Mercenary I am the king

Chapter 1154 Hunting Net

Petrovsky knew he had no time to hesitate.

"Abandon 'Canyon No. 1'!"

He commanded decisively, “Attention all personnel, change course! Turn northeast and enter the ‘Yellow Plain’! All vehicles, increase speed to the safe limit! ‘Eagle Eye’, drone advance five kilometers to conduct fan-shaped reconnaissance, focusing on searching for ground vehicle tracks, heat sources, and possible sniper positions! ‘Signal’, continue to try to contact command and update us on our position and route changes!”

"understand!"

The convoy changed course again, leaving the treacherous mountains and heading towards the boundless wilderness.

The sky is brightening at a visible rate.

The pale dawn in the east gradually turned orange-red, and the darkness receded like the tide.

It's almost dawn.

Song Heping glanced at the light outside the car and frowned.

dawn.

This is definitely not good news for the secret operations team.

According to the original plan, they should have reached Latamira before dawn, then successfully completed the operation under the cover of darkness, and then quickly evacuated into Ilig, before safely leaving through Song Heping's militia organization there.

Now everything seems to have gone wrong.

Unexpected events occurred repeatedly, and the route was changed repeatedly.

This is the worst thing that can happen in any special operations operation.

This means that everyone's face is dark today, and they are not having good luck.

"Major, I still suggest you head towards the Koldeid-controlled area, head north, and follow the original Route A to Latamira."

After much deliberation, Song Heping decided to offer Petrovsky a tactical reminder.

After all, he and these SSO special forces soldiers were in the same boat.

“Song, stop with your unrealistic fantasies. It’s almost dawn, and visibility should be pretty good in an hour. If we keep going north, it’s like walking into the arms of American special forces and the Kold’s army. You’re really crazy…”

Petrovsky certainly did not disappoint him.

He remains as stubborn as ever.

"grass."

Song Heping couldn't help but utter a vulgar Chinese curse.

But he could do nothing about it.

If I had known, I would have requested full command of the operation when I spoke with Zhao Yigu.

However, that's just my own fantasy.

This mission is being handled with great secrecy.

They said they were going to rescue someone.

Now, as Song Heping carefully considered it, something seemed increasingly amiss.

These guys are definitely not there to rescue anyone.

"Boss, something's not right."

The hunter communicated with Song Heping in broken Chinese.

Over the years, following Song Heping, his Chinese conversational level is not a big problem, but his accent is too heavy, almost like a parrot mimicking speech.

Something's not right...

Song Heping's gaze swept over the other SSO special forces soldiers in the car.

"They might not be there to rescue people."

As he spoke, he looked at the hunter, his gaze meaningful.

The hunter sneered, "That's just how the Russians do things—obsessive and brutal."

There's never a kind word to say about the Russians in the mouths of hunters.

"Like I said, since we're here, let's make the best of it. Let's be careful." Song Heping could only remind the hunter again: "If anything happens, the two of us should coordinate first. They won't listen to us."

"Ah."

The hunter knew Song Heping's tactical skills were far superior to those of someone like Petrovsky.

Just do as Song Heping says; you can't go wrong.

Just as Song Heping was talking quietly with the hunter in the car, dozens of kilometers behind them, the pass that had just experienced a brief but bloody battle welcomed a new uninvited guest.

The roar of engines shattered the pre-dawn silence as more than twenty vehicles of all kinds—rusty pickups, off-road vehicles fitted with steel plates and heavy machine guns, and even a few military trucks captured from government forces—arrived at the scene like a pack of hyenas drawn by the scent of carrion, kicking up clouds of yellow dust.

The vehicles were painted with menacing black flags and religious slogans, identifying them as ISIS militants.

They quickly jumped out of the vehicle and spread out in a loose fighting formation, taking control of the surrounding high ground and advantageous terrain.

Several men who appeared to be leaders walked straight towards the battlefield that had just been hastily cleared.

The lingering smell of gunpowder and blood in the air instantly excited them.

A minor leader crouched down, picked up some dark red soil that hadn't completely hardened with his fingers, sniffed it, and a ruthless glint appeared in his eyes.

"Found them!"

He stood up and reported to a tall leader who was dressed in a black robe, wore a black hood, and whose only visible feature was a pair of gloomy eyes.

“Lord Abu Omar, there are signs of intense fighting here, and the blood is still wet. Our men… must have been wiped out.”

The leader known as Abu Omar was the commander of this sizable ISIS armed force.

He walked slowly to the rock crevices that were barely covered by sand and soil, where his men had already dragged out the bodies that were not completely buried.

"Inspect them!"

Abu Omar's voice was hoarse and cold, like a desert serpent that had caught the scent of its prey and was beginning to hiss. His men immediately began to roughly search the body.

"Sir, our forward reconnaissance team was completely wiped out. Most of them were shot in the head. The method was clean and efficient, the work of a master."

"and this."

Another subordinate picked up a spent cartridge case left behind by the SSO special forces from a crevice in the rocks, examined it carefully, and said, "NATO standard cartridge case, not Russian?"

Abu Omar's gaze swept across the battlefield, finally settling on several clear and deep tire tracks on the ground.

These are definitely not marks left by ordinary pickup trucks or high-tech vehicles.

"Armored vehicle..."

He muttered to himself, recalling the intermittent yet clear warning the scout had given on his makeshift radio before he died—

"Russians...armored vehicles..."

A clear judgment formed in his mind.

