Chapter 1343
: The brave one wins when we meet on a narrow road
Chapter 1343: The brave one wins when we meet on a narrow road
From the first sniper shot to the next full sixty seconds, it was nothing short of an elaborately woven symphony of purgatory for Barzani's guards.
Under Jiang Feng's command, the fire support team constructed a three-dimensional crossfire network at six precisely calculated positions on both sides of the canyon.
What's even more disheartening is their firing rhythm.
These rigorously selected mercenaries, representing the highest level of combat capability in the "Musician" defense, possess an extraordinary level of teamwork.
When gunfire erupts from one direction, drawing the firepower and attention of a group of guards, bullets from the other two directions will almost simultaneously arrive, reaping those targets exposed outside cover or focused on returning fire.
As the guards frantically turned their guns around, new sniper shots would come from unexpected angles.
They seemed to be fighting against a group of unseen death gods.
"Ah—my leg! My leg is broken!"
"I've been shot! I've been shot!"
"Lieutenant Pasha is dead! Who's in command?!"
"Retreat! Move to the rear of the convoy! Quickly!"
Panic, like a deadly virus, spread rapidly among the surviving guards.
The initially organized counterattack quickly crumbled, turning into blind, disorganized shooting and a desperate, instinctive escape.
The elite guard of over 120 men lost more than 20 men in the first minute of the raid, most of whom were officers, machine gunners, rocket launcher operators and radio operators.
These are the key elements that support the combat effectiveness of a team.
The chain of command was shattered.
Barzani himself was tackled to the ground by two quick-reacting bodyguards during the initial sniper volley and dragged behind the wreckage of an overturned pickup truck.
He grabbed the walkie-talkie that had fallen beside him and screamed desperately:
"Rashid! Rashid Talabani! Answer me! You damned piece of trash! What the hell is going on?! Where is 'Lynx'?! Where is your ambush?! Speak!"
A few seconds later, Rashid's voice finally came through the walkie-talkie, but it was filled with disbelief, panic, and confusion:
"General... I... I don't know! The last scheduled contact of the Lynx Squad was at 04:05, and everything was normal! After that... I don't know what happened... We might have been set up! Someone knew about our plan in advance!"
"Useless trash! Idiots! I'd rather keep a dog than you!"
Barzani cursed wildly, nearly crushing the walkie-talkie in his hand.
Extreme fear began to transform into hysterical rage.
"General!"
A captain, his face covered in blood and his left arm bent crookedly, scrambled to his side and hoarsely shouted:
"We can't stay here any longer! The enemy is a top-tier professional sniper, their numbers are unknown, and they have an absolute advantage in terrain! We are completely exposed to their crossfire! We must evacuate immediately! Before they completely block the canyon exit! If we delay any longer, we will all die here!"
Barzani's bloodshot eyes suddenly turned to the lone black Mercedes G500 with its doors locked, dozens of meters away.
The bulletproof car windows reflected a cold, blurry halo in the flashes of the explosion and the gradually brightening morning light.
He could almost see through the dark glass Masoud's calm yet disappointed eyes, watching his current predicament and defeat.
Can't leave!
Massoud must die!
If Massoud leaves here alive, even if he only manages to return to Erbil with a last breath, then I am completely finished.
Plotting a coup, betraying the nation, attempting to assassinate the supreme leader...
Any one of the charges would be enough to sentence him to death in a military court, ruining his reputation and leaving him infamous for eternity.
A network of influence that one has cultivated over many years can crumble in an instant.
Now, there's only one path left to take!
"No! We can't retreat!"
Barzani's eyes were filled with a desperate madness. He suddenly grabbed the captain by the collar, spitting almost onto the captain's face.
"See that car? If the people inside don't die, we're doomed even if we escape to the ends of the earth! Listen to my order! Concentrate all firepower, all heavy weapons, and blow that car into the air! Blow the people inside to pieces! Now! Immediately!"
The captain looked at the general's almost manic eyes, then at the sturdy armored vehicle, and a look of despair crossed his face.
"General! That's a specially designed bulletproof vehicle! Rifle bullets and ordinary grenades are useless against it!"
"Then use rocket launchers! Use missiles! Run them over with car bombs! I don't care what methods you use!"
Barzani roared hysterically, "If he doesn't die, we die! Understand?! That's an order! Execute the order!"
The captain's facial muscles twitched violently a few times.
