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As the old saying goes: *To do a good job, one must first sharpen one's tools.*
Every special operations mission depends partly on individual capability, but equipment and protective gear are equally critical—especially since the upcoming mission concerns life and death.
If there's no difficulty, just get it done.
If there is difficulty, then find a way to get it done nonetheless.
To prepare thoroughly in advance and avoid a real tragedy, Long Zhan decided to stroll around the camp first and get a clear understanding of the situation here.
The camp's area wasn't very large—only about two to three thousand square meters in total.
Long Zhan spent just a few minutes making a round.
He didn't gather much information, but some of it was indeed very useful.
Each camp area was separated by barbed wire fences; there was no way to casually visit others. One could only look at neighboring units' camp scenes through the wire.
Within the camp Long Zhan was stationed, apart from Murphy's team from DEVGRU (United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group, popularly known as SEAL Team Six), the operational command personnel and related logistics staff were also present.
There was also a Quick Reaction Force (QRF) squadron composed of United States Marine Corps (USMC) and Green Berets (United States Army Special Forces).
By talking with QRF members, Long Zhan learned the background of this hastily organized emergency operation.
The reason was that the Afghan parliamentary elections were about to be held. To ensure the elections proceeded smoothly, the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) followed the Department of Defense's instructions and issued a series of regional sweep orders.
The Marines responsible for the Asadabad area made a major discovery during their sweep.
The former Taliban leader Ahmad Shah was hiding in the nearby mountainous area, secretly rebuilding his influence and had already formed a guerrilla force named the "Mountain Tigers" numbering over 200 men.
To ensure the parliamentary elections could proceed normally, this Taliban force had to be eliminated.
Therefore, a temporary Quick Reaction Force was rapidly deployed, composed of Marines and Rangers, and an operational command center was swiftly established here.
To ensure a one-shot kill on Shah's exact hiding place during the operation,
a reconnaissance squad was needed to infiltrate behind enemy lines, locate and confirm Shah's precise position, then provide real-time tracking and guidance to the Quick Reaction Force for a precision strike.
The Marines and Rangers were decent at "conventional" battalion-level combat, but small-scale missions were somewhat lacking.
After all, these units were not specialized counterterrorism special forces!
Facing a deep behind-enemy-lines special reconnaissance mission, these two forces were simply insufficient.
Thus, personnel were temporarily drawn from DEVGRU (SEAL Team Six) to form a special reconnaissance squad, which rushed overnight from the US mainland to Afghanistan.
Having figured out the whole situation, Long Zhan finally felt reassured.
This mission was led by USSOCOM and was related to Afghanistan's parliamentary election, so there would definitely be no stinginess with supplies.
Once communication with Murphy was firm, there should be no major equipment issues.
With the equipment worries settled, Long Zhan felt a slight relaxation in the otherwise tense atmosphere of Operation Hongli.
Coincidentally, it was already lunchtime. After the stroll, Long Zhan's stomach was growling, so he was preparing to head back and invite Murphy and the others to eat at the mess hall.
Suddenly!
"Hey, is that you? Old buddy!" A voice called out from behind.
The voice was unfamiliar to Long Zhan, yet somehow strangely familiar. Looking around, he saw no one nearby, so he turned around puzzled.
About 1.8 meters tall, muscular build, with an unusually thick beard covering the lower half of his face.
"Scott!"
Long Zhan instantly recognized the man standing a few meters away on the other side of the barbed wire.
Even though he had a Zhang Fei–style beard obscuring the lower half of his face,
the recognition was quick—not only because Scott was the protagonist of *Counterattack* Season 2, a show Long Zhan had watched thoroughly and had deep impressions of.
Mainly, it was because Scott and Long Zhan were "brothers." The two had served together in the US Marine Corps.
Later, to pursue greater ideals and become part of the coveted special forces, both made their own choices.
The USMC is an amphibious warfare force; their two top-tier special forces options are:
One is the Navy's DEVGRU (United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group, commonly known as SEAL Team Six).
The other is the Army's Combat Applications Group (CAG), popularly known as Delta Force.
Long Zhan's dream was DEVGRU (SEAL Team Six), so he chose to attempt SEAL selection, whereas Scott leaned toward the Army.
Later, an accident during training changed Long Zhan; he was no longer the same person.
Long Zhan now inhabited this hybrid body and memory, which was why Scott's shout sounded both unfamiliar and familiar to him.
"What a coincidence, buddy."
Long Zhan's memory included Scott, and Scott's carefree and uninhibited personality in *Counterattack* suited Long Zhan perfectly.
Seeing him in reality made Long Zhan genuinely happy.
"Indeed a coincidence. It's been two years—we never expected to meet here."
Scott looked genuinely glad, stretching his hand through the gap in the barbed wire, making a fist with his thumb up.
Long Zhan immediately understood.
He made the same gesture, first touching thumbs, then fist-bumping, followed by a palm-to-palm strike, then clasping hands and shaking them up and down three times.
Finally, they both jumped and bumped their chests across the barbed wire.
This was the exclusive greeting between Long Zhan and Scott.
A *secret handshake* variant, very popular in American culture; most close friends have their own unique fancy handshake.
The "code" completed smoothly, Scott curiously asked, "I've been here almost two months and only just saw you today. Just arrived?"
"Yeah."
Long Zhan nodded, then asked curiously, "Are you still with the US Marine Corps, or have you joined the Green Berets?"
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