Mercenary’s War
Chapter 1278: One Thousand Two Hundred Sixty-One: The Initiative

Chapter 1278: Chapter One Thousand Two Hundred Sixty-One: The Initiative

Too many uncertain factors stacked together can make a person anxious. Gao Yang is the boss; he is the helmsman of Satan. The lives of all Satan’s members hinge on him, and all of this places immense pressure on him.

Gao Yang rarely suffered from insomnia. Normally, even on a battlefield where gunfire roared, if there was an opportunity to sleep, he could fall asleep immediately. But now, lying on a comfortable bed provided by a five-star hotel, he tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

The vodka placed in the hotel room was standard for luxury accommodations in Russia. For hotels in other countries, placing alcohol in rooms was uncommon; at most, there might be some beer in the fridge. But in Russia, having a few bottles of vodka in a luxury hotel room was completely normal.

Gao Yang had already opened a bottle of vodka, but after hesitating for a long time, he put the bottle back. For a sniper, smoking and drinking were practically taboo, so unless absolutely necessary, Gao Yang avoided these substances.

Many mercenaries were heavy drinkers or addicts. When Gao Yang considered using alcohol to ease his tension, he ultimately decided that in such a stressful state, it was best to avoid these things altogether. Many bad habits are formed gradually, and he didn’t want to become a drunkard or let alcohol cloud his mind and nerves.

After putting down the bottle, Gao Yang straightforwardly took out his Blade of Satan. Without turning on the light, he sat on the bed, disassembled the gun, grabbed a clean cloth, and wiped it down dry, foregoing gun oil. Then, in the dark, he reassembled it.

The cycle of disassembling and reassembling the gun continued for an untold number of times before Gao Yang finally fell into a deep sleep.

Half-asleep, Gao Yang suddenly woke up with a start. But as soon as he felt the gun held in his arms, he was reassured and drifted back into slumber.

The next day, Gao Yang woke later than usual. He was disturbed by knocking at the door, which roused him. Reflexively, he jumped up from bed. After clearing his mind, he shouted loudly, “Wait a moment.”

He quickly stored the gun in its case, checked his watch, and found it was already past ten in the morning—at least three hours later than when he usually woke.

Opening the door, Gao Yang saw Little Donnie, whose face was urgently anxious. Gao Yang immediately asked, “What happened?”

Little Donnie didn’t reply. He quickly ran to the television, turned it on, switched through several channels rapidly, and then extended his arm and loudly exclaimed, “See for yourself.”

On the television, there were young men kneeling on the ground. Surrounding them were furious people, shouting angrily at them.

Ukraine has two languages: Ukrainian and Russian, which had originally been universally spoken. But now, Ukrainian was the sole common language. Regardless of education or mainstream television channels, only Ukrainian remained. The language being spoken on the broadcast was indeed Ukrainian.

“Who are they? What’s going on?”

Little Donnie wore an expression of disbelief and pointed at the television, saying, “The news just announced that Ukraine has issued an arrest warrant for Victor.”

“Oh, so what are these guys doing?”

“These are soldiers from the Golden Eagle Special Forces in Lviv. They’re being forced to kneel and apologize for the victims on Independence Square two days ago. The new Zhengfu ordered them to do this.”

Gao Yang’s eyes widened in disbelief as he pointed at the television, saying, “Ukraine’s opposition—no, now the New Zhengfu—they’re a bunch of pigs, aren’t they? Forcing Golden Eagle soldiers to kneel?”

Little Donnie nodded solemnly and said, “Yes, it’s happening right before your eyes. No need to doubt it.”

Staring at the television, Gao Yang muttered, “The newly established New Zhengfu isn’t focusing on consolidating control of the military but is instead forcing soldiers already under their command to kneel—on national TV, no less. Is this really a wise move?”

Little Donnie said seriously, “Do you know what this implies?”

Gao Yang took a deep breath and said, “I know very well. It implies a lot of things. First, I know Ukraine is now in the hands of idiots, which will inevitably lead to civil war. Ukraine is done. Completely done. I can now confirm that Ukraine is absolutely doomed. And it doesn’t even require America or Russia to interfere—those idiots will destroy Ukraine themselves.”

Little Donnie suddenly burst into laughter, cheerfully saying, “You’re viewing this from a tactical perspective, but I see something different. From my viewpoint, Ukraine is turning into a perfect goldmine.”

Gao Yang stepped back a few paces, sat on the bed, and pointed at the television, saying, “Ukraine’s military morale is shattered—completely ruined. But I don’t know how we can profit from this. If we’re talking business, what should we start with? Right now, smuggling weapons from the Ukrainian Army might still be difficult, but in a few days, Ukraine’s entire arsenal will open its doors to us. Do you think it’s worth going into the arms trade?”

Little Donnie shrugged and said, “As long as we can buy at rock-bottom prices, anything’s worth buying. Ukraine will soon become a competition of who’s the worst off. So, it doesn’t matter—buy whatever you can. The golden age where a few grand could empty out a warehouse is back. Just like the Soviet Union’s collapse. The only problem now is whether we can transport everything we acquire out of the country.”

Gao Yang stared blankly and said, “You’re right, you’re right. We’ve pinpointed the crucial issue. It’s an era where channels are king. Wealth doesn’t depend on what we can get from Ukraine but on what we can move out of Ukraine. So where are our transport channels?”

Little Donnie shrugged again and said, “We’re outsiders, but we have force. In a place that has completely lost order and descended into chaos, force is everything. Bring in more people—bring as many as possible. The next step will be figuring out the routes. Given Ukraine’s geography, shipping things through neighboring countries’ territories will be tricky. I prefer using Ukraine’s coastal ports for direct export. Sevastopol or Odessa, both work.”

Gao Yang raised his hand in excitement and said, “We need the help of local powers instead of relying solely on our own people to maintain a transport line. No matter how large our team is, we can’t outnumber the local armed forces. So, spend money hiring mercenaries wisely; it’s better to recruit local forces with less money. And we’ll meet with Shava soon to see what we can get from him. Test every possibility—we have to act fast. Time is money. Ukraine will be stripped bare, and we need to seize the moment. At the very least, we need to establish a reliable transport line. Once we have that, we’ll have the upper hand!”

Little Donnie shrugged and said, “So, while dealing with the Iron Madonna, we’ll build our transport line at the same time?”

Gao Yang pointed at Little Donnie and said solemnly, “Yes. Combat is not your area of expertise, so you might as well take charge of this task. Until I find your replacement, you will be responsible for establishing our transport line, starting with Shava. How does that sound?” (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian.com to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)