Chapter 1350
Time is running out!
Chapter 1350 Time is running out!
Ten minutes later, 600 meters west of the landing point, at the edge of a dead forest.
In the depths of darkness, two beams of headlights pierced the night, flashing three times at precise intervals as they approached.
After a brief pause, the miniature flashlight in Song Heping's hand responded with two short flashes.
Signal confirmed.
With the engine barely audible, a dark-colored SUV glided in like a ghost and came to a steady stop at the edge of the shadows of the trees.
The car door opened, and a man nimbly stepped out, quickly disappearing into the shadows of the trees.
The man was about forty years old, with a lean build, wearing an inconspicuous dark gray fleece jacket and dark tactical trousers, and dusty hiking boots on his feet.
The precision and alertness revealed in his movements carried the air of a highly trained secret agent.
"Mr. Song?"
The man's English had a slight accent, the origin of which was hard to discern, and his voice was very low.
Jamie.
Song Heping stepped out of the deeper shadows and briefly shook hands with him.
Dry palms, firm grip.
Jamie's gaze quickly swept over the four team members behind Song Heping.
"There are things you need in the car, so hurry up."
The trunk was opened, revealing several passports and personal documents neatly stacked inside, each with a cover.
Jamie quickly distributed the items while explaining succinctly:
“I am the liaison officer at the U.S. office in Erbil. These credentials will allow you to temporarily pass through the checkpoint as part of the ‘diplomatic security team.’ Remember, unless absolutely necessary, do not speak; I will handle everything.”
Song Heping and his team members took the ID cards, checked them against the photos on them, and then put them in their pockets.
Jiang Feng glanced at the passport's inner page in the dim light of the car and curled his lip: "John Smith? Could that name be any more perfunctory?"
"Being perfunctory is the safest approach."
Jamie was already in the driver's seat and gestured to them, "Get in. We have to get into town before dawn."
The off-road vehicle rolled over the bumpy dirt road and headed towards Erbil.
The closer you get to the city, the more intense the tension becomes.
After driving for about twenty minutes, the first checkpoint appeared at the end of the headlights.
Sandbag fortifications stood in the roadblock, a general-purpose machine gun gleamed coldly beside a searchlight, and four soldiers in Kold's security forces uniforms stood behind the roadblock.
Jamie slowed down, rolled down the window, and spoke in fluent Cordeaux to the soldier who approached to check on him, handing over his diplomatic credentials as he did so.
The soldier took it, examined it carefully with the flashlight, and then suspiciously swept the beam across the back seat.
Song Heping could feel the beam of light linger on his face, which was covered by an Arab headscarf, for a moment, but he maintained a calm demeanor and his breathing remained steady.
“American diplomats, this is my security team,” Jamie said loudly, handing over his credentials. “We have urgent business to attend to and need to return to the office.”
Americans have some privileges in this area, especially their diplomatic status.
One of the highest-ranking soldiers whispered a few words into a walkie-talkie, and a moment later, the bar slowly rose.
Jamie nodded in acknowledgment and drove smoothly through.
After driving some distance away from the checkpoint, he whispered:
“Rashid’s men have taken control of all the access routes. They’re looking for a specific target… or rather, anyone who makes them feel uneasy.”
"Is Masoud still alive?" Song Heping asked bluntly.
Jamie glanced at him in the rearview mirror, her eyes sharp:
"Our intelligence indicates he's still alive. But Rashid's men are searching the entire city for anyone connected to old Massoud, and it's estimated he won't be safe any later. What's your target location?"
Fatima Vocational School for Girls.
Jamie's grip on the steering wheel seemed to tighten slightly, but his voice remained steady:
"Confirmed? That area is under close surveillance."
“Masood Jr. contacted Duke before he escaped, and the signal showed that he had been there all along.”
“Fatima is definitely on Rashid’s watch list.” Jamie took a deep breath and said, “Okay, since it’s a mission… but we have to be extra careful. There are at least twenty checkpoints in the city. Be careful, listen to me, and don’t make a sound.”
Over the next thirty minutes, they passed three more checkpoints.
Each time, Jamie successfully navigated the situation thanks to his diplomatic status and impeccable handling of the situation.
However, Song Heping keenly noticed that the deeper they went into the city center, the more vigilant the soldiers became, and the more detailed their questioning became.
The atmosphere is off.
When an officer at the fifth checkpoint signaled for everyone to get out of the vehicle for inspection, Song Heping spoke in a very low voice to Jiang Feng beside him.
