The piercing whistle of the shells tearing through the night sky had not yet dissipated when another mortar shell crashed into the central area of the joint frontline command post.
"Boom——"
Thorium-232 powder transformed into a pale blue cloud at the moment of explosion, spreading with the shock wave.
In fact, as the unlucky technician was swept away by the shock wave, the specially formulated shell had already completed its primary task—electromagnetic interference.
Jiang Feng crouched on a sand dune 400 meters away from the camp, watching clearly through his Night Vision Goggles as the blue cloud engulfed the entire command post.
He pressed the communicator: "First round of shelling hit the target, waiting for thorium dust to disperse, continue the bombardment."
"Roger that, continue suppression."
The calm voice of the artillery squad leader responded in his earpiece.
He turned and gestured, and the gunner beside him immediately loaded the third shell.
Six mortars continued to bombard at a rate of one shell every five seconds, each shell precisely landing in different areas of the command post to ensure even coverage of thorium dust.
"Put on protective masks."
Seeing that the thorium dust had spread adequately, Jiang Feng issued the order to prepare for the attack.
Everyone simultaneously pulled down their specially made anti-radiation masks.
The lenses of the masks were made of a special multilayer composite material, effectively filtering thorium dust while maintaining a clear view.
The joint command post was already in chaos.
"Damn it! All electronic devices have failed! Cough cough cough——"
The communications officer was violently coughing while frantically slapping the suddenly blacked-out terminal equipment.
Commander Riyi Sen pushed open the tent flap, and the scene before him made his blood freeze— the entire camp was shrouded in an eerie blue mist, electronic devices were sparking, and satellite antennas were twisting and deforming as if being crushed by an invisible hand.
"EMP attack?"
The adjutant asked in horror.
Ethan shook his head and suddenly began to cough violently.
He noticed the fine particles floating in the air, glowing unnaturally under the searchlight.
"No... God... it's some kind of radioactive disruptor..."
Before he could finish talking, another shell directly hit the communications tent.
The damage caused by thorium-232 powder to electronic equipment was catastrophic—these fine radioactive particles adhered to the circuit boards, causing continuous ionization interference, rendering any unprotected electronic equipment completely paralyzed within minutes.
"We've been set up..."
Ethan knelt on the ground, coughing up blood-streaked saliva. He realized that this was not a chance encounter but a meticulously planned ambush.
Someone knew their location, their mission, and even knew all their communication frequencies and electronic equipment parameters.
Three hundred kilometers away, in the northern wilderness of the Sudan.
The commander of the two Green Beret squads, Marcus, suddenly halted, raising his fist to signal the entire team to stop advancing.
The static noise in the headphones grew stronger, eventually turning into a piercing screech.
"Damn it! What's going on!" He tore off the headphones, his face grim, "Communication is down."
He pulled out his PDA and looked at the screen.
A field of snowflakes.
The footage of the drones deployed to scout Song Heping's route was also lost.
"The drone signal is lost too... something's wrong..."
Team member Jackson checked the tactical tablet, the screen was filled with static.
"GPS signal is weak; we can only rely on paper maps and compasses now."
Marcus spat: "Initiate the backup plan, launch the 'Big Crow'."
A team member quickly retrieved a small hand-launched drone from his backpack and assembled it in record time.
With a sprint, he gently tossed it, and the drone, with low electronic emissions, silently took to the air.
Its camera footage directly transmitted to Marcus's monocular display, and although the resolution was not as high as military drones, it was sufficient to provide a real-time view within a five-kilometer radius.
"Stay alert, something feels off."
Seeing the empty view in the camera, Marcus had an ominous feeling; he quietly gave the order.
Twenty-four Green Berets immediately split into three combat teams, advancing in a triangular formation, each person scanning the surroundings vigilantly through their Night Vision Goggles.
Unbeknownst to them, hidden in the shadows of rocks just 200 meters behind, several pairs of cold eyes were watching their every move.
Song Heping's previously deployed C Group had been trailing this Special Forces unit for over two hours.
They wore specially designed camo suits coated with material that absorbed infrared radiation, making them difficult to detect even with Night Vision Goggles.
"The target has entered the ambush zone."
C Group leader White Bear reported quietly over the encrypted channel.