Mercenaries, I Will Be King Chapter 928 - 865: Leaving the Country

Though thinking of Catherine now is already a bit late.

However, as long as holding Catherine, that still gives an extra chip against Ferrari.

From the start of the plan, Wright had people reveal Catherine's identity as an undercover investigative journalist to the gang, which naturally led to the gang kidnapping her.

It can be said that the first step of the plan was very successful.

Without the need to send agents for the kidnapping, they could lure Ferrari to Romania to rescue his sister without exposing any trace—if Ferrari does preliminary investigations, he would only conclude that his sister Catherine went to Romania to investigate gang human trafficking and exposed her identity, which led to her being kidnapped.

Therefore, from the beginning, the CIA was using borrowed knives to kill.

And now, they must find that knife to rescue Catherine, the chip, from under it.

An hour later, a dozen CIA covert agents and thirty fully ard special service police officers surrounded a gang den in the outskirts of Bucharest.

Thermal detectors detected seven silhouettes inside the building, all gathered on the second floor.

"Sothing seems off."

The agent responsible for reconnaissance reported to Wright truthfully: "Didn't see Catherine."

"Can't afford to think too much, raid!"

Wright felt the temperature inside his skull rising, his head slightly hot.

There was no choice left.

Whether Catherine was inside or not?

This question was not important at all.

Even if his subordinates clearly told him Catherine was not in the front building, Wright would not believe it, nor accept it as truth.

Despite vaguely guessing his defeat, he could not stomach this shaful ending.

The image of Simon and Director Vincent before the operation appeared in his mind.

Simon repeatedly warned him that Song Heping was highly deceptive, turning false to true, true to false, and would definitely enter Romania through the civil aviation airport.

But he simply did not believe it.

All four A group agents stationed at the airport were mysteriously poisoned and killed.

From the surveillance footage, it showed departing passengers bumping into them, shortly before they collapsed.

Initial speculation from the ti of symptom onset indicated a mysterious toxin commonly used by Russian agents—"Novichok".

This toxin originated from a Soviet "Foliant" chemical weapon project started in the 1970s-80s aiming to develop a more efficient single-agent compared to the US binary weapons.

Ultimately, this research led to the "Novichok" (Russian for "newcor") series of toxins, with potency far surpassing traditional nerve agents like sarin and VX, at lethal doses 1/5th to 1/1047th that of the forr.

"Novichok" inhibits human acetylcholinesterase, resulting in nerve signal disorder, muscle spasm, and breathing failure, killing within 5-10 minutes.

Although final lab results were not yet available, Wright felt it was quite certain that he underestimated Song Heping initially, as this cunning China person managed to command so many Russian resources in this confrontation…

Boom—

The sudden explosion pulled him back to reality.

As the shock bomb went off, the special service assault team broke in.

Less than five gunshots sounded inside, followed by the headphones quickly relaying the "safe" report from the team.

These gang mbers had nothing over the professional counter-terror officers of the special service.

Wright hurriedly followed the second wave up the stairs.

In the corner of the second-floor hall, several gang mbers with bloody faces were bound from behind, kneeling with heads down like prisoners on a death row.

"Where's the person?!"

Looking around, the place was empty.

No Catherine, only a few pitiful gang underlings.

He rushed forward, fiercely grabbing one by the collar.

"Where's the woman! The female journalist! The one you kidnapped!"

"Take...taken away..."

The gang leader spat out a broken tooth shattered by a counter-terror officer's rifle butt.

"Nicholas's n...just ca two hours ago to take her away..."

"Nicholas..."

Wright rembered the na.

He saw it in the reports.

That action report from South Sudan.

Nicholas, the old "Underground Emperor" of Eastern Europe, the big brother of the gangs, and Song Heping's escort for the female doctor Maria in South Sudan without borders.

"FUCK!"

He finally realized that Song Heping had set up not two, but four lines for him—a bait line to mobilize his layout.

The second line was having the GRU purposely operate at the border, misleading him into thinking they would enter at Krolassi Airport.

The third line was having his forr partner "Chef" bring in crack squads from Russia that ambushed group C transferring Ferrari.

The fourth line was using old relations with Nicholas to find Catherine and rescue her…

While he kept believing that he was only trying to rescue Ferrari.

And kept a close eye on Krolassi's private airport and private planes...

This act was really imnse…

He let go, his face turned grey, his chest heavy, feeling like breathing was compromised.

Catherine, the last chip he had.

Now that's gone too.

Nothing was left…

anwhile, on a forest trail at the Romania-Moldova border, three modified Land Rover Defenders quietly parked at a concealed clearing.

Song Heping jumped out of the car and noticed Nicholas smoking by a rcedes G63 from afar.

The Eastern European "Underground Emperor" was dressed in an ornate suit, the knife scar across his left eye shone with a violent gloss in the sunlight.

"I brought the person."

Nicholas flicked ash from his cigarette and snapped his fingers.

As he raised his hand, Song Heping noticed the badge ring on his little finger—a symbol of supre power within Eastern Europe's underworld "Black Sea Alliance".

Two bodyguards behind him helped a pallid Catherine out of the car.

Song Heping quickly stepped up to check the status of the female journalist: "Did those gang mbers torture you?"

Catherine nodded, her voice weak but clear: "Nothing major..."

Nicholas chuckled lightly: "Once I got your call, I imdiately warned them; nobody dared to touch her. Luckily your call was tily, otherwise, she might be sold to a brothel in Europe or Arica."

He walked up to Song Heping.

"About South Sudan..."

Nicholas exhaled a smoke ring.

"My daughter still has nightmares now. But each ti she wakes, she ntions you, saying she really wants to see you. Visit her in Italy when you have ti."

At this, he suddenly clumsily uttered in Chinese: "Thank you."

"You're welco." Song Heping nodded: "Your favor is repaid."

As they shook hands, Chef quickly approached, speaking in a low voice: "We need to move quickly, or things will get tricky once the CIA and Romanian special service react. The setup in Dezaw is ready; we must leave promptly, or it'll be trouble for everyone."

"Goodbye, Nicholas." Song Heping took a final farewell with the "Underground Emperor": "Thanks for your help, be careful. The CIA might target you."

Nicholas sneered: "Heh, this isn't Arica."

As the sun dipped down the mountainside, Song Heping's convoy had crossed the border.

Iron railing rose at the Transnistrian Russian Peacekeeping Forces checkpoint, granting them passage.

Ferrari lay on a modified back seat, Catherine feeding him water.

Chef's GRU team led the route ahead, everyone keeping high alert.

"Wright must be furious now."

Ferrari weakly laughed.

Song Heping watched the boundary line recede from the rearview mirror: "Let him be furious. His loss this ti isn't just the operation, but his future in the CIA."

He suddenly thought of Simon.

The guy was probably laughing crazily now in Arica.