"I have to go now. I hope our future cooperation is pleasant, and that such unpleasant incidents won't occur again."

Song Heping stood up and glanced outside the factory area.

"But before I leave, I want to know one thing, and I'm sure you have the answer."

With that, he smiled at Simon.

"What is it?"

Simon knew all too well that whenever Song Heping showed that mischievous smile, nothing good would come of it.

"Who tipped you off about my visit to Yemen this time?"

Song Heping directly pointed the finger at the Revolutionary Guard's mole.

Simon was, of course, aware of what he wanted.

But that would involve many people.

Over the years, the CIA has recruited many informants in Persia.

There is no shortage of pro-American factions within Persia.

So, in political and economic circles, and even within the government army, there is no shortage of CIA insiders.

However, the Revolutionary Guard controlled by Avanti is not just any armed force. Compared to the government army, the roles of the Revolutionary Guard are broader and more complex.

In addition to similar national defense duties as the government army, the Revolutionary Guard also bears responsibilities like maintaining the clergy group's rule, gathering intelligence, and monitoring domestic hostile forces.

The Revolutionary Guard has established an extensive intelligence network, playing a crucial role in various domestic and international fields.

Furthermore, the Revolutionary Guard actively participates in Persia's foreign policy, supports Islamic forces in the Middle East, and exerts a certain influence in international affairs.

In terms of political status, the Revolutionary Guard reports directly to Persia's supreme leader, possesses greater independence and power, and controls significant domestic industries and departments, such as military manufacturing and oil and gas extraction. The internal welfare is far better than that of the average government army, naturally resulting in higher loyalty, making them extremely hard to recruit.

Therefore, a "mole" within the Revolutionary Guard is more valuable compared to other Persian informants and is a "prized asset" for the CIA.

This time, the secret route for Song Heping's trip to Persia was only known to Avanti and a few top confidants, keeping the circle of informants very small.

Revealing this mole's name could critically damage the CIA's intelligence network within the Revolutionary Guard.

The matter was significant, and he hesitated.

"Your system is almost restored, time is running out."

Song Heping looked at his watch and threw out a statement that struck Simon's weak point.

"I can wait; you can't afford to."

A layer of cold sweat appeared again on Simon's forehead.

He could almost visualize the tech agents in the safe house rebooting the system as they turned the power back on...

"Moradi..."

Simon squeezed the name out from between his teeth, revealing the name: "Deputy Director of Border Intelligence for the Revolutionary Guard."

He suddenly began to cough violently, spitting out saliva streaked with blood.

"His mistress is in Munich. We have footage of him; he was turned by us in Europe four years ago."

"Not bad."

Song Heping nodded in satisfaction and waved at Simon.

"Goodbye, my old friend. I hope you have time lying here to concoct a story so you can explain at the Langley Headquarters hearing why you were the only one who survived."

Simon's expression appeared utterly hopeless.

He was indeed facing a deadly problem.

How to explain everything here.

"Don't worry. If you still trust me, I can fabricate a perfect story for you. Do you want me to help?"

Simon looked at Song Heping in suspicion and doubt.

He knew that, compared to himself, Song Heping was like Satan from Hell.

His help would indeed be useful.

But it required exchanging one's soul as a price.

"You have no time left."

Song Heping said, "I know what you're thinking. Do you think I'm like a devil, always making you pay with your soul?"

Simon's heart was even more shaken.

In front of an opponent like Song Heping, he was like running naked without any secrets.

He even imagined pulling off a double play, taking down both Jasper and him...

Such hubris.

This Easterner's intelligence was simply crushing to him.

"You say..."

Simon surrendered once more.

He felt humiliated.

But at that moment of submission, the weight on his heart suddenly lifted.

This contradictory feeling made him find it ridiculous himself.

He was unwilling to bow to Song Heping, but he absolutely trusted Song Heping's methods.

Song Heping stepped forward and whispered something in his ear.

In just thirty seconds, Simon's expression changed from shock to joy, then to awe, and finally to astonishment.

