Mercenary’s War
Chapter 1238: One Thousand Two Hundred Twenty-One: Want to Invest?

Chapter 1238: Chapter One Thousand Two Hundred Twenty-One: Want to Invest?

Gao Yang’s words did ease Fritz’s mood a little, but only slightly. I mean, mercenaries saying they’re switching to legitimate business—who would believe that?

Fritz felt bitter but had no choice. Eileen’s attitude was too obvious; she wouldn’t change her mind.

With an ashen face, Fritz stayed silent for a long time before finally whispering to Eileen, “I can help you return to the army. Would you be willing?”

Eileen, with a stern expression and hands behind her back, shouted, “No!”

Fritz, unwilling to give up, continued trying to persuade Eileen.

“You… you could return to your original unit. Serving the country is undoubtedly better than being a mercenary. And you’ve always aspired to be the best; why not come back? I believe, no matter how you look at it, a regular army is far superior to mercenaries. Proving yourself as a mercenary—you’ve chosen the wrong arena.”

Eileen glanced at her father, stayed silent for a while, and then suddenly said, “One-fifth of your subordinates are overweight. The army you serve can’t do proper marching drills or parades. Your immediate superior is a civilian, and the actual leader of your unit is merely called a director instead of Chief of General Staff. You’re just the Deputy Director of the Army—essentially, you’re a Ministry of Defense employee, not part of an actual military force. Your service is nothing more than an office job, strictly adhering to an eight-hour workday, no overtime allowed.”

After speaking slowly, Eileen then said gravely, “Does such a military even count as a military? Would such a military dare to compare itself with our Satan?”

Fritz was left speechless because everything Eileen said was true, and he had no way to refute it. The current German National Defense Forces was not the same as the World War II-era forces. The name was the same, but this army had been fundamentally neutered.

Fritz was deeply troubled, and Eileen also seemed pained. After biting her lip for a long time, Eileen finally said, “For any ambitious German soldier, the only way to prove oneself on the battlefield is by becoming a mercenary. Angel Mercenary Corps is an outstanding force among mercenaries. They’re now the First Small Mercenary Group—at the very least, they can still showcase the value of German soldiers and defend their dignity on the mercenary battlefield. Meanwhile, we… we will surpass Angel! Because we, Satan, are the strongest of all!”

After Eileen’s resolute declaration, Fritz was completely speechless. At this moment, Eileen’s mother suddenly said, “Dear, you’re planning to transition to legitimate business? Actually, that’s great. What business are you planning to do?”

Eileen looked at Gao Yang, who shrugged and said gravely, “Well, it’ll still relate to armed operations. We’re thinking of setting up a large-scale security company that’s legitimate, legal, and provides lawful global security services.”

After saying this, Gao Yang felt that being so high-sounding with Eileen’s father seemed a bit hypocritical. Everyone here understands the game; no one is fooled about what these major security companies truly do.

Eileen’s mother showed some interest and said, “So, does that mean you won’t personally be going to war anymore? Will it still be dangerous?”

Gao Yang waved his hand and said loudly, “Of course not. We’ll be the bosses; what kind of boss goes to fight personally? Uh, what we would do is management. Fighting wars, that’s something to be left to others. This is like General Aleberg—although he’s a military man, you wouldn’t expect him to battle personally, right? But yes, a security company still operates under relatively high-risk conditions.”

Eileen’s mother said softly, “It must be better than being a mercenary.”

As she spoke, Eileen’s mother glanced at Fritz, who hesitated for a moment before nodding slightly, indicating that Gao Yang wasn’t wrong.

Eileen’s mother immediately turned to Gao Yang and asked seriously, “How would your company operate? What role would Eileen take on within it? And what scale are you envisioning for the company?”

Gao Yang shrugged and offered a wry smile: “Well, we haven’t started the company yet, so it’s hard to say. As for Eileen’s role—that’s also uncertain. We’re an inseparable unit; there’s hardly any restrictions. Eileen can choose to do whatever she wants. These things aren’t particularly important to us. As for the company’s scale, it’s still early days, but we imagine it won’t be small. Initially, our personnel count should exceed a thousand, and when equipped and funded fully, the number will exceed five thousand. It’ll be a globally influential private security company.”

Fritz suddenly asked, “What equipment do you have?”