Ultimately, the soldiers' instinct for obedience and their fear of the general's authority outweighed their fear of the sniper.
He gritted his teeth, turned abruptly, and roared at the top of his lungs at the chaotic soldiers around him:
"RPG squad! Everyone! Target! Number one, the black Mercedes! Take it out! Now!"
In the crevice of the mountain ridge, Song Heping's pupils contracted slightly.
On the thermal imaging screen, two heat source signals suddenly emerged from behind the bunker.
RPG player and his second-in-command!
Almost at the same moment, Jiang Feng's deep, urgent voice boomed through the channel:
"Rocket launcher operator! Behind the rocks at three o'clock!"
"Stop them!"
Song Heping's order was firm and decisive, and he spoke twice as fast as usual.
In Jiang Feng's field of vision, scorching tail flames flashed almost simultaneously from three directions.
Almost simultaneously, he also pulled the trigger.
287米距离，.338弹头飞行时间约0.31秒，而RPG-7火箭弹从点火到飞出射筒、加速至最大速度，大约需要0.1-0.2秒。
The window of opportunity left for him may be only 0.5 seconds, or even less!
In a fleeting moment, almost imperceptible to human consciousness, Jiang Feng's brain operated like a supercomputer running at overclocked speed—
The target's distance, azimuth, relative velocity, wind speed vector, the effect of humidity on the trajectory, the size of the RPG shooter's exposed area, the rocket's possible flight path...
All calculations, experience, and intuition collapse into an instinctive shooting plan within 0.1 seconds.
His gun barrel spun sharply with minimal movement, and the crosshairs in the scope caught the figure at the three o'clock position with lightning speed—a figure whose shoulder and rocket launcher had just emerged.
There was no deliberate aim at the head or heart; the window was too small.
The crosshairs landed firmly on the opponent's upper body.
Even if a hit to the upper body doesn't kill instantly, it's enough to cause fatal injuries and deformities.
Pull the trigger!
The AXMC's gun body came to a steady stop backward.
Jiang Feng's shoulders, like steel welded to the shoulder plate, absorbed most of the recoil.
Almost simultaneously with the firing of the gun, his left hand pulled the bolt, ejecting the hot cartridge case, and the second bullet was precisely chambered by the spring.
.
The 338 warhead spun through the air and, 0.31 seconds later, slammed into the right chest of the rocket launcher operator.
The immense kinetic energy instantly tears through muscles, shatters ribs, and pulverizes lungs.
The archer was struck as if by an invisible giant hammer, falling backward as the RPG-7 on his shoulder flew out of his hand.
The PG-7VL rocket, which had already been ignited, lost its stable guidance and shot into the sky at an angle, detonating itself at an altitude of about 300 meters above the ground, turning into a harmless fireball.
Upon seeing this, the deputy immediately picked up the rocket launcher and quickly loaded a new rocket.
Jiang Feng's gun barrel did not stop for a moment; he immediately made a slight adjustment.
bah—
A second shot rang out.
The bullet leaves the barrel.
0.36 seconds later, the bullet struck the rocket launcher assistant below the collarbone.
The collarbone shattered instantly, the bullet deflected, and tore apart a large area of neck muscles and blood vessels.
The drummer let out a piercing scream as his finger on the trigger convulsed in excruciating pain.
The rocket was launched, but the launch angle was severely off, and the projectile drew an ugly arc in the air before finally entering the rear of the Mercedes-Benz and exploding upon impact with the ground.
The powerful shockwave slightly lifted the heavy armored vehicle before slamming it back to the ground.
The bulletproof glass has developed numerous cracks, but it has not shattered yet.
However, at the same time his deputy was taken down, another rocket launcher operator emerged from behind the rear tire of a pickup truck, his shoulder-mounted RPG launcher aimed at the Mercedes SUV where Massoud was.
He seemed to have witnessed the tragic fate of his two companions, and his movements were unusually swift.
He darted out from behind the burning wreckage of the pickup truck, the RPG-7 already slung over his shoulder, its muzzle aimed at the Mercedes almost the instant it appeared!
Without hesitation, his finger pulled the trigger at top speed!
Jiang Feng's heart sank.
His AXMC had just finished recoiling from the second shot. Even if he pulled the bolt back, re-aimed, and fired steadily at top speed, he would absolutely not have enough time to fire a third shot before the enemy rocket was launched!
A difference of a fraction of a second can be the chasm between life and death!
