Mercenary’s War
Chapter 1243: One Thousand Two Hundred Twenty-Six: I'm Afraid of Death, Even More Afraid of Pain.

Chapter 1243: Chapter One Thousand Two Hundred Twenty-Six: I’m Afraid of Death, Even More Afraid of Pain.

Murphy must have his reasons. There are some urgent things he can’t say outright, but his hints were already very clear.

Calling under the guise of asking about Number Thirteen, yet having no idea what Number Thirteen is actually doing, Murphy clearly didn’t call Gao Yang because of Number Thirteen, though Murphy did learn about Number Thirteen’s issue through the process.

If Murphy didn’t call because of Number Thirteen, then connecting it to his comments about safety, enemies, and so on, it’s easy to conclude that Murphy made this call just to issue a warning. When linking it to what he said about elite forces, it’s obvious the people coming are formidable players—and there’s quite a number of them.

The last time Gao Yang chatted and drank coffee with Murphy, it was in preparation for taking out Tomler. Murphy mentioning this now is very deliberate—he’s telling Gao Yang that people under Tomler are preparing to move against him, and besides Krulney, there can’t be anyone else.

Krulney has gathered a lot of people and is plotting revenge in New York. These people are skilled. Though Gao Yang doesn’t know how Murphy got this information, he believes Murphy made this call to warn him.

Gao Yang takes Krulney seriously. While he has been wary of possible retaliation, the disappearance of Krulney left him unable to immediately neutralize the threat. And now, the threat has transitioned into real, imminent danger.

Gao Yang held up the phone and said urgently, “Who among our people is still in New York?”

Jansen replied urgently, “Big Dog is on vacation, Worker Bee is in Serbia. There’s Little Donnie and Frey—what’s going on?”

While dialing another number, Gao Yang muttered under his breath, “I’m just confirming. Call Big Dog and Worker Bee immediately and tell them not to return to New York.”

Yelena also spoke urgently, “My dad and mom are in Hawaii. I talked to them today—what’s happened? What’s wrong?”

With the phone pressed to his ear, Gao Yang turned sideways and said to Yelena, “Give them a call and tell them not to rush back to New York. Also, tell them to stay safe. I’ll explain to them later.”

After that, Gao Yang spoke into the receiver, “Little Donnie, where are you?”

“At home, what’s up?”

“Listen carefully. Take your mom and Eliza and leave New York immediately. It’s best to leave the country, and use fake identities to travel. Switch to different flights multiple times, and change identities each time until everything is confirmed safe.”

“Got it, will leave right away. What the hell is happening?”

“Tomler’s people are coming after us, likely Krulney. Listen, my intel is quite vague—I don’t know the specifics—but I can confirm that they’re pulling out all the stops this time. You’re the only one among our team who is exposed, which makes you the most vulnerable. Krulney doesn’t know much about us, but he definitely knows everything about you.”

After saying this, Gao Yang paused in thought, then suddenly said, “No, don’t rush to leave. You’ve likely already been under surveillance. Krulney’s main target is me. If you don’t do anything suspicious, he won’t act rashly. But any abrupt moves to escape could force his hand.”

After a moment of silence, Little Donnie replied in a low voice, “Understood, Boss. I’m exposed, but you’re all hidden very well. If Krulney wants to find you, he must go through me. You’re right—if Krulney wants to get to you, he’d surely monitor me and wait for the chance to strike when you appear.”

Gao Yang had made himself clear. He couldn’t understand why Little Donnie was repeating his words back to him. At that moment, Little Donnie’s voice turned resolute as he said, “I won’t leave. I’ll stay home and wait for you all. This is an opportunity—you come back with the team and stage a counter-ambush. I’ll be the bait!”

Gao Yang frowned, thought for a moment, and said, “You being bait while we counter-ambush is a good plan—but I don’t agree. If I were to devise this revenge strategy, I’d make sure you were locked down tight. There’d be at least a dozen guns pointing at you at all times. Using you as bait may flush them out of the shadows, but it’s highly likely you’d die!”

Little Donnie replied resolutely, “I’m not afraid! This issue needs to be resolved. Krulney is incredibly well-hidden, and it’s extremely difficult to find him. If we can lure his people out, it’s a great opportunity.”

Gao Yang responded with a bitter smile, “True, we could set a trap, lure out and eliminate the people Krulney sent to kill us. But there’s a problem, Little Donnie—a very serious problem. The real danger is Krulney, not the hitmen he’s hired. Hitmen are just tools; Krulney is the mastermind. As long as Krulney is alive, he can keep sending wave after wave of attacks. Do you really think someone like Krulney would personally involve himself in an assassination attempt against us?”

