Chapter 30: Intuition

When the two B7-level armored vehicles were driven back to the camp, White Bear, Gray Wolf, and the others circled the cars repeatedly, scrutinizing them inside and out.

The B7-level Lincoln SUVs, costing over a million dollars each, offered spacious interiors and luxurious configurations. Their ballistic protection was formidable; the glass alone was 70 millimeters thick, and bulletproof plates were embedded in the hood on both sides of the engine to prevent a rifle round from disabling the vehicle during an ambush. Furthermore, the four run-flat tires were designed to keep the vehicle moving at 60 kilometers per hour for up to 100 kilometers after being shot, which was nothing short of perfect.

Song Heping stood to the side, watching his teammates' excitement, yet his own misgivings only grew. His intuition told him that things were going too smoothly—smoothly enough that it felt like walking into a college entrance exam only to find that every question was one he had already practiced in mock tests.

When the group began discussing the security plan, Song Heping voiced his concerns.

"May I have a word?"

Because he had joined the team so recently, Song Heping usually kept quiet, but this time, he spoke up just as everyone had finalized the details.

Cook, their leader, looked at him in surprise, pen in hand. He paused for a moment before smiling. "Sang, do you have an opinion?"

Song Heping stared at the map and glanced over the proposal again. Map reading was something he was very familiar with; during his military service, his grades in topography had been among the best in his company.

Cook's security plan was sound. He had accounted for the route, the convoy formation, duty assignments for observation, fire support, and VIP extraction. He had even incorporated lessons from the previous ambush at the overpass, such as positioning two Humvees at the rear of the convoy. If the road ahead were blocked, these two Humvees would be tasked with ramming through civilian traffic to ensure the VIP's vehicle could escape quickly. Cook had even planned where to wait before meeting the informant.

The area near Haditha and Ramadi had seen frequent combat, indicating the security situation there was far from stable. Currently, the Coalition Forces had an advance base for the U.S. Marine Corps in Haditha, codenamed "Camp Victory." The plan was to enter Camp Victory first, wait for Angel to contact her informant and determine a meeting place, and only then proceed to the town of Krasa. There was no place safer than a U.S. military base.

Song Heping pointed to the hand-drawn convoy formation on Cook's map, his finger resting on the two SUVs. "I think it would be better to put the VIP in the second-to-last Humvee."

His suggestion left the room in silence.

The current plan had two ISF Humvees in the front, the two Lincoln armored vehicles in the middle, and two more Humvees at the rear. Since the Humvees were equipped with roof-mounted weapon stations—two with M2HB heavy machine guns and two with M240 general-purpose machine guns—they provided a tactical advantage, allowing the convoy to rotate vehicles and fight their way out if attacked. This formation was the safest and most standard approach: sandwiching the center.

From a security standpoint, it was flawless.

After a brief silence, the room erupted. The first to object was Yulia, known as "Queen."

"Are you crazy, kid?! You want to leave a B7 armored car to ride in a Humvee? The armor on a Humvee isn't necessarily better than a B7!"

White Bear also voiced his dissent: "What you’re suggesting is pointless and completely unnecessary! You don't know anything, kid! Don't interfere, just do as you're told!"

The Russian had a volatile temperament, and his words were blunt and aggressive, like a quarrel. Gray Bear and Cook remained silent.

Finally, Cook asked Song Heping, "If you want to change the VIP's transport, you need to provide a reason."

Song Heping replied, "When you picked people up from the airport earlier, you put two Humvees in front, which wasn't standard practice either."

Cook explained, "That was because we were in civilian cars. They aren't bulletproof; they'd be shredded instantly. Putting the Humvees in front was to draw fire. If you put the VIP in a Humvee, aren't you just turning her into a living target?"

Song Heping pointed at the draft. "If I were the attacker, I would choose to take out the two middle cars first. The B7 armored cars have great performance, but they are also eye-catching. It’s obvious that important people are inside."

Cook fell silent again, his eyes scanning the diagram repeatedly.

Song Heping continued, "Even if they block the front and rear, they would aim for the last Humvee. The second-to-last one is a low-probability target."

White Bear listened to the reasoning and found it plausible, yet he still felt that abandoning a top-tier Lincoln for a Humvee was a waste. "Then why did we borrow the armored cars? We could have just used our own Patrol vehicles. We finally got these cars back, and you want to say we shouldn't use them? You want to use the Humvees? Why not just use Humvees for everything then?"

Song Heping didn't back down from White Bear, retorting sharply, "Why don't you think of it as borrowing them to be decoys? Do you even know what a dummy target is?"

White Bear was immediately incensed. Being questioned by a newcomer like Song Heping was unacceptable to him. "Kid, who do you think you are? How many battles have you fought? How much blood have you seen? What kind of experience do you have? Do you know how to respect a veteran? I've seen more dead bodies than you've killed chickens!"

Unlike the irascible White Bear, Song Heping remained calm, even smiling as he pointed at White Bear's chin. "With all that rich experience, you still almost had your chin shattered, didn't you?"

This hit a raw nerve, and White Bear exploded. "That was a sneak attack! I forgot to dodge! Let's try again! Come on! Let's go outside right now and settle this!"

"Enough!"

Cook finally stepped in to break up the argument. "There will be plenty of chances to fight later! Once this mission is done, I'll let you beat each other up in a bar ring! We must ensure this mission goes perfectly. If we pull this off, we won't have to worry about work in Baghdad. Plus, this pay will be enough for us to buy a lot of new gear. Stop this internal bickering—do you think I don't exist as your leader?"

With the boss angry, White Bear finally quieted down.

The atmosphere eased slightly. Cook thought it over, weighing the pros and cons. The Chinese kid wasn't wrong, but his own plan wasn't flawed either. It was a matter of perspective.

"Sang."

Finally, Cook turned to Song Heping, his expression grave. He was under immense pressure. As he had said, if this job were done well, their reputation in the Baghdad mercenary circle would be cemented. For an independent mercenary group, reputation was everything. Reputation meant money. With enough renown, they could even sign formal contracts like "Mad Dog" Reis with Blackwater, securing a long-term livelihood.

"Your reasoning is still not enough to convince me to change my mind. If you insist on your alternative, give me a compelling basis for it."

Compelling? A basis?

Cook was right. Song Heping knew he was a rookie, and to overturn the leader's plan, he needed absolute conviction. The advantages between the two were not clear-cut. The B7 Lincoln was excellent, perhaps even better than the Humvee. Abandoning it for a Humvee would not only annoy Cook, but the haughty and pampered Angel might throw a fit as well. It was indeed a headache.

"Intuition," Song Heping said. "My intuition is always accurate. It tells me that riding in the Humvee is safer than the Lincoln SUV. Besides what I've already said, I don't have a better reason. Believe it or not, that's up to you."