Mercenary I am the king

Chapter 1149 The Elite Nine-Man Team and Two Outsiders

Half an hour later, the SSO team set up their temporary base.

On the open ground, only a few emergency lights covered with red filters cast a faint glow, barely outlining the silhouettes of several enormous vehicles.

That was a heavily modified Typhoon-K 4x4 mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle. The vehicle body was fitted with heavy modular composite armor, the windows were narrow and covered with blast-proof netting, and the barrel of the large Kord-12.7 mm heavy machine gun on the roof weapon station gleamed with a cold, hard gleam in the dark red light.

Petrovsky's nine-man squad, like ghosts in the night, were fully armed and stood silently beside the vehicle.

They were dressed in standard Multicam desert camouflage combat uniforms, but upon closer inspection, their equipment differed significantly from that of traditional Russian special forces.

Unlike the AK-12 or AK-74M commonly used by regular Russian troops, this squad's main weapons were all replaced with Czech-made V-AR rifles.

This rifle, based on the AR-15 platform, has two notable features: the upper receiver lacks an auxiliary locking device on the right side, and there is no conventional dust cover behind the ejection port.

These V-AR rifles are clearly highly customized versions.

Each rifle is equipped with a tandem combination of an EOTech XPS series holographic sight and a G33 magnification scope on the top of the upper receiver, allowing for rapid switching between close-range quick aiming and mid-range precision shooting.

The handguard is fitted with a Russian-made Zenitco Perst-3 laser designator for precision shooting under night vision conditions.

The SureFire tactical light and vertical foregrip are integrated below the handguard.

In addition, MAGPUL's MBUS folding iron sights serve as backup sights, and the receiver is fitted with MAGPUL's PMAG polymer magazines.

The team members wore a combination of Peltor ComTac noise-canceling headphones and Russian-made replicas of Fast helmets.

In addition to the V-AR assault rifle, which is the main weapon, the squad's arsenal also includes the VSS "Vintorez" silenced sniper rifle with a custom suppressor, the PKP "Pecheneg" general-purpose machine gun for suppressing fire, and the RPG-26 light rocket launcher, among other weapons.

Each person's tactical vest and backpack were stuffed full, clearly indicating that they were prepared for long-term field combat and intense firefights.

The SSO team needs to engage or confront Western special forces that may be equipped with Western weaponry. The choice of the V-AR rifle, whose operating principle is highly similar to that of the M4 carbine, may be partly due to the commonality of ammunition.

This is a very wise choice.

When Song Heping and the hunter appeared at the edge of the light, all the SSO members' eyes instantly focused on them. It was a gaze that mixed extreme professional scrutiny, curiosity, and the natural wariness of top-tier professional soldiers towards "outsiders."

Major Petrovsky stepped forward, first giving a solemn nod to the hunter, then turning to Song Heping and speaking quickly and clearly, began introducing his team members. Each time he pointed to a member, the person would nod slightly or offer a brief greeting.
"The deputy commander and chief sniper, Dmitry Sokolov, nicknamed 'Cold Blade'."

He pointed to a tall, lean soldier who was holding an SVDS sniper rifle equipped with a white light/thermal fusion scope.

Upon hearing the captain introduce himself, he gave Song Heping a cold nod, but his gaze fell on the hunter beside him.

A sniper's instincts told him that this was another sniper.

Major Petrovsky then pointed to a soldier who looked somewhat thin and was rapidly tapping on a ruggedized military tablet computer.

"Yegor Lebedev, a communications and electronic warfare expert, 'Signal'."

"And then there's him, the explosives and obstacle-clearing expert, Maxim Kuznetsov, 'Thor'."

He was a soldier with a burly build like a brown bear, his tactical vest adorned with various types of C4 plastic explosives, detonators, and fuses. He patted the breaching rounds on his waist and gave Song Heping a wild smile.

"Combat Medic, Ivan Romanov, 'Angel'."

A soldier with a gentle face, who was standing next to the vehicle and bending down to sort out supplies, gave Song Heping a friendly look.

"Main firepower, Artur Volkov, 'Iron Hammer'."

“Spearhead Assault Squadron, Sergei Morozov, ‘Frost’.”

"Second striker, Nikolai Yefimov, 'Shadow'."

"There was also a scout and drone operator, Alexei Savelyev, 'Eagle Eye'."

