279: Chapter 279 The Hunter Becomes the Prey

His gaze turned cold.

"They've gotten two things wrong. First, this isn't Gaza; there's no international public opinion or humanitarian constraints here. Second, what they consider a 'secret infiltration' is, in my eyes, practically a parade with drums and gongs."

"Activate the 'Homeland Iron Wall' contingency plan and raise the alert level to Grade A," Zhang Cheng ordered, his speech rapid and clear. "Old K, you have full authority over anti-infiltration and hunting operations. I authorize you to deploy the entire 'Shadow Blade' special forces, the 'Swarm' drone combat clusters, all intelligent surveillance outposts along the border, and... the low-altitude surveillance module of the 'Sky Dome' regional air and missile defense system that just finished its combat readiness duty."

"Yes!" Old K stood at attention, a cold light flashing in his eyes. Homeland defense was his absolute domain.

"Lan Zhi, coordinate with Old K to put all border administrative and security units into silent cooperation mode. The foreign intelligence system must run at full capacity. I want to know the takeoff and landing times of every 'Gray Wolf' helicopter and intelligence on every possible rendezvous point."

"Understood."

Zhang Cheng sat back in his command chair and pulled up the system interface. His point balance remained substantial. He quickly browsed the mall list.

"Also, Old K, select two of the most elite 12-man squads from the 'Shadow Blade' unit. Equip them with the latest 'Shadow Dancer-Type 3' system—I just unlocked it with points. Its thermal imaging and radar wave stealth performance is 15% better than the Type 2 Sinwar used, and it adds silent maneuver assistance and short-range electromagnetic pulse emission functions."

He paused for a moment.

"Tell them the mission isn't passive defense. It's proactive hunting. Once the 'Gray Wolf' entry is confirmed, I want them to become true 'shadows.' Let those Americans experience what it's like to be stalked and hunted by an invisible god of death on someone else's soil."

"Give them a taste of their own medicine." Old K nodded and immediately turned to deploy.

Only Zhang Cheng and Li Lanzhi remained in the control room.

"Will it escalate?" Li Lanzhi asked softly, the worry on her brow not yet dissipated. "If we wipe out 'Gray Wolf' within our borders, will the United States..."

"They will," Zhang Cheng said with certainty. "But they don't dare start an all-out war right now. The Dragon Kingdom is deeply bound to us, and they already face enough pressure in the Western Pacific. This 'Gray Wolf' operation is itself a high-risk probe, a gamble to save face. They are betting that we might discover them but won't be able to effectively intercept or annihilate this elite force. Once they lose that bet..."

He looked at the map of Myanmar on the screen.

"What they lose won't just be face, but the myth of their special operations forces' invincibility. This will shake the perceptions of their allies and potential enemies more than losing a few F-35s."

"So, this battle must not only be won, but won beautifully, won in a way that leaves them speechless." Li Lanzhi understood.

"Exactly." Zhang Cheng tapped the armrest with his finger. "Moreover, we must leave 'souvenirs.' Living ones are best. Dead ones must still have value."

Thailand, Ubon Ratchathani Royal Air Force Base, secret hangar.

The lights in the hangar were dim. Sixty fully armed soldiers were performing final checks. They wore Multicam all-terrain camouflage and were armed to the teeth: HK416 assault rifles with holographic sights and suppressors, modular tactical vests, and FAST helmets integrated with night vision and individual communications. Exoskeleton frames to enhance mobility were faintly visible beneath their knee and elbow pads.

The commander was Colonel Richard McLean, forty-five years old, with a face like carved stone and sharp eyes. He stood before a whiteboard covered with satellite maps and several blurry target photos.

"Gentlemen," McLean's voice was low and powerful, "one final reiteration for the briefing. Who are we?"

"Gray Wolf!" the crowd responded in a low, unified voice.

"Our mission?"

"'Operation Blunt Blade.' Infiltrate the Federation of Myanmar, code name 'Jade,' to sabotage pre-selected targets 'Alpha' (a suspected alternate command center in East Shan State) or 'Bravo' (the Kyaukpyu Port crude oil reserve area). If conditions permit, the highest priority changes to 'Decapitation'—Target 'Zero,' Zhang Cheng himself," a team leader recited.

"Our advantages?"

"Absolute technical advantage, training advantage, and intelligence advantage. The opponents are a group of warlord forces cobbled together with knock-off equipment and luck. Even if they have some unconventional support, in the field of special operations, we are still giants and they are children," another team member replied, his tone full of confidence.

"Remember," McLean tapped the photo of Zhang Cheng on the whiteboard, "this man made us lose face in the Middle East. F-35s, aircraft carrier deterrence, even our domestic sense of security! This operation is not just a tactical mission; it is an embodiment of the national will. We will use the most professional and cold-blooded methods to tell him and the world the price of provoking the United States of America."

"Hoo-ah!" the crowd growled.

"The infiltration routes are divided into three groups. Group A will follow me on MH-60s, flying low through the border mountains to insert via helicopter at the designated point LZ-1. Group B will infiltrate via land using jungle trails. Group C is responsible for establishing forward support points and communication relays. The time window is small. The Burmese may be somewhat alert, but according to analysis, they lack effective continuous border monitoring capabilities, especially real-time perception of low altitudes and complex terrain."

McLean checked his watch.

"Depart in one hour. May God bless America, and God bless 'Gray Wolf'."

"God bless America!"

What they didn't know was that just a few kilometers outside the hangar, a seemingly ordinary cargo truck was parked by the roadside. A cleverly disguised aperture on the roof was aimed directly at the base's runway and hangar area. Inside the truck, two ordinary-looking "technicians" (Death Soldiers) in civilian clothes were transmitting high-definition optical and infrared images, along with signal detection data, back to Naypyidaw in real-time via an encrypted satellite link.

Myanmar, East Shan State, a valley about 30 kilometers from the Thai-Myanmar border.

This place looked like an abandoned logging camp. But inside the mountain, it had been transformed into a hidden forward command post.

Old K stood before the command console. In front of him were multiple screens displaying real-time border images and data streams transmitted from satellites, high-altitude drones, and 'Iron Claw' ground reconnaissance robots.

"The 'Sky Dome' system's low-altitude gap-filling radar network has covered the main potential infiltration corridors in East Shan State."

"The 'Swarm' hives are in position, ready to release a total of 500 small reconnaissance/attack drones at any time."

"All intelligent monitoring sensors (vibration, sound, infrared) along the border are networked, and AI pattern recognition is active."