Song Heping ultimately decided to return to Latakia Police Station with Chief Hussein.
The night wind carried the scent of smoke and scorched earth, blowing through this scarred city.
The distant skyline was tinted dark red by gunfire, occasionally streaked by the trajectories of tracer bullets, like the Grim Reaper's scythe swinging in the dark.
"The whole city is a ss now, venturing out at night is suicide."
Chief Hussein whispered.
His voice was hoarse, as if he hadn't rested properly in a long ti.
His uniform was covered in dust and dried bloodstains, the bandage on his right arm had beco brown with seeped blood.
The police station was located in the northern district of Latakia City, a three-story concrete building with walls riddled with bullet holes, like it had been torn by the claws of so monstrous beast.
Several police cars in the yard had long been wrecked, their tires burned to twisted tal rims, one car door was ajar with shell casings scattered inside.
Hussein led them through a corridor filled with sandbags, several ard special police officers stood shadowed, their eyes warily sizing up this foreign team.
Their gazes held both vigilance and an indescribable hostility.
"Most colleagues either died in battle or have escaped ho after the war started..." Hussein quietly explained, his voice laced with profound exhaustion.
"We originally had over two hundred people... now..."
He shook his head, choosing not to continue.
Utekin walked behind Song Heping, his finger never leaving the trigger guard, sharply surveying the surroundings.
As Hussein stepped forward to open the eting room door, he quietly moved closer to Song Heping, whispering in Russian:
"Be careful, there are quite a few moles in Siria's police system."
Song Heping didn't reply, just nodded slightly.
Of course, he knew.
Siria's situation was very peculiar—a nation of minority rule over the majority, with internal conflicts festering for years.
The storm of the Arabic Spring swept in, various factions stirred restlessly, the governnt was already riddled with holes.
The Freedom Army, extremist groups, foreign powers...
Everyone was vying on this land, and within the police system, who could guarantee there were no informants?
Hussein might be trustworthy, but what about the officers under him?
No one could guarantee.
"Sit down and have so tea, my friends."
Hussein invited everyone into the eting room, retrieved a pot of Arabic red tea from a corner cabinet, and poured a cup for each person.
The bitter aroma perated the air, mixed with the scent of dust and gunpowder, making the tea feel particularly heavy.
He sat beside a scratched wooden table, spreading out a hand-drawn map of the city, pointing fingers at various areas of Latakia Port.
"The Russian Army has sent planes to bomb the supply lines of the Freedom Army, but the informants in the city are still active."
He sighed, "Tonight they blew up the power station, now half the city is without electricity."
Song Heping took the teacup but didn't drink.
He stared out the window, the distant night sky dyed orange-red by artillery and incendiary bombs, the sound of explosions echoing like so beast's low growl.
"How many areas can your governnt army still control?" Jiang Feng asked.
Hussein gave a bitter smile, his face full of bitterness, it seed this was a difficult question for him to answer.
"Nominally, all of Latakia is still ours."
He pointed at the map, "But in reality? The port area, industrial area, Old Town... everywhere is filled with Freedom Army soldiers. They have even launched bomb attacks on all administrative office locations and military camps."
He gestured outside to the bombed police cars and collapsed courtyard walls.
"We were bombed once before."
Utekin coldly interrupted, "So even your own police station isn't safe?"
Hussein didn't deny it, he sipped his tea silently, bowed his head in thought, seemingly trying to find the words to explain the chaos here.
Just then—
"Sothing's not right."
Jiang Feng, who had been standing by the window, suddenly put down his teacup, fingering the curtain slightly open, stared firmly outside.
Song Heping imdiately beca alert, putting down his teacup, hastily moving to Jiang Feng's side.
"What's wrong?"
"Soone is moving outside." Jiang Feng said in a low voice, "There's a vehicle, driving without lights, circling the police station."
Song Heping quickly approached the window, using the distant flas of burning buildings, he saw a pickup and a sedan slowly driving past the street in front of the police station.
The car windows rolled down, the faces inside looking towards the station, seemingly examining the defense setup.
Then, bizarrely—
The pickup suddenly stopped, one person jumped out, threw a smoke grenade towards the police station's entrance, and then jumped back into the vehicle speeding away.
"They're marking a target!" Song Heping spun around, "Hussein! Warn your officers! Trouble is likely coming!"
Hussein's face changed drastically, he imdiately grabbed the walkie-talkie and shouted a few Arabic commands angrily.
But before he could finish giving orders—
"Vroom—!!"
A roar of engines suddenly ca from outside the station, followed by a small van speeding out from the corner of the street, with a strange-looking front, tied with a heavy steel plate, looking like so misshapen armored monster, accelerating crazily towards the station's gate!
"Suicide car bomb!"
Song Heping's pupils shrank, he instantly grabbed his AK-12 assault rifle, aid at the driver seat, firing two bursts.
Bang bang bang—
Bang bang bang—
Bullets accurately hit the driver's seat, the windshield was imdiately stained with blood.
But the vehicle barely slowed down, then continued accelerating!
Song Heping's heart sank—he knew in the Middle East, extremists often strapped themselves to the driver's seat, even fixing the steering wheel, ensuring that even if hit, a person wouldn't fall, and due to muscle spasms, might even stomp the gas, the vehicle still advancing.
"RPG! Use RPG and blow it up!" He roared.
Downstairs, several special police officers fired wildly, bullets sparking off the steel plate, but to no effect.
Hussein rushed out of the eting room, shouting downstairs, "Use RPG! Quickly!"
But it seed too late.
The van, filled with explosives, crashed towards the police station gate with nearly uncontrollable speed!
"Get down!"
Song Heping barked, everyone instantly fell to the ground, covering their heads with their hands.
The next second—
Boom—
The van still slamd into the barriers and sandbags at the police station entrance.
A massive fireball rose from the cargo hold.
The violent explosion tore the entire van along with the attacker in the cab into shreds, spraying outwards.
The entire police station shook intensely, the shock wave shattered all windows, a wave of fire like a beast engulfed the lobby, scorching tal fragnts and debris scattered.
The few ergency lights in the police station's corridor were swept away by the huge shock wave, plunging the whole building into darkness.
Song Heping's eardrums rang, it felt like his insides had shifted, chest pressure made him want to vomit.
After the explosion, the air seed to instantly rise in temperature, everywhere felt scorching, like being inside a giant furnace.
For an instant, the world seed to fall into a brief silence.
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