Mercenary's War

Gao Yang stayed in the mansion of Shava for two days in Kiev, as there were far more enemies than friends in Kiev for him, so it was better to keep a low profile.

On the morning of the third day when it was time to leave, both Rebrov and Joseph looked refreshed, having shaken off all the problems they had bottled up in Yemen.

Only Gao Yang had dark circles from unfulfilled desires, but luckily, he would soon leave Ukraine for America.

It’s a long way from Kiev to Donetsk, and the journey is not safe, but he could only go by land. Fortunately, Gao Yang no longer needed to arrange everything himself, as Shava had everything set up for him.

Gao Yang didn’t heed Shava’s advice to bring more people with him. He just brought two of Shava’s small-time associates to smooth things over on the road. As for his safety, Shava’s people weren’t much help, and having too many people would only draw more attention.

In an off-road vehicle, Rebrov was driving and Joseph was in the passenger seat, both engrossed in their conversation.

"Shava really knows how to enjoy life."

"Yeah, his girlfriend didn’t mind it at all. I’ve got a new perspective on the lifestyle of those gang leaders. I have to say, it’s quite a life."

"Those were two unforgettable days, Porcupine. Now that you’re a rich man too, don’t you want to..."

Gao Yang shouted, "Hey, hey, let’s get back to business now. Focus your mind."

Rebrov shrugged then laughed, "Boss, I really didn’t expect you to hold it together. I’ve got a new perspective on you, too. You obviously truly love your girlfriend. It’s incredible. You’re quite a big shot now, yet so committed to your feelings. I now believe you won’t fall for another woman! Absolutely!"

Gao Yang felt a bit embarrassed, because Joseph was there. If Joseph wasn’t, he’d take Rebrov’s words as a compliment. But with Joseph there, it felt like Rebrov’s words were sarcastic.

There’s no way to hide many things from others, but you can’t hide them from your bodyguard.

Gao Yang’s face felt a bit hot, but Joseph didn’t show any hint of noticing anything unusual, just nodded occasionally to agree with Rebrov.

"Alright, alright, focus your mind. Let’s not talk about women. If everything goes smoothly, we might meet Nate tonight. Think about the manpower you need."

Rebrov immediately said, "Of course, I certainly know what kind of people we need. I’m just worried Nate might not give us his last artillerymen. Of course, those artillerymen might not want to leave either."

Gao Yang had a bit of a headache, sighed and said, "Nate is such a miser, he definitely won’t let us have the best artillerymen. Figure something out."

Joseph suddenly said, "Boss, why must we look for artillerymen in Ukraine? There are so many retired artillerymen in the world, as long as the money is right, why not find them elsewhere?"

Gao Yang sighed, "But where else has the excellent conditions Ukraine has? The artillerymen here are trained under the Soviet artillery doctrine, they have solid skills, and since there’s a war going on, they’re full of hands-on experience. The main thing is that finding people here is convenient. I don’t have to look all over the world and then gather artillerymen who speak different languages and have different training together."

Joseph nodded and said, "Alright, Ukraine does have very convenient conditions."

At this point, Rebrov said, "Boss, when is Rabbit arriving? Wasn’t he eager to meet Lilia? Why didn’t he come with us?"

Gao Yang snorted and said, "Rabbit? He values his gun more than women. He wants to go to America first to maintain his gun, then buy bullets. Only after that’s done will he come to Ukraine to see his girlfriend. We don’t have time to wait for him."

Rebrov laughed and said, "That guy. But I really admire him, also Rabbit’s girlfriend; both of them are quite... unusual."

Gao Yang replied angrily, "If you want to say they’re not normal, just say it. No need to beat around the bush. One’s silly, the other’s daft. They’re definitely not normal people."

"Actually, I think Lilia is really amazing and great. She’s never forgotten why she picked up a gun in the first place. This woman is a true hero."

Rebrov suddenly said, and then everyone seemed to suddenly lose interest in chatting, and the car quickly fell into silence, only to find a topic to talk about again much later.

They frequently encountered checkpoints along the way. Although they could pass through all the checkpoints safely, the road conditions weren’t good, and they often encountered roads interrupted due to the fighting, which wasted a lot of time on the road.

Moving through the territories controlled by the Government Forces was relatively smooth, but upon entering Eastern Ukraine, the journey became slower. The main fighting happened in Eastern Ukraine, so the roads were more damaged, and there were many small factions in Eastern Ukraine, each with their own control zones. Passing through these areas required extra caution.

However, as Gao Yang passed through these territories occupied by various factions, he was smooth due to having so many connections he could use. The most it would do was delay him for some time, but he would never be detained or attacked.

The isolating effect of war on transportation was evident. Although it wasn’t a very long distance, and the journey was quite smooth, Gao Yang and his group still took a day and a night to complete.

Twenty-eight hours after setting out, Gao Yang finally met Nate.

No matter when and where, Nate always maintained his rare demeanor.

Wearing a Russian-style military green T-shirt common in Eastern Ukraine, Russian-style camouflage pants below, and a pair of polished combat boots, standing upright with hands behind his back, when Gao Yang got out of the car and walked toward him, Nate took his left hand from behind his back, glanced at his watch, and sternly said, "You’re late! Twelve hours late!"

Gao Yang didn’t speak, just gave Nate the middle finger, shaking it a few times before loudly saying, "Buddy, I said the most optimistic estimate was arriving in sixteen hours, not that it was sure to be sixteen hours."

Nate put his hands back behind him, still stern as he said, "I was supposed to go somewhere else, but I wasted twelve hours waiting for you."

Gao Yang impatiently waved his hand and said, "Cut the crap. Do you want top-notch Yemeni coffee or not? Six varieties, you can’t buy them with money. If you want it, give me a quick smile to show your welcome, come on!"

Nate hesitated, his facial muscles twitched a few times, and after three seconds, he immediately extended his right hand, loudly saying to Gao Yang, "Welcome."

Though Nate’s smile was a bit stiff.

Gao Yang didn’t care about how perfunctory Nate’s smile was. He shook hands with Nate, then turned to Rebrov and said, "Unload the gifts from the car, remember, only take the samples."