Mercenary I am the king

Chapter 816 Intercepting the "Shepherd"

Just as the group was plotting how to deal with Song Heping in the bathroom of the hotel's presidential suite, the waiter who had brought them drinks half an hour earlier was now hiding in a small changing room on the same floor. Wearing headphones and holding a pocket recording device, he recorded all the conversations that the group had just had in the room.

The waiter was actually Carl Ryan, an MI6-planted surveillance expert—he placed the transmitter close to the vent.

The hotel's central air conditioning system would send the signal to a mobile receiving station located 300 meters away in the hotel parking lot, from where it would be relayed to Weber, who was waiting for the latest news in Khartoum.

When the conversation in the presidential suite ended, he took off his headphones, put away the recording equipment, hid it, then reopened the door and stood in front of the mirror.

In the mirror, he saw fine beads of sweat on his forehead.

Monitoring targets of the "shepherd" level is like dancing on a knife's edge; a slight misstep could result in total annihilation.

Pence and the others in the room never expected this.

In fact, MI16 had been eyeing the "Shepherd" for a long time.

In Africa, everyone who serves the Americans and U.S. intelligence agencies is actually under MI6 surveillance.

This practice of being wary of allies is something that Britain, the United States, and France are all very familiar with.

The next day, Atron Oasis.

Song Heping projected satellite images onto the sand table, and the red dot of the laser pointer stopped at a pass on the Eldi Plateau.

"They will take this path."

He has read all the intelligence provided by Weber.

Now, you are in control.

All of Pence's and others' actions were transparent to him.

I haven't done this kind of work so smoothly in a long time.

Having the support of a major intelligence agency really makes all the difference.

It seems that cooperation with the British is still necessary.

"The escort was provided by an elite assault team from EO Company, in standard marching formation, with the lead vehicle equipped with a .50 heavy machine gun, and vehicles spaced fifteen meters apart."

Henry handed over a declassified document: "MI6 just sent the equipment list for Brody's team. Two new 'Black Hornet' nanodrones and four AT-4 anti-tank rocket launchers have been added..."

At this point, he couldn't help but shake his head.

"They're all high-end goods."

The tent was filled with the mixed smell of coffee and gunpowder.

The core members of the "Musician" defense team gathered around a sand table, in front of which hung a detailed topographical map of North Darfur, with different colored pins marking the areas of control of various armed groups.

"We only have four minutes to ambush the window."

Song Heping pointed the tip of his Mad Dog tactical knife at the sand table.

"From the moment the first vehicle hits a mine to the destruction of the last vehicle, the entire process must be completed within 240 seconds."

As he spoke, he picked up a pencil and drew a fire distribution diagram on the simulation board, with each symbol accurate to the firing elevation angle.

"You all understand now, right? When the time comes, bring along the two South American special operations platoons from our camp. They've been doing nothing in the camp all this time, it's time for them to get out and stretch their legs."

Before he could finish speaking, the satellite phone vibrated.

"The 'Shepherd' convoy is leaving N'Djamena and heading northeast. Based on its speed, it will reach the Eldi Plateau in about 20 hours."

Weber's voice came from the other end of the phone.

"understood."

"Good luck."

"Leave it to me. Oh, and keep an eye on Pence. I'll pay him a visit in person once I've finished here."

“No problem, his every move is under our surveillance.”

"OK."

The phone hangs up.

Song Heping clapped his hands and pointed to the map: "You've all seen the tactical arrangements, right?! The target has already set off from Zhadi."

"Team A is responsible for finishing off the remaining vehicles, while Team B suppresses fire in the middle."

Song Heping's voice was crisp and clear.

“Remember this: I want ‘The Shepherd’ alive. Hand him over to Klein after you capture him.”

"hey-hey."

Klein let out a dry laugh.

This guy is checking his interrogation kit: an adrenaline injector, a neurotransmitter, and a box of ampoules containing different concentrations of truth serum...

After the examination, he looked up with a shark-like smile: "I'll make sure he tells me everything."

At 10 PM, on the Eldi Plateau, southeast of the ambush zone, a hunter lay prone under camouflage netting, his AWM sniper rifle propped up in a natural rock crevice. Desert-colored fabric was wrapped around the barrel, and even the scope was fitted with anti-reflective film.

Thermal imaging showed that the convoy, three kilometers away, was kicking up clouds of dust.

"Tango-1, distance 2780, speed 60." Ghost's breathing was as steady as if he were asleep. "The machine gunner in the lead vehicle is dozing off."

The instruction came through Song Heping's earpiece: "Wait for the last car to pass the second marker."

The hunter's crosshairs remained locked on the temple of the lead driver.

Beside him, Klein, who was acting as his spotter, was calculating the wind speed—the crosswinds on the plateau could reach force 8, enough to deflect a bullet off its trajectory by half a meter.

"IED in position."

Collins' voice came through the channel.

The entire ambush circle began to operate like a precision clock.

Two anti-armor teams were lying in ambush behind the rock wall on the east side, their Javelin missiles already warmed up; in the sand dunes on the west side, the machine gunner checked the M240B ammunition belts for the third time; and the assault team personally led by Song Heping was concealed on the reverse slope at the bend of the pass.

In this collaboration, Song Heping didn't get MI6 any advantage. He also got another round of arms deals from Weber, all high-quality NATO-standard equipment.

The British are indeed willing to spend money to get things done.

The next day, Weber had the weapons and ammunition needed for the operation delivered to the Atron Oasis.

"Target enters the kill zone."

As the first armed pickup truck rolled over the special markings on the ground, the hunter pulled the trigger. 2.3 seconds after the .0.338 Lapua Magnum warhead flew through the air, a cloud of pink smoke billowed from the back of the driver's head.

Almost simultaneously, the IED buried under the road surface was remotely detonated, turning the tail of the car into burning scrap metal.

“Fire!”

The entire pass was instantly filled with gunfire.

The second vehicle attempted to swerve but was struck directly on the roof by a Javelin missile.

The jet of scorching metal pierced through the armor, vaporizing the four EO team members inside the vehicle into charred remains.

The machine gunner in the third vehicle had just turned his weapon around and hadn't even pulled the trigger when the hunter's second bullet blew his skull off.

"Move! Move!"

Brody's roar was broken and fragmented over the radio.

His single eye looked particularly ferocious in the firelight as he blindly fired his G36C rifle in all directions.

"There's a sniper in the southeast—"

Before he could finish speaking, a .338 armor-piercing round pierced the car door, cutting him in two at the waist.

Brody's upper body slammed onto the seat, his intestines hanging like bizarre ornaments from the charred frame.

"Ho ho-"

Blood kept gushing from the corners of his mouth, but he wasn't quite dead yet.

The sound of gunfire continued.

The bullets clanged as they hit the car.

We've been attacked.

His whereabouts have been exposed.