Chapter 57

Muhammad smiled bitterly in his heart, without stopping, and ran to the donkeys. The Americans did not follow; it was entirely the Afghans who transported the goods via the donkeys.

Muhammad opened the box and looked inside, unable to contain his joy. This was truly a timely rain!

The location had already been exposed, so Muhammad ordered the guerrillas to move. He selected ten boxes of the newly delivered weapons, including Stinger and TOW missiles, and loaded them onto the horses. With a dozen guerrilla fighters, Muhammad set out again.

To avoid the Soviet checkpoints, Muhammad spent more than a day to reach this place.

The Soviets had sealed off the main routes into the mountains but could not block every narrow path. Muhammad led the dozen guerrilla fighters on horseback, taking a long detour through the mountains, and appeared near the base.

Hiding behind a large rock, Muhammad used binoculars to observe continuously.

This was an airbase, with very tight security. Various guard posts were densely distributed, making it difficult to approach within three kilometers. Every fifteen minutes, a convoy patrolled the area, so he could only get as close as five kilometers away.

Last time, Muhammad had seized an armored vehicle, impersonated a Soviet, and infiltrated the airbase. After that incident, the Soviets clearly strengthened their vigilance. The same mistake would not be repeated.

This was the perfect time for the weapons in his possession to show their power! Muhammad estimated that the distance to the airbase was eight kilometers, which was exactly the maximum range of the weapons he had. He did not need to get any closer. Moreover, he could retreat calmly after the attack.

"Open the boxes," Muhammad said. "Take everything out."

As he spoke, Muhammad took a few steps to the right. The rocks here were very flat, forming a makeshift launch site.

Osama took out a bayonet and, with his right hand, pried open the lid of the box. Inside were some straw, and in the center of the straw, two rocket-propelled grenades lay quietly.

Osama put the bayonet back in his waistband, picked up one of the rockets with both hands, and carried it out of the box, walking toward Muhammad.

The rockets were not heavy, weighing less than twenty kilograms. For the people of this era, one hand was enough to carry them.

"Come, put it here," Muhammad said to Osama.

Osama placed the rocket on the ground and watched as Muhammad attached two wires to the bottom of the rocket with tape. He then began to measure with a ruler, arousing great curiosity.

Seeing Osama's gaze, Muhammad said, "Osama, our guerrillas have three treasures, do you know what they are?"

Three treasures? Osama thought about it. The AKM rifle, reliable and cheap, was everywhere, that was one. The RPG rocket launcher, easy to carry and capable of penetrating the armor of a T-62 at close range, was another. But what was the third? The SVD? Only a few people used it. The 12.7mm machine gun? It didn't seem to fit.

"The third weapon is the 107mm rocket!" Muhammad said. "Today is the day the airbase across from us will be completely destroyed!"

The 107mm rocket! This was provided by the Americans, but seeing the Chinese characters on the box, Muhammad knew it came from an Eastern country.

In the Afghan resistance against the Soviets, the Americans provided weapons with full force, even paying to buy them from other countries and then transporting them. The Eastern countries, which had a demand, readily agreed.

The 107mm rocket was a specialty of the Eastern superpower. A larger caliber, such as the 122mm rocket, was too heavy, with each rocket weighing fifty kilograms, making it impossible for a single soldier to carry. A smaller caliber, such as 70mm, had limited destructive power. Various factors determined that this rocket was the perfect artillery for a single soldier.

With four, eight, or twelve tubes, it could be combined at will, and could be towed by mules and horses, perfectly suited for hit-and-run tactics. Mounted on a jeep or pickup truck, it became a self-propelled rocket launcher. It could even be used without a launch tube in extreme situations.

Muhammad, who came from the future, had mastered this skill in the special forces. Now was the time for these rockets to show their power!

Ten boxes, twenty rockets, were enough to cover the opposite airfield! Although Muhammad's guerrilla group was small, they would not be lenient with the Soviets! What's so great about planes and artillery? I'll still beat you!

At such a distance, the Soviets had no defenses. They could not search the entire eight-kilometer radius.

All aiming was done with a special ruler. Muhammad focused on the calipers, arranging the rockets in a line, all taped with wires. He carefully adjusted each one, adding thin stone chips to the front of the rockets to stabilize them. This took about five minutes.

