It took less than ten seconds for two figures to appear in sight.
Their movement was flawless, clearly the work of experts.
One in front and one behind, one to the left and one to the right.
A typical left echelon jungle search formation.
When it came to tactical formations, Song Heping was no stranger.
Actually, the operations of Special Forces units around the world are quite similar, with differences only in their respective experience-based improvements and modifications.
In a left echelon formation, one person leads, with the other within a ten-meter range to their rear right side, the specific distance being best determined by the ability to maintain visual contact with one another.
The purpose of any tactical formation is based on a principle—minimize casualties, optimize firepower, facilitate coordination, and ensure quick and agile movements.
And the ambush I had set up was guided by this same consideration.
Grey Wolf was positioned about seven or eight meters to my left and approximately five meters ahead.
If someone approached, Grey Wolf would be the first to encounter the enemy.
The best tactic for handling these two would be to let the first one pass and then strike when the second one reached the defensive line.
A novice, not understanding tactics or too nervous upon seeing the first person, would rush to shoot the enemy dead, which would be suicidal.
Even if you managed to take out the first one by surprise, the second enemy would be on alert, quickly retaliating while seeking cover, preventing you from taking the opportunity to kill them.
Such action would not only expose our position but would also attract even more enemies.
Besides, the opposition was not to be underestimated; they were likely members of the US Special Forces, and Song Heping dared not be overconfident.
Yet, he felt an inexplicable excitement.
Back during his service, many training exercises were conducted with the US Special Forces as the hypothetical enemy.
It was like having practiced on a punching bag for years and finally getting the chance to step into the ring.
What worried him the most now was whether Grey Wolf could refrain from taking action too soon.
He hadn't discussed tactical coordination with Grey Wolf before.
A grave oversight!
He wanted to speak now but couldn't.
He couldn't even communicate on the tactical channel.
The old radio equipment he carried didn't have a throat microphone and he hadn't arranged any signals with Grey Wolf in advance; even if he lowered his voice, any communication could potentially give away their position.
This was a typical issue with coordination and teamwork.
After all, they hadn't been with the "Musician" team for long and hadn't had tactical tuning with each other.
This could be deadly!
Realizing this, Song Heping sweated profusely in the cold mud, repeatedly chanting in his mind— "Don't act, don't act..."
Now, he could only hope that Grey Wolf had enough combat experience.
Thankfully.
Grey Wolf did not act.
The leading shadow passed smoothly by the muddy hollow where Grey Wolf was hiding.
He hadn't noticed that a lethal mercenary was lurking just to the right, in that muddy hollow.
The cool mud lowered body temperature, preventing the escape of infrared radiation.
Although this primitive method didn't last long, it was somewhat effective until the mud dried and fell off.
The enemy, equipped with night vision, still failed to detect Song Heping and Grey Wolf hiding in the hollow.
Angel was very well-behaved at this time.
The girl had a merit; though pampered, she was as obedient as a cat when it mattered.
Song Heping was very pleased with this.
The second shadow passed by Grey Wolf's position.
Song Heping's finger was already on the trigger of the AKM assault rifle, ready to stand and shoot at any moment.
It had to be fast!
Absolute speed!
He was waiting for Grey Wolf to shoot.
Grey Wolf would surely fire at the nearest enemy, which would be the second man.
He would deal with the first one himself.
At that moment, the enemy had passed by him, heading towards the river, with their back to him.
Song Heping was confident he could neutralize the target with a burst.
He had clearly thought out where to shoot.
The head.
The back of the head, near the neck.
These guys wore bulletproof vests that definitely met Level III standards and included bullet-proof plates; an AKM warhead might not penetrate them.
If the shot wasn't instantly fatal, given the adversaries' skills, whose deer would die was an unknown.
Just as the second enemy passed Grey Wolf's position and walked another two or three meters, Song Heping felt as anxious inside as if he were being scorched by fire.
Grey Wolf hadn't shot yet!
Why didn't Grey Wolf shoot?
Could it be that Grey Wolf was also waiting for him to shoot?
With that thought, Song Heping had to make a tough decision.
He should just shoot first and kill the Special Soldier walking in front.
The downside was that by doing so, he would expose his entire side to the second man, and if Grey Wolf's support wasn't fast enough, the other could likely take him out with a burst of fire right after he fired his own shot.
But there was no time to worry about that now!
If he didn't shoot soon, the men would be out of range, and he wouldn't be able to kill them both.
Just as Song Heping was bracing himself to take the risk, a gunshot rang out.
Pop, pop—
Grey Wolf had made his move!
Song Heping didn't even bother to check if Grey Wolf had hit his target; that wasn't his concern.
He quickly crouched and stood up, his AKM assault rifle delivering a neat burst at the Special Soldier ahead.
Pop, pop—
Two shots.
Short burst.
Even though he had no night vision equipment, the moonlight reflecting off the river made the figure of the Special Soldier ahead quite visible.
The shot was fired, and the man fell.
Not a single bullet wasted.
Song Heping had absolute confidence in his marksmanship.
Thud—
Thud—
The muffled sounds of two bodies hitting the ground followed.
The two Special Soldiers were killed before they could even react, instantly becoming casualties of the gunfire, probably dying without understanding what had happened.
Song Heping looked around again to ensure the area was safe before whispering to Grey Wolf, "Well done!"
Then he added, "Quick, search the bodies!"
Searching the bodies meant collecting items from them.
The best way to understand who these people were was to do just that.
Moreover, Song Heping had another purpose in mind.
That was to loot the gear!
He had been thinking about this since he left the Green Zone, although he had initially planned to loot ISF gear.
Because what he really needed was a helmet-mounted night vision device.
Those things were incredibly expensive.
Being able to pick one up from a dead man would save a lot of money.
No matter who they were, he was determined to take that equipment.
He turned to Angel and instructed, "Stay down and don't move, wait for me."
Then, rising like a leopard, he sprang to the body of the Special Soldier ahead, first carefully kicking away the man's rifle and then using his foot to flip over the corpse to lie face up.
After examining the body, Song Heping breathed a sigh of relief.
His two shots had been accurate, one hitting the helmet and the other entering the back of the neck and exiting through the cheek.
He couldn't help but mentally praise his own good shooting.
The man's entire cheek was blown off, exposing white teeth amidst the sticky brain matter, creating a rather gruesome sight.
Especially at night, with the river's reflective light, it felt like being in a horror movie.
Song Heping suppressed his disgust and reached to remove the night vision device from the helmet.
"Good stuff!"
His eyes sparkled with excitement.
It was a binocular night vision device. Although he couldn't make out the exact model in the dark, he guessed it was an AN/PVS-15 night vision device.
This gear, which had only started to be issued to US Special Forces since 2000, was not only expensive, but also one of those items money couldn't buy due to regulations.
No need to say much about good stuff—it was clearly a keeper.
With possible tough battles ahead, having this gear could be lifesaving!
As for the tactical vest, it seemed pretty decent too, and Song Heping liked it; it was a MOLLE modular tactical vest commonly used by the US Special Forces.
"Brother, it's no use to you anymore, but it could save my life if I take it, so I'll just take it, okay? I'll burn some joss paper for you later, to buy it..."
As Song Heping muttered to himself, his hands were quick and unsympathetic, stripping the corpse bare and taking everything he could, even the small first aid kit in the right pocket of the tactical pants.
If the cook saw him now, he would probably frown at the sight, thinking how crazed this fellow was when collecting gear.
After he had finished looting, just as Song Heping was about to leave, something seemed to flash through his mind.
But for a moment, he couldn't quite say what it was.
Unable to resist, he turned back to look at the half-faced corpse once again.