Romain looked at the report with a calm expression.

"How many soldiers know about this?" he asked.

"I received it directly from the desk of the DGSE’s South African branch, sir," the soldier standing before him answered.

Romain’s brows furrowed deeply as he looked up from the report.

“Just the PIC[1], me, and the assistant director,” the soldier quickly amended.

"Destroy all evidence and instruct the soldier to ensure no reports related to Sharlan leak elsewhere. If necessary, eliminate him and replace him with someone we can trust."

The soldier didn’t respond.

"Protect Sharlan, but report to me if he contacts anyone. If a DGSE agent is tracking him, divert their attention or eliminate them."

When the soldier failed to respond again, Romain slowly raised his head.

"Do my orders dishonor France’s glory?"

"No, sir. I will have it done."

"Wait,” Romain said just as the soldier was about to turn and leave.

𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"What about Director Lanok?"

"The car bombing has made him extremely cautious about his movements. Moreover, because of the Mossad’s and MI6’s suspicious activities, the DGSE has started providing him with top-level security.”

Romain slowly nodded as suspicion filled his eyes."What exactly is he planning to do with those damn jewels? He seems to be forming a private organization outside the DGSE, but why?"

The soldier standing before him remained silent as if he hadn’t heard a word.

"Report his movements to me daily," Romain ordered.

"That will be difficult, sir."

Romain leaned back in his chair with a look of disbelief.

"Director Lanok’s movements are reported directly to the assistant director, and even other directors don’t have access to those files. Considering I’m in charge of the South African branch, he will easily catch me if I try to track his movements."

Despite his displeased expression, Romain said nothing further.

***

Gillot took his time surveying Umbembe's base and the surrounding terrain.

"

Hmm

."

He let out a long sigh and tilted his head. He didn’t say it out loud, but seeing the base in person made him think that the mission to eliminate Umbembe would be much more difficult than anticipated.

"Kasier."

"Oui."

"Can you snipe from in front of that central building?" Gillot asked, almost in a whisper.

The soldier named Kasier pulled a cylindrical scope from his waist and raised it to his right eye.

"We need to get about seven hundred meters closer, sir. They seem to have built the base with that in mind. If we go around to the left, we can close the distance, but we won’t be able to see the entire area behind the building."

Gillot, taking his time again, slowly moved back.

"Kasier, keep an eye out for Umbembe. Greg, post a guard over there. We’re taking a break," he ordered.

While Greg directed a soldier to stand guard, Gillot sat down against a nearby tree. He bent his left leg and then stretched out his right leg. Afterward, he rested his rifle on it. Although he looked relaxed, his right index finger remained hooked on the trigger guard.

"Damn it," Gillot suddenly muttered to himself. "No wonder they talked about vacation just for killing a rebel leader."

He twisted his upper body and looked down at the base, which was at the bottom of a cliff.

From Kang Chan's position, only the end of the base and the river flowing in front of it were visible.

It was the first time he had seen such a filthy river. The muddy water, streaked with yellow, looked as if it had been stained with ochre. The now oppressive sunlight shattered into tiny fragments, sparkling on the river's surface.

Mountains, rivers, and sunlight on the water normally made for a beautiful scene, but the Ubangi River here was more like a woman wearing cheap jewelry and heavy makeup on an unwashed face.

The condition of the river changed nothing, though. They were here to find and kill the bald black man hiding somewhere around that dirty river.

Gillot, leaning against the tree in front of Kang Chan, had turned around three times in contemplation already.

“Shit!”

As the sun rose higher and the heat began to set in, Gillot cursed for the third and fourth time in quick succession.

"Fuck! God fucking damn it!"

It was as if he was irritated for making some foolish mistake.

What comes first, turning around or cursing?

Driven by a curious whim, Kang Chan observed Gillot. Unsurprisingly, his gaze remained fixed on the river. Eventually, Gillot slowly stood up and walked over to Kasier.

Maybe he wasn’t as consistent as he seemed.

"Any movements?" Gillot asked.

