Ultimate Firepower
Chapter 349 - 333 Hurry Over

Chapter 349: Chapter 333 Hurry Over

"You thought it was all over; you thought the worst, most painful, most difficult, and most agonizing moments had finally ended, only to find out that it was just the beginning."

Grasse hung up the call because there was nothing he could do now. He couldn’t send reinforcements, nor could he evacuate Gao Yi. All he could do was to deliver some bad news to Gao Yi.

Gao Yi hung up the phone in a daze.

Donkey had heard Gao Yi’s conversation. Although he hadn’t heard everything, just the part that came out of Gao Yi’s mouth was enough to make him despair.

"What’s the situation?"

Gao Yi shook his head, speaking softly, "It’s still unclear."

Without hesitation, Donkey spoke, "Tell the truth! Understand one thing, hiding the truth has no benefits for you. If things are really bad, at least I can try to take you with me. If you lie, we’ll only end up dying here together."

Telling Donkey the truth would probably mean that War Axe Mercenary Group would have to retreat immediately. But that was okay, Gao Yi wanted to run now, too.

There were benefits to having War Axe Mercenary Group protect him during the escape. Turning War Axe Mercenary Group into an enemy would be the worst-case scenario.

Without much hesitation, Gao Yi spoke in a low voice, "The British showing up was unexpected, and now we don’t know why they are here, but their attack is just the beginning. A tribal armed force under the Iraqi Defense Bureau is on its way, the Haissa Tribe Armed."

The color drained from Donkey’s face.

Gao Yi spread his hands, saying, "This was a trap I set for my enemies, hoping to lure them in and eliminate them. But now, you see, the enemy was lured in, but our trap was too small."

It was like digging a pit for wild boars only for an elephant to show up, getting stuck right at the entrance, unable to fall in.

Donkey pressed his hand against his forehead.

Without much hesitation, but with a sense of helplessness, Donkey spoke to Gao Yi, "Evacuate, the mercenary fee is doubled, no more words needed, prepare to break out."

Having said that, Donkey picked up the walkie-talkie, speaking urgently but without panic, "Lego, this is War Axe, respond if you hear me."

"What’s the situation now!"

Everyone was confused and baffled, each of them wanting to know what the situation was.

The actual situation wasn’t that important; what mattered was what they had to do next.

Donkey spoke very seriously, "We’ve been attacked by the British; we’ve suffered heavy losses but still have the capacity to fight. Now tell me, what’s your status?"

"We’ve suffered heavy casualties with three dead and nine injured. One High Altitude Gun has been completely destroyed. Why were we attacked by armed helicopters?"

Donkey exhaled, saying, "Forget about that. What’s important is the armed helicopters have left. We need to evacuate quickly..."

"How can you be sure the armed helicopters have left?"

That question was indeed difficult for Donkey to answer. Yes, now that the electronic jammer was forced to return due to low fuel, but how could he be sure that the armed helicopters had also left? And what about the transport helicopters that had delivered the British soldiers; had they left as well?

It was unlikely that they would just fly away and abandon the soldiers that had entered the building.

But what should Donkey say? Should he tell them that a large ground force was about to attack?

If he told the truth, Lego Mercenary Corps would definitely abandon the War Axe Mercenary Group trapped by the British and flee on their own.

Taking the chance to run while the British were still entangled with War Axe was what two unrelated mercenary groups ought to do.

Donkey couldn’t tell the truth. With no other choice and after a moment of thought, he seriously said, "We’re blocked by the British and need your rendezvous. If you can dispatch a small squad to meet us from the outside, give us some cover, we..."

"I refuse!"

Donkey continued, "I’ll give you one million!"

"No, nobody will take on such a suicidal mission. I’m not like you; we don’t earn money that way."

War Axe Mercenary Group was notorious for valuing money over life and daring to take on the most difficult tasks – it was always a matter of price, regardless of the level of danger.

But Lego Mercenary Group was different; they wanted to make money, but they also wanted a chance to spend it.

Donkey had hoped Lego would lend a hand and was met with rejection.

Donkey looked at Gao Yi, pushing the walkie-talkie towards him, saying, "You talk. You’re the boss, they might listen to you."

War Axe Mercenary Group and Lego Mercenary Group were on equal footing, so it was normal for Donkey’s word to carry no weight. But Gao Yi, as the one paying, might still have some influence.

At that moment, Gao Yi was definitely willing to pay more.

But the phone rang again.

Gao Yi gestured for Donkey to wait and answered the call, speaking urgently, "What’s going on?"

"Freedom Wind went to the British after finding out we refused to help. The British Ocean-class Amphibious Assault Ship concluded its visit to India, passed through the Suez Canal the day before yesterday, visited Bahrain, and is now stationary in the Persian Gulf near the Kuwait Coast. Our air defense systems in Iraq completely missed the British movements. Now, the White House has formally ordered the Pentagon, and as allies, the UK is conducting a special military operation in Iraq. We can’t stop it, nor can we shoot them down. We’ve lost this one; evacuate immediately!"

