King Of War: Starting with Arms Dealer

Baghdad is just over 500 kilometers away from Gaiyara Base...

Joe Ga was riding in a Warrior logistics vehicle, flanked by twenty others in front and behind him, leading a massive supply convoy speeding along the highway.

Sitting inside the vehicle, Joe Ga's expression wasn't too good because the group called 'Arctic Fox Mercenary Group' hadn't been found.

The adversary was very experienced and knew exactly what capabilities the United States' most advanced 'Stinger' missiles had.

According to Richie Barton, those guys probably hid the 'Stinger' missiles underground in some fortification.

He even suspected that the 'Arctic Fox Mercenary Group' had already entered Mosul...

The 'Armored Group' that was being tracked was hiding in the hills on the outskirts of Mosul; CACI was currently sending people to confirm their situation.

More troubling was that the Armenian mercenaries were not with ISIS's ambush forces.

They became a reserve force, lurking around the highways north of Tikrit, maintaining a straight-line distance of about 3 kilometers from ISIS, which was ambushing on the city's outskirts.

Clearly, they were prepared to use the 'Stinger' on any P·B planes that might come to support, to cover the MiG-21s bombing the convoy.

Those ISIS guys disgustingly hid within the civilian buildings on the edge of Tikrit, and the highway just happened to pass by the city's edge, with complex residences on one side and factories built along the Tigris River on the other.

Everyone else was still okay, but since departure, 'Pliers' had been showing signs of mental instability. He hadn't gone mad, but entered some kind of weird state...

He volunteered to take a rookie 'Wrench' with a six-man squad in a Milos Armored Vehicle, leading the way in front of the convoy. Since the convoy set off, this guy kept repeating the same song...

I've overcome some difficulties

Sometimes I feel like I'm drugged

I don't know how to explain the thoughts in my head

I'm fighting hard to break free from the shackles of life

Life doesn't go the way I want

Success always seems to slam the door suddenly

I'm trying, I want to break it

..........

..........

Others didn't know how it felt, but 'Wrench,' who was in the same vehicle, instantly regretted it.

As old soldiers, they were too familiar with what guys with PTSD symptoms were like.

'Pliers'' condition was quite severe because he seemed to really enjoy this state and was trying to break something to find release.

For a man who lives by the gun, isn't death the only escape left?

'Wrench,' who was driving, looked at 'Pliers' singing and keeping the beat in the co-driver's seat and said seriously, "Buddy, you need to calm down!

If you dare take my guys into unnecessary risks, I swear I'll take you down without hesitation!"

'Pliers' paused, then looked at 'Wrench' and said with a smile, "Don't be afraid, Iraq is a paradise for the brave. Look at the road ahead, no matter what happens, I can get you through."

Seeing 'Pliers,' who was clearly not normal, 'Wrench' uneasily pressed the communicator and said, "Boss, 'Pliers' seems to be out of his mind, can we request another bomb disposal expert?"

"All EOD technicians rotate shifts, keep an eye on 'Pliers'; the guy has been fond of wandering the streets since he arrived in Iraq.

He's the best bomb disposal expert, but... watch him, don't let him do anything rash..."

As Joe Ga reassured 'Wrench', up ahead, 'Goat Squad' driving the Arctic Cat on a light scouting mission ahead of the convoy issued a warning...

"Attention, we've found an IED on the highway. We are conducting a search and setting up a perimeter, request bomb disposal experts to come..."

Hearing this, Joe Ga glanced at the time and found that it was less than two hours since the convoy departed, having covered only about 70 kilometers when they encountered the roadside bomb...

This situation indicated that Joe Ga's journey would be anything but smooth. What was supposed to take around eight hours now might be lucky to be completed in two days.

Many might wonder why, in a war, they don't just remotely detonate bombs instead of having bomb disposal experts take the risk...

The reality is that without confirming the size of the bombs, a rash detonation could cause severe collateral damage, whether in the city or on a rural highway.

Each explosion in the city is a blow to the order and the civilians' confidence in the government, not to mention the destruction of streets and buildings.

But this is something that Joe, the boss, could actually tolerate, after all, it wasn't his property being blown up; however, it's a different story on the rural highways...

If the bomb is too large and blows up a section of the highway, it could cause severe disruption to his 'humanitarian corridor.'

At such times, finding someone to repair the road is not easy, and if logistics are disrupted, people will definitely die on the frontline!

There is only one highway from Baghdad to Mosul, but it's of very high standard.

Even ISIS was reluctant to destroy it completely in the past; they usually used bombs with low yield, but now the situation has changed...

According to intelligence provided by CACI, ISIS prepared many suicide trucks in Mosul, those terrible weapons loaded with liquefied gas tanks, ready to rush towards Joe's convoy at any time.

Under such circumstances, who knows what kind of bomb they have planned?

Joe Ga, as ISIS's most wanted target, had to be extremely cautious!

The moment the convoy stopped, everyone began to get out of their vehicles and stand guard. A group of Colombians conscientiously pushed the cordon line up the left hillside to prevent terrorists from launching a surprise attack.

