There are troops stationed in Mosul, and not many armed groups are active in the vicinity.
Eric and his team eliminated the strongholds listed in the Hunter files in less than a week.
Since Melvin got injured, everyone on the team has been extra careful.
There were many weapons and ammunition seized, and quite a few hostages were rescued.
They couldn't offer much help, and could only try to arrange for people to go to Mosul.
In Off-road Vehicle heading south, Eric hung up the phone with a conflicted expression.
"Guys, there's a big deal."
Melvin, in the co-pilot's seat, moved his now-healed arm. "Captain, is it the background or the region that's difficult to deal with?"
"Yes, we have both."
Hunt, who was driving, quickly gripped the steering wheel. "More troublesome than terrorists?"
"They were responsible for the Yemen hotel bombing last December and the World Trade Center bombing this February."
"Hiss—" Melvin pressed his shoulder, as if his wound was throbbing.
The only person in the world who dared to target America was Osama, who had served as the head of the CIA's office in Stan and came from a wealthy family in the construction industry.
Eric leaned back in the back seat, looking at the roof of the car. "Those idiots in MI6 want to cause trouble, which is perfect timing since we have a large batch of 'black goods' to deal with."
"The pay must be very high, right?"
"Their offer is three times the usual price, and those idiots are responsible for covering our tracks."
Hunt said disdainfully, "Captain, their skill level is just so-so. This is not an easy task."
A movie is, after all, just a movie.
The real-life MI6 is a complete mess.
Their intelligence work relied entirely on fabrication, and they were always successfully infiltrated by spies from other countries.
If it weren't for the Old Russians splitting up their organization two years ago, it would have become the KGB's backyard long ago.
"That's why I'm torn." Eric shook his head, then sat up straight again.
"The buyer offering three times the price suggests a major operation is imminent."
Even if they don't trade with us, they'll look for other sellers.
This deal was essentially zero-cost, and all they made was greenbacks in US dollars.
Let's discuss it with everyone.
High profits mean high risks.
The arms dealer business is tough, especially for those who dare to operate in war-torn regions.
With the unanimous agreement of the other 19 people, the big deal was finally taken on.
Eric gave MI6 another condition: they could not interfere in their transactions.
Even during the evacuation afterwards, no help was needed.
Sunday morning,
Northeast Africa, along the Red Sea coast, at the eastern edge of the Sahara Desert.
Five Off-road Vehicle escorted a large truck loaded with "cargo" into the Republic of the Sudan.
No travel documents are required; border checkpoints will allow passage directly.
The delivery location is not far, just on the Sudanese grasslands along the Congo River.
Osama arrived very punctually, almost simultaneously.
He wore an Arab turban, had a thick beard, and wore a bulletproof vest over his white robe.
As soon as Eric got out of the car, all of his dozen or so men raised their guns.
"Calm down, they're not United States old folks." Osama seemed to be using English on purpose.
That's the end of the show of force, because the other side is not simple.
He had received training from the CIA, so of course he could see through things at a glance.
"The goods are all inside." Eric drew his pistol and pointed it at the truck in the middle.
"Time is running out, you'd better hurry."
Osama gestured for his two men to go and inspect the goods.
They have everything from small games like AkkaD47 to large RPGs.
Even in their first transaction, neither party was worried about being cheated.
On one side is a well-off second-generation rich kid who has a proper college education, and on the other side is a former special forces member with some official background.
"It's a pleasure doing business with you." Osama gestured to his men to bring out three large silver suitcases.
Eric nodded to the players behind him.
"It was a pleasure working with you, and we should be leaving now."
"I hope we can continue to cooperate."
"Yes, I will." He shook hands with Osama and got into the Off-road Vehicle.
The total is $20 million, $1 million more than initially expected.
These days, there aren't many sincere buyers, and I don't even know if there's an opportunity to cooperate yet.
They left the truck and its cargo behind and headed back to the Sahara Desert.
After completing this big deal, it's time to take a break.
"Captain, there's a situation," the lead Off-road Vehicle reported over the walkie-talkie.
"Andrew, what happened?"
There is a person 300 feet directly in front of us.
Eric leaned out of the car window and set up his binoculars to look over.
A patch of black against the blue sky and yellow sand.
In the middle of summer, isn't it hot?
His intuition told him that this man was no ordinary person. "Stop the car and prepare for battle."
The person blocking the way remained motionless even though they were less than 50 feet away.
It looks like he has heatstroke, but he is standing very straight.
Hunt opened the car door with a smile. "Could it be that the buyer just double-crossed us and deliberately planted a suicide bomb here?"
"Idiot!" Melvin released the safety of his pistol. "At least he has a degree. If he's going to do anything, he should plant some landmines or something."
Eric's expression turned serious. "Don't be careless. I have a feeling there's something strange about this person."
It was obvious they were coming for them, and there was only one person there.
Even with 20 guns pointed at them, the other side remained completely still.
Andrew and his three companions at the front cautiously stepped forward.
He was a little puzzled, because the closer he got to the other person, the lower the temperature seemed to be.
"Captain, it's a pity—" The walkie-talkie was knocked into the air.
Eric could see it clearly; it was a beam of red light.
Wizard?
They came for them?
"Fire!"
Andrew, who had fallen to the ground, could not believe what he was seeing.
That strange man dressed in all black actually blocked all the bullets.
"Hehehe—" A chilling laugh drowned out the dense gunfire.
"Get down!"
Eric's warning came at the right time; all the bullets blocked by the Shield Charm were thrown back.
The other three at the front fell down.
Shot, his fate unknown.
Obvious hostility.
"Spread out and aim for the wand in his hand!"
The wizard on the other side moved.
The tip of his staff pointed to the desert beneath his feet, forming a solid wall.
Everyone will show fear when faced with an unknown enemy.
"Whodareswins!" Melvin hid behind the Off-road Vehicle and pulled the trigger of his rifle.
The bullets Diffindo the seemingly solid wall, but the wizard's figure vanished without a trace.
As Eric turned around, he drew the tactical dagger hanging from his chest.
The sound of the Apparition was too obvious.
"Sizzle—" Half of a pale face was revealed through the parted black cloak.
Seemingly not expecting it, the wizard had just aimed at the wand, but he had it in his hand.
"They're after me?"
The answer is a spell.
"The Relashio— "
"Card--"
Eric broke his wand before the spell took effect.
Starting from the tip of the staff, a fiery impact spread outwards.