Mercenary I am the king

Chapter 822 Flawless?

"Do you think an old fox like Pence wouldn't be unaware of how much of a threat the high ground around his hotel poses to him?"

Song Heping said in a deep voice, "Especially since he has seen my file and knows my sniping record in Mosul."

"right……"

Jiang Feng then realized what was happening.

reconnaissance.

This is crucial in the preliminary process of all tasks.

We must take everything into account to ensure that nothing goes wrong.

If we rashly go to the rooftop of the telecommunications building, and if Pence already has sentries there, a firefight is inevitable.

By then it will be too late.

When you push open the fire door on the top floor of the commercial building, a wave of heat hits you.

The afternoon sun in Chad poured down on the concrete rooftops like molten iron, making the ground scorching hot.

He raised his hand to signal Bai Xiong and Jiang Feng behind him to stop, and then carefully peered out from behind the door frame.

"Safety."

He spoke in a low voice, which was drowned out by the roar of the air conditioner units on the rooftop.

The three quickly dispersed and each sought cover.

Song Heping took out a high-powered telescope from his backpack, adjusted the focus, and aimed it at the N'Djamena Grand Hotel, three streets away.

The nine-story yellow building gleamed in the sunlight, and the rooftop helipad was completely empty.

"11 o'clock, top floor of the telecommunications building."

Song Heping's telescope moved slowly.

"Did you see that reflection?"

Jiang Feng adjusted his observation scope as instructed.

"Damn, it's a reflection from the sniper scope. They really did control the best sniping position."

The polar bear was lying to one side, assembling a rangefinder.

"412 meters from the hotel, perfect firing range. That old fox Pence has blocked our path."

Song Heping's lips tightened.

Through the telescope, a dark figure could be vaguely seen behind the water tank on the top floor of the telecommunications building, with a high-precision camera mounted next to it.

That wasn't an ordinary security guard, but a professional sniper observer.

"Look at the two o'clock direction, that red apartment building." Song Heping turned the binoculars.

“Another one.” Jiang Feng gritted his teeth and said, “I saw a gun barrel behind the curtains on the seventh-floor balcony.”

White Bear suddenly lowered his voice: "Boss, nine o'clock, the rooftop of the bank building!"

Song Heping immediately changed direction. Next to the billboard support of the bank building, a man dressed in local clothing was using binoculars to monitor the area around the hotel.

The man had a communicator hanging from his ear, and the bulge at his waist was clearly the shape of a pistol.

"All three sniper positions have been captured."

Song Heping put down the binoculars, and beads of sweat slid down his forehead and onto his eyelashes.

“Pence turned the entire area into his safe zone.”

Jiang Feng slammed his fist on the concrete: "Damn! This old thing is harder to chew than a tortoise shell. If we move any of the sniper positions, Pence in the hotel will know immediately."

Polar Bear wiped the sweat from the rangefinder: "Boss, what do we do? That location at the telecom building is perfect. If we can't use it..."

"Wait." Song Heping suddenly raised his hand to interrupt him, pointing the binoculars back at the hotel rooftop. "Look at that small building next to the helipad."

Jiang Feng adjusted the focus: "It looks like an equipment room?"

“No, it’s the guard room.” Song Heping’s pupils contracted slightly. “There are two men at the door, wearing hotel uniforms, but their posture is that of soldiers. Look at the bulges on their waists.”

The polar bear whistled: "Pence even has an escape route prepared. That helicopter can pick him up anytime."

Song Heping's satellite phone started vibrating in his pocket.

He quickly took it out and answered the call: "Speak."

“It’s me.” Weber’s voice came through the phone. “I just intercepted the hotel’s internal phone line. Pence has added his afternoon workout time to 3 or 4 pm. Also, the front desk records show he’s booked a helicopter for tomorrow morning. This means he won’t be staying at the hotel for long, so you’d better hurry.”

Song Heping exchanged glances with his two teammates: "Understood."

He hung up the phone and then looked at his watch—4:17 p.m.

“Time is running out.” Jiang Feng tugged at his collar impatiently. “The Shepherd has been missing for over 20 hours. Pence could become suspicious at any moment.”

