Chapter 504 Stoning

The straight-line distance from Aleppo to Hamrit is 190 kilometers, but it was obviously impossible for Chen Chen to drive there through the desert no-man's land.

The convoy started from Aleppo and went all the way along the Euphrates River to Meskena, then continued southeastward through Tabqa, Ressafa, and finally went north across the river to Hamrit.

Compared with the prosperity and ancient charm of Aleppo, although the entire city of Hamrit is not dilapidated, it appears extremely barren.

At a glance, there were few buildings higher than two floors. The ground was covered with hard white sand and gravel, and the streets were also dusty.

Under the leadership of Xia Xing, everyone quickly entered the room that had been prepared and settled down. Chen Chen really did not expect that at this time, AirBnb's business could actually reach this level.

"So what's so interesting about this place? There are actually people staying in B&Bs here?"

"Also, how did you know there was a B&B here?"

Chen Chen asked in confusion, while Xia Xing smiled and replied:

"The complexity of intelligence work may be much higher than you think, let alone a logistics person like me."

"AirBNB's subsidies have been very large in the past two years, and there have been high arbitrage opportunities. Sometimes, you don't even need to actually run a B&B. As long as you register, you can get a lot of rewards by attracting new customers."

"Hamrit is within the Lake Assad scenic area. Before the Syrian civil war started, it was indeed a tourist attraction. It was normal to have a B&B."

"Of course, the current business situation here is not good. If a stranger comes here, it will still arouse some suspicion."

"As for how I gained the trust of my boss, that's another story."

Hearing Xia Xing's words, Chen Chen nodded convincingly.

In fact, he had heard many people talk about the details of intelligence work.

Not to mention, just the matter of evacuation from Libya, what the intelligence port's logistics department was doing behind the scenes was as huge as an iceberg.

Chen Chen also heard a story in his last life. It was said that there was a shortage of vehicles when the overseas Chinese were evacuated. No matter where they went, they could not find a car that could be transferred. Finally, a responsible civil servant from the embassy came forward and found the vehicle that was still there at that time. Ericsson, which has a large number of base stations in Libya, requested their road test vehicles and finally filled the gap.

From an outside perspective, no one knows how he got involved with Ericsson, but if you think about it carefully, contacting foreign companies is a highly sensitive move. Maybe this move of his will start from the moment he arrives in Libya. Already started to arrange

Thinking of this, Chen Chen stopped asking questions and said:

"We may have to stay here for more than three days. During these three days, I need you to stabilize the owner of the B&B as much as possible."

"Although this place is still under the control of the Syrian government, the grassroots administrative capabilities have dropped to the limit. I am afraid that trouble will occur."

"I see."

Xia Xing nodded solemnly and replied:

"Leave this part to me, you don't have to worry about it."

"Understood - Jackal, watch your men and don't cause any trouble."

"Don't worry, they are all acquaintances."

Jackal immediately answered, and the fact was just as he said, most of the members of this Chaisili team were transferred from Pubei. They not only had a "fate" with Chen Chen, but even among them Several of them have also listened to Chen Chen’s lectures.

In their hearts, Chen Chen is a living legend, and his prestige is enough to make them obedient.

Everything was arranged properly, and everyone randomly distributed the equipment that arrived in advance in the room.

In order to ensure concealment, they did not carry guns or wear armor during the reconnaissance process. All equipment was temporarily stored in the room and would only be used when a battle was expected.

Chen Chen himself still carried an FN57 pistol. Jackal was used to using P226, but he felt that the firepower was insufficient, so he carried two under his arms.

This move made Chen Chen shake his head. From his point of view, pistols were originally the last resort in close combat. If one gun couldn't solve the problem, how could two guns be used together with a hammer?

The last word is to quickly find cover and retreat, then use a spear to fight back.

However, everyone has their own habits, and Chen Chen will not interfere too much as long as it does not affect the progress of the task.

After the equipment was distributed, everyone's tasks began.

However, what they want to do is not to immediately go to the meeting place mentioned in the intelligence to conduct investigations.

