Thomas played a dirty trick and put Colonel Brown on the hot seat.
Now, Brown was caught between a rock and a hard place.
Since he had killed the target without confirmation, it was a done deal.
Thomas wouldn't have dared to take such an action without the support of Langley.
Now wasn't the time to assign blame, only to accept reality and clean up the mess first.
At least it wouldn't look too bad when explaining to the superiors afterward.
"SIR, the frontline team requests further instructions."
A subordinate asked Colonel Brown for orders.
"Have them secure the area; we must retrieve Sayif's body."
"What about the girl?"
"She's not important, let her go."
"Yes!"
The order was quickly relayed.
Descending rapidly with Angel from the 30-meter dam was an experience Song Heping had never tried before.
With their combined weight nearing 300 kilograms, it was fortunate they had a figure-eight descender to slow down, or else they would have slipped from his grip.
Song Heping could distinctly feel the heat from the intense friction on his tactical gloves, as if they were about to catch fire.
During their descent, bullets whizzed past them.
It was obvious that Mr. J's men, lying in ambush nearby, had begun their attack on him and Angel.
They obviously regarded their own side as treacherous scoundrels, having set a trap to lure Mr. J out in the open and take the chance to shoot him dead.
Now, not even jumping into the Yellow River could clear his name.
Surviving was the first priority.
Whether he could complete the trade with Mr. J or not wasn't Song Heping's concern.
What mattered most was getting Angel to safety.
That was the crux of the matter.
Eventually, the rope slid to its end.
Song Heping, holding Angel, plummeted from a height of over ten meters.
With a huge splash, water two meters high burst into the air as they crashed into the water.
The icy water was, in fact, sobering.
Song Heping, pulling Angel, surfaced.
"Swim!"
He pointed toward Grey Wolf's position.
If they could just swim those few dozen meters to the shore, the car was hidden in the woods; they could get in and drive away.
In the darkness, gunshots echoed continuously.
Judging from the gunfire, the third party engaging in the skirmish from the shadows was clearly clashing with Mr. J's men.
Amidst the chaos were the sounds of the Cook and White Bear's RPD light machine guns.
The situation seemed to be getting very messy.
As for who this third party was, Song Heping had no idea.
People from the military?
Intelligence agents?
Or was it the PMU (People's Mobilization Unit)?
It could be anyone!
But no matter what, Song Heping certainly wished he could slaughter the hidden third party right now.
Clearly, these people wanted him and Angel dead on the dam.
This was an account to be settled, whoever it was, and they would pay someday.
As Song Heping swam toward the shore, he kept himself and Angel as submerged as possible.
It was an effective way to avoid bullets.
Water is an interesting thing, a natural bulletproof vest.
Common warheads lose their lethality when they hit the water unless they are special munitions designed for underwater weapons.
When caught in a shootout, if there's a river or sea nearby, jumping in to dodge bullets is not only possible but also dependable.
Thank God, at last, Song Heping reached the shore safely.
He was surprised by Angel's swimming skills.
He had asked her before if she could swim.
She had boasted that she was an excellent swimmer and had been a member of the Yale team.
It seemed that her claim was indeed true.
Once on shore, Grey Wolf, coming to meet them, was utterly confused and asked right away, "Who was shooting just now!?"
Song Heping replied, "I want to know that myself!"
Angel stood by, shaking like a sieve, and said, "It must have been Langley's people! They're the ones who want me dead the most!"
Grey Wolf said, "Let's get moving! If it's the people from Langley's covert operations, they're out of our league!"
Just as he was about to get up, Song Heping pulled him back.
"Wait!"
"What are we waiting for? Let's get out of here!"
Having been cooled by the cold water, Song Heping, who had initially been tense, now relaxed, his mind exceptionally clear.
The escape training he had received in the past was now paying off.
"Cook, what's the situation on your end?"
Song Heping asked the cook through the tactical channel.
"It's all a mess, I don't even know who's shooting at whom! Hurry and follow the plan to withdraw. We're going to the Lincoln next to the dam. You'll get in the car with Grey Wolf and the others. I've already notified the ISF. As planned, they're on their way, and we'll meet with them halfway.
