Mercenary’s War Chapter 1291: One Thousand Two Hundred Seventy-Four 99%

Chapter 1291: Chapter One Thousand Two Hundred Seventy-Four 99%

As they drove back, Gao Yang laughed and said, “The guys on that garbage truck earlier definitely weren’t Signal Flag personnel. Who knows which unit the Russians actually use for signal interference?”

The other three shook their heads, and Frey asked curiously, “Why are you so sure they weren’t from Signal Flag?”

Gao Yang shrugged and said, “It’s simple. Signal Flag personnel would never smoke while on a mission. I just shot the cigarette ends off two of them.”

Frey chuckled, nodding repeatedly as he said, “Exactly. If they were Signal Flag, they wouldn’t be smoking. Such a simple point—I can’t believe I missed it. I have to say, marksn really have sharp observation skills.”

Andy He curled his lips and said, “Why does it feel like you’re just showing off that you knocked out two cigarette ends, Boss?”

Gao Yang didn’t even turn his head and calmly replied, “Do I still need to show off my gunmanship?”

Andy He rolled his eyes so hard they almost turned white. He struggled to find a counterargunt for a long while and eventually admitted, “No, you don’t.”

Eileen chuckled softly and asked, “How did things go with Krulney? Does he know how Iron Madonna plans to act?”

Gao Yang sighed and said, “Krulney will notify Iron Madonna after receiving word that there was a firefight here. He needs a widely-known intel channel to spread word of the events here. Only then will he discuss attacking us with Iron Madonna. He’s trying to avoid raising their suspicions through all this.”

Andy He laughed and said, “Krulney really is the type who works hard to avoid putting himself in any kind of danger, huh?”

Gao Yang shrugged again and smiled, saying, “If the news doesn’t get out, we’d have to spread it ourselves. But I don’t think there’s any need to worry about that. The area of our firefight spans almost half the city district. If this doesn’t catch those intel traders’ attention, they might as well quit their jobs.”

Just then, Gao Yang heard Glolov’s voice through his headset.

“Penguin Baby calling Bigfoot, do you read? Over.”

“Bigfoot here. Go ahead.”

“Spotted a convoy speeding away from the base toward the direction of the holand.”

Gao Yang thought for a mont and turned to Eileen, asking, “The holand’s direction—heading toward Russia or coming from Russia?”

Eileen replied helplessly, “Heading east along the E97 Motorway leads to the holand—it’s going toward Russia.”

Gao Yang nodded and imdiately responded, “Bigfoot understands. Continue observing and let them pass. It’s Giant Python heading ho. Over.”

“Giant Python?”

Gao Yang slapped his forehead. They hadn’t assigned a codena for Victor because he wasn’t considered a target and they hadn’t anticipated encountering him.

“Giant Python—just think of it as Little Snake. Anyway, just let him pass.”

“They’ve already passed. Seven small vehicles, five large ones. Over.”

“eting. Over.”

After ending the call, Gao Yang said with evident irritation, “These random codenas are making my head spin.”

“You!”

The other three said simultaneously, full of resentnt, pointing out that Gao Yang was always the one who ca up with operation and personnel codenas. Andy He angrily said, “Boss, please, if you’re going to co up with codenas, can you at least make them sound better? Bigfoot, Penguin Baby… where’s your taste?”

Gao Yang replied nonchalantly, “Don’t get so worked up—it’s got nothing to do with taste.”

Eileen complained bitterly, “Boss, I hate to say it, but you really have poor taste in assigning codenas. Why do I have to be Hot Cocoa? Every ti you call by my codena, I want to throw a cup of hot cocoa in your face, you know that?”

Gao Yang laughed, “Ah, creative thinking. When I was assigning your codena, I just happened to want a cup of hot cocoa.”

Frey grumbled with displeasure, saying, “I propose that from now on you’re not allowed to assign codenas, Boss. Anyone else can do it—as long as it’s not you.”

Gao Yang sternly replied, “Absolutely not! As the team leader, it is my right to assign codenas to each of you.”

Frey protested indignantly, “So that’s how I ended up being Nut Pie, right? Let guess—were you craving hot cocoa and a nut pie at the ti?”

“Hmm, I was indeed craving sweets back then, you guessed correctly.”

Andy He sneered, “So my codena ended up being Empty Cup because you just finished a cup of water? Big Dog beca Penguin Baby because there was a penguin stuffed toy in front of you, correct?”

Gao Yang looked puzzled and replied, “Guys, in such a dangerous and critical mont, why are we even talking about this?”

Eileen snapped angrily, “Because your terrible sense of humor is unbearable! I don’t want to be called Hot Cocoa—it associates with sothing disgusting!”

Gao Yang smirked and said, “Say whatever you want. My codenas are final and non-negotiable. Who’s the Boss here, huh? Ha ha!”

