The big man carelessly and casually walked over to the SUV and held out his hand to open the door.
Steve stopped him and said, “Wait, sir, I think there’s a misunderstanding. Do you need help? Did your motorcycle break down?”
The big man said impatiently, “Yes, our motorcycle broke down, so we want to hop on your car. Anyway, you want to go south too, am I right?”
Steve was not a stingy man, much less a cold one. He would be happy to help anyone who needed assistance on this remote icy island, but this man’s attitude annoyed him.
The bikers seemed to take their help for granted, did not show any appreciation, and seemed like they might lose their temper if Steve didn’t oblige them.
Steve didn’t like it. He said, “We’re going south, but who said we have to go the same way? Now, I don’t know who you are…”
“We are fellow Americans,” The big man interrupted. “We Americans are supposed to help each other in this godforsaken place. We’re not taking anything from you. We just want a lift.”
“Why are you dawdling like a sissy?” someone nearby complained.
Steve frowned. “You should adjust your attitude if you want a lift. What do you mean, now?”
The big man frowned and said, “Do we have to be grateful for a lift? Who doesn’t need help when they are out here? And since we are fellow countrymen, isn’t it natural that we should help each other?”
Li Du, who was leaning on the window, was annoyed. What an attitude! One should never take anything for granted in this world.
Someone came up to smooth over the situation. He stopped the big biker, smiled at Steve and said, “I’m sorry, this guy is bad-tempered and doesn’t watch his mouth. Please understand, we simple folks always speak like this.”
Steve asked, “What are you doing here? Why are you here on a mountain bike?”
The man laughed and said, “We came here for a tour. There was something wrong with the motorcycle.”
“What’s wrong with the motorcycle? Maybe we can fix it for you.”
Hearing Steve ask so many questions, the big man turned impatient. He patted the window and said, “Hey, open the door and let us in. Why are you interrogating us? Are you a cop?”
Li Du was stunned. He had never encountered such insolence. This guy has got some nerve!
Steve gave him a cold look and said, “We are not cops, but this is our car. We have the right to ask questions.”
The big fellow laughed. “But you have to get our permission if you want to drive on!”
He pulled up his clothes and drew a gun from his belt, a short-handled shotgun with a sawn-off barrel.
Taking out his gun, he tapped on the car and said, “Come on, get out of the car. Question time is over.”
Seeing him draw out his gun, Li Du asked in surprise, “What kind of world is this? Is security in Russia so bad?”
In the two months since arriving in Siberia, he has seen more gunmen than he in two whole years in the United States!
The biker casually said, “Are you surprised? If you go into the Rocky Mountains or the Alaskan wilderness, you’ll find people carrying guns. There’s no police or army. People would have to carry weapons to protect themselves, wouldn’t they?”
After the big man pulled out his shotgun, others pulled out their guns too. Some had shotguns, others semi-automatic rifles or submachine guns.
Steve ducked back into the car and the window went up with a whoop.
The windows of the cars behind them were lowered, and out came the rifles.
Other than the M4A1 on Brother Wolf’s side, Steve’s and the Fords’ bodyguards were armed with Russian rifles. They entered Severnaya Zemlya armed with a uniform Ak-9 assault rifle, the standard weapon of the Russian army in active service.
A dozen rifles poked out, and the men were stunned.
They were used to running roughshod over the moors. The men they saw, if they were armed, carried no more than an old shotgun, and they always had the advantage of having more men on their side.
Now they had encountered rivals who were better armed, and they had heavy SUVs to rely on to attack or defend. Had the bikers’ group been ten times as large, it would have been of no avail.
The big man was a coward as well as a bully. He spat and cursed, “F**k, you win.”
He put away his gun and said, “Help us fix the motorcycle. We won’t take your car.”
Li Du truly didn’t know how this guy’s brain functioned.
Steve laughed. “Do you think you are the kings of this island or something? Get out of my way or I’ll kill you!”
The big fellow was unabashed. He came up to smack the car window with his fist and roared, “Come, try it if you dare!”
Steve wasn’t talking nonsense. He lowered the window, pulled out a pistol, stuck it out, and pulled the trigger.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The big men were scared. They quickly squatted down for cover, nearly pissing their pants.
Steve waved his hand and the bodyguards who were driving pressed on the gas pedal and sped away.
The team rumbled away, and when Li Du’s car passed by the bikers, Driver stepped on the brake, then changed gears and slammed on the accelerator. The huge wheel on the ground spun quickly, splashing the bikers with mud and water.
The men were angry and fired.
However, they did not dare to fire at the car, but only to vent their frustration and anger to the sky.
These people were insolent but not stupid and didn’t want to die. They knew the power of the convoy and realized that if there was a conflict, their side might not get out of it alive.
Although his side won the skirmish, Li Du still felt uncomfortable.
He now missed home more than ever. Although his hometown was not very well developed, it was a safe place. These places were too chaotic and lacked security, even if one had plenty of money.
In the past, when he saw American movies and TV series, he felt it was exaggerating to portray that every household in the countryside was equipped with guns and that people would not part with their weapons.
However, after his experiences in Siberia and Severnaya Zemlya, he felt that this was not an exaggeration. He could never come to such a place without a gun!
Instead of going straight to the tundra, they stopped in the middle of the eastern area and set up camp, preparing to look for meteorites in the south.
After they settled down, Li Du thought about it and suggested that they get in contact with the veterans first and then bring the helicopters over. They had a big group behind.
They weren’t afraid of the veterans, but they were wary of causing a skirmish, and it would be unfair if the veterans thought they were connected to the red devils when they saw the helicopter.
