Mercenary I am the king

Chapter 1243 Triple Lock (2)

Elder Abdul remained silent for a moment, then exchanged a glance with his son beside him.

His son nodded slightly.

Abdul's gaze swept over the other leaders present.

The others had already been moved by that "sincerity" and nodded in agreement...

As they arrived, Elder Abdul slowly extended his hand and shook Samir's hand firmly: "Please tell Commander Song when you return that the tradition of the Sadir tribe is not to leave a friend when they need you. Our young men will take up arms to help defend the outskirts of Hurmatu and prevent the infiltration of any 'destabilizing factors'."

The same scene soon played out in several other major tribes.

Song Heping's offer precisely hit the core demand of these local tyrants—survival, and a better survival.

With little hesitation, the armed forces of these tribes were quickly mobilized, moving towards the outskirts of Hurmatu under the banner of "preventing a counterattack from 1515 and maintaining regional stability."

They declared to the outside world that this was almost tantamount to loyalty—as long as Song Heping lived, their interests remained; if Song Heping died, war would immediately break out again, turning this place into a quagmire that would devour any outsiders.

The first lock—the lock of vested interests—has already been quietly fastened.

At the same time, another, more secretive and deadly line was also activated.

A seemingly vague but actually information-rich message was accurately delivered.

The core of the message can be summed up in one sentence: "'Musician' Defense Commander Song Heping is facing unprecedented pressure from the United States, and his survival is under direct threat."

If the US insists on eliminating Song Heping, in order to protect itself, the "Northwest Passage"—referring to the crucial route for transporting supplies from northwestern Ilig to Syria, especially to pro-Persian armed groups—may be forced to unconditionally open to "all forces seeking stability in the region."

This is practically a meticulously crafted strategic poison pill!

It precisely hit the US military's most sensitive nerve in the Middle East—containing the expansion of Persia and its proxies.

The importance of that "Northwest Passage" is self-evident, and it has always been the focus of competition among all parties.

Song Heping is stuck here; before, it was half-open and half-closed, maintaining a delicate balance.

If he is forced into a corner and opens up or even directly sides with Russia and Persia, it means that the US military's years of work in Syria and its blockade strategy against Persia may be instantly and fatally damaged!

The cost of eliminating Song Heping was instantly elevated from "dealing with a disobedient PMC" to the terrifying level of "potentially losing a regional strategic game".

The second lock—the strategic lock—was secretly lowered.

Almost at the same time that Samir and the others set off, Song Heping dialed the number stored deep within the encrypted chip.

The call connected, and a languid yet magnetic female voice came through, with faint, melodious jazz music playing in the background.

"Angel."

"Song?"

From his luxurious hotel suite in Dubai, Angel's voice held a hint of surprise, which quickly turned to concern, "Contacting me at this hour isn't like you. Has something happened?"

"I suspect your US military is going to discard you after you've served your purpose."

Song Heping succinctly stated, "You need to immediately activate the 'image-building' contingency plan."

"specific."

Angel didn't waste any words; his tone was professional and cold.

"Send your most capable and trustworthy chief reporter to Hurmatu, now, immediately!"

Song Heping quickened his pace. "Use a pretext like 'battlefield vacation interview' to shove him over here. I reckon if the Pentagon wants to take action against me in the future, it will be by accusing me of colluding with 1515 and hiding countless terrorists in the city. So, before the bombs fall, I want the whole world to see what Hurmatu is really like in my hands, Song Heping! Instead of waiting until after the bombing to have the Pentagon spokesperson spouting nonsense about how many 'terrorists' were hiding here!"

"understood."

Angel was decisive. "Our group's James Miller happens to be in Buckingham. I'll have him leave immediately. I'll coordinate the location with U.S. Transportation Command."

Angel is indeed a descendant of an American elite; her influence is beyond imagination.

The following day, a Bell 412 helicopter from a private transportation company landed with a loud roar on a makeshift landing pad that had just been leveled outside the town of Hurmatur.

The hatch opened, and James Miller appeared—

The top chief of Horizon News, dressed in his khaki adventure jacket, carrying a camera bag stuffed with top-of-the-line equipment, and wearing Ray-Ban sunglasses, jumped down with a frown. While vigorously patting his dusty trousers, he complained to the mercenaries who had escorted him, "God, is the sand in this godforsaken place sticky?"

Jiang Feng, who had been waiting there, stepped forward and smiled, saying, "Mr. Miller, welcome to Hurmatu. Our commander warmly welcomes you and has specially prepared an 'in-depth experience itinerary' for you."

Miller took off his sunglasses, revealing a pair of sharp, inquisitive eyes, and looked Jiang Feng up and down: "In-depth experience? I hope it's not taking me to experience IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) or sniper bullets. Angel told me there's some kind of 'miracle of peace' here, making it sound like a paradise. I hope she's not trying to fool me this time."

"Please rest assured."

Jiang Feng stepped aside and led the way to an off-road vehicle that had been fitted with armor.

"Your safety is our responsibility within the 'Musician's' defense zone in Hurmatu. Your Excellency the Commander hopes you will see the real Hurmatu. You are free to interview our soldiers, the residents, and even the prisoners we hold. We strive for openness and transparency."

For the next forty-eight hours, James Miller, accompanied by a "guide" assigned by Jiang Feng, began his "Hurmatu Amazing Journey".

He saw the "musician" soldiers, impeccably dressed, trading fairly with local civilians and even helping to repair their houses; he saw the small market where stalls were set up again amidst the ruins, selling a few scattered goods; he saw the temporary medical point set up by the "musicians" to provide free treatment to the local people, where doctors and nurses were extremely busy.

Finally, he was even "coincidentally" arranged to observe a crackdown operation targeting a small group of 1515 infiltrators. The operation was clean and efficient, and the command was highly effective, which was completely different from the disorganized and chaotic PMC in his memory.

What's even more incredible is that, in a "chance" situation, Song Heping "happened" to appear next to a newly cleared position that Miller was filming.

Without any deliberate arrangements or official statements, Song Heping was dressed in ordinary combat uniform, his face showing some fatigue, like a veteran who had just finished get off work, not at all like the CEO of a PMC company.

He had a brief and relaxed informal conversation with Miller.

He didn't discuss international affairs or boast about his achievements. He simply spoke in accented but exceptionally clear English how he cleared the ruins, how he found clean water, how he brought smiles back to the faces of frightened children, and how he painstakingly maintained that tiny, yet incredibly important, "peace" on this cursed land.

Who is Miller?

A genius among geniuses!

He immediately sensed the "news" potential within this!
His telephoto lens and voice recorder were running at full speed, recording a large amount of video and text materials.

He knew perfectly well Angel's ultimate purpose in sending him—

The goal is to transform Song Heping, a former "war hyena," into a "peace guardian" and "anti-terrorism hero" who protects order in a chaotic world and is deeply loved by the people!
If the U.S. military decides to take action in the future, these pre-broadcast "heroic narratives" will become the sharpest dagger to expose the lies, putting the U.S. military on the rack of morality and public opinion to be roasted.

The third lock, the lock of public opinion, is also in place!
Survival lock, political lock, public opinion lock!

Under Song Heping's calm and almost ruthless control, the triple chains quietly wove into an invisible yet incredibly resilient net under the night sky of Hurmatu, enveloping those opponents who thought they held the power of life and death.

After the interview, Song Heping personally escorted Miller to the helicopter. As the small black dot gradually disappeared into the distance, a cold smile crept onto his lips.

"Colonel Kurt, gentlemen of the Pentagon... I've built a huge stage for you, now let's see how you plan to put on this show!"

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

　　
　
(End of this chapter)