Volume 1: The Fierce Tiger Leaves Its Leash Chapter 15: Secretly Infiltrating (Part 1)
There were 22 trucks in the convoy, plus four armored-up "Hummer" jeeps. As Ling Tianxiang had guessed, this was a fleet run by private defense contractors - not Blackwater, but a Canadian company called Skylink. There were 18 container trucks in the convoy, all with the Skylink logo on them, and four ordinary trucks. In an era of highly standardized logistics support, most US military supplies are loaded and transported in containers, so that once they are unloaded from ships or planes, they can be directly loaded onto trucks and sent to the front lines, increasing the efficiency of logistics support.
The convoy's speed on the rugged mountain road was very slow, less than 25 kilometers per hour. Ling Tianxiang leaned against a rock by the side of the road, checking the weapons he had brought with him. He knew that many equipment could not be carried on his body, and he did not think about how much equipment to bring either. When picking up the M40, he hesitated for a moment, but finally chose the M4 carbine. In the narrow range of the camp, the carbine was more useful than the sniper rifle, and after killing his way out, he would also have to escape, so carrying a sniper rifle didn't make much sense.
The ground began to shake slightly, and the convoy drew near. The rocks blocked the enemy's line of sight, and the mercenaries on the two "Hummer" vehicles in front did not notice the danger lurking beside them. Ling Tianxiang let the first Jeep pass, then counted the number of times the headlights flashed, and when he confirmed that it was the 19th truck in the convoy, which was also the two ordinary trucks running at the very front, Ling Tianxiang quickly rolled onto the road surface, rolling from between the front and rear tires to under the truck, while swiftly grabbing a steel plate on the bottom of the truck. Half a minute later, when this truck turned left, its body perfectly blocking the line of sight of the drivers in the vehicles behind, Ling Tianxiang climbed into the back compartment of the next vehicle along the right side of the truck.
The entire process went relatively smoothly, and the convoy didn't stop, proving that no one had discovered him. Ling Tianxiang checked the wound on his arm, which he had sustained while climbing onto the truck, where he had almost been pulled into the transmission shaft of the rear wheel, scraping off a large piece of skin from his left arm. After simply bandaging the wound, Ling Tianxiang quickly inspected his body's weapon equipment, finding that two spare magazines for his handguns were missing, which wasn't a big problem, and all other equipment was intact. After tidying up his equipment, Ling Tianxiang swiftly scanned the cargo inside the vehicle, mainly consisting of fresh vegetables and fruits, mostly directly purchased from local sources, which was also an effective way for the US military to reduce its logistical burdens while stimulating economic development in the occupied area and stabilizing society, a true case of killing two birds with one stone.
The convoy slowed to a stop, and the surrounding light also brightened significantly. Ling Tianxiang quickly hid behind a basket of potatoes, concealing himself. Outside, there was a commotion of noisy arguing, probably between the logistics personnel and the gate guards disputing something. Then, Ling Tianxiang heard a chaotic mixture of footsteps as the American soldiers began to inspect each vehicle one by one. The security check proceeded very slowly, with occasional barking sounds. Ling Tianxiang slightly furrowed his brow; the Americans must have strengthened their entry inspection procedures. If he was sniffed out by the dogs, it would be troublesome.
Ling Tianxiang quickly patted himself all over, very disappointed, the medicine used to deal with military dogs was not even brought on his body. What to do? Ling Tianxiang quickly looked around and soon his gaze stopped at a basket of onions, and he immediately had an idea.
The US military's security check was very meticulous, with three people forming a group, one of whom used a mirror to inspect the underside of the vehicle, another checked the cargo in the carriage, and the third led a military dog. Each vehicle underwent strict inspection, and it wasn't until more than 10 minutes later that a team arrived at the 19th truck. The US soldier responsible for checking the cargo quickly climbed into the carriage, then covered his nose. The military dog outside barked a few times before quieting down. The US military didn't find anything unusual and immediately went to inspect the vehicles behind it.
When the vehicle started again, Ling Tianxiang pushed away the basket of potatoes that was pressing on his head and spat out the air that had been stuck in his lungs. The smell of onions hadn't dissipated yet, but its effect was very obvious - not only did the military dog's sensitive nose suffer, but even the American soldier's nose couldn't take it, probably because he was allergic to onions, otherwise he wouldn't have left so quickly. Luckily, Ling Tianxiang thought to himself as he increased his vigilance, and at this time the convoy had already entered the camp.
The camp of this garrisoned light cavalry unit is much larger than that of the airborne mobile troops. More than 20 "Stryker" armored vehicles are parked neatly near the main gate of the camp, and dozens of "Hummer" military vehicles are parked opposite. On the left side of the main gate, i.e., the west side, there are barracks, warehouses on the east side, and a command center to the north, with a large parade ground in the middle. Transport vehicles were parked next to the warehouse, and drivers first unloaded containers at the stacking point next to the warehouse before unloading scattered goods from the trucks.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ling Tianxiang quickly slipped down from the truck and flashed into the shadow on the south side of the warehouse. The unloading work was all handled by employees of the defense company, without the US military actively going to help, which is also a characteristic of the US military, with clear responsibilities, and those who received high salaries had no reason to ask others for help.
The noise of the crane and the container being lifted covered the sound of Ling Tianxiang's movement as he quickly slipped to the back of the warehouse. As before, the vigilance in the camp was not very strict, and it seemed that the US military was quite confident in their defenses set up outside the camp.
After confirming the situation, Ling Tianxiang looked towards the command center. It's not a big problem to sneak into the vicinity of the command center, and you can use the containers between the warehouse and the command center as cover. The main problem is, after getting what you need, how do you leave this camp? This time, it's definitely hard to kill directly, and the US military won't be defeated so easily either. Finally, Ling Tianxiang looked at the transport convoy, if he could get what he needed before the transport convoy left, then he would be able to follow the transport convoy out together.
After thinking for a moment, Ling Tianxiang immediately pulled out his pistol and installed a silencer. He glanced at his watch, it was already 1:10 in the morning, and the loading and unloading work of the convoy would probably continue for another hour to an hour and a half, which was enough time to find that safe. Ling Tianxiang didn't hesitate any longer, waiting until the employees went to install the sling on the container of the fourth truck, he rushed out from his hiding place.
