168: Chapter 168 The Gold Mine War (Part 1)

" Op... "

The commander of the Sudan 4th Artillery Brigade, that officer who had just been yawning, was about to swing his arm down to issue the launch order.

Before the word "en fire" could leave his lips, a sharp whistle tore through the night sky, descending from above!

He did not even have time to look up before the edge of his vision was completely engulfed by a ball of orange-red fire.

It was the first QN-202 micro-missile launched by the "Ghost" squad, striking a rocket launcher vehicle at the very edge of the position with unerring precision.

The hit rocket ammunition triggered a chain reaction of secondary explosions, and the rising fireball shot straight into the sky, illuminating half the night as if it were daylight.

The blast wave, sweeping up countless metal fragments, scoured the entire position.

The commander's back felt as if it had been struck hard by a battering ram; he was thrown into mid-air, tumbled a few times, and then slammed heavily onto the sand, instantly passing out.

But this was merely the prelude to the attack.

" Fire! "

Mark Smith witnessed the first missile hit and immediately issued the order for a full-scale assault.

The "Ghost" and "Phantom" squads, having already locked onto their respective targets, simultaneously unleashed all the lethal weapons they were carrying.

" Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! "

One micro-missile after another, trailing exhaust flames, pounced from different angles onto those rocket launcher vehicles that had their launch racks erected and were completely caught off guard.

Dmitri Ivanov lay prone at his sniper position; his scope was not aimed at those rocket launchers, but rather locked onto the ammunition supply vehicles and radar command vehicles nearby.

The report of the 12.7mm high-precision sniper rifle in his hands was low and muffled, and every armor-piercing incendiary round bored perfectly into a truck's fuel tank or engine compartment.

" Boom! "

" Kaboom! "

The struck vehicles caught fire one after another, immediately triggering even more violent chain explosions.

Meanwhile, several micro-drones controlled by squad members, carrying small bombs, silently flew over the position.

Their targets were exactly those artillery soldiers scattering in flight.

The drones swept by at low altitude, dropping small aerial bombs that exploded amidst the crowd, blooming into clusters of deadly sparks.

The entire raid was extremely fast; the soldiers on the position had no time at all to react.

From the first missile hit to the final rocket launcher vehicle being completely destroyed, it took less than three minutes.

The once heavily guarded rocket artillery position had turned into a burning purgatory.

The flashes of secondary explosions rose one after another, the sounds of blasts were continuous, completely turning this hinterland of the desert into a killing field.

Mark Smith lowered his binoculars; in the thermal imaging, not a single active signal source could be found on the position anymore.

" Calling command, this is Ghost, all targets cleared. Repeat, twelve rocket launchers have all been destroyed. "

His voice was transmitted back to the "Great Wall" defensive line via an encrypted radio, his tone devoid of any fluctuation.

" Well done. " He Jun looked at the twelve red dots that had completely vanished from the sand table, his tense facial features finally relaxing.

" Order them to withdraw immediately and return via the predetermined route. "

" Yes! "

The two special operations squads did not linger for a moment; after confirming the results, they packed up their equipment and quickly vanished into the night, leaving not a trace of their presence.

Meanwhile, in the tribal coalition camp dozens of kilometers away, a commotion was spreading.

Everyone in the camp had been startled by the explosion that had just shaken the earth.

" What's going on? Didn't the government forces say they wouldn't open fire until dawn? "

" What was that noise? Was it thunder? "

" No! Look in that direction! It's the direction of the artillery position! Fighting has broken out! "

Tribal leaders ran out of their tents one after another, gazing at the distant sky dyed red by the flames, whispering to each other, their faces full of confusion and unease.

They waited for a long time but did not receive the expected devastating artillery barrage.

Instead, the explosions in the distance gradually subsided, the night sky was once again shrouded in darkness, and all was silent.

An ominous premonition began to permeate the crowd.

Just then, a low hum of an engine came from overhead.

A Cyber Freedom Republic reconnaissance drone flew brazenly over their camp, and from the loudspeaker under its belly, a clear Arabic broadcast rang out:

" Soldiers of Sudan! The rocket artillery unit you rely on was completely annihilated by our forces five minutes ago! Your government has deceived you and treated you as cannon fodder! Surrendering now is your only way out! "

The content of the broadcast caused an uproar in the camp.

The camp immediately descended into chaos.

" What? The artillery position was taken out? "

" Nonsense! They only have a little over a hundred people! How could they possibly do that! "

" Bang! Bang! Bang! "

A few hot-tempered armed men raised their AK rifles and fired violently at the drone in the sky.

The drone nimbly dodged a few times in the air, but was ultimately hit by several bullets, crashing down while trailing black smoke.

Shooting down the drone did not calm the chaos in the camp; instead, it exacerbated the panic and suspicion.

Just as panic spread and many people were already preparing to drive their pickup trucks and flee, a tall, dark-skinned tribal leader stepped forward.

He was none other than the nominal commander-in-chief of this tribal coalition, Musa Ibrahim.

" Everyone be quiet! "

Musa drew the scimitar at his waist and shouted sternly.

He surveyed the restless crowd around him and incited them loudly: " Do not believe the enemy's nonsense! This must be their conspiracy! They want to make us fall into chaos without a fight! "

" So what if there are no rocket launchers? They only have a little over a hundred people! We have over two thousand guns! Over two thousand men! "

" Everyone charge forward; even if they use up all their bullets, they can't kill us all! "

" The gold mine is just ahead! Gold! Dollars! Women! They are all waiting for us! As long as we charge over, we will be the masters of Bir Tawil! "

Under Musa's incitement, the panic in the eyes of the restless armed men gradually receded, replaced by another kind of naked greed.

The desire for gold overwhelmed the fear of death.

" Yes! Charge! Seize the gold! "

" Kill them all! "

" Urah—! "

Amidst the chaotic roars, nearly two thousand tribal militants drove over a hundred battered pickup trucks, launching a disorganized charge toward the "Great Wall" defensive line, merging into a surging, muddy torrent of steel.

He Jun watched this dark, overwhelming mass on the command center screen, his expression unchanging.

He issued a concise order into the communicator.

" The appetizer has arrived. "

" Tell the brothers to get ready for target practice. "