Chapter 13 Section 12

The morning after the start of the march in the Ituri forest, Jaeger awoke from a light sleep and lay in his hammock to check his watch.It happened to be five thirty on the backlit electronic screen.The keen sense of timing developed in Special Forces has not atrophied. Jaeger got out of the mosquito net and tarp covering the hammock and jumped out of the hammock.The air in the dense forest is damp and cold.There was an unnatural white in the twilight before dawn, and Jaeger took a closer look, only to find that he was wrapped in thick fog. In the fog, Mick's figure standing guard with a gun emerged like the ghost of a war dead.The four of them stood guard in shifts, every two hours.Mick turned his head and said softly, "Nothing unusual."

Jaeger nodded and turned his gaze to the other two hammocks.Garrett and Miles were snoring lightly.Mick lifted the tarp and woke them up. After everyone got up, they began to make preparations before departure.Pack up the hammock and remove the branches that were used as props.Each of them had only two sets of clothes, one dry for sleeping and one wet for marching.They re-sprayed with insect repellant, ate long-distance reconnaissance rations that tasted bad but at least replenished energy, swallowed anti-malaria drugs, finished excreting, and then buried the temporary pit dug for toilets.

The stealth mission performed this time has quite superior conditions.Generally speaking, when sneaking into an area surrounded by enemies, excrement must be packed into plastic buckets to completely bury the traces, and even toilet paper is not allowed.However, in the vast Ituri forest with a side length of hundreds of kilometers, there is no need to worry about this problem.Here, the four executors of the Guardian Project are nothing more than fry in the sea. Jaeger turned on the map and GPS device to confirm today's marching route.They agreed on a number of rendezvous places in case they were scattered after a sudden encounter with fighting.

The four carried heavy backpacks and held weapons. Mick led the way, followed by Jaeger, Garrett and Miles, advancing in a combat alert march.This formation provides protection against attacks from the front, side, and rear.However, because of the unusual darkness in the rainforest, they were closer to each other than usual. After an hour of marching, the fog lifted.The sunlight shot down from the gaps in the canopy, illuminating them in the dark rainforest, guiding them to go deeper. The endless forests drain Jaeger's fighting spirit.There seems to be a kind of magic in the dense forest, which can make people in it depressed.This is a primitive and independent world, in which human beings are just alien species wearing clothes and walking upright on two legs.Despite the vibrant life here, humans are out of place.After marching for a long time, a sense of nostalgia-like loneliness arises spontaneously.

Special Forces instructors have said that there is only one way to deal with the uneasiness and terror of the rainforest, and that is to identify the threat you face.weather?temperature?hunger?Lost sense of direction?Poisonous critters?Once you identify the threats, focus your efforts on eliminating those threats.As long as there is no threat, there is nothing to be afraid of. Yes, as long as there is no threat here, there is no need to be afraid, Jaeger said to himself.Jaeger has participated in rainforest warfare training in the dense forests of Southeast Asia, but the environment here is completely different from Southeast Asia.Although it is near the equator, there is no worry about extreme heat due to the high altitude.A gust of wind blows through the forest, and the sweat on my body dries comfortably.Although there are threats of small animals such as insects and snakes, there are not many of them, so as long as you are not careless, you will be fine.The most fortunate thing is that no matter where you go, there are clean rivers, and the water from the pump is better than the mineral water distributed in Baghdad.

Pygmies have lived here for tens of thousands of years. If the living conditions in the Ituri Forest were poor, they would have been extinct long ago.There's no reason to be overly afraid of this jungle. Mick in front stopped and gestured for everyone.Jaeger and the others quietly gathered towards the vanguard scouts. "What's that?" Mick asked, pointing the muzzle of the AK47 at the branches of the bushes, "Could it be a creature that's never been seen before?" Jaeger looked in the direction Mick pointed, and saw a black creature wriggling on the tree trunk, like a straightened earthworm. "Is this a kind of leech?" Jaeger said. "Although I have never seen it, it is not beyond imagination."

"You don't need to kill me to pretend?" "Leave it alone." Garrett laughed. "Are we naturalists?" With unexpected agility, the smooth creature leaped towards Miles.Miles flinched in shock, and the other three laughed. At this time, there was a sound from the nearby grass.Jaeger and the others immediately aimed their guns in the direction of the sound.A deer-like animal about the size of a medium-sized dog got up and ran deep into the forest.It seemed to be sleeping just now, but it escaped after being awakened by human voices. Now is the right time to stop and rest for a while.Jaeger ordered a rest, placing his backpack in the narrow clearing between the trees.Sitting on the weeds, the roots of the big tree protrude from the ground, like a vertical plank, which is perfect for a backrest.