"Two o'clock!"
Jiang Feng growled in the channel, an urgent call to other snipers nearby.
At this critical moment——
Bah!
A sharp gunshot rang out from an auxiliary sniper position about seventy meters to Jiang Feng's left.
That was the spotter, Farhad. When Jiang Feng fired the first shot, he had already aimed his M110 semi-automatic sniper rifle in the general direction.
He didn't have Jiang Feng's extraordinary marksmanship and speed, but he seized the fatal moment when the rocket launcher operator's torso was completely exposed while he was aiming!
7.62×51毫米 M118LR弹头以约850米/秒的速度出膛，0.25秒后，精准地命中了火箭筒手的右肩胛骨下方！
The bullet damaged some of the motor nerves and muscle tissue in the right arm.
The shooter screamed, his body jerking violently to the left from the intense pain and the impact of the bullet.
In that instant of losing his balance, his convulsing finger pulled the trigger.
The PG-7VR rocket roared out of the tube, but the launch axis had already deviated significantly due to the shooter's tilted body.
Instead of flying into the passenger compartment of the Mercedes, it struck the front of the vehicle at a very small angle—the junction between the hood and the lower edge of the windshield!
This is the area where the vehicle's armor protection is relatively weak and the structure is complex; it is also the connection point between the bulletproof glass and the vehicle frame.
boom--! ! ! !
A fireball more powerful than any previous explosion instantly engulfed the front half of the Mercedes!
The pre-charge of the tandem warhead first penetrated the engine hood armor, followed by the main warhead, which detonated inside the engine compartment!
Broken engine parts, turbocharger fragments, and scorching antifreeze were scattered in all directions.
Although the bulletproof glass was not directly penetrated, it was instantly covered with dense, milky-white cracks under the impact of the explosion and the high temperature at such close range, and began to crack and fall off from the edges.
A raging fire roared out of the blown-open engine compartment and quickly spread along the wiring and interior to the passenger compartment!
The explosion-proof fuel tank held up temporarily, but the entire front half of the vehicle had turned into a burning iron coffin, with thick smoke billowing up into the still dimly lit sky.
"Target vehicle hit! Front of the vehicle severely damaged, on fire! Repeat, the vehicle where the 'Elder' is located has been hit and is on fire!"
Jiang Feng's voice showed a noticeable fluctuation for the first time. Although he tried his best to control it, he could not completely hide the tension.
At the command post on the hill, Song Heping suddenly looked up from in front of the observation instrument, his body instantly tensing up.
Through the gradually brightening morning light and the pervasive smoke, he could clearly see the Mercedes burning in flames, with black smoke billowing into the sky.
Masoud's fate remains unknown.
The plan has encountered its most dangerous variable.
The rescue operation instantly transformed from a precise surgery into a race against death to save lives.
Song Heping immediately made arrangements, originally planning to conduct fire preparation and casualties first before sending the assault team in to clean up the area. But now he couldn't wait any longer.
Even if Massoud hadn't been killed in the explosion, he'd now be roasted like a human flesh in a sealed box.
"Assault team, launch an immediate assault! At all costs, rescue the 'Elder' before the vehicle explodes or is completely destroyed! Firepower team! Jiang Feng! Give me maximum suppressive fire! Empty all ammunition! I'll make sure Barzani's men can't lift their heads!"
"Roger! Assault team, all hands on board! Advance attack, we're in position!"
Abuyu's roar echoed through the encrypted channel.
In a depression on the south slope, hidden by natural rocks, Abuyu leaped up from under the camouflage net, the muzzle flash of his assault rifle flashing in the dim light.
Behind him, twenty "Mountain Eagle" commando members, like war ghosts awakening from the ground, appeared simultaneously from multiple hiding points on the north and south slopes in groups of four or three, forming a pincer attack and rushing towards the convoy from different directions!
These are the elite of the "Musician" defense mercenary battalion. Each of them is a survivor who crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Before joining the defense company, they all served in special forces units of various countries. After joining, they all received six months of "pre-promotion squad leader" style training at the Hunter School in Venezuela, South America, as retired officers and sergeants of the Gray Wolf and PLA.
Their tactical movements were clean.
The three-person teams advance alternately in inverted or equilateral triangle formations, with one person moving while the other two provide alert and suppressive fire. They utilize all available cover and never remain exposed in open areas for extended periods. Shooting is primarily done in precise short bursts, prioritizing accuracy over firepower density. Sign language and concise commands are used to communicate within the team, while radio communication is kept to a minimum.
