparalleled status!
Noble and pure blood!
And, of course, immense power.

"Duke? Hahaha, I think 'idiot' would be more fitting."

A discordant voice soon reached his ears, but Li Changjiang ignored it, merely casting a glance at the speaker—a scruffy white man with a look of contempt on his face.

"Hey! Buddy, don't pay any attention to those damn white folks."
"Batala, that's my name, and the name of my mercenary group as well."

The Batala Mercenary Group?
Their thinking was certainly simple; naming a mercenary group after oneself meant one was either a madman or a genius.

"Nice to meet you!"

The leader of the black mercenary group was clearly a bit too enthusiastic, and Li Changjiang was happy to make new acquaintances before entering the fray.

"Just call me Duke!"

The Batala Mercenary Group had the largest number of personnel among the five mercenary squads, nearly thirty people, but on a battlefield involving tens of thousands, it was still a very small force.

What surprised Li Changjiang somewhat was that in addition to a dozen or so black men, Batala’s group also included a considerable number of white men. The racial divide between black and white was far wider than one would imagine; for Batala to get these white men to follow his orders meant he was definitely not a simple character.

As the two talked, the mercenaries on the trucks disembarked. The leaders of the various mercenary groups soon huddled together to discuss their respective tasks. During this time, Li Changjiang did not speak; he merely stood behind Batala. Even counting himself and "the Russian," they were only seven people, so the others paid no attention to their combat capabilities. In their eyes, no matter how skilled seven people were, how could they possibly turn the tide of a war? That was obviously impossible.

Li Changjiang was happy to see this. His mission was not to storm into Misrata with this group, but to penetrate deep into the heart of Misrata to rescue someone.

"We'll take the enemy on the left!"
"We'll take the right!"
"Duke, your men will come with us. Any problems?"

Batala had unexpectedly looked after Li Changjiang’s mercenary group during the mission assignment. Li Changjiang hesitated for a brief moment before nodding in a low voice. This was undoubtedly a good arrangement.

They were currently at a marketplace less than two kilometers outside Misrata. Judging by the traces left behind, the market had been abandoned for some time, but according to intelligence provided by the Libyans, there were still nearly a hundred militiamen stationed there. The primary objective of the five mercenary groups was to completely destroy this outpost and then directly confront the fortified defenses of Misrata, tearing a breach to open a corridor for the regular Libyan army behind them. If possible, they could also carry out a decapitation strike.

In fact, almost every mercenary group participating in this mission had received such a decapitation order, along with a handsome bonus. But Li Changjiang understood clearly: achieving a decapitation strike was likely not that simple. That bastard Khamis had undoubtedly dangled a massive, impossible carrot in front of these damned mercenaries.

Once the mission objectives were confirmed, each mercenary group immediately gathered their members to form an attack formation. Li Changjiang naturally led his men behind the Batala Mercenary Group, quickly cutting through the buildings on the west side of the market. The sounds of rifle bolts being pulled back were ubiquitous, but the sound of the night wind sweeping across the distant Gobi desert clearly drowned out these preludes to battle.

The atmosphere in the air was heavy.

"Duke, I need your men to provide us with fire cover. Any issues?"
"Can do."

Noticing that the weapons carried by the men under Li Changjiang’s command were unexpectedly powerful, Batala quickly changed his mind and asked the Duke’s men to provide fire suppression. Li Changjiang agreed without the slightest hesitation.

*Click.* He flipped open the lens cap of his scope.

Through the scope, Li Changjiang could almost see the expressions on the faces of the Libyans inside the makeshift outpost and the lazy curves of their mouths. His nerves suddenly tightened.

"In position!"
"In position!"
"Ready!"

The voices of the Frenchman and the Swede quickly came over the team communication channel. Li Changjiang nodded, his expression tense.

"Duke is in position! Repeat: Duke is in position!"
"Fire!"

*Boom!*

The moment the command came through his earpiece, Li Changjiang pulled the trigger without hesitation.

In the black night sky, the bullet flying out of the barrel was like a shooting star. Its trajectory drew a fleeting line, plunging into flesh with a soft *thwack*. In a fraction of a second, the transmission of light and sound, along with the brain's reaction, completed all actions almost simultaneously as the gunshot broke through the air.

