Mercenary’s War
Chapter 1242: One Thousand Two Hundred Twenty-Five: Warning

Chapter 1242: Chapter One Thousand Two Hundred Twenty-Five: Warning

Adele was in London, but the plane landed in Edinburgh. Although Gao Yang quite wanted to visit London, with Adele there, he didn’t dare go.

Gao Yang was genuinely afraid of Adele. Unlike Catherine, Adele dared to say anything. For someone with high intelligence but low emotional intelligence and a stubborn mindset, anything could happen. The best approach was to keep a respectful distance.

Their flight had already been delayed, and by the time the plane landed at Edinburgh Airport, it was evening.

Following the usual protocol, the butler and bodyguards disembarked first, followed by the four of them. The bodyguards were essentially unnecessary now, but Gao Yang was too polite to send them away—it was Morgan’s thoughtful gesture, after all. So, they let them tag along.

As soon as they set foot on the ground, the butler nodded slightly and said graciously to Gao Yang and the others, “Gentlemen, ladies, this isn’t my hometown, but that’s alright—this is part of the United Kingdom. As an Englishman, I must extend a warm welcome to you all to England and the United Kingdom. I hope you have a wonderful time here.”

Gao Yang chuckled and said, “Thank you, Mr. Pattinson. We’re sure to have an amazing time. Also, you really are quintessentially British.”

The butler bowed slightly again, extended his hand, and said, “Please.”

Gao Yang and the others walked ahead, followed by the butler and two bodyguards. In total, seven of them left the airport.

At the VIP lane exit, Jansen waved a sign energetically when he spotted them and yelled loudly, “Boss! Boss! Over here!”

Putting down the sign, Jansen hugged Gao Yang and then exclaimed, “Finally, you’re here! My dad and I have been waiting all afternoon. Let me introduce you to my father.”

Behind Jansen stood a man wearing a gray wool coat and a polite demeanor. His beard was already streaked with white, and his rugged face shared some resemblance to Jansen’s, though his features were much more robust.

“My name is Will Jones. You must be Mr. Gao? Welcome to Scotland. Jansen has mentioned you all many times.”

Jansen’s father had a warm, honest look—though he managed a distillery, Robert had the unique sincerity of a farmer. Speaking in a Scottish accent that Englishmen often jest about, his hands were covered in calluses. He was the epitome of a Scottish farm owner.

Gao Yang shook hands with Will, smiled, and said, “I appreciate you personally coming to pick us up, Mr. Jones.”

Will replied with a smile, “I brought two cars with Jansen. Are we heading to the farm today, or shall we rest a night in Edinburgh before traveling?”

Jansen jumped in directly, “Boss, you’re late. My mom made dinner and is waiting for us. Even if we need to drive a few hours, we should head straight home. Forget the hotel.”

Gao Yang smiled and said, “Alright, we’ll go with your plan.”

“Then let’s set off. Well, it’ll be dark when we get home, but good food is worth the wait. Shall we, fellas?”

Gao Yang turned to the butler with a smile and said, “Mr. Pattinson, you and the two gentlemen should stay in Edinburgh. We’re visiting a friend’s house; there won’t be any danger.”

The butler bowed slightly and responded with a smile, “As you wish, sir.”

Chuckling and chatting, Gao Yang and the group left the airport. Jansen and his father had brought two cars to pick them up; their family cars were all relatively small—a rather old Rover sedan and a newer but still compact Vauxhall.

The two cars were cramped for five passengers, so Rafael and his father had no choice but to rent one or each drive a car just to accommodate everyone.

Eileen and Rafael got into the car driven by Jansen’s father, while Gao Yang and Yelena got into Jansen’s car. Soon, the vehicles left the airport and headed toward Jansen’s home.

The car was so small that Gao Yang had to sit in the front seat to stretch his legs. Once they started moving, Gao Yang adjusted his seat back and joked, “I thought you’d have bought a new car by now with all your money.”

Jansen retorted casually, “This IS a new car—oh wait, it’s my mom’s car.”

Gao Yang said helplessly, “I thought you’d buy a big, fancy car.”

Jansen shrugged, “No way. If I had the money for a car, I’d rather spend it on new camera lenses. You know I’m a photography fanatic, and good lenses don’t come cheap!”

Gao Yang chuckled bitterly and said, “Come on, you must be a millionaire by now. Even if you’re not, you’ve got hundreds of thousands at least. You seriously don’t have money for a new car?”