However, Barzani's guards were ultimately the elite of the Kold's special forces, and their combat effectiveness was unmatched by ordinary Kold's armed soldiers.
After the initial devastating blow, the remaining officers and non-commissioned officers, driven by both survival instinct and military discipline, began to reorganize their scattered but tenacious resistance.
They built several strongholds, relying on the relatively intact vehicles and favorable terrain.
"South slope! The enemy is coming down the south slope! Machine gun team! Suppress the south slope assault route!"
"There are snipers on the north slope too! Find their snipers and take them out!"
"Prepare explosive charges and Molotov cocktails! Don't let them get near Massoud's vehicle! If necessary, blow it up along with the vehicle!"
The battle instantly escalated into the most brutal close-quarters combat phase.
The first four-man assault team, personally led by Abuyu, had only gone down the south slope less than thirty meters and entered a relatively open scree slope when they encountered the fiercest head-on resistance.
A PKM general-purpose machine gun positioned behind the overturned pickup truck wreckage created a deadly fan-shaped barrage of fire.
The 7.62×54mm R heavy bullet sent rocks and debris flying in front of Abuyu, the hot ricocheting bullets whistling sharply.
The two team members were pinned down behind a limestone rock about half a person's height, making it difficult for them to even look up and observe.
"Knock it down!"
Abuyu leaned against a rock and shouted into his throat microphone, while simultaneously sticking out his gun and firing a long, suppressive burst in the general direction of the machine gun to draw the enemy's attention.
One of the team members immediately removed the RPG-26 disposable rocket launcher from his back.
This Russian-made man-portable anti-tank weapon is lightweight and easy to use, and its armor-piercing capability is sufficient to deal with light armored vehicles and fortifications.
He took a deep breath and, taking advantage of Abuyu's firing cover, suddenly leaned half his body out from the side of the rock, instantly using a simple iron sight to locate the spot behind the pickup truck wreckage that was spitting fire.
Pull the trigger.
puff-
boom!
The rocket, trailing a faint plume of flame, flew out, briefly tracing a straight line through the air before slamming into the back of the pickup truck wreckage.
The high-explosive warhead detonated, shattering the already vulnerable rear of the vehicle into pieces, and the machine gunner hiding behind it was blown away along with the PKM machine gun.
But almost as soon as the smoke from the explosion had cleared, another Barzani guard soldier roared and rushed to the PKM, which had been blown askew but seemed still usable, and tried to set up the machine gun again.
"Damn it! It's like a ghost that won't go away!"
Abuyu spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva.
A flying piece of rock had just grazed his right cheekbone, and blood was flowing down his cheek, causing a burning pain.
"Jiang! Take out that machine gunner who's taking over! Quickly!"
"Received. Locking."
Jiang Feng's voice came from the north slope.
His scope was firmly locked onto the area of the pickup truck wreckage.
The new machine gunner was very cunning, his entire body almost completely curled up behind the twisted and deformed steel plates of the vehicle, with only his right hand, which was operating the machine gun, and the occasional glimpse of the top of his helmet showing.
The firing window is extremely small, and the target is constantly making minor adjustments to its position.
Jiang Feng adjusted his breathing, synchronizing his heartbeat with the sound of the wind.
The high-magnification crosshairs in the scope slowly shifted with millimeter-level precision between a few limited positions where the machine gunner might peek out.
His finger rested firmly on the trigger, at the critical point between the first and second shots.
one second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds...
The machine gunner appeared to need to change ammunition or adjust the firing direction, and had to slightly raise his body to observe the position of the assault team ahead.
Just as his helmet and shoulders were exposed by about five centimeters—
Jiang Feng pulled the trigger.
But almost at the very instant the bullet left the barrel, the machine gunner, seemingly guided by a beast-like battlefield instinct, sensed a deadly danger and jerked his head down!
The .338 bullet grazed the top edge of his helmet by a hair's breadth, leaving a deep scratch on the deformed bulletproof steel plate, before disappearing into the unknown.
"Damn it! Target evasion! Miss!"
Jiang Feng, realizing he had missed, quickly pulled back the bolt, his voice unusually tinged with frustration.
For a sniper like him, missing is an extremely rare occurrence.
"Keep suppressing him! Don't let him raise his head!"
