Illiguo, outskirts of Tikrit.
Song Heping crawled onto a small mound with the low posture of a snake.
It must be said, night-vision goggles are a great thing.
The high-end product, exclusively used by the Special Forces of the United States, could still make out the surroundings clearly even under such dark conditions without light.
"Queen, are you in position yet?"
"In position, but this godforsaken place... there's not a single good spot!"
Queen complained softly over the channel, her words peppered with a few cursing Russian words.
Song Heping had never met a woman who cursed so much.
He didn't know what White Bear saw in her.
The "Musician" Mercenary Group had left the vehicle two kilometers away, then dismounted the M2HB from the Humvee along with the ammunition and carried it near this farm, and took two RPG rocket launchers that were also on the Humvee, planning to use them as heavy firepower support.
Speaking of heavy firepower, it was actually still light firepower.
If there was an Apache helicopter, it would be better than any rocket launcher.
Or rather...
Having an AC-130 gunship for oneself wouldn't be too bad either...
Unfortunately, there were none.
And there wouldn't be.
A small team could only have such conditions.
Had to endure it.
If firepower wasn't enough, tactics would compensate.
Now, according to the intelligence provided by Thomas, Sayif was right here on this farm.
After some reconnaissance, it was confirmed that there were four buildings on the farm.
The main building was a two-story small building, about a hundred square meters in area, and the rest appeared to be barns and places for storing agricultural equipment.
Reconnaissance took time.
Generally speaking, scouts need at least a day or two or even longer to scout a location or target.
Through continuous, long-time observation, they would draw up a topographical map of the target, mark the positions of sentries and important weapon installations, clarify the patrolling routes of the enemy sentries and their shift timings, and create tactical plans specifically targeted at them.
"Chef."
Song Heping said, "You should have gotten the reconnaissance photos from Thomas."
Chef replied angrily, "Asked, didn't give."
Song Heping snorted coldly, "Didn't give? That's interesting."
Chef asked, "What's interesting?"
Song Heping sighed, "Do you think Thomas's people can't handle this place?"
Chef said, "Of course they can."
Song Heping said, "There you have it, he's using us as a knife, applying the strategy of killing by borrowing a knife, without getting his own hands dirty or paying any price, picking up the ripe fruits, waiting for us to drain each other..."
As he spoke, he pointed at the dimly lit farm in the distance.
"Look at this. This large open area, currently over twenty patrolling personnel can be seen around the farm, not sure how many are inside the houses or hidden as covert sentries. Assuming that one-third are deployed while two-thirds rest and recuperate, there are at least seventy or so Suicide Squad members on this farm.
It's too risky for us to approach; without any cover, we could easily be spotted, and once discovered, it means death, no second option."
Chef also realized this and cursed with a frown, "Thomas, that sneaky bastard!"
Then he asked, "Do you have any good plans?"
Song Heping glanced at him, "Aren't you the boss?"
Chef was straightforward, "Then how about you take over as the boss? Do you think being the boss is comfortable?"
Song Heping said, "Haven't seen such a butcher's scrap before."
After watching for a while longer, Song Heping shook his head, "Without air support, it's difficult for us to succeed, even now we don't have enough time, not even clear about the patrol team's shift times, otherwise we could have used the shift change to make a fast assault..."
Chef checked his watch. It was already 2:50 AM.
"Song, we only have ten minutes left until the planned meeting time, we're out of time."
Song Heping pulled back his head and turned over, facing the starry sky on his back.
As he watched the twinkling stars, his mind sped, contemplating countermeasures.
Tactics...
Tactics...
What tactics should be adopted?
Scenes from past trainings flashed through his mind.
The instructor's voice, as he jabbed his own forehead and yelled, still rang in his ears.
"Water has no constant shape, soldiers have no constant form, keep your mind flexible. If you really hit the battlefield, don't rigidly stick to everything you've learned, forget it! Let it merge into your blood, your bones, become part of you!"
Damn...
Song Heping cursed under his breath.
The instructor's words from back then were too damn philosophical, this stuff sounds simple, but applying it is not simple at all.
"Damn! Make a decision, will you? Only seven minutes left!"
The cook was urging him anxiously from the side.
"Stop freaking calling me 'Damn'—I always feel like you guys are taking advantage of me!" Song Heping, feeling irritated, couldn't help but curse at the cook.
The cook licked his lips and straightened his tongue, then very humbly and seriously said, "Damn... Did you think of any plan?"
Maybe it's because of speaking too much Russian that it doesn't straighten out.
Still 'Damn'.
"Damn!"
Song Heping suddenly sat up, then grabbed an RPG rocket launcher and slung it on his back, and bolted like lightning.
This move directly stunned the cook.
What's going on?
Deserting just before the battle?
Quitting?
Just because he called him "Damn"?
"Damn, what are you doing?!"
The cook loudly demanded through the channel.
Fortunately, he heard Song Heping's reply, "Cook, no time to explain now, you guys stay put, hide in the current position, wait for my command to fire, remember my words, try to inflict damage and hold back his bodyguards, buy some time!"
"What did you say? I didn't get it!"
"You don't need to understand! It's 'mowing grass to catch rabbits'!"
"Mowing grass to catch rabbits? What rabbit?"
The cook was confused.
What exactly happened?
His head was all muddled.
Song Heping ran at top speed, circling the farm heading north.
The north side of the farm was Tikrit Urban District.
It was a place not yet fully controlled by the allied forces.
Currently, the district still harbored numerous former Suicide Squad members loyal to Sadam, who had turned into guerrillas hiding in the city, engaging the allied forces with harassment and street battles.
If Sayif thought Angel had colluded with the intelligence department, then the moment he was attacked, he would be that panicked rabbit!
He would surely flee.
Where would he flee?
Of course, it was the Tikrit Urban District.
That was the safest place nearby.
So, the north was the must-pass route.
Song Heping decided to go there to intercept them.
Carrying an RPG rocket launcher added weight to him.
But it was no issue for Song Heping, who regularly undertook a ten-kilometer armed cross-country run.
Speed was crucial.
Fortunately, his ten-kilometer cross-country times used to be around 36 minutes, making him one of the best performers in his unit back then.
The wind whipped past his ears, and Song Heping felt as if he had returned to his past days.
This time, he ran faster than he ever had before.
After all, his life was at stake.
The cook was still asking over the channel, but Song Heping couldn't be bothered to respond.
If the cook couldn't even trust him that much, there was no point in being comrades who had each other's backs.
"He's called,"
suddenly came Angel's voice from the earphone.
The Western girl was currently two kilometers away, in a bulletproof vehicle, communicating via the vehicle's radio.
The "he" she was referring to was definitely Sayif.
Song Heping glanced at his watch.
It was exactly three o'clock.
"Angel, showcase your acting talent to hold him off—delay him as long as you can!"