Mercenary I am the king

Chapter 1148 The Battle in Radio Waves
The air seemed to freeze inside the makeshift communications room.

The only light source came from the faint indicator light of the military-grade satellite phone on the table, illuminating Major Petrovsky's tense face.

Song Heping pushed open the door and entered. The communications soldier who had been standing to the side saluted silently, then quietly withdrew outside and gently closed the heavy iron door, shutting out all the noise from the outside world.

Petrovsky gestured with his chin toward the lone receiver on the table, his voice low: "Mr. Song, Minister Zhao Yigu is online in Moscow."

After speaking, he voluntarily retreated to the shadows by the door, putting his hands behind his back, clearly indicating that he would not participate in the conversation. However, in the confined space, no sound could escape his notice.

Song Heping took a deep breath. The air was filled with the dusty smell unique to old-style buildings and a faint smell of radio wave ozone.

He walked to the table and picked up the heavy, cool, metallic receiver.

A baritone voice immediately came through the receiver. It was slightly distorted due to the encrypted transmission channel, and had the slight delay and hoarse background noise characteristic of electronic devices. However, its calm and unquestionable sense of authority penetrated the signal and was clearly identifiable.

It's in Russian.

For Song Heping, there were no barriers to communication.

Almost simultaneously, another clear, calm, and emotionless voice, translated into Chinese, entered the scene like a voice-over.

"Mr. Song Heping?"

The main voice asked, omitting all formalities and getting straight to the point.

"It's me. Are you Minister Zhao Yigu?"

Song Heping was slightly agitated at this moment.

It wasn't that I was able to speak directly with this important figure, but rather that I had indeed made the right bet.

They won again.

The Russians don't easily ask a defense company owner for help; when they do, it's a big deal.

I'll increase my stake and take a gamble.

The gamble paid off.

A direct dialogue with a powerful figure like Russo-Ikui carries far more weight and significance than ordinary business negotiations or battlefield clashes.

This also proves the value of himself and the "Musician" company.

All those years of hard work and dedication have paid off.

"Yes. Major Petrovsky has already reported your position. Time is of the essence, so we will omit unnecessary details."

Zhao Yigu cut straight to the point without beating around the bush: "Name your terms. What price do you need to be willing to use your resources to help us complete this rescue mission?"

Song Heping did not answer immediately.

The receiver only emitted hissing static from the encrypted signal, followed by a brief silence after the simultaneous translation ended.

The two seconds of silence were a deliberate weighing of the situation, both to gauge the other party's determination to pay any price and to gather strength for his next words.

After a full ten seconds, he slowly spoke, deliberately using Chinese, each word crystal clear: "Mr. Minister, first of all, I must make it clear that I am not particularly interested in monetary rewards right now. My company is operating well and has ample funds. As for the political sensitivity and potential military conflict risks involved in this operation, they are far beyond what can be quantified in US dollars."

There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone, as if even the translator was a beat behind.

Zhao Yigu's response carried a subtle scrutiny: "Very well. So, what are you after? Geopolitical security guarantees? Or... some kind of more substantial strategic support? I know you've had a lot of unpleasantness with the Americans these past few years, and I also know that the CIA and the UN have both put you on the KB list. If you're willing, we can provide secret asylum if you need it."

"I need a road."

Song Heping's voice was firm and decisive, without any beating around the bush: "A stable, reliable, and efficient arms transport route that starts from the northern border of Afghanistan, traverses the heart of Central Asia, passes through key nodes along the Caspian Sea coast, runs through the entire Caucasus region, and finally connects to the Middle Eastern market. I request that you provide the necessary 'facilitation' and 'acquiescence' at the key points of this route to ensure that my goods can pass through without hindrance."

The moment the words fell, Major Petrovsky, standing by the door, couldn't help but let the muscles in the corner of his eye twitch slightly, despite his best efforts to restrain himself.

The ambition and significance of this request far exceed that of huge sums of cash or advanced weapons aid.

This is tantamount to demanding that the Russian government provide strategic-level protection and access to its vast underground arms network. It involves a national-level exchange of interests and a subtle adjustment of the geopolitical landscape, the potential value and risks of which cannot be measured in numbers.

A longer silence fell on the other end of the satellite communication, with only the crackling of electricity, as if one could hear the rapid thinking and low-pitched discussions within the Moscow decision-making center.

A few seconds later, Zhao Yigu's voice rang out again, still devoid of emotion, but his pace slowed slightly: "Mr. Song, your appetite... is impressive. The strategic value of this 'road' may have already exceeded our rescue objective itself."

"But this 'path' is not prohibitively expensive for you."

Song Heping immediately countered, realizing he had to capitalize on the other party's eagerness.

"It mainly exists in the gray area. What you need to give is not direct military force, but rather to 'turn a blind eye' at certain border checkpoints and transportation hubs, or to provide crucial intelligence warnings to help avoid unnecessary trouble. In return, the people you want to rescue are probably irreplaceable to the Russian Federation. Otherwise, given your status, you would never have personally engaged in this dialogue with me."

“Mr. Minister, this is a fair exchange. The value of the bargaining chip depends on the urgency of the need. My arms transport routes currently rely on sea freight, which is costly and risky. If we could transport them to the Middle East by land, the security and stability would be much higher. You know I have business in Africa and the Middle East, and I need a large amount of arms.”

"Didn't you have a regular source of arms in Iligo before? As far as I know, Saddam's armories are all your private armories."

Zhao Yigu's words had a hidden meaning.

Song Heping understood the implied meaning.

This is just him giving himself a pep talk.