After the introduction, Petrovsky pointed to a long table next to him filled with weapons: "Here are spare Russian equipment. You have ten minutes to choose or replenish them. The main ammunition and special equipment are on the vehicle."

Song Heping walked calmly to the weapons rack.

Upon closer inspection, I was pleasantly surprised.

In addition to Russian-made weapons, they even have NATO weapons.

It seems the Russian military has invested a considerable amount of money in this relatively new special forces unit.

Instead of looking at the brand-new AK-12s, he took out a well-maintained HK416 A5 rifle from the heavy weapons case.

The rifle has undergone extensive modifications. The handguard is a Geissele SMR with a DBAL laser designator and a pressure-switch controlled tactical light. The upper receiver is equipped with a Vortex Razor HD Gen III 1-10x24mm low-magnification variable-magnification scope (LPVO) and a 45-degree offset micro red dot sight as a backup.

He skillfully pulled the bolt, inspected the chamber, and installed his usual quick-release suppressor. His movements were smooth, precise, and without any unnecessary actions.

His secondary weapon was a Glock 19M pistol fitted with a miniature red dot sight and a silencer.

He then stuffed eight 30-round magazines and several grenades into the magazine pouch of his tactical vest.

The hunter's choice precisely reflects his background and habits as a seasoned sniper.

He didn't linger on the general-purpose weapons, but went straight to the gun rack specifically for long-range weapons.

His gaze swept over several rifles, finally settling on a Russian-made SV-98 sniper rifle.

This bolt-action rifle, which fires 7.62x54mm R ammunition, is renowned for its exceptional accuracy and reliability.

He picked up the gun and skillfully inspected the barrel and bolt, confirming that a high-efficiency suppressor had been installed at the muzzle—crucial for covert operations.

He then picked up an AS "VAL" silenced assault rifle as a secondary weapon. This weapon, which uses a special 9x39mm subsonic heavy cartridge, produces almost no sound when used with a suppressor, making it perfect for silent scouting and close-quarters self-defense.

He meticulously stuffed several 10-round magazines from the SV-98 and 20-round magazines from the AS "VAL" into the specific magazine pouch on his tactical vest.

In addition, he took a portable rangefinder, a tattered atlas covered in markings, and several RGD-5 grenades for creating chaos.

He patted the cold barrel of the SV-98 and whispered to Song Heping, his tone carrying the calmness unique to a sniper: "This one is still the most reliable. Distance is the best guarantee."

Just as Song Heping was making final adjustments to the webbing of his tactical vest, machine gunner "Iron Hammer" Volkov's rough voice rang out with undisguised provocation: "Hey, Boss Song, I heard you're keeping a private army of tens of thousands of men in the mountains? What, this time you're going to risk your life with our SSO, and you're only bringing a veteran who's about to retire?"

He then pointed at the hunter.

"Do they think we young men need an old nanny to look after us?"

His words elicited several suppressed chuckles, especially from the assault soldier "Frost" Morozov, whose mocking smile became even more pronounced.

The hunter's eyes turned cold instantly, and his right hand instinctively reached for the gun handle.

But Song Heping acted faster; he raised his left hand and made an extremely slight but undeniable gesture of stopping him.

He slowly turned around, his gaze calmly sweeping over "Iron Hammer," then across the other team members' faces, which held a variety of expressions, before finally settling on Major Petrovsky. His tone was flat, yet carried an invisible pressure: "It's about quality, not quantity. I brought Hunter because, in certain situations, he can be more effective than a platoon of ordinary soldiers. As for the nanny…"

Before he finished speaking, his right hand moved with lightning speed, grabbing the HK416 on the table. He shouldered the gun, aimed, switched firing modes, removed the magazine, and almost simultaneously pulled a new magazine from the magazine pouch on his chest with his left hand. He knocked out the empty magazine, inserted the new magazine, pre-pressed the trigger with his index finger, and aimed again—the entire action was completed in less than two seconds, so fast that it left only a blurry afterimage. It was smooth, precise, and without any superfluous movements, full of the rhythm of real combat honed through countless trials.

"...When we get to Latamila and the guns are pointed at the real enemy, we'll see. I just hope that by then, you brothers will be as quick and accurate as you are now when you're joking around."

In an instant, the assembly point fell into dead silence.

The SSO members, who had just been wearing mocking smiles, froze instantly. The contempt in their eyes was replaced by surprise, seriousness, and a reassessment.

