Mercenaries, I Will Be King Chapter 136 - 130 Departure to Persia

Back at the company, the cook and the Ferrari were having a small barbecue on the rooftop of the office building.

When Song Heping found the two of them, their faces were already flushed from drinking.

"Hey, co have so!"

The cook handed over the vodka he was holding.

Without saying a word, Song Heping sat down, took the drink, and gulped it down.

The cook asked, "Why do I get the feeling you're preoccupied with sothing heavy on your mind?"

Song Heping said, "If you were in my position as the legal representative, I wouldn't be so preoccupied."

The cook said, "But being the boss is good, isn't it? Hey, you're strange; others are fighting to be in charge, and here you are, not even wanting it."

Song Heping picked up a skewer of grilled at and bit off the largest piece.

The mutton from Illiguo really did taste great.

"I've taken on Yusuf and his gang's security business."

"What?"

The grilled at in the cook's hand nearly fell to the ground.

"You really took it on? I told you not to; that deal simply isn't profitable!"

Song Heping said, "Indeed, it's not profitable, but I'm not looking at this bit of small change right now. Those guys could help us establish all sorts of connections; it's possible they might be the key to our company's future arms business..."

He then laid out his entire plan to the cook in detail.

In the end, the cook seed to agree with this approach.

"An annual cost of 400,000 US dollars..."

But he still felt a bit of a pinch.

Song Heping said, "No pain, no gain. Cook, don't be so stingy; always fixating on the small change will be the death of you."

Then, he changed the subject, "Also, Avanti called just now."

The cook was taken aback, "He's gotten in touch with you already? Is it about that thing he wants us to do in Turkey?"

"Yes," Song Heping said. "It's about that Hassan. Avanti also ntioned that the CIA is after him now, too."

Ferrari said, "Have you considered how strange this is? An official from the forr Illiguo governnt runs away to Turkey, and the Persians want to catch him? The CIA also wants to catch him? Right, and if this guy is so important, why hasn't the Turkish intelligence services touched him?"

This string of questions indeed raised doubts in Song Heping's mind.

He hadn't previously questioned why Avanti was so adamant about capturing Hassan.

After all, for such a deal, with a reward of 1 million US dollars offered, according to the rules, you shouldn't ask what you don't need to know.

Now that Ferrari brought it up, it really made him feel that things were perhaps not that simple.

The Persians want to catch him, the CIA also wants to catch him.

What was this guy's real background?

Could it be related to Weapons of Mass Destruction?

"Stop thinking about things we have no answers for."

Song Heping didn't want to continue discussing such matters.

Because the less he knew, the better for him.

It wasn't just a rule of the business not to pry into clients' secrets; it was also a secret to staying alive.

"Cook, for this job in Turkey, I'll take Hunter, Grey Wolf, and White Bear with to get it done, and you lead the boys in watching over the oil field."

"Just the four of you will be enough?"

The cook couldn't help but ask.

Song Heping said, "For this kind of covert operation, more people only draw more attention; fewer can get the job done more easily."

"All right then." The cook sighed, "You just be careful."

His tone was full of concern.

Song Heping reassured him, "It's alright, fortune favors the bold. Haven't I always been lucky?"

With his reply, the cook couldn't help but laugh.

Indeed.

Song Heping had always been lucky.

Even he couldn't deny that fact himself.

Back in high school, Song Heping was once called over by He Banxian at the entrance of the village on his way ho from school in town.

He Banxian was a local folk healer who, aside from treating patients, also offered fortune-telling and Feng Shui services. He had quite a reputation in the area; even so officials from the county would drive to the village to seek his predictions.

Song Heping thought He Banxian wanted him to do so unpaid work, but that day, with a beaming smile, He Banxian invited him in, sat him down in his courtyard, stared at Song Heping for a while, and then, like a hermit detached from worldly affairs, made a prophecy that he would surely rise to great heights and find success in everything when he grew up.

At the ti, Song Heping thought He Banxian must have been hallucinating from a midday tipple to co to him for amusent.

After all, his family was so poor, his mother had died early, and his father was in poor health. How could anything be "going smoothly"?

The word "smooth" was completely irrelevant, right?

Reflecting on it now, since that last incident involving the transport of generators and an ambush, in just a short month, he had indeed made a fortune he never dared dream of before. While marveling at the mysterious ways of fate, he suddenly rembered old He Banxian.

Perhaps the old man truly had so real talent.

After settling the matters, Song Heping continued to chat leisurely with the cook and Ferrari for a while before going to take a shower and get ready for bed.

Lying on the newly purchased bed, he couldn't fall asleep.

He looked at the clock; it was already eleven. It should be dinnerti back ho.

He had been quite busy lately and hadn't called ho for a while.

So he picked up the satellite phone and called his sister back in China.

"Lingling, are you having dinner?"

"Big brother, is that you?"

"It's , who else would it be? By the way, is the food at the cafeteria to your liking?"

"It's okay, it's been the sa."

"If it's not to your liking, you can eat out; don't be hard on yourself."

Song Heping's words made his sister, Song Lingling, think she had heard wrong.

As the eldest brother, who was like a father figure, Song Heping had always taught his siblings the importance of thriftiness.

What was different today?

"No worries, big brother, the food at the cafeteria is pretty good and cheap," she said.

"Listen to , Lingling, treat yourself to sothing nice. Tomorrow I'll have soone transfer so money to you and our second brother. Once exchanged, spend it slowly, eat so good food, buy yourself so nice clothes..."

Song Heping had a realization.

He was now a man with wealth in the hundreds of thousands of US dollars.

While he might not be imnsely rich, ensuring a better life for his siblings wasn't difficult.

