"Buzz"
As they watched Jonathan take off on the last C-17, Jihuo Defense also prepared to evacuate Kandahar, but this time they would be traveling by land.
The company has most of its transport aircraft, including the An-124, in Kabul, and simply cannot spare any extra capacity to fly directly to the final evacuation transit point.
Fortunately, the straight-line distance between Kandahar and Kabul is only 450 kilometers, and it only takes a dozen hours by land. Not to mention that there are a large number of abandoned armored vehicles and heavy trucks in the base.
They selected 30 vehicles in the best condition, filled them with diesel, and replaced all the tires with brand-new ones from the warehouse. Then they were ready to set off.
"I'm leaving this place to you."
After handing over control of the Kandahar Air Base to the government forces stationed nearby, Xia Yu led a convoy out of the base gate and headed straight for Kabul.
August has quietly arrived, and the evacuation of Americans has entered its final stage, making Carnegie International Airport exceptionally busy.
On the way there, a sparrowhawk flew overhead, so there wasn't much need to worry about safety. But the closer they got to Kabul, the more vigilant everyone in the convoy became.
There was nothing we could do; there were just more and more people on the road.
Some people shouted in English, "I have served the American army, I have shed blood for America," trying to hitch a ride with them to leave. Others mistook them for Americans and looked at them with hatred.
Of course, there are also extremist groups, regardless of who they are, who are envious of the convoy's equipment and plan to rob it to strengthen themselves.
The drone traveled 20 kilometers before spotting a group of suspicious individuals planting roadside bombs in the middle of the road.
Seemingly aware that the target might be equipped with a roadside bomb jammer, the other side did not choose radio-controlled detonation, but instead laid out a long explosive cord.
In critical moments, wired connections are still reliable. For example, the communication control channels of consumer-grade multi-rotor drones are easily jammed. So, could we add fiber optic cables to drones, similar to how fiber optic-controlled anti-tank missiles are controlled?
As long as the fiber optic cable for transmission remains intact, any interference is useless. However, the targets targeted by Jihuo Defense cannot even achieve the most basic interference, so they have no use for this tactic.
"Attention all units, we are 18.5 kilometers from the target's ambush zone. All personnel, prepare for battle."
Xia Yu said on the internal radio frequency.
"Yes, boss!"
"Woo"
An Inspire-2 aircraft took off from a Mrap vehicle in the middle of the convoy and began to identify the personnel and vehicles in front of and behind the convoy.
"Tracking vehicle spotted, suspected to be a combat vehicle..."
Suspected targets must be screened a second time; we cannot wrong an innocent person, nor can we let a guilty person go free.
Those who dare to rob the road to concentrated fire defenses must be prepared to remain on that road forever.
On the same vehicle, the daring and skilled Group 4 was using duct tape to bind the RPG-7 warhead and the FPV racing drone together.
Aside from cleaning up the battlefield, it's definitely better to fight with as few vehicles as possible. For targets that can't be reached by direct fire, using suicide drones is the most convenient and quickest option.
During the day, there's no need for a thermal imaging module, and the total cost, including the aircraft and ammunition, is less than $1,000, making it extremely cost-effective.
"Let's begin the last three kilometers!"
Xia Yu made the final announcement to everyone.
"Waaaaah"
One after another, self-destructing drones flew out of the car, reaching speeds of over 100 km/h in just a few seconds.
"Buzz"
With the sound of the motor driving, the spear turret of the KF-41 lynx on the trailer also began to rotate.
"Knock knock knock"
The machine gun opened fire, firing seven or eight 35mm programmable airburst rounds in one go.
Countless pre-made tungsten balls were thrown directly above the armed men lying in ambush on both sides of the road. These guys were literally "snapped on the head" and ate their fill. They could even use the balls as a sprinkle.
"Boom boom boom boom"
Then came a series of explosions, with pickup trucks and vans disguised as civilian vehicles all catching fire and exploding.
However, pickup trucks are easy to deal with. The metal jet formed by the conical shroud of the RPG armor-piercing warhead can only destroy the cab of the truck, leaving some lucky survivors inside.
"Da da da"
They opened the car door, jumped out, and fired shots into the air, attempting to create chaos and escape.
This is where bombing drones come in. The 40mm grenade-modified badminton shuttlecock bombs have controllable power, as long as the militants are isolated.
"boom"
A ricocheting grenade that bounced back into the air after landing exploded with a bang, sending double-digit fragments directly into the target's waist.