Miles asked everyone while drinking water: "What do you think of the creature just now?" "I don't have a clue," Garrett said. "Maybe a flat snake," Mick said. "what is that?" "It's an unidentified animal in Japan. You can get a bounty if you find it." "It seems that we shouldn't come to Congo, we should go to Japan." What kind of country is Mick's hometown Japan?thought Jaeger.Chaotic, crowded metropolises with gaudy neon lights come to mind, but maybe that's just a stereotype about Japan. Myers glanced around and made sure there were no other sounds in the forest, then lowered his voice and said, "I always feel that something is wrong with this mission."

Jaeger asked, "How?" "If you think about it, we're on a mission with two very different things, a virus-infected person and a creature we've never seen before." "I don't have the expertise," Garrett said, "Could creatures infected by viruses transform like monsters?" "That's a scenario in a Hollywood movie. It's biologically impossible," Miles asserted. "Maybe the real purpose of the plan is assassination." "Assassination of Pygmies?" "No. The assassination of the anthropologist Nigel Pierce who was staying with the Mbuti people."

"I've thought about that, too," Jaeger said. "If you only need to kill Pierce, then you should make other plans. There's no need to kill the Mbuti people as well." "Is it to kill people?" "As long as we launch a strong night attack, we don't have to worry about our identities being exposed. Even if people from Mbuti see us, they don't know who we are." "Looking at it this way, the purpose of the plan is indeed to kill people infected with the virus." "My concern is that after the project is completed," Mick said, "we have to collect the internal organs of the corpse to bring back, such as brains or genitals."

