Mercenary’s War
Chapter 1271: One Thousand Two Hundred Fifty-Four: Old Driver

Chapter 1271: Chapter One Thousand Two Hundred Fifty-Four: Old Driver

Kiev, Boryspil Airport.

Boryspil Airport is the largest airport in Ukraine, and it is always bustling with activity. After Kyiv descended into complete chaos, the airport became even busier. Most of the people here—actually, the overwhelming majority—were waiting for flights out of Ukraine.

The immigration process was incredibly fast. Gao Yang and his group barely had to flash their passports to get a stamp, and they were immediately cleared, officially stepping onto Ukrainian soil.

The extensive preparations they had made in advance turned out to be completely unnecessary. Gao Yang, carrying bags filled with weapons, was stunned by how easily they got through customs.

They left the terminal building. Outside, vehicles of all sizes were parked everywhere. The parking lot was chaotic, with buses and taxis packed with passengers, ferrying them to the airport, and then heading back empty to Kyiv City District or other destinations.

It doesn’t matter what place it is—once chaos begins, the airports, harbors, and train stations are always the busiest locations. Foreigners with homes to return to will surely be among the first to leave, and wealthy families will seek refuge abroad. These groups are almost always the earliest to flee.

The situation may drag on for a while, but as conditions worsen, anyone with the means to leave is bound to choose escape. Outside the terminal, Gao Yang and his group saw the clamorous crowds. Glolov suddenly blurted out a comment.

“It wasn’t like this before…”

Glolov looked somewhat sorrowful. Although he was Russian, the abrupt crisis in a former Soviet republic still seemed hard for him to accept.

“What’s the big deal? This doesn’t even look too bad yet. Wait until civil war actually breaks out like in Libya or Syria—that’s when things will really get tragic. Right now, it’s just chaos, not that terrible, nothing major.”

The carefree Cui Bo chimed in without thinking, leaving Glolov speechless.

Li Jinfang gave Cui Bo a shove from behind and whispered, “Don’t provoke the Old Russian anymore. Look at his face.”

Cui Bo shrugged indifferently. “Huh? It’s fine, right? This isn’t his hometown anyway. Besides, what kind of scene hasn’t an Old Russian witnessed before? You think he’d be rattled by a situation as small as this?”

At this moment, Little Donnie came up beside Gao Yang and whispered, “We have to make our own way now. How should we proceed? There are plenty of buses here—we can just throw some money at the drivers and they’ll take us wherever we want.”

Gao Yang snapped his fingers and said in a low voice, “We don’t know the local situation well. It’s better to split up and take taxis.”

Carrying a load of military supplies into a country—even one caught in chaos—still required caution. Although Kyiv was in turmoil, it hadn’t descended into complete lawlessness yet. Taking a bus together could expose the group and their arsenal, which would only end in disaster—unless they intended to engage in a shootout in the nation’s capital. Splitting up into taxis lowered the risk, even in case of unexpected incidents.

The group of over ten people headed to the taxi stand, but after waiting several minutes, not a single taxi showed up.

After standing around for a while, Little Donnie shook his head in frustration and said, “Damn it, can’t even find a working taxi now? I’ll go flag some down.”

Little Donnie walked towards the parking lot, where taxis occasionally stopped, shouting and waving to get their attention. Gao Yang chuckled bitterly, shook his head, and called out loudly to the group, “Two to a car. Postman, Villain—you two team up with Dragon Knight. Remember, our hotel is called the Fairmont Grand Hotel. If anything happens on the way, contact me immediately. Little Donnie already booked rooms with fake passports, so once you arrive, head straight to your assigned room.”

Everyone understood the arrangements. After a brief discussion, the first taxi finally pulled up to them.

The lack of taxis at the waiting area was simply because there hadn’t been anyone around to pick up there. Once Little Donnie had walked far enough and caught a driver’s attention, the taxis came quickly.

The first taxi stopped in front of Gao Yang and his group. The driver got out and raised a finger, yelling loudly at them, “One hundred dollars! One hundred dollars to Kiev City District! Deal or not?”

One hundred US dollars was an exorbitant price, but during chaotic times, it was perfectly normal for taxi drivers to demand such prices. Gao Yang couldn’t be bothered to argue and simply waved his hand, saying, “Two people. Get in and go.”

Soon, Gao Yang realized that the hundred-dollar fare was actually reasonable. Eileen and Frey hopped into the first taxi and left, while the second taxi arrived. This driver didn’t even get out of his car but shouted from inside, “Two hundred dollars! Anywhere in the city! Two hundred dollars!”

After two people left, Albert joked, “F**k, is the third car going to charge us three hundred dollars next?”

