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"If this were a normal reconnaissance mission, after such careful, twice-over selection and relocation of observation points, theoretically, there would be no more surprises.
Originally, the trio of shepherds in the storyline could never have crossed paths with Murphy's team.
Too bad.
Perhaps it was fate — the 'plot lock' that couldn't be broken — or maybe Long Zhan's butterfly effect wasn't strong enough.
An accident still happened!
At exactly 7:25 AM, while Murphy was preparing to talk with Marcus about his wedding plans until 8:20, then climb to a high point to use the satellite phone to transmit the codename Rick James back to the command center...
Long Zhan, chewing on beef jerky up in the tree, suddenly felt every hair on his body stand on end.
He heard a sound that shouldn't have been there.
"Clang clang clang clang..."
"Baa, baa..."
The jingling of sheep bells and the bleating of lambs were carried up from the foot of the mountain by the wind.
"Fuck, are these shepherds cursed or what? Can't dodge them?"
Long Zhan didn't know how to describe his feelings in that moment — this eerie inevitability that something was about to happen was suffocating and sent chills down his spine.
The shepherds seemed like a curse, somehow tied to Murphy's team.
They wouldn't rest until Murphy's men were wiped out!
Despite the complex, painful emotions in his chest, the foresight he had couldn't escape the 'plot kill.' Long Zhan knew he had to react quickly.
"Calling commander, this is Long Zhan. We have a situation here."
Hearing the call through the headset, Murphy immediately stopped talking with Marcus. His entire demeanor — from his eyes to his aura — changed completely.
Marcus, Dietz, and Matt, also on the team channel, instantly sharpened their focus.
The atmosphere tensed instantly!
"What's going on?" Murphy asked in a low voice.
"Three o'clock direction, we've spotted someone climbing the mountain. Less than 100 meters away. I can clearly hear sheep bells and bleating," Long Zhan replied.
"Can you see them? How many? Are they armed?" Murphy asked again.
"Not yet... wait..."
Long Zhan stopped mid-sentence, because a flock of sheep had appeared in his field of vision. He needed to wait for the sheep to pass before he could see what was behind them.
"Maintain concealment. Be careful not to expose yourselves."
While Murphy reminded Long Zhan, he signaled Marcus to follow him cautiously, gun ready, approaching Long Zhan's position.
When the two reached the tree where Long Zhan was, he had a clear view of the whole situation.
"Two shepherds, about a dozen sheep, at the three o'clock direction, moving uphill. They'll probably reach us soon."
Seeing Marcus and Murphy closing in, Long Zhan pointed in their direction from the tree.
Marcus and Murphy each raised their rifles, using the scopes to extend their vision toward where Long Zhan pointed.
After about a minute,
The flock appeared in their scopes, followed by two shepherds wearing hats and white robes — Afghan shepherds.
One looked about fifty or older; the other seemed around ten years old.
Both wore loose robes, making it impossible to tell if they were armed.
"Fuck!"
Marcus's eyes widened as the shepherds and sheep got closer, realizing trouble was coming.
Murphy's brow furrowed tightly, his scope fixed unwaveringly on the shepherds. He didn't speak; no one knew what was on his mind.
"These shepherds aren't the three from the novel, but two — one old, one young. What the hell is going on? Could it be...?"
Long Zhan triple-checked to make sure he hadn't missed anything and considered a possibility.
The shepherds came from Kataku village. They'd been fully brainwashed by the Shah stationed there, turned into 'civilian warriors' loyal to the Taliban.
Meaning they were civilians by identity but covertly worked for the Shah.
For example, doing patrols and guarding tasks casually.
Since the shepherds had become part of the Shah's defense, they needed to guard the areas around Kataku village. There wouldn't be just one group of shepherds.
Old folks and kids don't have much labor capacity, so multiple groups would each take a few sheep wandering in the surrounding mountains.
This scenario was highly likely.
And this kind of loose, free-form 'patrol' inevitably meant no discipline — even the Shah wouldn't pay it much mind.
After all, what he needed were fighters who could hold guns, not powerless old men and children.
On top of that, Long Zhan noticed a small detail on the older shepherd through his scope.
His earlier anxiety immediately vanished.
Having figured out the pattern and reason behind the shepherds' presence, Long Zhan devised a plan better than the original—almost foolproof.
As long as he could convince Murphy and the others to follow it, the shepherd crisis would never happen.
Compared to Long Zhan's initial panic, now that he had key intel from the shepherds, he had regained his composure.
Under the tree, Murphy and Marcus were sweating nervously.
Not because they were cowardly, but because civilians were a nightmare to deal with.
If these were two armed militants, they wouldn't even blink — dozens of ways existed to solve that problem.
But these were two civilians—the hardest targets to handle on reconnaissance missions.
How to handle one old man and one child...
Murphy and Marcus were conflicted inside!
"What do we do? They're getting closer; we have to prepare quickly," Marcus asked Murphy.
"What else can we do?"
Before Murphy could answer, Long Zhan slid down the tree and decisively said, "We have to control them first. Everything else can wait."
"Okay. We can't reveal our position yet. Let's do it your way. Marcus, you go with Long Zhan."
"No need!"
Long Zhan slung his tactical backpack on his back, carrying the machine gun over his shoulder, and said, "You two flank left and right to herd the sheep to the hilltop area.
Avoid scaring the sheep when I attack — if they scatter and come back alone without the shepherds, it'll cause chaos.
Those two shepherds, old and young, are most likely unarmed civilians. No need for a big operation. I can handle them alone easily."
"You're sure about handling it alone?" Murphy asked.
"Are you worried I might accidentally kill them both?"
Long Zhan's counter question caught Murphy off guard for a full three seconds before he reluctantly said, "Fine, I guess I'm overthinking it."
Then he told Marcus, "I'll take the left side. You handle the right."
"Roger that!"
Marcus was no longer in a joking mood. With a serious expression, he nodded and crouched low, rifle ready, moving right to flank around.
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