Super Zoo

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Cannon fire roared!

In the mountains, a group of Lure People were advancing toward the other end, Suming alone couldn't rescue two hostages, but an entire tribe of the Lure, hundreds of armed young men, had more than enough strength to save the hostages.

However, even with half a mountain between them, the distant sound of artillery fire was audible, and even Suming was a bit perplexed. Exactly how many people did the enemy have? Was it really necessary to deploy so many troops just to capture two hostages?

Guided by the principles of safety first and efficiency above all, Suming eventually made a cautious decision: Most of the Lure People, including the elderly, women, and children, escorted by a number of younger adults, would continue to move deeper into the mountains to avoid the warfare. Amir rallied about two platoons of elite Lure warriors to follow Suming in the rescue mission.

"Amir, you must protect the Divine Envoy's safety. If anything unexpected happens to the Divine Envoy, you don't need to come back. Let the raging flames cleanse your sins!" High Priest Alayi said to his son before departing.

"Father, by the Fire God above, if the Divine Envoy has to face bullets, there is only one possibility, that I have died before him," Amir said.

This exchange of grandiose words between father and son didn't stir any excitement in Suming at all. He really wanted to kick each of them, can't they avoid talking about death before even setting off? Considering Alayi's old age, Suming eventually just kicked Amir and left it at that.

Basel finally managed to kiss Suming's shoes as he had wished, leaving them covered in saliva, which was quite disgusting.

A platoon of Lure youths, all with military experience, learned they were fighting for their god, and each one was filled with fighting spirit, a stark contrast to the time they spent skimming by in the Iraqi Government Army.

As they drew closer to the destination, the sound of battle in front became more intense, echoing ceaselessly through the mountains. Amir stayed close to Suming, asking in puzzlement, "Divine Envoy Sir, why are we going to rescue two Westerners who have nothing to do with us?"

"Would you defy the will of the gods?!" Ludmila glared at him fiercely. These past few days had been rather uncomfortable for her. Now that Suming had become an official Divine Envoy, she could finally take a deep breath, flaunt her status, and enjoy the treatment of a Divine Envoy's entourage.

"Of course not," Amir cautiously glanced at Suming and said, "Our scriptures teach us that we must be honest with our gods about what's in our hearts."

"All right, Amir, having served in the government army, you should know that rescuing two Westerners helps the Lure People gain favor from the entire world. Given the choice between Westerners and IS, I choose the West," Suming said, taking another big gulp of royal jelly.

As they got closer to where the hostages were held, Suming's spiritual power spread out like a blanket, enlisting every animal large and small across half the mountainside as his informants.

After crossing over the last small hill, they finally saw the situation on the opposite slope through their binoculars!

At least half a battalion of IS fighters had set up defensive positions on the hillside, and that was just within visible range. In the surrounding woods, it was unknown how many more were hidden.

"Oh, the enemy has too many people! Damn it, they even have heavy artillery!"

Putting down her binoculars, Ludmila said seriously to Suming, "We should go back. This is a war. Merely with a few dozen Lure warriors, we can't make any difference. We can't even break through their outer defense lining. The moment we show our heads, we'll be riddled with bullets."

"Wait a second," Suming said noncommittally, waving his hand before downing a big mouthful of honey. He might not understand war, but it didn't mean he couldn't win one.

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...

Meanwhile, in the Iraqi Ministry of Defense's operations hall.

Rows of large screens displayed dozens of scenes of the battlefront as a group of Iraqi military clerks busily transformed various incoming information into audio and video files. Updated reports of the battle conditions were continuously sent to the senior officials present.

"General, as of now, two mountain battalions have been severely reduced in numbers and have withdrawn from combat. Together with the company that was initially destroyed, we've lost roughly the equivalent of four companies. The minister would like..."

"Like what!" a furious Iraqi Major General in charge of the battle asked.

The reporting Iraqi Lieutenant Colonel glanced at the officials from the United Nations Observer Group and said with a lack of confidence, "He would like us to cease fire temporarily. At this rate, the casualties of the government forces are too great. It's clear that this is a trap set by the enemy, just waiting for us to send in troops to be slaughtered!"
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"Of course, I know it's a trap!" the Major General was very angry. The situation had become very evident as the battle had progressed. The whole affair was a grand conspiracy by IS.

Initially, IS threatened the Lure People to surrender not with the real aim of annexing those few thousand Lure individuals, but to lull the Iraqi Government Army and the northern Kurds, obscuring their actual strategic intentions.

If the government forces had taken strong measures to protect the Lure People or even directly occupied the mountainous region from the start, the subsequent events would not have occurred.

However, the government forces and the Kurds were mutually wary and protective of each other. Any side acting rashly to enter the mountainous regions would trigger actions from the other. Both sides didn't take the Lure People's situation seriously—just a few thousand in number—which gave IS the opportunity. Under the guise of annexing the Lure People, IS continually sent troops into the mountains.

By the time the government forces and the Kurds realized IS's actual intentions, they'd lost the opportunity to act. IS had already prepared defenses in the mountains, ready for anyone who attempted an offensive, ensuring a hefty price would be paid.

A simple ruse, leveraging the wary psychologies of the government forces and the Kurds toward each other, as well as the government's indifferent attitude towards a small tribe like the Lures, allowed IS to easily seize the strategic location between all three parties.

As for those hostages, they were purely accidental casualties caught up in the grand conspiracy.

And yet, it was those very accidents that put the Iraqi Government Army in a difficult position, forcing them to send troops for a rescue mission. In particular, two American hostages whose whereabouts had been identified were nothing but bait, luring the Iraqi Government Army to dispatch wave after wave of soldiers to their deaths.

The American people would not allow their government to ignore the safety of their compatriots held hostage. The American Government could not possibly send a large-scale force to mire themselves again in Iraq, so the dirty, exhausting job of rescue would have to be done by the Iraqi Government Army. After all, they were the American Government's loyal dogs.

As for the Kurds, they were not the ruling party and could, of course, stand by and watch with folded arms.

Lacking heavy weaponry and air support, relying on second-rate armed ground forces with inferior tactical levels to attack a defensively-prepared mountainous region was too costly a price to pay. Even the government forces could not withstand it! In a place like Iraq, whoever had the guns was king. If the government forces suffered heavy casualties, it would only benefit the Kurds, who might even replace the current government.

The Major General turned his head towards the United Nations Observer Group, seeking their opinion.