That evening, Song Heping decided to have Disaster Star and Hunter stay with him at the Cook Oil Field.
Even though both oil fields now had people stationed at them, relying solely on local mercenaries for security was hardly reassuring. It was necessary to have core members of the company present to hold the fort.
Song Heping had some doubts about the combat will of the Illiguo local mercenaries.
Combat will is unrelated to combat ability.
No matter how high one's combat skills are, without the will to fight, one would only be suited for battles with the wind at their back.
It is the core members who are the stabilizing force.
Dinner was had at the Cook Oil Field.
Since the company had recently made a good amount of money, their meals had also improved.
Disaster Star still had a robust appetite.
Half a sheep...
"Boss, why aren't you eating anymore?"
Hunter saw Song Heping suddenly stop eating and thought the food might not be to his liking.
"Tired of eating lamb?"
Song Heping shook his head, "Just watching Disaster Star eat makes me feel full..."
He then couldn't help but ask Hunter, "Has he always eaten this much? I mean, every meal... I seem to see him eat at least half a sheep and many flatbreads..."
The flatbreads of Illiguo are quite large and filling.
When Song Heping felt he had a good appetite, he could eat only two to three pounds of lamb meat and two flatbreads.
Disaster Star could eat half a sheep and five or six flatbreads at each meal.
Hunter glanced towards Disaster Star and said softly, "He's sick..."
After speaking, he pointed at his head with his finger.
"What?" Song Heping was so shocked he nearly dropped his flatbread back onto the table, "He's sick and he still became a mercenary?"
He thought it best not to be a mental illness.
A mentally ill person can't stay in the team.
If he were to suddenly fall ill on the battlefield one day, that could be disastrous.
"No, no, no."
Hunter saw that Song Heping had obviously misunderstood.
So he explained, "He's a poor fellow, with no family left. He was a soldier in the Caucasus Special Mountain Forces. After he was discharged, he couldn't find a decent living in his hometown and went to be a mercenary abroad. We were in the same squad and platoon. Later we were deployed to Africa on a mission, and we went through a lot of battles together.
Just as our contract was about to end and we could retire and get Gaul citizenship, a roadside bomb attack happened. He shielded me from the shrapnel by holding me, resulting in him being seriously injured."
"The other injuries were not too bad, but there was a piece of shrapnel that went into the back of his head, and no one knows what it hit. The doctors said he recovered, but there might be some impact. Over time, I've observed that apart from him becoming more taciturn, there's been no other change, and his appetite... it has increased..."
"Oh..."
Hearing this twisting story, Song Heping couldn't help but feel moved.
These two were like brothers who had been through life-and-death situations.
No wonder Hunter was so protective of Disaster Star, bringing him along wherever he went.
Seeing that Song Heping merely sighed and his expression was unreadable, Hunter feared that Song Heping had formed a negative opinion of Disaster Star. He quickly vouched, "Because of this, I swear as long as I have something to eat, I won't let him go hungry, that's why I bring him with me wherever I go. Actually... it's not that he's a jinx; it was just bad luck for the previous bosses.
I've observed for a long time, and he really doesn't have other issues, I guarantee it! He's a very loyal person."
Seeing Hunter become anxious, Song Heping quickly reassured him, "Based on the loyalty between you two, I won't let you two go, rest assured. When I was born, a fortune-teller predicted my fortune, saying my 'Bazi' was particularly strong, and that I have a long life ahead."
"Bazi?"
Hunter hadn't heard this Chinese term before.
Song Heping didn't know how to explain the concept of "Bazi" to him right away.
He could only equivocate, "It means that I have especially good luck."
"Then I can rest easy."
Hunter breathed a sigh of relief.
Disaster Star seemed to notice their whispering and turned his head towards them.
Song Heping quickly picked up a rib of lamb and waved it in his hand, "Eat, don't mind us. Go ahead, eat your fill!"
Disaster Star showed a grease-covered grin and buried his head to continue devouring the lamb.
Hunter asked, "Boss, seeing how impressive your military skills are, you must have been part of the Special Forces too, right?"
Talking about the very topic he wanted to avoid.
Song Heping really didn't want others to mention his past.
In his view, he had left the military out of last resort.
It had always been a regret for him.
So this was a sore spot for him.
"Hmm, I've had some training."
He didn't respond directly.
Just as Hunter was about to press further, Song Heping's phone began to vibrate.
He took out his phone, put down the lamb meat in his hand, and gestured for Hunter to be quiet.
Then he got up and moved to a corner.
"Sang?"
The voice on the other end was Naxin's.
"Yeah, it's me."
"I heard you came back to the oil field?"
"That's right."