After all, their deal with Yusuf was highly secretive, and Zhao Yigu was showing Song Heping their intelligence capabilities. At the same time, he was also sending a warning to Song Heping—we know everything about your business!

“That’s right.” Song Heping didn’t hide anything and answered directly: “That was in the past. You know the situation in Iligo now. 1515 is making too much trouble. The local government of Iligo has already used the things in the armory to arm themselves. The landlords don’t have any left. I can’t get any more goods. Now I’m ordering from underground factories on the border between Peshawar and Afghan. I need new routes.”

Then came another suffocating silence.

Clearly, Zhao Yigu had not expected that Song Heping would not hide anything or choose to avoid it.

The worst thing in negotiations is encountering an opponent who tells you everything.

Daring to reveal your hand means you're not afraid of what you play.

At this moment, Song Heping could imagine that on the other end of the phone, in the Kremlin or the Ministry of Defense command center, Zhao Yigu and his think tank were making rapid decisions.

Finally, Zhao Yigu's voice came through with a resolute determination: "Okay. I agree to your request in principle. The specific route details, security measures, and docking procedures will be finalized directly between you and our highest-ranking personnel after the mission is successful and the target is safe. But all of this is on the premise that the mission must be 100% successful. You must prove your worth."

“That’s fair, I have no problem with it, deal.”

Song Heping's answer was concise and to the point, leaving no room for doubt.

“I will immediately activate my forces in northern Iligo to establish secure rendezvous points along the border, providing real-time intelligence support and evacuation guarantees. But the core rescue operation deep into the village of Latamila in Hasakah province must be carried out by you yourselves.”

“That’s natural. Major Petrovsky’s SSO team will be responsible for infiltrating, identifying, and removing the target. Your value lies in perimeter support and your deep understanding of the complex power structure from the Persian Plateau to northern Iligo.”

Zhao Yigu confirmed the division of labor, and then added a key arrangement: "Given the extreme special nature of the mission and your influence on the asymmetric forces in the area, I have one requirement: you must participate in the operation personally. Major Petrovsky will fully listen to your advice on the overall operational strategy. However, he has the final say on specific tactical execution, rules of engagement, and other military aspects."

This is a balanced arrangement that gives Song Heping sufficient say while ensuring the professionalism of military operations and the singularity of the command chain.

“I understand, professionals should do professional things,” Song Heping said, “but I have one condition. If you enter Iligence, you have to listen to me.”

"no problem."

Zhao Yigu's answer was very straightforward.

With the core deal already finalized, Song Heping attempted to push things forward by obtaining more information to reduce uncertainty: "Mr. Minister, for the purpose of mission risk assessment and optimization of the response plan, could you disclose more information about the rescue target? Who exactly is he? Why is he so valuable?"

Zhao Yigu's reply instantly turned cold and resolute, carrying the highest level of secrecy: "Mr. Song, all you need to know is that he is of vital importance to us. More information about his identity and background is top secret and cannot be disclosed before the mission is completed. Major Petrovsky will provide you with necessary intelligence snippets as needed after the operation begins."

This extraordinary level of secrecy was like a heavy boulder thrown into Song Heping's heart, stirring up ripples.

This only confirmed his suspicions—the scope of this operation was probably high enough to affect the regional strategic balance.

"I understand. So, what is the timeline for action?"

Song Heping did not press the matter further.

“Immediately, right now.” Zhao Yigu’s voice was firm and unwavering. “The Petrovsky Squad is on high alert. He will arrange everything; you just need to follow him.”

“OK.” Song Heping gave his final reply: “Then I’ll go get some equipment and contact my people in Iligo so they can get ready as well.”

"Very good. Good luck, Mr. Song. Russia will remember the efforts of a true friend."

Zhao Yigu's words carried a formulaic sense of conclusion, and the call was immediately cut off without a single extra word.

After hanging up the receiver, Song Heping breathed a slight sigh of relief.

A direct struggle with those at the top of power is far more mentally taxing than a fierce gunfight.

He turned to Petrovsky: "Major, you've heard everything clearly."

Major Petrovsky's expression was complex. He had to obey orders from higher-ups, but the thought of an outsider, especially the owner of a private military company with such a complicated background, being so deeply involved in a top-secret operation made him instinctively wary and uncomfortable.

But as a professional soldier, he had no other choice, so he nodded and said in a businesslike tone, "I heard everything. Go back and prepare yourself. I'll wait for you here."

Song Heping said no more, quickly left the communications room, and returned to his command center.

With time running out, he contacted Jiang Feng directly through multiple encrypted channels and issued a series of instructions: ordering his most elite detachments, familiar with the terrain of the Iligor-Sila border region, to immediately and secretly assemble in the border area; to establish forward observation posts and at least two concealed rendezvous points; and to activate a monitoring network for the movements of all armed forces in the region.

After explaining everything, Song Heping found a hunter.

"Hunter, we're in for a tough battle. Our target is the village of Latamila near Hasakah. We need to cooperate with the Russian SSO to rescue someone."

The hunter listened silently, without asking any further questions.

After listening, he asked, "SSO? Hasakah? The territory of the Kurds and ISIS? And the Americans are involved? Interesting... Do I need to bring any special equipment?"

His tone was calm, yet it exuded absolute confidence.

"Lightweight and carry plenty of ammunition, especially sniper rifles and night vision equipment. This is a long-range infiltration, and there's a high probability of a head-on confrontation."

Song Heping gave the instructions.

"Understood." The hunter nodded and turned to prepare.

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

　　
　
(End of this chapter)