At 7 p.m., southeast of Afrin, 4 km from Mayer.

The three-vehicle convoy of the Dongfeng Corps kicked up sand and dust all the way and sped away in the direction of Aleppo.

Chen Shen checked the equipment again, from night vision devices to body armor, from the barrel to the magazine, none of them were left behind.

He didn't do this to ease the tension, but simply to make sure that he wouldn't be dragged down by any inexplicable details once the battle began.

Similarly, all the combatants in the vehicle have already been equipped and checked, and if something happens, they will definitely be able to complete the formation and organize a powerful counterattack within 10 seconds.

However, such preparations did not make Chen Shen feel at ease.

Because for their squad, it is possible to have a chance to fight only when facing an enemy of the "same level".

The question is, will Lao Mei really fight against himself at the same level?

Will they really send a certain special operations squad and wait somewhere, using volleys, with bazookas, portable anti-tank missiles, large-caliber machine guns and sniper rifles against the Dongfeng Corps?

This is most likely impossible.

If that special operations squad really exists, then the only role they will play is likely to be reconnaissance.

Perhaps by this moment, they had dispersed into groups of 10 or more, lurking on a hillside somewhere.

Perhaps in a few minutes, they will receive high-scoring photos taken from spy satellites controlled by the National Reconnaissance Bureau, and then analyze their own content based on the information on the photos.

Immediately afterward, they set up antennas and fly drones to search for their location in a 10-kilometer radius.

They then lock onto the convoy and report upwards on the target's specific characteristics and movements, and upon receiving their information, the fighter jet that is the real attacker and has already taken off will quickly lock on to the target and blow the convoy to pieces with a few air-to-surface missiles!

This is the real special operation in the context of air support-—— who said that special operations must be short-handed?

Those soldiers are not necessarily knives in the throat of the enemy, but they may also be eyes hiding in the shadows.

Chen Shen held a simple map of the area in his hand, and after a quick inspection, his brows suddenly furrowed.

"Slow down."

"Can't go to Aleppo anymore."

As the words fell, the three cars slowed down almost at the same time, and Chen Shen continued:

"The special forces mentioned earlier, we still don't know where they are."

"But what is certain is that this special forces must exist."

"It doesn't matter if they're DEVGRU, they're 24 STS, they're Rangers, they're berets, in short, if they don't show up in Istanbul again, they have to show up in Syria."

"And now, we're a sure high-value target, and on a hypothetical basis, we're likely to be the first target of their show."

"And the no-fly zone over Syria has been established, and NATO fighter jets may fly over at any time."

"Of course, they may face all sorts of compliance or process issues, but I don't think they can worry too much about this extreme situation."

"And that means our biggest threat isn't from the ground, it's from the air!"

Speaking of this, Chen Shen paused slightly.

Then, with his own position as the center of the circle, he drew a large circle on the map.

"The fighter jets that the United States may send are nothing more than F-16, F-15 or FA-18, Warthogs are impossible, the big war in Syria has not yet begun, and they do not have the conditions for close ground strikes."

"Depending on the range of the fighters and their combat tactics, their possible take-off location is none other than in the Mediterranean, or at Assad Air Base."

"The flight time will not exceed 30 minutes, and with the time of preparation and target identification, we will have only about 45 minutes from the take-off of the fighter to the missile hit."

"And now, we are about 30 minutes away from Aleppo."

"If there's a little accident along the way, we can all get an air strike on the way, and at that point, we won't have any chance to fight back or take cover."

"So. We can't go directly to Aleppo. ”

"We have to stop, we have to dodge the first air strike!"

Chen Shen's brows furrowed more and more, and he became more and more aware of the accuracy of his analysis.

This is not a "principle" that can be explained logically, and there is no evidence, but he knows that the next plot must develop in this direction.

Because, if it were himself, he would have chosen such a strategy!

"Are you sure?"

Hearing his words, Xia Xing's expression was solemn.