Gao Yang smiled and replied, “It’s hard to say right now. If everything goes smoothly, we’ll have large transport planes, armed helicopters, transport helicopters, tanks, armored vehicles, self-propelled artillery—these won’t be lacking. Uh, we could field equipment for a mechanized infantry brigade without issue. Most of the items will come from Russia, nothing too advanced, and not very expensive either. But for us, it suffices.”

Fritz asked in astonishment, “Equipment for a brigade? How did you acquire that? This costs an enormous amount of money—did your mercenary work earn you that much?”

Gao Yang quickly said, “No, no, it’s not like that. These assets weren’t acquired through direct earnings. Uh, I mean, they are earned, but not in the way you imagine.”

Eileen’s mother expressed curiosity: “If you’re starting with over a thousand personnel, you must need a substantial amount of funding. Do you have enough capital? Are you operating as a fully autonomous company or under someone’s control?”

Eileen’s mother raised sharp questions, and Gao Yang began feeling the pressure. He smiled nervously and said, “We have some funds, but they’re not enough. Our target is an initial investment of 100 million dollars, but currently, we’re still short of about half that. Regarding autonomy, our company would definitely remain fully under our control. That said, we’ve received some support from individuals and groups.”

Eileen’s mother sternly remarked, “What I care about most is whether Eileen will be safe. I mean, completely safe—I don’t want to worry about her life at all.”

This question stumped Gao Yang. If he admitted they’re still short on funds and Eileen would have to risk her life—especially since they’re imminently heading to Ukraine to make money—that would lead to an awkward scene. But if he claimed Eileen would be entirely safe, it would be an outright lie.

At that moment, Eileen solemnly said, “Mom, we’re a unit, sharing life and death. If someone dies, we all seek revenge for them. If everyone else dies, I couldn’t be the one who survives.”

Talking about life and death made Eileen’s mother uncomfortable. Eileen continued, “Mom, you should be asking whether all of us will be safe—not only me. I’m sorry to say this, but from the moment I chose to become a soldier, these realities were set in stone.”

Eileen’s mother suddenly broke down, tears streaming as she looked at Fritz and shouted, “You ruined my daughter! You ruined this household! To hell with your family honor!”

Eileen’s mother covered her face as she broke into sobs. Eileen hesitated briefly before stepping forward to support her mother, saying softly, “I’m sorry, Mom. You don’t need to worry too much. Honestly, we won’t be in too much danger anymore—we’ve already decided to avoid overly hazardous ventures.”

Once Eileen finished, her mother dropped her hands and screamed at Fritz: “Do something! I’ve had enough! All because of you, our daughter ended up like this. I’ve had enough!”

Fritz’s expression mingled guilt with sorrow. After hearing his wife’s outburst, he murmured softly, “You don’t need to tell me. I know what to do. Eileen, go stay with your mother in her room.”

Eileen’s mother screamed, “No! This time you won’t exclude me from making decisions! My daughter—I’ll take charge if you won’t!”

Eileen’s mother then looked firmly at Gao Yang, her voice trembling slightly but resolute, as she said, “How much more funding do you need? If your company is legitimate, can it accept investments? I don’t know much about this sector, but I do know that the USTC Investment Consortium has already acquired Blackwater Company and its core subsidiaries. If Blackwater can be bought out, surely your company could accept funding, correct?”

Gao Yang stared at Eileen’s mother in astonishment. Eileen then whispered, “My mom is a senior executive at Germany United Investment Company.”

Eileen’s mother wiped her tears and said seriously, “For investment amounts under 100 million dollars, I have full decision-making authority without needing board approval—just need to file a report. Our company has U.S. branches, so it would be relatively easy to fund your company.”

Gao Yang knew the story about Blackwater’s acquisition but also understood that since USTC had fully bought it, Blackwater’s founder Erik Prince was no longer part of its operations and management—a result Gao Yang opposed.

Unless they planned to grab money and bail, Gao Yang wasn’t interested in seeking external investments to launch their company. With external investors involved, many complications would arise. For example, if Germany United Investment Company held shares—or significant ones—board meetings and financial reports alone would be enough hassle. Not to mention certain covert transactions that couldn’t be disclosed. Bringing in outside investors would merely create unnecessary trouble.

Gao Yang preferred to proceed slowly and open the company later rather than accept anyone’s investments. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users can read at m.qidian.com.)