Mercenary’s War
Chapter 1223: 1206: Soul of the North Stand

Chapter 1223: Chapter 1206: Soul of the North Stand

Gao Yang and Yelena had been deliberately given the wrong directions and had been searching for a while, but they still hadn’t found the Adriatico Stadium, which they should’ve reached long ago.

“The Ducati Multistrada could have been equipped with the factory GPS navigation system as an option. Unfortunately, our bike doesn’t have it. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have to go through all this trouble finding our way.”

Yelena didn’t sound very regretful about what she said. She was clearly excited. In fact, she was thoroughly enjoying the process of outsmarting and outrunning the police.

Finding a stadium shouldn’t have been particularly difficult. But when several police cars are chasing you from behind, and others occasionally show up ahead trying to block you, it’s a whole different story. Gao Yang and Yelena didn’t even have the luxury of stopping to ask for directions.

Finally, a beeping sound came through Gao Yang’s helmet. Busy dodging the cops, he couldn’t find a moment to make a call, so he quickly answered.

“Hello, Boss, are you there yet?”

Gao Yang felt immensely grateful he had connected his phone with his helmet via Bluetooth. He shouted, “We’re here! Hurry up and tell me how to get to the stadium. Damn it, we’re being chased and blocked by the police!”

“What? You’re being chased by the police? Tell me where you are!”

Gao Yang looked at the road signs at the intersection ahead and quickly said, “We’re in the center of Pescara, trying to lose the cops in the alleys. Not sure where we are, but we’re heading north now! We’re out of the alley. I see a river—we’re about to get on a bridge!”

“No, wrong! The stadium is in the southeast corner of Pescara! If you’re near the coast or find Viale Street, it’ll be much easier to locate the stadium. I’m waiting for you at the square in front of the stadium entrance. I’ll help you shake off the cops! Listen, just head straight into the crowd wearing Palermo jerseys!”

Gao Yang shouted, “What color are your jerseys?”

“Pink! Light pink!”

After hanging up, Gao Yang shouted aloud, “We’re heading to the coast, following the coastline southeast. Those damned bastards gave us directions in the complete opposite direction. Idiots!”

“I heard your conversation.”

Yelena responded to Gao Yang, then immediately turned the bike around, darted into another alley to evade the cops temporarily, and emerged from the other side heading in the right direction.

Gao Yang sighed helplessly, “The police here are way more diligent than the ones in Rome. Good thing we’re in the city.”

With a clear direction, Yelena could easily outmaneuver the police. Pescara’s city center was full of narrow alleyways, perfect for motorbikes to navigate but inaccessible for cars.

After reaching the coastline and following the road alongside it for a while, Yelena suddenly shouted, “I see the signs!”

Turning a corner, Gao Yang quickly spotted a large stadium. As the motorbike continued forward, he noticed a crowd of fans wearing blue jerseys waiting to enter. While riding around the stadium, Gao Yang finally saw a sea of pink.

Palermo’s home jerseys were light pink. A big group of fans gathered together resembled a massive flock of flamingos. Gao Yang didn’t bother mocking the soft, flashy color. Instead, seeing the flamingo-like ocean of fans, he felt an unexpected warmth.

The only issue was that Italy’s football hooligans were infamous. Wherever there were big crowds of fans, there were bound to be lots of police…

The fans of the two sides were kept far apart, with a large number of police stationed in between. Gao Yang couldn’t help but ask nervously, “Can we get through?”

Yelena shouted confidently, “No problem!”

The parking lot outside the stadium was vast, and behind the Palermo fans was another parking area. As Yelena rode the motorbike toward the crowd, she quickly caught the attention of the police, since she wasn’t following the designated route. Just as the police started shouting and pointing at her and Gao Yang, a large group of Palermo fans began yelling and waving at them wildly from afar.

The Palermo fans surged forward at once, leaving their positions. This immediately put the police on high alert. However, just then, Yelena seized the opportunity to break through the police line, driving directly into the crowd of Palermo fans.

The fans parted, allowing Gao Yang and Yelena to enter their midst. They then closed ranks, forming a protective cocoon around the pair and gradually retreating back.

Gao Yang got off the motorbike, nearly stumbling as his legs felt weak beneath him.

Surrounded by Palermo fans clad in pink jerseys, Gao Yang walked through the crowd while Yelena slowly rolled the motorbike alongside. As they moved, some fans patted Gao Yang on the shoulder in a friendly gesture, while others yelled, “Tell Rafael his friends are here! Pass the word—get Rafael over here now!”

Moments later, Rafael pushed his way through the crowd with about a dozen people in tow, carrying rolled-up banners.

Spotting Gao Yang, Rafael shouted excitedly, “Boss! Boss, I’m here!”

Bounding over to Gao Yang, Rafael pulled out two jerseys and shouted, “Quick, put these on! Hand me your helmets! Guys, take off this bike’s license plate and hide it!”

Yelena turned off the motorbike, dismounted, and removed her helmet.

The moment Yelena took off her helmet, the sound of whistles erupted all around. Rafael exclaimed dramatically, “Wow, Yelena, you look stunning today! Hand me your helmet.”

Someone stepped forward to steady the bike. Yelena passed her helmet to Rafael with a smile, “Thank you, Rafael.”

Rafael handed the helmet off to someone beside him and then asked anxiously, “Are the cops chasing you?”

Gao Yang exhaled deeply and shook his head, “I’m not sure, but I think they’re still after us. They were on us pretty tight.”

Rafael grinned, “Don’t worry, you’re safe now that you’re here.”

Rafael turned around and rattled off orders in Italian to the people around him. A group quickly unfurled the large banners, one person began pushing the motorbike to the parking lot, while two others used the banners to cover the bike.

Gao Yang slipped on a pink jersey, glanced around, and chuckled, “Quite the turnout.”

Rafael waved his hand with a laugh, “We’ve brought around three thousand people this time, Boss. Don’t worry; this is our turf. Just our group alone is over two thousand strong. You’re totally safe here.”

Gao Yang grinned, “You’re part of a fan organization?”

Rafael nodded, “That’s right—Palermo North Stand Soul. Boss, let me introduce you to my friend, Filet. He’s the president of North Stand Soul.”

Saying this, Rafael turned to a man in his forties standing beside him and called out, “Hey, Filet, this is the Boss I’ve been telling you about.”

Gao Yang shook hands with Filet, who smiled warmly, “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Welcome, my friend, and thank you for coming to cheer for Palermo.”

Just as Gao Yang was about to reply, his satellite phone suddenly rang. Apologizing to Filet, Gao Yang pulled the phone from his waist pouch.

A satellite phone ringing usually meant something urgent. Rafael tensed slightly, but Gao Yang furrowed his brow as he glanced at the caller ID. He said in a deep voice, “It’s a call from Number Thirteen.”

(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit qidian.com to cast your votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, visit m.qidian.com for reading.)