50 kiloters east of Kirkuk, ambush point.
Ti: Local ti 05:47.
Song Heping lay in a natural rock crevice on the reverse slope of the ridge line, his right eye pressed tightly against the eyepiece of the AN/PAS-13 thermal imaging viewer, the screen glowing with a ghostly green light.
The thermal imager filtered out the thick fog interference, presenting the scene of the dried riverbed below in the form of temperature differential color blocks—seven clear thermal signals were bouncing along the ancient river course.
Three rcedes G500 military bulletproof SUVs, their body contours under thermal imaging showed a stark difference from civilian models in terms of heft and edges, caused by multilayer composite armor and bullet-proof glass creating thermal disparities.
Ten ard pickups guarded front and rear, each with a DShK 12.7mm heavy machine gun and PKM 7.62mm general-purpose machine gun mounted on their beds.
The convoy's traveling speed was about fifty-five kiloters per hour.
"Here they co."
Song Heping let out a sigh of relief.
Looks like this ti the Arican intelligence didn't botch it.
"All teams, attention, target has entered Zone A. Repeat, target has entered the preset ambush Zone A."
His voice transmitted through a bone-conduction microphone, modulated by a frequency-hopping encrypted radio, reached every earphone scattered throughout the valley.
"Fire support team received. Stable observation established."
The response ca from thirty ters to the left.
Jiang Feng was completely enveloped in a custom-made gray-brown ghillie suit, almost rged with the weathered listone beneath him, even within five ters it was hard to distinguish him as a living being.
In front of him, a deeply modified Accuracy International AXMC sniper rifle was steadily mounted on a flat granite rock.
.338 Lapua Magnum caliber, competition-grade stainless steel heavy floating barrel, titanium alloy receiver, the entire system finely tuned by Jiang Feng himself to perfection.
The barrel was wrapped with mud-soaked camo strips to suppress the effects of heat haze and dust on the scope's vision.
The angle of the bipod was precisely calculated to ensure the rifle could reset along the preset trajectory under recoil.
Jiang Feng controlled his breathing well.
Only four complete breathing cycles per minute, heart rate dropped below fifty per minute, every muscle in his body in the most stable relaxed state.
This is the ultimate way for top snipers to maintain peak condition between long waits and lethal strikes.
"Thermal signal stable. Environntal paraters: wind southeast, gusts, wind speed 2-4 ters per second, average 3. Humidity 72%, temperature 4 degrees Celsius. Distance 285 ters, correction amount left 0.2 mils, down 0.1 mils."
Jiang Feng's voice ca through the radio, every syllable as precise as if asured with a vernier caliper, carrying no personal emotion, only pure data flow.
This mission is very important.
Jiang Feng, as the head of the fire support team, also had to personally take action, and at crucial monts must control the field perfectly.
"Received. Maintain lock."
Song Heping's gaze did not leave the viewer.
"Abu You, report the assault team's status."
After a brief radio silence, Abu You's deliberately lowered voice ca through the earpiece:
"Assault groups one to four, totaling twenty n, all in position."
"Good."
Song Heping tracked the convoy's slow movent on thermal imaging.
"Rember the priorities: First, ensure the absolute safety of 'Elder' (code na for Masood); second, capture 'Target A' (Barzani) alive. Only the dead can bear guilt in the grave, the living can confess at the military tribunal, repent under the TV caras."
"Understood, live capture prioritized."
Abu You's response was succinct and forceful.
The convoy crawled into the narrowest throat of the canyon, where the riverbed width was less than twenty ters, and the cliffs on both sides were steep as if cut by a knife.
The lead car suddenly braked, tires screeching on gravel.
The entire convoy ca to a stop sequentially.
The rear door of the middle black rcedes G500 was abruptly pushed open from the inside.
The first to get out was Barzani.
He turned sharply with rough movents, reached into the car forcefully, grabbed Masood's arm, and pulled the person inside out roughly, as if dragging a sack of grain.
Masood was dragged out of the car, cursing angrily.
But it was useless.
In the face of absolute force, this highest leader of the Kurd Ard was as weak as a helpless chick.
"Adil Hill..."
Masood surveyed his surroundings, finally landing his gaze on his nephew.
"This is the canyon left by ancestors, witness to our blood resisting Sadam, witness to our sacrifice resisting '1515'. Today, are you choosing to kill and bear historical infamy here? Is this the result you want?! Barzani!"
"Result?!"
Barzani's roar exploded:
"I pursue what's rightfully mine! It's what I exchange blood and life for! Thirty years, uncle! From the marshes outside Mosul City, to the burning rigs of Kirkuk Oil Field, to beside the corpses of slaughtered Yazidis on Sinjar Mountain... which bloody, desperate battle wasn't fought by for you?! Your scepter, every inch soaked in the blood of my n! And now? Now you're discarding after crossing the river? Do you think I don't know? Once you return you'll convene the Military Committee, and discard all my duties like a worn rag?"
Masood quietly listened to his nephew's roar, the hidden sorrow in his eyes gradually replaced by cold disappointnt.
He shook his head slowly: "Dismissed from duty? Barzani, if you were rely incompetent, I'd let you retire honorably. But you're betrayal! You jeopardize our entire nation's future for your ambition! Wake up! You fool! Do you think surviving in the Erbil Region through the cracks really relies on those few battles you fought? Geopolitical gas rely on more than just fists! Your fists are mighty, yet why can't you eliminate the 1515 Ard!? Your ambition isn't supported by your strength! Ambition without strength only brings disaster!"
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