Mercenary's War

The people from Cerberus seem to be in need of money, but when Gao Yang mentioned a rule that all company employees actually knew, three of the four looked very interested.

Karl Stemonsen bowed his head in thought for a moment, then nodded towards Gao Yang and said solemnly, "Thank you."

Gao Yang escorted Karl and his three companions to the door, then Karima led the four away. Once Gao Yang closed the door, the smile that had been on his face disappeared instantly.

Returning to his seat, Gao Yang rested his hand on his forehead. After pondering for a moment, he finally said in a deep voice, "What do you think of these people?"

Joseph was a bodyguard, and a bodyguard’s ability to judge people must be very precise. Otherwise, how could they identify those with ill intentions in a crowd? Although Joseph didn’t have many opportunities to show this skill, he was indeed quite talented.

"None of them were carrying guns."

The first thing to say is the most concerning issue. Then Joseph went on in a deep voice, "All four of them were unconsciously coordinating with each other’s moves, but regardless of whether they were entering the room, sitting down, or leaving, Karl was always the one facing forward, and each of the other three was responsible for a direction. At no time did all four face the same direction simultaneously."

Gao Yang nodded slightly and said, "I didn’t notice that."

Joseph said solemnly, "They don’t have hostility, but they maintain a small group action pattern. This pattern implies an armed action mode rather than being unarmed. So I confirm they aren’t hostile. Then there’s only one explanation for their behavior: they are a group that has been coordinating for a particularly long time. Coordination has become instinctive. As long as there are two people together, no visual blind spots are left open for manipulation."

Gao Yang took a breath and said, "That’s right, they’re very skilled."

"They’re soldiers. If you plan to let them join Satan, I think... they would be the most formidable combat group. We won’t be able to achieve a tacit coordination with them, but they are already the strongest four-person combat team in the world."

Gao Yang suddenly laughed, then he looked at Joseph and shook his head with a helpless smile, saying, "Impossible, impossible."

"What’s impossible?"

Gao Yang’s expression grew serious, and he said solemnly, "You don’t know what’s going on; I’ll tell you about it later. For now, you just need to know one thing: between us and them, only one party can survive. There’s no other possibility."

Joseph was completely shocked, exclaiming, "What?"

Gao Yang said coldly, "If there truly are enemies in this world who cannot coexist under the same sky, who must be killed no matter what, it is us and them!"

Joseph looked shocked and said, "I thought, I thought you wanted to recruit them..."

Gao Yang tugged at his clothes, took out his pistol, and placed it on the table, then said distressfully, "What I’m thinking about is how to take them out, only how to take them out silently, without risk."

Joseph pondered for a moment, then cautiously said, "They seem to be in great need of money. If they really join the Solar System Company, then assign them any task, and then..."

Gao Yang smiled bitterly, shook his head, and said, "I thought about doing this, but it won’t work, because they have at least eight people left, not four."

"Left? What do you mean?"

Gao Yang said solemnly, "I mean, they originally had many people, but most have been taken out by us. Now, there are still eight left. We shouldn’t act rashly without understanding their current situation. Making a move could expose us. So, where are the remaining four? How can we silently take them all out? That’s the key!"

With a bit of a headache, Gao Yang scratched his head, then immediately took out his phone. He had to seek help now.

But after picking up the phone, Gao Yang suddenly said, "Wait a minute, the U.S. Army’s bereavement payout isn’t low. Let me think."

The U.S. Army’s death benefits are only 6000 US Dollars; the bulk comes from insurance, typically 250,000 US Dollars, but this amount is not given all at once. It’s first given partially, then the rest gradually.

Now, the U.S. Army plans to increase insurance payouts, raising death insurance to 400,000 US Dollars. Additionally, soldiers can purchase commercial insurance themselves.

These are the insurance plans for regular troops; the premiums for the Special Forces, which face higher risks, are usually higher. Gao Yang estimates that a team like Cerberus must have death insurance coverage exceeding a million US Dollars.

However, recalling the expressions of Karl Stemonsen and his group earlier, they were quite surprised by the 600,000 US Dollars payout and seemed somewhat resentful. They didn’t appear to be able to get high insurance payouts.

"A group abandoned by the country, no, they’re rags, could it be..."

Gao Yang stood up and started pacing the room. At this moment, Karima gently knocked on the door from outside and then entered, saying softly, "They’ve left. I escorted them outside the office building and watched them leave from a location where they couldn’t see."

Gao Yang immediately asked, "How did they leave!"

"In a car, all four shared a vehicle, a silver Toyota Corolla. I went to the surveillance room and pulled the footage. It was an 06 Corolla, with a Texas plate, license SG11A."

Joseph was quite surprised by what Karima did after leaving, but Gao Yang wasn’t surprised at all, knowing that Karima could have such a response. Don’t forget, she used to be a Mossad undercover agent.

"Great, it looks like we can track down quite a bit. Four big guys crammed into a small car; nobody would rent such a small car. Renting a pickup wouldn’t cost much more than a Corolla. If the vehicle belongs to one of them, four people in one car... their financial situation must be dire indeed!"

Gao Yang felt invigorated. Now, they had no choice but to seek help from the cleaners, who are best at investigating such matters.

"Where are their application documents? Bring them all to me, and make sure to keep the surveillance footage safe."

After admonishing Karima again, Joseph said in a low voice, "Boss, should I follow them? We know the license plate; we might be able to find them."

"No, don’t make any unnecessary moves. Just treat them as ordinary applicants for now."

After Gao Yang finished, Karima pursed her lips but then said softly, "That car probably belongs to a woman. There were two dolls in the back window, and the plate had a pink frame."

Gao Yang picked up the phone and said solemnly, "No need for us to personally track them; we have professionals doing it for us."