Chapter 12 - Tracking

After receiving the video, we immediately conducted a visible range analysis of these masked terrorists and then hacked into the entire surveillance system in Afghanistan using a new recognition system."

"Whether it's public or private surveillance, as well as mobile phones, laptops, tablets, etc., as long as they're connected to the internet, we can capture all of them."

"Two days ago, we identified the terrorists from the video in a restaurant in this small town. The similarity of the facial features of the three individuals was over 85%. If nothing goes wrong, it should be here."

On a sand dune in the desert, Black Widow is connecting a monocular telescope to her laptop.

The car was parked behind the dune, covered with a desert camouflage yellow car cover by Black Widow.

In Blake's sight, the distant small town was still a black dot, but after Black Widow finished connecting.

Blake noticed that every person entering or leaving the town would be automatically focused and captured by the telescope.

Then the image was directly transmitted to this laptop, and the software on the laptop would automatically analyze and identify it.

"Are we just going to sit here and stare at the computer?"

Blake wiped the sweat from his forehead; the high temperature in the desert during the day was indeed quite torturous.

"The system will automatically alert us when it identifies them!"

Black Widow stood up and stretched lazily.

Her devilish figure was fully displayed in this action, especially with her pure yet seductive angelic face.

"I should have gone to the market to buy some herbal tea first." Blake swallowed hard.

Black Widow noticed Blake's gaze and smiled slightly.

"Quickly set up the tent. I'll go place a few small devices to help us with the lookout. If we're unlucky, we might have to stay here for a week."

Due to the issue of national borders, they couldn't enter the country in large numbers.

They had to find the people secretly first, follow them to scout the location, determine the number of people and weapons, and especially locate Tony Stark.

Only then could they decide what to do next.

Although they might have to stay for a week, just as Blake finished setting up the tent, the laptop issued an alert sound.

"Such good luck?"

Blake ran to the laptop in a few steps. Although he wasn't very good with the software, he saw a close-up on the screen: a SUV with four people inside, the front two with facial similarity scores of 87% and 89%.

Even a fool could understand this.

"It should be them, let's go!"

The telescope kept them locked in sight. Blake quickly tidied up.

The two got in the car and followed the SUV from a distance.

They followed it all the way west, bumping along the desert for more than three hours.

Finally, they found their lair.

Blake was extremely grateful to have Black Widow by his side. In the desert, tracking a car was tricky; too close, and they might be discovered; too far, and they might lose track.

Because the tire tracks would soon be covered by sand.

Additionally, Blake was naturally a bit directionally challenged. If he were alone in the desert, even with GPS, finding people would be hard; not getting lost would be a miracle.

They observed with the telescope along the way until the SUV stopped again behind a sand dune.

The two of them lay on the dune and took out the telescope.

The terrorists were really good at choosing locations; this place was near the borders of Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. (In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, not reflecting reality! Geography experts, don't criticize.)

Geographically, it was closer to Pakistan, and it was an uninhabited desert.

They didn't know where they found such a sandy slope and a small hill with a gravel structure.

There were several caves in the small hill, with a sandy slope in front and a crack running through the middle.

It created a small canyon-like terrain.

From the ground, you couldn't see anything from a distance.

Even from the air, you had to carefully observe from a close distance.

No wonder so many people couldn't find Tony Stark.

Finding the place was just the beginning. Over the next three days, Black Widow showed Blake what professionalism truly meant through her actions.

By observing the entry and exit of vehicles and the transportation of supplies, she roughly estimated that there were about 70-80 people in this small base.

From the water, food, and other materials delivered regularly to a cave, it was inferred that not only were there hostages, but it was highly likely that Tony Stark was there, as they might be manufacturing weapons in the cave.

What impressed Blake the most was that she could lie on the sand dune all day, watching the terrorists' camp through binoculars.

She dug a small sand pit and covered herself with a camouflage suit to avoid sunburn. This allowed her to go without water for an entire day, reducing the need for bathroom breaks.

And this was in the desert.

Compared to some flashback scenes in movies, this gave Blake a more direct understanding of how brutal her training must have been.

To facilitate observation, they set up a small tent behind the sand dune.

Even though they were far enough from the terrorists' camp, they didn't dare to light a fire at night.

Tonight, the moonlight was good, and under it, Blake looked at Black Widow's exquisite face.

For some reason, he felt a bit sad. After all, she was only twenty-four years old.

"If you had the chance to live a different life, a normal life, would you take it?"

It was rare to be alone with this stunning beauty every night over the past few days. Blake usually flirted with her whenever he had the chance, but today, he suddenly asked this question.

Black Widow was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said,

"That's impossible. It's an impossible thing for me. I made many mistakes in the past, a lot of them. Now, for me, this is more like atonement. I'm very grateful for this opportunity."

Her smile carried a mix of guilt, shame, and unspeakable bitterness.

Blake suddenly became serious.

"It's not your fault, Natasha. Remember my words, you are just a sword, not the executioner. The mistake lies with the one who wields the sword. The weapon itself is neither right nor wrong."

This was the first time Blake called Black Widow "Natasha" and the first time he seriously comforted her.

Natasha was silent for a long time before she said, "Thank you!"

"We're preparing to take action tonight. Go rest for a while. We need to stay alert. There will be support coming. You take the night watch."

With that, Natasha turned and entered the tent.

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