The screen flickered, and the face of Madam M, which exuded a cold and hard texture even in encrypted video transmission, appeared on the screen, with the familiar cold light of the MI6 headquarters command room in the background.
"Yager."
Madam M's voice ca through the speaker, clear and calm, without any distortion from long-distance communication.
"The images from the diterranean, I presu you've received them."
She paused slightly, her gaze piercing through the screen sharply.
"Allow to remind you, this seems to confirm so of my earlier...concerns? About the cost of underestimating the enemy. I said before, this Song Heping is not an ordinary rcenary leader."
Yager felt a chill of anger surge up his spine, instantly dispelling the brief numbness.
He took a deep breath, his chest heaving, his voice low, "M! Now is not the ti to bring up old accounts! The loss of 'Hamr' is catastrophic, but the war is not over! The 20,000 troops Sayif has assembled at the border are not for show! Without aerial support, the ground attack can still crush that pathetic defense in Northern Darfur!"
He slamd his fingers heavily onto the map of the North African border spread out on the table, "Those irregular troops of Haftar, plus the rcenaries under Song Heping's command who are fighting for money, barely add up to over ten thousand! The nurical advantage is on our side! We must attack! Imdiately!"
Madam M's image remained motionless, with only a faint, almost imperceptible sneer flashing through her eyes, but her tone remained steady: "Yager, anger clouds judgnt. Using twenty thousand GNA militias with questionable organization to forcefully attack a pre-set defense line operated for months by professional soldier Song Heping?"
"Especially after the other side has just demonstrated such precise and lethal naval ambush capabilities? It's like sending sheep into the tiger's mouth. I suggest ordering Sayif to imdiately retreat to the Benghazi area, hold the existing coastal areas, and preserve strength. Song Heping has dug a pit for us, and we've just lost an elite squadron in it. Now, do we have to fill it with Sayif's last capital too?"
"Retreat? Hold the lines?"
Yager almost growled, the veins on his temples throbbing beneath the skin.
"That would an completely losing control over the southern Libyan oil fields! Losing the leverage to influence the Sudanese border! All previous investnts, all the sacrifices would be in vain! Song Heping will be firmly wedged in there like a nail! That's absolutely impossible!"
He leaned forward abruptly, his hands propped on the table, his face almost touching the screen.
"We still have a chance! As long as Sayif's army moves, it can keep Song Heping's main force firmly pinned at the border! This is part of our plan!"
"The plan already has a critical gap!"
Madam M's voice suddenly rose, with a tallic hardness, "The gap's na is Song Heping! He can use decades-old missiles in the diterranean to shoot down the most advanced F-15I! What does that an? It ans his prediction of our actions is terrifyingly accurate! And there are forces behind him that we absolutely don't understand supporting him! It ans he might have long been waiting for Sayif's army to step into his carefully chosen battlefield! At the border, waiting for Sayif is probably not an encounter but a at grinder! A firepower trap! A grave he tailored for us! It's still ti to stop and cut the losses!"
"Cut losses? Retreating in front of the enemy is the biggest failure!"
Yager was unyielding, his eyes sharp like a blade forged in fire, "We're not yet at the end of the road! Don't forget, we still have a trump card in hand!"
Just as their confrontation reached a fever pitch, another red encrypted phone next to Yager rang urgently, piercing through the static of the video call.
Yager glanced at the caller ID, it was the trump card he had just ntioned, Major Eitan, the commander of "Alpha" squad.
"Hold on, M."
Yager decisively cut off the video with Madam M, took a deep breath, and picked up the red phone, his voice instantly switching to the cold and hard tone unique to a battlefield commander: "Eitan, speak."
"Sir, we know about the 'Hamr' incident."
Major Eitan's voice ca through the encrypted line from the far-off Northern Darfur border, carrying the unique dryness of the Gobi night wind, yet exceptionally steady, without a trace of panic.
"Regrettably, we've lost so excellent pilots, but our mission window still exists, and it may even be better."
Yager's eyes narrowed, "Explain."
"The SAS encountered an attack sixty kiloters southeast of the 'Musician' base; they are currently in a hard fight."
Eitan spoke rapidly, with precise information.
"The firefight is intense, and Song Heping's elite special forces platoon has been successfully pinned down, unable to quickly return to the core base. Now, with the news of 'Hamr's' demise inevitably reaching Song Heping's ears, as long as Sayif's army advances toward Northern Darfur now—it's an open conspiracy. Given Song Heping's character and duties, he will undoubtedly mobilize all available forces from the base to support the border defense! Sir, think about it, when Song Heping's ten-thousand-strong troops line up against Sayif's twenty thousand army at the border, gunfire roaring, what will be left in Song Heping's base? Logistics? Civil personnel? Guard platoon?"
Eitan's voice contained a hint of excitent like a hunter discovering a perfect opportunity: "The base must now be more vulnerable than ever before! This is the perfect timing we've been waiting for! We're already in position, the ambush point is less than two kiloters from the base's outer guard post. As soon as Sayif's 'performance' at the border begins, drawing all eyes, I assure you, within thirty minutes, my dagger can pierce into Song Heping's heart! Decapitation strike, the feasibility is extrely high! Requesting execution!"
Yager's heart pounded violently in his chest. Eitan's analysis was like lightning tearing through the fog.
Anger and frustration were instantly replaced by a sense of all-or-nothing determination.
Risk?
Huge!
But the potential reward—directly severing the central node of Song Heping, paralyzing the entire 'Musician' defense system, even turning the entire North African battle into a reversal—is an irresistible temptation!
The blood of a gambler surged through his veins.
He could almost see Eitan's commandos infiltrating like ghosts, see Song Heping falling onto his command chair.
This might be the only consolation for the spirits of the 'Hamr' squadron in heaven!
"Major Eitan!"
Yager's voice was deep and powerful, each word squeezed out between his teeth, carrying undeniable determination.
"Your judgnt aligns with my thoughts. I now approve the execution of the 'decapitation' operation! I will imdiately coordinate to ensure Sayif is ready for 'opening' at the border! Rember, there's only one target: Song Heping! Doesn't matter dead or alive, but I need confirmation! The timing window for action is yours to seize, but be sure to ensure a kill shot! 'Pit' will give you the highest priority for satellite and intelligence support! God bless Israel!"
"Received, Sir! The 'Alpha' team has locked onto the target and will not disappoint you!"
Eitan's voice was resolute, and the communication was then cut off.
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