Mercenary I am the king

Chapter 1046 The Uninvited Guests of the Persian Plateau

At the same moment, on the other side of the earth.

Somewhere on the Persian Plateau.

The wind, like countless cold razors, howled across the bare brown ridges and deep ravines.

Time seems to be frozen here, leaving only ancient desolation and bleakness.

An inconspicuous caravan, like a slowly moving beetle, trudged along an ancient road that had been eroded by wind and sand and time to the point of being almost unrecognizable.

The camel's heavy hooves pounded on the gravel, producing a monotonous yet rhythmic clatter, the only sound in this deathly silent world.

Song Heping was wrapped in a dusty Arab robe, with a dark headscarf commonly seen on the heads of local herders, revealing only a pair of sharp, eagle-like eyes.

The intense ultraviolet radiation of the plateau etched deeper marks on his face, and thick stubble sprouted on his chin, making him seem to blend into the rugged background.

He mingled among the camel caravan, his identity being Said, a "carpet merchant" from Balochistan.

The camel's back was laden with heavy cargo, the outside of which were bundles of coarse wool carpets with a strong odor, but inside were cleverly concealed weapons and sophisticated communication equipment.

The guide leading the group was named Kamran, a gaunt and wiry old man with a deeply lined face and eyes as wary and suspicious as a wolf on the plateau.

He knew every smuggler's path in the land, every pass that allowed him to avoid border posts and patrols.

He would glance back at Song Heping from time to time, his eyes filled with scrutiny and a hint of barely perceptible awe.

This silent man, who called himself a "businessman," exuded an inescapable aura of tension and oppression; he was definitely not a kind person.

Strictly speaking, Kamran was a smuggler.

Unlike the drug traffickers in the New Golden Moon, Kamran smuggles contraband from places like Libanon.

For example, home appliances, mobile phones, and so on.

Years of economic sanctions have resulted in huge price differences for household appliances and electronic products in and outside Persia.

According to statistics, goods worth tens of billions of dollars are smuggled into and out of the country every year.

Sometimes Kamran would also help transport "human smugglers".

But most of the time they were smuggled out, and this time it was the most amazing thing, they were actually smuggled to Persia.

The camel caravan had just crossed a steep mountain ridge and entered a relatively sheltered, large canyon.

On both sides are towering, reddish-brown cliffs, as if cleaved by a knife and axe, blocking out most of the sunlight and making the valley floor appear dark and deep.

The wind crashed and swirled between the rock walls, producing a strange, mournful sound, like the wailing of ghosts.

"Stop! Set up camp! We won't be able to cross 'Eagle's Sorrow Gorge' before dark!"

Kamran shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing through the canyon.

The camel drivers skillfully unloaded their cargo and began searching for sheltered rock recesses to spend the night.

Several camels knelt down wearily, breathing heavily.

Song Heping walked to a protruding boulder at the edge of the canyon, from which he could observe most of the valley entrance.

He habitually scanned his surroundings: the jagged rocks provided good cover, but could also be hiding ambush spots; the only water source was a small, nearly dried-up stream at the bottom of the valley; and the narrow sky overhead was an excellent hunting ground for drones.

He subconsciously touched the cold grip of the pistol hidden inside his sheepskin coat.

Although the place is extremely desolate, we must remain vigilant.

The capabilities of the CIA should not be underestimated.

This time, he left Africa quietly, keeping his entire itinerary a secret. Apart from a limited number of people, including Ferrari and Afanti, who knew where he was going, no one else knew his whereabouts.

The route was arranged by Nura, who was originally the head of a smuggling group and was now in charge of transporting weapons for the company. Arranging a route to Persia was a piece of cake for her.

It is no longer safe to stay in Africa.

And it will implicate even more people.

As a leader, you must know how to consider the big picture.

No matter which country you stay in, as long as the CIA senses something is wrong, they will come knocking and threaten you with sanctions.

But if I leave Africa, where can I go?

Song Heping spent an entire night thinking about this problem.

Since other countries are afraid of US sanctions, let's go to a country that the US has already sanctioned for a long time.

Cuba and Venezuela are good options, but they are too far away. Given the current tense situation, the further you go, the greater the probability of trouble.

Forget it.

Only Persia remained.

Moreover, there was the relationship between Afanti and himself, and he had long wanted to go to Afanti and become his advisor.

Not bad.

Then let's go to Persia for a while.

The situation in the Middle East has changed again.

The US military is gradually withdrawing from Iligo, and the northwest is in chaos due to the expansion of the 1515 armed group. In Cyria, there is also constant gunfire, and the cook is also working there.

In the defense industry, the most suitable places to survive are wherever things are chaotic.

Therefore, choosing Persia is a good option in the short term.

