Chapter 9: Crazy Action

  Lang Hu Tou-er finished his work and the dagger asked, "Head, that... that 2 million yuan training mission, are we still taking it?"

  "Huh?" The wolf head's idiotic gaze made Knife feel embarrassed to continue asking.

  "I never intended to take on that mission, humph! Old fox, thinking of using 2 million to tie me up in this powder keg? No way. Training a few rookie soldiers is easy, but the training he's talking about isn't just standing at attention, it means taking them on missions. Selling myself out for a mere 2 million? Think before you ask questions next time. And by the way, Akadura was caught because of intel I provided."

  Ignoring the stunned expressions of the three brothers, Wolf Head continued, "Kids, remember, we are mercenaries, warriors who were born without a sense of justice. Maybe when you reach my age, you'll find that the only beliefs worth fighting for, besides hatred, are dollars and cents. You still have a killer instinct, but your kind hearts haven't disappeared yet. If you don't quickly experience the cruelty of this world, you'll end up dying at the hands of your own employers. Just watch, Iraq will eventually lose, not to the Americans' planes and missiles, but to bundles of US dollars. It's only a matter of time, alright, conversation over, let's keep moving!"

  The three brothers were gloomy, they all knew that Wolf Head was doing this on purpose to teach himself a lesson, so as not to make mistakes in the future. One mistake and you'll lose your life.

  Kirkuk is located in the northern mountainous region and Mesopotamian plain, about 240 kilometers north of Baghdad. The population is approximately 540,000, mainly Turkmen, with most residents practicing Islam. There are oil refineries and processing plants within the city. The nearby Kirkuk Oilfield was discovered early on, has large reserves, uses modern equipment, and has five pipelines leading to Lebanon, Turkey, and Syria. Light industry includes textiles and food. The suburbs and surrounding lowlands have fertile soil, producing grains and fruits, while sheep are raised in mountain pastures. It forms the largest trading center in the northeast, serving as a hub for grains, fruits, and wool. There is also a railway connecting to Baghdad, which is an important passage linking the northeastern mountainous region.

  Since the start of the Iraq War on March 20, US and British coalition forces have been launching airstrikes almost daily against Kirkuk. By April 10, when US troops announced they had taken control of this oil treasure trove, Iraq's main economic source was basically under American control. This mission to destroy the Kirkuk oil field is undoubtedly the most insane action that the remnants of Saddam Hussein's regime have undertaken so far.

  In the late afternoon, Lang Tou'er casually stopped the small pickup truck driven by Shun Lai in a recessed area of the southern mountainous region of Kirkuk, and further south was the Iraqi oil city of Kirkuk. To secretly destroy the designated oil well of his employer, the remaining tens of kilometers could only be traversed on foot.

  The four of them did not rush to act, but instead found a hidden cave to hide in. There was no need to be in a hurry for the time being, and going further north would be the Mesopotamian plain, where it would be even harder to find a place to hide.

  They needed to wait for an accomplice - a sandstorm, only then could their actions barely hide their tracks. Otherwise, as soon as the drone took off, this crazy little team would also have to ascend to heaven to meet God.

  The youngest wolf took the first watch, while Wolf Head led the others in carrying all the supplies from the small pickup into the cave. The desert weather was unpredictable, and no one knew when a sandstorm would strike. So, apart from a large quantity of ammunition, they also stockpiled water and high-calorie food; if they hadn't, it would have been tragic if several people had died of thirst and hunger before the sandstorm even arrived.

  To put it simply, the life of a mercenary is extremely dull. Apart from the blackness of battle, there seems to be only pale life left. To give a simple example, apart from those Cossacks from Russia who are like polar bears (one of the most famous mercenaries in the 20th century, known for their loyalty and sense of mission), real-life mercenaries rarely want to get drunk with friends. Because no one is sure if the friend next to them will stab them when they're drunk. It can be said that a professional mercenary has requirements far beyond the discipline that any soldier must follow.

  Apart from taking turns to go outside and observe the weather every day, the four people in the cave were rarely active. In fact, the total number of words spoken by the four people each day was less than ten sentences. Each person was busy with their own affairs - wiping guns, sharpening daggers, which for a soldier is like a woman doing needlework. Not only can it kill time, but also make oneself more proficient in using the weapon in hand, to the point of being able to use it as one wishes.

  Although each gun has a set of cleaning tools when it is issued to soldiers, many people do not know that some "civilian products" can often do better than these professional tools. For example, the ball of yarn in the hand of a knife can make any slight change in the trajectory of the bullet, which will cause irreparable errors. The cleaning rod is not the best tool for cleaning the barrel, as the copper wire brush on it can easily scratch the barrel. Using a piece of yarn with knots on the body to pull back and forth in the gun barrel not only takes away more residual powder but also ensures minimal damage to the barrel.

  However, the scene of four people sitting together using all sorts of miscellaneous things to maintain firearms is indeed a bit strange.

  "Head, how much longer are we going to have to wait?" The chicken eye who was trying to put the entire muzzle of his holstered pistol into the safety sleeve asked the question he asked every day.

