160 Amateur Mission

"Boss! Bob and Tim have been killed by the British."

"What?"

The roaring noise of the helicopter could not drown out the sheer disbelief and fury etched across Li Changjiang's face.

Bob and Tim were killed?

Damn it!

What the hell is this! What on earth do those damn Brits think they are doing? Are they trying to wipe all of us out?

The atmosphere inside the cabin instantly grew heavy. They had indeed been far too careless this time. After completing the mission Polika had assigned them, they should have left France immediately. Yet, whether it was Li Changjiang, Old Mousse, or William, all of them had chosen to stay behind.

Even if they simply needed a breathing space to unwind after enduring such long-term tension, they had chosen the wrong time and the wrong place.

MI5 had never given up tracking them down, stopping at nothing to eliminate them even in a place like Paris.

"And the others?"

"William has already led them away. Polika and William figured the British would try to intercept you, so they sent me to provide backup, but I'm sorry, I arrived too late!"

"Thank you, man!"

"Thank you!"

Both Li Changjiang and Old Mousse thanked the assassin, and silence fell upon them once again. Apart from the whir of the rotor blades and the roar of the engine, the coastline grew increasingly indistinct. After who knows how long, Li Changjiang finally spotted a massive cargo ship anchored on the sea below.

Polika was standing on the deck!

Along with William and the others!

"Boss!"

"Boss!"

"Glad to see you back, Duke!"

"Thanks!"

"How are you holding up, Boss?"

He gave a slight nod.

Stepping off the helicopter, Li Changjiang could already sense the profound sorrow weighing on everyone's expressions, especially William's. Bob and Tim had been among the very first brothers to follow him, founding members of the Gryphon. But following so closely upon Louis's death in Benghazi, Tim and Bob had actually met their end in Europe. It was simply unbelievable.

Damn the British.

He would make them pay for this blood debt sooner or later.

"William!"

His gaze fell upon Williams's face, and Li Changjiang wanted to say something, only to find himself completely choked for words.

"Where are Bob and Tim?"

"Below deck!"

He quickly strode into the room where the bodies of the two men lay. The sight was too horrific to behold; Bob's legs had been severed entirely by shrapnel, while Tim—there was hardly enough of him left to form a complete corpse.

"Damn those British bastards! Damn them!"

Sob...

Amidst the stunned looks of the surrounding group, Williams suddenly covered his face and squatted down, weeping openly.

"Hell!"

Old Mousse's eye sockets instantly turned red.

"Duke!"

"Thank you, Polika! You've saved us once again."

Li Changjiang followed Polika out of the cabin and onto the deck. A grim expression hung on Polika's face; Li Changjiang had already guessed that the man must have obtained some intelligence regarding the British ambush—and likely news of a very ominous nature.

"No! Duke, I'm not helping you out of charity; I'm helping myself. You and your Hunter Mercenary Group are a damn good outfit, and I believe assisting you will yield even greater returns in the future. But right now, I have some very bad news to share."

The expression on Polika's face suddenly turned icy.

Li Changjiang knew all too well that if someone of Polika's stature considered it very bad news, the severity of the situation undoubtedly far exceeded his worst expectations.

"Let's hear it."

"This time, the British haven't merely mobilized agents and assassins to hunt you down. More importantly, I have obtained solid intelligence proving they are plotting an operation targeting every single mercenary who participated in the recent Libya operation. That includes your Hunter Mercenary Group, as well as another outfit called the Battra Mercenary Group.

Duke, do not underestimate the power of the British. Agents and assassins from MI5 are scattered across the globe; even the CIA and the KGB would not dare provoke them lightly. Your timing this unfortunate operation was poor—they need a scapegoat to take the blame for the destruction of the Misrata intelligence station."

Damn it!

Li Changjiang cursed inwardly.

This certainly wasn't good news.

No matter how formidable their own forces might be, they stood no chance against a nation's intelligence apparatus, especially a terrifying institution like MI5 that had operated for over half a century, if not longer.

The British military might have its flaws, but that did nothing to change the reality of their overwhelming strength, as evidenced by the operatives who had fought shoulder-to-shoulder with them.

And MI5 commanded well over several thousand agents of this caliber—undoubtedly a terrifying force to be reckoned with.

It was utterly impossible for them to guard against assassinations by these individuals at all times and in all places.

"Thank you for sharing such crucial intelligence with me, Polika!"

"Don't thank me yet. I'm not giving this to you for free; I have a mission I need your help to complete. This task might just buy you some time to shake off the British pursuit."

"What? What mission?"

Li Changjiang felt a flicker of curiosity. He had known all along that Polika wouldn't hand out favors for nothing; this guy truly was a textbook arms dealer.

The trace of gratitude in his heart vanished without a trace. Even so, Li Changjiang remained acutely aware that men like Polika were worth keeping close—provided, of course, that their own combat effectiveness remained formidable.

"Here are the details of the mission. Take a look!"

Accepting a thin report from Polika's hand, Li Changjiang saw it was brief, spanning only a single page. He scanned through the contents quickly, yet remained silent for a long time. The mission actually fell far beyond the scope of what he considered feasible, and he didn't even believe his men were capable of pulling off such an operation.

"Are you certain you need us to handle this?"

"Yes, if you're willing, Duke. I know this mission is unconventional, but it will clearly keep you out of the British line of sight for a while, won't it?"

Li Changjiang hesitated for a moment. He needed time to think.

"I need a moment to discuss this with my team members!"

"Very well! I won't disturb you then!"

As soon as Polika left, Li Changjiang immediately summoned all his team members. Having just survived a battle where they had been almost entirely suppressed, everyone's spirits were low. Nevertheless, Li Changjiang analyzed their current predicament before finally bringing up Polika's proposition.

"This is the latest mission handed to us by Polika. Take a look and tell me whether we should accept it."

Elisa quickly distributed the documents to every member.

A short while later, once everyone had finished reading through the mission details, Li Changjiang stood up.

"Does anyone have any objections?"

Dead silence.

"Boss!"

"Go ahead."

Keyboard was the first to voice his concerns.

"Boss, we are mercenaries, not bodyguards, and the person we're supposed to protect is a female pop star to boot. A damn mission like this is only going to boost our exposure."

"Boss, I agree with Keyboard!"

"Count me in on that too!"

Li Changjiang was momentarily stunned. So many of them were against it?

The task Polika had handed him was indeed unexpected. The Hunters were a mercenary outfit, not a private security firm; their proper place was on the battlefield. Yet Polika's mission required them to guard a mega-pop star during a world tour.

Venus Vladimir-wa!

The name meant nothing to Li Changjiang, but a strange expression crossed Old Mousse's face.

"Nicolas! What do you think?"

"Hell! Boss, I say we take the job."

What the fuck?

What?

Old Mousse actually agreed?

An eccentric look suddenly washed over almost everyone's faces, especially Li Changjiang's. Was there something truly special about this female star named "Venus Vladimir-wa"?