"Knock knock knock"
The bombing drone signaled to the militants fleeing the convoy behind. Two Mrap vehicles at the front gave chase, and the two M2 machine guns on the roof-mounted armored turrets opened fire one after another.
Bullets are always the cheapest solution, especially since their guns and bullets are free.
Due to the impact of the black swan event, the price of bullets in the North American civilian market has risen sharply due to shortages. For example, the price of .50 machine gun bullets has increased from five or six dollars to more than ten dollars.
Now ordinary people can't even afford a Barrett; only the wealthy with fully automatic M2s and M3s can continue to drive them without a second thought.
Considering the lag in price reductions on the consumer side, Xia Yu, who had acquired over a million rounds of 12.7x99mm machine gun ammunition from the two bases, felt that a $999 package of 100 rounds would be very popular once everything was over.
Of course, the $1,999 package with 100 14.5mm rounds is more popular.
After eliminating all targets, the bomb disposal team immediately moved forward to defuse the homemade roadside bomb planted in the middle of the road.
Without bothering to clean up the battlefield, the convoy continued to speed forward, arriving at the chaotic Cariboo International Airport before nightfall.
This is the last stronghold of the US military in Afghanistan. Tens of thousands of people are crowded around the area, hoping to catch their flight.
Back then, the Americans could push planes off an aircraft carrier into the sea to retrieve people, but today they've become much less capable; they can only take a maximum of 75,000 people with them.
In the past two months, 30,000 to 40,000 people have already been evacuated, which is about half of the list. However, there are still 80,000 to 90,000 people crammed into the airport, meaning that more than half of them will have to stay and face the Tata takeover of Carnegie Mellon.
This sounds hopeless, but is going to the US really better than staying in Afghanistan?
Apart from a small number of upper-class individuals, many lower-middle-class people who don't even speak English and are destined to be unemployed will have their last savings swallowed up by the high prices there, ultimately becoming homeless and forced to make burgers nearing their expiration date.
Their fate was clearly not as good as those who went to Europe. Going to the United States and Germany was the real blessing. The United States has always been the developed country with the worst welfare system.
Providing food and water to the homeless is simply a result of locals spontaneously raising funds and collaborating with supermarkets to reduce crime rates.
Since those things are going to be destroyed anyway, we might as well make use of them.
"Going to Italy or Pakistan is more reliable than going to the United States. If you can't earn US dollars, you'll be in big trouble."
Xia Yu, holding his daughter, looked at the families of the "traitors" and said with emotion, "Pakistan just closed its borders. Since 2001, they've received a total of 3.5 million people!"
Jonathan led the soldiers to clear a path for the group tasked with the concentrated fire defense.
They left with full planes and returned empty. The Americans then transferred several thousand more soldiers from nearby bases to prevent any problems from arising at their last stronghold, Kabul.
The main security systems will be gradually handed over to Jihuo Defense in the coming week, with the complete withdrawal to be completed by the end of August.
Xia Yu and his group will stay until late September, or even early October.
There was no other way; only after all the Americans had left could the Central Firepower Defense Force free up its transport capacity to take away the last remaining piece of equipment from Cariboo International Airport.
Even if Tata attacks during this time, it doesn't matter. Xia Yu might still be able to negotiate a few more business deals with them!
In the ensuing chaos in Kabul, only Americans and foreign nationals were truly forced to leave; private military contractors like Jihuo Defense were not afraid of the flames of war.
Both Red Fighting Falcons have been deployed to Pakistan. Even if the Tata can't control the situation, it doesn't matter; those extremist groups won't be able to cause any trouble in the chaos.
"Twenty years have passed, and the old refugees will not forget Afuhan, but the new generation born in the area will only consider themselves Pakistanis!"
After Xia Yu finished speaking, she followed Jonathan into a restaurant tent.
The people outside the U.S. have nothing to eat or drink, but the military and PMC employees can have hot meals 24 hours a day.
However, by the end of the month, Firepower Defense will have to cook for themselves, at which point the Americans will release their inventory that they can't take with them.
These supplies can be exchanged for money in Aktohan, but only Jihuo Defense dares to stay and earn this money.
Even Xia Yu wouldn't be short of a few million; the money from selling daily necessities would be directly used as bonuses for the employees.
After all, in such a large country as Afghanistan, only Old Mag is truly profitable; everyone else is extremely poor.
"We'll go check on the A-29s your company ordered tomorrow. As for the equipment we messed up and couldn't take with us, we'll leave it all to you to handle."
Jonathan ate his fast-food-quality spaghetti bolognese while discussing the follow-up matters with Xia Yu.