“Oh, money isn’t the issue. I don’t need one—I live on a farm. A tractor is far more practical for me. Besides, we’ve already got two cars at home; why bother buying more?”

Gao Yang gestured jokingly and asked, “So, how long until we’re there?”

“About three hours.”

Checking his watch, Jansen grinned, “We’ll arrive just in time for dinner—Scottish specialty, haggis. You’ve been mentioning it forever.”

Gao Yang’s face changed dramatically, “You mean sheep innards?”

“Exactly—sheep innards! You’ll love it. Back in Syria, didn’t you and that guy Loach go to great lengths just to eat sheep innards? Trust me, you’ll be satisfied this time too.”

Gao Yang wanted to argue that not all sheep dishes were the same—Huaxia’s sheep organ soup was worlds apart from Scotland’s haggis. But these thoughts stayed internal as he began seriously worrying about his ability to stomach Scottish cuisine. For now, he just hoped Jansen’s mother’s dishes would lean toward heavy flavors without being outright horrifying.

As the car picked up speed on the highway, Gao Yang’s phone began to ring. He took out his satellite phone and noticed it was an unfamiliar number.

Picking up the call quickly, he suspected it might be Yake. Without speaking, Gao Yang waited, and the person on the other end of the line also stayed silent. A few seconds passed before a low voice said, “Ram?”

Gao Yang found the voice somewhat familiar and, after thinking carefully, replied softly, “Murphy?”

“It’s me.”

Murphy spoke just one line and then fell silent again for several seconds, before eventually asking in a cold tone, “Do you know where Number Thirteen is?”

Gao Yang whispered, “He’s safe now, but I don’t know his exact location. Someone took him away; they’re in a very secure place now.”

Murphy went quiet for another dozen seconds before replying softly, “Thank you.”

“No need to thank me; he’s my friend too.”

“I know. Uh… I just wanted to ask because I have a good relationship with Number Thirteen, and I’ve been worried about him. Since I couldn’t reach him, I called you to ask about him.”

Gao Yang found Murphy’s demeanor odd. Typically, Murphy was direct and articulate, but today he seemed hesitant, as though he wanted to say more than he did.

“I understand, but you can rest easy now. Um, I had someone take him out of harm’s way. He’s no longer in danger. You know he got shot, though—the spleen. While I’m confident he’s in a secure situation, I still don’t know how bad his injury is. I guess we’ll just have to wait for news.”

After Gao Yang finished speaking, Murphy responded in a shocked tone, “What? What did you say? What happened to him? Was he seriously hurt? What’s going on?”

Equally stunned, Gao Yang replied, “What are you talking about? You don’t know what happened to Number Thirteen? Then why are you calling me about him?”

Murphy urgently said, “Hold on, let me sort this out. What happened to him?”

Gao Yang sighed and said, “Number Thirteen was in Riyadh, hunted by Shah Intelligence Agency operatives. He got shot—spleen injury. I sent someone to rescue him. They’ve left Riyadh now; he’s in a secure location. Still, I don’t know his condition. That’s everything! Hasn’t he reached out to you?”

“No. I had no idea anything happened to him.”

Gao Yang was thoroughly puzzled—if Murphy didn’t know about Number Thirteen’s ordeal, why bring him up in the first place?

Just then, Murphy hesitated again before saying, “Ram, I’m calling you as a friend, not in my capacity as a cleaner.”

Gao Yang paused briefly and said, “Got it.”

“Good. Uh… if Number Thirteen is fine, that’s great. I was just worried about him. Are you in New York?”

Murphy’s conversation was so disjointed that Gao Yang had to pause after each question to keep up.

“Oh, no—I’m not in New York or America.”

Murphy exhaled, laughed, and said, “That’s good. Take some time to explore the world. Well, if Number Thirteen is alright, then there’s no reason for me to worry. Still, you stay safe, alright? In your line of work, you inevitably make enemies, right?”

Gao Yang felt a chill run down his spine and replied gravely, “That’s correct. In our line of work, enemies come with the territory.”

Murphy laughed heartily and said, “Alright then. Nothing else to discuss—I just called to check in. If everyone’s safe, that’s what matters. Safety first, right? That Number Thirteen guy hasn’t always been cautious, but good for him—he saw danger coming this time and reacted quickly. Lucky guy. Anyway, no more chat—next time we meet, coffee’s on me. Old spot. I’ll hang up now. Goodbye.”

After Murphy hung up, Gao Yang mulled over his words briefly, then broke into cold sweats. Realizing something amiss, he picked up the phone again immediately. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian to vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support motivates me the most. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)