Chapter 724 - 665: The Commissioner Arrives

"A full-scale attack within 24 hours!?"

Upon hearing Song Heping's plan, Samir gasped repeatedly in shock.

"My troops were decimated only last night, and today we are to regroup and deploy to the west to engage in a do-or-die battle with the I5I5 organization?!"

In his view, this was sheer fantasy.

Song Heping was of course aware that such a rapid recovery and the ability to reassemble for combat were extremely demanding for an Illigo Militia Organization.

But the reality was right there.

Two agents had gone missing, and Kelly from the Secret Action Department would soon realize that something was amiss.

Once the CIA caught on, it meant that Baghdadi would also be warned.

This man was already elusive in his movements; if he felt threatened, he would immediately go into hiding, making it very difficult to find him later on.

It could almost be said that this was possibly Song Heping's only chance to eliminate Baghdadi in the short term.

"Don't you want revenge? If you miss this opportunity, who knows when the next one will be."

Song Heping looked at Samir and said seriously, "Tell me, Samir, it's been two or three years since you established this armed force, right? How many years have you fought against the I5I5 organization?"

"They are an organization that has risen just over this past year, and our standoff with them has only been this year," Samir replied.

Song Heping asked, "Have you had the chance to kill Baghdadi over this year?"

"No..."

After thinking for a moment, Samir shook his head: "He's a mysterious guy, very secretive; we simply can't find him."

"That's right," Song Heping held up two fingers, "24 hours, this is your only chance."

Samir's gaze fell on those two fingers, and after staring for a long while, he finally clenched his teeth and said, "Fine! But we are short-staffed..."

"Don't worry, they don't have many people either. In last night's battle, they also suffered heavy losses, and their main forces should have retreated back to the Syrian border by now. They definitely didn't expect that we would counterattack so swiftly and pinpoint Baghdadi's location accurately. So when they try to call for reinforcements from Syria..."

Song Heping made a blocking gesture.

"They will be blocked by your government army."

"Government army?!"

Samir said in disbelief, "How is that possible?! Do you think those American lackeys will help us?! Boss, you're too naive!"

Song Heping said, "What if I told you that it was your cousin Yusuf who promised this? What would you say then?"

"Him?!"

A look of contempt appeared on Samir's face.

"He's also a lackey!"

Song Heping almost choked, and couldn't help but say, "I've also done business with Americans before, taken their contracts, does that make me a lackey?"

Samir was at a loss for words.

"It's different..."

It was evident that Samir still harbored prejudice against Yusuf.

Song Heping said, "Samir, you and your organization are at a critical moment of life and death. At such a time, you should unite all the forces you can, instead of functioning with a biased perspective, and not handle specific affairs with impulsiveness or personal stances which could lead your organization to destruction. Don't blame me for not warning you; expand your vision, don't concern yourself with trivial differences. Your cousin and those new tycoons in the new government also dislike I5I5, so you have a common interest in this regard."

Samir hung his head and did not speak for a while, clearly struggling within his heart.

After all, he's somewhat of an idealist, and now Song Heping is asking him to learn how to handle affairs with pragmatism, inevitably causing internal conflict.

"Alright!"

After a full minute, Samir made up his mind.

"I will cooperate with them, but aside from that, I'm still short-handed."

"Don't forget, I also have three battalions of local mercenaries," Song Heping said.

Samir replied, "Didn't the company disband?"

"Exactly," said Song Heping. "For the time being, the operation of 'Musician' Defense in Illigo has been entirely suspended. Other than the cleaning lady, there's no one left in the offices inside the Green Zone. However, the mercenary camps haven't been disbanded. I've simply given them leave to go home and be on standby, ready to assemble at any time. Now..."

He glanced at his watch and said, "They should be en route by now and should be able to reach here and join up with us before evening."

Upon learning that all three local mercenary camps of "Musician" Defense would join the operation, Samir's confidence surged.

He had been the commander of one of the local mercenary camps, and he knew well the combat capability of this force.

These local mercenaries had been personally trained by Hu Songhe and the core members of the company; their quality was higher than that of the average militia and local armed forces.

"Let's do it, then!"

Samir was no longer apprehensive.

"I'll go and assemble the men right now, get them all to gather in this nearby area and be on standby."

"Samir," Song Heping called to Samir, who was eager to leave and issue the orders, and said, "You will personally command this operation. I won't participate but will have another matter to deal with. Can you handle it on your own?"

"Where are you going?" Samir was taken aback.

Song Heping said, "I have more important matters to deal with."

Samir wanted to say something to persuade him to stay but knew that Song Heping was always resolute.

If he said he had important business, then it must be an urgent matter.

"I feel somewhat unsure..."

Samir expressed his concerns.

"One must rely on oneself," Song Heping said gravely. "Often, there are things one must face alone."

As Song Heping and Samir were preparing for the counterattack, urgent knocking came from outside the office of the Head of the Secret Action Department.

"Ma'am!"

Nathan, the subordinate who entered, held an urgent telegram in his hand and hurried to Kelly's desk, handing over the document and saying, "Emergency, news from Illigo. Two of our agents responsible for I5I5 liaison lost contact after 4 a.m. today. Their pickup truck was later found on a dirt road leading to Mosul, but it was burned, and they were nowhere to be found."

"What?!"

Kelly took off her glasses, her gaze instantly sharpening as she stared at Nathan standing before her.

"Do you know who did it?"

"The burned pickup had bullet holes, and the technicians at the Illigo Intelligence Station have analyzed them to be caused by 5.56mm and 7.62mm caliber bullets. However, there were very few 7.62mm holes, indicating perhaps a sniper rifle, while 5.56mm is NATO standard ammunition, used by our people..."

"No."

Kelly waved her hand dismissively.

She retracted her gaze, staring at the cup of water on her desk.

"It's that 'Song' guy; he's declared war on us. Just yesterday, we received news from Mexico that Barrett is also dead. Now, we've begun losing control of the situation in Mexico. Deputy Director Edson has contacted the Colombian government to cooperate in striking against those drug lords, but I estimate that we won't see significant results in the short term..."

As she spoke, she pinched the bridge of her nose, pondering for a moment before saying: "Song Heping is not a simple man... Nathan, you're in charge of Z-East affairs. Fly to Illigo this afternoon to take personal command there. Contact the military and our intelligence station there, have them send their elite forces to hunt down Song Heping across the country!"

Nathan nodded, "Yes, ma'am, I will arrange a flight to Illigo right away."

Just as Nathan turned to leave, Kelly called out to him.

"Nathan, take two Watcher squads with you, just in case. Song... how do I put it... is difficult to deal with..."

Nathan confidently said, "However formidable he is, he is just one man. If necessary, we can mobilize the army against them!"

"Hmm..." Kelly nodded thoughtfully, believing Nathan's perspective made sense; Song, no matter how capable, was just a defense company owner after all.

On their side, they had the army if needed, the people if needed, backed by the world's largest superpower.

Afraid of one individual from China?!

She almost wanted to laugh at the thought, the corners of her mouth curling slightly.

She was scaring herself.

Thinking too highly of that kid, Song Heping.