Jamie was negotiating with the officer, his tone still restrained, but his voice was slightly raised.
Song Heping's fingers moved silently toward the pistol grip.
Suddenly, the officer's gaze locked onto Song Heping, and he pointed at him: "You, take off your headscarf."
Time seemed to stretch out by a second.
Song Heping slowly raised his hand, his fingertips touching the edge of his headscarf, his peripheral vision quickly scanning the positions of the surrounding soldiers and the machine guns behind the cover.
He was already a celebrity in the area.
Although he had put on a fake beard on his chin and face before setting off, no one could guarantee that the other party wouldn't notice.
If there really is a time like this, the only option is to use force and take them all out before they even have a chance to give a signal.
He winked at Jiang Feng and the others while taking off his headscarf.
The latter immediately understood.
Just then, the night sky to the southeast was suddenly illuminated by a bright orange-red light, followed by a muffled explosion that shook the air.
"what happened?!"
The officer abruptly turned his head to look in the direction of the explosion.
His shoulder-mounted walkie-talkie immediately crackled with an urgent call: "Explosion on the south side of the city! All units, raise alert and stand by!"
A hint of hesitation flashed across the officer's face. He glanced at Jamie, then at Song Heping and the others, before finally waving his hand impatiently.
Jamie immediately gestured for everyone to get in the car, the engine roared, and the SUV quickly drove away from the checkpoint.
After driving several hundred meters, Jamie finally relaxed his tense shoulders and wiped non-existent sweat from his forehead:
"Luck. But we have to be quick, the whole city will soon be on high alert."
The vehicles sped along the empty streets, with occasional armed pickup trucks flashing their police lights as they sped past.
Fatima Vocational School for Girls is located in a relatively quiet neighborhood in the west of the city. As the SUV turned off its lights and silently glided into the shadows two blocks from the school gate.
The alley is flanked by towering adobe walls piled with discarded building materials, providing excellent visual concealment.
The car's dashboard displayed a faint light: 3:17 AM.
"This is the only way I can take you."
Jamie lowered his voice and tapped his fingers lightly on the steering wheel.
"Getting any closer will definitely get us noticed. There must be Rashid's hidden sentries around the school; this is their key search area."
Song Heping nodded but did not get out of the car immediately.
He rolled down the car window by about two fingers' width, and the cold air of the early morning rushed into the car.
The streets were deathly silent, with only the occasional bark of a dog in the distance.
He closed his eyes and listened for a few seconds.
The city breathes in a restless sleep, but some frequencies are off.
It's too quiet, unnaturally quiet.
“Split into two groups.” Song Heping turned to the back seat: “Ivan and I will be in one group, Jiang Feng and Miroslav, you will be in the other. Maintain radio silence unless it is an emergency. Operational frequency: encrypted channel two. If there are surveillance points, eliminate them. Cleanly and efficiently.”
The group silently inspected their equipment.
The pistol was fitted with a silencer, the dagger was fixed in a convenient position, and the night vision goggles were adjusted to low-light mode.
Thirty seconds later.
"get off."
With a command from Song Heping.
Four dark figures silently slipped out of the car and quickly dispersed, pressing themselves against the alley wall.
Jamie's car remained where it was, like a stone blending into the darkness.
Song Heping made a hand gesture—two in front and two behind, fifteen meters apart, advancing towards the school along the shadow of the building.
Their steps were as light as a cat's, avoiding broken glass and loose slabs of stone.
At 3:20 a.m., the city is at its sleepiest, but some eyes must remain open.
When they were about 100 meters from the school gate, Song Heping suddenly raised his fist – a stop gesture.
The four people froze instantly, blending into the shadows at the base of the wall.
He slowly turned to the side, revealing one eye from the edge of the corner of the wall.
The iron gates of Fatima Vocational School for Girls were tightly shut, and the walls cast long, dark shadows in the moonlight.
About fifty meters diagonally opposite the main entrance, a dark-colored old Lada sedan was illegally parked in the shadow of the entrance to a narrower alley.
The angle at which the vehicle is parked is very important.
It offers a view of most of the school's main gate and the walls on both sides, yet it lies in a dark area created by broken streetlights.
Song Heping took out a miniature monocular night vision device from his pocket, stretched it out, and held it close to his right eye.
The details of the vehicle became clearer in view.
The vehicle was old; it was a Nissan SUV.
