Volume 1: The Fierce Tiger Leaves Its Leash Chapter 4: Unyielding in the Face of Danger (Part 1)
The Zabul Army Base, which houses the 10th Mountain Division's Airborne Battalion, is the easternmost US military base in Afghanistan. Ostensibly established for the war on terror, it actually serves as an intelligence hub where mercenaries from "Blackwater" are responsible for gathering intelligence, rather than US troops or American intelligence agencies, with the stationed US soldiers serving at most as security guards for "Blackwater".
The camp is not large, with only two rows of barracks, a warehouse, a command post, and a helipad that can accommodate three helicopters taking off and landing at the same time. The camp is surrounded by a 2.5-meter-high barbed wire fence with high-voltage wires on top. Inside the fence, there are many armored vehicles parked, especially in the open space between the barracks and the fence, where dozens of armored "Hummer" jeeps are parked. The armored vehicles can play an auxiliary defensive role. There are six tall towers around the camp, each equipped with M2 or M240 heavy machine guns, usually manned by two to three soldiers. Next to the command post, there is also a small mortar position, with several 82mm or 120mm mortars.
Ling Tianxiang put down the monocular telescope and began to think about how to enter the camp.
The most troublesome problem is that it's unknown where Wei Daming is being held, and with dawn approaching, the US military will definitely find a way to transfer Wei Daming to a large-scale military base in the rear as soon as possible. If they can't rescue Wei Daming before dawn, then there won't be another chance. In comparison, those sentries, machine guns, and even the "Fire God" self-defense system set up on the important high platform in the camp to counter the Taliban's incoming mortar shells are not too big of a difficulty. During the several hours of lurking, Ling Tianxiang had already figured out the US military's patrol route, thought of a way to enter the camp, and even planned a withdrawal route.
A faint tremor came up from the ground, and Ling Tianxiang quickly retracted his binoculars, covering himself tightly with his camouflage uniform. A "Hummer" jeep carrying four US soldiers drove by on a small road outside the camp, but the soldiers in the car could only see the rocks outside and had no way of distinguishing that a special forces soldier was hiding among the rocks. Soon, the jeep drove away, and the searchlight on the watchtower also moved away. Ling Tianxiang let out a breath and glanced at his wrist-mounted micro-electronic watch - it was almost 2 am.
What to do? Ling Tianxiang thought quickly, because the camp was on a plateau, dawn would come slightly earlier, and in about four hours, the US military would transfer Wei Daming away. Maybe not even four hours, he had to hurry up as soon as possible. While thinking, Ling Tianxiang took off the extra equipment from his body, this time he was going to rescue people, not kill people, many equipment were useless, finally, he picked up his favorite M40A3 sniper rifle, hesitated for a moment and put it down too.
After re-checking the weapons that must be carried, confirming that nothing was forgotten, Ling Tianxiang drew out his MK23 combat pistol, quickly installed a silencer, then checked the magazine to ensure it was fully loaded with bullets. Finally, he locked the pistol in the hammer-safe position, so that when firing, only the trigger needed to be pulled, without having to remove additional safety catches, which could save at least one second of time. In hand-to-hand combat, one second often decides life and death. Lastly, Ling Tianxiang drew out the M9 military dagger strapped to his right thigh, held it in his mouth, and began crawling towards the US military camp.
Because this operation was carried out in the US military control zone, Ling Tianxiang and his team were equipped with standard weapons used by the US military or other countries' troops executing military missions in Afghanistan. At a distance of 300 meters, Ling Tianxiang crawled for a full 20 minutes before stopping at the side of the roadbed, glancing at his watch, and hiding under it. Soon, the "Hummer" patrol car drove by again outside the camp, and Ling Tianxiang checked his watch once more - 2:21. The interval between US military patrols was roughly eight to ten minutes, meaning there were at least three jeeps patrolling around the perimeter of the camp. He had only eight minutes to cross the highway, run to the barbed wire fence, cut it open, enter the camp, and find a way to repair the gap in the fence to avoid being discovered by the US military.
The jeep just passed by, the searchlight on the tower also swept past, Ling Tianxiang took a deep breath and quickly jumped onto the road surface. In less than two seconds, he crossed the highway surrounding the camp and rolled to the side of the barbed wire fence. The entire movement was smooth and uninterrupted, without any hesitation.
Ling Tianxiang quickly scanned his surroundings, adjusting his breathing at the same time. His current position was right behind the US military barracks, with a row of "Hummer" jeeps inside the barbed wire fence. It was unlikely that any US soldiers would come this way in the dead of night. Five seconds later, Ling Tianxiang removed the small pliers from his body and quickly cut open a gap just large enough for him to pass through on the barbed wire fence. After entering the camp, Ling Tianxiang did not rush to leave, but instead used thin iron wire to repair the barbed wire fence again. Although this could not deceive US soldiers who approached to observe closely, as long as the US soldiers in the patrol car were not too attentive, they would not discover the slight breach on the barbed wire fence.
After rushing to the middle of two "Hummer" vehicles, Ling Tianxiang rolled up his sleeves and looked at his watch. It was 2:27. He had used only six minutes to break through the outer defense line of the US military base and enter the base. This was just as he had analyzed before - the defense of the US military base was useless against a real special forces operative, it was no different from having no defense at all.
Ling Tianxiang did not rush into action, he re-checked the equipment on his body to prevent anything from being lost when sneaking into the camp. At the same time, he quickly adjusted his breathing. Now, all around him were American soldiers. If he took a wrong step, he would probably end up like Wei Daming, without even having the chance to draw his gun and take his own life.
What to do now? Ling Tianxiang vigilantly noticed the changes around him, while thinking about what to do next. He must find Wei Daming as soon as possible. So after finding Wei Daming, how should he retreat, or rather, how can he safely retreat? He must cause chaos and take advantage of the US military's confusion to slip away. Thinking of this, Ling Tianxiang also had a plan, just as he was about to get up, a faint sound of footsteps came over.
