As he was about to leave, Song Heping asked Peter for that more-than-half-full bottle of 1946 Whiskey.
Such a fine thing shouldn't be enjoyed alone; it needed to be taken back to share with Ferrari and the others.
Ferrari was the most knowledgeable about food and drink, deeply versed in the matter.
Fine wine for the gourt, a precious sword for the hero.
He didn't know if it was because of the whiskey or maybe because of the 240 million US Dollar contract.
Song Heping felt his feet floating off the ground a bit.
About the matter of going under cover for the US Army in the Golden Crescent, there were still so details that hadn't been sorted out.
He would have to think it over carefully once he got back.
The task had been accepted.
The specific objective was to eliminate Adrian and two others.
Peter said he would send a Special Forces soldier disguised as his bodyguard to go along, but since the Golden Crescent region was on high alert—even translators were provided by the Revolutionary Brigade—it had been agreed with Han Fei long ago that bringing extra people was absolutely not allowed.
Once Song Heping arrived at the factory and found the location, he could use a special tool to send the coordinates back to the US Army, and the rest would be handled by the Air Force.
The task sounded very simple, at least Peter made it sound easy, but in reality, the slightest mistake ant that he wouldn't stand a chance of survival.
Especially since the biggest bug was that Adrian was the interdiary between Han Fei and the Revolutionary Brigade's ard forces, yet he, the fake "Han Fei," had to take out Adrian.
This is fucking...
Harder than reaching the heavens!
Who knew what the relationship between Adrian and Han Fei was?
Peter's provided intelligence simply couldn't clarify that.
If he was discovered to be an imposter, he'd likely be riddled with bullets on the spot.
This was more difficult than any challenge Song Heping had faced before.
There were still many issues lying ahead of him.
For instance, even if he managed to locate Adrian and Azhar among the three, and successfully transmitted their coordinates...
How would he leave?
The Golden Crescent region was not small, spanning three countries.
How would he withdraw?
Once Adrian and the others were killed in the blast, he would certainly be regarded as a suspect. Unless he went down with them, he would definitely be detained for interrogation by the Revolutionary Brigade's forces.
That wouldn't be fun at all.
Therefore, an escape plan had to be perfect; otherwise, there was no getting out.
When he returned to the company, the cook and the others were barbecuing in the small courtyard by the company's entrance.
Seeing Song Heping return, Ferrari dropped the lamb and ran over, hooking Song Heping's shoulder and asking, "Did you seal the deal?"
"It's sealed."
Song Heping nodded indifferently.
"What do they want us to do this ti? And how much is the reward after it's done?"
Ferrari couldn't wait to know how high the payout would be.
Song Heping handed him the whiskey: "Here's a bottle of fine liquor. Go get so ice cubes, we can eat and talk at the sa ti."
When Ferrari saw the whiskey in Song Heping's hand, his eyes lit up: "This is Sadam's prized collection, he actually shared it with you? Looks like Peter really values you."
Song Heping shooed Ferrari impatiently: "Go get the ice cubes."
After speaking, he went over to sit with the others.
The cook waited a good while, and not seeing Song Heping start talking, he asked, "Song, what's wrong? We're still waiting to hear about the mission details from you."
"This mission might not have much to do with you guys..."
He briefly described Peter's task to them.
Everyone was dumbfounded after listening.
Grey Wolf said, "Boss, you're crazy enough to accept such a task? It's practically a road to certain death."
The rest didn't know what to say either.
After all, the mission sounded too fantastical.
It was evidently an impossible task, and accepting it was tantamount to courting death.
Yet Song Heping had accepted it.
"I think we should just quit," Hunter suggested as he handed a skewer of roasted lamb to Song Heping. "It's not the end of the world if we no longer do business with the military."
The cook sneered, "You think it's that easy to just quit? If you don't do the job, you'll be their enemy, unless we leave Illiguo and give up everything."
"When you're in the jianghu, you can't control your own fate!"
Ferrari returned with an ice bucket, placing a bottle of 1946 in front of everyone.
"Look at this, I've seen this wine at the Republic Palace before, it was taken from Disaster Star's cellar by those Aricans. This bottle is considered one of the best. Tonight, Peter is clearly signaling sothing by serving this wine to Song—it ans either a toast of honor or a penalty drink."