The license plate was covered in mud and was difficult to read.
Most importantly, there is a blurry human figure in both the driver's seat and the passenger seat.
One of them had his head tilted back slightly, possibly taking a nap; the other remained seated, making only the slightest movements occasionally.
The car window was slightly ajar, and almost invisible smoke drifted out slowly.
Song Heping retreated behind the wall and made two very soft taps into the microphone.
Fifteen meters behind, Jiang Feng responded at the same frequency.
They need to get closer to confirm.
Song Heping gestured to Ivan behind him: Stay put and be on guard, watch out for the rear and flanks.
Then he made a series of sign language gestures towards Jiang Feng:
At two o'clock, there is a vehicle and two potential targets; close reconnaissance is required.
Jiang Feng nodded, signaling Miroslav to join him.
Song Heping, along with Ivan, began to maneuver along another parallel route to the side and rear of the target vehicle.
They used parked trucks, piled-up debris, and building protrusions as cover, moving slowly but steadily, stopping to observe every ten meters or so.
When he was about 20 meters away from the vehicle, Song Heping stopped again and knelt on one knee behind a pile of discarded tires.
From this angle, he can see the situation on the passenger side of the vehicle.
In the night vision goggles, the seated man was looking down at something—probably a cell phone, the screen casting a faint blue light on his face.
The man occasionally raised his hand to take a puff of his cigarette, the red glow flickering in the darkness. At this moment, Jiang Feng's team had reached the shadows of an old newsstand about twenty-five meters away on the other side of the vehicle.
Through night vision goggles, Song Heping saw the sign language Jiang Feng was using—confirming two targets, both male, carrying weapons, with gun slings on their shoulders, suggesting they were monitoring the school.
Song Heping responded: Simultaneous removal. I'll be in the driver's seat, you'll be in the passenger seat. Count to three.
He turned to Ivan, pointing in two directions: the street behind the vehicle and the building across the street, indicating that he was responsible for keeping watch for any potential third parties or unexpected situations.
Ivan nodded, his ice-blue eyes calmly scanning the designated area behind his night vision goggles, his VZ.61 "Scorpion" submachine gun already ready to fire.
Song Heping pulled out the Glock 19 equipped with a silencer and checked the condition inside the barrel.
The cold metal does not reflect light in the night.
He took a deep breath to calm his heartbeat.
One.
The body's center of gravity shifts slightly forward, and the muscles are taut like a bowstring.
two.
The line of sight is locked onto the gap between the target's neck and the car window.
three.
Almost simultaneously, two dark figures sprang from the shadows on either side of the vehicle and rapidly approached the unfortunate SUV!
The people in the car were completely unaware, and the man on duty was still looking down at his phone.
Song Heping had already circled around to the right rear of the car, close to the window, moving with lightning speed.
With his left hand, he accurately slipped through the half-open car window and covered the driver's mouth and nose like an iron clamp, while his right hand held the gun inside, the top of the silencer pressed against the man's temple.
puff--
With a muffled thud, the man's body jolted violently and then went limp.
Simultaneously, a barely perceptible faint sound came from the other side.
Jiang Feng and Miroslav completed the removal of the target in the co-pilot's seat.
As Miroslav's thick arm withdrew from the window, Song Heping caught a glimpse of the Serbian's expressionless, indifferent face.
The entire operation took less than four seconds.
Song Heping maintained the restraint position for three seconds, confirming that the target's vital signs had completely disappeared, and then opened the car door to quickly search the inside of the vehicle.
There was a military walkie-talkie with an indicator light on under the passenger seat, and a handwritten notebook, a pack of cigarettes, and two empty energy drink cans in the glove compartment.
He quickly flipped through his notes, the hastily written records of people, vehicles, and times entering and leaving the school; the most recent entry was seven hours ago.
"At 18:30, a woman, about fifty years old, wearing a dark headscarf and carrying a cloth bag, left. She was not stopped."
He took the walkie-talkie off, turned it off, and put it in his pocket.
Then, the positions of the two corpses were adjusted to make it appear as if they were taking a nap inside the car, and the interior lights were turned off to ensure that there was nothing unusual from a distance.
"Clearance complete. No linked devices detected at the single monitoring point."
Jiang Feng reports.
"But it's unclear whether there's a scheduled reporting procedure."
"Accelerate the operation," Song Heping responded immediately.
Song Heping moved toward the school wall.
