647: Chapter 640: Creating Opportunities 647: Chapter 640: Creating Opportunities “Get ready for combat, load your bullets, and await Raja’s message; don’t start the car for now.”
After notifying everyone through the walkie-talkie, Gao Yang thought for a moment and then continued, “Little Fly, come and drive for me.”
The Free Syrian people were heading east; Gao Yang felt they might be going to the headquarters of the Victory Front.
The headquarters of the Victory Front were directly opposite the gates of Aleppo Prison.
If the Free Syrian people wanted to get there, they had to use the road between the prison and the village.
Gao Yang felt that if there was still a chance to complete the mission, it would be on that road.
As long as the Free Syrian people left the village and crossed the road, it would be a suitable opportunity for an ambush: take them down and then drive off immediately.
Although there were risks, they had decreased to an acceptable level.
Because the plan had to be flexible, Gao Yang didn’t have much of a plan.
If he had to describe it, the plan consisted of driving after the Free Syrians, approaching them close enough to open fire, then picking up Raja and fleeing—the plan was that simple.
To carry out an unconventional assassination, distance wouldn’t be an issue, nor would the duration of the firefight be too long; hence, after Raja, the designated driver, left his seat, Gao Yang needed a driver to allow him to leverage the advantage of rapid firepower.
After Frey disembarked from the vehicle behind with his rifle, he opened the door to Gao’s car, slung his gun across his chest, and said urgently, “Boss, do we have a chance?”
Gao Yang, who had his shotgun in hand, shook his head and replied, “It’s not clear yet.
I hope those Free Syrian guys need to cross the road.
Otherwise, we’ll pull out today.”
Frey let out a sigh, looking frustrated, “Let’s hope the Free Syrians give us that opportunity.
If we just leave like this, our mission will be considered a failure.
I don’t want it to fail; we’ve never failed before, maintaining a perfect record—a record of completing every mission one hundred percent will be gone.”
Gao whispered, “Stop talking nonsense.
Records are nothing; life is what matters most.”
Just at that moment, a drop of water suddenly fell on the car window, followed by a rapid accumulation of raindrops on the windshield.
“F**k, it’s raining!”
With a groan of frustration, Frey shouted, “This rain isn’t good news; the rain on the windshield will affect visibility, not conducive for observation, and using the wipers while the car isn’t moving would definitely attract attention.”
However, Gao was very pleased, “This is good news.
The heavier the rain, the better.
As long as the Free Syrians are heading to the headquarters of the Victory Front, it must mean they have business, and surely the rain won’t stop them.
People with nothing important would find shelter from the rain.
If we do make a move, there will be fewer people to get in the way, so, the rain is a good sign.”
Frey nodded in agreement, “Indeed, it would be great if the rain could get heavier.”
Fate was not on their side, however; while the rain was not light, it wasn’t heavy either—at least not heavy enough to force people to seek shelter.
The blurry lines of rain and gloomy weather, added to the dimness of the time of day, made visibility even worse.
As Gao was feeling frustrated, he heard Raja whispering through the earpiece, “No need to wait any longer; I’ll explain when I get back.”
With just those words, Gao was filled with disappointment.
Evidently, the Free Syrians hadn’t crossed the road as he had hoped, and there was definitely no good opportunity for action.
“Stand down from combat readiness; stay alert, and wait for further orders.”
After reluctantly instructing everyone through the walkie-talkie, Gao casually turned off the safety on his gun.
Although disappointed, Gao did not become impatient, as he could not afford to.
Things on the battlefield were like this: you might hope for an opportunity, but the enemy certainly wouldn’t give you one easily.
Impatience was not only useless but could lead to deadly impulsiveness, especially since Gao and his team were deep behind enemy lines, in a more precarious situation than on a battlefield.
Raja, braving the rain, quickly ran back.
Upon discovering someone else in the driver’s seat, he immediately opened the rear door and climbed into the car.
Once inside, he said with a gloomy face, “Those bastards went to eat!”
“To eat?”
“Indeed, they were having a meal near the edge of the village, but there were a lot of people.
They gathered there to eat, and honestly, the food seemed pretty good.
If I hadn’t been in a rush to return and report back, I actually would have liked to finish the meal before coming back.”
After hearing Raja’s report, Gao Yang felt disappointed, yet a new hope emerged.
After pondering for a moment, and checking his watch, Gao Yang said in a deep voice, “You mean, they go to one place to eat together, and their dining spot is on the edge of the village?
Then, how many people are there during mealtime, and specifically, who are they?”
“Not a small number, it’s a big courtyard with a plastic tarp as a canopy.
