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"No problem!" Shawn Young cut off the paratrooper pack from his back and steadied himself, having just recovered from the dizzying rush of his rapid descent from high altitude.
But Shawn knew time was tight. He quickly focused his mind and channeled his Celestial Essence, activating the Clairvoyant Light Technique again. As he spread his hands—"Whoosh!"—an image gradually appeared in midair. It showed "Black Eye," now dressed in an Arab robe and wrapping his head with a Muslim scarf, walking alone through a mountain valley. Towering, rugged peaks surrounded him, but in the distance, scattered villages could be seen at the base of the mountains.
"Whoa! Is this... a holographic projector?" Major Akram stared in disbelief at the scene. Not knowing about supernatural powers, he gave Shawn Young a look full of wonder, searching for any 'high-tech gear' on him. Colonel Hank Han smiled, pulled Akram aside mysteriously, and said, "Akram, our team’s brother here is a technical special ops soldier. We're counting on him to track the target this time!"
"Oh! A technical special ops soldier! He really does look impressive! Not bad, not bad!" Akram said, full of envy.
Soon, Shawn ended the spell and said, "This 'Black Eye' is still quite far from us, in a valley several kilometers to the northeast. He seems to be in a hurry to get somewhere."
Colonel Hank Han had already recorded the scene with a small camera and used his Sherry Shawn-issued Iridium satellite communicator to contact Sherry Shawn back in China via a special channel. Soon, Sherry Shawn replied, "Black Eye’s current location is in Badakhshan Province on Afghanistan’s northeast border—the heart of the Golden Crescent, one of the world’s three major drug-producing regions! Except for the provincial capital and main traffic routes, most of the area is tribal territory or controlled by Islamic militant groups. It’s extremely dangerous. Right now, about five Afghan Special Forces officers and a dozen U.S. DEA agents are in a village called Gul, carrying out an anti-narcotics mission. I suspect Black Eye wants to link up with them and hitch a ride back to the U.S. base. That’s bad news. You must catch him before he makes contact!"
"Got it! We’ll move out immediately!" Colonel Hank Han said, and, following Sherry Shawn’s coordinates, prepared to rally the team and head that way.
"Whoa—hold on, my friend. We don’t need to do that. Black Eye will link up with the DEA team before we can intercept him. If we rush over now, we’ll never make it in time. Even if he does meet them, we have other ways to stop them from leaving!" Major Akram suddenly interjected.
"Oh, Akram, do you have any good ideas?" Colonel Hank Han asked quickly.
"The main reason is Afghanistan is just too poor. The people need to support their families, and apart from growing poppies for raw opium, no other crop on this barren land makes money as fast. More importantly, the farmers who grow opium are dirt poor. If their poppy fields are destroyed, they'll become fiercely hostile, which isn’t good for Afghanistan’s stability. And the Americans haven’t found any effective way to help these farmers replace their lost opium income with something stable."
In Afghanistan and the surrounding Central Asian regions, drug cartels, extremist religious groups, and terrorist organizations have become the biggest threats. Drugs are their main source of income. To keep the money flowing and get weapons, the tribal people, jihadists, drug lords, and arms dealers have formed a tight, mutually beneficial trafficking network.
Across Afghanistan and Central Asia, the drug trade is already the cash cow for extremists, separatists, and terrorists. In the 'Golden Crescent' stretching from Afghanistan to Central Asia, many jihadist and tribal factions rake in huge profits from trafficking drugs. They need tons of weapons and ammo, which draws international arms dealers active in Afghanistan and Central Asia. These groups mostly trade by barter, and heroin is the hard currency. So, if we spread the word and have that Russian arms broker Dudarev stir up the surrounding tribal elders and jihadist groups, those Afghan Special Forces and U.S. DEA agents—including Black Eye—will find it impossible to leave safely!" Major Akram said with a cold laugh.
"Uh—are you saying we should work with the drug lords and arms dealers!?" Colonel Hank Han exclaimed, feeling a mix of shock and disbelief. Back in the Southern Military District, the enemies he fought most often with Dragonforce Battalion were drug traffickers—he’d killed dozens himself! And now Major Akram was suggesting teaming up with those 'enemies!'
Major Akram quickly waved his hands and explained, "Whoa—my friend, don’t get me wrong. I mean mutual use, you know? Just use them! You have to understand, things are way too complicated here. Almost everyone’s a battle-hardened fighter. Outside the tribes, Afghans know almost nothing else. If we try to go head-to-head here, it’s definitely not smart—and we won’t finish the mission!"
"Yeah, I agree with Major Akram—things are way too complicated here, and our top priority is catching Black Eye. Any factor that helps us complete the mission, we have to consider!" Fiona Tang chimed in.
"Uh—alright then! Sigh—Akram, let’s do it your way!" Colonel Hank Han wasn’t stubborn; he knew how to weigh the pros and cons. Right now, Major Akram’s plan really was the best option.
"Alright, let’s go find that Russian arms broker Dudarev! He’s got a lot of influence around here. With his help, things will be much easier!" Major Akram said.
"Oh! How do you know that Russian arms dealer is here, and that he’ll definitely help us? What if—" Colonel Hank Han asked curiously.
"Haha—we’ve already contacted him, so we know Dudarev is in the tribal zone. He’s got ties with your Red Cyber Consortium back home and our Pakistani intelligence agency. Plus, he hates Americans, and most importantly—he and his bosses have big interests here! Most of the arms needed by the tribal zone and jihadist groups come from Dudarev, and the international drug cartels buy their weapons from him too. So, to keep business steady, I doubt Dudarev will turn us down!" Major Akram said with a grin.
"Oh, I see. Alright, let’s go—I really want to see if Dudarev’s got three heads and six arms!" Colonel Hank Han nodded.
With that, everyone followed Major Akram, trekking along the winding mountain path toward the distant, faintly visible village.