Elder Abdul was silent for a moment, exchanging a glance with his son beside him.

His son nodded slightly.

Abdul's gaze swept over the other leaders present.

The others had long been moved by the "sincerity" and nodded one after another...

Finally, Elder Abdul slowly extended his hand, shaking it firmly with Samir: "Please go back and tell Commander Song, the tradition of the Sadir Tribe is to never leave a friend in need. Our young men will take up arms and co-defend the periphery of Hulmatu, preventing any 'unstable elements' from infiltrating."

The same scene quickly played out in several other major tribes.

The price Song Heping offered precisely hit the core demands of these local big shots—survival and better survival.

Almost without much hesitation, the armed forces of these tribes began to be swiftly mobilized, moving toward the periphery of Hulmatu under the banner of "preventing 1515 retaliation and maintaining regional stability."

They declared to the outside world, almost tantamount to pledging allegiance—when Song Heping is there, their interests are there; if Song Heping falls, the area will immediately burst into flames again, becoming a quagmire that swallows any outsiders.

The first lock—interest lock, has quietly clicked shut.

At the same time, another more covert and deadly line was activated.

A piece of seemingly vague but actually explosive information was accurately transmitted out.

The core of the message was just one sentence: "The 'Musician' defense commander Song Heping is facing unprecedented pressure from the US side, with his survival directly threatened.

If the US is determined to eliminate Song Heping, in order to protect himself, the 'Northwest Passage'—referring to the crucial route for transporting supplies from Northwest Illinois to Siria, especially to pro-Persian armed forces, may have to be unconditionally opened to 'all forces seeking regional stability.'"

This was virtually a carefully crafted strategic poison pill!

It precisely hit the most sensitive nerve of the US military in the Middle East—containing the expansion of Persia and its proxies.

The importance of that "Northwest Passage" is self-evident and has long been a focus of contention among multiple parties.

Song Heping stuck here, previously was half open, maintaining a delicate balance.

Once he is forced to the brink, opening up or even directly leaning toward Russia and Persia, it means the US military's years of efforts in Siria, the blockade strategy against Persia, could suffer a fatal blow instantly!

The cost of eliminating Song Heping instantly rose from "handling a disobedient PMC" to the terrifying height of "possibly losing a regional strategic game."

The second lock—strategic lock, fell in the dark.

Almost simultaneously as Samir and others set out, Song Heping dialed that number stored in the deepest part of an encrypted chip.

The call connected, and a lazy yet magnetic female voice came through, with the faint sound of soothing jazz music in the background.

"Angel."

"Song?"

In a luxurious hotel suite far away in Dubai, Angel's voice carried a hint of surprise, then turned to concern, "Looking for me at this hour isn't like you. Is something wrong?"

"I reckon your US military wants to discard me now that I've outlived my usefulness."

Song Heping was succinct, "I need you to immediately initiate the 'image shaping' contingency plan."

"Specifically."

Angel wasted no words, her tone professional and cold.

"Send your most resourceful and trustworthy chief reporter to Hulmatu right now, immediately, at once!"

Song Heping spoke faster.

"Under the guise of a 'battlefield vacation interview' or something, send him here. I reckon the Pentagon's future action against me will definitely involve smearing me for collusion with 1515, and for harboring god knows how many terrorists in town, so I need the world to see Hulmatu under my control—Song Heping's control—before the bombs fall! Rather than waiting until after the bombing for the Pentagon spokesman to lie about how many 'terrorists' were hidden here!"

"Understood."

Angel responded crisply, "Our group's James Miller is just in Baghdad. I'll have him set off immediately. I'll coordinate the position with the US military's Transport Command."

Angel was indeed the descendant of a prominent American family; her influence was beyond imagination.

The next day, a Bell 412 helicopter from a private transport company, with a roaring noise, landed at the freshly leveled makeshift landing site outside Hulmatu Town.

The cabin door opened, and James Miller—

The star chief of "Horizon News," wearing his khaki adventure jacket, with a photography bag stuffed with top-notch equipment on his back, sporting Ray-Ban sunglasses on his face, jumped down with a frown, dusting off his sandy pants while complaining to the mercenary escorting him: "God, is the sand in this damn place sticky?"

Jiang Feng, who had been waiting there, stepped forward with a smile: "Mr. Miller, welcome to Hulmatu. Our commander extends a warm welcome to your arrival and has specially prepared a 'deep experience itinerary' for you."

Miller removed his sunglasses, revealing a pair of sharp, inquisitive eyes, looking Jiang Feng up and down: "Deep experience? I hope it's not taking me to experience IEDs or a sniper's bullet. Angel told me there's some 'miracle of peace' here, describing it like it's a paradise or something. I hope she's not pulling my leg this time."

"Rest assured, please."

Jiang Feng sidestepped to lead the way toward an armored off-road vehicle.

"In Hulmatu, within the 'Musician' defense-controlled area, your safety is our responsibility. The commander hopes you can see a real Hulmatu. You may freely interview our soldiers, the locals, even our detainees. We strive for openness and transparency."

In the following forty-eight hours, James Miller started his "Hulmatu marvel tour" accompanied by the "guide" assigned by Jiang Feng.

He saw disciplined soldiers trading fairly with local civilians, even voluntarily helping repair houses; he saw small markets propping up amidst the ruins, selling sporadic goods; he saw temporary medical points set up by the "Musician" providing free treatment to local people, with doctors and nurses busy working on their feet.

Finally, he was even "coincidentally" arranged to observe a clean and efficient sweep operation against a small number of 1515 infiltrators, sharply different from the disorganized chaos he expected from a PMC.

What was more amazing was that in an "accidental" occasion, Song Heping just happened to appear beside a newly cleared position where Miller was filming.

There was no deliberate arrangement, no official rhetoric, Song Heping was just wearing an ordinary combat uniform, with a hint of fatigue on his face, like a seasoned soldier just off duty, not at all like the boss of a PMC company.

He had a brief and relaxed informal conversation with Miller.

He didn't discuss international trends, he didn't boast about his achievements, he just used accented but remarkably clear English to plainly describe how to clear rubble, how to find clean water sources, how to make frightened children smile again, how on this cursed land, to arduously maintain that little bit of insignificant yet weight-bearing—"peace."

What kind of person is Miller?

An absolute sharp-witted expert!

He quickly smelled the explosive narrative potential contained here!

The telephoto lens and voice recorder in his hands were in full motion, capturing a large amount of pictorial and written material.

He knew clearly the ultimate purpose Angel had in mind for sending him here—

It is to transform Song Heping, once a "war hyena," into a "guardian of peace" and an "anti-terror hero" revered by the people during chaotic times!

Once the US military wants to take action in the future, these preemptively aired "heroic narratives" will become the sharpest daggers to pierce through lies, placing the US military on the moral and public opinion firing line.

The third lock, the opinion lock, is also in place!

Survival lock, political lock, opinion lock!

Under Song Heping's calm-to-the-point-of-cold-blooded control, three layers of chains quietly interwove into an invisible yet incredibly resilient web in the night sky of Hulmatu, counter-encompassing those opponents who thought they held the power of life and death.

After the exclusive interview, Song Heping personally sent Miller on the helicopter, watching the small black dot recede into the distance, a cold smile flickered at his mouth corner.

"Colonel Kote, gentlemen of the Pentagon... I've set the stage big and high for you, let's see how you decide to play this out!"

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com