Chapter 2313: Chapter 2289: What Has Happened to This World

At his own ranch, Gao Yang was having a great time.

Every day was spent shooting, shooting, driving a six-wheel off-road vehicle on the mountain when there was a chance, strolling hand in hand with Yelena in the forest, running across the vast grassland, and then listening to Yelena play the violin and piano. Such a heavenly life was truly enjoyable.

But after several days of these particularly relaxing days, Gao Yang indeed began to feel somewhat reluctant to return to the tense battlefield, that is until he received a phone call that brought him back to reality.

The call was from Justin, and after some time apart, this was Justin’s first phone call.

"Hey, buddy, everything’s sorted out."

"Everything’s sorted out?"

"Yes."

"Congratulations."

"Same to you, buddy." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Justin had completely gotten the Cicero Family under control. Not too fast, but not too slow either. From now on, the entire Cicero Family belonged to Justin and was a staunch ally of Gao Yang, so this call from Justin was not only important but indeed exciting.

But after the initial congratulations, Justin immediately shared a shocking piece of news.

"Surely you’ve seen it on TV. Are you not curious about the issue you’ve been following closely?"

Gao Yang was a bit taken aback and said, "I don’t have a TV here, so naturally, I haven’t seen anything. Did some big news happen?"

Justin laughed and said, "I know the topic I’m about to discuss isn’t good news, but it sure is amusing. Okay, I’ll come straight to the point, the 9th Armored Division of Iraq was wiped out north of Baghdad, yes, by IS."

Gao Yang gasped loudly and exclaimed, "Are you joking? I can believe the Ninth Armored Division was defeated, but wiped out? By IS? They can’t even use cannons properly!"

"I asked if you’ve watched TV because this is airing on news worldwide. Listen brother, the 9th Armored Division of Iraq was wiped out! Yes, IS only has light infantry, but they defeated the Ninth Armored Division equipped with M1 tanks. Now, things have gotten interesting, buddy."

Gao Yang was dumbfounded and said, "What the hell is going on? Did IS suddenly get a power boost or something? Did they receive strong support? Did the Ninth Armored Division collectively surrender? I’m telling you, buddy, I’ve been following IS closely. I know their capabilities. In any case, IS doesn’t have the ability to completely wipe out the 9th Armored Division!"

Justin sighed bitterly and said, "How do I explain this to you? As far as I’m aware, IS hasn’t suddenly leveled up in strength. They defeated the division using rifles and RPGs, just light weapons, destroying two M1A1 tanks, six M113s, and taking dozens of other vehicles, then IS captured and drove away M1 tanks and armored vehicles. You heard right, that’s what happened."

After Gao Yang made a meaningless sigh of disbelief, he said with surprise, "Even if it was a group of pigs driving tanks, they shouldn’t be slaughtered by light infantry like this, right? Are you sure this is a fact and not a joke?"

Justin laughed, "That’s right, it’s no joke."

Gao Yang exhaled deeply and said, "If it’s true, then this is the first instance in the world where light infantry wiped out an armored division. Should I reassess IS’s combat effectiveness?"

"Yes, after this battle, IS’s equipment has been upgraded, but mostly their reputation will soar. Trust me, from now on, IS is no longer a small faction you can chase down. They will become a new generation leading organization. Al-Qaeda is history now; IS is the most powerful, using this battle as the watershed."

The rise of IS is definitely bad news for Satan. After frowning and thinking for a long time, Gao Yang said in a low voice, "So what about Badadi, any news?"

"Yes! Unverified tip, he appeared in Mosul. Although it’s unverified, news breaking out wouldn’t be baseless. Also, I’ve arranged personnel to closely monitor Badadi’s whereabouts. I reckon he’ll make a statement, I’ll keep a close eye on him!"

No need for Gao Yang to say anything, Justin already knew what Gao Yang was most concerned about.

Gao Yang pondered for a long time and said, "We always thought Badadi was in Syria, but now he’s appeared in Iraq. Does this mean he’s shifted his focus to Iraq?"

"No, my assessment is that Badadi was forced to relocate to Iraq. Although IS is currently active in Iraq, his main focus must still be Syria. He will launch a major counter-offensive back to Syria and will become the strongest armed organization in Syria. It’s only a matter of time, and not too long at that."

Gao Yang covered his head, thinking hard for a while, and finally said in a low voice, "Hard to say, IS is doing so well in Iraq, they’ve already taken Iraq, no reason to rush back to Syria."

Justin laughed heartily and then said quietly, "Buddy, you’re overlooking something very important."

"What?"

"Iraq is America’s territory, understood? So IS will continue to operate in Iraq but won’t completely overturn its status quo, whereas Syria is a thorn in America and Saudi Arabia’s side. Therefore, IS, after their power is boosted, will inevitably focus on Syria as their primary target. Do you understand me?"

Gao Yang nodded and said, "Got it."

Justin also exhaled and said softly, "Previously, when IS was dormant, it was difficult for us to gather intelligence, but now they’re active, information will come easier. Should we focus on this, especially in identifying and creating opportunities for your decapitation operations?"

Badadi has always been Satan’s archenemy, and Gao Yang is willing to pay any price to find him. Now the opportunity has appeared, and if all efforts are concentrated on Badadi, the chances of finding him will definitely increase.

However, after thinking for a long time, Gao Yang finally said, "No, right now, don’t concentrate all efforts on Badadi, let’s focus on Yemen instead. The Yemen plan is already underway; I’m about to go there. At this moment, we can’t let IS and Badadi disrupt our plans."

Justin said seriously, "Understood, prioritize the Yemen plan for now, and everything else can wait. Since we’ve come to this point, let me remind you, currently there’s an opportunity in Yemen, likely happening these days, you should be ready to act at any time."

Gao Yang perked up and said, "Oh, any new developments?"

Justin laughed, "I don’t need to mention it, do I? You’ve sent so many people to Yemen, the intelligence I have isn’t a secret. In short, the opportunity has arrived. I believe your people can recognize it too."