6:38 a.m., the back alley of Erbil National Television.
This is a narrow alley that barely allows a truck to pass, with five-meter-high concrete walls on either side belonging to the television station.
An old white panel van is quietly parked in the loading and unloading zone marked with yellow lines.
Large patches of blue paint are peeling off the van's body, revealing rusty iron underneath. The original lettering "Al-Balad Food Supply Company" is faded and blurred, with curled edges.
A front headlight casing is broken, crudely mended with yellow tape.
The exhaust pipe emits a muffled and intermittent "put-put" sound while idling, releasing wisps of pale blue smoke that merges into the chilly air.
Song Heping sits in the passenger seat, wearing a deep blue coverall with frayed cuffs.
A similarly old-fashioned baseball cap is pressed low, concealing most of his face and sharp eyes.
