Chapter 6: Group 2B

Iraq, located in West Asia, shares its northern border with Turkey, its eastern frontier with Iran, its western edges with Syria and Jordan, and its southern limits with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. To the southeast, it opens onto the Persian Gulf. The Euphrates and Tigris rivers flow from the northwest to the southeast, traversing the entire nation, which was the cradle of the ancient Babylonian civilization—one of the four great civilizations of antiquity.

In the northeast rise the Kurdish Mountains, while to the west, Iraq borders the Syrian Desert, experiencing a tropical desert climate. Between the highlands and the mountains lies the famous Mesopotamian Plain, covering the majority of the country's territory.

Endowed with abundant natural resources and steeped in a long and storied history as the birthplace of civilization in the land between two rivers, Iraq was once a nation of wealth and military might. It even briefly stood as a regional powerhouse in the Middle East.

However, beginning with the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s and culminating in defeat during the First Gulf War, the former Middle Eastern hegemon rapidly declined. The subsequent sanctions and embargoes imposed by Western coalitions only worsened the plight of the Iraqi people, to the point where even securing daily food became a struggle.

Ultimately, in 2003, the United States bypassed the United Nations Security Council and unilaterally launched the Second Gulf War. The ancient land of civilization was reduced to ruins, and to this day, has yet to recover, instead becoming a haven for terrorist groups...

"Is the intelligence reliable?"

Zhen Ye scrutinized the message just received from headquarters. The Asia Overseas Unit was well aware that time was of the essence, so intelligence gathering proceeded with remarkable speed. In less than ten hours, they had managed to pinpoint the approximate location of the target stronghold.

"It's accurate, though we couldn't confirm exact coordinates. You'll need to check it yourselves," Rong Aiyu replied, nodding. Time had been too short; this was the best the intelligence team could do.

"Alright, pack your gear. We're heading out," Zhang Liang said without hesitation, rising to his feet the moment he heard the news.

They moved quickly to the basement, where, after opening a concealed door, a modest armory appeared before them. The selection was limited but comprehensive. The two entered and began equipping themselves without delay.

Ten minutes later, after a final check of their weapons and gear, Zhang Liang and Zhen Ye left the safehouse without a backward glance.

For a two-man combat team, equipment was a matter of life and death; anything less was tantamount to gambling with their lives. But the safehouse only held standard gear.

Both now wore Ops-Core high-cut tactical helmets, crafted from high-strength carbon fiber, capable of withstanding bullet impacts, and equipped with built-in night vision and communications systems. Their bodies were protected by the "Interceptor" body armor favored by American soldiers—a modular system comprising a washable tactical vest, a Kevlar fiber soft ballistic liner, and front and rear ballistic plates.

Weighing about 7.4 kilograms, it was a bit heavier than the lightweight SPCS tactical vest, but its superior protection made it their lifeline.

Their main weapons were a pair of standard-issue 5.56mm M4A1 assault rifles, commonly known as Colt M4s—a staple of special operations. Each empty rifle weighed 2.68 kilograms, measured 840 millimeters with the stock extended, fired 800 to 980 rounds per minute, had an effective range of 350 meters, and a magazine capacity of 30 rounds, complete with tactical lights, optical sights, and suppressors.

For sidearms, they had no choice but to settle for 9mm HK USP pistols from Heckler & Koch.

Nevertheless, these were excellent tactical handguns, boasting a 15+1 round capacity, wear and corrosion resistance, a low center of gravity, and outstanding shooting stability.

Among their other gear were assorted tactical grenades, an M25 binocular, and reconnaissance drones.

"Headquarters, Team 2B is on the move..." Zhen Ye reported after they were in the car, his tone tinged with embarrassment. Zhang Liang's expression was equally awkward.

Damn it, when they assigned the operation sequence codes, their commander must have been drunk with the other two teams; otherwise, who in their right mind would choose a name like this?

Both men inherited the team from their "predecessors," and every time, it felt like swallowing a bitter pill.

"Headquarters copies, communications are normal," Rong Aiyu replied, barely suppressing a laugh. Beside her, Wan Xiaoling couldn't help but chuckle. Everyone in the team knew how much certain members resented the codename.

Zhang Liang curled his lip, ignoring the banter in his earpiece, and drove straight toward the coordinates marked by intelligence.

Three hours later, they arrived at Harta, a town ninety kilometers outside Mosul. According to the Overseas Unit's intelligence, the target was somewhere on the outskirts of the town.

"Circle around in the car first," Zhen Ye said, glancing at the digital map and launching two drones into the sky.

"Snow Falcon, monitor the drone feeds for me," he added.

"Snow Falcon, on it," Rong Aiyu replied from a temporary base in Pakistan. She immediately accessed the drones' systems via the network, their camera feeds appearing crisply on her monitor.

She brought up a map of the Harta area and began piloting the drones from two directions to scout the ground.

Forty minutes later, after circling Harta by car, Zhang Liang and Zhen Ye found a temporary spot to wait for headquarters' update.

February in Iraq was not as blistering as summer. Despite its desert climate, winter temperatures hovered around ten degrees Celsius—relatively comfortable.

"I've found it," Rong Aiyu announced as they hurried through their dinner. One drone's camera feed was transmitted to their tactical tablets.

The footage revealed an abandoned factory. Several armed men patrolled the perimeter, and the hijacked bus was visible, its corner jutting out from a partially collapsed warehouse.

"Switch to thermal imaging to locate the hostages," Zhen Ye said as they jumped up, hastily cleared away, and set off at once.

The feed switched instantly to thermal mode, laying bare the distribution of everyone in the factory.

"There!" Zhen Ye breathed a sigh of relief as he spotted a cluster of human-shaped heat signatures. With the location identified, things would be far more manageable.

Zhang Liang glanced at the coordinates sent by headquarters, spun the steering wheel sharply, and the car kicked up a cloud of dust as they sped toward their target.

In less than twenty minutes, they had reached a hillside behind the factory. After shouldering their gear and grabbing their weapons, they crawled up for a closer look.

"Two at the main gate, three by the bonfire on the west side, the rest are inside the building with the hostages," Zhang Liang whispered after scanning the area with binoculars and checking his tablet.

"Baoming, we need a safe approach," he said.

The factory sat on open plain—little cover, but the enemy was only moderately alert and lacked the manpower to monitor every direction. Infiltration shouldn't be difficult.

"Route sent, all enemies marked," Wan Xiaoling's voice replaced Rong Aiyu's in their tactical earpieces.

"It's 22:51. The rescue operation begins at 23:00 sharp!"

"B1, copy."

"B2, copy."

Zhang Liang and Zhen Ye checked their watches and ran through their gear one final time.

No one knew what could happen if they delayed any longer; getting the hostages out quickly was the only priority.

In a flash, nine minutes passed. Zhang Liang and Zhen Ye pulled their night vision goggles down from their helmets.

"Team 2B, commencing operation!"