Gray Zone Warfare Rat's Nest

When deploying to Lamang Island, one of the earliest progression roadblocks players encounter is the Gray Zone Warfare rat's nest task. Assigned by Gunny, this contract requires operators to infiltrate their faction's respective starter town, locate two critical pieces of criminal intel, and safely return them to the Forward Operating Base (FOB). Because this mission is handed out early, completing it is vital for building vendor reputation and unlocking higher-tier ammunition, weapon attachments, and rifles.

Unlike later sandbox operations, the difficulty of this task lies not in surviving heavily armored combatants, but in navigating dense urban structures and identifying the precise spawn locations of the required papers. The criminal lists and stashed notes are small physical objects that blend into the environment, making it easy to walk past them if you do not know exactly where to look.

For operators representing Crimson Shield International, the search takes place in the eastern starter town of Kiu Vongsa. The two pieces of intel are hidden in the northern and central blocks of the town, areas frequently patrolled by local militia armed with pistols and basic submachine guns.

The first piece of intel, the Thug's Note, is located in a single-story residential building with cracked concrete walls. Look for a small wooden table pushed against a stained mattress. The second piece of intel, the Criminal List, is situated inside a building closer to the construction site and water tower. Search the desk surface next to broken electronics to secure the ledger.

Mithras Security Systems operators must deploy to the western town of Nam Thaven. The urban layout here features narrow alleyways and dense vegetation, making short-barreled weapons like the AKS-74U highly effective for clearing rooms.

The first target is a small, run-down brick building located near the local marketplace coordinates. Inside, the Thug's Note sits on top of a plastic chair in the corner of a dimly lit bedroom. The second objective, the Criminal List, is located in a multi-room house near the gas station. Walk past the main entrance, enter the back room, and look for a wooden shelf unit where the documents spawn next to a radio receiver.

LRI operators are directed to Pha Lang, located in the southern region of the island. The starter town features a large lumberyard and warehouse complex, meaning you will face longer sightlines compared to other faction zones.

For the first objective, head to the residential sector near the western town entrance. The Thug's Note is located on a wooden crate inside a small garage workshop. The second objective, the Criminal List, requires navigating to the residential buildings near the water tower. The documents are placed on a desk inside a small office room on the ground floor of a two-story building.

To complete the mission safely and minimize the risk of losing your gear, follow this optimized deployment sequence. Earning vendor progression is smooth when you treat every raid as a systematic extraction process.

Running starter missions successfully requires balancing cost and combat efficiency. Because you are going up against unarmored or lightly armored rebel forces, expensive armor plates and high-penetration AP rounds are not strictly necessary.

Instead, focus on carrying plenty of medical supplies, high-capacity magazines, and utility items to handle bleedings and fractures. The table below details an optimal budget setup for clearing out the rat's nests.