121 Search & Rescue Begins
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"We have to rescue Tony at all costs!" Rhodey constantly encouraged his subordinates to rescue his good friend, but it was hard to say how effective his words were.
Daisy observed the expressions of several American soldiers at the scene, and they all seemed indifferent. Talking to them about the spirit of sacrifice and the contribution of rescuing a high-profile person important to national development seemed like a waste of time.
Do the American forces have elite soldiers? Definitely, soldiers like the Punisher from the Marines, and the Killmonger from the covert unit could handle ten opponents single-handedly in a hurry. However, these elite soldiers are few in number, and Daisy could tell by observing that these few soldiers secretly playing on their phones that they were not reliable.
This time, she was only assisting and not under Rhodey's command. However, to make a show, she briefed her subordinates on the precautions for this operation.
Colonel Rhodes led a few Air Force veterans, while Daisy led a few information processing specialists. Together, they were all the members of the rescue team.
The agents believed all American soldiers were like Rambo, and the veterans looked at the agents like 007. Both groups were full of expectations for each other, preparing to play a minor role themselves.
Daisy found that the quality of the veterans was lower than expected. Two soldiers were playing with their phones, and the rest were quietly discussing which brand of sunscreen to use. Unable to hold back, she asked Rhodey, "Colonel Rhodes, what exactly are you in charge of? If it's classified, you can ignore my question."
Colonel Rhodes replied readily, "It's not a secret, Agent Johnson. I'm the Minister of Weapon Development."
Daisy's face twitched a bit. The minister of Weapon Development, without thinking, the veterans were also weapon development department officers. Except for her, the Director of the Information Processing Department, the two groups felt amateurish. If you ignore her personal combat skills, rescuing Stark from the Ten Rings with this team was simply a dream!
...
As the leaders of the rescue mission, the Air Force team boarded a C-17 and headed to Afghanistan, carrying a substantial amount of equipment loaded inside the aircraft.
Comfort was entirely lacking. Daisy felt that this transport plane was far slower than the Quinjet, but she didn't jump out to show off her flying skills. She secured her seatbelt and started reviewing the information about Stark's abduction.
It matched her memory; there was an 80% chance that it was the work of Obadiah. Some military spies reported that after the ice bucket challenge, the contradictions between the two became sharper.
Related to the ice bucket challenge? Daisy scoffed at this; it must be a rumor! A conspiracy by those Republicans!
Colonel Rhodes, being a good friend, has been continuously contacting the heads of various military bases in Afghanistan during the rescue mission. He also greeted officials from allied countries along the way. This transport aircraft didn't have stealth technology, so they had to notify in advance to avoid encountering missiles on the way.
After handling these matters, he came to discuss the specific action plan with Daisy.
Daisy knew that Stark was currently in a cave, and based on the timing, he should still be in a state of unconsciousness. However, she wasn't sure if her small butterfly wings would cause missile fragments to shift two centimeters and directly cause him to blow up.
When Rhodey came to consult with her, Daisy was analyzing the hiding places of the members of the Ten Rings. In the movie, it was just a cave with no obvious markings.
Unfortunately, Afghanistan has many mountains and many natural caves. Finding a cave without any markings, that didn't even show up on the map, was challenging.
Considering that after Stark escaped from the cave, he drew a beautiful arc with his makeshift armor and fell into the desert, Daisy narrowed down the target area a bit.
Surrounded by mountains with narrow entrance and exit paths, and severe desertification outside the mountains, they could search in the areas that met these conditions.
"Any clues?" Rhodey asked, looking at the military maps, satellite maps all over the floor, and the calculations Daisy was making from which he couldn't understand anything. There was a taste of mystery.
"Well, there's a general search area," she vaguely replied.
Rhodey sighed inwardly, thinking that these agents were indeed not just for show. While he was still at a loss, they had already started narrowing down the scope.
"Approx location?" he quickly asked.
Daisy pointed at the map for him to see. "These kidnappers have advanced weapons capable of annihilating the U.S. military convoy, indicating outstanding combat capabilities."
Rhodey wanted to argue that wiping out the U.S. military convoy didn't prove anything, but considering his side's limited strength, he reluctantly accepted the premise that the enemy was elite.
Daisy continued, "Currently, no tribe or organization has claimed responsibility for this incident, which means they are a covert armed force. There is a high possibility that they are hiding in the deep mountains."
"And there's a significant number of them. I believe they are concealed around certain tribes that are hostile to the U.S. military."
Daisy drew a broad area along the border: "The probability is highest along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. The area has numerous mountains, and the local tribes are very xenophobic. It's also a place where the U.S. military hasn't set foot."
Colonel Rhodes felt a headache coming on, but he had to admit that Daisy's analysis made sense.
However, this increased the difficulty of the mission significantly. Finding an armed group in the territory of hostile tribes was extremely difficult.
But for the sake of rescuing Stark, Colonel Rhodes bit the bullet and spared no effort to plead with various U.S. military bases for help.
Help with what? Of course, it was to escort their unprofessional rescue team to rescue people.
Leaders of several bases were naturally reluctant, but eventually, under Colonel Rhodes's pleading, they agreed to provide some support.
The original team of 20 expanded to 50 people. Colonel Rhodes transferred in two CH-47 transport helicopters, and 3 multi-functional transport tanks, which are essentially military versions of the Hummer.
There was also a modified RV, strongly requested by Daisy for the female soldiers and agents to use for showers...
In addition, two Black Hawk helicopters and numerous heavy weapons were added. Of course, these military supplies were provided at a cost, and both Colonel Rhodes and Daisy said that they had no money, planning to ask Stark to reimburse afterward if he was still alive.
Including Colonel Rhodes, there were a total of forty male soldiers, and including Daisy, Bobbi Morse, three female agents, and five female soldiers, there were ten women in total.
They set out from Bagram Air Base, equipped with supplies, and began searching for the whereabouts of the armed militants along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
Relying on powerful mobility and firepower to clear the way, the soldiers' tension eased somewhat.
To boost morale, Colonel Rhodes made a promise on behalf of Stark: if they successfully rescued Stark, each soldier would receive a cash reward.
As the team initially entered the desert, Daisy found it a bit fresh. The endless, golden sand stretched out before her, looking empty and dead at first look, felt as if she had entered a deserted world without anyone.
Of course, this perspective was from the helicopter. If she were walking in the desert, stepping one foot deep and one foot shallow, it would be a less pleasant experience.
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