Song Heping quickly located another listening device in another Lincoln, and he destroyed that one as well.
After everything was completed, Song Heping threw a glance at the chef and said, "Chef, I'd like to talk to you alone."
"What a coincidence, I have something to discuss with you as well."
Unexpectedly, the chef had the same idea.
So, the two of them changed location and found a room next door.
Once they shut the door, the chef spoke first, "Song, we can't take on this deal anymore."
As he spoke, he took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lit one for himself, and offered another to Song Heping.
Song Heping waved his hand, "I don't smoke."
After speaking, he subconsciously looked around the room.
Fortunately, the room didn't even have windows, so smoking wouldn't make the chef a target.
"I was thinking the same, Angel's deal can't continue," Song Heping said. "Meeting Mr. J again is pointless."
"Huh?" The chef paused, then added, "I thought you were just afraid of provoking the CIA."
Song Heping said, "Of course not. If we hurry back to the Green Zone today, what happens tonight might not be scrutinized by anyone. We act like we know nothing, and so will the CIA, everyone playing dumb."
"But now it's different. Mr. J is not dead, and Angel wants to meet him again. I have a feeling it's a trap."
"A trap?" the chef said. "I was just worried that the CIA's action teams would trace us here. They surely know Mr. J isn't dead, and perhaps that drone has returned. We basically have no chance to escape their surveillance."
"Escaping won't help," sighed Song Heping. "Even if we manage to dodge all surveillance and take Angel to see Mr. J, it would still be a dead end."
The chef asked, "How do you come up with that idea?"
Song Heping said, "Though I don't have any proof, don't you find it strange that so many of Mr. J's men have just been killed, and suddenly he's so reasonable, unconcerned, uninvestigative, and immediately wants a meeting? If you were Mr. J, what would you think?"
While speaking, Song Heping pointed at the chef, then at himself.
"Change your perspective, analyze it from the perspective of battlefield psychology."
The chef openly said, "I've never been a soldier."
Song Heping had no choice but to explain again, "Anyone would think that Angel and the CIA are in this together."
After thinking for a moment, the chef suddenly found it very reasonable, "Right, you're right!"
He touched his bald head and couldn't help but give it a strong pat.
Perhaps feeling silly for overlooking such an obvious point and embarrassed to slap his own face, he settled for hitting his bald head instead.
"Looks like we really shouldn't go. Sadam has been missing for months, and those loyal to him, former military officers, and soldiers have now formed a Suicide Squad. It's said they're active in the northwest of Illiguo. That's why there's been non-stop fighting in the region lately. If we recklessly take that foolish girl over there, the few of us won't even be enough to stick between their teeth."
"So..."
Song Heping spread his hands.
"We can't take this job. Even if Angel offers a lot of money, having money but no life to spend it doesn't help."
The chef is a straightforward person, and he had already sensed something fishy, which is why he had come to talk to Song Heping privately.
Now that the two had reached a consensus, he also came up with a decision.
"Let's go talk to Angel, we're not taking this job! She can find someone else to accompany her to her death if she wants, but not us."
Just as they were about to head out, the chef's satellite phone started vibrating in his pocket.
"Huh?"
He took out the satellite phone, saw the number, and was stunned.
Song Heping noticed the oddity and quickly asked, "What's wrong?"
"Блядь!"
The chef cursed in Russian.
"Thomas."
Even in the dark where it was hard to see clearly, Song Heping still heard the chef gritting his teeth.
"Him?"
Song Heping was also shocked.
What time was it?
This guy actually dared to call the chef directly?
What was he up to?
The chef hesitated for a moment, but still answered the call.
"Thomas, you're still up this late?"
The chef's tone was filled with mockery, lacking the warmth of before.
Of course, there was no warmth left.
Everyone now knew that the shooting incident beside the dam had been instigated by Thomas's men.
It seemed they were already in a hostile state.
Thomas was also a sensible man and seeing how things had unfolded, there wasn't much left to hide, so he got straight to the point, "Chef, who removed the bug from the car?"
