The dire situation in Zone I was broadcast over the radio, leaving Song Heping and Mist, who were hiding near Rashim Street, shocked beyond measure.
Last night's bombing had been quite successful, and in theory, all those "Hunter" snipers hiding underground should have met their maker.
How come so many snipers appeared out of nowhere today?
Mist kept asking the Seal Team, only to learn that no one could even catch a glimpse of the enemy.
Based on the analysis, they estimated that the bullets were shot from at least a thousand meters away, most likely by members of the "Hunter" organization, and certainly by an expert.
Knowing that most members of the "Hunter" organization use SVD sniper rifles, anyone capable of hitting targets a thousand meters away with a single shot from such a rifle is undoubtedly a top-tier elite among snipers.
"FUCK!"
Chris cursed loudly on the channel.
"Lonnie is dead! I watched helplessly as he was killed at the crossroads—he fired one shot after another, taking three shots to kill Lonnie right in front of me!"
Mist understood the reason behind Chris's raging fury.
It wasn't just about showing off his shooting skills, the Mosul Reaper was humiliating the entire Seal Team.
He had the skill to kill with a single shot but chose to torture Lonnie instead, mercilessly shooting him over and over in front of all the soldiers.
It was an overt act to execute their Commander in front of Warrior Camp and the Seal Team members, aiming to utterly crush everyone's morale.
This move was incredibly ruthless and made one's skin crawl.
No one liked to provoke such a daunting adversary.
Capable, calm, powerful, and utterly cruel.
An absolutely perfect enemy.
"Song, the Mosul Reaper wasn't killed by our bombing! He's appeared again, right in Zone I!"
"Zone I?"
"No, not in Zone I," Mist corrected himself. "Zone I is just his target. He should be a couple of blocks away. Lonnie was just killed by him."
"Lonnie is dead?" Song Heping felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this.
Poor Lonnie, he never got to be a camp commander...
He quickly moved to the observation scope, pressed his eyes to the eyepiece, and began to search the buildings in Zones J and H.
While searching, he estimated and hypothesized in his mind.
According to the usual tactics of the Mosul Reaper, his sniping point would be at least a thousand meters away, often between 1,400 and 1,500 meters.
"Above 1,400..."
Hastily, he pulled out a map, performed a quick comparison using GPS and the actual map, and then marked several points with circles.
Then, holding the map up to the observation scope, he began to search for the clusters of buildings within the circled locations.
"Song, what are you doing?" Mist asked.
Song Heping replied, "Marking his likely position."
He pointed to the map: "See here, these points, could be where his sniping spot is."
Mist, excited, said, "Should we go find that bastard and take him out?!"
Song Heping shook his head, "If we go out now, we might run into armed militants, and if a firefight breaks out, we won't have time to deal with the sniper. Even if we survive and reach the marked location, do you think he'll be foolish enough to wait for you? Chances are he's already pulled out."
Mist thought it over and realized it really made sense.
Snipers never linger in one spot for too long; shifting their position is almost mandatory.
"We just stay here and watch? Do nothing?!"
Song Heping said, "Lao Mi, don't accuse me of lacking compassion, but we really can only stay here and watch. There's nothing we can do, except help locate the sniper's position and inform your teammates to take care of him."
Mist had no retort to Song Heping's suggestion.
He kicked a nearby chair away in frustration, cursing under his breath.
Song Heping continued to observe, cautioning, "Go ahead and vent, but keep it down. Don't draw the enemy to us, or we'll all end up dead here."
Mist fell silent and returned to the radio to maintain communication with the main force.
The sniper Abu never suspected that, while he focused intently on the movements of the Seal Team members, a pair of eyes more than a thousand meters away, through a scope's lens, were staring fixedly at his location, betraying a moment of shock.
"I think I've found that sniper."
Song Heping, his excitement contained, steadily adjusted the magnification of the spotting scope to more precisely focus on the spot where Abu had briefly appeared.
Shortly after, Abu's figure re-entered the field of view.
Through the ghillie suit Abu was wearing, Song Heping accurately identified him as a sniper.
"What did you find?"
Mist came over impatiently.
The radio only brought disheartening bad news.
Area I had already turned chaotic, and at the same time, nearly all the troops were under fierce attack by armed militants.