Song Heping's skill was something that ordinary military contractors or militia leaders could not possess; it was a level of muscle memory and weapon-machine integration that could only be formed through long-term immersion in the most elite special forces.

Major Petrovsky cleared his throat at the opportune moment, breaking the awkward silence: "Enough! Final equipment checks, board the vehicles in five minutes! 'Eagle Eye,' once we leave Holmes, prioritize launching the 'Seahawk'-3 UAVs to conduct nighttime infrared scans of sections A and B of the planned infiltration route, and transmit the data to the terminals in each vehicle!"

"Yes! Captain!"

"Eagle Eye" Savelyev immediately responded and began a final check on the drone.

One minute before boarding, Petrovsky called Song Heping to the back of one of the Typhoon vehicles and unfolded a tablet with a detailed electronic map covering the central and northern regions of Syria.

On the map, the straight-line distance from Homs to the village of Latamila in the northeastern Hasakah province is more than 600 kilometers, with a complex area in between intersected by government forces, opposition armed groups, the extremist group "1515", and areas controlled by the Kold'd forces, resembling a piece of broken glass full of cracks and patches of different colors.

"Song, this is the preliminary infiltration route."

Petrovsky drew a meandering dotted line on the screen with his finger, mainly along deserts and arid mountains.

"We cannot use airlift. The U.S. military has established an effective no-fly zone in the northeast near the Kurdish territory, so we can only rely on ground mobility, operating at night and avoiding major towns and transportation routes."

Song Heping stared at the map, his brow furrowing slightly: "600 kilometers, entirely in enemy-occupied or sensitive areas. Even traveling day and night, avoiding large-scale combat zones, it would take at least three to four days. Fuel, supplies, and the risk of exposure are all problems. Moreover, the last leg into Hasakah province, especially near the village of Latamila, is the core area controlled by the Kold'd forces. Their militia organizations and US special forces advisors are frequently active, making infiltration extremely difficult."

"Yes, that's the biggest challenge."

Petrovsky nodded, agreeing with Song Heping's point of view.

"But we are not fighting alone."

He switched to map mode, and several satellite icons in different orbits appeared on the screen.

"Moscow has mobilized the highest level of resources. We will receive continuous support from at least two 'Liana' series electronic reconnaissance satellites and one 'Persona' high-resolution optical reconnaissance satellite. They can provide us with near real-time battlefield surveillance, early warning of enemy troop movements, and dynamic updates on the best covert routes."

He pointed to several pre-set points on the map: "'Signal' will be responsible for receiving and decoding satellite data. In addition, our existing intelligence network in the region will be activated to provide supplementary human intelligence. Our convoy is equipped with the latest 'Magnetic Field' electronic countermeasures system, which can briefly block drones and simple communications within a certain range when necessary."

Song Heping pointed to the area surrounding Latamila Village: "The village isn't large, but the terrain is complex and it's close to the border. If the target is being held there, the defenses won't be weak. A direct assault is too risky; we must accurately identify the target's location and, ideally, infiltrate silently and resolve the situation quickly."

"That's the professionalism of SSO."

Petrovsky spoke with confidence.

“The ‘Eagle Eye’ drone and satellite images will help us figure out the village layout and sentry posts in advance.”

'Cold Blade' will occupy a high vantage point to provide cover.

Thor is responsible for handling potential obstacles and solid points. Speed ​​and stealth are key.

Song Heping pondered for a moment, then pointed to an unnamed valley on the border of Iligor on the map: "My troops will establish a rendezvous point in this area. Once you have rescued the target, do not linger in battle, and immediately withdraw to the border along the predetermined route. I will arrange for guides familiar with the terrain to wait at the border and provide necessary fire support to deal with any possible pursuers."

"very good."

Petrovsky saved the route data.

"We'll finalize the specific rendezvous signals and emergency plans en route. Now, let's go!"

The command was given, and the engine roared in a deep rumble.

The heavy armored vehicle doors slammed shut, isolating the interior from the outside world.

Without turning on their headlights, the convoy relied solely on low-light night vision goggles and satellite navigation, driving out of the base like ghosts and disappearing into the endless darkness, heading northeast towards that perilous and mysterious land.

Inside the carriage, apart from the engine noise, there were only the heavy breathing of the team members and the slight clattering of equipment.

Song Heping knew that every step on this 600-kilometer journey could be the sound of hell's doorbell.

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(End of this chapter)