Two modified armored personnel carriers rolled out from the base at Sigurna Oilfield No. 1.
Trailing behind them was a modified bulletproof Maybach.
Martin was in that Maybach.
Gordon was driving and said with some concern, "Martin, you really don't have to go in person."
Martin shook his head. "Only by seeing it with my own eyes can I feel at ease. Waiting idly just makes me more anxious. Besides, the situation on the battlefield changes in an instant. If necessary, I can jump in myself. You know my skills and marksmanship—I could easily be a king of soldiers."
Gordon replied helplessly, "Martin, don't get personally involved unless absolutely necessary. Just stay back and watch from afar."
"Don't worry, I know—I value my life more than any of you," Martin said with a laugh.
…
Ishaq.
This was the stronghold of the Komara Gang.
Rather than calling it a village, it would be more accurate to call it a small town. The buildings covered a large area, clearly once a bustling place.
Based on the prisoners' confessions and the maps Martin had secured from the military, Satan and his men quickly pinpointed the target location to this town.
The vehicles weren't moving quickly. Satan wasn't planning a direct assault—he was aiming for a night raid.
So they had calculated the timing, driving steadily down the dust-covered highway, aiming to reach the outskirts of the oasis around 7 or 8 p.m.
That time frame also coincided with the usual return of the oil-stealing convoy.
As night slowly fell,
the convoy approached the outskirts of Ishaq.
All three vehicles came to a halt. One of the armored personnel carriers began to circle the perimeter of the town.
A moment later—
"Vehicle One reporting: We've completed a full circle within a five-kilometer radius around Ishaq. No sign of the enemy. We're clear to advance. I repeat: No sign of enemy activity. Clear to advance. Over."
Satan quickly checked the GPS—they were still about nine kilometers from Ishaq. One of the town's entrances was just ahead.
The other entrance was to the southeast.
Satan spoke gravely into the radio:
"Vehicle One, approach from the southeast entrance, but don't engage yet. Wait until you hear gunfire from our side—then wait five more minutes before launching your attack. Stay alert for anything unusual. Report immediately if anything happens. Keep yourselves safe. Over."
"Vehicle One copy. Over."
After finishing with Vehicle One, Satan patted the driver's seat in front of him and said to the soldier behind the wheel, "Let's move in. We'll disembark a kilometer from the entrance. If I remember right, there's a small hill there on the satellite map. Park the vehicle behind it."
Then he turned to the team in the back of the vehicle. "Everyone, check your weapons. Be ready to disembark."
"Understood!"
Several voices responded. Then the vehicle went quiet, everyone silently checking their gear.
After a quick check of his own equipment, Satan grabbed the radio again and contacted Gordon in the trailing Maybach:
"Once the fighting starts, you and the boss stay in the vehicle. Park it behind the hill with us. If anything unexpected happens—pull out immediately."
Gordon's helpless voice came through the radio: "The boss says he'll be watching the battle from the hill. He wishes you success—'Urah!'"
(*Note: "Urah" isn't exclusive to Russian troops. It's widely used among many Western special forces. Simple and easy to unify, it's also popular among the diverse ranks of mercenaries.)
The armored vehicle stopped behind the hill. Satan quickly jumped out and shouted, "Ram, take your team to the town's entrance and establish a defensive perimeter. Big Dog, you and your team follow Ram and prep the rocket launchers!"
Ram's squad had eight members—mainly snipers and marksmen.
Big Dog was a burly Slav. His team specialized in heavy firepower, and he himself was a machine gunner—a weapon that required real strength to wield.
At Satan's command, Ram led the snipers toward the town entrance and swiftly set up a watch line. Big Dog had his men unload the rocket launchers from the vehicle.
For safety, the launchers were preloaded with rockets, but the fuses hadn't been installed yet.
Now, under Big Dog's instructions, the soldiers were attaching fuses to the warheads.
While they worked, Martin walked over to Satan and pointed at two red circles on the map in Satan's hands.
"You're planning a pincer assault? Let them focus on your front attack while the southeast group sneaks in?"
Satan was impressed by his boss's sharp insight and didn't deny it. He nodded. "We're short on manpower. The town has three exits, but we can only hit two. So we have to push in quickly and reach the center—otherwise the higher-ups of this Komara Gang might slip away."
He glanced at the sky and cursed, "Damn it, it's 8:30 p.m. in Iraq and still this bright?!"
"Want to wait a little longer? It'll be completely dark by ten," Martin suggested.
Satan thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No—we timed everything around this hour. It's when their convoy usually returns. If we delay and they realize something's wrong, they might get suspicious. Then it'll be even harder to catch them off guard."
"Alright. Your call—you're in command," Martin replied smoothly.
Soon, Satan and Big Dog also brought their teams to the edge of the town.
Ram was scanning the area through his sniper scope.
"Well?" Satan asked.
"Defenses are a joke," Ram scoffed.
"Don't get cocky. This gang's been fighting the Turks for over thirty years—don't assume they don't have elite fighters," Satan warned.
"Yeah, yeah," Ram replied lazily.
"I'll take some men to eliminate the sentries at the entrance. You and your guys find sniping positions and wait in ambush," Satan continued.
"Already spotted two four-story buildings with great elevation. Good lines of sight," Ram said.
Satan turned to Big Dog.
"Once we're inside, you follow us. If we hit any hardened strongholds, use the rockets to blow them open."
"Got it," Big Dog rumbled.
Satan gave a few final orders to the team covering the other entrance. Then he checked his watch and took a deep breath.
"We attack at 8:45 sharp. Sync your watches."
At exactly 8:45, with everything ready, Satan turned to his squad and made a hand signal.
Crouching low, using the sparse shrubs for cover, he crept toward the entrance of the town.
Once he and his team were a short distance ahead, Big Dog waved his hand, signaling his assault squad to follow.
Ram and his men, meanwhile, had their scopes trained on their pre-selected targets—ready to eliminate anyone who spotted Satan or Big Dog's team.