Chapter 7: Fire Burns the Wicked Son (Part 2)

  Terrible things can't be avoided after all.

  Lyme made his final move and said, "Ignite."

  US troops fire flamethrowers into a ditch.

  Flames rose rapidly. Dozens of fires burst forth in the ditch, burning fiercely, and the low-lying areas were filled with black crude oil that ignited upon contact, sending sparks flying wildly in all directions. The fire quickly spread, forming a series of long, snake-like walls of flame that crisscrossed the already flattened village of Bayazi, eventually engulfing it. A gust of wind from the Youfang Ladi River further fueled the flames, causing the shrubs to the north of the village and the small forest to the west to catch fire as well. The tall palm trees at the entrance of the village burned with particular ferocity, like several dragons about to take flight. The crackling of the burning wood and the howling of the wind intertwined, and before long, the entire area within a one-mile radius had transformed into a vast expanse of scorching white earth.

  Laim led the "Evil Wolf" troops to retreat from the village and stayed on the high ground around the village to observe.

  There is a strong smell of burnt offerings everywhere.

  The ground seemed to have turned into a burning oil field, with thick black smoke billowing endlessly, forming clusters of dark clouds that blocked out the sunlight. The pungent smell of crude oil hung in the air, making it heavy and suffocating, unbearable in its dry heat. Hashib led the holy warriors, packed tightly in several tunnels, like a group of rats trapped in a pot of boiling water. In the past, there was no oil in the trenches, and within ten or so minutes, these iron-legged fighters, trained in the mountainous terrain, would have escaped far away to hide. But now, the wet and sticky crude oil clung to their feet like lumps of mud, making it difficult for them to move even an inch.

  Hashib knew that this armed force he had painstakingly built was doomed and that the only way to save himself was to abandon them.

  He led the two bodyguards to rush into the mosque's drainage ditch, where the terrain was higher and there was no crude oil flowing in. More importantly, there was a secret passageway here, which was dug out early on as an emergency escape route in case of unexpected events. Through this passageway, one could reach the banks of the Euphrates River, where two speedboats were moored. Once on board, they could quickly reach the other side of the river, just a dozen kilometers from Fallujah, the stronghold of the terrorist organization.

  However, this secret passage was extremely narrow and could only accommodate one person crawling through. Breeza was so scared that she lost her soul, staring closely at Hashib, wanting to follow him, but when she reached the entrance of the cave, she was shot dead by Hashib. Her body happened to block the entrance, preventing others from entering.

  The remaining holy warrior armed elements were blinded, with no way to go up to heaven and no door to enter the earth. As they stared at the raging fire getting fiercer and closer, they had no choice but to crawl out of the tunnels and gullies. First, three or five people came out, followed by batch after batch, like a group of rats burned by fire, running wildly in all directions without distinguishing east, west, south, or north. However, with the dense black smoke and the endless sea of flames, they could only struggle and dance in the fire. Amidst the wailing cries that sounded like ghosts crying and wolves howling, the air was filled with the stench of charred bodies. Only a few armed elements managed to crawl out from the edge of the fire zone, covered in filth, escaping the pursuit and roasting of the fierce flames, and fell into the hands of the US military.

  Duncan sincerely admired: "Terrorists all drilled into the ditches, no wonder they couldn't be found. If it weren't for General Lyme using the most primitive fire attack, even more missiles and modernized weapons would have been useless."

  "Major Lyme, how did you know they were hiding in the tunnels? How did you know this area was full of ravines? Have you been scouting out the terrain?"

  Lime can't answer this question. Because before crossing over, the original Lime had already given the answer with his life.

  Achieved a complete victory in battle.

  Half of the members of the Holy War Army terrorist organization were killed by artillery fire, and the other half died in the flames. Only 12 armed militants escaped from the sea of fire and were captured. At least 400 armed militants were annihilated, which is the greatest achievement since the US occupation of Iraq. However, through interrogation of prisoners, there are still some unsatisfactory aspects. Hashib's whereabouts are unknown, Buriza is dead, and to continue pursuing Hashib and other terrorist organizations, it may be necessary to focus on Buriza's daughter Immani.

  Rhyme wanted to call in for an update on the surveillance of Imrani. His phone rang, it was Lieutenant Colonel Thomas from the Intelligence Research Center: "General Rhyme, we haven't found Imrani. There's word that Imrani has left Iraq and gone underground."

  "Find Imani, apprehend her immediately."