United States, Virginia, Arlington, Pentagon.
Sunlight stread through the massive bullet-proof glass windows, illuminating the expensive mahogany conference table within, yet it couldn't dispel the heavy atmosphere in the room.
At this mont, seated around the oval-shaped table in this top-secret eting room, equipped with the highest level of soundproofing and anti-electromagnetic leak asures, were a dozen figures capable of influencing the global military landscape.
At the head, Defense Minister Austin had his hands crossed on the table before him.
To his left was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mark.
To the right and arrayed in sequence were several actual power-holding generals from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. Their expressions varied, from grave to contemplative to hints of imperceptible doubt.
Currently displayed on the LCD screen to the left was Colonel Kote, who had just finished briefing the attending military leaders.
In the center of the eting room, a massive high-resolution display screen clearly showed satellite maps of the Northern Illiguo Hulmatu Region, where several glaring, seemingly blood-scented red "X" markings were firmly pinned at key positions—
These were command nodes of "Musician" defense identified via comprehensive intelligence analysis, core troop assembly points, and the most likely activity coordinates of Song Heping.
"Gentlen."
Minister Austin finally spoke.
"Based on the latest and most comprehensive assessnt report provided by our intelligence analysis departnt and frontline command units..."
He paused, his gaze slowly sweeping over each military senior official present.
"Song Heping, and the 'Musician' defense he leads, have undergone a fundantal and dangerous transformation."
Then, his tone grew weighty, every word like a hamr striking solid wood.
"He and the militia organization and rcenary Group under his control have evolved from a collaborator we needed to supervise cautiously, a potential regional instability factor, into a military presence in Northwest Illinois, and even into a hostile entity directly threatening our national security interests in the Middle East!"
"They attacked our Special Operations Forces, causing significant casualties, took ISOF soldiers hostage, and tortured them to obtain highly sensitive military information, including communication codes and operational plans..."
Minister Austin's voice grew colder.
"This series of actions has ruthlessly trampled over all unwritten rules between us, crossed all untouchable red lines! This is not friction; this is an act of war! We must take decisive asures to completely eliminate this threat!"
Then, he turned his gaze to Colonel Kote on the screen.
"Kote, you are in Baghdad, your report was very detailed just now, now talk about your views on the attack incident."
Before Austin could finish, Colonel Kote hurriedly said:
"Minister! Generals!"
His voice was sowhat sharp due to excitent.
"The danger posed by Song Heping far exceeds our initial assessnt! Using the limited resources we provided for strategic considerations earlier, he ticulously crafted an impregnable independent kingdom in Hulmatu!"
He pointed a finger, almost touching the red markings on the screen: "Look at the ard forces he's now controlling! Look at his influence on surrounding tribes! This has long surpassed the scope and baseline of a private military company! We must soberly recognize that he has evolved from a dull knife that occasionally wounds himself into a sharp sword hanging over our throat! Moreover..."
Kote deliberately paused for a mont, throwing out a more destructive assumption, although he knew this hypothesis currently lacked solid evidence:
"...Moreover, according to so unconfird but reliable intelligence, Song Heping has likely recently made contact through secret channels with personnel from the Russian Military Intelligence Bureau (GRU) or the Persia's 'Holy City Brigade'! If we continue to hesitate, what we will face in the future will no longer be the head of a PMC, but a regional warlord stuck at the northern throat of our border! The consequences are unimaginable!"
He took a deep breath and continued:
"Therefore, I strongly suggest imdiately initiating a special clearance operation! Deploy F-35s and Grim Reaper drone formations to carry out precise 'surgical' strikes on all locked high-value targets! We must ensure a one-hit kill to completely excise this tumor!"
A subdued murmur of whispers and secluded conversations echoed inside the conference room.
In the gray-area ga of counter-terrorism, it was not unheard of for a once-uncontrolled "collaborator" to silently "disappear" or suffer an "accidental demise."
"But we still have three Delta Force soldiers and two ISOF soldiers in his hands; we must consider the safety of these hostages."
One general raised his concern.
His worries garnered considerable resonance.
Two more generals proposed whether a new Special Operations Forces should be deployed to parachute into the city and retrieve the hostages during the bombing.
Yet, their opinions were vetoed by others.
After all, Song Heping currently has nearly six thousand strong in Hulmatu.
Among them, two battalions are elite rcenaries trained at the South Arican Hunter School. Many are retired veterans from South Arican, African, and even Eastern European Special Forces.
Executing a flawless airborne hostage rescue operation safely is not simple.
Amidst the varied opinions, Kote requested to speak.
"General, please allow to express my brief suggestion."
"Colonel, speak your mind."
Austin gestured for everyone to halt the discussion and listen to Kote.
"Everyone quiet down, let's hear what the frontline commander suggests."
"Indeed." Colonel Kote's gaze looked determined: "Song Heping is not easy to deal with, sending rescue teams into the city to save people and ensuring a successful retreat is almost impossible, and moreover... we don't have the ti..."
At this point, he stopped as if contemplating sothing.
All eyes were on Kote on the screen, waiting for his next statent.