After a moment of thought, she spoke:

"Staying outside of Aleppo is a huge risk in itself, we may not find any support here, and if the situation changes, we risk being directly engulfed by the war."

"At that time, it will be difficult to get out of it with a few of us."

"Is it possible that our whereabouts will be detected before entering Syria?"

Chen Shen interrupted Xia Xing and asked bluntly.

"Yes, but the most dangerous thing is the time of transit, we cannot guarantee 100% safety"

"Then do as I say!"

Chen Shen said decisively:

"Even if we consider the best-case scenario, once we enter Syria, the other side should be eyeing us."

"Time is urgent, the enemy's aircraft may have entered Syrian airspace."

"Find a way to confirm this news, but before we can confirm it, let's go to Taylor Rifat first!"

"The distance is 8 kilometers, don't take the highway, just go through!"

"Understood!"

The order was given, and the three cars immediately turned around and sped away in the direction of Taylor Rifat.

The terrain here is basically flat desert or dry farmland, and the wheels of high-performance off-road vehicles are all smooth roads.

The speed of the vehicle was very fast, and in just five minutes, the distance between them and Taylor Rifat had been reduced to less than 6 kilometers.

Chen Shen vigilantly put on the night vision goggles, but because there was no thermal imaging mode, his perception of his surroundings was extremely limited.

After a little thought, he continued to order:

"Turn off the lights on all vehicles!"

The action was immediately executed, and in the darkness, Xia Xing, who was not carrying a night vision device, suddenly felt a certain fear.

"Why are you turning off your lights?"

Xia Xing continued to ask suspiciously:

"If we had a reconnaissance drone on our heads, in this case we would have already been equipped with a thermal imaging module, not to mention a fighter, we would not have been able to hide from it."

"It's not about hiding from drones."

Chen Shen shook his head and explained:

"We're hiding from the enemy on the ground. If they exist, we can at least cause them some trouble. ”

"Understood."

Without any more doubts, Xia Xing decisively closed his mouth.

She fumbled and pulled out the FN57 pistol that Chen Shen wanted from her thigh, and pulled the sleeve to load it without skill.

Her breathing had visibly become a little rapid, presumably aware that a fierce battle was just around the corner, and this time, she couldn't avoid it.

Noticing her performance, Chen Shen did not speak to comfort, but said in a serious but calm tone:

"If there's a fight in a while, the only thing you have to do is get cover and protect yourself."

"Don't take the initiative and don't try to help us."

"Remember, there's only one situation you need to shoot, and that's when the enemy is pointing a gun at you within 10 meters."

"In any other case, even if the enemy has put a gun to my head, don't shoot."

"If you can run, you can run, and if you can't run, you hide, understand?"

"Understood."

Xia Xing nodded solemnly, and then said:

"I've had systematic military training, and I know what to do."

"But you haven't really experienced the battlefield."

"In every previous operation, you were de facto absent."

"Even this gun in your hand, you are not familiar with it."

"So, you can only restrain your instincts as much as possible, and try not to do bad things with good intentions, understand?"

"Clear!"

Xia Xing replied again, Chen Shen didn't say more, but quickly contacted the front and rear cars, and ordered everyone to be vigilant and observant, and report any suspicious targets in time.

——

However, his orders appeared somewhat redundant.

Because less than 3 seconds after this order was given, through the rearview mirror, Chen Shen suddenly saw the flickering lights.

At this moment, everyone's hearts were lifted.

They are now in a desert in the middle of two roads, how can there be a car other than them in such a place?!

Either it's a very low probability coincidence, or it's just that

Coming for them!

"Prepare for battle!"

Chen Shen immediately gave an order, and then, on the back seat of the car, a crisp sound of glass breaking sounded.

Poplar chiseled the rear windshield with a window breaker from his dagger, and then set up the OVS-96 anti-materiel sniper rifle he had just gotten.