All the soldiers focused on him.

"Some, but no one resembling Umbembe,” Kasier responded, still looking through a scope like a pirate searching for a treasure trove from the crow's nest of a ship.

Gillot nodded, then turned around with a determined expression.

"Everyone, gather ‘round,” he called. Only Kasier and the sentry didn’t join them.

"Look."

Gillot drew two lines in the dirt with a stick the size of a finger.

"This is the river."

It looked like two earthworms.

"This is their base. This seems to be the headquarters, and here, here, and here are three buildings."

After completing the drawing of the base on the ground, he wrote numbers inside the circles representing buildings.

"We’ll call the headquarters Building One, the one above it Building Two, and the one between us and the river Building Three. The base is too far from any good vantage point to make sniping viable, so we’ll split into three teams of four and simultaneously clear all buildings instead."

Gillot looked up at his men.

"The buildings form a triangle, so it will be difficult to kill Umbembe from behind. No matter which building he’s in, the team leaders have permission to take him out. Once Umbembe is down, everyone retreats. I’ll lead Team Alpha1, Greg will lead Bravo, and Asker will lead Charlie."

Greg and Asker nodded in acknowledgment.

"Since there's a higher chance for Umbembe to be in Building One, I’ll position myself in Building Two to get a good view of the headquarters. Kasier and you two will come with me."

Gillot then turned to Greg. "Since this is Khalid and Channy’s first mission, I'll split them between the teams."

The soldiers' eyes moved from Kang Chan to Khalid.

Fucking bastard acted as if he’s been with the special forces team for ages.

"Greg, take him, Channy, and the sentry to the back of Building One. If either Alpha or Charlie kills Umbembe, give us cover while we retreat."

"Oui," Greg responded firmly.

"Asker, take Khalid and the remaining two to cover Building Three. Remember to retreat immediately after the kill."

"Oui," Asker replied quietly. He then looked at the soldiers he would be commanding.

The sun was now about forehead height.

"Umbembe could appear at any moment. Stay alert, and hold this position for the next three days. If he doesn’t show up then, regroup here at dawn the next day."

The two team leaders gave firm answers. It was a tense moment, though Kang Chan listened to Gillot's orders with a calm demeanor, unlike the desperation he felt with Enzo.

"Team Alpha will move first, followed by Bravo, and then Charlie."

Right after, Gillot walked toward Kasier.

"Get ready to move."

Kasier put away his telescope and slung his sniper rifle, an FR-F2, over his back.

"Greg! Move out once I’m in position. You remember the signal?"

"Yes, sir,” Greg responded.

As if on a treasure hunt, Gillot soon headed off.

"Get your gear," Greg instructed.

Kang Chan tightened his backpack straps and carefully checked his magazine.

He learned something new again. Even though they were embarking on a mission where lives would be lost, the seasoned soldiers seemed utterly unconcerned about any impending danger.

If they were lucky, they’d get to quickly kill the bald black man and leave. Otherwise, they’d have to wait a long time and retreat under fire.

Either way, they knew that worrying now wouldn’t change anything. They’d calmly approach their designated areas, eliminate the target, and get out as fast as they could.

Kang Chan let out a quiet sigh, recalling the number of times Gillot had surveyed the rebel base and cursed. This mission was tough enough to make someone with so much more experience than these soldiers curse repeatedly. Fully understanding the situation, the tension crept up and steadily enveloped him.

"

Haaaa

."

In situations like his, he had discovered that the best he could do was exhale slowly. If that didn’t help, then he could try listening to his own breathing.

Fifteen minutes passed, then twenty, and eventually twenty-five.

Chirp! Chirp chirp chirp! Chirp! Chirp chirp chirp!

A strange animal call echoed. It sounded like a bird or perhaps a monkey, but definitely not human.

"Let's go."

Greg stood up. Kang Chan and another soldier followed him.

No matter the situation, people will always seem to have lousy social skills. Even if our only objective is to observe, shouldn’t we at least introduce ourselves?

