"Holy shit!" (An American slang expression similar to "Oh crap!" or "What the hell?")
Ray's face immediately fell after hearing Dr. Lucien's words, and he muttered in disbelief, "Are you saying we're about to handle *this thing*?"
For someone who was about to become a father in roughly a week, dealing with something this dangerous felt far too overwhelming.
But this was precisely why DEVGRU existed. As the apex of special operations forces, it was their role to tackle the most difficult missions.
Whether or not you found it acceptable was irrelevant—you had to accept it unconditionally and give it your all to complete the mission.
"To wear the crown, one must bear its weight."
Of course, Ray had been with Team B for over a decade. He'd faced every kind of difficult mission imaginable. He wasn't afraid of carrying out a dangerous biochemical operation.
What he couldn't bear was the thought of not being by his wife's side when she gave birth.
Mandy and Eric were well aware of Ray's situation. Neither responded to his question, their silence speaking louder than any words could.
"Maybe it's not that bad," Jason said, patting his old friend Ray on the shoulder to comfort him. Then he turned to Mandy and asked, "I don't think the mission itself will be too much of a problem. How are you arranging the personnel?"
"We've given that a lot of thought," Mandy replied, picking up a folder from the table and flipping it open. "This mission is quite unique. Collecting biochemical samples is going to be particularly troublesome for you all.
"As such, you'll need to bring along a biochemical expert to handle any issues related to the gas bombs."
Mandy gestured toward Dr. Lucien as she spoke.
"Apologies," Dr. Lucien said, his voice laced with self-awareness. "I know I'm not an ideal choice and might slow you down, but I think you'd all prefer not to deal with this sort of thing yourselves."
Dr. Lucien was absolutely correct. No one, except for a professional biochemical expert, would willingly handle something that could kill you with a single breath.
No matter how frail Dr. Lucien appeared, bringing him along was non-negotiable.
The members of Team B understood this clearly. None of them raised any objections, their silence signaling their acceptance of Dr. Lucien joining the mission.
Mandy continued, "In addition to Dr. Lucien, you'll also need to bring two EOD specialists (explosive ordnance disposal experts) and a senior translator.
"This translator must not only be fluent in Arabic, Syria's official language, but also in ancient Aramaic to ensure seamless communication with the locals and prevent any unexpected issues during the mission.
"Due to the limitations on team size for this operation, the translator must also possess Tier 1 combat capabilities, enabling them to serve as an auxiliary member of your assault team to bolster Team B's manpower.
"At present, there's only one individual who meets all these criteria."
Mandy clearly enjoyed building suspense, deliberately pausing at this point, her smile growing even more pronounced.
"Damn, Arabic is already complicated enough, and now they need someone who understands an ancient dialect? And Tier 1 combat skills? How could such a person even exist?" Brock exclaimed in disbelief.
Arabic is divided into standard Arabic and dialects. Generally, Arabic dialects include Egyptian, Syrian, Maghrebi, and others. Even standard Arabic isn't entirely uniform.
In reality, people from most Arab countries often can't understand the Arabic spoken by individuals from other Arab nations.
It's like the regional dialects in China—despite all being labeled as "Chinese," people often struggle to understand one another.
Faced with Brock's skepticism, Mandy confidently responded, "Of course such a person exists. Not only are they fluent in Arabic and Aramaic, but they also speak six other languages. They're a linguistic prodigy fluent in seven languages.
"And to give you a little hint, you've worked with them not too long ago."
"What the—? Seven languages? That's insane! Did they install Google Translate in their brain?" Sonny blurted out, his face a mix of shock and disbelief, too overwhelmed to even guess who it might be.
Having worked together for so long, the core members of Team B knew each other inside out. Mandy's confident assertion immediately brought to mind two newcomers from their last mission: Clay and Long Zhan.
Jason, knowing that special operations soldiers were required to learn foreign languages, recalled that Clay had been selected for the previous mission due to his proficiency in Urdu. However, he wasn't entirely sure about Long Zhan's linguistic abilities.
Taking a chance, Jason ventured a guess, "Could it be… Long Gibran?"
"Correct," Mandy replied, her lips curling into a sly smile. "He's been studying Latin with me recently. It won't be long before he becomes fluent in eight languages."
"Oh my god!"
The revelation left everyone in Team B stunned, their expressions growing more colorful by the second.
"The Special Warfare Development Group has never had anyone with such exceptional linguistic talent. I think he'd achieve even greater success as a translator in the State Department," Commander Eric remarked with awe, both surprised that someone like Long Zhan had joined the military and pleased that the military had such a gifted individual.
Seeing Eric's thoughts written all over his face, Mandy chuckled knowingly and said, "Perhaps he simply prefers a challenge."
"I knew that kid was special," Sonny chimed in, raising his voice. "Jason, once he's done with Green Team training, make sure to recruit him. Don't let any other team snatch him away.
"Seriously, though, I weigh over 200 pounds, so why is learning even one foreign language such a struggle for me?" Sonny added with a tinge of jealousy.
"Long is a great asset. If we need an external recruit for this mission, he's the best choice," Brock said, stepping in to support Long Zhan.
He vividly remembered the last mission, when Long Zhan had boarded the plane but chose to disembark without hesitation to assist his teammates.
"That big guy's pretty interesting. I'm looking forward to working with him again," Trent added.
Seeing the positive reception from everyone, Mandy felt genuinely happy for Long Zhan. Their relationship had already grown quite strong. Finally, she turned to Jason and asked, "What do you think of the recruit?"
The choice of external personnel had already been approved by Commander Eric before the meeting. With no objections from the other team members, it was now up to Jason, the team leader, to make the final decision.
"Notify him. Tomorrow morning, make sure he's here to discuss the operational plan," Jason said decisively, sealing the matter on the spot.