Mercenary's War

There’s a saying that fear stems from the unknown.

For Gao Yang, the fear was clearly not because of the unknown, but the known.

Gao Yang knew the identity of the person sitting in front of him, and that was the real reason for his fear.

Cerberus, one of America’s strongest two Special Forces units, the pinnacle of global superpower, the crown jewel, the sharpest point of the blade.

Yet Cerberus’s strength was not the reason for Gao Yang’s fear, because Gao Yang had faced and defeated both the Butter Knife and Cerberus, so Cerberus’s power was at least not the sole reason for his fear.

Why would the commander of America’s most elite unit apply for a job at Solar System Company? That’s what Gao Yang feared the most, and in that sense, fear indeed stems from the unknown.

Gao Yang’s first reaction was that his identity had been exposed and enemies came knocking, his second reaction was that someone sent Karl Stemonsen as an undercover agent.

The sudden retirement of Cerberus’s commander, then applying to a newly established company just to be a field operative exchanging life for money, Gao Yang absolutely didn’t believe it.

Cerberus was the name the KGB gave to America’s strongest Special Forces unit, so what the real name of Cerberus was, Gao Yang didn’t actually know, but he knew that even ordinary members of this unit wouldn’t end up surviving as mercenaries.

As for Cerberus’s commander, that was even less plausible.

But Karl Stemonsen showed up here.

In terms of combat strength, Cerberus was far stronger than Satan.

Satan was powerful, but claiming it’s stronger than the most elite unit trained by America over the years, supported by America’s national strength, is a joke.

Yet Satan annihilated a whole unit of Cerberus in Ukraine, leaving only a handful behind, so claiming it was complete annihilation is quite reasonable.

This is a mortal enemy, a blood feud between Satan and Cerberus, between Gao Yang and Cerberus, with the American military, an irreconcilable blood-for-blood vendetta.

Now, this absolute mortal enemy appears with irresistible strength right in front of him, how could Gao Yang not be afraid.

Instinctively, Gao Yang reacted in what he considered necessary—remaining calm, but he was extremely frightened, so when he realized Karima intended to say something, he immediately held Karima’s hand, fearing she might say something she shouldn’t.

What counts as something that shouldn’t be said? Gao Yang didn’t actually know, it was just an instinctive action.

Karl Stemonsen, now Gao Yang knew his name.

Karl Stemonsen must die! Those few brought by Karl Stemonsen must die! This was Gao Yang’s only thought now.

Feeling Karima’s hand gently struggled a bit, Gao Yang realized his gaffe, so he quickly released her hand, remaining calm as he listened to what Karl Stemonsen had to say.

Gao Yang didn’t have a gun on him, so he really wanted Joseph to come in, and he was eager to call, to summon every force he could.

Is it necessary to use the last resort?

Gao Yang was constantly pondering this question.

Having Cerberus’s people here implies that he might already be exposed, applying for the job was just a cover, Gao Yang was sure of it, since if his identity was likely already exposed, thinking he could safely leave American soil is a fantasy; in such a situation, only the final means could be used.

As Gao Yang was drifting into worst-case scenario thoughts, Karl Stemonsen continued calmly, "I’m here simply because you offer the highest salary, and my companions and I need money, nothing more."

"Mr. Stemonsen, we can indeed offer the highest pay in the industry, but I at least need to know which unit you’re from and what your specialties are, otherwise I can’t offer you the job, because in my view, confidentiality is not an excuse, I’m also from a confidential unit, so I know there are things you really can’t talk about, but not everything, and my questions are ones you can answer."

The interview leader was an old soldier, insisting on necessary answers.

Karl Stemonsen seemed very tired, shaking his head, then spreading his hands and said, "That’s just because your confidentiality level isn’t high enough."

Sighing, Karl Stemonsen helplessly stated, "The name of my unit is top secret, my duties are top secret, everything’s top secret. I can only tell you we come from the same unit, we’re the best, other than that I won’t tell you anything. You ask what I’m good at, I can answer that—a special operations soldier’s required skills, we have them all, and are the best at them."

Now Gao Yang was utterly confused because if Karl Stemonsen was sent here on orders, he should have a reasonable identity and excuse for applying, but Karl Stemonsen behaved oddly, not how someone infiltrating Solar System as an undercover should conduct themselves.

Besides, Cerberus is a military combat unit, not an undercover agent.

At this moment, the interviewer shook his head, pushed the list in front of him, and said helplessly, "Unfortunately, you cannot pass..."

Karl Stemonsen’s conversation with the interviewer fell apart, Gao Yang immediately panicked.

Gao Yang feared not Karl Stemonsen himself but the significance of his sudden appearance. So far, everything Karl Stemonsen conveyed couldn’t reveal his purpose in applying; thus, regardless of Karl Stemonsen’s intentions, at least he couldn’t be dismissed at this moment.

Keeping an extremely dangerous enemy in sight is undoubtedly better than pushing this enemy into the shadows, much better.

Gao Yang looked at Karima, who immediately understood his intention—to remedy the situation.

"Please wait."

Karima promptly stood up, interrupting the interviewer’s words.

Then Karima walked forward, apologetically telling the interviewer, "Sorry, I sincerely apologize for disrupting your work, but we currently require some very excellent retired Special Forces combat personnel, so I must speak with this gentleman. They’ll be under my care, please continue with your work."

Karima represented the boss, her words were, of course, unquestionable, so the interviewer shrugged and said, "Alright then."

Karima looked at Karl Stemonsen, smiling, "Mr. Stemonsen, if you agree, can we change rooms for further conversation, do you agree?"