Mercenary I am the king

Chapter 787 Business
a few days later.

North Sudan, Darfur region.

Yellow sand filled the sky, and the heatwave distorted the horizon.

Five desert camouflage off-road vehicles moved slowly in a loose column along the rugged desert road.

The dust kicked up by the wheels left a long tail behind the car, like a python gradually dissipating.

Song Heping sat in the passenger seat of the second car, his eyes behind sunglasses constantly scanning the desert on both sides.

He was wearing a light desert combat uniform, with binoculars hanging around his neck, his left index finger rhythmically tapping his knee, and his right hand holding a satellite phone while he made a call.

"An old demon?"

"Huh, is it peace?"

"Yes, yes, it's me. By the way, how are things between you and President Hou?"

"We are safe now and are currently in the Central African Republic."

How badly is he injured?

"He's basically recovered. He's very grateful to you. He said you can come and get the gold mine anytime."

Holy crap! Hahahaha!

Song Heping couldn't help but burst into laughter.

gold mine.

Only what I own in Mexico can be called a gold mine.

"You're too kind. I helped him because of you, not because I wanted his gold mine."

"A man should keep his word, and Lao Hou is a straightforward man."

"Well, it's simple for him to thank me: do me a favor. But I must state upfront that there are some risks involved, and I don't know if he'd be willing."

"I think it's fine. You gave me my life, so taking a little risk is nothing."

"It's like this, I'm not able to go back to China recently, but I have some things to do in China, and I don't know if he or you can do it for me."

"What's wrong? Can't you go back to China?"

"Yes, we can't go back."

As he said this, Song Heping felt a bitter taste in his throat.

In fact, it's not just that they can't return to China.

He doesn't even dare to call his relatives now, for fear of implicating them.

My identity is too sensitive. I don't know how people back home and my old unit view me. I must ask Lei next time I see him, or call that cunning old man and ask him.

"Then tell me, I'll definitely do it if I can, and if I can't, I'll find a way to do it well!"

"Okay, basically it's just about getting me a piece of equipment to Huaqiangbei and finding the best technicians to check if it can be replicated. If it can be replicated, I'm willing to pay a high price; the price is up to them."

"cough!"

The old man burst into laughter on the other end of the phone.

"I thought it was something big, but it's just taking something back to make a knock-off! What do you mean by replicating it!"

"Yes, yes, it's a knock-off, but this kind of thing is not easy to knock off."

"What is so hard to copy? It's not like airplanes or cannons! Huaqiangbei can copy any electronic product."

"You're right, it really is an airplane."

"Fuck me!"

The old demon cried out in alarm.

"How am I supposed to ship this back for a replica?!"

"You don't need to worry about shipping it back. I have a way to get it back to China for you. It's an airplane, but not a big one. It's a drone, a very small one. Because it's small, it's quite sophisticated, making it more difficult to counterfeit."

"Drones..."

Old Yao finally understood. "Right, it's a drone, and a military one at that. After you get it, go to Huaqiangbei and find someone to replicate it. Tell the craftsman to give me a copy of the blueprints inside; I need them. Also, tell the counterfeit factory that as long as they can replicate it, my orders will definitely keep coming in, and I'll be able to make it all the time."

"Row!"

"But I'll be a gentleman first and a villain later, old demon. This drone is from the US, a military short-range reconnaissance drone, so if you go and do it, you might get targeted, so there's a certain risk. If you get targeted, you might not be able to go abroad again."

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment.

"It's fine! If we don't want to go out, we don't have to! We can just stay in China."

Even through the radio waves, Song Heping could hear the old demon gritting his teeth.

"Don't worry, I won't let you suffer any losses. Even if you can't go abroad, I'll support you. I'll give you a consulting fee every month through an overseas company. Also, if you want to do business, just let me know, and I'll give you how much money you want. Consider it my investment for you to start your business. Isn't the real estate market doing quite well right now? You can give it a try. I have the funds here."

"real?!"

"We've been brothers for so many years, have I ever lied to you?"

"That's true!"

"It's settled then. I'll contact you in a while."

"OK, no problem!"

After hanging up the phone, another problem was solved, and Song Heping felt the pressure on his shoulders was reduced considerably.

If they can successfully replicate it, not only will their own defense company's combat capabilities skyrocket, but they can also sell it to countries that need it in the future, especially Afanti, who would definitely be very interested.

At this moment, even with the car's air conditioning on full blast, it still couldn't stop the intense heat seeping in through the gaps in the windows.

"Twenty kilometers to point A, boss."

The driver reported in a low voice, a hint of nervousness in his tone.

Song Heping nodded and pressed the button on his headset: "Team A, report the situation."

A hissing sound came through the headset, followed by a calm male voice: "Team A in position, clear vision, no anomalies detected. Over."

“Stay alert,” Song Heping responded briefly, then switched channels, “Team B?”

"Team B, at the designated location, has spotted three unidentified vehicles loitering five kilometers to the northwest. Contact has been avoided. Over."

Song Heping's lips curled up slightly.

Everything is going according to plan.

He turned to look at the two technicians in the back seat, who were staring intently at their laptop screens, which displayed real-time satellite images of the entire area and the location markers for the three teams.

"What about Group C?" Song Heping asked.

"Group C has reached the backup rendezvous point and is establishing an observation station."

A technician replied, "The drone has taken off, covering a radius of fifteen kilometers."

Song Heping nodded in satisfaction.

On the surface, he only led this small team of twenty people, but in reality, three elite groups, A, B, and C, had been deployed in key positions in advance, forming an invisible protective network.

As the convoy drove over a severely weathered rock formation, Song Heping raised his hand to signal for them to slow down.

He picked up his binoculars and carefully observed the rocky area where an ambush might be hidden.

Sunlight casts sharp shadows between the rock crevices, where enemies could lurk at any moment.

“Safe.” After observing for a moment, he put down his binoculars. “Continue.”

Meanwhile, 7,000 kilometers away, in Langley, Virginia, USA.

The air in the emergency meeting room on the third basement floor of the CIA headquarters was so heavy it felt like you could wring water out of it.

Deputy Director Michael Pence stood in front of the large electronic screen, staring at the live footage transmitted from the satellite—the small convoy slowly moving through the Darfur desert.

"What the hell is going on?"

Pence tapped his knuckles on an enlarged image of the SUV that Song Heping was riding in.

"He only took twenty men deep into Darfur? It's either a trap, or they have a compelling reason to go."

(End of this chapter)