Ultimate Firepower
Chapter 308 - 294 Sunk Cost

Chapter 308: Chapter 294 Sunk Cost

Gao Yi had no idea how things were going or whether the plan had succeeded.

"From now on, we are the Warhammer Mercenary Group, and I am the leader, Wind Knight."

In a small room, Gao Yi solemnly announced his decision to everyone and then took out an iron bucket and said with great seriousness, "Put all your electronic devices in here for safekeeping—phones, computers, tablets, game consoles, anything that runs on electricity."

Most people had two phones each, one for regular use and the other a satellite phone. Only Lucy had brought a tablet to watch movies, and only Lin Xianghua had brought a handheld game console.

After all the items were placed in the iron bucket and covered with an iron lid, the most basic but effective means of signal jamming was taken care of.

"For the coming period, we will lose all contact with the outside world. Everyone’s movements will be confined to this house. You can leave your room, but you can’t go into the yard."

At that moment, faint sounds could be heard from outside.

Barking orders, shouting, reprimands, and the distinctive roar of high-powered vehicles.

Feng Biao whispered, "Humvees, armored vehicles. I don’t hear any helicopters, but even if there are any, we wouldn’t hear them unless they’re flying very low."

Right now, the location Gao Yi and his group were at was about two hundred meters in a straight line from their original position, separated by more than a dozen houses. If the National Army was indeed conducting house-to-house searches, their safety couldn’t be guaranteed.

But the riskier it was now, the safer it would be after the search. The eye of the storm now would become calm later.

This was the limit of what Khalid could accept. He wanted to be further away, but due to Gao Yi’s insistence, Khalid had no choice but to compromise.

At that moment, Khalid hurried in and whispered, "They’re conducting a massive search outside. They’ve found the place we just left. If they really come looking here, then... prepare yourselves mentally."

Khalid went out again.

He only took three others with him, making a total of four men including himself, meaning that if they were discovered, Khalid didn’t even have the capacity to resist.

Furthermore, if Khalid and Gao Yi had internal conflicts, then Khalid would be at a disadvantage.

Watching Khalid leave again, Feng Biao spoke up, "Honestly, Khalid is really putting himself out there. If it were me, I definitely couldn’t be so compliant. Our arrival has caused him to lose a lot of men, and now even the risk of complete annihilation looms. Boss, do you really think he’s reliable? If I were him, I might have just captured you and handed you over to the CIA."

Feng Biao’s concern was not only valid but also represented the choices most people would make in most such situations.

Caution is essential. Feng Biao was expressing what he might do, which indirectly reminded Gao Yi that Khalid might do the same.

If things looked inescapable, Khalid might betray them in an attempt to redeem his own mistakes, and then the Warhammer Mercenary Group would be finished.

Gao Yi didn’t hesitate to reply, "If Khalid hadn’t suffered such a massive loss, he might have betrayed us. But now with his troops damaged and his vigor greatly reduced, Khalid is more reliable than ever, because of the sunk cost fallacy."

Feng Biao didn’t understand the term sunk cost.

So, confused, he asked, "What is sunk cost?"

Without hesitation, Luca explained, "Sunk cost is the investment that has already been made and cannot be recovered, be it money, manpower, time, or energy. When I’ve invested these without return, they all become sunk costs."

Gao Yi nodded and continued, "Not to mention whether Khalid is willing to surrender to the Americans, even if he is, the lives previously lost, the carpet factory that has been exposed and can no longer be used, and the safe house we just moved out of—none of these losses can ever be recovered. Even if he sides with the Americans, they are unlikely to support him in continuing his fight against the United States. It is more likely they would just kill him to permanently eliminate a potential threat."

After speaking, Gao Yi gestured with his hand, "So now, Khalid needs to cooperate with us even more because we can provide funds, and more importantly, offer him things money can’t buy. The promises we made to him can now show their effects."

Feng Biao nodded, "I understand. There’s no turning back now."

Gao Yi spoke with gravity, "Conversely, we’ve also invested a substantial amount of funds into our dealings with Khalid. Our sunk costs are significant. Therefore, to recover our losses and, more importantly, to ensure our survival in the future, we need to adopt a new identity."

Feng Biao and Li Jie understood the meaning of adopting a new identity, but Luca was puzzled and frowned, "A new identity? What do you mean?"

"It means an alias."

Gao Yi had many aliases: his main identity was Garden, which he had never changed, but he had turned one of his aliases into a major identity, even more famous than his main one. He had just recently pulled this off.

When it comes to notoriety, Sky Garden is far more known than Garden, which only a small fraction of the assassin circle is aware of. As for Sky Garden, who on the Dark Web doesn’t know about it?

