299: Chapter 299 The White Elephant's Hidden Lines

Major General Sompong took a puff of his cigar and slowly exhaled a smoke ring. "What about the equipment? It can't be too bad, but it can't be too good either. If it's too bad, they won't look like regular army; if it's too good, it'll be easy to leave a trail."

"Rest assured, General," Robert interjected, his tone as flat as if he were discussing the weather. "We're using modified AKMs and RPG-7s with the serial numbers ground off. Some parts are from former Soviet Bloc stockpiles, and some are components assembled from the Southeast Asian black market. The ammunition consists of standard Myanmar Army 7.62mm steel-core rounds, but from mixed batches. We also have several sets of old Myanmar Army jungle camouflage and the iconic 'Bago hats,' all sourced from black markets and old warehouses. Some even have indelible sweat stains and wear—the details are perfect."

"The location chosen is 'Ban Pha Muang.'" Major General Sompong pointed his cigar at a high-precision border map spread across the coffee table. "This village is located about three kilometers on our side of the disputed line. It has over sixty households, mainly Thai with a small Karen population. The location is deep enough that once something happens, the news impact of 'Myanmar Army crossing the border to massacre Thai civilians' will be significant. We have our people in the village who will 'guide' the villagers to gather in several pre-set houses when the attack occurs, making it easier to... produce a sufficiently 'shocking' effect." His tone was cold, as if he were talking about clearing out trash.

Robert nodded. "The attack procedure: The disguise team will infiltrate at night, first using mortars and RPGs to create chaos, then the infantry will break in for selective executions. We need to leave at least twenty civilian bodies, including women and children. Items with (counterfeit) Myanmar Army unit insignia, such as water bottles and first-aid kits, will be intentionally left behind. Meanwhile, a Thai border defense unit 'happening' to be patrolling nearby will 'hear the commotion' and rush over to 'repel' the attackers and 'rescue' some survivors. The survivors' testimony, the 'captured' 'Myanmar Army equipment' at the scene, and the footage captured immediately by our arranged 'international observers' will form a tsunami of public opinion through global media networks within two hours."

Somchai added, "The cyber-attack team will act simultaneously to forge snippets of internal Myanmar Army encrypted communications, making it appear to be an unauthorized cross-border operation by 'a certain unit of the Eastern Military Region in retaliation for the Moei River incident.' Of course, the 'evidence' will be 'discovered' by our 'allied' media at just the right time."

A flash of cruel pleasure crossed Major General Sompong's eyes. "Once public opinion takes shape and the international community applies pressure, combined with the 'uncontrollable anger of our military and people,' the Cabinet and the military will have ample reason to launch a 'comprehensive self-defense counterattack.' At that time, the armored units of the 3rd Army Region will cross the border—not for a small-scale conflict, but for a large-scale military operation aimed at 'completely eliminating border threats and recovering historical ancestral lands.' The exercise troops and equipment promised by Admiral Harris will provide direct support."

Robert raised his glass. "To the success of 'Wild Elephant Collision' and to a new 'balance' in the region. Council of Elders looks forward to establishing a more stable and favorable order upon the ruins. The funding and deep-seated connections they provide will be the guarantee of the plan's success."

The three clinked glasses and drained them in one gulp. They did not know that every word and every frame of this conspiracy was being recorded without omission by several pairs of cold eyes and ears in the building opposite the private room's window.

Opposite building, seventh floor, inside an apartment that had long been cleared out with windows covered in one-way film.

This place had been temporarily transformed into a Shadow Blade forward command post. The equipment was simple yet cutting-edge: multi-band signal reception and analysis terminals, laser eavesdropping reflected signal receivers, high-resolution long-focus optical monitoring systems, and several ruggedized tablets running real-time translation and voiceprint analysis software.

Erica, dressed in black tactical gear with an expressionless face, was staring at the thermal imaging and augmented reality overlay of the private room on the monitor. The specialized headset she wore clearly transmitted the conversation reconstructed from the faint vibrations of the room's glass window by the laser eavesdropper.

Behind her, Lin Xiao sat before a signal analyzer, her face somewhat pale, but her fingers moved rapidly across the keyboard and knobs. She wore headphones, focused on monitoring and filtering multiple intercepted wireless signals. Her professional skills as a former ace spy were being reactivated under specific pressure and circumstances.

The other three Shadow Blade members: two were responsible for perimeter security and communications relay, while one assisted Erica with video recording and marking key information.

"Confirmed, operation codename: 'Wild Elephant Collision'," Erica said in a low voice into her throat mic, her voice transmitted back to Naypyidaw in real-time via encrypted relay. "Time: Next Thursday, the night of the waning moon. Nature: A false flag operation disguising as the Myanmar Army to massacre Thai civilians, aimed at creating a pretext for a large-scale invasion by the Thai Army. Executing party: A mix of mercenaries and Thai Army special personnel. Pre-set attack location: The Thai border village 'Ban Pha Muang'."

She paused and looked at Lin Xiao. "Have you found any abnormal communication links?"

Lin Xiao stared intently at a faint but regular frequency-hopping signal on the spectrum analyzer. This signal had appeared shortly after Somchai entered the club and had been in a very low-power standby monitoring state. "Yes... this encrypted frequency-hopping signal is very stealthy, with extremely low power, only sending very short handshake signals at specific intervals. It didn't participate in the conversation in the room, but... I recognize its signature code."

She closed her eyes, forcing herself to recall those chaotic and dangerous years under Council of Elders and by Bao Youxiang's side. Fragmented memories surged... a safe house, an inconspicuous backup radio, a frequency used for one-way contact with 'higher levels'... "That's it... 'White Elephant' doesn't just connect the military and the CIA; it has a deeper, more secretive line leading directly to... the 'Palace Guard Communications Support Department.' This frequency-hopping pattern and handshake protocol are one of the 'shadow channels' used by several high-ranking security officers of the Royal Guard for top-secret or extremely sensitive unofficial contacts. Somchai... he might be 'reporting' or 'receiving instructions' from there."

Erica's eyes sharpened. "Can you identify the specific person involved?"

"I need more time for signal analysis and cross-referencing, but the frequency characteristics are highly directional. If we intercept any plaintext or low-level encrypted communication, the possibility will be even greater," Lin Xiao said quickly, while recording the relevant frequency parameters and signature codes. "Somchai himself might just be an intermediary, but the existence of this line suggests that the 'Wild Elephant Collision' plan might have received the tacit consent or even support of certain extreme conservative or expansionist forces within the royal system."

Just then, the signal interception terminal emitted a soft "beep." A team member operated it quickly: "Intercepted an encrypted SMS sent from inside the room. The recipient is an anonymous number in Bangkok, but routing analysis shows it eventually jumps to a server in Chiang Mai. Part of the content has been cracked: asking about the status of the 'cargo' and whether the 'Elephant Trainer' is in position. 'Elephant Trainer' might be the codename for the on-site commander."