Several guerrillas dispersed to search, and one of them found some flattened grass. The direction of the crushed stalks was uniform, as if something heavy had been dragged across the ground.


    "Home plate, four enemies approaching," Keith quickly informed Du Preez and Rodin via radio.


    The two hiding under the cabin slowly retreated further into the shadows, letting the darkness cover them completely. They then raised their guns, aiming at the approaching legs.


    The guerrillas followed the tracks on the ground to the side of the cabin. One of them lay down to peer into the darkness beneath the cabin, but it was pitch-black, and he couldn’t see anything. He turned and signaled to his companions to fetch a flashlight.


    However, Rodin, who didn’t understand the language, mistakenly thought they had been discovered. In his panic, he pulled the trigger.


    "Pfft pfft pfft—" A faint sound came from the shadows.


    The guerrilla lying beside the cabin didn''t have time to react before a burst of .223 subsonic rounds hit his forehead.


    Seeing Rodin open fire, Du Preez also shot at the legs gathered around the cabin. Bullets shattered their shinbones, causing them to fall to the ground, screaming in agony, before being finished off by shots from under the cabin. But whether from pain or hitting something, one of them fired his AKM as he fell.


    "Bang—" The gunshot echoed through the ravine.


    Unlike the suppressed M4 with subsonic rounds, the AK''s gunfire was loud and distinct. The camp immediately erupted into chaos.


    "Open fire!" Keith''s order was almost a shout from his throat.


    Before the words had finished, Mark opened up first. His Minimi light machine gun roared, with puffs of white smoke appearing in the middle of the clearing. Two guerrillas who were too close were struck down on the spot. He released the trigger and aimed another burst at some of those still trying to react...


    The guerrillas'' reaction was quicker than expected. Most of them scattered for cover near the cabins at the first sound of gunfire, so after Mark''s three bursts, only five unlucky ones lay dead in the clearing.


    Deng Shiyang didn’t hesitate. As soon as he received Keith’s order, he aimed at the "third base" fortification and pulled the trigger, hitting a head that was peeking out from behind the sandbags. The match-grade hollow-point bullet easily penetrated the skull, its deformed lead core shredding the brain matter into pulp before exiting through the back of the head, carrying blood and brain tissue with it. The guerrilla twitched violently, as if struck by lightning, and then collapsed backward, throwing the RPD machine gun off the sandbags.


    After confirming the hit through his scope, Deng Shiyang began searching for the next target. At that moment, Keith''s voice came through the earpiece: "Target, Delta sector, ''first base.''"


    He quickly shifted his aim toward the "first base" direction, spotting an RPK light machine gun on top of the sandbags, spitting fire toward the hillside.


    He noticed that the gunner was quite clever, staying low behind the semicircular sandbag wall while firing, using the cover effectively.


    He reported to Keith, "This is Pitcher, target visibility is poor, unable to engage."


    "Damn it!" Keith muttered quietly, then ordered, "Pitcher, suppress the target." He then tapped Jansen on the shoulder, saying, "Target ''first base,'' use grenades."


    Deng Shiyang tightened the sling with his left hand and started firing rapidly toward "second base." Although he didn''t hit anyone, the bullets whistling past and striking the sandbags created significant psychological pressure, causing the machine gunner to keep his head down and fire blindly toward the hillside.


    Jansen loaded a "Hellhound" multi-purpose grenade into the M203 grenade launcher mounted under his M4. He unfolded the launcher’s sight, propped the buttstock vertically on the ground, adjusted the angle based on the previously set distance, and pulled the trigger.


    "Thump"—with a sound like a champagne cork popping, a 40mm low-velocity grenade arced through the air. It descended with gravity toward the camp, landing precisely behind the sandbag fortification known as "first base."


    A gray burst erupted behind the sandbags, with the grenade''s explosive force instantly transforming its pre-fragmented casing into numerous sharp fragments that radiated outward in a circular pattern.


    Although the grenade didn''t inflict fatal injuries on the machine gunner, the shrapnel embedded in his back and arm rendered him unable to continue fighting. He dropped the light machine gun and clutched his wounded right arm, limping toward a nearby cabin.


    Seizing the opportunity as he left cover, Deng Shiyang shot him down.


