Chapter 1558 - 1263: Discussing New Afghan Ventures

The night is as dark as ink, with only the flames in the courtyard's bonfire leaping, casting flickering shadows on the faces of those seated around it.

A plump native black-headed sheep is placed over the charcoal, roasting to a golden, crispy skin, the sizzling sound constant, with hot fat dripping down and exploding into momentary sparks on the scorching charcoal, rising up in a blend of burnt fragrance and smoky cumin aroma.

Song Heping, holding a sharp tactical dagger, skillfully and steadily slices off a large piece of sheep meat, crispy on the outside and tender within, with crunchy bones and steaming heat, placing it first into the tin plate before Ferrari.

Then, he also distributes some to White Bear and Queen.

"Taste it, native black-headed sheep, not much of a gamey taste, meat is firm and tender."

Song Heping said, holding up the cup in front of him, filled with clear water.

Right now is the crucial moment, he needs to stay absolutely sober, the alcohol is reserved for those who can relax.

White Bear directly grabs the hot piece of mutton, biting a big mouthful without hesitation, mumbling in praise:

"Great meat! Full of flavor!"

He grabs the Vodka bottle beside him, tilts his head back for a big gulp, with the strong smell of alcohol spreading along with his breath.

"This place is decent, you have meat to eat, strong liquor to drink, like a place where you can relax and enjoy."

Ferrari, off to the side and slowly chewing the mutton, fixes his gaze on Song Heping and says:

"Talk about the Afghan business while we eat, I want to hear your opinion."

Song Heping wipes his hands with a coarse cloth, his gaze slowly sweeping over the faces of everyone present, finally saying in a deep voice:

"This new task, it's big in scale, but also high in risk. In that damned place Afghan, countless contractors lose their lives every year..."

He deliberately pauses, ensuring everyone's attention is focused.

Then he continues: "I just signed a contract with the US military, the business is about logistical transportation support for Afghan."

Ferrari casually asks: "Specifically transporting what? From where to where? What's the route?"

"The contract includes..."

Song Heping pulls a piece of paper from his pocket, handing it to Ferrari beside him:

"We're responsible for transporting from Kabul to the southern provinces of Afghan—mainly Paktia Province and Zabul Province—all the supplies needed by the US Army's frontline mountain outposts. From basic food, drinking water, and fuel, to critical ammunition, medical equipment, even replacement parts, everything needed to keep those outposts operational is on the transport list."

White Bear lifts his heavy eyelids and tersely asks the most critical question: "Annually, how much money?"

Song Heping meets his gaze and clearly utters two words:

"Five billion. US dollars."

"Hiss—"

Ferrari lifts his head, eyes filled with disbelief.

Five billion US dollars is no small contract.

"A five-billion-dollar transportation support contract?!"

Ferrari's expression quickly becomes wary:

"Song! I can't believe such a windfall, tell me, old buddy, how tough is this bone to chew? How much of it is stained with the blood of those before us?"

Song Heping is not surprised by his intense reaction, nodding slightly and saying: "You're right, Ferrari. This isn't a fat job; this is the Americans 'rewarding' us with the toughest bone to chew, not only stained with blood and meat scraps but damn embedded with the shattered teeth of those who previously tried to chew it!"

He elaborates: "This contract is essentially a form of interest exchange. I, along with Samir, assisted them in striking the 1515 Armed in Northwest Illinois, and they threw this contract to 'Musician' Defense to pacify us for now."

Speaking, he takes up the dagger, and on the soft mud beside him, he draws a simple yet clear topographic sketch.

"Paktia and Zabul Province,"

He points the tip of the knife at those two areas.

"Located in Southern Afghan, an extension of the Hindu Kush mountain range, full of towering mountains reaching thousands of meters in altitude, with rugged roads, many places where so-called roads are merely mule paths. More crucially, here—"

His knife tip heavily scratched the southern edge of the diagram.

"This whole damn place is eastward, bordering Ba Country, with a long, almost undefended border. That area is the most central, rampant region of Alta activities, known as the 'Eye of the Storm.'"

He looked up, turning his gaze to Jiang Feng: "Jiang Feng, highlight the key points of the intelligence Henry summarized for everyone."

Jiang Feng quickly picked up the conversation: "Henry utilized multiple channels to obtain and analyze the preliminary report. Over the past twelve months, during the period when the Alliance Army was responsible for transportation tasks in these two provinces, there were as many as three hundred and thirty-seven recorded attacks. On average, almost every day a convoy takes a hit. This does not include a large number of unrecorded or unverifiable minor disturbances. The confirmed casualties of Allied troops amount to sixty-seven, with twenty-one killed. But according to internal sources and battlefield emergency evacuation data, the actual casualty figures might be upward by thirty to fifty percent."

Song Heping timely chimed in:

"The casualties are too high. The pension, disability allowances, long-term medical care, and domestic political impact are burdens that neither the Pentagon nor the White House can bear. Continual casualty reports become the best ammunition for opposition parties to attack the ruling party. That's why they are so eager to outsource this hot potato to private military companies. After all, PMC casualties are not included in the military statistics, have lower political sensitivity, and are more 'controllable' in cost."

