"Your armored vehicle didn't suffer any damage?" Qusay felt incredibly lucky.
"Yes, we were very fortunate last night and managed to avoid the heavy rain. However, the radio is broken, so we haven't been able to contact the captain," Marwan said.
"Good, then let's all get in the vehicle. It'll be faster that way. Heaven knows how far those damnable Persians are from us," Qusay said.
"The only thing is, we don't have much fuel left in the armored vehicle. It can only run for an hour at most," Marwan said.
If he had known earlier, he would have siphoned all the fuel out of the tanks when they abandoned the armored vehicles yesterday. But then again, maybe they would encounter the Persian base they were looking for after running for just half an hour?
"Get in!" Qusay said.
It was impossible to cram over thirty people and their equipment into the cramped armored vehicle. Out of necessity, ten men sat on top of the vehicle. However, this had its benefits; those sitting on top had a wide field of vision, and with binoculars, they could easily observe the surrounding situation.
This way, they could discover the enemy base before alerting the Persians. However, those sitting on top would also unfortunately become targets for snipers.
With no other options, this was the only way.
Qusay was the first to climb onto the roof of the armored vehicle.
"Captain, you should sit inside," Marwan said.
"The second and third squads will sit inside the vehicle, and the first squad will be on the roof," Qusay said.
"Captain..." Wahrih also spoke up.
"Execute the order." Qusay climbed onto the roof without looking back.
In battle, luck is a mysterious thing. Although Qusay didn't believe in it, he felt as if there was a divine will at work in the shadows. Otherwise, why would he have come to this godforsaken place?
In the next moment, Qusay regretted it. The other soldiers of the first squad tightly surrounded him, protecting him with human shields from every angle.
These soldiers... Qusay suddenly felt a surge of emotion.
He didn't use his high status to enjoy privileges, but instead trained with the soldiers and rushed to the front when facing danger. With such a leader, there would naturally be soldiers who did not fear death. Only such an army could win battles.
The armored vehicle started up, and the soldiers on the roof held onto the handles. They could finally give their legs a rest.
The Type 63 Armored Vehicle began its resolute advance. If a rocket-propelled grenade flew their way, it could wipe out all these people at once. Therefore, the soldiers sitting on the roof also took on the most critical observation duties.
Inside the vehicle, Marwan was worried about one thing: the fuel was running lower and lower.
They had set out with three days' worth of fuel and several extra barrels stored in the vehicle. Although it didn't guzzle fuel as much as a tank, its consumption was still shockingly high compared to an off-road vehicle.
Now, the last barrel of fuel had already been poured into the engine. If the Persian camp was still far away, these people would likely have to walk.
The driver's nerves were even more strained, to the point where he didn't dare to step too hard on the gas pedal. What he was stepping on wasn't just the accelerator—it was the hope of everyone there!
Even so, the fuel gauge continued to drop bit by bit, and it was about to reach the red zone.
"Stop the vehicle, prepare for combat." At that moment, Qusay's voice came through the intercom inside the vehicle.
To facilitate the needs of carrying infantry, both tanks and armored vehicles were equipped with a headset jack on the top. This way, those outside could communicate with those inside without any obstacles.
Using his binoculars, Qusay suddenly spotted several armored vehicles moving on the road a few kilometers ahead, though he couldn't tell what they were doing.
They were finally going to make contact with the enemy! Qusay felt a surge of excitement in his heart.
The Type 63 Armored Vehicle stopped immediately. Qusay observed the terrain and decided to launch a surprise attack from two flanks. If that failed, he would have the armored vehicle join the fight.
The enemy had several combat vehicles, while he only had one armored vehicle. If they rushed over recklessly, they would likely alert the enemy. It would be better to have personnel sneak over more covertly.
This kind of infiltration and reconnaissance was also a strength of special operations.
"First squad, follow me to outflank from the left. Second squad, follow Captain Wahrih to outflank from the right. Third squad, led by Captain Marwan, stand by inside the armored vehicle and be ready to provide fire support at any time," Qusay ordered.
"Yes!" The squads had been held back for several days, and now that they had finally encountered the Persians, their morale was high.
After more than half a day of scorching sun, the water in many places had seeped away. Although it was muddy, passing through on foot was no problem at all.
Qusay led his squad and slowly crept over from the left side.
Two scouts, carrying Tabuk 7.62mm assault rifles, led the way. They were followed by Qusay and six other team members, advancing while guarding against attacks from the sides.
Behind them were two snipers. Although they were in the rear, they were responsible for the outermost security duties.
At the very back was the heavy fire support group carrying missiles. The AT-3 Anti-tank Missiles meant that even when facing Chieftain Main Battle Tanks, they were no longer lambs to the slaughter. The SAM-7 portable anti-air missiles also gave them the ability to resist armed helicopters.
With a mix of light and heavy weapons, and coverage for both long and short ranges, the effective combination of various firepower would increase their combat effectiveness exponentially.
Moving through the tall grass, Qusay slowly approached his target.
The first things to come into view were two off-road trucks. Their wheels were spinning in place, and they were constantly emitting black smoke. What excited Qusay the most was that one of the trucks was carrying a fuel tank.
What were two trucks doing here? Qusay looked further back and discovered a giant object: a Chieftain tank stuck in the marsh.
What a perfect opportunity! Qusay looked at the dozen or so Iranian soldiers standing on the ground and then at the tank with half its tracks submerged in the mud. There was only one driver inside the tank, and each of the two trucks also had only one driver. Everyone was exposed in his field of vision. Clearly, they did not think there was any danger here.
These idiots. Even if they were performing a towing operation, shouldn't they have left a few soldiers on sentry duty? Instead, they were just standing around gesturing. This was during a war! A lack of alertness to danger only had one result: death.
They were quite unlucky. During yesterday's march, another tank got stuck ten kilometers away from the final supply point. Just by passing through the marsh, they had lost five or six tanks. Rajavi felt the sting of the loss. It just so happened that a few off-road trucks had finished transporting fuel and ammunition and were about to return, so Rajavi gave them a new task: get the stuck tank out!
The division commander's orders had to be followed, so they had no choice but to come to the side of this tank. They had been towing it since noon until now, and the tank was sinking deeper and deeper.
Every one of them was exhausted, so they neglected their alertness to the surroundings. Even if they had received information that the 1st Armored Battalion at the front had already engaged the Iraqis, this was the rear and deep in the marsh. What danger could there be? If there was any major danger, it would probably be the Cobras in the marsh. In the past few days, non-combat casualties caused by snake bites occurred from time to time.
They were still making a final effort, trying every possible way to pull the tank out. Otherwise, if they returned empty-handed, they would be scolded by their superiors.
They didn't know that the Grim Reaper had already descended upon them.