Chapter 1955 - 1429: The Banquet at Hongmen_2

The warmth brought by the liquid spread to his limbs, but he was well aware that the true heat tonight would erupt in that booth in a few hours.

He walked to the hat and coat mirror.

The man in the mirror was in his fifties, his hair meticulously styled with hair gel, gray at the temples yet neatly trimmed.

The face was typical of the American Midwest: square jaw, light blue eyes, and a nose slightly crooked from a past rugby injury.

His skin was in good condition, the result of working indoors for a long time, controlled diet, and regular checks by a private doctor.

Only the fine lines at the corners of his eyes and the expression unique to those who have stayed long in war zones—a mix of fatigue and excitement—betrayed his true situation.

Twelve years.

He had been in Illiguo for twelve years.

From the third month after the war broke out in 2003, he accompanied the AAFES advance team to enter, and now he became the branch manager, controlling nearly 30% of the non-combat procurement and distribution channels of the US Army logistics system in Illiguo.

During this time, he had seen many people come and go: officer rotations, contractor replacements, government official changes.

Only he, like a spider, weaved a web on this turbulent land, growing bigger, growing tighter.

Song Heping was a variable.

An Oriental, with no national background, not belonging to any multinational group, yet suddenly appearing in Baghdad three years ago to establish a pitifully small defense company, then astonishingly securing key oil field security contracts at a rapid pace.

More outrageous was how he intercepted from the US Army a batch of weapons worth 2.5 billion.

Not through bidding, not through political maneuvering, but signing a deal that could be deemed "crazy" before anyone had reacted.

This touched too many people's interests.

Robbin didn't care what race or nationality Song Heping was.

On this land, skin color and passports were merely one of the bargaining chips in negotiations.

What he cared about was order, the order he spent twelve years building here, centered around the US Army system.

Song Heping's intrusion was like a rock thrown into a carefully maintained pond, with ripples reaching every corner.

He must be eliminated.

Robbin glanced at his watch.

It was time to prepare.

At the same time, in the southeast corner of the Baghdad Green Zone, at number 14 Sadoon Street.

This was an unremarkable three-story building with the typical beige paint seen in Baghdad, windows equipped with old-style burglar bars.

Song Heping now stood in the private suite on the third floor.

This was the only part of the whole building that remained unchanged.

He had bought this building ten years ago as the starting office for the "Musician" defense company, transforming the top floor into a space combining office and residential functions.

Later, as the company grew and rented larger offices outside the Green Zone, this became his reserve base in Baghdad.

Jiang Feng stood beside him, holding a black tablet.

"The vehicle is ready; it's a local licensed Toyota Land Cruiser, modified with level three bulletproofing." Jiang Feng's voice held the concise tone of a military man, "The windows have 28mm polycarbonate composite layers, the body key parts are equipped with ceramic armor plates, and the chassis is designed against landmines. The engine and fuel tank are also protected."

Song Heping slightly nodded, adjusting his suit sleeves in front of the dressing mirror.

He wore a dark gray tailored suit, made of Italian Loro Piana's Tasmanian Super 150's wool, suitably fitting, neither overly formal to seem restrained nor too casual to lose its influence.

In such circumstances, attire itself was a signal.

"How is the personnel arrangement?" he asked.

"Two groups of three, all veterans who have been with us for two years," Jiang Feng checked the tablet's deployment chart, "One group is at the café 200 meters outside the east checkpoint of the Tulip Hotel, disguised as tourists, with the vehicle parked roadside, ready to move at any moment. Another group is at the south small commodities market, 150 meters from the hotel back door, with good visibility. Communications tests have been completed, encrypted channels are clear. The emergency signal transmitter is in your suit's inner pocket; press for three seconds to activate and we will receive GPS positioning and SOS signal."

Song Heping turned, took the tablet Jiang Feng handed over, and carefully reviewed the deployment details.

"Any new updates from the hotel?"

After reading for a while, Song Heping handed the tablet back.

Jiang Feng opened the new page, "At 4:07 PM, a black Chevrolet Suburban with diplomatic plates entered the Tulip Hotel's underground garage, the license plate belonging to the US Embassy in Iraq's military attaché office. Once the vehicle went in, it didn't come out again. At 6:10 PM, two armored Land Rovers with private security company plates arrived, and six people got out. Judging from their equipment, they are Black Water Company's quick reaction team. They stayed in the hotel lobby for fifteen minutes before dispersing to different positions."

Song Heping opened a metal box before him.

Inside, separated by foam into several grooves, lay a Glock 19 Gen5 pistol, three spare magazines, a miniature ceramic dagger, and several small tools for different purposes.

He took out the gun, skillfully checking its state.

Eject the magazine, pull the slide to confirm no rounds in the chamber, check the recoil spring and firing pin, then reinserting the magazine, chambering a round, and engaging the safety.

"The attaché vehicle...is it Lemont?"

He placed the gun into a custom-designed underarm holster.

The inner side of the suit had specially designed concealed holsters, completely indistinguishable from the outside.

"Can't confirm the exact identity, but that time frame matches Lemont's habits," Jiang Feng said, "Our informant mentioned Lemont left the embassy at 3 PM today, destination unknown. Additionally, there's a new face worth noting."