Freedom Wind, truly formidable.

Gao Yi gained a new understanding of Freedom Wind’s capabilities.

He had managed to bypass the Pentagon, avoid a CIA insider, join forces with the British, use the Iraqi tribal armed forces, and persuade the White House—pulling off such a significant operation so quietly.

Gao, truly masterful.

Gao Yi let out a soft breath and said, "If the White House has given the order, it means there’s no way to send helicopters to evacuate us."

"Not just helicopters, even cars won’t do. Once the White House issued the order to the Pentagon, it was already irretrievable. We can try to delay time, but that’s all we can do. Up to now, the White House hasn’t ordered the military to join the attack either, otherwise, the situation would only be worse."

Despair filled Grasse’s voice as he whispered, "Panetta has doomed us. Listen, don’t try to figure out what happened. We just need to get out of here quickly. I’ll find a way to cover you, I’ll send someone to rescue you."

What wasn’t said went unsaid, and it was not clear if Grasse dared not say more.

He likely feared that saying it outright would scare Gao Yi and the others to death.

Gao Yi asked anxiously, "How many people from the Haissa Tribe armed forces have arrived?"

"Four M1A2 tanks and eight M2 armored vehicles full of infantry."

Grasse whispered the worst news in the lowest voice.

Gao Yi’s mind was somewhat dazed, feeling a bit dizzy.

"Falke, got it. I need to think... How long before the Iraqis get here!"

"Ten minutes..."

Grasse took a breath, then he continued helplessly, "Sorry, I’ve been keeping an eye on the White House’s orders to the military and monitoring Iraq’s movements, but I didn’t expect Freedom Wind to choose tribal warfare, letting the Haissa Tribe’s forces jump on the bandwagon."

The Iraqi Government was a big mishmash of powers; amongst them, tribal forces held a very significant share.

Freedom Wind had bypassed the Iraqi Government, skipped over the Defense Army framework, and struck a deal directly with the Haissa Tribe, which was closely connected to the CIA, sending an army loyal to the tribe rather than to the government.

The key was that this army was small in scale, four tanks and eight armored vehicles. Such a size of troops could be mobilized quickly and covertly.

What could Gao Yi say? He had no good solutions, but he certainly couldn’t just surrender without a fight.

"I got it, I’ll figure out a way."

Grasse continued, "By the time I received the news, it was already too late. When we discovered a tank convoy moving towards your location, we immediately asked around and tried to stop them. By this time, Freedom Wind knew their movements had been exposed, and that’s when the White House issued orders to prevent our intervention."

Grasse wanted to say more, but Gao Yi no longer wanted to hear the convoluted details. There wasn’t time for that, and after all, what good would it do to understand the complex relationships behind the scenes if it only meant becoming a knowledgeable ghost?

Gao Yi urged, "No more talk. If there’s anything else, we’ll be in touch later. I need to figure out how to break out."

After hanging up the phone, Gao Yi immediately retrieved the phone number he had kept on hand.

With no hope left in official channels, he had to rely on private military force, and at this moment, the only option he had was the enigmatic Sherkin.

Fate was a fickle thing, but sometimes it let one feel its presence very keenly.

Although it was the early hours of the morning, Sherkin answered the call very quickly, his voice grave as he said, "Hello."

"It’s me; we met last time. I’ve confirmed everything now. Do you still take this job?"

"Of course, why not? Fifty million as a down payment."

Gao Yi was speechless, "I haven’t even said who the enemy is..."

"I just know you’re calling me because you’re waiting to be saved. Since it’s a lifesaver, it starts at fifty million. If you agree, we continue; if not, hang up."

It was outright profiteering, but Sherkin had nothing to hide.

Gao Yi said urgently, "My enemies have four tanks and eight armored vehicles!"

"Simple. I’ll bring anti-tank missiles, sixty million."

"We are currently trapped in a building by the British Royal Marine Corps..."

"Hmm, seventy million."

Gao Yi insisted, "Your job is to cover us while we break out, then extract us. The enemy tanks will arrive in ten minutes. When can you get here at the earliest?"

"Wait, just cover, not wipe out all the enemies before taking you out?"

"I’d love for you to take them all out, but I’m afraid I can’t wait that long."

Sherkin expressed genuine regret, "Then it’s still fifty million. As I said, fifty million to start with, even if it’s a breakout. Then, I’ll need half an hour to get there."

"I haven’t even said where..."

Sherkin disdainfully said, "No need to tell me. I know. Do you think everyone in Lego Mercenary Corps has a tight lip? I hope you learn your lesson. If you want to do big things, don’t go to those messed-up people. If you had come to us, the matter would’ve been settled long ago. Why go through all this trouble?"

Gao Yi didn’t want to say anything more; he could only say, "Come on, then. I’ll pay on delivery."