The $20 million equipment offset quota for Jihuo Defense has been fully used up, but this only applies to weapons and equipment that are on record. Many items are piled up in the hangars of Kabul International Airport, and they themselves don't know what they are.
So as long as order is maintained, you can freely focus fire on defenses and open treasure chests.
This kind of free hangar treasure hunt, which is exclusive to the US military, is practically a Pro Max version of warehouse and container treasure hunts.
Only someone like Boss Xia, who has friends all over the world and is incredibly lucky, could have found such a person; it's unimaginable for anyone else.
However, the F-22, F-35, and MQ-9 are out of the question; they were on the first list and were withdrawn to the US Army base in Sutter in early June.
At this moment, the only air combat units available at Carapace International Airport are a few Apache helicopters, which are mainly used to drive away people on the runway and clear the way for transport planes and passenger planes.
Unless they crash, these AH-64Ds will be evacuated in the last week and replaced by the Mi-24 series of heavy-duty missiles.
Xia Yu felt that the Apache without the Longbow radar was soulless, and it wasn't a pity that he couldn't get the AH-64D this time.
Now he's most looking forward to those fully packed hangars, hoping for a good haul.
"Dad, it's so noisy outside!"
Charlotte, who had finished washing up and was getting ready for bed, nestled against Xia Yu's chest and covered her ears as she spoke.
It wasn't just the Ahmad people making a ruckus outside; during the final stages of the evacuation, transport flights were running day and night, making it much noisier than Kandahar.
"It's a bit noisy, so Daddy will take you to sleep in the sky!"
Xia Yu got up and put on her clothes.
The "traitors" outside tried every possible way to get a seat on the transport plane, but the little weasel princess could sleep soundly in the sky. The difference in treatment was like heaven and earth.
"Buzz"
The Il-76MF flew smoothly over Kabul.
Thanks to her younger sister, both Yuzu and Charles slept soundly in their own little beds, while only Liv felt that her husband was spoiling their daughter a bit too much.
"No way! There's so much aviation kerosene at the airport, why not burn it?"
Xia Yu retorted earnestly.
However, refined oil does have a shelf life. For example, jet fuel can only be stored for two years. With the number of flights decreasing by 99% in the future, even with so much jet fuel, the towers won't be able to use it all.
Rather than letting him burn some of it, it's better to let him burn it than to hoard it until it expires!
Before leaving, Bagram and Kandahar also acquired a considerable amount of various oils, since his storage facilities would not expire.
"This must cost tens of thousands, so just keep spoiling her!"
The thought that she would have to work a year to earn her $8,000 salary just to get a night's sleep made Liv wince.
Yeah, and I'm a little jealous too.
It seems normal for mothers to be jealous of their daughters; this is common in ordinary families.
“Honey, money is meant to be used. What’s the difference between money that doesn’t circulate and waste paper? Besides, we can’t waste Earth’s resources.”
Xia Yu's concept of "not wasting" means that resources produced should be consumed, rather than being allowed to expire and become unusable, or "milk" being poured down the drain.
Liv didn't quite agree with her husband's ideas, but it's not surprising that couples have conflicts. A "fight" would solve everything, and the children were already asleep.
After sleeping for 10 hours, Charlotte woke up and looked for her father, but her all-powerful father was severely sleep-deprived and was still fast asleep even after the plane had landed.
Meanwhile, Mom, looking radiant, prepared breakfast for the three of them.
"Sorry Jonathan, I'm late."
Arriving at the hangar with dark circles under his eyes, Xia Yu immediately apologized.
“Mr. Sherlock is very busy. Once I finish the handover of this batch of A-29 toucans, I will be free. There’s no rush.”
Old Joe said understandingly, "After all, he's a god of wealth."
"Let's get started now!"
Xia Yu extended his hand in invitation.
The 10 A-29s and 5 spare parts aircraft that were traded to Jihuo Defense are all in this hangar, along with spare engines, aircraft machine guns, rocket pods and ammunition.
No conventional ammunition is on the list of equipment to be evacuated, but the only items not on the disposal list are bullets of various calibers.
All rockets and iron bombs had to be destroyed, but basically only the fuses were destroyed. Only the explosive charges of the aerial bombs were removed from the bombs.
The remaining steel from the projectiles can be sold as scrap; outside the airport, locals buy it for a few cents a kilogram.
Xia Yu has no shortage of scrap metal; let the villagers earn this money!
Rockets that haven't had their explosives and propellant removed are considered hazardous chemicals and pyrotechnics. Let's just let this professional accept them!
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