Because at this time, their character was a group of businessmen inspecting the small oil fields in the countryside of Raqqa, and they had to show the vigilance that businessmen should have.

After spending most of the day, under Xia Xing's organization, everyone showed their faces in front of all the people involved, established a wave of personas, and basically confirmed their identities.

During this period, the local officials did not conduct any interrogations on them. Instead, an imam who seemed to be highly respected came over and chatted with Xia Xing for half an hour, but in the end he left with satisfaction.

At this point, all the conditions for close reconnaissance were basically in place, and everyone had the opportunity to move around freely in Hamrit. So under the leadership of Xia Xing, everyone was like tourists temporarily resting in Hamrit, taking the entire Hamrit walked around all of them.

Chen Chen locked the location of the gathering point in the intelligence. It was the largest villa of a "rich man" in Hamrit City, and it was also the largest and most luxurious manor-style building in the entire city.

It covers an area of ​​more than 30,000 square meters and is surrounded by many sentries and security personnel with guns.

When everyone passed by the door, Chen Chen noticed that the manor was not completely closed. People frequently came in and out whether from the main entrance or the side entrance.

In the current relatively unstable situation, this phenomenon is obviously abnormal, and it further confirms the situation mentioned in the previous intelligence.

There is no doubt that this is the final destination for the terrorists who crossed the border from Iraq, and their activity level is also increasing. If there is any action, it is likely to be carried out in the near future.

Chen Chen made up his mind to conduct a tactical reconnaissance of the manor at night, so everyone no longer delayed, but went directly back to the B&B to start formulating a battle plan.

From the reconnaissance focus to the entry and exit routes, from emergency plans to conflict response plans, Chen Chen arranged every detail in detail. Xia Xing listened and nodded repeatedly. Chen Chen didn't know if she really listened. Got it, but it's obvious that she really wants to make progress

"So is it possible that our reconnaissance operation will directly turn into a rescue operation? The physical characteristics of the target are not clear enough, and there is no photo reference at the moment. All we have is a restored portrait. Is it too radical to rush in rashly?"

After hearing Chen Chen's plan, Jackal frowned and asked.

"This is a guaranteed plan."

"If things do develop further than we expect, then we have to find a way to move quickly."

"Finding people is not a big problem. As you saw today, although the entire manor is very large, the defense is relatively loose."

"And the most important thing is that the entire manor has a wide field of vision, so the possibility of taking advantage of the chaos and escaping is almost non-existent."

"Unless they have tunnels, but in that case there's no way we're going to catch him whether we're well prepared or not, the conditions don't change for us."

"So, it doesn't make much difference whether the intelligence is sufficient or not. The key is how to go as fast as possible during the attack."

"This is not something that can be solved by opportunism. Once we launch an attack, it will be an absolute head-on confrontation."

"Don't."

Jackal raised his hand to interrupt Chen Chen, and then said:

"Even if it's a frontal attack, it can't be head-on, right?"

"After all, we are all veterans who have retired from the special forces and have been on the battlefield. It is a bit insulting for you to use us to confront those terrorists head-on."

"Alright alright."

Chen Chen helplessly spread his hands and continued:

"So the overall plan is this: sneak through at night, find the target location, and withdraw after finding it."

"If the evacuation does not go smoothly, we will directly switch to attack. Do you understand?"

"clear!"

Everyone answered one after another. Chen Chen put away the simple map on the table and then said:

"We don't have drones this time and can't provide global vision support, so after entering the manor, the reconnaissance team must quickly occupy the tower to make sure nothing goes wrong."

Chen Chen's tone was very solemn, even a bit harsh.

In fact, in the past, this kind of reconnaissance mission from the commanding heights was either performed by Yang Shu, Bao Qi, or Shi Dakai. Chen Chen had confidence and trust in them.

This time he had to cooperate with the relatively unfamiliar Chaisili, and he was really unsure.

After hearing his words, Jackal immediately expressed his stance:

"I'll do it myself, don't worry."

"The on-site command will be given to you, and you will lead the team."

"That's no problem."

Chen Chen nodded with satisfaction and put away the simple map he had just drawn on the desktop.

