422: It was all Reese's doing!

In the center of the main force, Reis kept shouting through a loudspeaker.

"My people, do you see this?!"

"Do you see the tragic state of Longbow Stream Valley now?!"

"I don't need to repeat to you who did all this!"

"Hafke is wantonly extracting resources and plundering our territory in our Asara region."

"And when I merely snatched one mandel brick, they panicked like cornered dogs!"

"The irony is that they kept claiming this mandel brick was meant to benefit us, the asara people!"

"Since it was meant to benefit us Asara, why did they have to destroy the entire Longbow Stream Valley over one mandel brick?!"

"They even took their anger out on Bakshi!"

"By now, anyone with a brain should be able to see it."

"I didn't just steal a mandel brick; I tore off Hafke's mask!"

As for those asara people who originally didn't believe all this, when they saw Longbow Stream Valley completely turned into a wasteland,

they could no longer remain calm.

They had lost the ability to think.

No one but Hafke could have done all this.

"Leader, there are vehicles ahead."

Just then, the driver of the vehicle suddenly spoke to Reis, who was in the truck bed.

Reis's brainwashing stopped abruptly; he pushed his glasses up and squinted at the vehicles ahead.

"This model... it looks like one of Asara's."

"Surround them and confirm who they are. If they are Asara, let them join the main force directly."

"Yes!"

At Reis's command, several jeeps suddenly accelerated and drove quickly toward Wafa and his group's vehicle.

Subsequently, they slowly surrounded Wafa's vehicle.

Screech—

Seeing this, Wafa frowned and hit the brakes.

Wafa rolled down the window and shouted at the vehicles surrounding him:

"For Asara!"

"We're on the same side."

Hearing Wafa's accent, the drivers of the other vehicles nodded at Wafa in a friendly manner.

Immediately after, the main force's vehicles also slowly came to a stop ahead.

"What are you dawdling for?! Time is tight, hurry and let them catch up!"

Reis urged them on from the front, dissatisfied.

Seeing this, the driver of one of the jeeps spoke to Wafa in a friendly manner:

"Brother, join us. You must have had enough of the days of being oppressed by Hafke."

"We don't have to endure it anymore; we are ready to fight Hafke to the death."

Hearing the other person speak, Wafa and Harris exchanged glances inside the car.

"Fight whom to the death?"

"Hafke?"

Wafa looked at the main force in front of him in disbelief.

Reis wants these people... to fight Hafke to the death?

Isn't this just getting people killed?!

Wafa's expression turned somewhat ugly.

Among the Asara people he knew, if one were to ask who wanted revenge against Hafke the most,

it would undoubtedly be his own leader.

But even when filled with hatred, Sayyid never used the lives of Soldiers or the Asara people to seek revenge.

Revenge is revenge, and human lives are human lives.

Sayyid always knew how to distinguish between the two.

"Among you... there seem to be a lot of people who aren't even Asara, right?"

Wafa couldn't help but look at the driver.

The latter nodded.

"Yes, Reis's reputation has turned around now."

"Many people who can't stand Hafke's style and want to stand up for Asara have also joined us."

Hearing this, Wafa's pupils suddenly contracted!

"This is madness!"

He scanned the crowd of the main force through the car window.

Many ordinary people were filled with righteous indignation when they saw the tragic state of Longbow Stream Valley.

But they didn't seem to have thought at all

about how they would die in the war.

They were left with nothing but hot-blooded passion.

"Damn it, what are you dawdling for?!"

Seeing Reis angrily urging them on, the driver hurriedly looked at Wafa and advised:

"Brother, if you're not joining, just drive and make way."

Wafa didn't answer the driver immediately but lowered his head and frantically scrolled through his phone, deep in thought.

Beep—

"Brother, I'm talking to you! Reis will get impatient soon!"

Seeing Wafa indifferent, the driver honked the horn repeatedly to urge him.

Listening to the annoying horn, Samar immediately rolled down the window, stuck his head out, and pointed at the driver:

"What the fuck are you honking for? Can't you see he's busy?!"

This cursing left the driver stunned on the spot.

But Harris, who was on the side, was startled and hurriedly pulled Samar back.

"Holy shit, Samar, are you fucking crazy?!"

"Don't you see Reis over there? And look at how many people there are here!"

"If he hears you, we're as good as dead!"

Samar rolled up the window grumpily and leaned back against the seat, fuming.

"Who told him to have no sense."

"And Wafa too, he's an idiot. We should just drive away, why are we dawdling here?"