    The battle had lasted less than three minutes, and Mark had already emptied a 200-round drum. Not expecting the situation to escalate this quickly, he hadn''t brought a spare barrel to the forward position. After switching to a fresh drum, he had to slow his rate of fire due to the overheating barrel.


    The guerrillas quickly realized that the attackers'' firepower was limited and concentrated in just a few locations. They assessed that the assault was being carried out by a small infiltration team, and as the suppressing fire diminished, they began organizing a counterattack. Using RPGs to blanket the hillside, some guerrillas dashed to the machine gun position near the camp entrance. Braving the bullets, they moved the NSV heavy machine gun from its emplacement, preparing to fire on the hillside.


    Just as Keith was about to abort the mission and order a retreat, a South American-accented voice came over Jansen''s tactical radio: "Hitman calling Eagle One, Hitman calling Eagle One, over."


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    "Hitman" was the callsign for the air support provided by the Bolivian military, consisting of two UH-1H "Iroquois" helicopters. One was designated "Hitman 21," armed with M23 weapon systems at the cabin doors, while the other, "Hitman 22," carried M260 rocket pods and M16 weapon systems on its external hardpoints.


    Before the operation began, the pilots of both helicopters were already aware of the distribution of the guerrilla camp. They knew that the mission was to drive out/suppress the guerrilla forces and cover the ground team in rescuing a person, codenamed "Package," who was being held in the guerrilla camp.


    These gunships were stationed at Santa Cruz''s El Trompillo Airport. Due to the Bolivian military''s low training level and lack of combat experience, coupled with the thick morning fog in the mountains that had not fully cleared by noon, the pilots hesitated to fly low into the combat zone. The noise of their engines had alerted the guerrillas, causing the battle to start prematurely.


    Learning that their own air support was responsible for this, Keith was both frustrated and amused. Realizing this was his chance to turn the tide, he instructed Jansen to coordinate the helicopters to suppress the camp''s firepower and give Du Preez and Rodin a chance to rescue the hostage.


    Jansen called over the radio, "Eagle One to Hitman, over."


    "Hitman to Eagle One, identify yourself, Hotel, Kilo, over."


    Jansen glanced at the code chart and found the number at the intersection of row H and column K, then replied, "This is Eagle One, code 97, over."


    "Hitman received, mark target location with smoke, over."


    "This is Eagle One, mark with red smoke." Jansen then fired an M713 smoke grenade toward the camp, and a pink cloud rose from the clearing. He radioed, "Hitman, engage west of the smoke marker, over."


    "This is Hitman, confirming red smoke, engaging westward."


    "Hitman 21" descended to 300 feet, circling counterclockwise at low speed over the camp, with the door gunners firing M60D machine guns. Meanwhile, "Hitman 22" flew at 200 feet, repeatedly passing over the camp at very low altitude, strafing with the quad-mounted M60C machine guns on both sides.


    Although the machine gun fire didn''t cause much damage, it had a tremendous psychological impact on the guerrillas. It didn’t take long for the helicopters to drive everyone outside back into the barracks, giving Du Preez and Rodin, who had been pinned down behind "home plate," a breather.


    Seeing the opportunity, Keith decided to initiate the rescue.


    "Hitman 22, destroy the western cabins with rockets, over."


    "22 received, western cabins confirmed."


    "Hitman 22" climbed to nearly 800 feet, then dived down, unleashing fourteen 2.75-inch high-explosive rockets from its rocket pods.


    The "Hydra" rockets, trailing smoke, pierced the cabins and exploded, sending debris skyward in a series of blasts. Gray clouds billowed over the camp, with wooden splinters, debris, and human remains scattered in the aftermath. The western barracks were reduced to charred, leaning wooden posts, mixed with mangled corpses, emitting a nauseating burnt stench.


    The airstrike shattered the guerrillas'' will to fight. Following the terrifying rocket barrage, most of the fighters and the barracks had been blown to pieces, leaving the survivors to flee in panic toward the ravine''s exit.


    "Hitman 21, Hitman 22, ground forces preparing to move out for rescue. Temporarily leave the camp and drive away the enemy to the west. Over."


    Due to the mercenary squad''s lack of effective friend-or-foe identification with aerial support, Keith decided to have Jensen temporarily divert the aerial support away from above the camp, to avoid friendly fire during the rescue.


