Chapter 1901 - 1409: Hot Potato

Three days later.

The morning mist flowed slowly over the Tigris River like a thick gray satin, enveloping the war ruins on the west bank of Mosul in a hazy and strange tranquility.

Song Heping stood on the third-floor platform of the abandoned textile factory, holding not a weapon but a twenty-seven-page asset list.

This seemingly light piece of paper weighed much heavier than any firearm.

"Milosh's two battalions have completed their final assembly and can depart at any time."

Jiang Feng walked up to the platform, handing over another document.

"As for transportation, the Tenth Division provided some trucks, and I also hired some local transport companies. It was quite a task to gather these vehicles. It looks like we need at least three hundred heavy trucks, transported in fifteen batches, fully escorted by our armed personnel. The private companies' transportation quote is four US dollars per kilometer per vehicle, and they do not cover any combat losses. If anything happens, we must compensate."

"Very reasonable."

Song Heping took the document without looking at it immediately.

Money is a minor issue.

For 2.5 billion dollars worth of arms, transportation costs are just a drop in the ocean.

"Three hundred vehicles..."

He repeated the number, thought for a moment, and asked, "How much can we transport at once?"

"Based on the standard forty-foot container, the theoretical maximum capacity is about six thousand tons per trip."

Jiang Feng paused and then continued: "But the issue is not with the transport capacity, it's with—"

He frowned.

"We simply don't have enough space for storage. Samir sent another message this morning; he found seven potential storage sites around Mosul, but the largest abandoned factory can only hold less than a tenth of the cargo. Moreover, these locations either lack basic security or are right under the militia's noses, making their safety quite questionable."

"Indeed... 2.5 billion dollars' worth of arms... heh... a big fat target... everyone's watching."

Song Heping finally withdrew his gaze from the distance and turned to the list in his hands.

This file, printed in both English and Arabic, detailed the arms that were about to be received from six different military bases, with figures so vast they almost lost all sense of reality, turning into lines of abstract and cold symbols:

- M4/M4A1 Carbine: 32,847 units

- M249 Squad Automatic Weapon: 4,750 units

- M240 General-purpose Machine Gun: 2,620 units

- M110 Semi-automatic Sniper Rifle: 1,320 units

- M2 Browning Heavy Machine Gun: 310 units

- Javelin Anti-tank Missile Systems: 148 sets (including 592 missiles)

- Stinger Air Defense Missile Systems: 52 sets (including 208 missiles)

- M1126 Stryker Armored Vehicles: 84 units

- M-ATV Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles: 127 units

- M1A2 Abrams Tank Parts (unassembled): 42 sets

- Various Ammunition: approximately 120 million rounds (small arms), 150,000 rounds (artillery), 35,000 grenades

- AN/PVS Series Night Vision Devices: 4,200 sets

- Individual Communication Equipment: 6,800 sets

- Interceptor Bulletproof Vests and Additional Armor Plates: sufficient to equip 45,000 people

Total Valuation: 2.57 billion US dollars (calculated at US Army procurement prices)

Agreement Price: 48.2 million US dollars (priced as abandoned material disposal).

The last few pages of the list are filled with dense terms and disclaimers, reflecting the caution of the US Army's legal department.

These words packaged a weapon transfer capable of altering the regional balance of power into a simple "surplus asset disposal procedure."

"Two and a half billion." Song Heping murmured the number: "A number I casually mentioned at the negotiating table, and now it's come true. Jiang Feng, turning capability into reality is faster than anything else."

Jiang Feng leaned against the cracked concrete railing at the edge of the platform, pulled out a crumpled pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lit one, and took a deep puff:

"Yeah, at the time, all I thought about was money, but once we got it, I realized..."

He exhaled smoke, which quickly dissipated in the morning mist.

"This might be the hottest potato we've ever held. No, not a potato, a red-hot iron block. This 2.5 billion dollar worth of arms, it looks profitable on the surface, but actually selling them is not going to be an easy task. You see, even just transportation and storage is already giving us headaches."

The morning light finally pierced the fog, turning the Tigris River into a flowing gold.

Across the river, the ruins of Mosul's old city emerged in full detail under the gradually strengthening light.

The minarets destroyed by precision-guided weapons, the homes ground to powder by street battles, the streets pockmarked with bullet holes.

"Six bases." Song Heping folded the list and put it into the inner pocket of his tactical vest: "Located outside Baghdad, near Fallujah, Taji Base, Balad Air Force Base, Basra Port area, and the smallest one in the South Suburb of Mosul, less than forty kilometers from here."

He turned around, facing Jiang Feng: "The US Army's withdrawal is not completed in one go, and their equipment is stored in various places. According to the agreement, we must start receiving the first batch within seventy-two hours and complete the inventory and transport from all six locations within fifteen days. Any materials not received within the deadline can be destroyed on-site by the US side."

"Seventy-two hours." Jiang Feng stubbed out the cigarette butt: "When does that time start?"

"From ten o'clock this morning, when the first set of handover documents are signed in Baghdad." Song Heping glanced at his watch: "It's now five forty-seven in the morning; we have four hours and thirteen minutes left."

Engine roars came from downstairs.

Milosh stood beside a modified Hummer, looking up at the platform as if waiting for Song Heping's orders, his fingers still bandaged, traces of interrogation injuries yet to heal.