936: Chapter 926 Sly Person 936: Chapter 926 Sly Person Gao Yang and Li Jinfang drove back to where they started from, only they had to stop at a distance of at least one thousand meters from anyone else.
Sarin isn’t something you can just spray or wipe off as if it were a cleaning agent; sarin is lethal.
Without knowing how far was safe enough, it was better to stay as far away as possible.
Gao Yang and Li Jinfang sat in the car waiting.
The reason they didn’t get out was that they could still run the air conditioning inside.
If they stepped out, the sun would bake them alive, and they dared not remove their protective suits before disinfecting them.
Conventional weapons like artillery and bombs kill instantly: if you’re not dead, you’re fine.
But nuclear and biochemical weapons, even if they don’t kill you immediately, continue to cause trouble over a long time.
That’s what made biochem weapons so troublesome.
Gao Yang didn’t know when the people Polovich had found would arrive, but he had to wait however long it took as someone had to come and help.
Otherwise, he and Li Jinfang truly wouldn’t be able to move Bruce from the contaminated car without endangering others.
Gao Yang knew that Lucica must be suffering.
Knowing the person she loved was so close yet untouchable was a thought that filled him with helplessness and anger.
Glancing back at Bruce in the rear seat, Gao Yang slammed the steering wheel in frustration.
However, now that he had to accept that Bruce was truly gone, he could settle his mind and consider some issues.
Gao Yang had a question that had been lingering in his mind, now clearer than ever.
Many were implicated in Bruce’s death, but Gao Yang didn’t know how Iron Madonna came into play.
If Iron Madonna had simply stumbled upon this event and played the role of an executioner because she was hired, then things would be relatively straightforward.
But if Iron Madonna knew that the members of their squad killed in the Brazilian jungle were taken down by the Satan Mercenary Corps, that would complicate matters immensely.
How Iron Madonna knew about the battle with Satan in Brazil was the crux.
From what information was available, Gao Yang couldn’t tell if Iron Madonna was involved unintentionally or seeking revenge.
If Iron Madonna was out for vengeance, then it meant that someone had inevitably leaked something that should have remained top-secret.
Gao Yang was sure they hadn’t leaked anything themselves, which only left Friend of Nature and Justin as possible sources of the leak.
Gao Yang felt that since Friend of Nature had lost several members, they should be at complete odds with Iron Madonna.
But then the hostages were exchanged through negotiations with the Commercial Alliance, casting doubt on whether the leak came from Friend of Nature.
In fact, Gao Yang felt Justin was the most likely source of the leak.
For an information broker, selling secrets was their bread and butter.
To expect them to keep a secret was only possible if no one else was willing to pay for it.
If Iron Madonna knew that Satan was their enemy, that was one thing.
It would explain why Tomler had pushed Satan into a mission that was clearly a trap.
But if Iron Madonna had coincidentally played the role of an executioner with no intent to target the Satan Mercenary Corps specifically, then why would Tomler set up Satan?
The more Gao Yang thought about it, the more he got a headache, as the situation seemed to be in a vicious circle.
Gao Yang decided to call Justin to buy information.
It might seem odd to buy information from a suspect, but, actually, it wasn’t.
Gao Yang had no doubts about Justin’s professional integrity.
An information broker would sell anyone’s information if the price was right, and Justin was definitely a qualified broker.
An information broker must have professionalism, which had nothing to do with whether they had any scruples.
To be precise, only a scruple-free information broker was a qualified one.
Even if Iron Madonna had bought information about Satan from Justin, it wouldn’t stop Justin from selling Iron Madonna’s information to Gao Yang.
It was that simple.
As for whether this could bring fatal consequences to Justin, that wasn’t a concern of his or any information broker’s.
Gao Yang took out the satellite phone, eager to call Justin for answers.
Justin answered the phone as always, bubbling with enthusiasm as he said, “Hey Ram, I’m thrilled to get your call.
Do you have some business for me?”
Gao Yang steadied his emotions and asked in a calm voice, “Tell me about the Iron Madonna, what they’ve been up to lately, and also, tell me about their relationship with Tomler.”
There was a brief silence before Justin chuckled bitterly and said, “From your tone, I detect a whiff of anger.
Usually, in such situations, I’d charge a high price.
But since we recently had a deal involving Iron Madonna, I should be smart enough to consider that the question you’re asking must also concern me, right, Mr.
Ram?”
Gao really was taken aback.