Abuyu had no time for blame; the battle allowed no hesitation.
"Second group, flank from the left side of the river! Third group, use smoke grenades for cover, prepare for a frontal assault!"
Three M18 color smoke grenades were thrown from different directions and landed in the open area in front of the Abuyu team.
Thick, choking white smoke rose and spread rapidly, forming a temporary visual barrier.
Abuyu roared, "Follow me!" and charged into the smoke first, followed closely by the other three members of the group, who rushed forward in a loose formation.
The smoke provided cover, but it also severely hampered their vision and perception of the surrounding situation.
"Watch out! There's movement in the smoke!"
A team member suddenly growled a warning in the team channel.
Before he finished speaking, four Barzani guards suddenly rushed out from the depths of the smoke, less than fifteen meters away!
They clearly intended to use the smoke to approach or retaliate, and the two sides unexpectedly bumped into each other!
They were so close they could see the bloodshot veins in each other's eyes and the flames shooting out of the gun when it fired!
"Enter the enemy!"
Abuyu reacted with lightning speed. The moment he saw the figure clearly, his body instinctively lunged to the left and forward, while simultaneously pointing his AK74 assault rifle at the first blurry figure and firing a rapid three-round burst.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The first guard had three bloody flowers burst open in his chest, and he fell backward without uttering a sound.
But the other three guards also opened fire with their AK-74s at the same time!
The scorching 5.45mm bullets whizzed past Abuyu's scalp and shoulders, striking the rocks and ground behind him and kicking up a cloud of dust.
One of the assault team members groaned as he was shot in the shoulder and staggered backward.
"Grenade!"
Another team member screamed.
A dark green RGD-5 offensive grenade rolled to within two meters of Abuyu's feet!
The safety lever has been ejected, and the fuse is hissing and smoking.
Time seemed to stretch out and slow down infinitely in Abuyu's senses.
He could clearly see the casting patterns on the grenade's cylindrical body, the faint blue smoke rising from the fuse, and even hear the subtle hissing sound of burning.
“Get down—!!!”
He roared with all his might, and instead of moving backward, he lunged forward and to the side, outside the grenade's blast radius, keeping his body as close to the ground as possible and protecting his head with both hands.
boom! ! !
A deafening explosion rang out just inches away!
A powerful shockwave swept through like a hurricane.
In an instant, Abuyu felt the world fall into dead silence, with only a sharp, piercing high-frequency tinnitus in his ears.
My vision blurred and spun, warm liquid gushed from my forehead, nostrils, and ears, and my mouth was filled with a strong, metallic taste.
He tried to move his arm, but felt as if his body no longer belonged to him.
The sounds of gunfire continued in my ears.
Ten seconds later.
"team leader!"
"The captain's been shot! Medic!"
The team members' anxious shouts seemed to come from a distant underwater depth, indistinct and unclear.
Abuyu shook his head violently, using his strong willpower to fight against the dizziness and nausea.
He struggled, propping himself up with trembling arms, and wiped his face, his hands covered in sticky blood and sand.
He could feel that his limbs were still intact, and his bones did not seem to be broken. The shrapnel and shockwave from the explosion were mainly absorbed by the bulletproof plates and helmet, but his internal organs may have been injured by the shock.
"I'm fine!"
He roared hoarsely, his voice sounding unfamiliar even to himself.
He forced himself to stand up, his body swayed slightly, but was supported by the team members who rushed over.
"Continue the attack! Target vehicle! Quickly!"
He pushed his teammate's hand away, picked up the assault rifle that had fallen to the side, and gave it a quick inspection.
The gun seems to still work.
He staggered, but continued charging forward with unwavering steps, with two teammates closely guarding him on either side, forming a new assault triangle.
Twenty meters.
Fifteen meters.
ten meters.
They had broken out of the smoke zone, and the burning Mercedes was right in front of them!
The front half of the vehicle was completely engulfed in flames, billowing black smoke and scorching heat waves that made it difficult to breathe.
Most of the bulletproof glass had shattered and fallen off, leaving only the twisted metal window frame.
I could vaguely see a figure in the back seat, motionless.
"Chairman Massoud!"
Abuyu shouted hoarsely in Kolde, "Hold on! We're coming to save you!"
no respond.
Only the crackling of flames and the sporadic gunfire that had not yet ceased in the distance could be heard.
Second update, 6,500 words. 10,000-word update complete!
(End of this chapter)