As Song Heping carefully observed the terrain, a very faint vibration, almost completely masked by the sound of the wind, came from the pocket of his shirt close to his body—it was the encrypted and frequency-hopping satellite phone.

Only a very small number of numbers can get through to it.

Song Heping glanced at the screen, then quickly slipped behind the boulder into a deeper shadow, making sure his figure was completely hidden by the rocks before cautiously pulling out the black phone, which was much thicker and heavier than a regular cell phone.

On the screen, a complexly coded number is flashing.

He pressed the answer button, pressed the receiver tightly to his ear, and whispered, "Qin Fei?"

The sound of the wind in the canyon became a natural cover and barrier.

"it's me."

Song Heping was somewhat surprised: "You didn't call just to ask me to thank you, did you?"

"I'm not that boring."

Qin Fei's familiar and steady voice came from the other end of the phone: "No need for thanks, everything at home has been arranged. But old Leto, I have a message for you—'Persian carpets' have many patterns, be careful of loose threads getting tangled around your feet."

Qin Fei's coded message clearly conveyed the information: the African operations had been successfully taken over by the X Mercenary Group and were running smoothly. Lei Ming's (Team Leader Lei's) warning, however, pointed directly to the complex internal situation in Persia, hinting at hidden dangers.

"Understood. I'll cut the loose thread."

Song Heping's response was equally brief, indicating that he understood the risks and would handle them.

He was about to ask another question about the current situation in Africa when suddenly, a sense of crisis, honed by countless brushes with death and near-death experiences, flashed through his mind without warning!
Dangerous instinct!

He looked up suddenly!
Above the canyon, through a narrow gap in the sky, an extremely tiny, almost invisible silver dot of light silently glides by at a constant, mechanically cold speed!

It flew extremely high, at the edge of the thin atmosphere, like a cold star, yet bearing the gaze of a messenger from hell.

"grim Reaper……"

Song Heping's heart sank, and his pupils contracted instantly.

He was all too familiar with this trajectory; it was the signature flight pattern of the US military's MQ-9 Reaper unmanned reconnaissance aircraft!
How did it end up in the middle of this godforsaken Persian plateau?
Is it a coincidence?
still is……

Were they targeting me?

Almost at the same moment he looked up to confirm the point of light, a sudden change occurred!

Behind him, the guide Kamran, who had been silent and hunched over checking the saddle, suddenly became as swift as a ghost!

He pretended to bend down to tie the camel's girth, but his body suddenly exploded, like a cheetah that had been poised for a long time, and pounced on Song Heping's back!

A flash of cold light appeared in his withered hand, revealing a long, narrow, and exceptionally sharp curved knife.

The blade was aimed straight at Song Heping's lower back, near his kidneys!
quick! allow! ruthless!
With a resolute determination to deliver a fatal blow!

The timing was incredibly ruthless!
It was at that very moment when Song Heping looked up at the sky and his mind was instantly captivated by the threat posed by the high altitude!
The chilling killing intent, like a tangible needle, pierced through the thin, cold air and reached Song Heping's skin!
Song Heping did not turn back!
The barely perceptible premonition a fraction of a second before Kamran's muscles tensed and he began to move—perhaps the slight rustling of clothes against the air, or the change in airflow caused by the leakage of killing intent—was already captured by his highly alert senses!
The instinctive reaction when facing life and death transcends thought.

He suddenly flung his right hand, which was gripping the satellite phone, behind him!
The heavy satellite phone, like a stone projectile launched by a slingshot, whistled through the air and struck with perfect accuracy the numbness on the inside of Kamran's wrist as he held the knife!
At the same time, his body twisted to the extreme to the right, like a reed bent by a strong wind, using his left foot as an axis!
He instantly ducked and spun around, narrowly avoiding the fatal blow!
The cold blade grazed his robe, cutting a gash in the air.

"Bang!" The dull thud and Kamran's suppressed groan of pain rang out almost simultaneously.

The satellite phone slammed into his wrist, and the scimitar flew out of his hand, landing with a clang on the pile of rubble.

"court death!"

Song Heping's gaze instantly turned as cold as an icicle.

As he twisted and spun around, he drew a Glock 17 pistol from his robe with his left hand. The movement was so fluid and fast that it left only a blur!
blah blah-

A short, precise triple shot!
The bullet tore through the air, emitting a sharp whistling sound!

Kamran reacted quickly; with a sharp pain in his wrist, he rolled awkwardly to the side and forward, trying to hide behind a kneeling camel.

The first bullet grazed his scalp, the scorching air singeing a few strands of his gray hair.

The second shot hit the gravel in front of his rolling path, sending sparks flying!
The third shot!
"Pfft!"

Blood burst open on the back of Kamran's left thigh!

