Chapter 65

Following the wind, the smell was so strong that it reached Muhammad's ears. Without hesitation, he spurred his horse and galloped towards the source.

Passing through the canyon entrance and entering the valley, Muhammad immediately saw the cave.

At that moment, a stream of blood flowed out from the cave entrance.

Damn Soviets! Almost instantly, Muhammad knew it was the Soviets. He spurred his horse to the cave entrance, walked in, and was immediately stunned.

Lying in all directions were nearly thirty bodies, still warm, indicating they had died less than an hour ago.

They were all Tajik guerrillas. Though of different ethnicities, they were all fighting the Soviets and were allies Muhammad wanted to unite.

Now, seeing these bodies, Muhammad felt heavy-hearted. Winter was a time of truce. Could the Soviets be taking advantage of this to eliminate the Afghan guerrillas?

The Soviets had attacked here in the early morning, sparing no one... Muhammad looked down and found half a roasted chicken on the ground.

Instantly, Muhammad remembered Khwaja's report: James had shot a mountain chicken, roasted it, and then got lost...

All the clues flashed through Muhammad's mind, and he connected them. James had taken a wrong turn and ended up here, and behind him were Soviet special forces!

Clearly, the Soviet special forces had followed James to find Muhammad!

In these mountains, the guerrillas ruled. The Soviets actually wanted to come here to cause trouble! Fortunately, last night, James led them here. If James hadn't roasted the mountain chicken and returned with the supply convoy to their base, the Soviets would have likely attacked Muhammad's camp last night!

None of the bodies were James's. He must have been captured by the Soviets. James was an American, and the Soviets would extract more intelligence from him!

Thinking of this, Muhammad turned and walked out.

The attack had happened less than an hour ago. The Soviets wouldn't have gone far. Muhammad could catch up and rescue James!

With this thought, Muhammad turned and walked out of the cave.

The sky was clear, and everything was white. Muhammad had not yet mounted his horse when he asked Durani, "Durani, where nearby is there an open area suitable for a helicopter to land?"

A helicopter? Although Durani didn't know what the instructor was thinking, he said, "Beyond this valley, there is a flat area on the opposite mountain's mid-slope. Whether it can accommodate a helicopter, I don't know."

"Let's go, lead the way immediately!" Muhammad said.

The Soviets had captured James and would definitely take him back. In these mountains, the Soviets would use a helicopter to transport James.

Muhammad focused on the simplest and most critical aspects.

When they emerged from the valley, Muhammad quietly pulled his horse to a stop.

Through a high-powered military telescope, Muhammad could see a natural rock platform in the middle of the slope, very flat and suitable for a helicopter to land. However, the air currents in the valley were too complex, making landing difficult.

This time, he had only brought one Stinger missile. It would be best if the Soviets didn't send two helicopters.

Behind the rock, Muhammad saw about a dozen people. Although they were all wearing white snow combat uniforms, the metal buttons on their clothes reflected the sunlight.

Among them, two people were being held captive. One had an injured arm, blood flowing from it, while the other was unharmed but looked very dejected—it was James!

Seeing James, Muhammad was relieved. Although this situation was caused by James's greed, if anything happened to him, the boss in Peshawar would be displeased. Now, with only a dozen Soviet soldiers, Muhammad could easily deal with them.

Climbing up from the bottom of the slope was not a good option. If the people above were prepared, a burst of gunfire could cause significant losses.

Therefore, the only choice was to climb up from the back of the mountain. Reaching the top would put Muhammad in a position of complete control over the Soviets.

After observing everything, Muhammad led the team to the other side of the mountain.

The cliff on this side was very steep.

Seeing Muhammad dismount and start climbing, Durani couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Sir, it's too slippery here. Are you really sure you want to climb up from the north side of the mountain?"

"Of course," Muhammad said. "Leave ten men here to provide support. The rest, follow me up."

Saying this, Muhammad started up the slope.