*Boom!*
*Rat-tat-tat!*

Tongues of fire flickered wildly. Bullets spat from dozens of muzzles formed a dense, tight net of fire in the blink of an eye, raining down upon the Libyans at the outpost.

*Thwack! Thwack, thwack!*

Casualties soared to a terrifying number in an instant. One! Two! Three...

Li Changjiang’s speed was astonishing. Many gunmen had barely aimed and hadn't even had time to pull the trigger before their targets in the scope had already fallen. By the time they reacted, Li Changjiang’s focus had already captured the next target.

"Damn it!"
"Quick, quick, quick! Charge!"

Curses and orders rapidly coalesced into a wave of sound, appearing extremely faint yet unusually loud amidst the dense gunfire and explosions. The members of the Batala Mercenary Group charged toward the outpost the moment they received the order; they had no other choice, and they hadn't expected the fire provided by the Duke’s men to be so terrifying.

*Rat-tat-tat!*

Suddenly, a series of extremely oppressive gunshots erupted. Li Changjiang’s heart tightened; without a second thought, he shouted instinctively.

"Damn it, take cover! Get down!"

The act of ducking proved incredibly lucky, allowing him to avoid a terrifying barrage of fire. It was a heavy-caliber machine gun! Dammit, how could a group of Libyan militiamen have such a terrifying weapon!

*Thwack, thwack!*

He raised his gun to aim again. Within his sight, bullets rapidly tore through the bodies of the Batala mercenaries. Li Changjiang watched with his own eyes as the machine gun’s terrifying shredding power blew the entire head of one man into a mist of blood—absolutely horrific.

"Damn it, take cover! Cover! Snipers, take him out!"

Not far away, the black man Batala was screaming hoarsely into the communication channel. Two snipers who were in position quickly aimed at the machine gunner behind the fortifications.

*Bang! Bang!*
*Boom!*

The continuous sound of gunfire made hearts tighten. Damn it! They missed! Not only did they miss, but they also exposed the snipers' hidden positions.

That terrifying fire immediately swept toward the spot where one of the snipers was hiding. *Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom*—the linked gunfire was enough to make one's scalp tingle. In his sight, the wall where the sniper was hiding was almost completely shredded into rubble; no one could survive under that kind of terrifying firepower.

The remaining sniper repeatedly changed positions and fired, but could not penetrate the narrow gap left by the dense fortifications. Specifically, there was a plate blocking the line of sight; unless one fired blindly through the tiny gap between the steel plate and the gun barrel to kill the machine gunner behind it, it was difficult to stop the enemy's fire.

Batala’s sniper was undoubtedly elite, but pulling off such a shot at a distance of about 100 meters was not simple, especially at night.

"Damn it, take out that damn gunner."

Batala had become anxious. In an instant, nearly five of his men had been killed, all by this machine gun. Now, the rest were hiding on the ground or behind simple cover; if this dragged on, they would surely die.

"Let me do it!"

In the communication channel, Li Changjiang’s voice sounded very calm.

"Duke, take him out!"

Batala’s voice came quickly, but he clearly hadn't paid much attention to Li Changjiang’s words. In reality, it wasn't that he hadn't paid attention, but he didn't quite believe that this Chinese man possessed such marksmanship—even the men the Russian had found remained silent.

But the moment the words left his lips, Li Changjiang had already completed the aiming process. Almost instinctively, he automatically captured the narrowest shooting angle inside that steel plate. Li Changjiang didn't overthink it; his index finger applied pressure instantly.

*Boom!*

The unique sound of the SVD sniper rifle instantly interrupted the monotonous, steady rhythm of the machine gun fire, like a throat being strangled and suddenly jammed. However, a moment later, the interrupted sound started up again, but Li Changjiang did not give the opponent another chance.

*Boom!*

Another shot!

This time, the sound of the machine gun fire solidified completely.

"Guys, quick! Take him out!"

With a roar, the Batala mercenaries lying on the ground rose again and charged toward the target ahead.

*Boom!*
*Rat-tat-tat!*

The sparks from exploding grenades were striking. Continuous gunfire pressed directly onto the Libyan outpost. Li Changjiang, as if drained of all strength, slowly put away his sniper rifle and let out a long, slow breath.

By the time he stood up, several slightly familiar voices were already reaching his ears.

"Boss, that was amazing!"
"Buddy, beautiful shot!"

On the battlefield, the strong always win the greatest respect through the guns in their hands and the courage in their chests.