Mercenary I am the king

Chapter 807 The Betting Game
"Sir, this is our reconnaissance report of the Atron Oasis over the past three days. The detailed information is all in here. Through these days of reconnaissance, we have found that Song Heping is indeed in the base, living in the green tent in the northwest corner of the camp. We have confirmed his identity through facial recognition no less than ten times."

On the morning of the fourth day, Jasper knocked on Deputy Director Pence's office again and handed him a very detailed investigation summary report, which included pictures, time records, and everything else.

After reading through the report, which was more than twenty pages long, Pence's brows remained furrowed, tightly knit.

"you say……"

It took Pence a full five minutes to finish reading the report before he finally spoke.

"Does Song Heping know that we are monitoring him?"

Upon hearing this, Jasper was taken aback.

"This one……"

He couldn't be sure.

But then it suddenly felt absurd.

It's important to know that the MQ-9 drone has been conducting secret reconnaissance at an altitude of seven or eight thousand meters these past few days, and its presence on the ground can only be detected by radar.

You can't see a drone flying overhead with the naked eye.

"They probably don't know..."

Jasper felt that Pence was overly cautious and had developed some fear of Song Heping.

"Their camp has no radar, it's all infantry, so it's impossible for them to know we're monitoring their camp."

"Um……"

Pence placed his hand on his lips and gently rubbed the area between his nose and upper lip, as if doing so would help him concentrate better on his thoughts.

After a long while, he put the report down in front of him.

“Song Heping wouldn’t be so careless. He knows we’re hunting him down, so he wouldn’t just swagger around in an open field without any cover. Last time in Mogadishu, he knew how to use a feint to avoid our drone attack, so why wouldn’t he be on guard this time?”

He paused at this point, then continued, "Simon is right, it could very well be a trap."

The mere mention of Simon makes Jasper uncomfortable.

Isn't the director questioning his own abilities by saying that?

I've been working tirelessly these past few days to complete this attack plan.

When the time came, the bureau chief dismissed himself with a single word, "trap," and praised Simon instead.
“Sir, I believe that regardless of whether it’s a trap or not, the fact remains that he is in the camp. We have verified this countless times using technical means, taking hundreds of facial feature photos and even using software to virtually verify his body shape and skeleton, confirming an accuracy rate of over 99%. Whether it’s a trap or not, I simply don’t believe he could catch a missile with his bare hands.”

Jasper was eager to get started immediately.

Having come this far, how can I stop now?

"It's better to be cautious..."

Pence ultimately made his choice.

"Continue to investigate for three more days, keep a close eye on things. If it's a trap, we'll eventually find something amiss and give ourselves away."

"All right……"

Jasper was somewhat disappointed, and the eager light in his eyes faded.

"and many more."

Pence called out to Jasper, who was about to leave.

"Sir, what are your orders?"

A flame of hope rekindled in Jasper's eyes.

He thought Pence was going to change his mind.

“Conduct a thorough reconnaissance of the area around the Atron Oasis camp to see if any discoveries can be made.”

"it is good……"

Jasper's heart sank to the bottom once again.

Just as Jasper left Pence's office, muttering to himself the whole way, Song Heping, far away in the Atron Oasis in North Darfur, was also scratching his head.

It's the fourth day.

Even today, reports from various air defense shelters indicate that a drone has been spotted circling in the air as usual. Based on its flight path, it appears to be on a reconnaissance mission, not an attack mission.

Song Heping was puzzled after receiving the report.

This is the fourth day already.

According to his calculations based on the CIA's intelligence, today is the day to launch the attack.

how?

Or reconnaissance?

"Old squad leader, did you miscalculate the time this time?"

Jiang Feng chuckled smugly from the sidelines.

Song Heping rarely makes mistakes.

It seems they've really messed things up this time.

"I can't have miscalculated..."

Song Heping recalled the words he had given to Simon.

Tell him to find a suitable time to reveal his whereabouts to Pence.

Simon leaked his location to Pence four days ago, and then drones appeared in the sky.

The time is just right.

This shows that Simon's timing was very accurate.

But the drone flew in the air for a full three days.

Today is the fourth day, and it's still just one plane.

The altitude is still above 7,000 meters.

This indicates that it is a reconnaissance aircraft as usual, not an attack drone fully armed.

