Chapter 44: I Went

Arthur saw the guerrilla camp.

The so-called camp was just scattered wooden huts under large trees. Such a camp could only be discovered through ground search; aerial reconnaissance was impossible due to the dense canopy overhead.

The camp was almost devoid of sunlight, making it very dim. Moreover, the ground inside the camp was mostly clear of vegetation, allowing for relatively long lines of sight.

Of course, "long" was relative. Arthur couldn't see the far end of the camp; he could only see the wooden huts stretching away, eventually obscured by the forest.

The wooden huts varied in size, but it was easy to distinguish the command center from the rest. The command center hut was not only larger but also had more people coming and going, with more guards nearby.

Around a wooden hut occupying about a hundred square meters, a dozen armed guards were on alert. People occasionally entered and exited the hut, and others moved busily around the camp.

"Twelve armed guards. There must be more hidden inside the hut. The total number in this camp won't be less than five hundred. This is the headquarters of Gowu's third division. No wonder the third division is the most mysterious—they've been hiding here."

George's voice was so low that it was almost inaudible unless you were paying close attention.

Frank had calmed down significantly. Upon discovering that this was indeed a large, long-established camp, he seemed to have reached a point of complete despair. Yet, this despair brought him a certain clarity.

"I don't know if Bottle Cap is already dead, and if not, I don't know what he might have said."

After speaking calmly, Frank looked at the camp and said, "But since this is a permanent camp, the guerrillas won't want to abandon it just because of us. That gives us a basis for negotiation."

George didn't respond, just looking at Frank, who continued with a calm expression, "Forcing a rescue is impossible. They're ready for battle. I'll go negotiate with the guerrillas to release Bottle Cap. If they refuse, you all should retreat."

With a nonchalant expression, Frank added, "I've put you all in this situation, and now I'll make amends."

Rubber angrily retorted, "Shut up! I'm not trying to comfort you, but what's the point of saying this?"

George said softly, "Captain, you know the style of Gowu's third division. They will never compromise. If you go to negotiate, you're just giving them two more hostages by bringing Kung Fu Kid. It’s meaningless."

"Kung Fu Kid shouldn't go. I'll go alone. Maybe someone there speaks English."

The Captain had made up his mind. He gestured and said softly, "It's almost four hours. They're going to execute Bottle Cap. We can't wait any longer. I have to go."

Rubber grabbed Frank's collar again, whispering furiously, "Are you crazy? We can't rescue Bottle Cap. If you go to negotiate, you're just sacrificing yourself. Captain! We know what to do in this situation!"

Frank replied softly, "Yes, we should retreat, silently leaving as if we were never here."

Retreat? Silently leaving?

What about John?

Arthur was surprised by what he heard, but since Frank seemed unwilling to take such action, Arthur held back his opinion and continued to observe quietly.

"But John and I have been comrades for years. I... I can't just leave him."

Frank's resolve was clear now, devoid of his earlier disheartenment.

"Guys, I'm sorry for dragging you into this. I did come here before to scout the terrain—not to find that money but to check out the environment. But I didn't discover that there was a guerrilla camp here."

After speaking calmly, Frank spread his hands and said, "I know negotiations are meaningless. I understand what the consequences of going to negotiate will be."

Arthur couldn't help but ask, "What are the consequences of negotiating? I spoke with them on the radio; they didn't seem opposed to it."

Frank smiled while Rubber, infuriated, snapped, "Idiot, use your brain! If you were their commander, would you negotiate?"

George, exasperated, added, "You don't understand the style of Colombian guerrillas. It's not that they don't negotiate; it's that we're not qualified to negotiate with them. I've said it before Gowu's third division is known for its cruelty and toughness. Think about it. Did they agree to negotiate?"

Arthur thought about it and realized that the person he spoke with on the radio never actually agreed to negotiate. They just said to come and get the person and gave a four-hour deadline.

Frank also mentioned the possibility of negotiation, but he said "perhaps," not a definite agreement.

Arthur looked at Frank, who shook his head in resignation and whispered, "Joe is right. These people don't even have the concept of negotiation in their minds. I think their only goal is to kill as many as they can. As for their location being exposed, they don’t care. They can just move to a new place."

"But relocating is such a hassle."

"Rookie, relocating is indeed troublesome, but this is the rainforest. The enemy commander doesn't need to worry about being surrounded and annihilated. He can stay in this camp and wait until the government forces attack before relocating. Most importantly..." Rubber grabbed Arthur's clothes and curiously asked, "Why do you think this is the only camp the guerrillas have?"

Arthur was speechless. Rubber released his grip on Arthur's clothes and said softly, "Exposure doesn't matter to the guerrillas. I know what you're thinking—you hope to threaten them by revealing their location, but that's pointless."