Little Donnie sighed and said, “No, Krulney wouldn’t personally get involved. I know him—this guy likes to handle certain things himself but wouldn’t personally take action. He’s not a combatant, so he’d definitely remain in the shadows and control everything remotely. But can we just let his people hang around and threaten us whenever they please?”

Gao Yang spoke solemnly, “To shoot the horse first, to catch the leader, Krulney is the key. He inherited everything from Tomler. Take Krulney down, and Tomler’s remnant forces would no longer be a threat. Your bait plan is not feasible—forget it. You need to leave New York but under protection.”

Gao Yang felt conflicted. The current situation was that both he and Krulney were in the shadows. Gao Yang couldn’t find Krulney, and Krulney couldn’t easily find him either. But as Little Donnie was the agent and exposed, Krulney would undoubtedly keep a close watch on him.

Gao Yang felt deeply guilty. As a mercenary, his rear lines had always been well-protected. Once off the battlefield, he hadn’t needed to worry about revenge seekers. For a long time, his team didn’t have security concerns outside of combat zones. But this time was different—the grudge with Tomler wasn’t from a straightforward battle. This was a vendetta between two groups targeting each other’s core areas behind the scenes. In such confrontations, there was no fixed battlefield. After enjoying smooth sailing for so long, Gao Yang had failed to address this fatal problem.

As part of Satan’s combat team, their identities were meticulously hidden. Even while in New York, an alive Tomler and Krulney had no idea where they were. But Little Donnie was different—before becoming Satan’s agent, he was already a public figure. Tomler knew his background, and Krulney, who inherited much of Tomler’s power, obviously did too.

Frey was also in New York, but the immediate danger was solely with Little Donnie. If Gao Yang decided to protect Little Donnie in person or use a meeting with him as bait, Krulney would almost certainly act—and then everyone would be at risk.

After thinking through all the complications, Gao Yang asked softly, “Where are Tomler’s family? Where are Krulney’s family?”

“No harm to family” is an unwritten rule of the Underworld. Though many have broken this rule, wiping out entire families in extreme situations, the rule is generally respected by most—unless the grudge is extraordinarily deep. Few choose to cross that line, as doing so opens the door for retaliation in kind.

Little Donnie hesitated briefly and then said softly, “Tomler’s family is still at their original residence, but Krulney’s family has disappeared. Their whereabouts are unknown.”

Gao Yang had taken out Tomler, but he’d never intended to harm Tomler’s family or target Krulney’s family either. The problem now was the uncertainty of whether Krulney would breach this taboo.

Gao Yang exhaled, then said coldly, “Start figuring out Krulney’s family’s location. He can hide himself well, but his family won’t hide as deeply. Krulney’s daughter is in eighth grade, and his younger son is in fourth grade—they’ll definitely keep attending school. Finding Krulney’s kids will be much easier. For now, we won’t go back, but I’ll send people to locate Krulney’s family.

Listen, stay at home and avoid going out. I’ll have people keep tabs on Tomler’s and Krulney’s families and make sure Krulney is aware. This is like nuclear deterrence: if you and your family are safe, his family stays safe too. But if anything happens to you, Eliza, or your foster mom, they will die as well. You’re the only one exposed—I need Krulney to know it’s best to stay far away from you.”

In a low voice, Little Donnie asked, “Won’t this break the rules and spark a more serious chain reaction?”

“If we don’t do this, you’re likely to die. We can’t depend on Krulney to respect boundaries when it comes to your foster mom and Eliza’s safety. I’ve made myself clear: if you’re fine, then no one gets harmed. If something happens to you, his family will accompany you to the grave.”

“Understood. I’ll be careful. What about Frey?”

Gao Yang replied loudly, “Frey is in a much safer position. Krulney probably doesn’t know where he is. I’ll have Frey leave with his family. Little Donnie, listen to me—right now, we can’t show ourselves. If things on your end escalate past control—say Krulney comes knocking—you answer whatever he asks. Stall for time. Don’t throw your life away!”

In a low voice, Little Donnie responded, “Boss, I think you don’t fully understand the agent world. As an agent, I have my own readiness and principles. I’ve already prepared myself for a painless way to die. Krulney knows what agents are like, and he knows me. He won’t try to get information from me directly because he understands that in the current scenario, if someone sees me, they’ll likely only find my corpse.”

Little Donnie smiled and said, “For agents, who know too much, being captured only leads to interrogation and torture. Honestly, I’m terrified of dying—but I’m even more afraid of pain. That’s why I’ve long prepared for a death without suffering. So now, I don’t have to worry about being tortured or spilling anything under pressure. Alright, Boss, I know what to do. Goodbye.”