There are about a hundred and fifty people eating, and the diners are quite orderly, but there’s no dedicated guard.”
Gao Yang nodded, “That means their dining together is a regular thing, not just a one-off.
I think this point may be useful.
So, how far is the dining spot from the edge of the village?
How great is the risk if we strike during their mealtime?”
“It’s close to the village’s edge, but still a distance away.
It’s over a hundred meters to get out of the village.
Although there are many rebels along the way, striking there would definitely be safer than doing it here.”
After the rain started, the temperature dropped even further.
Sitting in the cooled vehicle, Gao Yang, who had just arrived from the tropics, felt cold and rubbed his hands, “Not bad, worth a try.
Do you think if we went to attack them now, would there be a chance?
Is it safe enough?”
Raja shook his head, “The road is full of people.
I don’t think it’s safe.
However, since they go there for dinner, they must go for breakfast as well.
I think now is when there are the most people, but it might not be the same during breakfast.
I’ve asked, and the morning ceremony is before sunrise.
After the ceremony, they have breakfast.
That’s an opportunity.
And there’s lunch at one o’clock in the afternoon.
Many people head out to attack the prison during the day, so there will be fewer people eating.
If we strike then, the danger is smaller, but right now, this is when it’s most crowded.”
Gao Yang looked at Raja with appreciation, “Very good.
Your attention to detail is thoughtful.”
Gao Yang said solemnly, “I think striking during their mealtime is the best option, but this requires observing the situation more tomorrow to confirm.
Alright, we can wait another day to see if any opportunities arise.
Generally speaking, we may still have a chance to complete the mission.”
After finishing his speech, Gao Yang reported the situation to everyone over the radio.
When he was done, Gao Yang said, “This is the situation we’re facing.
There’s a chance, but it’s not a great one.
I’d like to hear your opinions.
Does anyone have a good idea?”
An exchange of ideas is definitely more efficient than pondering alone, and after Gao Yang called a radio conference, ideas came forth immediately.
“Boss, I can totally blow up the Free Syrian headquarters.
I’ve brought four kilograms of C4.
I’ve scoped it out, and the enemy’s building is solid, but the C4 I brought, though it won’t send the building flying, will definitely flatten it if placed correctly.
No one inside would survive,” someone offered.
Gao Yang brightened up; without a professional blaster, he had missed out on the convenience such an expert provided, but now things were different with Rafael here, offering more methods for solving the problem.
“Are you sure you can do it?”
Rafael replied without hesitation, “Definitely, but there’s a condition.
I must familiarize myself with the internal structure of the building, find the weak points and place the C4 strategically.
If we can solve the problem by placing C4 externally, that would be perfect.
If not, we’ll have to place it inside.
So, the issue is that I must be able to get inside for observation first.”
Following that, Rafael paused for a moment before continuing, “The enemy’s building looks very strong, and it’s large.
If we don’t locate the key load-bearing points or weaknesses, even doubling or tripling the C4 might not destroy it.
Maybe if we’re lucky, we could blow up part of it, but we can’t guarantee results, and I don’t have that much C4.”
Rafael’s method had its limitations, which disappointed Gao Yang, but at least it was a relatively feasible plan, it just required placing the C4 unseen—which obviously wasn’t the time with all the comings and goings.
Over the radio, Gao Yang said in a solemn voice, “Alright, let’s continue to look for an opportunity and wait a little longer.
An opportunity might just present itself.”
In the time that followed, they just waited.
Gao Yang kept an eye on the time.
Forty minutes after the Free Syrian forces had left, he returned to the headquarters, by which time it was completely dark.
The darkness brought heavier rain, and the war had destroyed the electricity network.
After nightfall, the entire village was pitch-dark, with only a few rooms emitting faint light.
Gao Yang continued his surveillance with night-vision equipment and noticed that after dark, although the Free Syrian headquarters still had personnel, almost all of the houses had gone dark by ten at night.
Without an opportunity, one must create an opportunity.
Gao Yang felt that Rafael’s plan was quite good; despite its limitations, it was still an effective method, with safety being the most crucial aspect.
Judging by the situation at night, there was still an opportunity to plant C4 on the headquarters building.
Gao Yang decided to wait another day.
If there was no opportunity to strike during the Free Syrian leaders’ mealtime, then they would find a chance for Rafael to take a look inside the headquarters.
Telling Raja was pointless; Rafael himself would need to go and check it out.
If Rafael couldn’t get inside the headquarters, they’d just try blasting from the outside and see how it goes.
In any case, it was better than leaving empty-handed without doing anything.
(To be continued.
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