Soon, the four reunited at the west wall of the school, a safe distance away from the surveillance vehicle they had just seen.
Miroslav was examining his gloves, which had a barely perceptible stain of blood on them. He expressionlessly wiped it away with dirt from the corner of the wall.
Song Heping took out the satellite communicator, and the screen lit up with a faint green light in the darkness.
Every step that follows must be as precise as a clock.
He pressed the start button, entered the specific frequency code and identification code provided by Duke, and then selected the preset contact information:
"Eagle calling its eaglets. It has reached the outskirts of the nest. Requesting a safe location."
A few seconds later, the device vibrated slightly, the screen flickered twice, and displayed a line of coordinate code and a brief message:
“Eaglet received. Southeast corner of the nest, old water room. Entrance is behind the third drainpipe.”
Song Heping immediately shared the coordinates with Jiang Feng: "Old water house in the southeast corner."
"receive."
The four people climbed over the wall from different locations almost simultaneously.
Song Heping braced himself against the wall with his palms, his body flipping lightly over, landing with a forward roll to cushion the impact, making no sound.
Ivan followed closely behind.
Inside the walled area was a wasteland overgrown with weeds, and in the distance, the main building was just a darker outline in the night.
Following the coordinates, they quickly crossed the wasteland and arrived at a half-collapsed brick and stone building in the southeast corner of the campus—the old water room.
Abandoned desks and chairs and broken teaching equipment were piled up around the building, casting strange shadows in the moonlight.
Song Heping noticed a third rusty drainpipe that extended from the roof to the ground, with a small metal door on the wall behind it that was almost completely covered by vines.
"You guys keep watch on the outside, I'm going in."
After speaking, he stepped forward and, following Duke's instructions, lightly knocked on the metal door with a specific rhythm: three short knocks, two long knocks, and one short knock.
There was silence for a few seconds inside the door.
Then came a response of the same rhythmic tapping.
Soon, the metal door opened a crack inward, and an eye peered warily into the darkness.
Once it was confirmed to be safe, the door was fully opened.
A man of about thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old stood behind the door, clutching a Glock pistol tightly in his hand, his eyes bloodshot and highly alert.
"Little Masood?"
Song Heping asked in a low voice, using the Corinthian greeting phrase used by Professor Duke.
The other party was very vigilant and did not immediately lower his gun, but nodded and asked in accented English, "Sent by Duke? Proof."
“ZDJ1123”
Song Heping gave the code.
Masood relaxed slightly, but his gun was still pointed at the ground guard post: "Come in. Quickly."
The group quickly entered, and the metal door closed silently behind them.
Behind the door is a narrow passage that extends downwards, allowing only one person to pass by bending over.
At the end of the passage was a small underground room of about ten square meters. The air smelled musty and of old books, but it was fully equipped.
A makeshift bed, a table piled high with papers, several boxes of bottled water and rations, and even a small diesel generator humming softly in the corner, providing dim lighting and ventilation for the room.
"Sit down." Little Masood gestured for the two to sit, then carefully checked that the hidden door was securely closed. "How many of you have come?"
“There are three more team members outside, and the special agents who are supposed to meet us are in the car,” Song Heping replied. “Your father is still alive, did you know that?”
Masood's eyes lit up for a moment, then dimmed again: "I guessed it. If they had found the body, they would have made it public long ago. But they control all of my father's confidants. Now, Erbil is Rashid's domain."
"By the way, is Torhan still at the TV station?" Song Heping asked.
“Yes, but I suspect he is also under close surveillance and cannot move freely. Barzani never trusts anyone, and he will plant spies to keep an eye on Torhan.”
Masood sat down and wearily rubbed his temples. "From this afternoon to tonight, Rashid's men have searched the school three times. Principal Fatima helped me evade the first two times, but they were clearly suspicious the third time."
Where is Principal Fatima now?
“I told her to leave and go to stay with relatives for the time being. I can’t let her get into trouble.”
Little Masood raised his head and said to Song Heping, "Listen, I know that Barzani and Rashid are betraying the Kolde people. They have made a secret agreement with the Turkish people to exchange our oil for support."
Song Heping asked, "Evidence?"
Little Masood took out a miniature USB flash drive from his pocket:
"This was stolen from Barzani's office by my informant. It contains a recording of Barzani meeting with the Turkish envoy three weeks ago, as well as a draft agreement in which Turkey recognizes the Barzani regime in exchange for the Erbil regime announcing a complete break with the PPK and supporting Turkish special forces to enter our territory to 'clean up' the PPK."