The courtyard instantly fell into a deathly silence.

Only the crackling sound of burning firewood and the faint chirping of unidentified insects in the distant wilderness could be heard.

"Every day... there might be an attack? Over three hundred times?!"

White Bear suddenly grabbed the bottle and took another big gulp of Vodka.

"Damn! This isn't a convoy; it's an obvious moving target! No wonder the US Army is so generous in giving you a big pie — it's a bone that nobody wants, with little meat and sharp enough to injure your teeth."

"You can understand it that way."

Song Heping frankly admitted: "But in our line of work, higher risk brings higher rewards. Over there in Afghan, I feel there's great potential. Now they have given us a contract valid for one year, and before that, we need to complete the comprehensive handover with the US Army in Afghan, conduct a field survey of every possible transportation route, precise risk assessment, and formulate a foolproof transportation plan and safety contingency plan."

His gaze fell on Ferrari and White Bear:

"I have too many things to attend to here, so I had to call you over. Ferrari, contact Grey Wolf, pull a fully-equipped company from the Hunter School in the South American division, select veterans with experience in mountain combat and anti-ambush, especially those familiar with driving and escorting in rugged terrain. White Bear, you also deploy the most elite company from over in Africa. Additionally, Jiang Feng will assist you in recruiting at least 150 reliable drivers globally on an urgent basis. The requirement boils down to two points: fearless, highly skilled, able to maneuver the cars like serpentine paths amidst gunfire."

"Transportation tools and primary trucks will be provided by the US Army. Our own light and heavy weapons..."

Song Heping continued, "I'll arrange for special aircraft to deliver directly to Kabul Airport for you."

Ferrari furrowed his brow, stabbing a piece of lamb with a dagger and stuffing it into his mouth while chewing and asking, "What about the camp? Our main base camp will surely be set in Kabul, right? Has the location been confirmed?"

"It's necessary to set the command center and main materials transfer warehouse in Kabul."

Song Heping shook his head, "But the real forward base and daily convoy assembly point must not be placed in Kabul. We must establish at least one forward operations base close to the southern mountains, near the starting point of the transport line, equipped with sturdy defensive structures and capable of helicopter landings. The specific location needs to be determined after you arrive, based on field reconnaissance and intelligence. The principle is: maximize the reduction of distance into the danger zone while ensuring the base possesses sufficient defensive depth and support capabilities."

White Bear solemnly spoke, hitting the core of the issue: "What about logistics support, fuel, ammunition, food, medical support, who's responsible? To what extent does the US Army provide?"

Song Heping was already familiar with this:

"The US Army is responsible for transporting basic materials to and storing them in designated warehouses in Kabul. But from Kabul warehouse all the way to each of the southern posts, all fuel mid-point supply, emergency vehicle repair, field medical support, even including personnel accommodation and meals, need to be self-managed by us. Especially in the medical aspect..."

His gaze swept over the Queen.

"Every convoy must be equipped with at least one experienced battlefield medic, carrying ample plasma and first-aid equipment. The forward base must establish a medical station with basic surgical capabilities, able to handle gunshot wounds, shrapnel injuries, and explosive impact injuries. The helicopter medical evacuation corridor, we will strive to coordinate with US military theater medical evacuation units, but must prepare for the worst — they may delay or refuse for various reasons. So, we need our emergency plan, if necessary, even using armed pickups to rush severely injured personnel out! Queen, you'll handle medical operations at the time specifically."

Next, several individuals engaged in a deep discussion about the five-billion, yet peril-laden contract.

Finally, Song Heping nailed down some basic details—

Initially set to deploy four heavily armed escort vehicles for every ten transport trucks, including two M-ATVs with roof-mounted heavy machine guns or automatic grenade launchers, one reconnaissance vehicle loaded with sniper teams and communications relay equipment, and one rear-equipped vehicle with recoilless guns or anti-tank missiles for heavy fire support.

The tiered configuration of escort firepower includes long-range suppression fire from roof weapon stations, with accompanying infantry rapidly disembarking to establish a close-range defense circle using the trucks as cover during an ambush, precision shooters and snipers responsible for eliminating enemy commanders and rocket launcher operators.

The conversation lasted until late into the night, and only then did the meal conclude.

Eventually, Song Heping clapped his hands and made a summary:

"Alright, let's set the basic framework and primary task here for now. Ferrari, White Bear, when you return, immediately start preparations. I want to see a preliminary list and equipment inventory within a week. Jiang Feng, you're responsible for contacting Henry to deliver a detailed intelligence analysis and risk assessment report for Paktia and Zabul Province's main transportation routes within ten days. Mark all known high-risk road sections, potential ambush points, possible tribal areas, and emergency landing points."

"No problem."

"Leave it to me! Don't worry, Boss."

"Okay, execute according to your plan."

Everyone nodded one after another, then got up and returned to their rooms to rest.