"Considering the complex situation in Northwest Illinois and Hulmatu, I suggest disregarding the hostage issue, first decapitating Song Heping, and even if sothing happens to the hostages, this kind of price is acceptable, after all, there are no tearless wars, it's a reasonable cost, and moreover, even if the hostages perish, it would be easier to shift the bla onto Song Heping..."
These words were explosive enough, and the conference room beca lively again.
"This plan is too risky!"
"If we don't rescue our own soldiers and this gets exposed, it will be a scandal..."
"But taking the risk to rescue might involve more people. We can't be overly cautious just because so Delta Force soldiers are in their hands, can we?"
"Bombing may not necessarily lead to the death of the Delta Force soldiers. As long as the location is precise, I think it's worth trying. Once Song Heping is dead, I believe those rcenaries and militia will beco like headless flies, and then we can take over the entire Northwest..."
The discussion gradually reached a consensus.
Several generals from the operations departnt nodded slightly, clearly leaning towards supporting this quick and decisive solution.
Just as this undercurrent inclined towards "decapitation" was gradually converging and about to reach an agreent, the phone on Austin's desk vibrated.
Glancing at the number, he frowned but still picked it up and pressed the answer button.
The voice on the other end, saying sothing unknown, made Austin's frown grow tighter.
Finally, he simply said: "Let him in."
After hanging up the phone, Austin's gaze swept across the crowd and he announced loudly, "CIA Director Simon is here. He says he has urgent intelligence to report to us face-to-face."
The other generals exchanged bewildered glances.
Ordinarily, the CIA Director rarely makes such impromptu visits to the Pentagon without invitation.
What kind of wind brought this intelligence chief here?
Each person had a question mark hanging over their head.
Only Colonel Kote on the screen seed to have anticipated sothing, his face becoming even grimr.
Knock, knock, knock—
Following a series of knocks and Austin's permission to enter, the heavy door of the conference room was pushed open and Simon appeared at the entrance.
He first gave a slight smile and nodded slightly to greet everyone before walking straight into the conference room.
The hard soles of his shoes tapped on the polished marble floor, producing the steady and clear "tap, tap" sound that echoed in this dead silent space, as if stepping to the heartbeat rhythm of everyone present.
He walked all the way to the huge conference table, his sharp gaze sweeping over the puzzled faces of those with stars on their shoulders, finally, steadily fixing on the central figure—Defense Minister Austin.
"Mr. Minister, Generals,"
Simon greeted politely like a visiting guest:
"I apologize for interrupting your... 'important decision-making' in such an uninvited manner."
He gently placed the heavy file folder and reinforced tablet on the reflective mahogany conference table.
"However,"
he shifted his words suddenly, his tone becoming sharply incisive.
"Before I learned that you are about to sign the operational plan, which might plunge the entire Northwest Illinois situation and even a larger scope of international strategic balance into a bottomless abyss of disaster, I believed it was necessary, and crucially important, for you to first look at what I have brought."
"Simon."
Minister Austin reminded:
"This ti, you've barged into the Pentagon and into our highest-level eting scene without even making a reservation. We hope what you've brought is truly valuable, not alarming fabricated stories ant to mislead our military actions. We expect a reasonable explanation for your actions today."
"The explanation is right here, Mr. Minister."
Simon picked up the reinforced tablet, quickly and skillfully sliding, unlocking, and operating on the screen, then pulled out a special data cable, without hesitation connecting it to the main display screen interface in the conference room, capable of showing top-secret information.
Instantly, the clear satellite map of Hulmatu, previously marked with death "X" symbols, was forcibly replaced and disappeared.
Replacing it was a playing audio file.
From the speaker, the first sound was a crackling electrical noise and a deep ambient echo, sounding like a secret recording in a closed room.
Soon, the dialogue content beca exceptionally clear, each word piercing into the eardrums of everyone present like an ice pick:
[A male voice laden with obvious panic, exhaustion, and even a slight sobbing (English, heavily accented with the local Illiguo dialect):
"...We...we are the third squad of the Illiguo Special Operations Forces (ISOF)...we received orders to infiltrate the periter of Hulmatu's code-nad Z-7 area to establish a secret forward observation post..."]
[A calm voice, without any emotional fluctuations (obviously belonging to the interrogator from "Musician" Defense): "Clarify your mission objective."]
[Panicked male voice (clearly breaking down, with a choking voice):
"...The mission is...to accurately locate the mobile command vehicle of the 'Musician' Defense Commander Song Heping, as well as several activity locations he most frequently appears at...coordinates required to be precise to the ter...for...for subsequent possible 'Gemstone Road' (referring to laser-guided bombs) or 'Hellfire' (referring to drone-fired missiles) precision strikes, providing real-ti laser guidance and final damage effect assessnt..."]
[Inquiry voice (still calm): "Origin of the order? Who issued you this command?"]
[Panicked male voice (voice trembling almost incoherently):
"The command..mand has a very high encryption level...directly from Colonel Kote in Baghdad...we...we are rely soldiers executing orders..."]
The audio abruptly stopped here.
Ti seed to freeze in the conference room.
Suddenly plunged into absolute silence!
Even the low humming sound of the air conditioning system seed to vanish at this mont.
User Comments
0 comments from readers