Mercenary I am the king

Chapter 1082 A Contest Across Thousands of Miles

Song Heping raised his hand to check the time.

It took 22 minutes.

Time may seem short, but it is precious now.

The CIA is definitely in contact with this team.

If they discover that they are missing, they will realize that something has happened, and they will also guess that they are not dead.

Once they realize they're not dead, they'll realize they've been tricked and begin to analyze their own intentions.

The goal is to act before they figure out their intentions, extract all the valuable information they need from John, the leader, and then distribute it through Henry.

Using 1515 to eliminate the CIA's people in the Northwest may seem like a despicable tactic, but when dealing with an organization like the CIA, there's no need to set moral boundaries.

Over the next hour or so, John Keller intermittently confessed everything amidst alternating threats and glimmers of hope.

However, they are, after all, specially trained agents.

Getting as much information as possible out of John was not an easy task.

However, Song Heping was no pushover either.

He was also trained in interrogation and counter-interrogation.

I know how to deal with this kind of veteran agent.

Two hours later.

John not only revealed the details of the team's mission, backup contact methods, and emergency evacuation routes, but also, under Song Heping's precise and leading questioning, slowly revealed as much as he knew about the CIA's intelligence network in northwestern Iligo.

Names, code names, addresses, disguised identities, communication frequencies, coded messages...

It was quickly and accurately recorded on the tablet by Song Heping.

As the eastern sky finally began to lighten with a cold, pale dawn, the long interrogation came to an end.

Song Heping's tablet computer already contained a list that, while perhaps incomplete, was certainly substantial and lethal enough.

After taking one last look at John Keller, who was in a semi-comatose state due to extreme mental and physical exhaustion, Song Heping instructed Ibrahim outside the cave: "Treat his wounds, give him some water, don't let him die. He's still useful."

After saying that, he took the tablet computer and walked out of the cave.

The cold, fresh air rushed into his lungs, dispelling the filth in the cave, and Song Heping felt refreshed.

His face was expressionless, showing only the exhaustion of a sleepless night and a cold determination hidden deep in his eyes.

Having the list is only the first step.

Next, he wants to use this list to stir up an even bigger storm before the CIA can react.

Back at his temporary lodgings, Song Heping quickly turned on his laptop, connected to the satellite signal, and then picked up the phone to dial Henry's number.

"Boss, how's the situation on your end?"

Henry's voice was full of concern.

He knew that Song Heping always sought victory through risky means.

Henry felt a sense of helplessness when he heard last night that he was being used as bait again.

You can't persuade them otherwise.

People like Song Heping have extremely strong wills, and once they've made a decision, it's very difficult to change it.

Everyone has their own command characteristics and style of doing things.

Song Heping's style is always like riding a roller coaster; probably not many people with heart conditions can keep up with his craziness.

Anyone who can work with him must adapt to his style.

"Everything went smoothly." Song Heping rubbed his temples and took a sip of the strong tea beside him.

"Did they really send someone to locate you?"

"Yes."

Song Heping smiled when this was mentioned.

“Vincent wanted me dead more than he wanted to regain the sexual prowess he had at twenty.”

"Hahahaha!"

Henry couldn't help but burst into laughter on the other end of the phone.

Song Heping said, "Let's get back to the main topic. I've caught their people and gotten them to talk. I have some information on hand, a list of CIA agents and informants deployed throughout northwestern Iligo. I'll send it to you right away. Once you have it, leak it to the 1515 armed group through your channels as quickly as possible, understand?"

"understand!"

Henry knew that once the CIA realized that its Northwest intelligence network was at risk of being exposed, it would do everything it could to clean up the mess as quickly as possible and evacuate all the undercover agents there.

1515 must act before they do.

"Boss... does this count as us partnering with 1515...?"

Henry still voiced his concerns.

"It's neither here nor there," Song Heping said. "It's just using someone else to do the dirty work. The question is, do you have any connection with that person?"

Henry was speechless: "That's true..."

Meanwhile, at the CIA headquarters in Langley.

Vincent strode into the operations center, his expression frighteningly grim.

The initial reports of a successful airstrike brought no joy; the feeling that something was wrong grew stronger.

The "Shepherd" team, which was sent to Black Hawk Canyon for ground reconnaissance and guidance, was required to conduct a brief safety communication confirmation every hour after the signal was sent, but they missed it twice in a row!
"Still can't get in touch with Keller's team?"

Vincent, realizing something was seriously wrong, growled at the communications officer, his tone agitated.

"Sir, all calls are unanswered. We have tried all backup frequencies and emergency contact methods."

The communications officer replied helplessly, "The last time we received a signal from their vital signs monitors was a few minutes before the airstrike; after that, they all disappeared."

Vital signs have disappeared?

They should have observed and confirmed the situation from a safe distance during the air raid!
Vincent's heart sank.

"Immediately dispatch our rapid response team to investigate the canyon!" Vincent ordered.

"Sir, I'm afraid that won't work."

The operations adjutant beside him looked troubled. “Black Hawk Canyon and the surrounding area are now under the de facto control of Organization 1515, and their activities are frequent. Deploying our special forces there is extremely risky, requires higher-level approval, and could easily trigger unpredictable firefights. The fastest and safest way is to contact our local partners.”

Vincent cursed, knowing his adjutant was right.

The CIA has limited direct operational capabilities in the Northwest and relies heavily on local informants and partners, such as the Kold'd militia.

"Then make contact immediately! Have those Kolds send a reliable squad to Black Hawk Canyon with camera equipment. I need to see what's happening there as soon as possible!"

