The engine rumbled. Inside the stuffy armored vehicle, several burly men, their faces covered in camouflage paint, sat attentively, listening to their superior's lecture.
"When fighting in the swamp, our greatest enemy is not the Iranians, but the natural environment. Here, we don't know where the miasma is, where the deep mud pits are, or where unknown venomous insects crawl. We must be the masters of nature here, constantly keeping all threats in mind and adopting precise countermeasures," Qusay said to the soldiers under his command.
This improved Type 63 Armored Vehicle has five road wheels on each side, extending the length of the vehicle, allowing it to carry 14 soldiers, two drivers, and a commander.
Qusay did not use extra drivers or commanders, because these men came from the Mechanized Infantry Division, and almost everyone could skillfully drive this armored vehicle. The space saved was used to carry extra fuel and their equipment.
Qusay estimated that they would spend three days moving through the swamp, searching for signs of the Iranians. He separated the three vehicles, keeping them about ten kilometers apart, which both expanded the search area and allowed them to support each other if needed.
Departing from the base, they moved north, then east, combing through the swamp like a brush, hoping to find any trace of the Iranians.
On the turret, a soldier vigilantly scanned the surroundings. Whether they spotted the enemy first or were spotted first depended on his speed.
However, this armored vehicle had already been camouflaged by Qusay. It was wrapped in dead vines, and aside from the space left for the rear door and the front of the driver's compartment, from a distance, it blended entirely with the swamp, making it impossible to distinguish.
On this battlefield, where infrared observation equipment is still generally lacking, such camouflage was sufficient. However, compared to the Gulf War of the nineties, this camouflage would be useless.
The Type 63 Armored Vehicle demonstrated excellent terrain adaptability, navigating the swamp as if it were flat ground. They could travel everywhere except in areas where deep water puddles were visible on the surface.
Suddenly, Corporal Virat on the turret tapped the upper armor of the vehicle, and a clear sound signaled to the inside.
"Stop the vehicle, kill the engine," Qusay immediately ordered.
The huge roar instantly vanished, and the thick smoke from the tail ceased. The steel behemoth that had just been moving suddenly became like a harmless sheep, lying down quietly.
Simultaneously, the rear door of the armored vehicle opened, and the Special Forces team members filed out according to their training. They formed a defensive posture around the armored vehicle, utilizing the surrounding terrain for camouflage.
"Whir, whir." The roar of a helicopter came from the sky.
Looking up, it was an Iranian Cobra Helicopter, its rocket pods under the stub wings clearly visible.
Infantry against helicopters was almost impossible to win, but now things were different, because two of Qusay's subordinates were equipped with man-portable air-defense systems.
Hades glanced at Qusay, and Qusay gave him a hand signal.
Hades nodded and shouldered the SAM-7 anti-aircraft missile.
The enemy helicopter had not spotted them yet, but they prepared just in case. If the enemy did spot them, their missile would have already sealed its fate before its rockets could be launched.
Even the old RPG-7 rocket launcher could threaten an attack helicopter; a skilled shooter could easily hit the helicopter's vulnerable rotor blades, let alone a precision-guided anti-aircraft missile.
The helicopter flew past not far to the left, completely unaware of the armored vehicles on the ground that had already infiltrated deep into their territory.
They avoided danger. If they had been discovered, even if they took down the enemy attack helicopter, their position would be exposed. Attacking the enemy fuel depot would then turn into a frontal assault, which would be an impossible mission for the Special Forces.
The strength of the Special Forces lies in special operations. This level of infiltration is their specialty. Fighting desperately against an enemy several times their size is beyond their capability; no matter how powerful a soldier is, he is still a soldier, not a Transformer.
Seeing the helicopter fly away, Qusay felt relieved, but also a little happy. The discovery of the enemy attack helicopter indicated that they were not far from the enemy position. Why else would the enemy be flying here? This was just a worthless swamp.
"Get in the vehicles and continue forward. Notify the other two armored vehicles to watch out for anti-air threats," Qusay said.
Victory was close at hand. They needed to conduct reconnaissance carefully and cautiously to avoid being discovered by the enemy armor. Otherwise, if a dozen shells rained down on them, everyone in the vehicle would be annihilated.
Rasoul and Shamsuddin were flying the Cobra Helicopter, continuously patrolling at low altitude.
Since the armored division entered the swamp area, they had begun their aerial patrol and escort mission. They had to protect the safety of the convoy below and avoid being discovered by the Iraqis. Therefore, they flew very cautiously, staying outside the fifty-kilometer edge zone.
They had originally expected to cross the swamp in two or three days, but during the actual operation, they encountered various unimaginable difficulties.
For example, by the second day, all the bundles of reeds had been used up, and they had to urgently dispatch reinforcements to transport more from the rear.
Division Commander Rajavi was anxious and disregarded whether the ground could support the weight, forcefully ordering the troops to proceed. As a result, three tanks overturned in a slippery area, completely blocking the road.
Having no choice, they had to turn back and proceed along an alternate route.
It took them eight days to finally reach the final assembly point: a dry area about fifty kilometers from the edge of the swamp that a helicopter had discovered beforehand. The ground underneath was hard enough to bear the weight of tanks, and the area was large enough to park off-road trucks, serve as a temporary fuel supply station, and set up several tents to establish a temporary command post.
This place then became a location of key protection.
Even attack helicopters were dispatched to patrol the surroundings.
Rasoul flew over a seemingly normal swamp area when a flicker of suspicion suddenly crossed his mind.
For a split second as he flew past, he thought he saw a flash of red light on the ground. It was there for an instant, then vanished.
Red light—what was that? It could have been light reflecting off some inconspicuous object in the mud, it could have been his eyes playing tricks, or it could have been a sniper scope!
"Shamsuddin, let's fly over that area again. Pay attention and observe," Rasoul said.
"Understood, Captain," Shamsuddin replied.
Rasoul pushed the rudder pedal with his left foot while simultaneously pressing the control stick to the left. The helicopter roared, carving a beautiful arc as it flew toward the area they had just covered.
Even if there was a sniper rifle or even an anti-aircraft missile on the ground, he had to fly over it again. It was his responsibility!
The huge rotor of the Cobra Helicopter stirred the air, making a whooshing sound. Shamsuddin, sitting in the lower seat in the front, carefully observed the situation below through the bulletproof glass.
The swamp was calm, just as before, yet seemingly unfathomable. There was nothing unusual; no anomalies were spotted.
"Captain, were you seeing things just now?" Shamsuddin asked.
That damned Iranian helicopter! Qusay really wanted to order it shot down, but he suppressed his feelings, telling himself, "It will pass, it will pass."
Shooting down the helicopter now would render all their previous efforts useless.
The armored vehicle had only driven about two *li* when the enemy helicopter chased after them again. Qusay had no choice but to order the armored vehicle to hide next to a thicket, blending in naturally. He dispersed his team members, preparing for the worst.
Finally, Rasoul pulled the helicopter up and began the return flight.
Qusay breathed a sigh of relief.
"Continue forward," Qusay commanded.