Thinking of this disgusting task, Miles couldn't help scowling. "Then what we brought back is a terrible virus. Could it be that the real purpose of this plan is to get viruses to make biological weapons?" "The U.S. military has regulations that prohibit the development of biological weapons." Jaeger defended his old club, "but I don't know the actual situation." Miles wanted to say something, but stopped.The other three also stopped and listened intently.From upwind came the faint sound of brushing aside the grass.It was footsteps.And not alone.There are at least five.Instead of simply approaching, they were in a state of encircling them, trying to surround Jaeger and the others. The four of them gripped their assault rifles tightly and stood up silently.Mick pointed to himself, indicating that he would undertake the reconnaissance work.Jaeger nodded in agreement.Mick's muzzle is slightly downward, in a posture ready to engage the enemy.Jaeger and Miles took cover, ready to shoot at suspicious targets within a 180-degree range ahead.Garrett is in charge of guarding the rear, preventing the enemy from attacking from east to west. The forest was overgrown and the vision was poor, so Mick could only move cautiously.In order to prevent losing track, Jaeger and others followed closely behind Mick. After a while, Mick stopped suddenly, quietly hid behind the trunk of a big tree, and aimed his gun ahead.But instead of firing, he relaxed, with the gun pointing down, and gestured for his companions to come up. Jaeger and the others approached one after another, looking in the direction the Japanese pointed.I saw about five meters away, in a corner with sparse forest, a group of great apes were moving.It's seven chimpanzees.From close quarters, they appear large, standing up to the size of a short man. The residents of these secret realms are unaware that they are being watched by humans.The chimpanzee in the lead signaled quietly, and the chimpanzees in the rear all bent forward and leaned forward.Clearly calling the shots, the group of chimpanzees was conducting stealthy operations against the enemy, as if a group of people in ape uniforms were performing. "Are they imitating us?" Garrett suppressed a laugh, and murmured, "Chimpanzee Special Forces." Jaeger, too, watched the chimpanzees with great interest.In the low bushes behind them, another group of creatures loomed.More than a dozen monkeys are sitting there leisurely, combing their hair. Jaeger observed with military binoculars, sensing an ominous atmosphere.Suddenly, the attack begins.The seven chimpanzees who approached quietly screamed like crazy, and rushed towards the monkeys in the low bushes.At the same time, the surrounding branches all shook.The group of monkeys in the bushes screeched and fled, but one fell behind.The seven chimpanzees rushed fiercely at the monkey who was squatting on the ground, bewildered. Surrounded by noise.The excited ape yelled at the top of his lungs. Are you fighting for territory?Jaeger guessed.But it didn't take long for him to realize that something was wrong.There was only one place where the fight took place, and that was in the middle of the bush.There seven chimpanzees continued their violence against the monkey.They surrounded the monkey and scratched and bit it, seriously injuring it.Jaeger didn't understand why the chimpanzee did this, but he felt a little uneasy in his heart, as if he had witnessed atrocities among humans. Two chimpanzees, who continued to be violent, grabbed the monkey's arms from both sides and lifted it up together, with smooth movements and tacit cooperation.As soon as the monkey who endured the brutality left the ground, something in its arms was snatched away by the orangutan leader opposite.Jaeger couldn't believe his eyes.The ones that were taken away were baby monkeys, equivalent in age to human babies.The attacked monkeys desperately defended their babies.The orangutan leader ran away with his prey in his arms. While running, he grabbed the little monkey's legs and swung them back and forth, smashing the trunk of the big tree with the little monkey's head.The little monkey wailed in pain, but the orangutan leader ignored it, tore off one of the little monkey's arms, and began to eat. Miles groaned, "How come..." The surrounding chimpanzees were so excited that their hair stood on end and they shouted with emotion.The orangutan leader at the center of this crazy feast showed cunning eyes and dexterously used his hands to nibble on the little monkey's meat and leaves alternately.Other chimpanzees also approached, wanting a piece of the action, but were ignored by the leader.The leader who monopolized the prey stuffed the little monkey's head into his mouth, gnawed off the skin and muscles, and exposed the snow-white skull.Unfortunately, the little monkey was not dead yet.The orangutan leader clicked his mouth and swallowed the stump bit by bit. Mick watched this scene silently, picked up the AK47 assault rifle, and aimed at the orangutan leader. "stop!" As soon as Garrett finished speaking, Mick pulled the trigger.The frightened chimpanzees scattered and fled.The bullet fired by Mick pierced the little monkey's head, ending its suffering, but the bullet also penetrated the throat of the orangutan leader, and the bushes behind him were immediately splashed with blood.The bodies of two great apes, one large and one small, fell into the grass. "Damn orangutan," Mick cursed. Miles turned his head, dumbfounded, and looked at the Japanese as if he were a patient.Garrett turned his face down, shaking his head slightly. Uneasiness spread among the mercenaries.What they witnessed just now was not a simple cannibalism among animals, but an organized killing intertwined with reason and madness.That is war. Holding his heavy assault rifle in hand, Jaeger asked himself: Have humans been killing each other before they became humans? The bruised mother monkey ran to the dead body of her child.The little monkey who was still in the arms of its mother just now has become a corpse thrown to the ground without a head and right arm.Human beings have no way of knowing how the female monkey is feeling now. "The show is over. Let's get out of here." Jaeger reminded in a low voice.In case there are militants lurking nearby, the gunshots should have been heard just now. "Mick, from now on, unless necessary, don't shoot." The Japanese sneered contemptuously at him.Jaeger's blood was hot, and he managed to control his anger.He resisted the urge to beat up the alien, but he couldn't understand why Mick wanted to shoot the ape.Is it to prevent the little monkey from suffering, or out of hatred for the chimpanzee leader?Maybe it was neither, and Mick shot just to show off his strength to the lower animals and satisfy his ridiculous vanity. "Let's go." With that said, Miles took a step.Garrett followed blankly.Only Mick looked smug, and Jaeger couldn't help being