The day after eting with Simon, Peter called to ask Song Heping to visit his office.
This was all within Song Heping's expectations.
Aisade was dead.
This was the most crucial point.
Peter was probably not happy by now.
But even if he was unhappy, he couldn't bla himself for it.
Song Heping had already figured out how to deal with Peter, and for the military, what they wanted was war.
As for the Sahel region, the Aricans weren't going to give it up.
When he t with Peter, the situation was indeed just as expected, and Peter's face didn't look too good.
"General, I was just about to co over to report to you, and I didn't expect you to call first."
Hearing Song Heping's words, Peter closed the file with a dark face, threw it aside, then stared at Song Heping, and didn't speak imdiately.
Song Heping asked, "General, is there a problem?"
After a long while, Peter finally sighed softly, "Aisade is dead."
Song Heping nodded, "I know, I found out as soon as I got back. The French killed him with a bomb. I was fortunate because he originally wanted to keep there a few more days, and I didn't agree."
"Why?" Peter asked.
"Hmph!" Song Heping feigned displeasure, "The morning after I arrived, he captured dozens of prisoners, called to the clearing in their village, and in front of and my subordinates, beheaded them one by one, lining up to decapitate their heads. The two engineers I brought threw up right there on the spot."
Peter was slightly surprised at first, then nodded thoughtfully, "I see…"
Song Heping said, "I know what he was thinking, just trying to establish authority."
Peter caught the underlying implications.
Song Heping wasn't just talking about Aisade trying to demonstrate power to him; he was establishing power for himself, essentially trying to show the Aricans as well.
"I heard your missile transport this ti encountered quite a bit of trouble?" Peter finally started asking about the details of the transaction.
Song Heping had calculated countless tis in his mind what to say and what not to say.
Now he and Simon had an agreent, maintain their non-interference.
Although he knew this guy had no real sincerity and was compelled by the circumstances, keeping this pretense was also preserving a resource he could use before exposing him.
So, he mixed seven parts truth with three parts falsehood, as he discussed the process of this transaction.
"Indeed, it wasn't smooth. Just as we entered the Red Sea, we encountered pirates. Then, for safety, I had Man Tianxing at the Yeni dock secretly unload three containers carrying missiles, and shipped them under a foreign company's na to Morocco, and then transported them by land from Morocco to Mali to complete the transaction. It was lucky we did that; as soon as the full force docked at the port of Eritrea, Man Tianxing was imdiately surrounded. If I hadn't changed the cargo in Yen at that ti, I'd probably still be in an Eritrean prison by now. Frankly speaking, the French intelligence was quite impressive, not only intercepting but also hiring a hitman to kill since they couldn't find the missiles. Luckily, I escaped, even the point of contact was killed."
He was candid about these experiences to tell Peter that he was risking his life to complete this trade for him.
These incidents were definitely not to be concealed; with so much happening, the US military wasn't naive. Their intelligence must have grasped so of the situation.
If he were to falsify anything here, it would be easy to slip up, and besides, there was no need to falsify anything.
The so-called three parts falsehood rely consisted of concealing the fact he knew Simon was responsible. He wouldn't leak these details, whether the military could find out on their own was dependent on the interplay between the two intelligence agencies, to see who could outplay the other.
Fundantally, Song Heping didn't intend to get involved in the feud between the CIA and the military.
Though he was currently working for the military, it didn't an he was their dog.
He was only exploiting the friction between them, not presenting himself as one of the military's own, to stand out for them.
That would be a foolish approach.
Behind closed doors, they were all one family; no matter the strife, it was still a matter between Congress lords and Pentagon generals. Volunteering to stir into these affairs would certainly end in vain effort and no gratification.
Indeed, he noticed that after he had explained the entire transaction process, Peter's gaze shifted from sharpness to a degree of trust.
He nodded slightly and said, "This operation was very well managed; frankly, we had others conduct it twice before, but both tis they were intercepted."
When Peter revealed these words, Song Heping silently breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, Peter asked, "Did Simon invite you to dinner last night?"
Song Heping nodded and said, "Yes, he invited to dinner."
Peter laughed, "Don't you find that odd?"
Song Heping also laughed, "Of course it's strange. Before I went to Africa this ti, he couldn't wait to see dead. If it weren't for you, I guess I would already be in Guantanamo Prison. But last night, he invited to dinner, wanted to be friends, said that past incidents were all misunderstandings. I just listened and didn't take it seriously."
Peter coldly said, "The matters of our military shouldn't be interfered with by those people from Langley. Be careful around that guy, he's a venomous snake. Once he targets you, he won't easily let things go."
Song Heping inwardly chuckled, Simon indeed did not want to let things go, but had no choice but to do so.
Peter then added, "Aisade's death was too suspicious. The missile had just arrived—used for the first ti—and was attacked by the French forces. Not a single French aircraft was shot down; sothing is definitely off."
"It is off," Song Heping said. "Luckily I left early, or I too could have died there."
Peter said, "I think there is a mole."
Song Heping replied, "If there is, it must be inside the Salafi Ard Organization, otherwise how would they have known about the SA-9 missiles beforehand?"
Peter thoughtfully nodded and then said, "Alright, the main reason I called you here was to remind you to lessen your ties with those people from the CIA. They are the best at backstabbing their own. If you don't want to die, you'd better be careful."
"Thank you, General."
The conversation reached this point, and he knew he was safe.
He had also gained Peter's trust.
If he had dared to spout nonsense about so key issues just now, a sly fox like Peter would definitely have noticed, and by then, he would have lost the military's trust and wouldn't get any more contracts or business.
It had to be said, Song Heping felt that in the past six months, his mindset had undergone a huge change.
In the past, he only needed to consider the actions, think about tactical matters. But since operating the "Musician" defense company on his own, he realized he was no longer just a simple rcenary leader.
Especially after getting into the arms trade, he had to deal with so complicated relationships, transforming into a slick and even crafty businessman.
Song Heping used to dislike this feeling.
But now he had no choice but to adapt.
Many things, if placed on him a year ago, would have been against his moral principles.
However, today, everything seed so natural.
"Song, we are very satisfied with your performance this ti, and we will entrust the African business to you in the future. But rember, there will never be any connection between us, got it?"
"Understood..."
Song Heping had just replied when his phone vibrated in his pocket.
He pulled out his phone and saw a call from Jiang Feng.
Jiang Feng knew that at this ti, Song He was in Peter's office dealing with important matters. He must have sothing urgent to call now.
Thus, he apologized to Peter, "General, I need to take this call."
"Okay, our conversation is over anyway. You go ahead with your business," Peter said.
At the end, Peter still didn't forget to warn him, "Rember, be careful with those people from the CIA."
"Okay."
Song Heping stood up, said goodbye, and imdiately answered Jiang Feng's call after leaving the office.
"What's the matter? Don't you know I was in the general's office discussing matters?"
Jiang Feng sounded very anxious on the other end, "Old squad leader, you need to co here quickly. We've started fighting with the British at the West Camp Shooting Range!"
"What?!"
Song Heping's eyebrows imdiately knitted together.
The British?
Fighting?
"I'll be right there. Before I arrive, don't let the situation worsen!"
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