Mercenary I am the king

Chapter 1162 Pursuit
At the edge of the Gunai Mountains, at the bottom of the stratosphere nine thousand meters above the ground, a dark gray RC-12 "Fence" tactical electronic reconnaissance aircraft, powered by two high-efficiency Honeywell TPE331 turboprop engines, is emitting a steady, muffled roar, like a tireless electronic ghost, precisely patrolling its predetermined "track".

Its shape is somewhat strange. The sides, back, nose and even the vertical tail are covered with various blade-shaped, spherical and sheet-shaped protruding fairings. Underneath these fairings made of non-metallic composite materials are high-performance communication intelligence (COMINT) and electronic intelligence (ELINT) interception and analysis system antennas.

These are the keen senses of this "electronic behemoth," capable of filtering, capturing, recording, and locating fleeting, faint radio signals across the vast electromagnetic spectrum of the war zone, much like an invisible and enormous sieve.

It is a tactical "vacuum cleaner" relied upon by the US Air Force and Army, a silent yet deadly stealth killer in electronic warfare.

Inside the cabin, the lighting was deliberately dimmed to accommodate long night flights and ensure the operator's sensitivity to the screen.

Only rows of complex control consoles and display screens of various sizes emitted cold, eerie green, pale blue, and orange-red light.

The light shone on the focused yet weary faces of the four U.S. Army technical sergeants. Their heavy professional noise-canceling headphones blocked out most of the engine noise, enveloping them in a separate world made of electronic signals.

Their eyes darted around rapidly, their eyes glued to the constantly scrolling complex signal spectrum, dynamic waterfall graph, and various jumping parameter symbols on the screen, not daring to relax for a moment.

"Lieutenant."

A relatively young-looking, corporal-ranking technical officer suddenly broke the silence in the cabin.

He subconsciously adjusted the headband of the headphones to make it fit better, while his right fingers quickly slid and clicked on the touchpad to mark an extremely brief and weak pulse signal that had just been captured on the screen, almost drowned out by the background noise, and then performed signal enhancement processing.

His voice, clearly transmitted through the headset microphone, entered the internal communication channel: "A low-probability, short-duration L-band satellite communication handshake attempt has been detected. The signal signature has been preliminarily compared..."

"Database feedback strongly suggests it is a Russian military-operated S2 series satellite communication terminal. The signal strength is very weak, likely due to the other party using low-power burst mode or being obstructed by the complex terrain of the mountainous area."

Preliminary location: roughly in the western part of the Gunai Mountains, grid coordinates 7-8-0-4, error radius… relatively large, estimated to exceed five kilometers.

Upon hearing the keywords "suspected Russian forces" and "S2 series satellites," the Air Force lieutenant in charge of the mission immediately stood up from his integrated situation control console.

His movements were swift and steady; in a few steps, he reached the corporal behind him, bent down, and stared sharply at the screen that was still performing background algorithm analysis.

The captured signal data stream, like a slender blue snake, flashed across the sea of ​​noise in the spectrogram. On the linked electronic map, a blurry yellow dot representing an uncertain area flickered for a very short time within the 7-8-0-4 grid, like the last heartbeat of a dying person, before fading completely and disappearing without a trace. The map was once again covered by dark colors representing "silence" and "the unknown".

"The duration was less than 0.8 seconds because the background electromagnetic interference intensity reached level 4, making it impossible to perform more precise multi-point triangulation."

The corporal added to the report, his tone carrying the rigor characteristic of a technical officer.

"However, based on the Doppler frequency shift characteristics before the signal disappeared and the known topography of the area, the direction of its movement is relatively clear...to the southwest."

The lieutenant did not respond immediately; his gaze was fixed on the chaotic background noise spectrum, and his brows furrowed.

His brain was working at lightning speed, drawing on his past experiences.

He had seen these fleeting, ephemeral signals far too many times.

This is often the behavior of an extremely experienced and disciplined opponent, conducting an extremely cautious probe of the communication environment in an extremely dangerous situation, or immediately and strictly adhering to radio silence after a brief contact under unavoidable circumstances.

It was a wary glance back from the fox before it disappeared into the denser bushes.

“保持对该区域，尤其是 7-8-0-4及相邻 8-8-0-4、7-7-0-4网格的持续高强度监控。”

The lieutenant finally gave the order.

"Adjust the algorithm priority, focusing on analyzing all spectral anomalies not identified by friendly forces, and marking all non-standard modulation modes. Remember, don't overlook even the weakest signal spikes or the most inconspicuous 'bumps' in the background noise. Report any new findings immediately, no matter how low the correlation probability."

"Yes, Sir!"

The corporal responded in a deep voice, his fingers immediately flying across the control panel as he quickly input a series of commands, adjusting the reception parameters and sensitivity thresholds of the signal processing algorithm for a specific frequency band.