Moreover, the attack mission must involve two aircraft.

Ensure that if one aircraft makes a mistake, another will make the difference.

But it was just one...

“That doesn’t make sense…” Song Heping couldn’t help but look up at the sky.

Visibility is very good.

The sky was a deep, clear blue, like a giant piece of blue glass.

On such a sunny day, an attack would be a godsend.

Mudd!

He cursed inwardly.

come!

Pence, you old bastard.

I'm really here!
But now he's in a bind.

If the other side keeps scouting, you'll end up on the defensive.

Firstly, there's the issue of food, drink, and sanitation for the men of the missile company hidden in the concealed positions.

To avoid revealing their location, Song Heping instructed them to stay hidden in their concealed positions and not to leave for even a moment.

Because if they leave, the drones will detect something amiss.

Once traces are found on the ground, drones will conduct focused reconnaissance of that area.

At that time, the position will be at risk of being exposed.

Secondly, I am now trapped here and about to die.

Theoretically, this could be a way to lure the enemy out. As long as he leaves the base, the drones will keep tracking him, and Langley will get the latest news that he has left the Atron Oasis.

They might be forced to take immediate action for fear of losing their trail.

However, leaving the camp would definitely mean certain death.

Without the four SAM-6 missile launch systems near the camp, my life would be over.

Thinking of this, Song Heping broke out in a cold sweat.

I was too confident when I was planning the trap.

It is believed that the CIA will launch an attack within four days of discovering that they have found themselves in the Atron Oasis.

In retrospect, I realized I had miscalculated the timeline.

Pence was very patient; he actually suppressed his urge to kill himself and didn't launch an attack even on the fourth day.

If we keep doing this reconnaissance for seven or eight days, won't we be doomed?
The men in the hideout only had enough food and water to last a week.

Once the food exceeds the limit, someone will have to transport it there.

The drone is definitely watching me from the sky 24 hours a day.

Sending supplies to a concealed position will also attract attention...

By the time……

My plans are definitely going to fall through.

The matter dragged on until the fifth night.

This time, it was Song Heping's turn to get anxious.

five days!
The drone is still the same, just like always, hovering 7,000 meters above our heads 24 hours a day.

One plane went back, and another took over, without interruption.

"Boss, why don't we try shooting down their reconnaissance drones now?"

The polar bear, looking extremely anxious, said, "We're waiting here every day like death row inmates waiting for their shots to be fired. I might as well just launch missiles at them."

"The success rate of an attack now is less than 3%. Are you willing to take the gamble?"

The campfire in front of us was blazing, the sheep on the wooden rack were sizzling with oil, and the naan bread hanging at one end was already baking with an enticing aroma.

Song Heping used a wooden stick to stir the fire, the firelight reflecting off his face.

"We can only wait. We're already in the game, like sitting at a poker table. We've all been dealt a few cards and have a bunch of chips. If we stand up now, we'll lose everything."

Jiang Feng glanced at the night sky and said, "But waiting like this isn't a solution..."

He glanced in the direction of the missile site.

"It's the fifth night now. I remember that the water and food in the position are only enough for seven days at most. If no attacking drones appear in the next two days, the position will definitely be exposed."

"You think I don't know?"

Song Heping sighed.

"Now we're both in a bind. Once we're at the card table, it's either win or die. You choose."

Jiang Feng remained silent.

My old squad leader's words were very realistic.

This was a gamble of wits and courage against a top intelligence agency's operations team.

We won, let's open the wine.

If you lose, you have to eat at the banquet.

In fact, Song Heping and Pence were both gambling at the poker table at that moment.

No one knows the other's hand, and everyone wants to see it.

However, on the current side, Pence is the big man, and he's in charge.

The initiative in the situation is in the hands of the CIA.

This was especially true on the sixth day.

Pence's side didn't seem to be in a hurry to act; they were still using a single drone at an altitude of 7,000 meters, a typical altitude for a reconnaissance mission.

That day, Song Heping couldn't taste anything in his mouth when he ate.

When they gathered together for dinner again that evening, everyone was quiet, and the usual lighthearted banter was gone.

Everyone's expressions were grave, and they all seemed to be turning their gazes to Song Heping, as if waiting for him to make a decision.

What should we do next?

(End of this chapter)