149: Chapter 148: The Aftermath of War Trauma 149: Chapter 148: The Aftermath of War Trauma Libya’s terrain is quite unique, with almost all of its territory covered by the desert.
Majority of its major cities are located along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
This terrain dictates that Libya’s main roads travel along the coastline.
The journey for Gao Yang and his companions was much easier than Gao Yang had imagined.
They didn’t have to stick to the main roads, which were dotted with checkpoints, but could instead race across the desert.
With the guidance of GPS, they didn’t have to worry about getting lost even when off the main roads.
In the past, Gao Yang’s entrances to and exits from Libya were facilitated by defense companies that provided transportation services for mercenaries.
However, his most recent few trips were arranged through Uriyangko’s channels.
This time, Gao Yang was carrying a large amount of cash and, most importantly, two cases of gold.
The golden rifles they had obtained from Gaddafi’s Palace were also far too conspicuous.
Therefore, from the beginning, Gao Yang had no plans to leave Libya through unreliable channels.
NATO countries had been continually supplying the Libyan opposition with weapons and equipment, and Morgan had been delivering equipment to a few factions he supported.
Naturally, Morgan had his own channels, and Abdul, who was the contact person for Morgan in Libya, had been in charge of this route before he was captured.
After contacting Morgan, Abdul only had to make a brief inquiry about their situation and then safely guided Gao Yang and the others to Tunisia.
The only small regret was that while passing through the checkpoint at the Tunisia-Libya border, Gao Yang and his team left their two SUVs in Libya.
They transferred all their belongings safely onto a coach bus, which could cross the border without inspection.
However, Gao Yang and his group didn’t feel much regret—just two vehicles.
With their current wealth, they wouldn’t mind buying a dozen or even twenty new ones.
By the time they boarded the bus, it was dawn of the next day.
Gao Yang had not closed his eyes for a long time, but he still resisted the urge to sleep.
Guarding a large sum of money and gold, he simply couldn’t fall asleep until they were completely safe.
Gao Yang had planned for them to take turns sleeping, so that at least two people would be awake at a time.
But aside from Cui Bo, who could sleep soundly, no one else could rest.
Although they knew that the people Morgan sent to pick them up should be reliable, they still couldn’t allow themselves to sleep deeply.
To fend off the drowsiness, the few people in the vehicle engaged in idle conversation, talking about everything from reviewing the conflict in Libya to discussing what to do with their money, covering every possible topic.
Frey, however, sat in a daze at the back, clutching his submachine gun.
Seeing Frey sitting motionlessly, seemingly lost in thought, Gao Yang couldn’t help but worry about him.
He nudged Glolov on the arm and whispered, “Frey has been for a long time, is he going to be alright?”
Glolov glanced at Frey, shrugged, and said, “It’s his first time on the battlefield, he might need some time to digest his experiences.
What else could it be?”
Gao Yang frowned, “You’re a veteran, with plenty of experience.
Do you think he could be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder?
Could he become unable to return to normal life?”
Glolov looked at Gao Yang in surprise and said, “Are you joking?
Just because someone fought in a war, they can’t return to a normal life?
Where did you hear such nonsense?
I’ve been fighting for nearly twenty years.
When I’m not fighting, am I not a normal person?”
Gao Yang frowned and said, “I’ve read many novels and watched movies and stuff, and they say that a lot of veterans who have been to war can’t adapt to the lives of normal people.
Those who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder sometimes even hurt the people closest to them unconsciously.
Glolov scoffed with disdain, “You’ve been through many battles too.
How do you feel yourself?”
Gao Yang thought carefully and replied, “When I leave the battlefield, I just feel relieved and look forward to enjoying some peace.
Though I might occasionally recall scenes from the fights in the first two days, most of the time, I can’t remember anything about combat.”
Glolov spread his hands and curled his lip, “See?
If every soldier who went to war ended up with some damn post-traumatic stress disorder, wouldn’t there be far too many lunatics in the world?
The First World War, millions of soldiers fought in it.
Did all those servicemen turn into killers once they retired?
The Second World War, millions fought in that too.
Couldn’t they return home and live normal lives after the war ended?
Okay, the most brutal fight I’ve been in was the first battle of Grozny.
It was hell on earth, but my comrades are all doing just fine after retiring.
I haven’t heard of anyone killing their wives or mothers.
Lastly, look at me; do I seem like a madman?
You might feel uncomfortable for the first couple of days, but trust me, within ten days to a half month at most, no one will even remember the war.”
Gao Yang had to admit that Glolov made a lot of sense.
Maybe it was a bit exaggerated, but there were too many soldiers who had been through war, and the intensity and ferocity of their experiences were much higher than their own low-intensity conflicts.
Yet, those who couldn’t return to normal life due to war trauma were, after all, very few in number.
Li Jinfang nodded repeatedly, “Old Russian’s right.
Post-traumatic stress disorder, sure, it exists.
Pretty much everyone gets affected by war more or less.
But the vast majority get over it in time.
If you come home and still think you’re on the battlefield, cannot live a normal life, frankly, it’s just lousy mental strength.”
Glolov kept nodding, “Exactly, once you’ve made it home, instead of spending quality time with your wife and kids, why fixate on the crappy things from the battlefield?
You guys, don’t be fooled by Hollywood movies.
There are plenty of people like Rambo who have seen mountains of corpses and rivers of blood.
If they all turned into murderers after coming home, the nation might as well lock them all up in asylums.”
Gao Yang turned to look at Frey and still felt uneasy, “Sure, that makes sense, but for all we know, Frey might be one of those rare cases.
Look at him, he seems out of it.
Normally, Frey can be annoyingly lively, but now that he’s , don’t you guys find it a bit abnormal?”
Abdul, who had been listening to their conversation, laughed and said, “Those bastards in Hollywood just love to exaggerate, especially about the Vietnam War.
They portray a small group as if all American soldiers who participated were as delicate as glass dolls.
It’s just filmmakers expressing their political biases.
Have you ever seen a movie that praises the Vietnam War?
If you’re still worried about Frey, why don’t you ask him and let him speak for himself?”
Gao Yang immediately turned to Frey and asked loudly, “Frey, what are you thinking about?”
Frey looked at Gao Yang with a dazed expression and said, “Ah, I performed terribly this time.
I don’t know anything.
I’m thinking about how to become better.
I want to be as tough as you guys!
Next time there’s a fight, I hope I can really take down our enemies.
Well, please stop looking at me like that.
I might as well admit it; the biggest problem troubling me now is, I suddenly have all this money.
What do you guys think I should do with it?”