After a short walk, they came across the soldier standing guard. With a nod from Greg, he joined the group from the rear.

They tried to make as little noise as possible. They stepped on tree roots whenever they could, and when necessary, they leaned on thick trees for support, making the journey quite slow.

Kang Chan had a clear view of the rebel base. The more they observed it, the more formidable its layout seemed. The four outposts built on the outskirts, except for the cliff, were particularly threatening. If those were manned, it would be difficult for Teams Alpha and Charlie to even take aim.

After about twenty minutes, they reached the back of Building One. Greg assigned the two soldiers to their positions before directing Kang Chan where to stand.

Kang Chan and the soldier to his right couldn't see the front of the building, but they had a perfect view of the entrance to Building Two and half of Building Three’s entrance.

After positioning them, Greg raised a hand to his mouth.

Kreee! Kreee! Kreee!

It had to have been a common animal sound in Africa. Kang Chan had always wanted to see the creature making that noise at night.

With the rebel base right below them, there was no way to speak, nor any reason to. Kang Chan positioned himself comfortably against a tree and aimed downward.

"

Haaa

."

Building Two was about three hundred meters away—a distance an MP5SD would have trouble covering.

Kang Chan glanced at Greg and then looked at their target location again. If Umbembe appeared, they would likely either move closer or prepare to cover the other two teams’ retreat after eliminating Umbembe.

As Kang Chan scrutinized the base, the sound of an engine reached his ears. Given the time, Team Charlie likely hadn’t reached their position yet. Kang Chan turned toward Greg, finding the man glaring ahead with his jaws clenched. The vehicle noises grew louder, occasionally accompanied by rattling, yet they received no signal indicating Team Charlie’s arrival.

Vrooooom!

Vehicles soon came into view, seemingly coming from the part of the mountain where Gillot’s team was lying in ambush. First a jeep, then a truck, then another jeep and truck.

Screech!

The first jeep stopped at the entrance, followed by the trucks and the second jeep, which then moved in front of the headquarters.

The distance and the view obstructed by the headquarters made it difficult to confirm if Umbembe was in any of the vehicles.

Screech!

The two trucks parked, blocking the view of Buildings Two and Three, while the jeep stopped between them.

Thud.

Around thirty rebels armed with new AK rifles, M16s, and even Russian Dragunovs jumped out of the truck beds and encircled the central jeep. Afterward, they scanned their surroundings with practiced ease.

Who the hell sent just twelve of us to kill a man guarded by so many rebels?

Wondering what the commander who sent them here looked like, Kang Chan slowly looked at the jeep at the entrance. The lack of a mounted machine gun made it seem more like an escort vehicle. In its passenger and back seats were two men armed with sniper rifles and RPGs surveying the area.

Even if they managed to kill Umbembe, the other two teams would likely have trouble escaping unscathed. No, more importantly, Team Charlie hadn't even signaled their arrival yet.

Perhaps they were still making their way through terrain far rougher from the ones the other teams encountered. This would make retreating equally challenging.

From inside and outside the buildings came conversation and doors opening and closing, giving life to the base. Unintelligible exchanges and hearty laughter filled the air.

Judging by the atmosphere, Umbembe had probably arrived.

Hoo. Hoo.

Kang Chan focused on his breathing to calm his nerves. If the opponents at Ndulele were thugs, these were well-trained special forces teams.

He occasionally worried about encountering trained rebels in Ndulele. If his enemies there had been as skilled as the ones here, he wouldn't have survived. On the other hand, that just meant that a single mistake in this operation could spell the end for them.

Hoo. Hoo.

Moo. Moo. Moo.

While listening to his own breathing to calm down, Kang Chan heard an animal call, likely from Team Charlie.

Clack! Clack!

Two soldiers at the entrance of the jeep aimed their rifles and RPGs in the direction of Team Charlie.

Bang!

At the same time, the front door of the headquarters banged open.

Mercenaries ran out, took cover behind the trucks, and aimed their weapons toward where Team Alpha and Team Charlie were positioned.

1. Person In Charge ☜