Northern Illigo, en route to the mountains at the Persian Border.
The team moved silently along the rugged mountain path.
Song Heping walked in the middle of the team, occasionally observing the surrounding terrain and the team's condition. His satellite phone vibrated.
He moved behind a large rock, signaling to Naxin and the others who were following him to continue forward, while he stayed to answer the call.
The call was from Henry.
"Boss, I'm sorry."
Henry's voice sounded somewhat dejected, "I did my best with the task you assigned... We spent a lot of money, even used those old connections within the Illigo Government and military, but all we got were scraps. CIA's core network in the northwest is hidden too well. Those who've survived until now are real cunning foxes. Either they operate on a single-line contact, making it impossible to reach higher levels. To get that high-level agent list, unless... unless we have someone inside their organization to help."
"Alright, you did your best, don't blame yourself, it's not your fault."
Song Heping listened in silence, not entirely surprised by the outcome.
If infiltrating the CIA were that easy, it wouldn't be the CIA anymore.
He hung up the phone, his brow furrowed, his mind rapidly weighing options.
The list couldn't be obtained...
Song Heping's mind raced.
Without the list, the plan was at a standstill.
The original intent was to uproot the CIA's foothold in the northwest in one sweep—
This would not only give 1515 the chance to cripple the CIA's intelligence capabilities in the northwest, turning the US Army's airstrikes into blind and deaf, thereby highlighting the value of the 'Liberation Forces' in the future, making them inevitably come to Samir for help.
Secondly, it would serve as a harsh retaliation for the CIA's relentless hunts against me, delivering a clear warning for them to stop trying to oppose or eliminate me. If they make the first move, I can make the last.
In the Middle East or Africa, as long as I survive, the CIA agents shouldn't even think about having peace.
But now...
That route seems blocked.
Thinking of this, Song Heping couldn't help but scratch his head, his brows knitted tightly.
"Damn it..."
He couldn't help but curse.
A thought flashed in his mind.
Using Simon?
This idea was extremely tempting.
In Simon's position, obtaining such a list might not be impossible.
But in the next second, Song Heping forcibly suppressed this thought.
No!
Simon is my ultimate trump card, reserved for critical moments that determine life and death or securing strategic-level intelligence.
To activate him just for a regional agent list would be overkill, and the risk of exposure would increase geometrically.
Once Simon is suspected or even exposed, I would lose an irreplaceable strategic advantage, making it nearly impossible to gain insights into the CIA's core actions in the future.
One must not lose the larger picture over minor gains.
While he was tangled up in thought, another encrypted phone in his pocket vibrated, receiving a new message.
He took it out and saw the sender was a garbled string, but after decryption, it showed Simon's warning.
"The CIA has found me? They want to confirm my position and then carry out a precise decapitation..."
Song Heping looked at the message, his pupils slightly contracting.
Simon's warning was timely, but it also confirmed the urgency of the situation.
However, this sudden crisis, instead, felt like a bolt of lightning that cleared the fog in his mind.
Confirm my position?
Song Heping's gaze sharpened.
What does that imply?
It implies that the CIA will activate their intelligence network to verify satellite image findings!
They will send agents or activate dormant insiders to attempt close-range observation to confirm my existence!
Suddenly, a bold plan took shape in his mind.
The hunter is checking the nest...
He murmured, a cold smile appearing on his lips.
...Confirm?
Fine, then I'll help you 'confirm'!
Now it seems, there's no need for that stagnant list, what's needed is a CIA agent carrying out a mission!