Behind the Four-Country, Five-Region Joint Operations command center building, the parking lot, which should have been packed to capacity, had now been more than half cleared.
Two AH-1 helicopters and five AS332 helicopters had replaced the various vehicles previously parked there.
The AH-1, designated the Cobra, was a military attack helicopter.
The AS332, designated the Super Puma, was a multipurpose transport helicopter.
These seven helicopters had been provided by the Thai military specifically to supply tactical support for Operation Thunderous Sweep.
Clearly, these were reinforcements that Police General Phongsaphat of the Thai side had personally arranged for the Four-Country, Five-Region Joint Operations group.
Phongsaphat belonged to a different faction from the Thai border troops, and he even intended to use this operation to deal a heavy blow to his political enemies, including Bita Military Camp.
But that did not mean Phongsaphat had no other allies within the Thai military.
For a police general like him, mobilizing two attack helicopters was as simple as putting in a word.
After all, he was not using public resources for private ends, but ensuring the success of the Four-Country, Five-Region Joint Operations.
This was an international cooperative operation jointly launched by China, Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand, carrying highly significant political implications.
Under these circumstances, ensuring the smooth success of the Four-Country, Five-Region Joint Operations was the highest priority for the police systems of all the countries involved.
Even without Police General Phongsaphat's extensive connections, the prevailing circumstances alone would have allowed him to accomplish this.
At that moment, a fully armed Special Operations Team stood in orderly ranks before the seven helicopters, radiating a deadly air.
The Special Tactical Group of the Hong Kong Island Police Force National Security Department, a Special Duties Unit squad from the Operations Department's Mobile Unit, and the Special