"Hm?"
Song Heping felt something was off.
The opponents were too weak.
They were nowhere near the level of the AGLAN team members he had faced before.
However, when he clearly saw the insignia on the enemy's camouflage uniforms, he realized that things were bad.
Chirp, chirp—
Chirp, chirp—
He pinched his lips and mimicked the sound of bird calls twice.
After a short while, Morins appeared at the scene, crouching.
Seeing the bodies on the ground, he exclaimed, "Did you kill them all?"
"No, they killed themselves."
Song Heping was searching the bodies and took off the opponents' headphones to wear them himself.
Soon, he realized that this was futile.
So, he handed the portable radio to Morins.
"They're speaking Spanish, I don't understand. Listen to see what's going on. I feel something's not right. Take a look at these people's uniforms and insignias. Which unit are they from?"
Upon hearing this, Morins squatted down to inspect and after a while, said, "Army."
Looking up at Song Heping, he said, "They've also mobilized the army."
Song Heping sighed, "Just as I thought; they've also sped up the search, probably worried about a leak. Did you hear what they were saying? What routes are they taking?"
Morins listened to the radio channel for a while and then shook his head, "I couldn't understand. There are people everywhere, it seems like many groups... everywhere..."
Song Heping said, "Let's not worry about that for now. We need to head to the mountains first, find the signal. Time is critical. They will soon realize one group is missing and will surely come looking for them. Before that, we must establish contact with the outside world, otherwise, we're dead!"
The two dared not delay any longer and immediately started making their way.
Both sides are at a critical moment now.
From the government army's perspective, if they can't catch Song Heping and his team within the next couple of days, the media will notice this large-scale military operation near the Tame region, and it will inevitably attract the attention of the ELN militants.
From the perspective of Song Heping and his companion, the government army has increased its search efforts in the area, and the two of them can't break through. If they can't contact the outside world, they might not hold up for the following days.
However, what they did not know was that the "Musician" company had also turned upside down during these two days when Song Heping disappeared.
"The boss is missing!"
Two days ago, Dominic, who had been waiting in a Venezuelan hotel for news from Song Heping, called Ferrari, opening the conversation with alarming news.
According to the original plan, after crossing into Colombia, Song Heping was supposed to follow Rash to meet Morins and, if the negotiation went well, he would contact Dominic and Collins Wang in Venezuela the next day to prepare to meet him at the border.
However, by noon the next day, there was still no news on Dominic's phone. Unable to hold back, he sought out Major General Rama to discuss the situation.
As per the meeting requirements at that time, Song Heping did not carry any communication devices.
Since Major General Rama was the liaison between both parties, finding him should have enabled contact with Song Heping.
However, when they drove to Rama's office to explain the situation, Rama contacted the ELN liaison in front of them, only to discover the call didn't go through.
Of course, it didn't.
Because he was dead.
Killed during a government army raid.
At this moment, neither party knew what had happened.
So, Rama told Dominic and Collins to return to the hotel and wait, promising to do everything possible to make contact with the ELN to find out what exactly had happened.
The next evening, Major General Rama finally called Dominic with some bad news—
"My friend, I'm sorry to tell you that according to the information from ELN… Boss Song was killed in an assault by the Colombian government army."
"Killed!?"
Dominic jumped out of his chair.
"Impossible! What exactly happened!?"
"Just watch the news, it's being reported on…"
Dominic immediately turned on the TV and switched to the international channel.
The channel was indeed covering the latest action by the Colombian military in the Tame region, and the camera even showed rows of bodies laid on the ground...
The news of Song Heping's death during a Colombian government military operation reached Illiguo's Green Zone, and Ferrari, who was in charge at the company, could not sit still any longer.
Song Heping was the backbone of the company, to call him the soul of the company was no exaggeration.
Is he dead?
Then what was the damn point!
"Dominic, I believe this matter isn't confirmed yet; you wait in Venezuela for now, and I'll fly over immediately,"
After hanging up the phone, Ferrari immediately convened all the core members of the company, leaving only the White Bear couple at the company to handle the oil and transport business, while the rest of the team purchased tickets to fly to Venezuela.
"What the hell happened! Dominic, why are you two in Venezuela? Didn't you go with the boss to Colombia?!"
As soon as he entered the hotel and secured the door, Ferrari immediately started interrogating Dominic.
"And you, Collins! Aren't you supposed to be a combat expert? They sent you to guard Song personally, and here you are chilling under the air conditioner?!"