The order was issued quickly, but coordination, communication, and getting the Kolds to assemble their troops and set off would take time.

It was already 10 a.m. when a Kold reconnaissance team consisting of pickup trucks cautiously arrived at the devastated Black Hawk Canyon.

Sunlight illuminated the huge craters blasted into the canyon, the charred rocks, and the scattered, twisted metal fragments and torn canvas.

Several Kold's soldiers, guns at the ready, searched cautiously, their helmet cameras transmitting live footage via satellite link back to the CIA's integrated command center hundreds of kilometers away. Vincent stared intently at the several live feeds split on the large screen, his heart pounding. The images shakily flashed across a scene of devastation.

There were shattered camel carcasses...

There were burnt fragments, which appeared to be camp tents...

There was that deliberately left-behind satellite beacon wreckage, now burned and deformed...

There were even a few scattered Bedouin robes with scorch marks...

However, there were no bodies.

There wasn't a single one.

There were no intact human or camel carcasses.

Only some barely recognizable, scattered fragments of tissue and blood were found around the epicenter of the explosion, but these appeared to be from decoy equipment rather than from living individuals.

"Zoom in! Search every corner carefully! Look for any corpses! Or large-scale bloodstains!"

Vincent shouted into the microphone, his voice trembling slightly, without him even realizing it.

The Kold soldiers searched the ruins more carefully.

The camera pans across the rock face, revealing traces of the explosion's shockwave and white marks from shrapnel.

Suddenly, the scene freezes at the base of a relatively clean rock face, where several well-preserved robes are scattered, along with some compressed biscuit wrappers and a few empty mineral water bottles, their placement...

It seemed somewhat deliberate, like it was hastily abandoned, but it didn't seem to be at the epicenter of an explosion.

"There! Zoom in there!" Vincent suddenly stood up.

The camera zooms in. The styles of those robes…

Very familiar.

It was exactly the kind they provided to Keller's team for camouflage!

But the people who should have been wearing them were nowhere to be seen.

A terrible, chilling thought slithered into Vincent's mind like a venomous snake.

Fell into a trap!
The airstrike only destroyed a pile of abandoned equipment and deliberately left-behind bait!
Song Heping had already seen through Keller's team!

He not only used beacons to mislead the air raid, he also...

They even captured the entire squad!

but……

Why would he take such a big risk to capture an entire well-trained special agent team?
Just to be taken hostage?
For revenge?

This is inconsistent with Song Heping's consistently efficient and direct style of doing things...

Vincent's mind raced as he tried to understand Song Heping's true intentions.

Taking hostages would be superfluous and dangerous, and retaliation would seem more like an emotional act than the choice of a calm strategist.

He was momentarily stunned, unable to connect Song Heping's actions with a clear objective.

Just as Vincent was caught in confusion and anger, not far behind him, Simon, who had been silently observing, twitched his lips almost imperceptibly, and a knowing, cold glint flashed in his eyes.

He understood almost immediately.

In this operations center, no one actually understands Song Heping better than him.

Song Heping's goal was never simply to escape or seek revenge.

He needs information!

It's a long-established intelligence network of the CIA in northwestern Iligo!

As the direct agents in the Northwest region, Keller's team must possess some key information about the network, including contact methods, safe house locations, and the identities of some informants!

Song Heping is aiming to strike at the heart of the problem, using the territory controlled by the 1515 armed forces to kill someone with a borrowed knife, and completely eliminate the CIA's eyes and ears!

What ruthless methods!

What a precise strike!

Simon knew exactly what was going on.

But he said nothing.

He simply watched Vincent, who was in a state of utter confusion and lost in his own thoughts, and a secret sense of pleasure even rose within him.

Vincent's recent string of mistakes has put him under considerable pressure at the White House.

If Song Heping succeeds again this time, the intelligence network in northwestern Iligo will suffer a severe blow...

Vincent's position is probably really insecure now.

And at that time, wouldn't I, with my extensive experience and seemingly detached yet insightful understanding, be the best candidate to succeed the director?

seem……

Song Heping was also secretly helping out.

He was also helping himself rise to power.

Although this guy is annoying, sometimes you have to admit that you only find him hateful when you're going against him.

Working with him...

Uh-huh……

Sometimes it feels pretty good...

Simon picked up the coffee on the table and took a small sip, concealing the calculation and ambition hidden deep in his eyes.

He decided to remain silent, and perhaps, if necessary, subtly guide Vincent toward further misjudgment.

"Notify all Northwest network nodes to immediately raise the alert level and attempt to contact the Keller Group by all possible means!"

Vincent gave what he considered a relatively safe order.

He was still hesitant, and he sensed that something seemed amiss.

However, he was unsure how much Song Heping actually knew. Rashly ordering the entire network to withdraw would mean abandoning all previous achievements, a responsibility too great, and he would even have to personally explain it to the White House.

But Simon found this order utterly dull and foolish.

But he merely nodded slightly, as if he agreed with this "cautious" decision.

On the large screen in the command center, Kold's soldiers were still futilely searching the ruins for any possible traces of corpses.

Meanwhile, Song Heping, far away on the Persian Plateau, was already looking at the list on his tablet and beginning to plan the next deadly purge.

The dawn illuminated both countries, and also revealed the silent, increasingly fierce game between the two hunters.

One of them hadn't fully seen the chessboard yet and was still holding a chess piece, undecided.

Meanwhile, the other has quietly laid a new trap.

　Asking for a monthly ticket!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)