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Chapter 6: New Zealand's fool Kiwi day

In mid-April 2022, Peyton was now accompanying New Zealand's E Coy, 2 Field Squadron, 2 Engineer Regiment. Shortly after meeting with the soldiers she would accompany, Peyton and the soldiers ate their breakfast before heading to the parking lot, where they would board Bushmaster PMV armored trucks. Once near their vehicles, the soldiers and Peyton got briefed over the possible hazards they could encounter during their patrol in the Grey Zone, which by now mostly consisted of unexploded ordnance, rollovers and landslide. But their LtCol didn't forget the possibility of small-arms fire, rocket launchers, suicide bombers and roadside bombs, even if everyone was in a country at peace. He also reminded everyone there was a hostile country just below the UN control zone.

The soldiers and Peyton then boarded their armored transports before patrolling in their vehicles into the Grey Zone, where they met numerous local military and law enforcement backed up by the UN forces, all of them protecting aid workers from numerous international humanitarian organizations. The Kiwis didn't talk much, so Peyton decided to interview those she was seating with.

"How would you describe your patrols?" Peyton asked a young soldier.

"Pretty boring. Not much to do after dismounting our vehicles and not any violation of the buffer zone. When everything goes right, there's something fishy. But the better things go, the more complicated they are." the soldier replied.

"What do you think about your withdrawal?" Peyton told him.

"Well, it's their own problem. I don't like how they give up after everything settles down. Our allies and partners may be competent but they still have a lot to learn." the young soldier answered.

"Thanks." Peyton told him

"It was a pleasure talking to a journalist." the soldier said.

Peyton interviewed another soldier, who was a little bit older than the previous one and was sitting in front of her.

"How do you feel about the future of the Coalition?" Peyton asked.

"Well, I've been a little shocked, yet not surprised, that Romania, Israel, Mexico, Hungary, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Japan, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Bosnia, North Macedonia, France, Tonga and so many other countries who were members of the Coalition withdrew from it to provide only peacekeepers for the UN command, or simply to handle their domestic problems. I think things won't be so much the same if the Coalition withdraws 50% of its combat forces. It will feel a little weird." the second soldier politely answered.

"Thanks for giving me your opinion." Peyton said.

"No problem." that soldier replied.

Just as Peyton's improvised interview ended, the convoy stopped, meaning the soldiers would continue by foot. Peyton and the soldiers dismounted their vehicles before the PMVs rolled back to base. Now in the Grey Zone, the heavily-armed patrol crossed path with both local troops and UN peacekeepers. The New Zealand soldiers were armed with Glock-17 pistols, 7.62mm Minimi machine guns, LMT MARS-L rifles, some with RM Equipment M203PI grenade launchers, and LMT-308 MWS marksman rifles. Peyton also had a Glock-17 and a Benelli M3 shotgun for self defense.

As the patrol was walking, the captain stopped in his tracks and dived to the ground. Peyton and the soldiers did the same and let out their bayonet to scan the ground with it. The captain indeed saw international aid workers scanning the ground for unexploded ordnance with metal detectors. As soon as Peyton heard a 'twing', she let out a small flag and marked an unexploded mortar shell for destruction. The soldier to Peyton's left marked an unexploded grenade while the one to her right marked an unexploded howitzer shell. For seven hours, Peyton and the New Zealand combat engineers kept scanning the area for unexploded ordnance, finding two hundred UXOs in that period of time. They then dug up the UXO, carefully stockpiled them in an unused ditch and blew them up with M18 Claymore mines under the stunned humanitarians' eyes.