However, the reality is cruel.

Less than two minutes after the lieutenant gave the order, no matter how hard the technical sergeant tried to fine-tune the receiving frequency, increase the gain of the signal processing algorithm, or even use the backup signal correlation analysis module, the cold screen could no longer detect any signal trace related to the previous signature. "The signal source has completely disappeared, and there are no subsequent related signals."

The sergeant raised his head, his tone firm, yet tinged with a hint of frustration.

"It was determined that the target had actively cut off the power to its communication equipment, or had entered a deeply concealed area such as a canyon or cave where signals could not be received. They... implemented strict radio silence."

The lieutenant nodded; this situation was entirely within his expectations.

A good hunter never gets anxious because his prey is temporarily hidden.

He immediately turned around, strode to the dedicated communications console at the front of the cabin, and skillfully connected to the encrypted satellite data link and voice link with the joint air operations center of the rear theater and the forward tactical command post.

"Command, this is 'Wind Listener-1'. We detected a very short-lived handshake attempt signal, suspected to be from the Russian SSO group's S2 satellite communication terminal, in grid 7-8-0-4, in the western part of the Guna region of China five minutes ago. The signal disappeared immediately. Based on the analysis of the weak trajectory characteristics before the signal disappeared and the topographic model of the area, its movement direction and altitude are pointing towards the Mannier Valley. Repeat, the target is likely moving towards the Mannier Valley. Over."

……

Inside the U.S. Army's forward operational command center in the Kold's Control Area.

In stark contrast to the dim and oppressive atmosphere of the RC-12 cabin, this place is brightly lit, with the central air conditioning running 24 hours a day to maintain a constant temperature and humidity.

A huge electronic sand table occupies the center of the hall, displaying the enemy and friendly situation, the location of friendly units, air control areas, no-fly zones, and various intelligence information labels that are constantly being updated in real time through high-precision projection and physical models.

Major James had just finished a call with the Air Force Tactical Air Controller regarding the coordination of the next phase of Reaper drone patrol airspace. He took off his headset and rubbed his temples when he received an encrypted text report from the "Wind Listener-1" data link terminal. Almost simultaneously, a clear and calm report came through the secure voice line from the lieutenant.

He didn't even need to read the full text report; based solely on the voice message, he immediately sprang from his seat and strode to the enormous electronic sand table.

A combat staff officer reacted quickly and, based on the information transmitted back in real time by the RC-12 via data link, marked a yellow semi-transparent halo with a large margin of error in the western region of the Gunai Mountains corresponding to the sand table, resembling an irregular stain.

And from the southwestern edge of the area, a thin red dotted arrow points precisely to the Mannier Valley, where the terrain is marked in dark green and the contour lines are as dense as an old man's wrinkles.

James stood with his hands on his hips, his gaze like that of a hawk locking onto its prey, closely following the virtual route, scrutinizing the contour lines of the Mannier Valley, which were as intricate as the veins of a leaf, containing countless natural traps and hiding places.

His brain was rapidly calculating the advantages and disadvantages of both sides.

"Do you think you can use terrain complexity to offset our technological advantage and evade 'Death's' relentless pursuit and precision strikes from the air?"

James's lips curled into a cold smile mixed with professional contempt.

"A very smart choice. Looks like the Russians aren't stupid after all..."

Without further hesitation, he picked up the dedicated communication microphone, cleared his throat, and connected to a secure channel with Captain Ronson, the leader of the "Razor" squad, who had already reached the edge of the Gunai Mountains.

"Captain Ronson, this is Major James, headquarters."

James maintained a calm tone.

"Just received the latest intelligence summary from 'Wind Listener-1'. It confirms that the SSO team has entered the western part of the Gunai Mountains, and their last electronic track before implementing radio silence pointed to the Mannier Valley. That is the most complex terrain area in the entire Gunai Mountains. They are clearly trying to use the maze-like terrain there to conceal themselves, maneuver, and buy time. Your course of action needs to be adjusted immediately. After entering the mountains, the main force should focus on searching the Mannier Valley. The 'Reaper' drones will continue to maintain a presence over the area, conducting wide-area ISR (military term for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) to provide you with early warning and necessary, immediate fire support. Repeat, focus search area—Mannier Valley. Keep the channel clean and update the situation regularly."

Captain Langsen's voice came through the communicator quickly: "Command, 'Razor' received. Target confirmed to be pointing towards the Mannier Valley. We have reached the entrance to the Gunai Mountains. Vehicles cannot proceed. Equipment and communications have been rechecked. All personnel are in good condition and ready to infiltrate at any time. Over."

Communication ends.

……

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(End of this chapter)