Facing Samar's complaints, Wafa didn't hear a single word.

At this moment, he was still frantically looking at the news on his phone.

His brain was also rapidly thinking through all of this.

While Reis was snatching the mandel brick, he publicly insulted Demulan and Jacob.

And both of them eventually died in an explosion.

Immediately after, Longbow Stream Valley was razed to the ground, and Bakshi also suffered a tragic fate.

Now seeing the tragic state of Longbow Stream Valley with his own eyes, it was obvious that all of this was true.

Now Reis brought these people here to witness the tragic state of Longbow Stream Valley and stir up their anger...

What Reis wants is a riot... to mobilize the emotions of all the Asara people...

Then what does he want the mandel brick for?

Wafa shook his head; whatever he couldn't figure out, he would put aside for now.

"It was Reis who bombed the dam!"

Wafa suddenly raised his head.

At the same time, two trails of tears uncontrollably streamed from the corners of his eyes.

"Officer..."

Seeing Wafa's reaction, Harris was a bit confused and patted his shoulder.

"What's wrong with you... acting all weird..."

Wafa turned his head mechanically and looked at the two of them.

"The officer is dead, and it was indirectly caused by Reis..."

Once these words were spoken, both of their expressions froze on the spot!

"What? How do you know?"

Wafa wiped his tears and told the two of them everything he had analyzed at a very fast pace.

"Remember the bombing of Dam Zero?"

"I remember."

"Before that, Reis had approached the officer to discuss mobilizing Asara's emotions to launch an attack against Hafke."

"And to prevent GTI from interfering, Reis also consulted the officer about causing a conflict between GTI and Hafke..."

"They had an argument over this, and obviously, the officer didn't agree."

"A few days later, the dam was bombed."

"When the dam was bombed, as Asara people, the first thing they would suspect is that Hafke did it."

"Even GTI would think it was Hafke."

"After all, who would have thought that Reis, also being an Asara, would go and blow up the dam?"

After finishing, Wafa raised his hand and pointed at the main force in front of him.

"But looking at it now, it's damn obvious that the dam was bombed by Reis."

"His goal was to slowly stir up the Asara people's dissatisfaction with Hafke, and finally find a suitable opportunity to ignite it completely!"

"And all of this is true; Reis's goal has now been achieved..."

"So, whether it's the same fate as Longbow Stream Valley, or Reis's other actions, the officer who we haven't been able to contact..."

"There is a very high possibility..."

"That he was killed..."

Wafa let out a long sigh, calming his emotions.

"Samar, put on your head armor and crawl to the front; you'll drive in a moment."

"Harris, just lie down in the back and don't show your head."

"What about you?"

Bang—!

"Damn it, are you done yet!"

"Hurry up and look at Longbow Stream Valley; we still have to go to the city!"

"Are you waiting to get hit by Hafke's guided missiles in this place?"

Reis fired a shot at the window of Wafa and his group's vehicle, interrupting their conversation.

Crack—

Under everyone's gaze, Wafa suddenly opened the car door and stepped out.

After getting out of the car, Wafa raised his hands to signal to everyone that he wasn't holding a gun.

Seeing this, many Soldiers who were pointing their guns at him also slowly lowered them.

Although Wafa and his group's behavior just now was a bit deliberate, they were all Asara people after all.

Seeing everyone lower their guns, Wafa shouted:

"My name is Wafa, and I am a Soldier from Dam Zero."

"My officer's name is Sayyid, but he is dead now."

"He caused it!" Wafa suddenly pointed his finger at Reis.

Hearing this, everyone turned their gaze toward Reis in unison.

Sayyid's reputation was equally illustrious in Asara, and unlike Reis, who needed to rely on actions to turn his reputation around, Sayyid didn't need to at all.

This was also why Reis chose to seek Sayyid's help to mobilize the emotions of the asara people.

"What the fuck are you talking about? Do you believe I'll shoot you right now?"

As he spoke, Reis made a move to raise his gun and aimed it at Wafa.

The latter spread his hands indifferently.

"Suit yourself."

"Anyway, you've already caused the death of my officer, so one more Soldier like me won't make a difference."

Hearing this, Reis gritted his teeth and lowered his gun.

If he were to shoot and kill Wafa now, it would be no different from implicitly admitting it.

By then, this team that had been so hard to pull together would very likely fall apart.

The problem was, he really didn't cause Sayyid's death!

Seeing Reis lower his gun, Wafa also lowered his spread hands.

