After driving for over an hour, Song Heping and Yusuf arrived smoothly at the suburban area near Fallujah.
This is not a desert.
It's about one or two hundred kilometers further south before you enter the desert.
The region of Illiguo is not entirely made up of deserts, especially near Baghdad; due to the Euphrates River running from west to east, the areas along the river have relatively moist soil and thus lush vegetation.
Water is the fundamental condition for the birth of civilization.
This place was once the birthplace of one of the four ancient civilizations, but time has changed, and the splendor of the past is no longer present.
After bumping along on a dirt road for a dozen kilometers, they finally saw lights in the distance.
Yusuf pointed excitedly toward the lights and said, "There, over there! Park the car on that side!"
Song Heping frowned and looked towards the direction of the lights, which were on a series of rolling hills.
The hills here aren't very high, unlike those on the Persian Plateau generally above four thousand meters. Inside Illiguo's borders, there isn't much in the way of challenging terrain to defend, which meant that Da Maozi's troops stood virtually no chance against the mechanized troops of the US Army.
As they got closer, Song Heping saw that it was a large area enclosed by barbed wire, so vast that the edges were not visible.
At the entrance, two Illigo soldiers raised their guns warily, aiming at the Lincoln.
Yusuf rolled down the window, stretched his head out from the car, letting the soldiers at the gate see his face clearly, and shouted, "Open the gate! Open the gate!"
Seeing it was Yusuf, the two soldiers lowered their guns, turned, and opened the iron gate behind them, stepping aside.
Song Heping drove in and noticed the place was full of overgrown weeds, with rather flat terrain; it seemed to be in this condition due to long abandonment.
He was unsure what the place used to be.
Was it a military camp?
It seemed so but there were no barracks in sight.
Military camps usually have barracks.
Yet, there were no barracks to be seen here.
Continuing along the dirt road and soon reaching the bottom of the hill, Song Heping was taken aback by the scene in front of him.
Neatly arranged at the bottom of the hill were structures resembling caves but much larger, with camouflaged netting covering the entrances.
Song Heping roughly guessed and turned to ask Yusuf, "Is this a hangar?"
Yusuf nodded, "That's right, there are twenty-five such hangars built against the mountains. Some contain airplanes, others anti-aircraft missiles."
"So, this used to be an airfield?" Song Heping asked doubtfully since he saw no signs of an airfield in the surroundings.
Yusuf explained, "Before the war started, this indeed was a makeshift airfield, not a formal one, though. It's the type used in field operations, and since there were concerns about bombing by the alliance forces, Da Maozi hid the planes, and such hidden hangars were scattered throughout the country, some even buried directly in the desert sands."
He said this while opening the car door and stepping out.
Song Heping too got out of the car and walked to his side.
Yusuf pointed to the tall weeds stretching as far as one could see and said, "From here, it used to be a makeshift runway, but unfortunately when the war started, the Air Force personnel had no will to fight. Many pilots simply deserted and went home. Da Mao was unable to protect even himself, let alone control the troops. Except for his loyal Revolutionary Guard, most soldiers and commanders in the other military units were basically negotiating with the Americans."
Song Heping had already known some of these events.
Before the operation "Illigo Freedom" began, according to the intelligence from the US Army side, Da Mao had at least seventy to a hundred aircraft of various models. The US Army launched continuous airstrikes from aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf against Da Mao's troops to destroy ground air defense, radar, and the Air Force, expecting resistance, but none came.
Clearly, the morale of that army had collapsed.
"So these things are now under the care of the Temporary Management Committee's asset management?" Song Heping asked.
Yusuf nodded and then shook his head, "Sort of, yet not really. We are responsible for inventory and safeguarding, and in theory, these are assets of our new government and naturally belong to us. But as you know, the situation is not that simple. Right now, the Americans are the ultimate authority, and heavy equipment like this must be approved by the Alliance Conference before we deal with it, and the Alliance Conference is controlled by the stationed US Army. Therefore I can't sell these things to you the way I sell guns."
Song Heping gestured towards the hangars and asked, "Can I take a tour?"
"Of course, you can," Yusuf replied.
He looked back and called out loudly toward the distance. Soon a soldier came over with a set of keys.
Yusuf casually pointed to one of the hangars in front and said, "Open this one."
"Yes, sir."
The soldier was obedient and went to open the door.
Song Heping could see it too—all these soldiers were his own men, bought off by Yusuf.
You could say Yusuf was fat, you could say he was timid, but you could never question his ability to get the job done.
Though the guy was just a minor official in the supply department, his influence in the local circles was not to be underestimated.
The camouflage net in front of the hangar was pulled aside, and the locks on the iron fence inside were unlocked.
Song Heping and Yusuf followed them in.
The hangar was dark, but by the light of the moon, Song Heping could make out a huge object quietly situated in the darkness.
The lights were turned on.
It was then that Song Heping realized he stood beneath the nose of an SU-25 attack aircraft.
Looking up, he felt a sense of awe.
The SU-25 is a classic model among Soviet warplanes, with an empty weight of 9315 kilograms and a payload of 3000 kilograms. It boasts excellent subsonic performance and low-altitude maneuverability. Short and stout, its all-welded cockpit is surrounded with 24-millimeter armor plates, indicating a strong survivability which can withstand ordinary ground firearm attacks. It can take off from rudimentary airfields, and its low-altitude maneuverability is exceptional.