He thought his tone had been sufficiently neutral, but to his surprise, Justin managed to deduce such a complex and pointed conclusion from a single sentence over the phone.
Gao had to admit, there really are some cunning people in this world who can think of issues that most people would never consider based just on a single sentence.
And clearly, Justin was one of the sharpest.
Gao gave in, so he decided not to beat around the bush any longer and said directly, “You’re right, we’ve encountered some trouble, or rather, we’ve fallen into a trap.
Now, I’ve lost a brother, so I need to clear up a few things.”
“It has nothing to do with me.”
Gao frowned and asked, “What?”
Justin spoke quite seriously, “I said, this matter has absolutely nothing to do with me.
I know you might not trust the word of an information broker, but I can assure you this: Iron Madonna does not buy information from me.
You guys are long-time patrons of mine, so can you understand my position a little?”
Gao thought for a moment and replied, “So, are you saying that, for you, we are the goose that lays the golden eggs, and Iron Madonna isn’t?
Even if they wanted to buy our information from you, you wouldn’t sell it.
Is that correct?”
Justin was still very solemn as he said, “It’s easy talking to a smart guy.
Yes, you’re right, and it’s good like that.
If you come to buy information from me with a skeptical mindset, you’ll hardly believe anything I say.
This would be bad for both of us.
It would be a fatal blow to my business and unnecessarily impact your judgment as well.
So if we can clarify certain things before we continue, it’d make things much easier.”
Gao breathed out and said, “Alright, I’ll temporarily trust you.
Before I verify the facts, you answer my questions now.”
“Okay, your first question was about the Iron Madonna’s whereabouts.
I know that.
They’re in Ukraine.
Aside from the jungle team you guys decimated and the Middle East team operating near Syria, all the remaining members of Iron Madonna are in Ukraine.”
“What are they doing in Ukraine?”
“To put it simply, they are making money.
The complicated explanation is that Iron Madonna is striving for some governments that want to overthrow the current Ukrainian government.
In fact, it’s not just Iron Madonna, many mercenary groups, including your old friend Angel, have gone to Ukraine.”
Gao frowned and said, “Ukraine is very calm, so why would they go there?”
“Pal, weren’t you invited?
Oh, Ukraine is quiet now, but it’s about to lose that peace.
The Ukrainians are going to be in trouble.
The Americans have their sights set on them.
Just wait and see.
I don’t know exactly when or due to what event, but I guarantee it’s going to be chaos in Ukraine!”
Gao thought for a bit and said, “Alright, what’s happening in Ukraine is none of my business.
Let’s talk about the Iron Madonna’s Middle East team.
Do you know someone called Rattlesnake Stephen?”
“Of course I know him.
Rattlesnake Stephen, that guy is a chatterbox, much like the foolish villains in movies who like to babble and explain to their victims why they’re doing what they’re doing, who they are, where they come from, and all that nonsense before they make their move.
Just like a rattlesnake rattles its tail before biting, that’s why he’s called Rattlesnake.
But doing that actually gives people a chance to escape, doesn’t it?
However, Stephen doesn’t seem to understand why people call him Rattlesnake; he thinks it’s because he’s venomous and ruthless.
But despite these quirks and a habit that’s rather silly for a mercenary, the guy is truly formidable, otherwise, he wouldn’t be the captain of Iron Madonna’s Middle East team.”
Justin provided a detailed account, and Gao was very satisfied.
He said, “Very good.
Later, send everything about Rattlesnake and the Middle East team to Little Donnie’s email.
Now, tell me about the relationship between Iron Madonna and Tomler.”
There was a few chuckles from Justin before he spoke gravely, “Pal, you asked the right person.
Because I can ensure you there are few people in the world who know what sort of relationship exists between Tomler and Iron Madonna.
I can tell you, it’s because…”
It was obvious Justin was dragging things out, and Gao, becoming impatient, said, “Cut to the chase.
I know you’re about to mention the price.
Give me a fair price, I won’t haggle, just tell me!”
“Alright, it’s because… no, I think it’s still better to give you the price first.
Otherwise, you might think I’m trying to extort you.
But let me say I’m not extorting you, it’s just that the news is really, really valuable, and I paid a great price to get it.
And as you know, once information is out, it’s worthless, so first-hand information is always the most expensive.”
Gao sighed and said, “Are you going to say it or not?
Forget it, on this issue I have no leverage over you, so you might as well name your price.”
(To be continued…
If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets.
Your support is my greatest motivation.
Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)