"If you can't produce evidence, I will cut your hand and foot tendons later, and then skin you alive."

After finishing, Reis put his gun away, stepped up to sit on the roof of the car, and looked down at Wafa as if sitting on a throne.

The latter nodded neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"I'll tell you from the very beginning!"

"Before the dam was bombed, Reis had approached my officer, Sayyid."

Wafa repeated his analysis from the car, adding some embellishments this time.

To make it easier for the other ordinary people and the Asala Soldiers who were kept in the dark to understand, Wafa deliberately changed the order.

The logic was clear; anyone with a brain could understand it.

"So, in conclusion, the dam was blown up by Reis!"

"As for Reis's motive for harming my superior, it's very simple!"

"My superior, Sayyid, led us day and night to repair the dam, which clearly ran counter to Reis's plans!"

"Only by making you angry would you disregard everything, abandon reason, and mindlessly follow Reis to launch an attack on Hafke!"

"The fact that you are standing here is already the best proof!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's expression changed instantly!

But Wafa did not stop speaking, despite the frozen crowd.

"He just wants to recruit more people! He wants to make Hafke afraid to act due to international pressure, afraid to kill so many people in one go!"

"And then, in this way, slowly build up his forces!"

"He has never done this for Asara!!"

"He only cares about himself!!"

"Think about it carefully; once Hafke goes crazy and stops caring about the consequences, can you really stop him?!"

"Who benefits from a mutually destructive fight?!"

"You are just cannon fodder he’s using to protect himself... cough—!"

*Whoosh!*

A dagger cut through the air, interrupting Wafa's speech.

It wasn't meant to intimidate him.

Instead, the cold sensation and pain in his throat made it impossible for Wafa to speak any further.

Reis, sitting on the roof of the vehicle, looked so grim that his face seemed ready to drip water.

"Self-righteous."

"Do you think you're clever? Do you think you can read my mind?"

"Do you think that after you finish speaking, these people will turn their guns on me and disobey my orders?"

"Hahahaha."

"Kid, you..."

"Probably don't have any family, do you?"

Reis leaned forward.

"You probably can't understand the feeling of knowing your family could... boom at any moment, can you?"

As he spoke, Reis suddenly spread his arms, gesturing an explosion.

Then, Reis turned to look at the main group.

"Any of you think he's right?"

Wafa clutched his throat, staring with wide eyes at the crowd as they shook their heads frantically.

Even though they already knew Reis's true purpose...

Even though they already knew their own fates.

But not a single one of them wanted to resist...

"I have already 'protected' their families."

"Of course, the difference between protection and an explosion can change in an instant."

Reis looked at Wafa's trembling eyes, let out a disdainful scoff, and then waved his hand as if shooing away a pest.

"Grab him, cut his hamstrings and tendons, and skin him."

"Also, take those two in the car as well."

To say that Wafa's speech hadn't affected Reis at all would be impossible.

On the contrary, it had a significant impact on him.

His reputation would collapse once again because of this.

Although he had a backup plan, his reputation...

Once he rallied a large force later on, Reis wouldn't be able to trust any medical experts among them.

He would have to find new, unsuspecting people all over again.

This meant that Reis, who had been on the verge of getting his illness cured, was now, because of Wafa's few words...

...left with only six months to live again.

If he hadn't been cautious and rounded up the families of most of the people here beforehand...

...what Wafa just said would have truly caused him massive trouble.

At this moment, Reis deeply regretted not just blowing his brains out from the very beginning.

Even though that would have hurt his reputation and popularity, it would have been far better than having his hand forced.

The more Reis thought about it, the angrier he became. He had held a winning hand, only for it to be ruined by some soldier who popped out of nowhere!

"Fuck you! After you skin him, tie him up and drag him behind the vehicle!!"

"Are you deaf or something?"

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Standing on the roof of the vehicle, Reis picked up his S12K and gunned down several hesitant Asala Soldiers.

Since his cover was blown, there was no need to keep up the act.

"Get to work, now! Unless you don't want your families to live!"

As soon as Reis finished speaking, many of the Soldiers' expressions shifted.

Some even entertained the thought of rebellion at that moment.

But those who had no attachments and dared to act at a time like this were, after all, in the minority.

Most of them had families being used as leverage.

If anyone jumped out to cause trouble now, it would inevitably implicate them.

Therefore, they wouldn't allow such a thing to happen.

This meant that even though they could shoot Reis in the back right now, no one dared to do it.