    "Hitman 21/22 received, driving away enemy skirmishers."


    Keith saw the helicopters fly west, then called on his radio, "First batter, second batter, ''home base'' has been cleared. Action!"


    Dupree and Rodin emerged from under the cabin and moved to the front of the cabin door. Dupree pushed on the door and found it was locked. He made a breach signal to Rodin, then took a flashbang from his combat vest, moved to the side of the door, and pulled the safety pin.


    Rodin followed closely, pulling out a Remington M870 loaded with a breaching round, blasting the door hinges. He kicked the door open and stepped aside while Du Preez tossed the flashbang inside.


    Rodin set aside the shotgun and raised his M4 carbine. As the flashbang detonated, they stormed in from both sides.


    After quickly taking positions in the corners near the entrance, Du Preez and Rodin pointed their guns toward the inside of the cabin. A tall man in a light gray T-shirt sat on the floor, covering his eyes. In his right hand, he was wielding a CZ75 pistol erratically. Both Du Preez and Rodin opened fire with their M4s, hitting the man.


    "Clear."


    "Room search."


    Du Preez and Rodin reported the situation to each other, then started searching the cabin. They reached a small door next to the foyer, where Rodin removed the latch and pushed the door open. Du Preez entered with his gun raised.


    Behind the door was a dark, cramped room. As they stepped in, a stench of feces and decay hit their noses, making them feel nauseous. Through the dim light entering from a small high window on the wall, they could see a disheveled man sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall, staring blankly at the doorway.


    Rodin took out a small flashlight and shined it on the man''s face, saying loudly, "Lift your head and tell me your name."


    The man was frail and seemed to summon all his strength just to raise his head, revealing a gaunt face. He struggled to utter a few indistinct syllables: "...Pe...Pe...Pe...Peter..."


    Rodin held his nose and approached the man, asking, "What did you say? What did you just say?" He then leaned closer, despite the man''s strong odor of sweat and rot, putting his ear near the man''s mouth.


    The man took a deep breath and weakly said, "Pe...Peter...I...I am...Peter...Bowman..."


    Rodin shined the flashlight on his face for a closer look, confirming that the person before them was indeed their rescue target. He briefly explained the situation to Bowman, reassuring him with a few comforting words, then reported over the radio: "This is Second Base. We have the package. I repeat, we have the package." He repeated the message, unable to hide the excitement in his voice.


    "Fourth Base received. Begin extraction."


    Du Preez reached the cabin door and asked over the radio, "This is First Base, proceeding to the extraction point. Report status."


    "First Base, route is clear. You may proceed." Keith, who was holding a pair of binoculars, responded, then turned to Jansen and said, "Call in Big Bird to the extraction point."


    "Second Base received."


    Rodin helped the weeping Peter Bowman to his feet and supported him out of the cabin.


    The retreat went smoothly. The guerrillas were preoccupied with escaping, leaving them no time to hinder the team. Throughout Du Preez and Rodin''s withdrawal, Mark and Deng Shiyang didn’t fire a single shot, and the claymore mines set up on the perimeter of the camp remained unused.


    More than ten minutes later, the team of six, along with Peter Bowman, reached the mountaintop designated as the extraction point. Jansen threw a green smoke grenade onto the clearing to mark the location for the incoming helicopter.


    Soon, a black Bell 205 descended onto the mountaintop, and the group boarded, leaving the mountainous region.


    Annotations:


    - M23 Armament Subsystem: A weapon system fitted to UH-1 helicopters, consisting of an M60D "door gun" mounted on a cabin door support with a 500-round ammunition box.


    - M16 Armament Subsystem: A weapon system for UH-1 helicopters, comprising twin M60C machine guns mounted on electrically driven supports at the ends of the aircraft''s external hardpoints.


    - 40mm Smoke Grenades: The U.S. military''s smoke (grenade) series includes the M713 (red), M715 (green), and M716 (yellow).


    - Gun Run: When engaging targets, gunships choose different attack angles, including shallow (5–10 degrees), medium (10–20 degrees), and steep (20–30 degrees) dive angles. Shallow angles are used for suppressing large areas, while steep angles are suitable for hitting precise targets.