We shouldn't stay here any longer, run!"
Song Heping listened carefully to the sound of gunfire.
It was indeed chaotic.
There was gunfire from all directions.
But most strangely, the most intense gunfire was coming from the direction of the dam.
Were they attacking the dam?
He and Angel had already run away, so why attack the dam?
There was nobody there.
Logically, after Mr. J died and he had fled, Mr. J's subordinates should have scattered as well.
Even if they wanted revenge against Angel and himself, they should have been attacking in this direction. So why attack the dam?
Just then, Song Heping and Grey Wolf suddenly heard a strange whistling sound from the sky.
"Get down!"
The sound was eerily similar to the whistle of an incoming shell.
Song Heping grabbed Angel by the neck and skillfully pushed her down to the ground.
Then, they witnessed a horrifying scene.
A blaze from the sky struck on the opposite side of the dam, blowing up an armed pickup into pieces.
"Drones..."
Song Heping suddenly realized.
The enemy was definitely the US Special Forces.
Apart from them, no one else could deploy drones. It definitely wasn't a civilian Armed Organization like the PMU.
"I get it... they want the body!"
He had been puzzled as to why there was such intensive gunfire in the direction of the dam.
Seeing the drone, he finally understood.
After every mission, Special Forces units were tasked to carry out on-site target confirmation.
They had to collect fingerprints and take photographs of the targets, even taking DNA to compare and confirm if the person was indeed dead.
If conditions allowed, they would even take the body back.
If Mr. J were as important as Angel described, then the folks in Langley would be eager to get his body.
"Song, are you okay?!"
Seeing Song Heping frozen in place, Grey Wolf grew anxious.
Every second mattered for their survival now.
"Don't rush to retreat,"
Song Heping told Grey Wolf, "If it's the US Special Forces, there must be their people on the perimeter. If we charge blindly, it's easy to run right into their muzzles!"
He immediately reported this situation and his judgment to the cook over the radio, warning them to be careful of encountering the US Special Forces during withdrawal.
Grey Wolf asked, "Even if there are people on the perimeter, we still need to break out. Staying here is death!"
Song Heping said, "No! We'll stay in the forest. They'll definitely come for us! Then we will..."
As he spoke, he raised his hand and made a throat-slitting gesture.
"To hell with whatever Special Forces they are, we'll kill them first!"
Grey Wolf thought about it, felt that it made some sense but he was really worried whether it would work, "Song, you sure they'll definitely come?"
Song Heping said, "I'm not sure, but I'm certain that if we rush out blindly, we'll surely die! This is the psychology of tactics, we have to do the opposite!"
"Where did you learn all this?" Grey Wolf asked. "Have you ever tried it before?"
Song Heping replied with a bitter smile, "I've tried."
He had indeed tried it, but it was in simulated training exercises, not real combat.
But there was no time to explain all that to Grey Wolf.
Learn and apply.
As for whether it would work, he'd have to leave that to God.
Grey Wolf seemed to struggle internally, then finally clenched his teeth and said, "Okay, I'll trust you."
Song Heping turned to Angel and asked, "Do you trust me?"
Angel's face looked as if she was about to cry, and Song Heping raised his hand, "Don't you cry, I'll hit you if you cry!"
Angel took a deep breath, held back her emotions, nodded hard, and tears began to fall.
"Yes, I trust you."
Song Heping pulled her aside.
The area was rich in vegetation due to the river, with lots of hollows and marshes.
Song Heping pressed Angel directly into a mudhole and had Grey Wolf hide in another mudhole about seven meters to his left.
"Grey Wolf, smear some mud on yourself, these guys have infrared night vision."
Then, he picked up the stinking mud from the ground and smeared it on Angel's face.
Angel recoiled instinctively.
Song Heping commanded firmly, "If you want to live, listen to me!"
Soon, the two of them looked like mud figures.
Grey Wolf was also covering himself with mud, and in no time, the three of them became mud monkeys, completely hidden in the dark.
Just as they had settled into their ambush, Song Heping heard rustling noises coming from ahead.
Jackpot!
His guess was right!
The members of the US Special Forces lurking in the dark were now searching the encirclement.