Gao Yi said indifferently, "Mercenaries are relatively the least regarded force in the underground world, for a simple reason: mercenaries are pure combat power, they work for whoever pays them, so few people consider Mercenary Groups as a must-eliminate target. When dealing with them, it’s their bosses behind the scenes who are targeted. Therefore, I have decided that for the time being, we are Warhammer Mercenary Group, that’s our only identity."

Li Jie, puzzled, said, "Mercenaries then mercenaries, that’s fine, but under these circumstances, do we still need to make a name for ourselves?"

"Yes, we do need to make a bit of a name. It’s never wrong to have a few more monikers in the Jianghu. In the future, not only will we be the most formidable assassin organization, but we should also be the most formidable Mercenary Group. How thrilling that would feel."

At that moment, the noise from outside seemed to grow louder.

Luca became tense and couldn’t help but peek outside. But from his position, he couldn’t see anything.

"Stop looking. If our location is exposed, it’s a dead end for us. If Khalid can truly ensure that people nearby keep their mouths shut, then we are safe."

Gao Yi wasn’t sure about this either since he had never experienced handing over his life to someone else entirely.

The person helping Gao Yi make decisions must be well-versed in CIA behavior patterns and able to predict every move of the CIA.

Gao Yi spoke softly, "Search the key areas, then quickly evacuate. The strategy is loose on the outside but tight on the inside. Use high-tech means to monitor the periphery of key areas completely. Though everything may seem calm, every person, every car, every house in the area, making a phone call would be monitored, radio communication located, and even fluctuations in electricity usage watched. Any suspicious move can lead to an immediate pinpointed strike."

Li Jie suddenly said, "What about local informants? A bit of money, and there would be people willing to provide information to them. It’s impossible for us to fool everyone here. As long as the CIA has the patience to lay out their network and slowly investigate, they could eventually find us."

Gao Yi continued, "It’s not because Americans have become lazy, but a matter of strategy. It’s precisely because Americans have so much experience operating on foreign soil that they prefer to substitute technology for manpower. The biggest problem with finding local informants is that they’re a double-edged sword, capable of providing information to the Americans but also capable of exposing the Americans’ key monitoring areas."

Having said this, Gao Yi took a breath and added, "You think the Americans only need to focus their search here, but for them, they need to search the entire Tripoli. Even if they have many people, spreading out this network would take time. If we could really manage to hold out for a few months, they might indeed be able to root us out, but the issue is, the CIA does not have that much time."

Feng Biao couldn’t help saying, "How did you suddenly become so knowledgeable about the CIA? Was this an idea given by Joelson?"

"No, it’s the strategy our think tank came up with. Just follow it."

Think tank, not just advisors—that term made a big difference.

Luca understood and exclaimed in surprise, "Think tank?"

Gao Yi waved his hand and said, "Just know that we have a think tank. Don’t ask about the rest."

Everyone nodded. After a moment, Li Jie suddenly said, "So we are completely cutting off all contact with the outside world?"

"Yes."

"How will we be aware of what’s happening outside? If the Americans pull out, or if they are going to undertake some major action, we wouldn’t know. Are we relying entirely on human contact? Using couriers to communicate with the outside?"

Gao Yi shook his head and said, "Completely cut off. No one goes out. You can’t even go outside to improve our living conditions a bit, regardless of whether the Americans have really pulled out. For one month, we can’t even go outside to use the restroom."

This wasn’t like being in jail; it was being in jail.

Gao Yi probably wouldn’t find it too hard to endure. After all, he could still teach Lucy what it means to be human, but for everyone else, it wouldn’t be easy.

At this time, Khalid came again. He still looked tense, yet he had put down his gun.

"The search didn’t come this way, and it seems like they have pulled back. Can I send someone out to check the situation?"

Gao Yi said sternly, "No! Absolutely not! I’ve said it before, don’t concern yourself with what’s happening outside. From this point on, you should consider yourself dead! Everything outside has nothing to do with you."

Emphasizing not to go out repeatedly without a clear explanation could have a counterproductive effect. Sometimes people are pretty vexing; the more you say they can’t do something, the more they want to do just that.

The stakes had already been explained to Khalid and the reasons made very clear. But it was only the first day, and Khalid was already restless, wanting to send people outside to scout. This was not acceptable, absolutely not.

After thinking it over, Gao Yi said, "Treat this place like a prison, and I’m the Prison Director. You must report every action to me, even eating and going to the restroom. You can only proceed after getting permission."

This wasn’t just a requirement for Khalid but also for his own people. Behind each absurd rule was a bloody lesson, and Gao Yi did not want to squander all their efforts over some trivial matter.

Gao Yi held up a finger and said, "One month, just one month! Brothers! Consider it as recuperating or a vacation; just endure it, and it will pass. When we go out again, the world will be different."