In reality, the mbers of Satan rarely found themselves overly tense anymore. But this ti it was different—they were up against Iron Madonna and planning to lure them into a trap. Naturally, everyone was sowhat on edge.

Were Frey and Eileen truly dissatisfied with their codenas? Of course not. During pre-mission tension, new recruits would let the stress build up, while veterans would alleviate it by bantering, telling jokes, or bickering playfully. This brought about a sense of relief.

Just then, the phone rang. Gao Yang quickly answered, and Krulney’s urgent voice ca through, “Word of the firefight in Feodosia has already spread. I’ve contacted Iron Madonna—they’re frustrated and angry. But based on the intel, everyone understands there’s no chance of capturing Victor anymore, so Iron Madonna plans to attack you imdiately—if they get the chance.”

Gao Yang sighed in relief and smiled, “They definitely have a chance, which makes this good news, I suppose.”

“If you think that’s good news, then here’s the bad news: Iron Madonna is sure to mobilize in full force. I don’t know Iron Madonna’s plans, but I believe they’ll move out entirely. Are you prepared?”

Gao Yang also believed Iron Madonna would mobilize fully, so Krulney’s statent wasn’t bad news—more like common sense.

Of course, Gao Yang wouldn’t reveal his plans to Krulney. So, he smiled and replied loudly, “Indeed, it sounds like bad news, but no matter. By the way, you don’t know when Iron Madonna plans to strike, right?”

“Hmm, no exact timing, but certainly before sunrise. They’ve clearly stated they’ll leave as quickly as possible, and they’re convinced they’re unlikely to capture you.”

Gao Yang said firmly, “Understood. Anything else to add?”

“Nothing much. I just wanted to tell you not to force it if there’s no opportunity. After all, I can easily spin so narrative and smooth over this situation on my end, so don’t take unnecessary risks.”

Gao Yang chuckled, “Alright, thanks for your concern. I’ll be careful. Goodbye.”

As if Gao Yang would ever take Krulney’s concern seriously. After hanging up, Gao Yang smiled and said, “If nothing unexpected happens, Iron Madonna will co, but we still won’t see their small teams in action—they’ll move out entirely.”

With a few stifled laughs, Gao Yang pressed down on his walkie-talkie again and said softly, “This is Bigfoot, calling Penguin Baby, over.”

“This is Penguin Baby, over.”

“Uh, new situation—information just ca in that guests are likely to visit the house. Thing is, there’ll be quite a few of them.”

“How many?”

“All of them.”

Glolov paused for a mont before replying helplessly, “Oh no, our ability to host is pretty limited.”

“Exactly. Although we suspected there’d be many guests, hearing this news still feels exasperating. Plus, they might arrive at any ti, so there’s no choice—we’re pulling out.”

“Understood. Should we wait for you?”

“No need. You withdraw first—we’re almost there. We’ll talk face-to-face.”

Ending the call with Glolov, Gao Yang sighed heavily and said, “I really hate this. Why is it that our plans never seem to go according to script?”

Andy He looked surprised and said, “Our operations aren’t smooth enough? Co on, Boss, up until now we always execute plans flawlessly, don’t we? This isn’t a military drill—it’s impossible for everything to play out exactly as written. Overall, I’d say Satan’s operations always achieve the best possible outcos.”

Eileen nodded in agreent, “Exactly. We’ve never encountered a completely failed operation. We always achieve our objectives. With plans, the process isn’t as important—results are what matter most. As long as the end result is acceptable, a few adjustnts along the way are perfectly normal.”

They chatted as they walked and soon arrived at a spot not far from the ambush location.

Outside the ambush zone, they rendezvoused with the rest of the team. Gao Yang got out of the car and asked urgently, “What’s the situation?”

Glolov replied helplessly, “Everyone’s already withdrawn.”

Gao Yang looked at the building they had initially planned to use for sniping and waved his hand, saying, “If Iron Madonna fully mobilizes, staying there will likely have unpredictable outcos. Let’s change the ambush location. Hmm… how about setting up on the other side of the motorway?”

Glolov glanced at the spot Gao Yang pointed to and frowned, “There’s hardly any firing angles there.”

Gao Yang grinned, “Did we recover Big Bird’s drone?”

“Recovered. It’s undamaged, but if there’s more interference, it’ll be unusable.”

Gao Yang nodded, “Let’s leave it to luck. We’ll change location. Precisely because there aren’t any firing angles, Iron Madonna won’t inspect that spot. Alright, let’s stash the vehicles and wait—see if Iron Madonna steps into the trap. If there’s an opportunity, start by greeting them with a directional mine, then engage with bullets. If no opportunity arises, we’ll bail quickly. Ninety-nine percent of the work for this mission is done—it’s just a matter of detonating the trap now. Let’s move, everyone. The enemy could arrive at any mont.” (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel free to visit Qidian [qidian] to cast your recomndation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users should visit m.qidian for reading.)