"So there's no chance of negotiating?" Now Arthur was also in despair. Looking at the heavily guarded wooden hut in the camp, he said dejectedly, "What about Bottle Cap? We can only rescue him by force, right?"

George remained silent, while Rubber sighed and said softly, "Kid, I've known Bottle Cap for many years. I care about him more than you do. That's why we're here trying to rescue him. But as you can see, this is a camp with too many people. We can't rescue him."

Frank gently patted Arthur's shoulder and said softly, "I'm willing to do anything to make up for my mistakes, but we can't even confirm if Bottle Cap is still alive. So don't do anything foolish. I'll go negotiate with the guerrillas and hope they let Bottle Cap go."

Rubber angrily retorted, "Are you looking to die? You don't even speak Spanish; how will you negotiate?"

Rubber couldn't help but raise his voice until George lightly nudged him, prompting him to lower his volume. He turned to Frank and said, "Captain, we can't give up on Bottle Cap. That's why we're here. But we can't die for him either—that's pointless. There are only four of us. We should quietly withdraw. I'll take responsibility and give the order. Listen to me, we're retreating now..."

Rubber suddenly stopped and looked at Arthur in astonishment. "What are you doing?"

Arthur was right beside them, but he now had a gun in his hand, finger on the trigger.

"I know there are many enemies. I know we can't rescue Bottle Cap. I know we shouldn't die for him, but..."

Arthur paused, looking helpless. "But I can't just walk away. I can't do it."

Rubber's face darkened, and he asked sternly, "What are you planning?"

"I know you're right. I know you didn't abandon Bottle Cap, which is why you risked coming here. I also know we shouldn't do hopeless things or die for a fallen comrade. That's pointless."

Arthur finished speaking, then said resolutely, "I still want to save Bottle Cap. I want to at least confirm if he's alive before we leave."

Rubber's face darkened further. He whispered, "I admire your loyalty to your comrade. You're the best brother in the army. But understand the situation—we are only four people, and at least a hundred enemies are waiting for us!"

Arthur pointed at the camp and said, "They're sending people to search for us, so the camp is quite empty. We are few, and the guerrillas should be able to tell from our tracks. They will relax their guard because they won't expect us to dare come back with so few people."

George was astonished and asked, "You're thinking of a frontal assault to rescue Bottle Cap?"

"Yes!"

Rubber shook his head, his face grave. "Rookie, you're insane!"

At that moment, someone came out of the large hut Arthur had been watching. Two people were pushing someone outside.

It was John. He was injured, walking slowly but still able to move on his own, though he was soon pushed to the ground.

At this point, a voice suddenly came through their earpieces.

"Three minutes until four hours. It seems you didn't come."

After four hours, the person who had spoken to Arthur before spoke again, with no special emotion, just coldly, "In three minutes, I will execute your comrade. That's it."

Everyone heard it, but their reactions varied.

Frank whispered, "What did he say?"

Arthur sighed and whispered, "Bottle Cap is alive. He will be executed in three minutes."

They could see John. He didn't make a sound but struggled to turn from his prone position to lying on his back.

Seeing John waiting for death, Arthur bit his lip and said, "The enemy doesn't expect us to dare come. I think we have a chance to surprise them and rescue Bottle Cap."

Rubber coldly said, "Put your gun down."

Arthur shook his head and whispered, "I'll go alone. You can help me or not, but don't stop me. If you stop me, I'll shoot. I won't shoot you, but the enemy will hear the gunfire."

Rubber stepped forward, intending to grab Arthur, but Arthur raised his handgun, pointing it toward the camp.

"If you come any closer, I'll shoot!"

Rubber stopped, extremely angry. "You're insane! The enemy is on high alert. Even if the camp is relatively empty, we can't handle this. This isn't a stealth mission; it's a frontal assault!"

"You can retreat now. In the rainforest, no one can find you or catch up with you. You can leave safely, so I'm not dragging you into this. Now... there's no time to waste."

Arthur's voice trembled slightly from nervousness. He whispered, "I'm going!"

With that, he turned and ran, crouching low and moving quietly out of the hiding grass, heading towards the enemy camp.

Rubber was stunned, furious, but he still raised his rifle.

George also raised his rifle, initially aiming at Arthur's back but quickly shifting to the guards in the camp. He said helplessly, "This guy is crazy!"

Rubber gritted his teeth. "Damn rookie, Mad Dog, he's a Mad Dog!"

George, full of helplessness, asked, "What do we do?"

Rubber aimed at the enemy beside John and angrily said, "What else can we do? Cover him! We'll retreat after he and Bottle Cap are dead!"

Frank raised his handgun, staring at Arthur's rapidly moving figure. He muttered, "The way he runs, he looks like a dog..."