PPK is an abbreviation for Partiya Karkerên Kurdistan, while the Erbil regime led by Massoud belongs to the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP). They are two distinctly different organizations within the Kurdish nationalist movement.
The PPK was founded in 1979 with the initial aim of establishing an independent state through armed struggle in the border region of Turkey, Ilig, Persia, and Syria.
The KDP was founded in 1975, with its early goal of achieving Koldeid independence, but it later gradually shifted to cooperating with the Iligo government in order to seek autonomy.
PPK primarily operates in Turkey, employing guerrilla tactics and remaining in a state of armed conflict for an extended period.
The KDP mainly operates in Erbil and the surrounding areas in northern Iligo, possesses a regular armed force, and is in competition with the PPK, although the two also have interactions and exchanges.
No matter how much the KDP and PPK are at odds, it is still an internal conflict. If Barzani were to collude with Turkey to attack the PPK, he would be betraying the interests of the entire Kold'd nation by colluding with outsiders.
"Hehe, this is like inviting a wolf into the house." Song Heping took the USB drive, weighed it in his hand, and laughed, "Once the Turkish army comes in, they will never leave."
“That’s what I think too.” Masoud clenched his fist. “But I need to prove this to the people, I need to reveal the truth that my father is still alive. Although Torkhan has now repented, and his Third Infantry Brigade is the only force in the city that can still contend with Rashid’s eight thousand security troops, he is being monitored and does not know whether I am alive or dead, so he does not dare to mobilize troops against Barzani. As long as I see him, I will definitely be able to persuade him.”
Song Heping pondered for a moment: "What if we could take you to the TV station and have you appear on screen with Torhan, making all of this public?"
“But doing so is extremely risky. Rashid has deployed at least two hundred men around the television station. He will stop us at all costs once we show up.”
Little Ma Sude paused, "Unless..."
"Unless what?"
“Unless we can win the support of other families first. Koldstein isn’t just one family; there’s also the Talabani family and the Harab family. If we can get their support, Barzani definitely won’t succeed.”
Song Heping nodded: "The key is to contact Tor Khan and get his cooperation. As long as the contents of your USB drive are broadcast on TV, the other families will definitely support you."
After saying that, he stood up and said:
"There's no time to lose. We must get going. Jamie's diplomatic status might help us get closer to the television station area."
Masood quickly packed a few key items.
USB flash drive, spare communicator, a pistol and several magazines.
The two left their hiding place and met up with Jiang Feng and his two companions who were on guard outside the door. They quickly climbed over the wall and escaped.
A few minutes later, Jamie visibly relaxed when he saw them appear: "Get in the car quickly, Rashid's men just patrolled this block and may turn back at any time."
The group quickly got into the car.
The SUV drove away from the school.
In the car, Song Heping briefly explained the situation to Jamie and the information provided by Masoud.
“The TV station?” Jamie frowned. “It’s a fortress now. Rashid is using it as a temporary command center, and it’s extremely difficult for outsiders to get close except for essential staff.”
“Don’t you have diplomatic credentials?” Jiang Feng said. “Don’t Americans act like they own the place here?”
"Diplomatic credentials are not a magic key, especially now that Barzani is in a coup and doesn't care about international reactions at all."
Jamie objected, but then sighed, "However... perhaps we could try another approach. There's a cargo entrance behind the TV station; they deliver groceries every day at 7:30. I could impersonate an office staff member and deliver 'gifts' to the workers..."
“Not safe enough.” Song Heping shook his head. “We need to make sure we can see Torhan in person, and that he can temporarily get away from surveillance.”
Just then, the satellite communicator started vibrating.
Song Heping answered the call, and Duke's voice came through: "The situation has changed. Rashid just announced that he will hold an emergency press conference on television in an hour, accusing Masood Jr. of plotting a coup and colluding with the traitor Abu Yudhoyono to murder his father and seize power."
"What?!" Little Masood's face turned pale.
"Heh, he wants to strike first and convict you."
Song Heping immediately understood the other party's strategy.
"That way, even if you announce that your father is still alive, it will be seen as a hoax you staged to seize power. What a brilliant tactic!"
"We must see General Torkhan before the press conference!" Masood said urgently. "Once Rashid controls the media, it will be too late!"
The first and largest chapter, 6,700 words!
(End of this chapter)