As it turned out, the hundred-dollar fare was indeed standard. Three groups quickly got into their taxis and departed, leaving only Gao Yang and Glolov behind. Then another taxi pulled up.

The driver was a man in his sixties. He parked in front of Gao Yang and Glolov, opened the trunk, and gestured for Gao Yang to hand over his luggage.

Gao Yang smiled and responded in Russian, “Thanks, I’ll handle it myself.”

The old man shook his head and said softly, “Sir, I can help you.”

Gao Yang grabbed the suitcase handle while the driver forcefully helped him lift it and placed it in the trunk. Then the driver murmured, “What do you have packed in here? It’s heavy.”

Gao Yang laughed. “Uh, just some camera gear and such. Yeah, it’s quite heavy.”

The old man sighed and said, “I’m guessing you’re journalists. At this time, the only ones coming to Kyiv are journalists.”

After placing the suitcase in the trunk, Gao Yang’s gun case no longer fit. Glolov’s machine gun could be dismantled, but Gao Yang’s weapon was in full assembly within its case, which was too long. Gao Yang had no choice but to hold the gun case on his lap in the back seat.

As the car began moving, Gao Yang asked loudly, “To the Fairmont Grand Hotel. By the way, how much will it cost?”

The old man hesitated for a moment and then said loudly, “Will you be paying in US dollars? If yes, then about eighteen dollars. Things aren’t good now; fares have gone up.”

Gao Yang was surprised to meet an unusually honest taxi driver, as the general trend during such times was to charge exorbitant prices. A straightforward fare like his was the real anomaly.

Glolov couldn’t help but comment, “Old man, everyone else is charging at least one hundred dollars to start.”

The old man shook his head. “No, I wouldn’t do that. Truthfully, drivers notice you’re foreigners and hike the prices sky-high. You could bargain them down to fifty dollars, easily.”

Glolov shrugged and said, “Honestly, given the current situation, asking for high fares seems pretty reasonable to me.”

The old man suddenly grew angry and declared furiously, “They’re opportunistic leeches! Damn them! Our country was fine before—it shouldn’t be like this. We should be living normal, peaceful lives. It’s those damn opportunists who’ve wrecked this country. Is this normal? No! It’s far from normal!”

The principled old man piqued Gao Yang’s interest. If someone wanted to understand the local circumstances, taxi drivers were usually excellent sources of information. And an honest one, like this old man, made an even better choice.

“Sir, may I ask—how safe is Kyiv City District right now? Especially the area around the Fairmont Grand Hotel, where we’re staying.”

“Unsafe. Very unsafe. Don’t go near Independence Square—it’s extremely dangerous. Oh, but since you’re journalists, you’ll probably have to go there anyway. No choice, huh? Just be extra cautious. Also, you should avoid all political organizations, especially the Liberal Party. The Liberal Party people are a bunch of Villains—far-right extremists, Nazis! They’re extremely hostile toward foreigners and frequently attack them. You must be very careful.”

As he spoke, the driver grew increasingly agitated. He slammed his hand on the steering wheel and practically yelled, “Our fathers made great sacrifices—countless lives lost—to defeat the Nazis! And now, what about the younger generation? Those clueless idiots worship Nazis! They want to become the new Nazis! And those politicians? They let it happen—ignorant! Shameless! It’s disgraceful—a disgrace to Ukraine!”

After venting his rage, the old man turned to Glolov and said, “If you’re journalists and you have any conscience, please broadcast my words. Please be fair—I hope the people of the world learn the truth of what’s happening here.”

Glolov seemed to resonate deeply with the man. He sighed heavily, shook his head, and said, “Idiots. Sigh, Russia is no better!”

The old man and Glolov chatted all the way as their car entered Kyiv City District. The streets were silent and deserted. Trash littered the roads, left uncollected. Few cars were moving through the area—it was mostly ambulances, occasionally zooming by with piercing sirens.

The old man pointed at a speeding ambulance and sighed, “These days, ambulances are the most common sight. Oh, I’ll take a detour. This route is longer but safer. Plus, the area around Fairmont Grand Hotel has decent security—the important thing is that it’s not a Liberal Party hotspot. But still, when you go outside, you’ll need to watch your steps.”

When not riled up, the old man spoke graciously and carried himself with dignity, even while driving. Gao Yang felt he was quite different from the rude and direct drivers they had encountered before. Unable to resist his curiosity, Gao Yang asked, “Sir, how many years have you been driving taxis?”

The old man chuckled lightly, then replied with a self-deprecating smile, “Many years. Since I lost my job as a Black Sea Shipyard Engineer, I switched to driving taxis.” (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian [qidian.com] to vote for it or recommend it. Your support motivates me the most. Mobile readers, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)