Mercenary’s War
Chapter 1276: Setting The Trap For Iron Madonna

Chapter 1276: Setting The Trap For Iron Madonna

Back at the hotel, there was no immediate rest to be had, as they had to study intelligence and analyze which location would be most suitable—and could also lure the Iron Madonna into an ambush.

Setting up a trap wasn’t as simple as it seemed. A group of people stared at the intelligence maps for a long time and debated for ages before Gao Yang finally couldn’t help but sigh, “If Yake and Number Thirteen were here, this would be much easier.”

Everyone has their specialty—asking intelligence agents to fight isn’t as effective as asking soldiers, even those thoroughly trained. Similarly, asking mercenaries to handle intelligence work doesn’t yield the same results. The same map would come across very differently to a combat commander versus an intelligence agent.

What Gao Yang and his team needed to do now was pick a location based on the movements of the Iron Madonna—a place where part of their forces might be lured—then set it as the ambush site. It wasn’t an easy task.

If an elaborate battlefield was set up but failed to lure the enemy, the ambush would end up being completely worthless.

“According to Krulney’s intel, the Iron Madonna is still in Kiev. However, they are very likely to head to the Crimea Peninsula. If Victor wants to escape, Crimea is the most likely choice. The problem is, Victor’s current hiding spot is still unclear, so the Iron Madonna hasn’t taken any direct action yet. Should we set up a trap immediately in Kiev? Or wait until the Iron Madonna finishes its current task before reconsidering the ambush strategy? Or perhaps set up on the routes the Iron Madonna must pass through?”

The group stared at each other blankly—without concrete intelligence, it was incredibly difficult to make a decision.

Glolov rubbed his forehead and said, “If only we had some precise intelligence on the Iron Madonna, then we’d have something to work with. This uncertainty is killing us.”

Gao Yang let out a bitter laugh and said, “Even the Iron Madonna itself doesn’t seem to know where it’s heading. How can we predict it in advance? There’s no way. If we don’t want to sit around waiting endlessly, I’d say we gamble. Pick a location for the ambush and focus all efforts on driving the Iron Madonna toward it. If it doesn’t work the first time, we try again. And again. Until they step into the trap.”

Li Jinfang said in a deep voice, “If there are no better options, then it’s the only way.”

At that moment, Little Donnie’s phone suddenly rang. Gao Yang waved his hand and said, “Take the call.”

Little Donnie answered the call and, after just a brief exchange, covered the receiver and said quietly to Gao Yang, “It’s Shava.”

“Ask him what’s up.”

Gao Yang felt a faint sense of unease. Little Donnie spoke a few more words into the phone before covering the receiver again and said to Gao Yang, “Shava’s translator says they’ve sorted out everything we need, except they can’t gather the full amount of C4 we requested. They say we either have to wait until tomorrow night or even the day after, or accept a reduced supply. If we agree to the reduced quantity, Shava’s willing to refund part of the money.”

Gao Yang snapped angrily, “F**k! I knew something would go wrong! Tell him I don’t need the money back. I need the C4, and he has to deliver it on time.”

Just as Little Donnie was about to relay Gao Yang’s demand, Gao Yang gestured for him to stop and said, “No, don’t put it that way. I’m getting worked up, and that’s not the attitude for solving problems. Hmm… Ask him how much C4 he’s managed to gather.”

Little Donnie repeated the question over the phone and then replied to Gao Yang, “Four hundred and fifty kilograms. That’s all he could scrape together. If replacement explosives work, they can supply plenty. But if it has to be C4, then that’s it—unless they get more time to source it from elsewhere.”

Gao Yang glanced at Rafael, who grinned and said, “More than enough, Boss. Don’t forget—I initially only asked for fifty kilograms.”

Gao Yang chuckled and told Little Donnie, “Let him know—deliver that amount as promised. And they don’t need to refund our money. F**k, they scared me for a second. I thought we’d be way off target with the amount.”

Little Donnie exchanged a few more words on the phone before hanging up. He smiled at Gao Yang and said, “Shava kept apologizing profusely. When he heard we didn’t need a refund, he even offered to treat you to a drink.”

Gao Yang waved it off. Just then, his phone on the table began to ring.

Picking up the phone, he noticed it was an unfamiliar number. Gao Yang gestured for everyone else to stay silent, then answered in a low voice, “Hello? Who’s this?”

“Nate. I heard you’ve been looking for me lately.”

Gao Yang nearly jumped out of his seat with excitement. “F**k, it’s about time you called! Hey, buddy, I’ve got a big deal for you—definitely something you’ll find interesting.”

“Oh? Let’s hear it.”

“We’re planning to take on the Iron Madonna. What do you think? Join us. Four million for you. We team up. However many people you think you can handle, we’ll draw that many out of the Iron Madonna, lure them into a trap, and take them down. What do you say to this business?”

Nate responded without hesitation, “Sorry, not interested. I’m keen on taking down the Iron Madonna—we’ve got bad blood—but the timing isn’t right. I can’t team up with you to deal with them right now; I’ve got far more pressing matters.”

Gao Yang felt a deep sense of disappointment and replied helplessly, “What’s so important? Listen, buddy, I have to tell you something—the Iron Madonna has its eyes on you. They’ve accepted a mission to take out Angel.”

Nate sounded intrigued as he asked, “Oh? Really? Do you know who’s targeting us?”

“Yep. Tomler impersonated your group and took a contract from the Shah People. While his actions have nothing to do with you, the Shah People now want to silence you. The Iron Madonna accepted that mission. On top of that, we’re planning to pretend to be your group to bait the Iron Madonna into a trap. But if you join us, there’s no need for the pretense.”

Nate paused briefly before speaking in a displeased tone, “So we’ve been played without even knowing it?”

“Yep. Tomler pulled the stunt. But he’s dead now; only the aftermath remains.”

“Hmm. Fine. Dead men can’t regret things. If he were still alive, he’d surely regret this. Right now, though, I just don’t have time to deal with the Iron Madonna, so I can’t partner up with you. But I’ll allow you to use Angel’s name for setting up the trap—even though I’d rather take them down myself someday.”

Gao Yang sighed, “Alright. If you don’t have the time, we’ll handle it ourselves.”

“I’d be happy to lend you a hand in leading the Iron Madonna into a trap. Tell me—how do you need me to cooperate with you?”

Although Nate refused to personally join the battle, his willingness to cooperate in setting a trap was enough. With Nate’s help, operating under Angel’s name would be far more convincing—like producing counterfeit goods with authorized branding versus creating outright fake knock-offs, it’d be far easier to reel them in.

Gao Yang immediately said, “Where are you? We’ll come to you. Just show your face to help draw the Iron Madonna toward us. We’ll handle the rest ourselves.” (To Be Continued. If you enjoyed this story, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile readers, please visit m.qidian.com for access.)