"Ow—"

He let out a shrill scream, his rolling motion instantly distorted, and he fell heavily to the ground, clutching his bleeding thigh and howling in agony.

The other six smugglers in the caravan lifted their robes, revealing AK assault rifles underneath.

Song Heping swiftly ducked behind a rock, simultaneously pulling off a grenade as he dodged.

Pull the safety pin, release, and the shrapnel will spring out.

Throw!
Take another one, pull it open, release it, and the shrapnel will spring out.

Throw!
The entire movement was as fast as lightning.

The smugglers were clearly several levels above Song Heping in terms of military skills and other aspects.

They didn't take the opportunity to split up and encircle him, nor did they advance; they simply stood still, raised their guns, and pulled the triggers on the boulder where Song Heping was hiding.

Da da da da——

Bullets rained down on the boulder, sending stone chips flying everywhere.

But they soon suffered for their recklessness and low level of military competence.

boom--

Grenades exploded one after another.

Screams erupted.

After the explosion, Song Heping slowly peeked out from the other side of the rock.

Several smugglers were lying on the ground, some dead, some wounded, their blood splattered everywhere.

bang bang——

Song Heping quickly followed up with a shot.

He sent the two remaining survivors on their way, then strode out from behind the rock.

As he passed the corpses, he shot each one in the head to make sure it was dead.

He then swiftly changed magazines and approached the heavily wounded Kamran.

Kamran had been shot in the thigh and was now hit by shrapnel from a grenade, blinding him in one eye. However, he was still lying on the ground groping around, presumably looking for a weapon.

"Who sent you?"

Song Heping walked up to Kamran, looked down at him, and spoke in a voice as cold as the Siberian permafrost.

The muzzle of the Glock 17 was steadily pointed at his forehead.

Kamran's face was covered in sweat and dust, contorted with pain, but his eyes were filled with venom as he stared intently at Song Heping. He cursed wildly in a mixture of Persian and Kurdish, wishing these infidels would go to hell and that the jihadists would tear them apart, completely ignoring Song Heping's questions.

"boom!"

Without hesitation, Song Heping slightly shifted the muzzle of his gun and fired a shot near the ankle of Kamran's other intact foot!

Gravel and dirt splattered all over his face!
"Last chance. Who?"

Song Heping's voice was completely flat, and his eyes were frighteningly calm.

This calm is more oppressive than any roar.

He knew very well that time was running out.

This place is less than ten kilometers from the Persian border.

This area is still within the territory of Iligo.

Although the Americans began to gradually withdraw their troops at the beginning of the year, they still retained some forces in the direction of Bakda. Assuming that Kamran is their inside man, then their current situation is extremely dangerous.

Although there is no conclusion yet as to who instructed Kamran, what Song Heping finds strange is why he didn't make a move along the way, but suddenly made a move now.
A spur-of-the-moment decision?

There's no time to think too much anymore.

Don't stay here for long.

An explosion has occurred here, and the Reaper drone will follow once it detects it.

By then, it will be difficult for me to escape.

"...Money...you're worth a lot of money..."

Kamran gasped for breath, his voice hoarse and filled with despair.

"Who's paying you?! Who are you partnering with?"

Song Heping pressed further.

However, he soon realized something was wrong.

Looking up, I saw that little black dot in the sky had returned.

Suddenly, the small black dot seemed to flicker.

"grass!"

Song Heping immediately turned around, picked up the satellite phone, grabbed the backpack on the camel, and ran as fast as he could towards the other side of the canyon.

I had only run a few dozen meters when a violent explosion came from behind me.

boom--

Song Heping quickly slipped behind a weathered rock.

A huge fireball rose from where Karam had been standing.

"grass!"

He quickly opened his backpack, took out a bag, and then took out a thermal blanket, wrapping it around himself from head to toe like a hoodie. He then quickly turned off the satellite phone.

Thermal blankets are made of ceramic fiber aluminum foil material. This is a composite insulation material that combines the low thermal conductivity of ceramic fiber with the heat reflection properties of aluminum foil, which can effectively block infrared emission.

Once the "Reaper" drone hovering in the sky detects an infrared heat source, given its ammunition load, it will certainly be able to fire a shot at itself.

Hiding in a hollow of the weathered rock, Song Heping, wrapped in a thermal blanket, began to think—

Who leaked the news?!

He suddenly remembered what Qin Fei had mentioned about Lei's message to him: "Persian carpets have many patterns, be careful not to trip over loose threads."

Song Heping wasn't entirely unaware of what was happening inside Persia, but he never expected to be targeted before even entering Persian territory, and that he had informed Afanti about it.

Surely it couldn't be that Afan suggested selling himself, could it?!

　Asking for a monthly ticket! Asking for a monthly ticket!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)