At this time, the time had just reached six o'clock, and it was time to have dinner. In order to avoid arousing suspicion, everyone did not stay in the room, but walked to the lobby of this "B&B" where there were actually no other tourists, and talked to the owner of the B&B. Have dinner together.

The style of Syrian cuisine is actually very similar to Turkish cuisine, including lamb rice, salad, pita bread, and barbecue.

It can be said that they are basically the same as those in the Arab world.

Chen Chen was quite able to adapt to this bite, but judging from the performance of the Chaisili team members, they probably just had enough to eat.

They may still prefer tom yum soup with rice noodles than this "dry" food.

The meal was simple. After Xia Xing translated, everyone briefly chatted with the boss. The atmosphere was not lively, but overall the guests and hosts enjoyed themselves, and the boss was more friendly towards them.

Everyone talked about oil, tourism, and the situation in the Syrian civil war. The boss was very confused as to why they wanted to enter Raqqa to do business at this time.

Of course, Chen Chen said that he could gain wealth through danger, saying that they believed that the Syrian civil war should be impossible to fight, and that the benefits of entering the market would be greatest at this time.

After hearing what he said, the boss's eyes looked slightly strange, but then quickly returned to normal.

Chen Chen keenly noticed the change in his boss. He quietly gave Xia Xing a hint in his eyes. The latter blinked to show that he had received it, but this reaction was too vague and could not be used as a basis for any judgment.

After the plates in front of him were cleared, Chen Chen stood up and walked out. The others stayed in the restaurant chatting, and Xia Xing followed.

"You think there's something wrong with that boss?"

she asked bluntly.

"It's just intuition, but"

"ah!!!"

Before Chen Chen finished speaking, a scream suddenly came from the B&B.

Chen Chen instantly became alert, and his hand even had the urge to reach for his gun at his waist, but fortunately his reason controlled his action in time.

The two looked at the direction of the screams on the second floor of the B&B at the same time, and at this time, the boss had already rushed out of the restaurant.

The painful wails of the woman and the angry curses of the man continued to come, Chen Chen frowned, and the boss next to him kept communicating with Xia Xing in Arabic.

After a while, the boss left the two and went upstairs, and Xia Xing turned to Chen Chen and said:

"The boss's daughter is upstairs, she lives with her husband."

"They seem to have had some quarrels recently, and this is his daughter being beaten."

"Daughter is being beaten, and he reacts like this?"

Chen Chen asked in surprise.

In his impression, although the status of women in the Arab world is low, it is not so low that a son-in-law can beat his wife in front of his father, right?

"The situation is rather special. He didn't elaborate, but it could be cheating."

"Cheating?!"

"Yes, the man upstairs said so. He was questioning whether the woman had slept in the bed of a man named Haram."

Hearing this, Chen Chen was stunned.

What a joke? Syria? Raqqa? Hamlet? Cheating? !

If this happened in Damascus, it might make sense, but if it happened in such a remote town where no one lives?

Xia Xing, who was standing by, was as confused as Chen Chen, but at this moment, they had no expectation of eating melons in their hearts, but were full of vigilance.

There must be something wrong when things are abnormal, and this is a law that will never be broken.

Although this happened before Chen Chen and his group arrived, it was equally suspicious.

Chen Chen and Xia Xing looked at each other, and the two quietly walked downstairs a few steps. At this time, the sound in the room became clearer.

The dull sound of a blunt instrument hitting a human body made Chen Chen feel uncomfortable. He subconsciously stared at the staircase, and then saw the boss coming downstairs with four children.

The boss smiled awkwardly at them, and didn't say anything more, but took the children to the other side of the yard.

"Do you need me to intervene and test it?"

Xia Xing asked.

"No, just watch first."

"If we really encounter a low-probability event, it is easy to be exposed if we intervene rashly."

"Understood."

Xia Xing said no more. At this time, the man's angry roar came again from upstairs.

After hearing this roar, Xia Xing's expression changed immediately.

"What's the matter?"

Chen Chen asked.

"There is a problem."

Xia Xing lowered his voice and replied:

"He said he would stone women to death!"