furious.No one seemed to want to get to the bottom of what had just happened. The four of them returned to the place where they put their backpacks.Jaeger puts his equipment on his back.After the four formed a column, he raised his chin and instructed Mick to move forward. Go away, you crazy Jap!Jaeger cursed in his heart. In President Vance's hand, he held a photo of the corpse of a child whose hands and feet had been blown off.is an Iraqi child.This child is just one of many innocent civilian casualties in a massive sweep against anti-American militants. The president showed displeasure, and pushed the photo to Vice President Chamberlain, who was seated next to him.Chamberlain's expression remained unchanged. In order to convince these two cold-blooded men, Secretary Ballard across the conference table must quickly come up with the next rhetoric. "Never mind how many ordinary people died." Chamberlain preemptively said, "If the media finds out, it will cause trouble for us." Secretary Latimer also nodded in agreement. Ballard looked at the officials sitting around the cabinet room table one by one, hoping to awaken their deepest conscience. "However, 100,000 Iraqi citizens have been killed by our army's attacks. Do you think this will win the support of the Iraqi people?" "This level of collateral damage is allowed." Chamberlain said convincingly. If Chamberlain's family members were killed in a military attack by another country, he certainly would not have made such remarks.Ballard hid his hatred and sarcasm in his heart, and said patiently: "If this large-scale destruction continues, the hostile forces will hate us even more. From the perspective of maintaining local law and order, we should also increase the number of troops as soon as possible." Send troops." "It's not your business!" Chamberlain retorted. "I think that when you make a military decision, you have to consider the diplomatic ramifications," said Ballard, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "This matter has already been agreed, and it cannot be overturned now." Vance said in support of the vice president. Seeing the nods of the people around him, Ballard couldn't help but wonder, when did neoconservatism become so popular?These people weren't originally Conservative radicals. "This topic ends here, is it okay?" Chief of Staff Ikas asked the president for his opinion and pushed the meeting to continue. "Before entering the final topic, please leave the meeting." Assistants to the Secretary of Defense left the cabinet one after another, but those in charge of African affairs remained, as well as several leaders from the cabinet and intelligence agencies.Ballard no longer stubbornly makes his point. "What's the final topic?" Chamberlain asked. "It's the specially approved contact plan mentioned last time." The Chief of Staff replied, "Codename 'Nemesis'." Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, like enjoying dessert at a dinner party after a difficult negotiation.Only Director of National Intelligence Watkins and CIA Director Holland tried their best to hide their nervousness, because they knew that the special contact plan had encountered a difficult situation. Senior officials smiled and welcomed Dr. Melwayne Gardner, the president's science and technology adviser, into the cabinet room. "Then let me explain." Gardner took his seat humbly, and said in a trembling voice, "The Nemesis project is progressing smoothly. In a few days, the first phase of the mission in Africa will be over. But Now there is a small problem. According to the report of the National Security Agency, there are signs of instability on the Japanese side." "Japan?" asked Vance, puzzled. "Why Japan?" "The specific situation is still unclear. Maybe it's just unfounded worry, but we have taken measures to be cautious." Holland immediately saw that the president was still puzzled, so he continued, "Someone in Tokyo is trying to invade 'Nemesis'. The investigation identified the suspects as Koga Seiji and his son. Koga Seiji died of illness recently, but his son is still carrying out intrusion activities." "Who is his son?" "A graduate student named Koga Kento." Chamberlain asked, "What is this man's major? Journalism or religion?" "Pharmacy. His father's major was virology." "How did they know about our secret plan?" "This is still under investigation. The Tokyo branch of the CIA has recruited local staff to contact the youth. In addition, the FBI has also entrusted the anti-terrorism team of the local police station to carry out operations." Watkins added: "Of course, neither the Japanese CIA employees nor the local police knew anything about 'Nemesis'. Everything was under our control." "Well, that's it," said Secretary of Defense Latimer, who was supposed to be in charge of the Nemesis program. "The liaison from the Special Projects Office said it would be better to hear your opinion." "You" means the Secretary of State. Ballard, "Would the Japanese government cooperate if we had to resort to brutal measures in Japan?" "Barbaric means specifically?" "Well..." Latimer pretended to be confused, "The person in charge of the special planning room should be able to consider appropriate means." "The person in charge means the young man mentioned last time?" asked Vance. "Yes, I heard that the mind is very clever." "As long as we do not go too far, the Japanese government will not refuse to cooperate." Secretary Ballard said, weighing the relationship between the two countries.Then, always steady, he added, "Please save barbaric methods until you have to use them as a last resort." Hearing this conversation, Holland suddenly thought of the "cemetery".It was a torture facility in Syria.People sent there will find themselves greeted by coffin-sized single rooms, various torture devices, and torturers who are keen to torture prisoners.Vance was outraged by this human rights violation and accused Syria of being a "rogue state," but it was just a shameless lie to deceive the world.It was Vance himself who handed over suspected terrorists to the Syrian government for interrogation on their behalf, in defiance of the Geneva Convention, which forbids the torture of prisoners of war.Syria is not the only country that has become an American torture device.Egypt, Morocco, Uzbekistan and other countries have also received hostile fighters delivered by the United States.It was Holland's CIA that carried out this deadly mission, known as "special transfer." The CIA director, the president's accomplice, watched Gregory S. Vance gloomily.This middle-aged white man who is the president of the United States has the most power in the world.Whenever he delivered a speech, he received a standing ovation from the audience.But it was also this handsome gentleman who ordered hundreds of people to be tortured and brutally killed. As long as this satanic man makes a move, he can crush that Japanese graduate student.