Song Heping said, "You're well informed. Do you have someone inside my oil field?"
"Hehe, you guess."
Song Heping thought the chances of having an informant among the local mercenary group were very low.
After all, 300 of them were new, just arrived a few hours ago, and they were hired randomly; it wasn't possible for a spy to have infiltrated.
The previous 50 were all Samir's old war buddies.
Given Samir's stance, he couldn't possibly have any connection with the Persians.
Perhaps it was the nearby towns or those villages we passed through.
There are informants inside.
It is unavoidable.
After all, this is north of Illiguo, where dragons and snakes mingle.
There will be people who favor each side.
It's not surprising that the Persians have cultivated their own local informants after operating in this area for many years.
"Guessing won't help. Just tell me, are you planning to arrange a meeting between me and your superior?"
"You're right."
Naxin said, "My superior didn't plan on meeting you, but you're lucky, as there's something we might need your cooperation on, so he decided to meet you."
"So, should I thank your superior for his grace?" Song Heping said with a smile. "Have you ever told him that he's very arrogant?"
"Arrogant? Song, look further ahead and think more broadly. I can't explain here, but after you meet, if you get along with my superior, you might understand why I say this."
Naxin's tone didn't sound like he was pretending; it seemed quite earnest.
This piqued Song Heping's interest.
Is that so?
Then he really had to meet this so-called "superior" to see what he was made of.
"Fine. Let's meet," Song Heping said. "The time, the place."
Naxin said, "I will send you the coordinates and time. Just don't bring too many people when you come. At most two bodyguards, or the meeting will be canceled."
"Okay."
Song Heping couldn't help but to complain, "So many rules."
"Haha, then keep an eye on your messages."
Laughter came from Naxin on the other end of the call, and then the call was disconnected.
Returning to the dining table, Hunter asked him, "Boss, what's happened?"
Song Heping said, "I need to step out tonight."
"Do you want me to come with you?" Hunter asked.
Song Heping shook his head, "There's no need."
He thought it over for a while, got up, and called Cook to inform him about the situation. He also instructed Cook to keep it quiet and to be vigilant about security that night.
Cook, concerned about Song Heping going alone, said, "Going by yourself, if Naxin buries you in a trap, they won't even find your body."
Song Heping said, "I've thought about it; he won't do that. Don't worry, I'm confident. I will go alone tonight, you hold down the fort."
"Alright, just be careful," Cook said, then added after a moment's thought, "But if something really happens to you, I swear I will avenge you, no matter who it is. Because you are a good brother to me, Cook!"
His words warmed Song Heping's heart.
Cook was a bit hot-headed and high-handed, but he was genuinely good to you when he cared, not the two-faced type.
After dinner, Song Heping put on his bulletproof vest and his night vision goggles, replacing them with fresh batteries. He only brought a pistol, leaving behind weapons like the MK18 assault rifle.
When he handed the assault rifle to Hunter for safekeeping, he joked, "If I don't come back, the rifle is yours."
Hunter said, "Boss, although I haven't been around you long, you're someone worth following. Don't worry, if something happens to you, I will find the person who killed you and take them out."
Hunter was a sniper.
He certainly had the ability.
Song Heping couldn't help but say, "Cook just said the same thing to me. Do you really think I'll die? I told you, my life is tough."
The phone quickly received a message.
The location was about 40 kilometers away at the edge of a mountainous area towards the northwest border.
The time was set for 9 PM.
The meeting place was approximately 100 kilometers from the oil field.
Checking his watch, Song Heping saw it was now 7:05 PM.
The roads here were tough to navigate, so it was necessary to allow extra time.
Therefore, he decided to leave early.
Before getting into the car, he told Hunter,
"At night, have the second company set up the guns. You'll have to work hard tonight, sleep less, check the posts more frequently, and coordinate and cooperate more with Ahmed."
"Don't worry, boss, I'll make sure to do so," Hunter assured him.
Song Heping jumped into the car, started it, and pressed the accelerator towards the northwest.
Off in the distance, a new moon rose, its crescent shape reminiscent of a sickle, somewhat like the Persians' flag.
"What a coincidence…" Song Heping murmured to himself.
As for the meeting tonight, he personally believed it was safe.
The reason was simple, the Persians were interested in the oil field.
They didn't care about the lives of the people in the organizations they supported.
Don't fantasize that these people would have feelings for the cannon fodder.
Therefore, there was only one reason to kill him, and that was to cause the oil field's security to collapse.
Obviously, even if they buried him alive, the Persians would still have to face Cook's team, and they might not succeed.
Thus, it would be a foolish act to kill him.
It would be better to cooperate with him instead.
That was the confidence that emboldened him to go to the meeting alone.