Usually, Ferrari spoke slowly and methodically, but this time he spoke like a storm, spare no face, his finger nearly poked Dominic and Collins Wang's noses.
"How was I to know it would turn out like this?! Once we got here and met up, the ELN contact person demanded only one of us go, and no electronic devices be carried, saying the Colombian Military had been tracking Morins' location and feared exposure. The boss agreed to it himself; I disagreed at the time, but he said it would be fine..."
"He said it would be fine and you just believed him?!"
Ferrari became somewhat of a loose cannon; his emotions were visibly unstable.
"This is Colombia! Do you think it's a Mediterranean holiday resort?!"
Hunter, standing by, advised, "Ferrari, don't get agitated. Let's first confirm if the news is true."
He paused and then added, "I don't think the boss is that easy to kill. With his skills and tactical awareness, it would probably take an old veteran special forces squad to do it."
Henry chimed in, "I'll contact some people in the intelligence community right now to see if I can get some information."
Calmed by the two, Ferrari cooled down.
He was capable of handling the big picture. Although his military capabilities were not extraordinary, Song Heping had always regarded him as the second-in-command of the company for a reason.
"Alright, Henry, start working immediately. It would be best if you could find some information from the Colombian government military side. Spend some money; I don't believe we can't buy the information we need. Don't be stingy now, the company isn't short on money. What I need is the boss's safety, to confirm whether he is still alive."
"No problem, leave it to me." Henry, who had recently joined the company, also wanted to prove his worth.
If not now, when?
Ferrari turned to Hunter and Jiang Feng, saying, "You are the company's operatives, sitting here doesn't do much. I have a task for you, head to Colombia immediately. I have a task for you, after arriving there, kidnap someone for me."
"Who?" Jiang Feng asked.
"A senior official from the National Intelligence Bureau," Ferrari said. Then turning to Henry, he asked, "Who in their Intelligence Bureau might have full details of this military raid?"
"The head of the Operations Department," said Henry. "They definitely have that information."
"Then kidnap their director!"
Ferrari, without thinking twice, turned to Jiang Feng and the others, "Can you pull this off?"
"Just give us their residences and office locations, we can do it," Jiang Feng questioned Hunter, "You good with that?"
Hunter, not one to show weakness, replied, "Of course, no problem. A quick kidnapping, we'll take him hostage."
Ferrari said, "Good, your hideouts and weapons, I will ensure everything is ready by noon tomorrow. Leave overnight; I will have Major General Rama arrange it. Remember, maintain contact, and Henry will send you the related intelligence information."
"Alright, we'll cross the border tonight."
Jiang Feng, Hunter, Disaster Star, and a few others turned to head back to their rooms to prepare.
Ferrari, looking at Klein Moretti who was still standing, said, "Why are you still standing here? Are you coming along too?!"
Klein Moretti, a newly recruited core member of the company, specialized in interrogation and psychological warfare.
"Me?!"
"Yes, you come too. Once the person is apprehended, get the information as quickly as possible; we can't afford any delays. If the boss is alive, we need to think about a rescue. And if he's dead, damn it, we'll make them trade his body!"
As Ferrari spoke, there was fire in his eyes, as if about to spew flames.
"Alright, I'll prepare right away."
Klein hurriedly left to prepare in his room.
After everything was settled, Ferrari finally picked up his phone and dialed Major General Rama's number.
"Major General, this is 'Musician' Defense's administrator, Ferrari. Regarding your disappearance in Colombia, I still need to discuss it with you; there are some matters that require your help," he expressed.
Along with Song Heping's disappearance, everyone connected was set into motion.
As Song Heping and Morins desperately tried to find a cellphone signal to send out information that they weren't dead, the "Musician" company's elite forces had already started to exhaust all resources to track his whereabouts.
A covert team led by Jiang Feng, including Hunter, Disaster Star, Grey Wolf, Collins, Klein, and others, had crossed the Colombia-Venezuela border and headed for the capital of Narino Province, Pasto City, in Colombia.
According to information Henry had purchased at a high price, the Director of Operations, Gonzalez, from the Intelligence Bureau was currently inspecting work in the city's intelligence department.
Of course, Director Gonzalez had no idea he was involved in this operation by the Special Forces, becoming the target of others.
In the Tame Region, the heavy rain continued, and yet, the otherwise sunny Pasto City now became overcast, quite fitting the feeling of a looming storm.