At this mont, a continuous sound of helicopter rotors ca from above. He looked up and through the airport’s searchlights, saw two gray-green dium transport helicopters, precisely the Mi-17/171 transport helicopters procured by the Indian army from Russia.
He rembered just before boarding, Anurag had told him the 57th Mountain Division would descend by helicopter, and unexpectedly, they sent out two at once. Among them, the 171 is an upgraded version of the 17, with "Assault-V" and "Attack" guided missiles mounted on the bottom, almost reaching the standard of a semi-ard helicopter.
The cabin doors opened, and 18 fully-ard personnel swiftly jumped out of the two cabins.
They were dressed in gray-green camouflage uniforms, wearing mountain sun hats and black face masks. Unlike the ordinary Indian soldiers Gu Ji had seen, they were not holding Indian weapons, but fully equipped black AK-203 rifles.
Although the 54th Mountain Division is not a genuine special forces unit, they have great flexibility in weapon usage, able to independently procure various weapons and equipnt, including nurous advanced firearms made in the West. Their arsenal includes many AK-47 assault rifles, which, despite not being as performant as western products, are still favored by Indian Special Forces due to their high reliability and readily available ammunition.
The AK-203 is a specially designed AK series assault rifle for Indian ard forces, equipped with a Magpul telescopic stock and a more comfortable pistol grip. The reinforced upper receiver and handguard plate have Picatinny rails, fitted with sighting systems, and the handguard’s MIL-STD-1913 rail includes tactical grips and tactical flashlights.
Gu Ji initially thought the Mountain Division would not deploy elite troops.
But perhaps due to special communication from the Pri Minister, it effectively deployed a standardized special forces task squad.
Keep in mind, when executing missions, the Arican Delta, and Seal Team special forces units generally comprise 16 or 8 personnel. In units of 16, they are divided into A and B squads, each with 8. Each special operations team consists of a team leader, sniper, support, assault, demolition, communicator, observer, and dic, and they are equipped with two Seahawk helicopters and one Apache based on mission requirents.
The configuration of this special border force before them is almost identical to top-tier international special forces.
It seed the other side had already received Gu Ji’s information. Forming two columns, the troops walked toward him, led by a middle-aged gray-bearded Indian colonel without a weapon, who actively inquired:
"Are you Vidhi Dali?"
"Yes."
"I am the deputy commander of the 57th Mountain Division Special Border Force, Swaraj. This is the executive commander, Mr. Marlo. We are following the order from the Army Staff Headquarters to assist you in the dam bombing plan!"
The gray-bearded officer then stepped aside to reveal a robust soldier holding an AK-203 rifle.
Compared to him, this Marlo appeared more combat-oriented, with dark skin and large, intimidating eyes, clearly experienced in high-risk missions.
Marlo gave Gu Ji a serious glance, seemingly sensing sothing extraordinary about the other party.
But having interacted extensively with National Security Bureau intelligence officers like Chen Zhiyu and Zeng Dan, Gu Ji had already learned the art of "concealing his abilities," minimizing his gaze and warning movents to appear as a regular person.
"Hello, the incident happened suddenly. The Pri Minister temporarily sent Fatima and over. The tropical storm has officially begun landfall, and for the full implentation of the ergency disaster plan and the safety of the state’s people, I suggest imdiately executing the demolition mission!"
"No problem. Where is our first mission location?"
"9 kiloters from Bagdogra, in Darjeeling District, within the Jalpaiguri Special Zone, at the Ali Bur Dam!"
"Hippo 4, 5, attention, attention, target Darjeeling District, repeat, target..."
The military’s execution ability is indeed unmatched by the bloated bureaucratic system of governnt departnts. As soon as Gu Ji finished speaking, Swaraj began communicating with the helicopter pilot via walkie-talkie.
Once orders were conveyed, the rotors restarted.
Swaraj invited both Gu Ji and Fatima into the cabin. The Mi-171 can carry up to 40 people, though typically, it carries around 20, so accommodating two more would be easy.
Inside the cabin, Gu Ji noticed a variety of equipnt and supplies placed at the back, including a substantial amount of TNT explosives, a staple in military-grade explosives.
Theoretically, industrial explosives would suffice for dam-blowing, as civilian explosives are cheaper, easier to produce, and convenient to use. They can deliver massive loads or be packed into tight spaces for detonation, making them a choice for engineering demolition.
However, since this is a military operation, the Mountain Division won’t carry civilian explosives due to their lesser stability and storage issues. Military-grade explosives offer better safety, explosive power, and quality standards.
Comparatively, civilian explosives have lower power, reduced detonation speed, and a short shelf life, while military explosives demand high purity, energy, and exhibit excellent safety for long-term storage and impact resistance. In other words, the forr relies on quantity for blasting operations, whereas the latter pursues high power, wishing a pound would act like two.
A 9-kiloter distance is almost just a blink of an eye for an aircraft.
Soon after takeoff, Gu Ji and Fatima spotted the lights in the mountain stream ahead, which marked the town located on both banks of the Mahananda River in Darjeeling District.
As the helicopter descended on the plains near the riverbank.
The local residents, hearing the loud noise, ca from the town’s edges to watch, panicking only when soldiers with weapons erged from the cabin, causing them to hide behind walls or rocks.
By the moonlight, Gu Ji observed the fierce river before him.
Even though the tropical storm hadn’t yet hit the northern part of West Bengal, the river’s water level had already changed. This might relate to changes in the groundwater level due to low pressure or activities in the Himalayas upstream.
"Fatima, imdiately contact the District Magistrate of Darjeeling and ask to support the blasting operation and deploy police and fire brigade to evacuate villages downstream of the Ali Bur Dam!"
"Okay, Vidhi!"
Fatima swiftly took out her phone and, using the list provided by the Pri Minister, dialed the magistrate’s number.
Thanks to prior coordination by the Central Cabinet Governnt, the District Magistrate of Darjeeling was highly cooperative. Even before their arrival, arrangents were made for the military, police, and transport facilities to prepare the potentially threatened areas by the dam for evacuation. They only awaited his command to move swiftly to the nearby high-altitude disaster relief center.
"Swaraj, Mr. Marlo, we can begin preparations!"
Everything was ready, awaiting the east wind.
After Gu Ji finished speaking, Swaraj directed troops to transport various specialized equipnt and demolition tools, particularly noting the overwhelming amount of explosives needed given the dam’s enormous size, as it was built relying on the mountain gorge’s entry.
Seeing this, he volunteered and suggested:
"Mr. Swaraj, can I follow the troops to the site to make adjustnts based on the actual environnt?"
"With due respect, Mr. Vidhi, you are a civil officer. Dam demolition is incredibly dangerous, involving explosive shock waves and sudden flooding from dam breaches, all posing high-risk factors. I recomnd you stay with . We have smooth communication equipnt to monitor the bombing site up-to-the-minute!"
Swaraj acted in a "shore command" role.
His caution was well-aning, but for Gu Ji to complete his collaborative task, he had to join the troops in the field. He then added: "Mr. Swaraj, rest assured, I previously served in the Mountain Division, specially trained in military demolition."
"Oh?"
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