The Li Gang and Bantam on the other two cars did the same, but what they set up was the PKMS that they were already very familiar with.

PKMS for loading armor-piercing shells.

It is not difficult to visually measure the distance in the wilderness, even from the brightness of the lights, it is obvious that the distance between the two sides is getting closer and closer.

And the three vehicles of the Dongfeng Corps are accelerating all the time!

Whether he came for the Dongfeng Corps or not, he is now.

In Syria, the Dongfeng Corps has no friendly forces.

As long as you dare to get close, it is an enemy.

At this point, the convoy was only 4 kilometres away from Taylor Rifat and was expected to arrive within 5 minutes.

The cars behind have already chased within 400 meters.

However, because Chen Shen had already turned off the headlights in advance, the other party's pursuit did not seem to be too smooth.

They have not yet located the specific location of the three vehicles of the Dongfeng Corps, but are obviously following the general direction of the drone's guidance.

Keep betting that they can't find it, or fight for it?

After thinking for a moment, Chen Shen ordered:

"Grab the high ground, stop for 10 seconds, and try a round!"

"Understood!"

The radio was heard as everyone responded, and then three cars rushed up the hill in front of them.

Brake and stop in one go, almost at the moment when the vehicle stopped, the poplar fired.

"Bang!"

The 12.7mm B-32 burst out of its chamber, drawing a dark red trail in the night sky.

There is no doubt that the position of the Dongfeng Corps has been exposed, but the bullet also accurately hit the front windshield of the Humvee chasing after the rear with the blessing of the POS12×56 sight.

The Hummer visibly deviated from the direction of travel, but did not lose control.

It is clear that the bullet hit the driver, but not fatally!

Immediately afterward, the two PKMS roared and opened fire, and at the moment when the rear convoy stopped and tried to deploy, a round of blocking shots that were too standard to be more standard had already covered their parking range.

"Bang bang-"

With a rate of 700 rounds per minute, the PKMS quickly emptied most of the drums, and then, without any hesitation, the three-car convoy continued to set off.

It was a warning not to be approached, but it was also a fatal blow.

The lights of Taylor Rifat were already looming, and the towns, which were supposed to have spent a peaceful night, didn't know what the gunshots were close to meant.

In the distance, in a Humvee.

The Humvee driver, who was hit by a B-32 incendiary bomb, groaned in pain, and the medic ripped off his body armor and quickly checked his injuries before finally breathing a sigh of relief and said:

"Fortunately, the bulletproof glass and bulletproof insert plate blocked twice, and the bullet shattered, just a flesh wound."

"If it had gone a little bit higher, the bullet would have hit him in the neck, so luckily."

Hearing his words, the commander standing on the side nodded silently.

His eyes looked at the three off-road vehicles that had faded away through the thermal fusion night vision devices, and the muscles on his face trembled slightly with anger and helplessness.

After a moment, he asked:

"Have we been exposed? Why did they change direction on the imposing basis? ”

"Absolutely not, it should just be their instinct."

The adjutant immediately denied it, while the commander, with a heavy sigh, continued:

"It's fucking unlucky."

"I don't know if I should say that they are too sensitive, or if I should say that the level of CIA acting is too poor."

"As I said a long time ago, you must not let them realize that they are being followed, at least design more conflicts to make them think that they have left their pursuers behind."

"It's like this. Damn, if we knew they were going to Taylor Rifat, we might as well just wait there! ”

"Missing them in this way is like God forbid!"

Hearing his words, the adjutant subconsciously wanted to speak, but before he could speak, the commander continued.

"But that's okay."

"Keep the pursuit, lock their position and don't lose it."

"Notify air support, change the scheduled battle plan, prepare for a bombing strike on construction."

"I don't believe it, they can hide from the hellfire, can they still hide from the tomahawks?"

"Anyway, the operation in Syria has already begun."

"If it doesn't work once, come a few more times!"

(End of chapter)