  "If nothing unexpected happens, there will probably be a sandstorm tomorrow. Let's see then and make a decision later." Lang Tou'er replied indifferently. Ji Yan disdainfully curled her lips, every day was the same phrase, whether he said it or not made no difference...

  That night, the rustling wind finally blew the horn of departure, and the four set off with their equipment on their backs. The sandstorm that filled the entire sky perfectly covered the tracks of the four people. Following the GPS guidance to bypass the city of Kirkuk, they finally arrived at the target area in the early morning of the second day.

  "Zanlang, you go take care of those electronic surveillance probes 300 meters away. Just install this little thing on them and it's done. Don't damage the lines. In this kind of weather, their electronic eyes are useless anyway." After all, this was the last task, and Wolf Head personally directed it. This wasn't just a matter of shooting an American soldier or two; every time an oil field is blown up, international oil prices would fluctuate. If caught, that would be considered an international crime!

  Received the signal of a successful installation from the lone wolf, the remaining three people swaggered into the warning zone. They had 20 minutes, within which they would not be discovered by those young masters who only knew how to guard the surveillance screens.

  In the oil field, the huge oil tank had only a vague outline in the dark sandstorm. Several armored vehicles were patrolling back and forth, but there wasn't a single shadow of a patrol soldier in the entire area. It seemed that the Americans relied too much on high-tech, Wolf Head secretly sighed and gave a forward hand signal to the child soldiers behind him, easily bypassing the patrol armor.

  In the shadow of the oil tank, the remnants of the wolf tightly adhered a bag of homemade gasoline bombs to the oil tank. This thing has tremendous power and is simple to make, only requiring dissolving a few blocks of chemical soap into a corresponding proportion of gasoline. If mixed with magnesium powder, it can even use CO2 fire extinguishers as an accelerant, and if mixed with white phosphorus, it can burn in water. Of course, if dissolved in the right proportion of rubber, it becomes the infamous napalm bomb, which produces high-temperature flames when exploded, splashing large amounts of sticky substances everywhere, and can stick to other objects for a long time, burning fiercely. If an unfortunate soldier is covered in this terrifying substance over a large area, his superiors may have no choice but to humanely shoot him - there's simply no way to save him, and it may even cause severe burns to the rescuers. Similarly, don't underestimate the homemade bombs made by the remnants of the wolf - they can also produce 1000°C high temperatures when exploded, are safe to carry, and are indeed a great tool for arson (although not as good as aluminum thermite incendiary bombs, but relatively easier to manufacture).

  A high-explosive grenade was set up with a fuse, and several people retreated safely. Not every war will lead to conflict, bad weather, good military quality, and the most important thing for mercenaries - luck, will all bring unpredictable benefits to a war.

  After quickly withdrawing from the affected area, the wolf threw away the detonator in his hand and said, "Now it's time to enjoy the Iraqi super-large firework explosion rights! The one who spends the most money gets to enjoy it!" Shut up and hurry up! Wolf head kicked him with a smile.

  In the dark of night, a faint light flickered and was immediately followed by a deafening explosion that triggered all the alarms in the restricted area. Fire trucks with flashing red lights quickly sprang into action to try to control the fire, while soldiers from every defensive line mobilized to search for the arsonist.

  Rampant desert storms, combined with the ubiquitous crude oil, almost instantly ignited the entire oil field. Even 1000 meters away, a few remaining wolves could feel the scorching heat wave rushing towards them. The US military in this area was thoroughly finished off. It's no wonder why Iraqis like to blow up oil fields - using such self-destructive behavior to contain the US military is indeed the most effective way. Iraq has a considerable amount of oil reserves, but there are only a few large-scale oil fields left. Once they're all gone, the Iran-Iraq War will have been fought in vain. I reckon that by then, the gentleman in the White House would be dead from anger.

  At this time, Lang Touer and his men had already abandoned their useless equipment and quickly ran towards the hidden cave. If the US military found out that the arsonists had escaped from their encirclement, heaven knows whether they would sacrifice losses to mobilize airborne gunboats to sweep around the oil fields. To be honest, the three brothers of Lang Touer were no longer suitable for high-intensity combat, after all, they were still too young. War not only consumes physical strength but also greatly consumes a person's mental energy. Participating in such a large-scale war and maintaining such a good mental state is already worthy of admiration. Think about it, among the 30 million PLA soldiers at home, how many have such rich combat experience except for a few surviving old generals?

  Not enough time to react, the four of them rushed back to the hidden cave, grabbed an M82A1, an SSG 69 and two rifles, and jumped onto the pickup truck. This firepower configuration can perfectly suppress various sudden situations at long, medium and close range.

  The pickup truck, which had floored it, was racing westward on the Mesopotamian plain toward the Baghdad railway. Wolf's Head was planning to take the three kids and head along the railroad line to Hassek in Syria, then from there back to France. Two days ago, the base had sent a message that a plane was waiting for their return on the island of Corsica for 24 hours.