The snow on the mountain had a unique characteristic. On the windward side, the snow could be completely blown away, while on the leeward side, it could be waist-deep. This slope was windward, and Muhammad's steps were on a thin layer of snow over frozen ground.

Fresh snow wasn't slippery; only snow that had been trampled, melted, and refrozen would be difficult to walk on.

Muhammad's guess was correct. He climbed carefully and encountered no danger.

Following Muhammad, Durani, Aga, Herman, and others climbed up one by one.

By the time Muhammad's head appeared above the summit, half an hour had passed.

From here, he could see the Soviets below, anxiously waiting. A Soviet sergeant was frequently looking into the distance.

Muhammad supported himself on a large rock. The rock was slightly loose, and he had an idea to use it to draw the Soviets' attention.

Muhammad skillfully gestured to the people around him. They were upwind, and speaking might be heard by the Soviets.

Durani and others understood, took out their guns, and aimed at the targets Muhammad indicated. The training of the past few months had made them almost infallible at this distance.

Muhammad prepared to push the large rock. When it rolled down, the Soviets would instinctively stand up, making them perfect targets. After the bullets flew, the Soviets would all be eliminated. Even if a few managed to escape, they would be ambushed by the ten cavalrymen Muhammad had left behind.

This was a simple ambush operation.

The cavalrymen at the foot of the mountain were in position. Just as Muhammad was about to push the rock, a rumbling sound came from the distance.

A black dot appeared in Muhammad's vision—it was a Soviet helicopter!

Damn it, why now? If Muhammad had just three minutes, he could have finished the fight, changed into Soviet uniforms, and pretended to be Soviet special forces to lure the helicopter down and eliminate the Soviets on board.

Now, if he acted, the helicopter would join the battle, and even with a Stinger, he might not get a chance to fire.

So, Muhammad had to change his tactics.

Quietly taking the Stinger off his back and placing it in the snow, Muhammad and his men lay quietly on the slope, waiting.

The rumbling sound from the sky grew louder. It was a Mi-24 Hind helicopter, with rocket pods on both sides ready to deal with any threats, and the troop compartment could carry the dozen people back.

The helicopter pilot looked at the small, narrow clearing and frowned.

Although he was an experienced pilot, the clearing was too small, and landing would be very difficult.

He tried to slow down but felt the helicopter sway from side to side. The air currents here were chaotic, and a moment's inattention could lead to a crash.

The helicopter pilot had no choice but to ascend, looking apologetically at the waiting Soviet soldiers and shouting over the radio, "Air currents are chaotic, cannot land. Repeat, air currents are chaotic, cannot land!"

Hearing the pilot's words over the radio, Sergeant Askov was furious.

The Soviet Army had few radios, usually just two per company. To get them back, Gorky had given them one of the radios, but now it was transmitting this message.

Unable to land, they either had to choose a new landing site or walk back. Watching the helicopter ascend and fly away, Askov spat and said to the others, "Leave here and move to Area 3, which is more open."

"Get up, stop pretending to be dead." The Soviet soldiers kicked the two captives, making them stand up. Carrying the captives made walking more difficult.

Seeing the helicopter fly away, Muhammad sighed in relief. The position was not suitable for shooting the helicopter. To aim, he would have to stand up, and the sun behind the helicopter would be a strong interference. Early infrared missiles would head straight for the sun, while the current Stinger's guidance system could track both infrared and ultraviolet, reducing the chance of it chasing the sun. However, the risk of a miss was still high. Without absolute certainty, he wouldn't dare to shoot. If the attack failed, his men would become the prey of the Hind.

With the helicopter gone, the Soviets would also leave. Muhammad could set an ambush on their path.

The helicopter could return at any time, so launching an attack now would be unwise. It was better to follow them.

Just as Muhammad thought this, he felt a tremor beside him.

The large rock, already precarious, moved as the snow beneath it melted.

Oh no!

Hearing the noise above, Askov looked up at the summit.