Suddenly, Bai Xiong pointed to the hotel, "Look! The gym!" On the eighth floor of the hotel, behind a floor-to-ceiling window, several figures were moving about. Song Heping immediately increased the magnification of his binoculars and saw Pence appear in front of the window wearing a white tracksuit, followed by three bodyguards.

The former CIA deputy director was even thinner than in the photo, his gray hair was neatly combed, and he was talking to his phone.

"Damn it, he's on the phone!" Jiang Feng tensed up. "Could he be contacting the shepherd?"

Song Heping's temples throbbed.

Through the binoculars, Pence's expression gradually darkened; the call seemed to be going poorly.

He made a gesture, and a bodyguard immediately drew the gym's curtains, obscuring the view inside.

“We need to change our approach.” Song Heping put away his binoculars and signaled for evacuation: “Back to the safe house.”

The three quickly cleaned up the traces and left the rooftop.

In the elevator going downstairs, Jiang Feng couldn't help but ask, "Old squad leader, do you have an idea?"

Song Heping stared at the constantly changing floor numbers on the elevator display and said softly, "Not yet. I need to think about it."

Half an hour later, inside the safe house.

The three sat around the tactical board.

Song Heping drew a circle on the hotel floor plan with a red marker.

“The key is here—the rooftop helipad.” He tapped the circle. “Pence booked a helicopter for tomorrow morning, but given his cautious nature, he’ll certainly check the escape routes beforehand.”

Jiang Feng retrieved the video footage provided by Jeffrey from his laptop: "The hotel rooftop guards change shifts every two hours; currently, four armed guards have been observed."

"When will the helicopter arrive?" Polar Bear asked.

Song Heping took out his satellite phone and opened the message that Weber had just sent.

"According to air traffic control records, it's a Bell 429, arriving from neighboring Cameroon at 7:00 AM tomorrow."

"You're planning to wait until he's on the helicopter before making your move?"

Jiang Feng expressed his concern: "However, our sniper rifles are only M24s, not anti-materiel sniper rifles, so they can't shoot down helicopters at all."

"Could we enter the hotel and set up a fire alarm? The hotel will definitely have to evacuate its guests for safety reasons," White Bear suggested. "We'll ambush him at the fire exit of the presidential suite."

"You think this is a movie?" Song Heping shook his head, stroking his fake mustache. "A raid inside the building is the most troublesome. The corridors are too narrow, and the bodyguards will form a human wall. The success rate is no more than 40%. Besides, we'll be in a tough fight. If the Chadian military and police arrive, we'll be in real trouble."

The room fell silent.

Each solution has obvious flaws, and time is ticking away.

Suddenly, the satellite phone vibrated again.

Song Heping took out his phone; this time it wasn't a phone call, but a text message.

The message contained only one sentence: "Intercepted: Pence just sent a code via an encrypted channel—'Shepherd, come home immediately.' This is an emergency recall signal."

Song Heping's pupils contracted—a sign that Pence was beginning to have doubts.

They may only have a few hours left.

"Change the plan." Song Heping suddenly stood up, his voice as sharp as a blade: "Make your move in the street."

"The main street?!"

Bai Xiong and Jiang Feng didn't understand at first.

How do you take action on the street?

"Let him out." Song Heping turned to Jiang Feng: "When you were in the army, did you ever catch snakes in the wild?"

Jiang Feng paused for a moment, then nodded: "Of course!"

Song Heping said, "If the snake goes into its hole, how do you catch it?"

Without hesitation, Jiang Feng said, "Block the hole, smoke it out, and force it out."

Song Heping said, "That's right, we also need to force Pence out of the hotel."

The polar bear's eyes lit up: "Fire alarm?!"

"Do not."

Song Heping said, "There's no time to explain now. Bai Xiong, take out all our explosives immediately and bring them with you. Jiang Feng, go to the nearby hardware store and buy twenty kilograms of screws, or nails will do."

"Screws, nails?"

Jiang Feng was stunned.

"Yes, hurry up! You have fifteen minutes! Drive there!"

Song Heping's tone left no room for doubt.

(End of this chapter)