Mercenary’s War
Chapter 1261: 1244: Divine Turn

Chapter 1261: Chapter 1244: Divine Turn

Krulney’s argument was so convincing that Gao Yang had no retort. The truth is, this matter really was very simple. There’s a sucker—dumb and loaded with cash. When everyone gets the chance to milk him, who in their right mind would take the initiative to make that sucker a little smarter?

Perhaps some good-hearted onlooker might kindly offer a reminder, but those profiting off the sucker would certainly never educate him.

If you teach the sucker, then what about the people leeching off him? Isn’t that just cutting off someone’s lifeline?

And there’s another bleak truth: the world has always been about interests. Nearly everyone sees the sucker as a cash machine. Even if one or two truly idiotic Good Samaritans arose, they’d surely get eliminated by the predatory vultures lying in wait to tear apart the big fish.

Gao Yang nodded and said gravely, “You make a good point. Alright, go on.”

Krulney wagged his index finger and said, “I know what’s on your mind right now—it’s IS. You want to kill Baghdadi, I know that. Otherwise, you guys wouldn’t have chased him all the way to Syria. But now, Baghdadi has vanished. You’ve scared him so much he’s gone into hiding. He’ll definitely resurface, though, and I can guarantee that as soon as he does, he’ll contact me. The moment that happens, I’ll immediately pass along all his information to you. What do you say?”

Gao Yang thought deeply for a long time before nodding. “I have to admit, you’ve moved me. But I still want to kill you. The thing is, I don’t want to do business with my enemies.”

Gao Yang’s words were a bit insincere. It was true that he didn’t want to accept Krulney’s surrender or work with him, but he knew that Krulney wasn’t the true culprit behind Bruce’s death. In simple terms, Krulney was merely Tomler’s assistant—a tool Tomler had sent to oversee things.

While Krulney bore some responsibility for Bruce’s death, it was a small one. The direct culprits should instead be the Iron Madonna, Baghdadi, and the Shah figure who initiated the request. If Gao Yang wanted revenge for Bruce, focusing on Krulney while letting the main perpetrators go seemed like putting the cart before the horse.

Krulney understood this too, so he wasn’t panicked. He continued calmly. “I understand how you feel, but think about it—I’m just a worthless pawn. I have no control over my own fate or the ability to act according to my wishes. Compared to those real culprits, you should keep me alive to help you, not kill me and lose many opportunities for revenge. Besides, this is no longer just about revenge; it’s a fight to the death where only one side can survive. For the sake of your brothers, you’d better spare me, don’t you think?”

Without much deliberation, Gao Yang sighed and said in a low voice, “I have to admit, you’ve convinced me. Fine, I accept your surrender.”

Krulney pumped his fist, gritted his teeth, and said, “Thank you! I’m really happy to stay alive; I don’t want to die. I have a long, wonderful life ahead to enjoy. Alright, buddy, thank you for sparing me. Rest assured, I know how to be a defector, and I know how to behave as a captive. Trust me; everything I do will satisfy you.”

Gao Yang said solemnly, “Get to the point. Tell me everything else you have to say.”

Krulney gestured excitedly, speaking quickly. “Since you’ve decided to spare me, I can tell you my plan now. Yes, I have a plan. It’s like this: one of your brothers died, and I have to admit that I played a very bad role in it. I have to compensate you.”

Gao Yang frowned. If Krulney planned to settle the debt with money, he wasn’t prepared to accept it. No amount of money would suffice—emotionally, it was unacceptable. If he killed Krulney and then looted the money afterward, both he and the other Satan members would gladly accept that. But Krulney offering money as penance? Many Satan members would likely never accept such a thing.

Gao Yang didn’t rush to speak. He wanted to hear exactly what Krulney intended to say.

Krulney looked serious as he explained, “Here’s my plan: The Shah people are pressuring me to take out Angel. And you guys are Satan, right?”

Gao Yang nodded. Krulney smiled slightly before gritting his teeth and saying, “Here’s what I thought: I’ve been stalling on the Angel business for a long time now. The Shah people are losing patience. If I tell them at this point that I no longer have the resources to fulfill my promise to eliminate Angel, and that it would require their financial support to complete this, they’d definitely agree. I can guarantee it. And since you guys are the Satan Mercenary Corps, I’ll handle hiring the First Ultra-small Mercenary Corps Satan to take out Angel’s group, with the Shah footing the bill—at least most of it. Trust me: this will work.”

