The convoy drove into the mountains and stopped at the bottom of a secluded valley on the west side of Gelbi Mountain, covered with massive wind-eroded rocks and deep ravines.
The engine shut off, and as soon as the car door was pushed open, the hot desert wind, carrying gritty sand, imdiately enveloped everyone.
Song Heping jumped out of the car, the gravel underfoot making a crunching sound.
He quickly surveyed the surroundings.
Jagged rocks interlocked, forming natural cover and blind observational spots, and the massive shadows provided precious shade.
"Disperse and conceal the vehicles! Cover them with camouflage nets! All personnel, maintain silence and stand by!"
Song Heping quietly issued the second command.
Gelbi Mountain is just to the west of Deir Ezzor, with the nearest part of the mountain range less than five kiloters from the city boundary.
This is a natural strategic location.
If he were Isam, the commander defending the city, he would definitely send people to occupy the mountain. After all, if lost, it ans the enemy could use its height to suppress Deir Ezzor, which would be very disadvantageous for the defending side.
Since the intelligence was virtually nonexistent, now they had to park here and then send out a reconnaissance team to gather first-hand battlefield information.
If they continued to drive blindly ahead, and happened to run into the occupied zone of the 1515 ard force, they wouldn't even be enough to fill the gaps between the enemy's teeth.
"Jiang Feng, pick two people and get ready to scout. Everyone else, camouflage the armored vehicles imdiately."
The "Death God Squad" soldiers swiftly started to act, moving quickly and silently, like precise gears beginning to sh.
Thick desert camouflage nets were swiftly unfolded and draped over several armored vehicles and ard pickups, blending seamlessly with the surrounding gray-brown rocks and gravel.
The engine hoods were opened to dissipate heat, but no one spoke, only the slight tallic sound of gear clashing and the faint crunch of boots on gravel could be heard.
"Utekin, where are your people?"
The most important thing now was the expected Vakner rcenaries.
If they could rendezvous, Song Heping believed he could make good use of this company's troops to accomplish sothing significant. At least they wouldn't be in their current state, with only thirteen guns in total, three of whom were injured and unable to do anything.
"More than two hours." Utekin said, "They've reached Suheine."
"Tell them to hurry!"
Song Heping turned around and walked up to Jiang Feng.
Jiang Feng had already removed most of his unnecessary gear, carrying only a tactical backpack, a sighting device fitted with a long-focus lens, a laser rangefinder, a silencer-equipped assault rifle, and a self-defense pistol.
His face was coated in thick desert camouflage greasepaint, leaving only his narrow and sharp eyes, which shone with a calm light beneath the paint, like a cheetah lurking behind sand dunes.
"Jiang Feng."
Song Heping's voice was so low that it was almost drowned by the sound of the whistling wind and sand.
"Keep your eyes sharp. Check force deploynts, fire points, heavy equipnt locations, especially any possible infiltration paths and escape routes. Keep your eyes open, ears up. Deir Ezzor is a hornet's nest right now; whether we survive this depends on how sharp your eyes are. If the intelligence is wrong, we'll all die here."
Jiang Feng nodded firmly, without a word more than necessary.
"Understood, veteran squad leader, don't you trust ?"
He turned and said to Is, "Send two sharp locals familiar with the area to co with ."
Is complied, quickly bringing two soldiers to Jiang Feng.
"They're both from nearby."
After speaking, he turned to his two subordinates and ordered, "From now on, follow Jiang's orders!"
"Yes, sir!"
The three of them set off imdiately, disappearing into the dark mountains like ghosts, soon vanishing from Song Heping's sight.
Ti stretched thick and long while waiting.
In the valley, only the eerie howling of wind through the rock crevices and the slight rustling of the camouflage nets in the breeze remained.
Song Heping leaned against a large sun-heated rock, squinting slightly as he watched the ridge where Jiang Feng and the others disappeared.
The heart-wrenching cries of the woman on Isriye Street, and her curse of "cursing all who take up arms," unexpectedly resurged from his mories, bringing a cold, suffocating weight.
He unconsciously clenched his fist, knuckles turning white from the pressure, nails digging deeply into the flesh of his palm, trying to dispel the haunting sound with this slight pain.
"Still uneasy?" Utekin's voice sounded from behind, carrying a hint of hesitation. He handed over a bottle of water, then offered a pill, shaking the water bottle and saying, "Take this pill, it'll help."
Song Heping glanced at the pill in his hand.
In the moonlight, it was a white diamond-shaped tablet.
Evidently, this was a military-grade stimulant.
"A specialty of our Russian Special Forces."
Utekin raised his hand, motioning for Song Heping to take it.
Song Heping finally reached for the mineral water, pushing the pill away: "I don't take this stuff."
Utekin seed to have anticipated Song Heping's decision, smiled, and popped the pill into his own mouth, chewing it like candy: "Not taking it is good; this stuff is indeed addictive. Once taken, you'll want it again next ti on the battlefield, with a bit of psychological dependence."
Watching him chew the pill like sugar, Song Heping reminded, "All stimulants have side effects, Utekin, take it easy."
"Too late!"
Utekin took a swig of mineral water and shook his head: "I first took this stuff in Grozny; without it, I might have died there. I'm used to it now."
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