Mercenaries, I Will Be King Chapter 1223 - 1069: Hellish Beginning

This godforsaken place called Dry Sand River is actually a misnor.

It's not a raging river but a massive dried-up gorge carved out by wind and sand erosion over the ages.

The riverbed, several hundred ters wide, is filled with loose quicksand and heavily weathered jagged rocks, creating nurous natural depressions, gullies, and rolling dunes.

Once wheels and tracks sink into the soft sand, speeds drop drastically, and even the strongest mobility is severely compromised.

The two sides of the gorge are flanked by wind-eroded earth cliffs, ranging from ten to twenty ters high. Not perilously steep, but they offer excellent concealnt and elevated shooting positions.

The cliff walls are pocked with wind-eroded holes and cracks, making natural shooting ports and hiding spots for soldiers.

This kind of terrain is very common in the Middle East.

Whenever Song Heping arrives at a location, he looks at the map first.

He checks the terrain surrounding his location clearly.

It's almost a habit.

Evidently, it's a good habit.

This terrain is a natural fortress born for blocking battles, and it's the death trap Song Heping carefully chose for arming 1515.

The ti pressure is suffocating.

After arriving at Dry Sand River from the camp, Song Heping gave Samir and the Suicide Squad less than 15 minutes.

This amount of ti, to set up a defense line capable of halting three thousand enemy soldiers across such a vast area, is practically a drop in the bucket.

"Samir! Get the people to unload all the explosives, shells, and rocket warheads from the vehicles! Especially those spare warheads for the 107 rockets!"

Song Heping jumped off the ard pickup, speaking faster than a machine gun.

"Naxin, your n, bring the engineers and follow ! Everyone else, as units, imdiately construct simple shooting bunkers! The machine gun groups pick crossfire positions first! Anti-tank teams search for high ground to control the gorge entrances and main paths! Quick! We don't have a minute to waste!"

The orders were carried out like an avalanche.

The entire Suicide Squad beca a machine in sudden high-speed operation.

The militia roared, running in the scorching sand.

Heavy ammo boxes were dragged from the trucks and pried open.

Bundles of TNT blocks, crates of mortar shells, spare warheads for the 107 rockets, and even whole barrels of gasoline were quickly gathered.

Song Heping led Naxin's team and several selected engineers, weaving through the narrowest section at the gorge entrance.

"Here!"

Song Heping pointed to an area where the earth cliffs were relatively steep on both sides and the riverbed narrowed.

"This is the throat! Concentrate the explosives and bury them here! Bury them deep! Cover and camouflage with stones and sand! Set the detonation point at the top of the cliff, remote detonation! Move fast!"

He instructed while personally moving a heavy stone.

"Those wind-eroded caves there!"

He pointed again to several larger depressions inside the entrance.

"Stuff them with shells! Make them into delay or remotely controlled trap mines! Once the entrance explodes, these will be the 'surprises' for the following enemies!"

"Understood!"

The engineers, their faces covered in sweat, worked with extraordinary speed.

Using bayonets and entrenching tools, they dug frantically in the soft sand, burying crates of explosives, and connecting long detonation wires.

This ti in the weapons support provided by Avanti, there was quite a bit of explosives and shells.

Song Heping instructed that, besides the necessary bullets, every vehicle's load was to be allocated to explosives and shells.

The scorching sun of the day heated the fire, and the sand seed to be ablaze. Sweat dripped into the sand and disappeared in less than two seconds.

While Song Heping was setting the explosives, Samir was directing his n setting up the attack positions.

Brand new PKM general-purpose machine guns were set up in shallow pits, with their barrels aid at predetermined fire sectors, and sandbags hurriedly piled up.

The hefty DShK heavy machine guns were moved onto relatively sturdy cliff platforms, their long barrels overlooking the entire river valley.

Several simple but powerful 107mm rocket launchers were carefully pushed into deep sand nests, with their black artillery barrels aid at the gorge entrance, as the artillery lieutenant nervously calculated firing paraters using a simple rangefinder and compass.

The most valuable Konkurs anti-tank missile launchers were personally handled by Samir,

deployed behind cliff cover on the southern bank where the view was excellent, covering the entrance and the open ground in front.

Song Heping moved among various key points, constantly adjusting deploynts: "Move this machine gun position forward ten ters! The fire sector will be better! Mind the elevation angle!"

"Disperse the anti-tank teams! Don't crowd together! Otherwise, you'll all be taken out in one go!"

"The rocket launcher position is too far forward! Move it back behind that large sand dune! Attention to camouflage!"

He strategically positioned the limited manpower and firepower resources in the most lethal locations.

Sweat soaked the back of his camouflage uniform, yet he seed unaware, with only the death trap about to take shape in his mind.

In just fifteen minutes, an ambush position ford based on terrain, centered on explosives, and layered with light and heavy firepower.

The cost was that everyone was nearly exhausted, their fingers blistered by the rough sand and rocks, lips chapped.

Looking at the set explosive points and set heavy weapons, a solemn sense of ready sacrifice pervaded the troops.

"Everyone back! Everyone back! Hurry! Don't waste ti, I estimate those guys are coming soon!"

Song Heping led the engineers away from the riverbed, quickly returning to a concealed observation post atop the slope on the north side of the gorge.

He set up his Dragunov SVD sniper rifle firmly on the sandbags, as the commander of this ambush, he wouldn't be charging, but this Russian-made sniper rifle could turn the surrounding 1000 ters into the absolute domain of the Grim Reaper.

Through the PSO-1 optical scope's unique reticle with range-finding lines, the dry riverbed area ca into full view.

