Mercenary’s War
Chapter 1256: One Thousand Two Hundred Thirty-Nine: Old Friends

Chapter 1256: Chapter One Thousand Two Hundred Thirty-Nine: Old Friends

Holding a narrow strip of paper, Gao Yang and the other three fell into deep thought.

Unable to resist, Taylor asked, “How much longer until Big Dog and the others arrive?”

Gao Yang glanced at his watch and said in a deep voice, “Probably tomorrow. They’re traveling by land with guns, so it won’t be quick.”

Eileen looked at Gao Yang with a conflicted expression and asked, “What exactly is Krulney up to?”

Gao Yang shrugged and said, “It’s obvious that Krulney is baiting us to find him. That credit card was deliberately left as a lure. I can’t figure out why he’s doing this, but I know it’s not dangerous to look for him now. I’ve decided to find Krulney.”

Eileen frowned and said, “Go now? I think we should at least wait until Big Dog and the others arrive. We don’t even have guns right now. If this is all part of Krulney’s setup, wouldn’t walking right into him be suicide?”

After a moment of contemplation, Gao Yang shook his head and said, “I don’t think this is a trap. If Krulney left this address purely to ambush me, he wouldn’t have chosen a luxury hotel. Besides, I can’t wait until tomorrow to find Krulney. I have a feeling this can’t be delayed.”

Raising his head, Gao Yang said to the three in front of him in a deep voice, “We’re going to find Krulney, but I’ll go in alone. You all wait outside. Three minutes—if you don’t hear from me within three minutes, leave immediately. Let’s go.”

Once a decision was made, there was no reason to delay. The four of them immediately headed to the address on the strip of paper.

Krulney’s location was a luxury hotel, not far from the Red Light District—just a twenty-minute walk away.

The four quickly found the address Krulney had left behind—a five-star hotel. Gao Yang said in a low voice, “Villain, you stay outside.”

Albert nodded, walked briskly across the street to a restaurant still open for business, and found a table by the window to sit down.

Entering the lobby, Gao Yang tilted his head slightly. Taylor then walked to the hotel lounge and sat on a sofa.

Gao Yang and Eileen walked to the front desk, where Gao Yang smiled and said, “Hello, I’m looking for Mr. Michael Shaw in room 304. I’m a friend of his.”

After checking the computer, the pretty receptionist smiled at Gao Yang and said, “Mr. Michael Shaw has left instructions. Friends may go directly to his room. Please wait; a staff member will bring you to Mr. Shaw’s room.”

A young man in a hotel uniform came over to the front desk and politely said to Gao Yang and Eileen, “Sir, Miss, this way, please.”

Guided by the staff, Gao Yang took the elevator to the third floor and quickly arrived at the door to room 304. Just as the staff raised his hand to knock, Gao Yang stopped him with a gesture and smiled at Eileen, saying, “I’ll go in alone. You go buy me a pack of cigarettes.”

The staff smiled and said, “Sir, I can handle that for you.”

Eileen didn’t speak but turned and walked away, leaving the enthusiastic staff behind.

Eileen needed to follow up, at least to know Gao Yang’s precise location. When Gao Yang spoke, he didn’t lower his voice—he even raised the volume on purpose. He wanted Krulney to know he wasn’t alone.

Smiling at the staff, Gao Yang motioned for him to knock. The staff then knocked twice on the door and called out loudly, “Mr. Shaw, you have a visitor.”

After a short pause, a deep voice came from inside the room, “Who?”

Gao Yang took a deep breath and, with a smile, said, “An old friend.”

The door opened immediately, and Krulney stood behind it.

Even in the hotel, Krulney was dressed in a full suit, his leather shoes still on. When he saw Gao Yang, he froze for a moment, looked at him intensely, then casually handed the staff a bill, saying in a low voice, “Thank you, you may leave.”

After pocketing the tip, the staff turned and left, leaving Krulney and Gao Yang staring at each other.

Krulney stood inside the doorway, Gao Yang outside. After a few moments of silence, Krulney finally said in a low voice, “What took you so long? I’ve been waiting for you.”

Gao Yang, unfazed, replied in a deep voice, “We didn’t look for you before. Now that we’ve decided to find you, here I am.”

Krulney cleared his throat softly, stepped aside, and said in a low voice, “Come in. It’s just me.”

As Krulney moved to let him in, Gao Yang strolled into the room, smiling as he said, “The number of people doesn’t matter.”

Krulney made a gesture inviting him in. After passing through the hallway, Gao Yang entered the suite’s living room.

On the coffee table was an ice bucket, a half-open bottle of wine next to it, and an empty wine glass.

Krulney gestured to the sofa and said, “Sit. Care for a drink?”

Gao Yang sat down on the sofa, smiling, and said, “Sure, pour me a glass.”

Krulney picked up a stemmed wine glass, placed it in front of Gao Yang, and began pouring. While pouring, he said with some emotion, “I never thought we’d meet again under circumstances like this.”

Gao Yang said softly, “Neither did I. I didn’t expect to see you alive, let alone have an opportunity to talk.”

After filling his own glass, Krulney didn’t lift it immediately. Instead, he leaned back into the sofa, fixed his eyes on Gao Yang, and said in a deep voice, “Spare me! I don’t want to die.”

Gao Yang snapped his fingers, looked at Krulney, and said, “Reason!”

Krulney sighed, rubbed his hands together, then leaned forward with a serious expression and said, “I wasn’t the mastermind behind that incident.”

Gao Yang replied in a deep voice, “Are you claiming you were uninformed?”

Krulney leaned back again, rubbed his face forcefully, and said with a defeated look, “I don’t want to die. Truly, I don’t. Ram, I hold no grudge against you. I was simply working for Mr. Tomler. I can’t say I was uninformed, but I wasn’t the decision-maker. I was just an executor, and my role wasn’t even critical.”

Gao Yang said calmly, “Do you know why I haven’t looked for you until now?”

Krulney let out a bitter laugh, spread his hands, and said, “At first, I thought you’d given up on revenge. But after you killed Mr. Tomler, I knew this wouldn’t end peacefully. You’d stop at nothing for revenge—scaling any height, braving any danger. Even staging a major attack in New York wouldn’t be out of the question. I knew you wouldn’t let me off. Once Mr. Tomler was dead, I knew my time would come, but you didn’t act. It wasn’t until I heard someone in Syria was targeting Baghdadi relentlessly that I realized you hadn’t let me go—you simply didn’t think I mattered as much.”

After saying this with a look of helplessness, Krulney spread his hands toward Gao Yang and asked, “Is that right?” (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel free to visit Qidian.com to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile readers, please visit m.qidian.com for more updates.)