The chef glanced at Song Heping beside him, then said, "Sadam discovered it."
Thomas said, "He really is an unexpected one, always bringing surprises my way."
The chef replied, "We didn't die, you're disappointed, aren't you?"
Thomas cheekily said, "I am a bit disappointed. I thought you would die at the dam. It seems I underestimated your strength, especially Sadam's."
The chef said, "We are still in Krasa Town, where are your operatives? Send them over. I believe there's still a tracker in the car, you know where we are."
Song Heping was quite impressed with the chef's guts.
Although he had no military experience, his presence and courage were second to none, a born leader indeed.
Thomas was silent for a moment.
Only then did he say in a deep voice, "Chef, the previous incident was strictly business, nothing personal. Now that I know Mr. J isn't dead and Angel is going to meet him, I suddenly find myself interested in making a deal with you, see if you're willing to take it."
Without changing his expression, the chef asked, "A deal? What deal? To kill Angel right away?"
"Of course not to kill that naive girl. "
Thomas coughed lightly on the phone.
"It's to capture Mr. J, also known as Muhammad Sayyaf."
The chef put the phone on speaker and asked, "Are you sure? You want us to kill Sayyaf?"
Thomas said, "Exactly, he is the real target I'm after."
The chef continued, "You have plenty of men under you, more professional in dirty work, do you need us, loners like us, to do your bidding?"
Thomas said, "I've thought it through. Instead of sending men to fight to the death with you while also trying to kill Sayyaf, why not let you do it? I said before, I underestimated you. Now, I'm giving you a chance to serve the interests of the United States. You can say NO or YES, but I remind you, it's a one-time offer."
Both Song Heping and the chef heard this loud and clear.
In the darkness, Song Heping nodded.
The chef understood intuitively, and the two reached a consensus once again.
"So, what's our payment?"
"You can check out the wanted poster, see how much Sayyaf is worth, that will be your payment. Anything else, I won't give a cent," Thomas said. "Tonight, two of my men died at your hands, and according to usual practices, if responsibility was pursued, you wouldn't have made it out of Illiguo alive."
The chef was silent for a moment, then nodded, "Deal!"
Laughter of triumph came from Thomas over the phone, "Very good..."
He suddenly asked, "Sadam is beside you, right?"
The chef could only confirm, "That's right."
Thomas said, "Tell him an old saying from China, 'A wise man submits to circumstances.'"
Song Heping took the satellite phone in hand and said to Thomas over the phone, "Thank you for your advice. However, I have a question."
"What question?"
"Do we have any support?"
"If you capture Sayyaf, my people will come to support you. Otherwise, we won't interfere and risk spooking the target."
"You're sending five of us to capture Sayyaf alive? Isn't that a suicide mission?!"
"Sayyaf's bounty is five million dollars. If it were that easy to get, do you think it'd be your turn?"
Again, Thomas showed his nearly despicable honesty.
"Sadam, risk and reward are always proportional."
Thomas's voice then faded on the phone.
In the darkness, after pondering for a moment, Song Heping said, "Fine, but I have a request, and I hope you can accommodate it."
"Go ahead, given our past life-and-death relationship, if I can help you, I definitely will."
At the mention of a "life-and-death relationship", Song Heping couldn't help but feel nauseous.
However, he still suppressed his emotion and said firmly, "I need your technical intelligence support, help me track a set of signals at the right time."
This time, it was Thomas's turn to be stunned.
After a long pause, he seemed to taste the meaning, "Sadam, were you really raising pigs during your service?"
Song Heping said, "Yes, but I also slaughtered pigs."
Thomas burst into laughter over the phone and eventually agreed, "Alright, I know what you want to do, and I will arrange it, but you have to inform me about the general area in advance."
"No problem."
The two ended their conversation and hung up the phone.
"Is it settled?" the chef asked.
Song Heping nodded, "It is settled. Next, we are playing for five million dollars."
"Five million dollars, that's indeed a sizable amount of money…"
In the darkness, the chef smacked his lips as if savoring the taste of the dollars.