This was standard procedure, as IEDs often came with ambushes!

Detecting threats early, stopping at a distance, and having special forces and bomb disposal experts deal with the issue greatly increased the security of the convoy.

Joe Ga remained in the vehicle without getting out, watching the screen in Antar's hand, trying to spot any potential enemies around.

Drones were not omnipotent. Unless there was intelligence to conduct targeted reconnaissance in advance, it was not easy to quickly spot experienced ambushers from high altitude.

Although their intent was known, cracking the enemy's offensive required the special forces to confirm up close.

Joe Ga hadn't noticed anything yet when Antar pressed the communicator and said, "Calling Goat Squad, at your two o'clock direction, 400 meters away..."

"I see them now...

This is G1, we have found a concealed mortar position, with 3 machine gun nests on the flank. I will mark them with a laser and request artillery support..."

"Oh fuck! They spotted us, we're marking our position with a smoke grenade, God bless us, don't let the shelling hit us..."

Joe Ga picked up the vehicle's radio and said decisively, "Mortars, prepare..."

The 15 self-propelled mortars sponsored by old Rabbit slowly moved out of the convoy. The Serbian sergeants and Xiao Hei's mixed artillery crew quickly used their sighting radar and fire control system to lock onto the target...

"Mortars ready..."

Joe Ga heard the confirmation from the radio and, seeing the colored smoke rising in the distance, chuckled and said, "Fire!!"

'Duke' of the Goat Squad and his teammates huddled behind a pile of rocks to avoid the enemy machine guns' fire.

The enemy mortar crew was adjusting the muzzle, ready to fire a volley and then leave because they knew the ambush was pointless now.

However, it was clear that P·B's action was slightly faster...

'Duke' heard a series of muffled sounds from behind, followed by the whistling in the sky. He decisively added another colored smoke grenade around him, then involuntarily made the sign of a cross over his chest...

"Don't fall on me, don't fall on me..."

As 'Duke' prayed, 15 rounds of 120mm mortars exploded on the hillside at their two o'clock direction.

The precision of China's self-propelled mortars exceeded 'Duke's imagination, with shells hitting close to their target...

The massive explosions instantly destroyed the enemy mortar positions, and the flying debris shot through the smoke like blades, shredding the bodies within the blast radius.

Huddled against a large stone behind him, listening to the sound of explosive fragments hitting the protective cover making a 'crackling' noise, 'Duke' admitted he was very scared...

SAS was active in Northern Ireland, the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeast Asia year-round. They hadn't enjoyed cover from large-caliber imprecise guided weapons of this magnitude for many years...

It was truly terrifying!

This wasn't something being battle-hardened could exempt you from, each time was frightening!

If P·B's gunners made even a slight miscalculation, their little lives would be over.

What about special forces?

If you get hit, the result is the same!

After the explosion had passed, 'Duke' cautiously peeked out…

Upon the devastated hillside, no signs of life could be seen. He patted his helmet, then kicked the guy next to him before starting to search uphill while saying, "Goat Squad move forward to confirm kills, bomb disposal experts to proceed in 5 minutes."

'Duke' hesitated for a moment after speaking and added, "Next time, please use the mortar team. Three rounds are enough for an enemy of this size. If there are any survivors, we will request continued shelling."

'Duke,' talking amid the lingering smoke, led his team forward a few dozen meters and then came across an extremely pitiful corpse...

This poor guy's upper body was separated from his lower half; before dying, he had tried to retrieve his lower body, dragging his intestines across the ground and clutching his backend in death.

On the hillside under the cover of 15 rounds of 120mm mortars, there basically were no blind spots for casualties...

'Duke' led a sweep, gathered threatening weapons, placed C4 on them, and after retreating to a safe distance to detonate them, he pushed the radio again and said, "This is G1, the danger on the hillside is cleared."

"Goat Squad, withdraw for reorganization, Rabbit Squad to take over their work..."

Upon hearing this, 'Duke' took a deep breath of relief...

The special forces did just that, and although not a single shot had been fired, in terms of stress, this was higher than street fighting because the people deciding your fate were in the rear...

'Duke' led his team down the hillside and saw 'Pincers' pounding on the connection between a shell's fuze and body with a big wrench, while a new special forces team huddled behind a Milos Armored Vehicle, incessantly cursing at 'Pincers.'

'Pincers,' completely immersed in his own world, twisted the slightly loosened fuze off with a wrench and tucked it into his backpack.

'Pliers,' having completed his task, looked at the Goat Squad nearby as if they had seen a ghost, waved his hand with a smile, and said, "We continue, I love this job..."

'Duke' ignored 'Pliers' completely, but as he walked past 'Wrench' and his team, he sympatted 'Wrench' on the shoulder, hesitated, and said, "I've seen this kind of madman before, they're reliable, but don't be too nice to them, knock them out if you have to..."

'Wrench' glared at 'Duke' and said, "How about you take care of him and we'll scout ahead?"

'Duke' replied in a standard English accent, "Sir, you are Americans, we are British, we don't mesh well!!"