It was June in Lyria.
Averi, Jordan, and their translator Karter Tran arrived at Lyria International Airport on a commercial flight.
Not far from the plane's steps was an armored jeep, with two armed soldiers standing guard on either side.
East Asian faces were rare here, so as soon as Averi and Jordan appeared, they immediately drew the soldiers' attention, who gestured to them from a distance.
Lyria was in West Africa, and June was the rainy season. As soon as they stepped out of the cabin, the hot, humid air hit them, and Averi felt as though her nostrils were covered with a damp cloth, making it hard to breathe fully.
She stepped forward, with Karter translating to confirm their identities. The soldiers were indifferent and did not relax their guard just because she was a woman. She stepped forward, with Karter translating to confirm their identities. The soldiers were indifferent and did not relax their guard just because she was a woman.
There was also a driver in the vehicle, while the two armed men were responsible for guarding—or rather, watching—over them in the back seat.
A few months ago, Lyria's rebel forces had officially declared war on the current military government leader, General Salo, and several small-scale skirmishes had already broken out in remote areas.
Whether to raise funds for the military or to prepare for an escape abroad, General Salo had put some assets up for sale, including a small oil field.
For the past six months, Teagan had spent most of her time in America. After careful consideration, she decided to use the gas station equipment upgrade project as an opportunity to re-enter the domestic market. Teagan had been based in Singapore for many years, with extensive resources at her disposal. She had connections, ships, and even shares in a refinery—but no oil fields.According to national regulations, in order to obtain a license for private oil trade operations, a company must own its own oil fields.
Averi had come specifically for the oil field in Sarro.
She used an excuse of a European business trip and took the J Corporation plane to Frankfurt Airport, from where she made several transfers to finally reach Liniya.
She had already negotiated the price with General Sarro, and this trip was to sign the contract.
They had hired a security team in advance, which was waiting at the airport. Unexpectedly, General Sarro sent people directly to the tarmac to pick them up.
Jordan was immediately on high alert and attempted to make a satellite call to notify the security team to follow, but the guards sternly forbade it.
Averi remained relatively calm and shook her head at Jordan. General Sarro wanted money, and with civil war looming, he couldn't afford to wait. Kidnapping her would be less profitable than selling her the oil field.
Besides, the oil field's annual production had fallen to just 23% of its peak level—no one else would buy it.
The guards escorted them to the general's private residence. As Averi had expected, General Sarro had no ill intentions; intercepting them at the airport was more of a safety precaution. He apologized politely and invited the three of them to join him for lunch.
The general spoke decent the local language and could communicate without a translator. Upon learning that she had studied abroad, he began sharing stories of his own time as a young man in exile in the another country.
Sarro was a thorough dictator, with a bloody rise to power. But after assuming control, he worked actively to fight crime and develop the economy. The rights and wrongs of his actions, Averi believed, were not hers to judge.
After lunch, they finally got down to business. The general presented Averi with an English contract, which was consistent with the previous electronic version.
Since there was no lawyer present, Averi had memorized the document in advance and was now carefully comparing it word by word.
Growing impatient, the general lit a cigar and asked, "Ms. Forbes, are all Chinese people this cautious?"
Averi replied, "We have an old saying: 'Slow and steady wins the race.' Unlike General Sarro, I don't have extensive experience or insight, so I make up for it by being extra careful."
The general said something in the local language, and Karter's eyes flickered but he did not translate. Averi smiled and didn't press for a translation. Averi smiled but didn't ask him to translate.
Once everything was confirmed to be in order, they proceeded with the contract signing. Given the special circumstances, everything was kept simple, and Jordan was responsible for recording and photographing the process.
Averi received the signed contract, while Sarro received the money. They parted amicably, and the guards escorted the three of them downstairs, summoning a driver to take them to a hotel in the embassy district. Everything had gone smoothly. Just as they got into the car, however, there was a sudden loud explosion, and the vehicle was jolted violently by the force.
Averi's forehead slammed hard into the back of the front seat. Before she could comprehend what had happened, she heard the driver shouting excitedly, and the guards were also yelling, waving their arms frantically.
Among the three, only Karter understood the local language. His face turned ashen as he exclaimed in horror, "Grenade! It's a grenade, the rebels have broken through!"
The lush front garden was completely devastated, with the once-gentle sound of the fountain replaced by screams, wails, and the relentless rattle of gunfire.
The driver tried to lead them out through a side gate, but they were quickly spotted by the rebels. When they didn't stop, the rebels fired two shots—one hit the tire, causing the car to swerve out of control and nearly crash into a wall.
The driver zigzagged into an alley, buying them a little time. He muttered something hurriedly, then jumped out of the car and ran for his life.
Now, without needing Karter to translate, Averi knew—they had been abandoned.
Having lived in a peaceful country, they had never experienced anything like this. Jordan was at a loss, trembling as he tried to use the satellite phone.
"I'll call the security team right now and have them come rescue us."
"We'll be dead by the time they get here!" Karter snapped in frustration.
"Don't let me hear the word 'dead' again," Averi glared at him, her tone icy and resolute.
Karter flinched, but despite being scolded, he felt a bit more composed.
Averi thought for a moment, then focused and instructed, "We can't stay in the car. Karter, do you know where we are?"
Karter replied, "Yes, there's a mall ahead, and two more blocks down is a residential area."
"Alright, you're in charge of leading the way. Head towards the residential area. Jordan, you make the call. Now, take off anything valuable and throw everything away except cash."
Averi took off her jacket first, tucked the contract into her waistband, covered it with her shirt, then removed all her jewelry and watch, and messed up her hair.
Karter's eyelid twitched as he looked at the luxury watch that had been discarded like an old shoe, but he knew it was the right thing to do. To these militants, foreigners were nothing more than easy targets.
At this point, they had no choice but to take desperate measures.
The three of them made themselves look as disheveled as possible, then followed Karter as he led them deeper into the residential area.
However, they underestimated the ruthlessness of the rebels—these men were shooting even in the residential area.
The streets descended into chaos, with people shoving and running, screams echoing all around.
Averi heard someone speaking through a loudspeaker in the local language, but she couldn't understand it. Before she could ask, Karter grabbed her arm tightly, his expression ghostly: "They're looking for three people like us."
