Mercenary’s War
Chapter 1269: 1252: A Match Made in Heaven

Chapter 1269: Chapter 1252: A Match Made in Heaven

Gaynor Joel Airport, a small cargo airport 25 kilometers north of London. Gao Yang and his team were standing by the runway as usual, waiting for the plane.

Gao Yang expected Little Donnie to, as usual, stuff himself into a cargo plane, enduring a long intercontinental flight before landing. After all, since he needed to transport a large batch of weapons and ammunition, chartering a cargo plane was the most convenient option.

But when they saw the plane in the sky, Li Jinfang frowned in confusion and said, “That’s not a cargo plane. Looks like it’s Morgan’s private jet.”

Gao Yang glanced over, nodded, and said, “You’re right—it is Morgan’s plane. But wait, something’s not adding up. I just spoke to Morgan, and he should still be mid-flight on his own private jet.”

The plane landed quickly and taxied down the runway. As it got closer, Gao Yang exclaimed in surprise, “It’s not that plane. This one looks bigger!”

Jansen nodded and shouted, “Yep, definitely bigger.”

As the plane came to a stop on the runway, Gao Yang laughed and said, “F**k! This must be Morgan’s new plane. He lent us his new jet—a Gulfstream G650.”

Jansen marvelled, “That’s right, Gulfstream G650—an intercontinental jet with a maximum range of 13,000 kilometers at economical cruising speed. Pretty awesome!”

Morgan’s old plane was a Gulfstream G450, but the new one was a G650—at least two tiers higher. It could carry more passengers and had a much greater range.

After the plane was fully stopped, the boarding stairs were quickly deployed. Little Donnie jumped off the plane, hugged Gao Yang tightly, and grinned, “Finally, we meet again! I thought this would be a hassle, but it turned out to be way easier than I imagined. Oh, Morgan told me to pass along a message: this plane is yours to use. It’s brand-new; no one knows it’s associated with him. Use it for as long as you need—he has two jets now anyway.”

Gao Yang whistled and chuckled, “If upkeep weren’t so expensive, I’d honestly want my own private jet. Well, we’ll definitely be using this one soon, so no need to rush through a tour. The pilots know what to do. Let’s go.”

Little Donnie smiled awkwardly and lowered his voice, “Actually, um, we can’t just leave like this.”

Then he turned toward the plane’s cabin door and shouted, “Eliza! Come on out—we’re leaving now.”

“Eliza’s here too?”

Gao Yang asked in surprise, turning to look at Li Jinfang. He gave him a once-over and then laughed, “So that’s why you were so eager to come along to meet Little Donnie. Makes sense now.”

Li Jinfang opened his mouth, but could only respond weakly, “How would I know she’s here?”

Little Donnie called out twice, but there was no response. He turned back to Gao Yang, shrugged helplessly, and muttered softly, “I’ve already made arrangements to send my mom and Eliza to a safe place. Even though things are calm now, I didn’t want to waste what I’ve set up. My mom joined an elderly tour group heading to Florida, and I brought Eliza along here.”

Gao Yang smiled, “That’s fine. Letting her get out and relax is good. Go grab her.”

Little Donnie leaned closer to Gao Yang and whispered, “Actually, Eliza’s been improving a lot in recent days, showing signs of recovering. But since she hasn’t seen Toad in a while, her condition has regressed—she’s become even more withdrawn. That’s why I brought her along.”

Gao Yang and Jansen exchanged mischievous looks at Li Jinfang, who instinctively stepped back a bit and muttered defensively, “Why are you staring at me?”

Gao Yang pushed Little Donnie lightly and chuckled, “Go get Eliza off the plane.”

Little Donnie went back inside the cabin and returned shortly. Eliza followed him, clutching a small bag, head down, silent as she descended the stairs.

Where Little Donnie stood, Eliza followed, until she finally lifted her head upon spotting Li Jinfang. Only then did she stop walking.

Gao Yang, Little Donnie, and Jansen took a few steps back in unison and, as if by tacit agreement, averted their gazes.

Standing about two meters apart from Li Jinfang, Eliza bit her lip and hesitated for what felt like an eternity before she softly whispered, “Hi, Lee.”

Li Jinfang lifted his hand slightly for a small wave and just as quietly replied, “Hi, Eliza.”

If Gao Yang weren’t burning with curiosity and hanging on their every word, he wouldn’t have caught the mosquito-like exchange between Li Jinfang and Eliza.

After a lengthy silence, Li Jinfang and Eliza didn’t speak further. Unable to hold back, Jansen finally looked at the pair and blurted, “That’s it?”