The big man carelessly and casually walked over to the SUV and held out his hand to open the door.
Steve stopped him and said, “Wait, sir, I think there’s a misunderstanding. Do you need help? Did your motorcycle break down?”
The big man said impatiently, “Yes, our motorcycle broke down, so we want to hop on your car. Anyway, you want to go south too, am I right?”
Steve was not a stingy man, much less a cold one. He would be happy to help anyone who needed assistance on this remote icy island, but this man’s attitude annoyed him.
The bikers seemed to take their help for granted, did not show any appreciation, and seemed like they might lose their temper if Steve didn’t oblige them.
Steve didn’t like it. He said, “We’re going south, but who said we have to go the same way? Now, I don’t know who you are…”
“We are fellow Americans,” The big man interrupted. “We Americans are supposed to help each other in this godforsaken place. We’re not taking anything from you. We just want a lift.”
“Why are you dawdling like a sissy?” someone nearby complained.
Steve frowned. “You should adjust your attitude if you want a lift. What do you mean, now?”
The big man frowned and said, “Do we have to be grateful for a lift? Who doesn’t need help when they are out here? And since we are fellow countrymen, isn’t it natural that we should help each other?”
Li Du, who was leaning on the window, was annoyed. What an attitude! One should never take anything for granted in this world.
Someone came up to smooth over the situation. He stopped the big biker, smiled at Steve and said, “I’m sorry, this guy is bad-tempered and doesn’t watch his mouth. Please understand, we simple folks always speak like this.”
Steve asked, “What are you doing here? Why are you here on a mountain bike?”
The man laughed and said, “We came here for a tour. There was something wrong with the motorcycle.”
“What’s wrong with the motorcycle? Maybe we can fix it for you.”
Hearing Steve ask so many questions, the big man turned impatient. He patted the window and said, “Hey, open the door and let us in. Why are you interrogating us? Are you a cop?”
Li Du was stunned. He had never encountered such insolence. This guy has got some nerve!
Steve gave him a cold look and said, “We are not cops, but this is our car. We have the right to ask questions.”
The big fellow laughed. “But you have to get our permission if you want to drive on!”
He pulled up his clothes and drew a gun from his belt, a short-handled shotgun with a sawn-off barrel.
Taking out his gun, he tapped on the car and said, “Come on, get out of the car. Question time is over.”
Seeing him draw out his gun, Li Du asked in surprise, “What kind of world is this? Is security in Russia so bad?”
In the two months since arriving in Siberia, he has seen more gunmen than he in two whole years in the United States!
The biker casually said, “Are you surprised? If you go into the Rocky Mountains or the Alaskan wilderness, you’ll find people carrying guns. There’s no police or army. People would have to carry weapons to protect themselves, wouldn’t they?”
After the big man pulled out his shotgun, others pulled out their guns too. Some had shotguns, others semi-automatic rifles or submachine guns.
Steve ducked back into the car and the window went up with a whoop.
The windows of the cars behind them were lowered, and out came the rifles.
Other than the M4A1 on Brother Wolf’s side, Steve’s and the Fords’ bodyguards were armed with Russian rifles. They entered Severnaya Zemlya armed with a uniform Ak-9 assault rifle, the standard weapon of the Russian army in active service.
A dozen rifles poked out, and the men were stunned.
They were used to running roughshod over the moors. The men they saw, if they were armed, carried no more than an old shotgun, and they always had the advantage of having more men on their side.
Now they had encountered rivals who were better armed, and they had heavy SUVs to rely on to attack or defend. Had the bikers’ group been ten times as large, it would have been of no avail.
The big man was a coward as well as a bully. He spat and cursed, “F**k, you win.”
He put away his gun and said, “Help us fix the motorcycle. We won’t take your car.”
Li Du truly didn’t know how this guy’s brain functioned.
Steve laughed. “Do you think you are the kings of this island or something? Get out of my way or I’ll kill you!”
The big fellow was unabashed. He came up to smack the car window with his fist and roared, “Come, try it if you dare!”
Steve wasn’t talking nonsense. He lowered the window, pulled out a pistol, stuck it out, and pulled the trigger.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The big men were scared. They quickly squatted down for cover, nearly pissing their pants.
Steve waved his hand and the bodyguards who were driving pressed on the gas pedal and sped away.
The team rumbled away, and when Li Du’s car passed by the bikers, Driver stepped on the brake, then changed gears and slammed on the accelerator. The huge wheel on the ground spun quickly, splashing the bikers with mud and water.
The men were angry and fired.
However, they did not dare to fire at the car, but only to vent their frustration and anger to the sky.
These people were insolent but not stupid and didn’t want to die. They knew the power of the convoy and realized that if there was a conflict, their side might not get out of it alive.
Although his side won the skirmish, Li Du still felt uncomfortable.
He now missed home more than ever. Although his hometown was not very well developed, it was a safe place. These places were too chaotic and lacked security, even if one had plenty of money.
In the past, when he saw American movies and TV series, he felt it was exaggerating to portray that every household in the countryside was equipped with guns and that people would not part with their weapons.
However, after his experiences in Siberia and Severnaya Zemlya, he felt that this was not an exaggeration. He could never come to such a place without a gun!
Instead of going straight to the tundra, they stopped in the middle of the eastern area and set up camp, preparing to look for meteorites in the south.
After they settled down, Li Du thought about it and suggested that they get in contact with the veterans first and then bring the helicopters over. They had a big group behind.
They weren’t afraid of the veterans, but they were wary of causing a skirmish, and it would be unfair if the veterans thought they were connected to the red devils when they saw the helicopter.