"It's not NATO special forces, it's the Russians' special forces! They've infiltrated!"

A glint of hatred and greed flashed in Abu Omar's eyes.

Hunting down one of the Russian army's most elite squads would not only severely damage the enemy's morale, but also greatly enhance his prestige and status within the organization!

"Khalid! Where the hell are you?!"

He turned around and roared.

A lean, dark-skinned man with sharp, hawk-like eyes strode out of the crowd. He carried an old SVD sniper rifle on his back and had various small bags and tools hanging from his waist.

"grown ups."

Khalid bowed slightly. He was of tribal origin and had lived in the desert for generations. He was the best tracker in the group and could read information about the prey and its whereabouts from the slightest traces.

"Find them!"

Abu Omar pointed to the tire tracks on the ground, "I need to know which direction they ran in, how many people there were, and how long ago they left! Quickly!"

Khalid didn't speak, but squatted down, like the most devout archaeologist, carefully studying the tire tracks.

He measured the wheel track and tread depth with his hands, observed the unique scratches left by the tires as they rolled over gravel, and even pinched up a bit of mud kicked up by the tires and rubbed it between his fingertips.

A few minutes later, he stood up, pointed northeast, and said with certainty, "They went in that direction."

They were three heavy vehicles with a wide wheelbase and unusual tire tread patterns, unlike the models we commonly see.

Judging from the backfilling of sand and the degree of congealing of bloodstains, they had been gone for no more than forty minutes.

The speed... was very fast, as if they were rushing.

"'Yellow Plain'?"

Abu Omar immediately realized the other party's intention: "Trying to cross that open area before dawn? Dream on!"

He immediately took out a satellite phone—which they had bought at a high price on the black market for important communications—and connected to an encrypted channel.

"Supreme Leader, Abu Omar reports to you..."

He reported the situation to Baghdadi, who was in a secret hideout, in a respectful tone.

"...We have confirmed that a Russian special forces team, traveling in at least three armored vehicles, has infiltrated our area and engaged in firefight with our reconnaissance team at the 'Broken Blade Pass.' They are currently fleeing towards the 'Yellow Plain.' We request instructions and coordination with all neighboring units to encircle and annihilate them!"

"Kill those Russians at all costs."

After a brief wait, clear instructions came from the other end of the phone.

Abu Omar grinned menacingly.

After hanging up the phone, he immediately issued orders to his subordinates: "Pass down the order! All combat units within 50 kilometers of the 'Yellow Plain' are to move to that area immediately! Block all possible routes to the borders of Latamira and Iligor! Khalid, you take your tracking team, in the fastest vehicles, and keep a close watch on them! We will stain the sands here with the blood of the Russians!"

Just as the 1515 armed forces were heading to the pass, on the side of the Kold's armed control area, inside a heavily guarded U.S. forward operating base (FOB) with a forest of antennas.

In a Tactical Operations Center (TOC) filled with the buzzing of various electronic devices, Major James of the U.S. 5th Special Operations Group stared at the large screen in front of him.

The screen displays satellite maps and a constantly updating data stream.

An intelligence officer handed him a newly declassified intelligence report: "Major, our listening post at 'Signal Canyon' intercepted a very brief, highly encrypted burst signal. Our channels for monitoring ISIS communications also captured frequent internal communications among them, with keywords including 'Russians,' 'armored vehicles,' 'Broken Blade Pass,' and 'pursuit.'"

Major James, a lean and sharp-eyed special forces officer, quickly scanned the intelligence, a cold smile involuntarily creeping onto his lips.

"Russians? What do they want here?"

He turned to the operations staff behind him and ordered: "Immediately notify the 'Dagger' detachment and have them and their partner, the Kold's 'Cheetah' assault company, prepare to depart within thirty minutes! Target area—the southern edge of the 'Yellow Plains,' near the border of the ISIS-controlled zone."

"Major, what is our mission?" the staff officer asked.

"Intercept".

Major James said decisively, “Whatever the Russians’ purpose in appearing here, it seems they are heading towards the Kold’s controlled territory. Remember, if we encounter them, prioritize capturing their vehicles and personnel to obtain information about their operational plans and equipment. If they resist… kill them without mercy.”

He paused, then added, "Furthermore, immediately contact the Central Command Joint Air Operations Center and request priority access to real-time satellite reconnaissance imagery of the 'Yellow Plain' and the adjacent 1515 control zone boundary, especially synthetic aperture radar and infrared scan images. I need to know the precise location of those three Russian armored vehicles, as well as the movements of all ISIS militants operating in the area."

"understand!"

Orders were issued quickly.

The base instantly sprang into action.

Teams of fully armed SEALs, equipped with the latest SCAR rifles and advanced observation equipment, quickly boarded the protected Polaris MRZR all-terrain vehicles and Oshkash L-ATV light tactical vehicles.

Soldiers from the Kold's "Cheetah" company also boarded their armored pickup trucks and off-road vehicles to cooperate with them.

With engines roaring, a rapid reaction force, a mix of top U.S. special forces and the most elite local troops, drove out of the base and headed toward the designated interception area.

In the sky, a US military Gray Eagle Extended Range (ER) drone has quietly changed course and is flying toward the Yellow Plain. Its high-definition camera and multispectral sensor will become Major James's divine eye to spy on the battlefield.

A death net woven by the most savage terrorists and the most elite modern army is rapidly closing in on the three Typhoon armored vehicles that are frantically racing across the "Yellow Plain" from two directions.

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(End of this chapter)