Wafa had never expected Reis to drop the act and show his true colors so directly.

He hadn't expected Reis to use the families of so many people as leverage.

Could a human really be so beastly?

Thinking about that now was pointless. Wafa turned around and frantically hammered on the hood of the jeep.

At the same time, he raised his hand and pointed repeatedly into the distance.

Although he couldn't speak, his eyes and gestures were signaling Samar to drive away quickly.

"Wafa!!"

When Wafa turned around, Samar finally saw the blood gushing from Wafa's throat and the dagger embedded in it.

"Reis!! You son of a bitch!!"

"Harris, give me the gun!!"

*Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!*

"Mmph! Mmph! Mmph!"

Seeing Samar's reaction, Wafa's pupils dilated, and he tried with all his might to make a sound.

At the same time, Wafa frantically hammered on the jeep's hood.

He raised his hand and pointed into the distance.

"Mmph!!!"

That garbled sound let Samar vaguely hear what Wafa was saying: "Go."

Before Samar could react, several Asala Soldiers had already hauled Wafa up.

*Whoosh!*

*Whoosh!*

With two quick slashes, Wafa's hamstrings were instantly severed.

The excruciating pain caused his body to twitch uncontrollably, but the wound in his throat prevented him from even letting out a scream.

Immediately after, his hands were also severed with two slashes.

At the same time, several Soldiers tried to open the vehicle door to drag Harris and Samar out.

Compared to Samar, who was impulsively trying to fight to the death, Harris was pale with terror.

"Get your ass over here and drive! Get out of here! And don't look back!"

Samar grabbed Harris's chest rig and yanked him into the front seat.

Then, he reached into the back and grabbed his M7 combat rifle.

*Bang!*

Samar kicked the door open and raised his M7 combat rifle, opening fire on the Soldiers holding Wafa.

At that moment, the concept of "compatriots" no longer existed in his eyes.

*Vroom!*

At the same time, the jeep's engine roared to life.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Harris drove the jeep away at high speed.

Seeing this, a flicker of relief appeared in Wafa's eyes.

But looking at Samar, who had been swarmed and pinned down by the crowd, tears of guilt streamed from the corners of Wafa's eyes.

"Reis, fuck you! You're going to die a horrible death!"

Samar was hauled up by the crowd, and his hamstrings and tendons were severed as well.

But unlike Wafa, he could at least alleviate some of the pain by screaming and cursing.

Facing Samar's insults, Reis merely narrowed his eyes.

"Cut out his tongue."

*Squelch!*

"Mmph—grah!!!"

The brutal treatment Wafa and Samar faced caused many Asala Soldiers and the passionate ordinary people to close their eyes.

At the same time, their fear of Reis soared to an unprecedented level.

*Vroom!*

The next second, the roar of a jeep engine rang out.

"What's that?"

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"

The Soldiers looked over instinctively, only to see a jeep engulfed in flames speeding toward them.

Harris, in the driver's seat, had bloodshot, red eyes.

The jeep was aimed directly at Reis!

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Seeing this, Reis decisively opened fire, shattering the legs of several ordinary people who were trying to dodge the jeep.

Losing the support of their legs, they instantly collapsed to the ground.

And their bodies happened to block the path of the jeep.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Reis fired again in rapid succession.

*Crash!*

Losing its balance, the jeep suddenly swerved to one side.

Seeing this, Reis immediately threw a fragmentation grenade at the side propped up by the bodies.

*Bang!*

The force of the explosion instantly flipped the jeep! It ended up on its side.

*Boom!*

Immediately after, the burning jeep exploded right before everyone's eyes!

Seeing this, Wafa and Samar, struggling in pools of blood, had their pupils dilate in horror!

They knew better than anyone.

Harris had come back with the intention of dying.

From the moment he poured fuel on the jeep and set it on fire, it was clear he never intended to leave this place alive.

Watching some of his men being killed by the jeep's explosion, Reis's chest heaved violently.

He glared at Wafa and Samar even more ferociously.

"Hurry up and skin them!"

"Tie them up and drag them! Now!"

As soon as Reis finished speaking, the Soldiers hurried to speed up their work.

...

10 minutes later.

The main force led by Reis reorganized and set off, with Reis still sitting on the roof of the central jeep.

As the main force moved, two deep, blood-stained trails were left on the ground by the two skinless corpses.

Compared to the shouting from earlier.

Now, the eyes of all the Soldiers and ordinary people had lost their former spark and passion.

All that remained was a lifeless gloom.