The rciless midday sun scorched the Gobi, and the air shimred intensely in the heat, as distant scenes wavered like a mirage.

But beneath that twisted illusion, a clear yellow-brown dragon was rolling in!

The engine's roar began as a low vibration on the horizon, quickly rging into a heart-stopping howl, like the concentrated sound of war drums pounding on the heart of each ambusher before a battle.

"They're here."

Song Heping's voice was deep, clearly transmitted through the radio channel to the ears of every Suicide Squad mber at the ambush point.

Behind and below him, on both sides of the river valley, three hundred mbers of the "Liberation Forces" Suicide Squad blended into the rocks and sand like chaleons, quietly lurking behind hastily constructed simple bunkers.

Lurking in the scorching sand wasn't an easy thing.

Sweat soaked the clothes on the back, quickly evaporating in the hot air, leaving white salt stains.

There was no talking, only the sound of heavy breathing and the subtle friction of fingers unconsciously rubbing triggers.

Song Heping precisely recalled in his mind each preset firing point, minefield, and anti-tank team's position.

His orders were brief and clear, spreading through the throat mic across the entire position:

"Samir, south bank anti-tank team, prepare 'Konkurs' missile, target: enemy 'Tank' and armored trucks, first round must destroy or cripple their heavy firepower platform! Rember, hit the side connections or turret base!"

"Received! Boss!"

Samir's voice carried a hint of tense excitent as he personally operated an old-model 'Konkurs' launcher, lying behind a carefully constructed bunker, with the reticle of his PSO-1M2 scope locked onto the swirling dust at the entrance of the valley.

"Rocket group! Target: area 300 to 500 ters behind river entrance, cover subsequent enemy infantry and vehicle clusters! Three rapid shots! Imdiately relocate to fallback positions after firing!"

"Rocket group received! All paraters set! Azimuth XXX, firing angle XXX!" The voice of the commanding artillery Lieutenant was hoarse but firm.

"All machine gun groups! Crossfire! Block main channels of the riverbed! Wait for my command, fire at 200 ters! Prioritize taking down fast mobile motorcycles!"

"Understood!"

"IDE group! Final check on remote detonation device wiring! Ensure everything is flawless!"

"Wiring is clear! Detonator normal! Ready to detonate anyti!"

"Sniper group..."

Song Heping finally turned his gaze to the few Naxin team mbers beside him, similarly equipped with SVD sniper rifles.

"Free hunt! Priorities: enemy commanders, heavy weapon operators, signal officers, and vehicle drivers! Take out their eyes and brain!"

"Understood! Leave it to us!"

Naxin nodded excitedly, his SVD's safety already toggled off, with the stock firmly pressed against his shoulder.

With commands issued, the battlefield fell into a suffocating silence, only broken by the distant growl of approaching engines and the whimper of hot winds skimming over the sand dunes.

Every mber of the Suicide Squad stared intently at the direction of the river valley entrance, adrenaline surging through their veins, hearts pounding so fiercely it almost seed as if they would burst from their chests, fingers gripping the guns turned white from exertion.

They're here!

Finally, they're here!

Three hundred VS three thousand!

A Hell-like start!

At the river entrance, motorcycles appeared first.

Behind them, the first vehicle bearing a fierce black skull emblem, the "Death God Pika," rushed out of the sand like a wild dog!

The DShK heavy machine gun mounted on the truck bed glead with the cold light of death in the blinding sun.

The black flag of the Levant shone in the raging wind.

Then ca the second, third...

Dozens of modified off-road motorcycles, equipped with armor plates, emitted piercing screeches, darting around like a swarm of venomous bees, their nimble bodies zigzagging madly over the fine sand, clearing the way for the following force.

Behind them, heavy shadows began to appear - three "Tanks" welded with thick, rough steel plates using old truck chassis drove in with a rumble.

Atop the crude open turrets, the KPV 14.5 mm heavy machine gun barrel slowly turned, conspicuously nacing.

Behind them ca two heavily modified armored trucks, mounted with dual ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft guns, their 23 mm barrels pointing forward, operators with faces covered and turbaned faintly visible behind the guns.

And further back, a dark mass of regular ard pickups and trucks, all without tarps, with 1515 extremists wielding various rifles, shouting fanatic and aningless cries, stepping into Dry Sand River's death zone amid deafening chants of "Allahu Akbar."

"Keep steady... steady... calm... calm..."

Song Heping's voice, like cold water, poured through the throat mic onto each Suicide Squad mber's taut nerves.

His index finger lightly rested on SVD's cold trigger guard, his breathing adjusted to a steady and long rhythm.

The crosshair of his PSO-1 scope steadfastly enclosed the narrow observation slit of the first "Tank's" cockpit.

He was waiting, waiting for his prey to step completely into the trap's center.

The hot wind blowing across the valley carried sand grains, lightly prickling the skin.

But this also had an advantage, allowing him to precisely estimate the wind speed and direction's influence.

1515's leading motorcycles and pickups had already reached the midsection of the valley, their speed inevitably slowing down.

The loose sand greedily devoured the wheels' montum, and the rugged terrain scattered with rocks forced them to frequently turn, decelerate, with so motorcycles charging too hard, getting stuck in a sandpit, futilely spinning their rear wheels, their occupants jumping down to help push.

The entire vanguard force resembled a massive, clumsy, and crowded reptile, jamd together at the narrow entrance and relatively open mid-section, with vehicles piling up as they followed.

Good!

Brilliant!

This was precisely the perfect opportunity he had patiently awaited!

"Detonate!"

Song Heping's voice instantly pierced through the suffocating silence!

"Boom—!!! Boom boom boom—!!!"