Mercenary's War

Leave it to the cleaners, it’s quick, easy, and convenient.

Gao Yang’s past collaborations with the cleaners have all ended well, whether it’s trivial matters or major tasks, the cleaners have never failed.

But this time, Gao Yang readily agreed to the conditions set by the cleaners, yet Murphy couldn’t immediately announce the deal was made.

"Hold on, we have more conditions."

Murphy had more conditions, which surprised Gao Yang slightly, so he immediately asked, "What other conditions?"

"We are only responsible for rescuing the people and delivering them to you or a location of your choice. Our involvement ends there."

Gao Yang immediately panicked. If the cleaners only did half the job, leaving the rest to him, he wouldn’t be able to handle it.

The four members of Cerberus are now the focus of high attention nationwide. Rescuing them from the military’s siege is indeed difficult, but ensuring their protection is even harder.

Rescuing Karl Stemonsen and the others is to give them a chance to assassinate Grand Ivan, so they cannot die. Even faking their deaths or finding stand-ins to temporarily end the matter won’t do.

Whether it’s faking deaths or having the cleaners find people to die in place of Karl and the others, it means the U.S. Government will close the case. Then, after some time, when Grand Ivan suddenly claims an attack by four American soldiers, there’ll be disputes.

So currently, with the U.S. Government making a big show of wanting to kill Karl and the others at any cost, as long as they haven’t been confirmed dead, this matter is far from over.

If the cleaners just start the job and shove the rescued individuals into Gao Yang’s hands, then Gao Yang would be courting disaster.

Gao Yang went to great lengths to distance himself from Karl and the others. If he were caught harboring them by the Americans, all efforts to conceal his identity would be in vain. What else could it be but courting death?

"Hand them over to me? Are you kidding? What’s the point of all this if you don’t ensure their safety first? Who does only half a job?"

Gao Yang refused Murphy’s condition without hesitation, but Murphy helplessly said, "You don’t understand what this means; the risk is too high for us, and any risk of exposure is a no-go. Do you understand?"

"But you’ve already done it by rescuing them, which is the maximum risk we’re willing to take. Ensuring their safety means a long time, needing a lot of personnel, and any step could go wrong. So we can’t do that."

Gao Yang reluctantly said, "Then what do we do?"

"As I said, handing them over to your designated person or place means we’ve fulfilled the agreement."

Gao Yang thought for a moment, then said quietly, "Can you send them to Somalia?"

Murphy chuckled dryly, then immediately said, "Impossible, we won’t take them out of the country. That’s your responsibility."

Gao Yang sighed, "If something happens to me, I’d still turn to you for a solution. So, not sending them out of the U.S. means more trouble for both of us."

"No way, there’s no room for negotiation."

Murphy claimed there was no room for negotiation, but what he had been saying was essentially bargaining. If truly impossible to send them out, Murphy wouldn’t have expressed it this way.

Gao Yang hesitated for a moment, then said quietly, "How about sending them to Mexico? Mexico is so close, there shouldn’t be an issue, right?"

Murphy paused briefly, then said quietly, "To Matamoros, Mexico, and that’s the end of it."

Exhaling, Gao Yang said in a deep voice, "Alright, send them to Matamoros. I’ll immediately arrange for someone to prepare to receive them."

Murphy said quietly, "It’s best to hurry and call your doctor, because the condition of the goods is not good. We can at most ensure the goods won’t die in transit, but after reaching Mexico, they’re your problem."

It seems the situation of Cerberus’s members isn’t good, but that’s not surprising. Houston’s police have gone crazy, the National Guard has been deployed, and even Texas’s garrison has started to act, as the U.S. high ranks are well aware of Cerberus’s capabilities.

"How are they? Can their survival be ensured? If not, there’s no need to rescue."

Murphy said flatly, "At least one is injured, and their whereabouts are discovered. By the time of our call, they might already be dead. If you wish to cancel the mission now, that would be for the best."

Gao Yang sighed, feeling a bit impatient, "F**k! It’s getting more troublesome."

After hesitating a moment, Gao Yang reluctantly said, "No matter what, try to save them, even if one survives. If they’re injured, it doesn’t matter. As long as one survives, save them!"

If they can’t be saved, nothing can be done. If one survives, both Gao Yang and Grand Ivan can muster the needed people for Karl. As long as one from Cerberus can still go to South Africa.

Reluctantly accepting the task, Murphy, in an annoyed tone, said, "Alright, starting now, this task can’t be canceled. No matter if they’re dead or alive, you owe four hundred million dollars. You know how challenging this is, so we can’t guarantee success. If you agree, then hang up and wait for my notice."

Gao Yang hung up and muttered to himself, "I can’t leave, nor can you two, Andy He and Albert have to go to Matamoros, Mexico now. Toad is in New York, he has to go too, three people aren’t enough, Frey, he and Jinfang can go together."

He called Satan’s four members to drop everything and head to Mexico as fast as they can. After the task, Gao Yang started worrying again.

If the four of Cerberus are indeed rescued, where should they be placed?

The Solar System Company won’t do; neither in the U.S. nor abroad will work. These four are hot potatoes and cannot be associated with the Solar System Company. No risks can be taken.

The diamond mine won’t do. Although it’s suited for a few people, it’s Gao Yang and Morgan’s biggest secret and can’t be risked.

Handing them to Grand Ivan isn’t an option. The members of Cerberus lack intel but aren’t fools.

To ensure control over Cerberus, Gao Yang can’t just shrug it off. There must be a place to properly house them, but it must also isolate Cerberus from Satan and the Solar System Company. Finding a suitable place really isn’t easy.