The refinery was built during Sadam's rule, and now that war had broken out, Sadam himself had vanished without a trace, leading to the factory's shutdown.
Although the staff had fled, the entire facility had not suffered any bombings, and the infrastructure remained intact.
The refinery, with its towering buildings and complex network of pipes and machinery, provided excellent hiding spots and made for a good temporary shelter.
The group drove directly into an abandoned office building, and after everyone had disembarked, the Cook immediately instructed the Queen to find a high vantage point to keep watch.
That was the position she, as the team's sniper, was supposed to occupy.
He then dispatched Samir and two other ISF members to take up sentry duties outside the building.
Once they had left, the Cook lost his temper.
He strode over to the car, forcefully pulled Angel out.
It was clear to everyone that the Cook was now furious.
He no longer treated Angel like a VIP, showing no mercy as he dragged her to the ground.
"Miss Angel, you need to explain what exactly is going on! Who is this Mr. J you came here to meet? The forces we exchanged fire with at the dam were clearly Special Forces. I don't care which unit they belong to or what their background is, what I need to know is why we've gotten involved with these bastards!"
The accusation was finally directed at Angel.
The Cook drew his pistol and aimed it at Angel.
"If you don't give us a convincing explanation, I won't hesitate to shoot you in the head and then claim you were tragically killed in the attack and have gone to meet God."
The Cook's interrogation echoed the doubts of everyone present.
Although Angel had offered a substantial reward.
But clearly, this reward was a piece of chocolate wrapped in poison.
Sweet to taste, but deadly!
For a five-person mercenary team, drawing the attention of a national-level Special Forces was absolutely fatal; no fool would engage in such madness.
Clearly, Angel said she came for an interview, to meet an informant.
But the informant she met was no ordinary one.
This was something none of them had anticipated, which essentially meant that Angel had dragged everyone down into the current perilous situation.
"Are you insane? I'm your employer!"
Angel's face was pale, but she still tried to maintain her composure, not letting fear overtake her as she took on the role of an employer: "You mercenaries are paid to do your job; I'm only responsible for paying you! You have no right to question my affairs!"
The Cook paused for a moment, then he laughed: "Do you think this is the Lighthouse Country? Do you think this is a courtroom? You bitch, and you dare talk to me about rights?!"
Bang—
The Cook didn't waste any words after that, raising his hand and firing a shot into the ground next to Angel.
"Ah—ah—ah—"
Angel broke down immediately.
She clutched her head, shaking like someone high on drugs in a nightclub, her screams more piercing than a pig pressed against a table.
Grey Wolf said, "Boss, we don't need to tarnish our reputation by killing our employer."
The Cook turned to look at Grey Wolf: "You think you can do it better?"
Grey Wolf shrugged: "I'm not as eloquent as you are."
After a pause, he added, "But I have a perfect solution."
The Cook asked, "What's the solution?"
Grey Wolf replied, "Drive her to the town. It's all Sadam's soldiers there now; they'll take good care of an American, especially a woman."
Grey Wolf's suggestion made Song Heping turn his head in disbelief.
This was even worse than killing her outright.
You see, those loyal to Sadam's former government army were now renegades, capable of anything extreme without causing surprise.
A live beheading?
Or assault her first, then kill her?
Or lock her up in a dungeon as a human shield?
All were possibilities.
Angel, hearing Grey Wolf's words, indeed started wailing even louder than before.
White Bear, touching his buttock which had stopped bleeding but still hurt, clenched his teeth and gave his opinion, "Let's get moving and cut the chatter, don't let her screaming here attract the enemy; that would complicate things. Hand her over to me, I'll take care of her, and toss her into the oil refining pool."
Seeing everyone ready to put Angel to death, Song Heping understood their anger; after all, they had almost been completely annihilated just moments ago, which would infuriate anyone.
He had already suspected that Angel harbored many secrets that couldn't be exposed.
His suspicions were finally confirmed.
He also wanted to know what kind of trouble he had gotten himself into.
So, he went straight to Angel, squatted down beside her, and said to the disheveled and distressed woman, "Hey! Angel, listen to me, we are all reasonable people here. If you speak up, I believe no one will trouble you. Look, why is everyone so angry? It's not because we are afraid of dying, but because you weren't honest——"
Song Heping tried to make his voice as gentle as possible.
He knew that force sometimes wasn't effective.
After all, the cooks had played bad cop enough, and this foreign girl was almost driven mad already.
Driving her crazy wouldn't be beneficial.
Not to mention that everyone had gotten their heads wet, and the job had come this far; they couldn't just quit halfway through.
Even if it meant provoking the US Special Forces, they needed to understand the twists and turns of this affair, as there might still be a solution.
Otherwise…
He suddenly remembered that all his new gear was frantically stripped from the body of that dead man earlier, and a chill couldn't help but emerge from within him.
That was someone he had killed with his own hands.
If it was a member of the US Special Forces, how could they not pursue it?
There's no military organization more vindictive than the Special Forces.
If so, his dreams of making a fortune would be shattered, and he would be lucky to safely escape Illiguo and return to his homeland.
Angel had always had a special trust in Song Heping.
Now, softened by his gentle voice, the emotions she had bottled up inside immediately became like floodwaters through a dam, and she threw herself into Song Heping's embrace, clinging to his neck and weeping profusely.
Caught off guard, Song Heping embraced her fully, stunned for a moment, then began to gently pat her back and comfort her, "Talk, just talk, explain what happened, and there will be no problems."
Grey Wolf and White Bear stood aside, watching Song Heping with contempt, feeling like he was taking advantage of the situation.
But the cook saw what was happening. Song Heping was playing the good cop, so he signaled Grey Wolf and White Bear to not interfere.
Indeed, Song Heping's good cop role was effective. After crying for a while, guided by him, Angel finally disclosed the whole inside story in bits and pieces.
After hearing it, everyone present was stunned.
What the hell…
What had they gotten themselves into…
The conflict between the donkey and the elephant?
The Kelly Report?
The military?
Langley?
Congressional forces?
This constantly weeping foreign girl was actually the well-known Old Witch's niece?
Even the normally fearless cook realized the gravity of the situation this time.
He quickly analyzed the whole affair in his head and speculated which department had secretly acted against them earlier.
The answer seemed indelibly linked to Langley.
The thought made him shudder.
If that were true, they couldn't stay in Illiguo any longer.
If targeted by Langley, a small "Musician" Mercenary Group was nothing but an ant; they could crush them with a simple footstep.
Song Heping, shaken to the core, also had a sudden realization.
The straightforward White Bear was the first to speak up, "Boss, let's hold this foreign girl hostage, use her to ensure our safety, and leave Illiguo! We've killed their people, whether it's the military or Langley, they won't let us go!"