"What do you mean?!"
The cook was the first one who couldn't hold back anymore.
"Which position are we responsible for during the operation?"
He wanted to get a clear answer.
Vincent kept that disdainful smile on his face, as if he were looking at a child begging for candy from an adult, "You'll be in charge of securing our perimeter. As long as we're safe, you don't have to worry about not fulfilling your contract."
His implication was very clear.
The mercenaries in front of him were not qualified to participate in their core battle.
The task of eliminating the "Hunter" would be taken care of by the Seals.
All Song Heping and the rest had to do was follow along, and they would get paid.
The cook was about to blow up, but Song Heping gave him a look, signaling him not to lose his temper.
Then he turned to Vincent and said, "Then thank you, Lieutenant. We won't interfere with your hunt. I wish you good luck."
"Don't worry," Vincent confidently replied, "this battle will be over soon. The 'Hunter' has only killed regular troops before, but they won't be so lucky this time. We'll show them what a real sniper is."
"Great, great, great."
Song Heping started clapping, giving a thumbs up, "Awesome!"
After the meeting, everyone began to prepare their weapons, ammunition, and supplies for the next day's operation.
The night before any military mission, all equipment and supplies, including guns and ammo, had to be cleaned and checked, and food and water had to be readied.
The two groups living in the same large tent couldn't get along, so when it came to cleaning their guns, they each formed their own circles, with zero interaction, each doing their own thing.
"Song, why didn't you let me lose it just now?"
The cook glanced at the Seal Team with a look of contempt.
Song Heping replied, "They're letting you follow them and pick up money without any danger, and you're still not happy?"
Grey Wolf agreed with Song Heping's statement, "Cook, Song is right. They asked us to be responsible for the perimeter, to be their security. Let's just do it. It's good. We can just watch their performance. And you know what?
If this really works out without us having to lift a finger, that's a million dollars for nothing!"
"Exactly!" White Bear chimed in, "I think it's good, much better than being used as bait!"
Hunter said, "They probably don't need us as bait anymore. Now it's the Army, the Marine Corps, and the Airborne Troops who are in charge of leading the way and clearing the path. I guess the Seals are planning to follow behind these ground forces and then track 'Hunter' when he appears, covering the ground troops as they sweep through the city."
"That's nice!" Grey Wolf remarked, "After all, we won't have any losses. According to what Vincent said, we'll be positioned in the safest location, on the periphery of the Seals, acting as a lookout for them."
The cook turned to Song Heping, "Song, what do you think?"
Song Heping was deep in thought and was brought back to reality by the cook's question. He nodded and said, "I have the same idea, you're all right."
The cook asked, "What were you thinking about? You seem to have a lot on your mind."
As Song Heping picked up a brush to clean the barrel of the MK18, he said, "Have you ever considered who we're up against?"
His question made everyone look at each other, unsure where Song Heping was going with this.
"The Hunter," blurted out Samir, unable to hold back, "The organization formed by the elite Suicide Squad from the former Sadam Guard."
Song Heping shook his head, "You're not hitting the nail on the head."
Samir was confused and looked at the others, hoping for a different answer.
Hunter remarked, "You mean, the opponent is a sniper?"
This time, Song Heping nodded, "Not just any sniper. If the information provided by the military is correct, then it's a sniper who can use an SVD sniper rifle to kill targets at a distance of twelve hundred meters."
At that, he swept his gaze over those present, "I've asked you all before, does anyone in our team have the ability to do that?"
This time, everyone shook their heads.
The SVD is, after all, an old model rifle. It was barely on the cusp of being considered a sniper rifle when it was first designed, with an accuracy of about one minute of angle at one hundred meters.
Let alone using it to shoot a target one thousand meters away, hitting the human body at a distance of eight hundred meters would already qualify one as an excellent sniper.
To achieve a sniping distance of twelve hundred meters, that would definitely be a monster among monsters.
Seeing that no one was speaking, Song Heping continued, "Do you think such a sniper would be easy to deal with? Sniping is all about long-range kill effect; whoever shoots farther and more accurately wins. Drones in the sky simply can't spot an enemy inside a building, and the city is not open countryside—it's not that easy to deal with."
The cook glanced at the Seals, then whispered to Song Heping, "Do you mean they won't be able to handle it?"
Song Heping replied, "It depends on their tactics, but if they do as Vincent says, advancing piece by piece and chasing the enemy when they appear, I can basically conclude they won't manage."
Hunter was puzzled, "Boss, these are Seal Teams. Each one of them has rich combat experience. Wouldn't they have thought of this problem?"
"They've thought of it," Song Heping said, "You see, they've also brought long-range sniper rifles. But their way of thinking is wrong."
Hunter was a sniper himself and became immediately interested when it came to his expertise, "Boss, it seems like you have also studied sniping?"
Song Heping humbly answered, "A little... just a little... "
Eager to learn, Hunter inquired, "So tell us, why is their way of thinking wrong?"
Song Heping explained, "Advancing piece by piece means breaking up the attack area into many small sections and clearing each one at a time. This tactic can be somewhat effective in city warfare for close combat, but I've looked at the data and something doesn't seem right. If this method were effective, then Mosul would have been taken long ago, right?
Why, then, after several months, does the US Army not even dare to station in the city?"