Mercenaries
"What are you trying to do?"
After getting out of the vehicle, Li Bai strode over angrily. Without a word, he tore apart the barricade with his bare hands, snapping a wooden beam as thick as an adult's calf—one that had already looked like a matchstick—into two pieces right in front of everyone.
A chorus of sharp gasps rang out. The locals' legs began trembling and weakening, and they were about to turn and flee again.
But another group of armed men surrounded them. They were not all Black; there were white men among them as well.
"Hi! I'm terribly sorry, but we'll have to inspect your vehicle."
The leader was a towering, burly Black man wearing a hooded raincoat. He spoke fluent English with a British accent.
Although both were English, British and American English often differed greatly. It was not merely a matter of pronunciation. The latter had more slang and was also more casual grammatically, unlike the former's relatively strict conventions.
"Ha! So there are finally people who can speak English. You're mercenaries?"
Li Bai looked over this group of unusual uninvited guests. Their clothing, equipment, and bearing were all very different from those of the local yokels he had seen so often.
"You can tell?"
The burly Black man was somewhat surprised. Then he nodded and said without denying it, "That's right. We're the War Hyenas. If you don't want any misunderstandings or regrets, please cooperate with me and your people. We'll be done soon."
Li Bai said bluntly, "What are you looking for? That giant claw?"
He had no interest in playing guessing games with them and went straight to the point.
"..."
The mercenary leader was speechless. It seemed the other party had seen through his intentions long ago.
He shrugged and said,