Although he had confirmed the general attack mode and the retreat plan, Song Heping had to face a big trouble.
Where to find an airplane?
Where to find a landing site?
Where to find a pilot willing to risk his life with his team?
Let alone anything else, when it came to piloting helicopters, he had asked everyone in the company, and not a single one knew how.
By midnight, after several hours of discussion, everything was ready, except for a critical factor.
The problem was that this critical factor was difficult to find.
"Ferrari, do you know what's the most important thing in the 21st century?"
While having coffee during a break, Song Heping sat in the small courtyard in front of the company and expressed his feelings to Ferrari.
"What's the most important?"
Ferrari asked curiously.
"Talent." Song Heping gave a bitter smile. "Look at our company, there's not even a single person who can fly a helicopter."
"I've learned it."
Ferrari suddenly blurted out a sentence that shocked Song Heping.
"You've learned it!?" Song Heping was astonished.
"Really, I have. Many types of aircraft, helicopters, passenger planes, transport planes, fighter jets..."
Ferrari appeared very serious.
The more Song Heping listened, the more it seemed off: "Are you bullshitting me? If you could fly, why didn't you say anything earlier?"
Ferrari spread his hands: "I've only learned on simulators, on the PlayStation console."
Song Heping: "..."
The two fell into silence again.
Suddenly, Song Heping remembered what Chris Chen had said before leaving the café.
"Ferrari, contact Chen again."
"To do what?" Ferrari was somewhat puzzled. "Isn't the deal already settled?"
"No, I want to talk to him personally. Contact him on the Dark Web, and call me when you get through," Song Heping said. "Do it now."
"Alright..."
Ferrari dared not delay.
There was very little time left to waste.
The original plan was to finalize everything by tonight, and all operatives would fly to South America first thing in the morning.
If they continued to delay, the operation would become meaningless.
According to the style of the AUC armed group, if they didn't get the money within seven days, they would definitely execute their hostages.
He got up and went back to his room, while Song Heping sat in the chair at the doorway, looking up at the starry sky.
This operation made him realize what it meant to be weak.
This was weakness.
Never mind the company was about to secure a deal worth over two hundred million US dollars a year.
Yet, it was still worlds apart from the vision of a truly international defense company.
An international defense company must be able to deploy globally and undertake business in any corner.
That's what internationalization is.
Like Black Water and AAFES, these big companies.
By that standard, his own company didn't even reach the threshold.
A small South American operation and an evacuation plan left him completely at a loss.
Talent, capabilities, background, funds.
All were third-rate.
It seemed necessary to use this opportunity to establish an international base.
He faintly felt that Americans were unreliable.
In his line of work, having some backup plans early on was better for both himself and his brothers.
As the saying goes, those with a long-term perspective will have fewer immediate worries.
One must always remember to be prepared for danger in times of safety—the wisdom of the ancestors has been passed down and accumulated over thousands of years, and it's definitely not useless babble.
"Song! I've got through!"
Ferrari suddenly appeared at the company's entrance, shouting to Song Heping: "Chen wants to talk to you."
"It's here."
Song Heping got up and walked towards the office.
He just knew Chen wouldn't refuse.
It was an intuition.
Chen didn't give off a bad vibe to him.
There was an indescribable sense of familiarity.
But it wasn't the kind of kinship felt when fellow countrymen meet in a foreign land.
It was more like a sense of déjà vu.
He couldn't quite put his finger on the reason.
He arrived at the computer, where the private chat room was already open.
Song Heping immediately typed in a message, "Good evening, Chen."
"Good evening, Song Heping, actually I've been up late waiting for you, I knew you would come back to me," Chris Chen typed back with a smug emoticon.
"I've run into trouble and need help," Song Heping said, "I need to arrange a helicopter for extraction, and a landing site in either Peru or Ecuador."
"Are you planning on evacuating from the Amazon Jungle by air?" Chris Chen asked.
"That's right, I can't escape any other way; the land route is blocked by the government army, the waterway is slow and lacks cover, if we're discovered, we're as good as dead."
"Mm, I understand," Chen said, "Just a helicopter?"
"I also need a pilot," Song Heping said, "If you have a good one who's willing to work for my company, I can offer a high salary, it won't be less than what other PMC companies offer."
"I see..." Chen seemed to fall silent on the other end for a moment before continuing, "I do know someone who can help you, he can fly various types of planes, but..."
He paused there, leaving Song Heping hanging.
"But what?" Song Heping typed impatiently, "What are his conditions? Just tell me."
Now he had no choice but to ask for help.
Recruiting a skilled and daring pilot within seven days and securing a helicopter wasn't something money could easily buy.
"Let's do this: I won't take your money this time, I'll just give you his contact details. He's currently in Ecuador, you can go and negotiate directly with him, how about that?"
Chen finally gave his answer.
"No problem, give me his number, I'll go find him directly."
Chen was quick at getting things done and promptly provided a phone number, address, and name.
"The phone might not work, here's an address, if you can't reach him by phone, just go find him."
"OK, thanks."
"Don't mention it, convincing him is your skill, it has nothing to do with me."
Lastly, Chen dropped an inexplicable comment and immediately left the chat room.
"What does he mean by that?"
Ferrari felt it was unreliable.
"Are we supposed to go to Ecuador and persuade him in person? What if we can't convince him?"
Song Heping also sensed something unusual.
But it seemed there were no other options available.
"Let's just hope for the best, if it doesn't work out, we'll find another solution—even if we have to steal a helicopter."
Everything was so urgent.
The next day, Song Heping immediately took all his people to the international airport; the current plan was to fly to Kuwait first and from there switch planes to Ecuador in South America. Ferrari stayed behind to oversee the company, as he had to deal with the bidding.
Samir flew to Colombia, disembarked at Bogota Airport, and after checking into a hotel, would meet with the contact Ferrari had arranged to acquire a portion of US dollars.
But it wasn't five million dollars.
This idea was proposed by Ferrari.
If they were planning a rescue, there was no need to exchange money for a ransom of five million dollars.
The hundred thousand US dollars were disguised with plain paper, made to look like bundles of real currency, merely to deceive.
Samir's task was to delay as much as possible, to drag it out until the seventh day, to buy more time for the operation team.
The operatives, including Song Heping, wouldn't enter Colombia, but would head directly to Ecuador. There, they would find Dominic, persuade him, and then devise entry and extraction plans.
After all, it was possible to head to Camp K1 along the border rivers from the Ecuadorian frontier. Once Ivan was rescued, Dominic would land the helicopter at the border to pick everyone up.
The planning could only go so far at the moment.
Because the situation could change at any moment, even Song Heping didn't have a solid plan, he could just take it one step at a time.
The most crucial thing currently was to persuade the pilot named Dominic; if they managed that, for Song Heping, there wouldn't be many obstacles left in the rescue mission, and the rest would be up to luck.