Startled, Eliza flinched and stepped aside. Gao Yang grabbed Jansen by the collar and yanked him back, muttering lowly, “Idiot! You’re scaring her! Shut up and stay over here.”

Little Donnie gestured encouragingly to Eliza and gently said, “Eliza, didn’t you say you had a gift for Lee? You can give it to him now.”

With her head down, saying nothing, Eliza didn’t move. Gao Yang and the others turned their backs again, walked a few steps away, and busied themselves examining the plane.

Finally, it seemed as though Eliza had made a monumental decision. She opened her bag and pulled out a tiny doll—a figure small enough to attach to a key ring, and it did, in fact, have a metal loop at the top.

“This is for you.”

Eliza remained motionless, her arm stretched out with the doll toward Li Jinfang.

Li Jinfang took the doll, looked at it, and softly asked, “Did you make this yourself?”

“Yes.”

After another exceptionally brief exchange, the silence returned.

Eliza was considered to have an extreme communication disorder, a type of autism. While undeniably a psychological condition, this didn’t mean she lacked self-care skills. In fact, other than her inability to converse with strangers, Eliza functioned like any other young woman. She dressed carefully, bought her favorite clothes and accessories, and enjoyed herself—as long as it didn’t involve social interaction.

Eliza was a hacker, her computer skills on a level that Gao Yang and his team couldn’t even fathom. She could communicate normally online; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to work at America’s Cybersecurity Information Center despite her severe communication issues. What led to her job loss was her eventual inability to leave the house alone. Had she not reached that extreme, her skills would have secured her job indefinitely.

How Li Jinfang managed to hold a conversation with Eliza remained a mystery. Among Satan’s group, several were insatiably curious, but no matter who asked, Li Jinfang refused to disclose what exactly transpired between them.

After Zhou Lizhe’s death, Li Jinfang had been living like a shell of his former self; he appeared normal enough, but Gao Yang constantly worried about him falling into despair again. It was a concern that had taken permanent residence in Gao Yang’s mind. While time is the best cure for grief, Gao Yang believed that if a woman could navigate her way into Li Jinfang’s heart—so he wouldn’t have to face his wounds alone—the healing would be exponentially better.

Regardless of how Li Jinfang managed to connect with Eliza, as long as he did and it made him happy, Gao Yang felt immense relief.

Straining his ears but hearing nothing, Gao Yang stood there for a solid four or five minutes before he couldn’t take it anymore. In a low voice, he asked, “What now?”

Little Donnie murmured back, “Not sure.”

Annoyed, Gao Yang whispered, “Forget it. Those two could stand there all day. I’m not waiting around. Let’s go.”

With that, he turned to Li Jinfang, cheerfully saying, “Time to head out. Let’s get moving.”

They got into the car with Li Jinfang at the wheel, Eliza in the passenger seat, and Gao Yang and the others taking the back seats. Nobody spoke; the drive to their rented lodge in London was wrapped in silence.

After finally unloading at the lodge’s entrance, Gao Yang quickly said, “Jinfang, get Eliza settled. We’ve got stuff to discuss—catch you later.”

The three of them practically fled the car and rushed inside, leaving Li Jinfang to handle the situation himself.

After greeting their companions at the lodge, Gao Yang pulled Little Donnie into his room. Once Little Donnie sat down, Gao Yang wasted no time asking, “Tell me what’s going on on your end. What’s happened?”

Little Donnie sighed wryly, “There’s not much to tell. I stayed indoors this whole time after noticing people lurking near my place. It got easier to relax once Morgan sent over a team of about ten men to station near the property. At least I knew my safety was covered.”

Gao Yang waved his hand dismissively, “Morgan’s team in Atlanta found Krulney’s family—they’re indeed there. But while they’ve been located, nothing has happened. Krulney has already surrendered. His family is essentially hostages; even if he wanted to relocate them, we’d still know where they are. As for Krulney, we can’t completely let our guard down, but for now, it seems unlikely he’ll try anything drastic.”

Little Donnie nodded and added, “Krulney’s money has already been transferred to the account—40 million. Honestly, I’m baffled. I can’t believe he’d give up such a large sum. Under normal circumstances, a deal worth 200 million should have left him with at least half.”

Gao Yang sneered, “Krulney is no fool. He’s greedy, but he’s not suicidal. Tomler’s legacy could sustain him for ten lifetimes. He’s already incredibly wealthy. Money doesn’t follow you to the grave. If Krulney wants to live long enough to enjoy his fortune, he wouldn’t dream of trying to squeeze a single dollar out of us. Anyway, tell me—how are the preparations coming along? Are things in Ukraine ready?”