By the time he was still caught up in those words, Song Heping had already taken the AKM assault rifle from Anton Coward and fired two bursts aimed at him.

Bang bang bang——

Bang——

The first three shots hit the bulletproof vest, and the last one, a single shot, hit the shoulder.

Simon, who had been sitting on the ground, was knocked down again by these shots.

"Oh! God——"

Simon cried out like a slaughtered pig, turning his head to look at his left shoulder.

The bullet hadn't hit the bone, but it had scraped a large patch of skin and flesh.

And the three shots to the chest made his breathing start to feel painful.

However, because of the bulletproof vest, they didn't penetrate.

"Goodbye, and good luck."

With that, Song Heping left the scene with everyone, including the "Wild Wolf" team members.

"You madman..."

Simon muttered weakly.

Silence returned to the surroundings.

Simon took deep breaths of air, trying to alleviate the pain.

Due to excessive blood loss, his vision began to blur.

In his daze, he heard more gunshots coming from outside the refinery.

Then, everything fell into dead silence.

Simon wanted to struggle to stop the bleeding for himself.

But upon struggling, his whole body hurt.

He had to give up bandaging his own wound.

Now he hoped the communications would be restored quickly.

Because lying here, he didn't know how long he could hold on.

Although there were no fatal injuries, a shot to the leg, a shot to the shoulder, the blood loss was still quite significant.

That Chinese madman truly dared to act, shooting as soon as he said he would, with no worry about accidentally killing him.

Now he understood.

Opposing someone like Song Heping required not only high intelligence but complete fearlessness, otherwise, there's no chance of winning.

"Eagle calling Watcher."

A sudden rustling sound came from the headset, followed by a familiar calling voice.

It was an agent in the safe house.

Simon raised his uninjured hand and pressed the call button.

"KIA..."

(Killed in action, referring to personnel killed in combat)

After saying this military term, Simon began to cough violently.

"Cough cough cough——want emergency rescue..."

In the distance, a pickup and two SUVs sped away on the highway.

In the car, Antonov glanced back at the SUV following them, where the "Wild Wolf" team members sat along with the bodies of their dead comrades.

"Boss, can these people really be trusted?"

"There is no absolute loyalty in the mercenary trade." Song Heping said with certainty, looking at the distant SUV: "They, like Simon, have no choice. Killing CIA personnel, taking out the elite squad of the 'Satan' mercenary group, do you think if this gets out, their outcome would be much better than ours? They might even be sacrificed by Simon as a lost cause, following me is their only way out."

After speaking, he took out a satellite phone and skillfully dialed Avanti's number.

"Song, have you met with Naxin?"

Avanti was clearly very concerned about this meeting.

"Not yet, but I've already dealt with matters on my side, now I want to send you a big gift."

"What kind of gift?"

"Have you got any results from your investigation into the mole on your end?"

"Not yet."

Avanti replied truthfully.

Song Heping laughed: "Old friend, don't blame me for not warning you, your system has been infiltrated like a sieve. I used to think your Revolutionary Guard was a solid block of loyalty, but now it seems I've overestimated you."

"If teasing and sarcasm make you feel better, I can accept it." Although Avanti was very upset, he couldn't deny that what Song Heping said was the truth.

Despite being unwilling to admit it, he couldn't refute it.

Song Heping said, "Monitor a person, within three days, if he flees, then it proves he's the mole."

Avanti was slightly shocked: "Who?"

"Moradi, Deputy Director of the Revolutionary Guard's Border Intelligence Department, I guess your investigation list includes him, right?"

"It's him?" The astonishment in Avanti's voice increased: "Impossible, he is my..."

He didn't continue the sentence.

"Whether he's the one, you can verify by monitoring him, right? Do you need evidence? Then think about whether in the past few years, he's been on missions in Europe, especially Germany."

There was no sound from the other end of the phone.

After a while, Avanti spoke slowly: "Fine, I'll do as you say, my old friend. I'll be waiting for you in Persia, looking forward to our meeting. I will certainly accomplish what you asked for."

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com