Gao Yang couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Krulney’s plan was so outlandish: having the Shah pay their most-wanted adversary to take out a scapegoat group falsely accused of the same crimes. But after a little thought, Gao Yang realized the plan had high operability—it might actually work…

“F**k! When it comes to screwing people over, you’re one hell of a genius!”

Krulney didn’t take Gao Yang’s words as an insult. He smirked, raised a finger, and said, “A hundred million. I guarantee I can squeeze a hundred million out of the Shah people for you. Don’t doubt it. To them, a hundred million US dollars is nothing. Buddy, things aren’t the same now. Right now, the Shah are desperate to get rid of the Angel Mercenary Corps. When they’re in a rush, we can just sharpen our knives a little faster.”

Gao Yang didn’t feel the slightest psychological burden about scamming the Shah people. He nodded and said gravely, “Your plan is feasible. I’m very interested, but I don’t want to create another sworn enemy for Satan—especially not one as strong as Angel.”

Krulney laughed heartily, settling back onto the sofa as he said in a low voice, “Buddy, I’ll be the one to stick my neck out. We’ll find some scapegoats to kill in place of Angel, then tell the Shah people that those were Angel’s men. Isn’t the problem solved? Buddy, I used to have to frame Angel to protect myself, but actually, the target I needed to eliminate was Satan. Now, it’s different. You spared me, so I don’t need to protect myself anymore. I can just find some random scapegoats and wrap this thing up quickly. Everyone knows I was supposed to kill you. If I don’t, I’m dead. So nobody would suspect me of pulling my punches. But who would’ve guessed that I’ve surrendered to you already?”

“Those Shah people… Do you mean they’ll just let you manipulate them so easily? Won’t they at least do some basic verification?”

“Well, let me put it this way: Have you heard the saying that doing business with the Shah people is the easiest way to achieve a win-win? Everyone curses arms dealers for being heartless, but the Shah think arms dealers are upstanding businessmen with integrity. Why? Because they believe they always get a great deal. Three hundred billion for 84 F-15s, with no long-range or ground-attack capabilities. Buddy, believe me, only the Shah would consider that a bargain.”

After saying this, Krulney leaned back, crossed his legs, and smiled. “From this kind of thing, you should be able to tell how the Shah operate. Your doubts are easy to resolve. Leave the explanations to me. Honestly, I’m too lazy to even explain to you how I’m going to dupe the Shah because fooling them is way easier than explaining things to you.”

Gao Yang didn’t know what to say anymore. Something so absurd somehow seemed entirely plausible.

Gao Yang chuckled wryly and shook his head. “Alright, I’ll choose to trust you. But there’s still a problem. I’ve met with a Shah person before—a guy named Ben Ali. You must know him. I’m worried he’ll recognize me. That would ruin everything.”

Krulney frowned. “That’s the only issue. Did he see your face?”

Gao Yang shook his head. “No, I was wearing a mask. But I spoke to him. I’m worried he might recognize my voice.”

Krulney said seriously, “That is a problem. Ben Ali is one of the rare Shah individuals who can actually accomplish things. Though in my eyes, he’s still a bit of an idiot, he’s been in intelligence work for a long time. We must prevent him from recognizing your voice. But this is also an easy fix: kill him. Ben Ali should currently be in Iraq or Syria. I can find him easily. Kill him, and the problem is solved.”

Gao Yang thought carefully and, finding no immediate flaws, said gravely, “Alright, so when are you planning to execute this plan?”

Krulney answered without hesitation, “Tomorrow! Because tomorrow, I have to go to Austria to meet with Prince Ben Suharitan. He’s the person specifically in charge of this matter. Actually, he’s also the real boss behind the Shah Intelligence Agency.”

Gao Yang couldn’t keep calm anymore. He widened his eyes in astonishment and said, “Prince Ben Suharitan?! He’s in Austria? He’s the one you’re meeting, and the one trying to kill us?”

Krulney nodded, looking puzzled. “Yeah, is there a problem?”

Gao Yang covered his mouth, then rubbed his face, looking helpless. “No, it’s nothing. Looks like I really have to cooperate with you and work hard to make your plan a reality.”

Sometimes, the world works in crazy coincidences. Prince Ben Suharitan just so happened to be the exact person Number Thirteen was looking for.

Krulney couldn’t die. Absolutely not.

Gao Yang pointed at Krulney and said, “Don’t make any moves tomorrow for now. Your situation is dangerous. I’ve put a bounty on you—not just for your location but for your head as well. I’ve got to cancel that bounty immediately. I don’t want anyone killing you and ruining the entire plan.”

(To be continued. If you enjoyed this work, please visit Qidian at qidian.com to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com for reading.)