This guy has so Chinese ancestry and a deep understanding of Chinese culture. If he didn't look like a European, you might mistake him for Chinese.
Song Heping silently took the wine glass, poured himself a small half-cup, then dropped two ice cubes into it and swirled the liquid before saying, "Don't you all want to know what kind of reward we'll get if we complete this mission?"
"What reward?"
"What reward?"
The others echoed in unison, straining their necks forward an inch.
Song Heping took a deep breath and said, "A transportation contract worth 240 million per year, for a term of three years."
The scene fell silent.
Only the crackling sound of the burning firewood could be heard.
After a long while, Disaster Star, who was usually reticent, counted on his fingers and scratched his head, obviously unable to calculate the total amount for three years, and eventually said, "Seems like it's a lot of money..."
"720 million dollars!" Hunter elbowed Disaster Star who was sitting next to him, "We're going to be rich!"
But the cook remained calm, "It's a lot of money, but it's hot money! You're all sitting here counting the cash, but have you thought about whether any of us will live to spend it?"
His words plunged everyone back into silence.
After the fever of wealth had passed, they were forced to confront a somber topic—what were the chances of Song Heping making it back alive from this mission?
To count this money was to calculate the value of a comrade's life.
Even if it was a large sum, it still felt uncomfortable to consider.
Disaster Star said, "So what do we do? Shall we all go together? Let's not let the boss go in undercover. Let's just storm in and take out those guys!"
Ferrari said, "Do you think you're Stallone, Disaster Star? You think this is a movie? Do you have any idea how many troops the Revolutionary Brigade has? Over 3000 soldiers—our few n wouldn't even be enough to fill their tooth gaps!"
Song Heping drank his whiskey quietly, his mind filled with maps.
"Ferrari, get a map of the Golden Crescent region," he said.
"Okay," Ferrari turned and went back inside the small building of the company, returning quickly with a map in his hand.
"Look, the Helman Province you're heading to is here, in the southern part of Afghan, bordering Persia and Pakistan."
He took out a pencil and drew a crescent shape on it.
"This here is the Golden Crescent region."
"Trouble," the cook said, staring at the map and letting out a sigh, "it's all desert, and it's so distance from the Hindu Kush mountain range..."
As he spoke, his gaze turned to Song Heping.
The implication was clear.
If it was small-unit warfare, the mountains were the best choice.
Because you can hide, camouflage, and use the terrain for a variety of ambush tactics.
But in the desert and plains, it would be problematic because there would be nowhere to hide, leaving one only to be hunted down.
Being chased by thousands of people ant the chances of survival were slim.
The southern end of Helman Province, which is part of Afghan territory within the Golden Crescent, looks like a huge alluvial basin.
To the north are the Hindu Kush mountains, to the east are the mountain ridges of Doba Gagar in Pakistan, and to the left is the Herman Lake District...
"Hold on..."
Song Heping pointed at the mountain range to the south.
"Salhad Plateau?"
Ferrari nodded, "Yes, the south is the highland, but that's Persian territory and also the turf of the Revolutionary Brigade who are against the current regi. Most of the opium from the Golden Crescent takes two routes: one from Afghan southward along the Salhad Plateau, transporting out to sea via Gwadar."
"However, for the past two years, your friend Avanti has intensified the crackdown on the Salhad Plateau, blocking their southward drug trafficking route. Perhaps the contact between the Revolutionary Brigade and Han Fei this ti is to open up a passage from Afghan to Gilan, then to Uzistan, and finally to Tajikistan, establishing an additional exit route."
"Avanti?" Song Heping suddenly rembered this old friend of his, paused for a mont, and then with his gaze returning to the map, he asked Ferrari, "Are you saying that Avanti's forces have so control over the Salhad Plateau?"
Ferrari scratched his head, thought a mont, and finally concluded, "They should have so."
Seemingly understanding Song Heping's intention, he said, "You want to seek his help?"
A smile appeared on Song Heping's face, "Of course, favors shouldn't expire. While he's still in power, I'll ask for his help. It's a matter of life and death, and there's no sha in asking."
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