After teaching all the guerrillas, each controlling two rockets, the process would be much faster. Muhammad put down the calipers and signaled everyone to step back.

The launch of twenty rockets was both spectacular and dangerous. If anyone accidentally entered the rear area, they would be instantly burned to ashes.

The wires were connected, and Muhammad held a few batteries. Now, all he had to do was connect the wires, and the rockets would fly out instantly.

To hell with the Soviets! Just as Muhammad was about to connect the wires, he heard a rumbling sound in the distance.

Looking up, he saw a large four-engine aircraft flying from the north. The distinctive T-shaped tail, the four engines suspended under the wings, and the navigator's cabin at the bottom of the nose allowed Muhammad to instantly recognize it: the Il-76!

This was a heavy long-range transport aircraft capable of carrying over forty tons of cargo, with a takeoff weight of over a hundred tons, comparable to the American C-141.

Muhammad was very familiar with this transport aircraft. In his previous life, this was one of the few large aircraft in his country. He had trained for parachute jumps on this aircraft and knew that it could transport over a hundred people or even a main battle tank in one trip.

In the current Afghan war, the Soviets used this transport aircraft primarily to transport personnel. The aircraft's belly contained at least a company of Soviet soldiers!

Since he had encountered it, he could not let it go!

Thinking this, Muhammad released his hand and said to Osama behind him, "Osama, you hold it. When I start, you connect the wires. This is an order."

"Yes," Osama immediately replied. He knew how urgent the situation was. He watched as Muhammad shouldered a Stinger missile and, with two guerrilla fighters, quickly ran forward.

The large aircraft was getting closer.

Inside the transport aircraft, it was far less comfortable than in a passenger plane. The poor soundproofing allowed the engine noise to penetrate the cabin, causing ear discomfort. Those who had never ridden in a transport aircraft quickly became dizzy and disoriented.

At this moment, over a hundred soldiers sat neatly inside the Il-76. Their mountain camouflage uniforms were clean and tidy, with a special emblem on the side of their arms, indicating that this unit was very special.

Unit A, sent to Afghanistan to carry out this mission, was being tested. Not only did they need to complete the mission successfully, but they also needed to do it quickly.

Captain Krymikov looked at his soldiers, who had maintained high combat readiness throughout the journey. They were elite troops, a powerful fist of the KGB!

"We have arrived at the Jalalabad airbase. We will make a three-turn descent. Please prepare," the captain's voice came from the front of the cabin.

The aircraft was flying from the north, and the runway at Jalalabad base was east-west. The plane had to make a turn and descend to land.

The green instrument panel, with nearly a hundred gauges, and the iron control stick, whose primer had worn off, were steadily operated by the Soviet captain as the plane circled over the airport.

Landing at an unknown airport was inherently dangerous, and the runway here was too short. The Il-76's excellent short takeoff and landing capabilities were a challenge for the flight crew.

He slowly reduced the throttle, pushed the control stick, and pressed the rudder. The hundred-ton transport aircraft, under his control, turned and aligned with the runway.

The large aircraft flew right over their heads!

Muhammad was out of breath. He had run from eight kilometers away to three kilometers away, a distance that was very close, close enough to be discovered by the Soviets at any moment!

Muhammad did not hesitate. When he reached this point, he quickly took off the Stinger missile from his back, shouldered it, and began the pre-launch procedures quickly and skillfully.

Activate the battery, activate the seeker head, liquid nitrogen cooling, search, track the target, continuously track until locked!

Muhammad performed all these steps skillfully, his entire focus on the task, not noticing the surroundings.

Durani and Aga were somewhat nervous. A BMP infantry fighting vehicle was driving out of the airport, on another patrol, heading directly toward Muhammad and his two companions.

Durani's AKM rifle was not a threat to the infantry fighting vehicle. The heavy machine gun had been destroyed, and Durani, the machine gunner, was now a rifleman.

Protect the instructor! Durani and Aga knelt and crouched, ready to open fire if the infantry fighting vehicle discovered them, ready to give the instructor the opportunity to launch the missile, even at the cost of their lives!

"Beep." A familiar light sound came from the earphone, and Muhammad pulled the trigger.

"Boom." With a loud noise, a hot stream came from the rear, and in front, a Stinger missile flew into the sky.