Previously, I was afraid they would beco reckless spenders once they had money.

Now that I think about it, that worry was also unnecessary.

Everyone has their own destiny, and my siblings have their own views on life. All these years, the two of them have never let down. Not only have they been independent, but they also used their winter and sumr vacations to work part-ti and earn money, which shows they are not indecisive or lacking in self-control.

"Big brother... you're acting very strange today..."

Listening to Song Heping ramble on the phone like a sixty-year-old man, telling her to do this and that, Song Lingling's first feeling was that her brother had changed.

But what exactly had changed, she couldn't pinpoint.

It was just different.

"Is that so?"

Song Lingling's remark left Song Heping astonished.

Changed?

Had he really changed?

He fell into contemplation.

Maybe...

"Big brother, did you strike it rich in business? How co you've suddenly beco so generous?"

Perhaps feeling that her words had upset her brother, Song Lingling quickly made a joke.

"Uh... yeah..."

Song Heping forced a smile.

"This month's business went very well; I took on a big deal and made quite a sum of money! So I want you two not to skimp too much—you are still growing, after all. Eat better food..."

Trade...

Even to Song Heping himself, this word felt comical.

What deal?

Arms trading!

What business?

rcenary business!

If he honestly told his sister about these things, he might scare her to tears on the spot.

Forget it, forget it.

This must absolutely remain a secret.

"Really?!"

Song Lingling sounded delighted.

"Big brother, you're amazing!"

"Cough, cough!" Song Heping coughed twice, "That's right, big brother has begun to have so good luck, so you two don't worry about tuition and stuff. If business continues to go this well, next year I could even buy you a house to serve as your dowry for the future!"

Song Lingling giggled, and after laughing for a while, she said, "I don't want it, you save it up for your wife. I'll earn my own dowry money!"

A wave of warmth swept through Song Heping's heart.

His sister still understood the big picture.

"Tomorrow, I'll wire twenty thousand US dollars to you and Xiao Rui. Make sure to check your account, ten thousand for you, and ten thousand for him. Rember what your brother said—eat well, buy what you like. You both have made very proud."

"Big brother, I saw on the news that there's war every day in Illiguo. Isn't it very dangerous for you there?" Song Lingling didn't care much about the money; she was concerned for Song Heping's safety.

"I'm in Baghdad, and they don't fight here anymore. Don't worry, it's safe. I'm staying in the Green Zone, there's no trouble at all, and besides, your big brother used to be a soldier, right?"

Song Heping intentionally gave a rosy picture.

But in reality, the Green Zone wasn't necessarily safe.

And the place where he worked was in the most dangerous Northern Border.

He estimated that he might have to go to Turkey in the next few days.

Even Song Heping himself wasn't sure about the trip to Turkey.

That was one reason why he was calling his sister.

Before he set out, he figured he might need to make arrangents with the chef; in case sothing happened to him, all his money should be sent back to his brother and sister.

The chef was a trustworthy person; he probably wouldn't abscond with such an amount of money.

After chatting for a long ti with his sister, until she had to go to the library to study, he finally hung up the phone.

Then he called his little brother.

His brother, Song Rui, was actually playing gas with his roommate in the dormitory...

As a result, he got an earful from Song Heping.

After a good scolding, Song Heping hung up the phone.

Early the next morning, Song Heping did indeed receive the eting place and ti.

It seed Avanti was really in a hurry to catch soone.

The ti was set for nine o'clock tonight, the sa old place as last ti.

Song Heping said goodbye to Ferrari and then rushed off to the oil fields. On the way there, he made a call to Yusuf, telling him not to call him for the next few days. For all matters related to bodyguards and special port entry permits, he should contact Ferrari.

Having settled everything, Song Heping finally felt at ease.

He spent a whole day at the oil fields.

Song Heping went to observe the training of two local rcenary companies.

The training of both rcenary companies is currently based on the model from their previous governnt army days—this was sothing Song Heping had decided on earlier.

The reason was simple—these local rcenaries were all forr governnt soldiers, and they were already very proficient in what they had learned. So Song Heping did not have them relearn the infantry tactics he had previously studied and only had White Bear and others guide them, raising the bar.

After all, establishing a new tactical system takes ti, and compiling even a company-level infantry tactics manual would take two hundred pages of writing, even if Song Heping was willing to teach.

Rather than that, it made sense to stick with an already mature tactical system.

During Saddam's era, Illiguo had many Soviet advisors; from equipnt to tactics, they were very similar to the Soviet Army, so White Bear and the others found it easy, even more natural to provide guidance.

This was evident from the last attack on the Free Army headquarters—the local rcenaries lacked not tactical level, but willpower.

However, Song Heping personally offered so pointers to the artillery and rocket launcher platoons, such as the simplified shooting thod he had demonstrated before.

This shooting technique had miraculous effects under extre conditions, was easy to learn, and mainly required understanding the artillery and extensive practice. Given enough ti, anyone could learn it.

Of course, just one day's practice won't result in mastery, so Song Heping reminded them to practice well and then deliberately leaked that he had to return to Baghdad to deal with so issues and would not be at the oil fields for the near future.

This way, people at the oil fields thought he was in Baghdad, while those in Baghdad thought he had returned to the oil fields.

After spending the afternoon at the oil fields, Song Heping, accompanied by White Bear, Grey Wolf, Hunter, and a few others, drove away from the oil fields, found a place to stay in a nearby town until sunset, and then drove towards the Northern Border. They hid the car at the designated spot, camouflaged themselves, and waited.

Avanti's n were punctual.

It was Naxin who ca.

It was the sa Bell helicopter.

The four of them boarded the helicopter, flew low, crossed the Illiguo border, and vanished into Persian territory.