985: Chapter 970 Pilot 985: Chapter 970 Pilot Gao Yang’s clenched fist relaxed, the source of his anger completely dissipated, but he knew that Cui Bo, like him and Li Jinfang, could never go back.
“Rabbit, being a mercenary for too long changes a person, huh?”
After Gao Yang blurted that out inexplicably, Cui Bo said with a chuckle, “I’ve changed, I’ve changed, I don’t think it’s a big deal.”
Gao Yang smiled and asked, “Have you settled things at home properly?”
“Of course, I wouldn’t have made a move before everything was ready; I kept the money.”
Gao Yang sighed and said, “Alright, it’s too late to say anything now, your way back is also completely cut off, you can’t come back even if you wanted to.
Just wait, but what’s the situation on your side?
Number Thirteen will go pick you up, they’re departing soon.
Just find a place to stay put, and Number Thirteen will contact you when they arrive.”
Cui Bo, slightly nervous, said, “There won’t be any problems, right?
Brother Yang, don’t screw me over.
I’m waiting here for your guys to come pick me up.
Sending an assassin or something, oh, actually an assassin isn’t bad, if you guys showed up, we might start shooting pell-mell.”
It was natural to be doubtful about someone you hadn’t collaborated with or witnessed their capabilities.
After being used to straightforward dealings, having to abandon the mode you’re best at and let a newcomer take on the critical task of rescuing someone would, of course, make Gao Yang a bit uneasy.
The real issue was that at the end of the day, Number Thirteen was not one of Satan’s people.
Even if Number Thirteen had great abilities, it was uncertain whether they would be willing to risk everything like the Satan members would at a critical juncture.
Gao Yang rubbed his head and said with indecision, “There shouldn’t be any problem, Rabbit.
You might have to sacrifice a bit more and take this chance to evaluate Number Thirteen’s capabilities.
Well, Number Thirteen will have to take on quite a big responsibility in the future.
Remember Angel, that mysterious Intelligence Officer?
I’m thinking of appointing Number Thirteen as our Intelligence Officer, as well as our backup on the outside.
If something really happens, we’ll have to rely on him to save us.
So, take this opportunity to get a good look at what Number Thirteen can do.
Don’t worry, if Number Thirteen messes up, I won’t just leave you hanging.”
Cui Bo cheerfully replied, “That sounds about right.
Okay then, I’ll take a look and see what this Number Thirteen guy is capable of.”
Gao Yang smiled and said, “Done then.
Just stay put and wait for Number Thirteen to contact you; if there’s any emergency, contact me.
Li Jinfang and I will continue with what we were doing.
We can talk more once we meet.”
After hanging up, Gao Yang immediately called Little Donnie.
Once Little Donnie answered, Gao Yang said in a grave voice, “Don’t worry about Rabbit’s situation, just continue with what you’re doing.
How are things going on your end?”
Little Donnie replied gravely, “Smooth, very smooth.
As soon as they hear it’s for Satan, I don’t even have to do anything.
Those who want to earn money come to me on their own, and anyone who’s heard the name ‘Satan Mercenary Corps’ already signifies they’re not cannon fodder.
I don’t even have to sift through applicants; my phone has been exploding these past couple of days.”
Gao Yang smiled and asked, “How many people do we have now?”
Little Donnie said with exaggerated emphasis, “How many people?
That’s not the question you should be asking.
You should ask yourself how many people you need.
Put it this way, if you dare to ask for an elite company, I can bring them right in front of you right now.
What’s keeping me up is how to pick out the most suitable ones from a crowd.”
After taking a breath, an excited Little Donnie continued, “Buddy, how many people do we actually need, give me an upper limit.”
Gao Yang thought hard and replied, “We can’t have too many; we have to pay the salaries.
Let’s put it this way, the number of people two transport helicopters can carry.
Mainly, I want assaulters, let’s tentatively go with twenty.
And see if you can find two qualified Cook Soldiers.
Also, have you found the helicopter pilots I asked for?”
Little Donnie said with frustration, “Assaulters are easy to say, but pilots are really a tough find.
Your standards are too high.
It’s not that I can’t find any, but it will take time.”
Gao Yang said, bothered.
“Pilots are in demand everywhere.
Oh, we’ve got a strong pilot for fixed-wing transports.
You don’t have to look for them; we’ve got a beast from the Air Force Combat Control Group, and they’re free of charge.”
“There are deals like that?
Where did you find them?”
“They volunteered.
A friend of Test Tube.
Yeah, you don’t need to look for a transport plane pilot anymore, we’ve got Eileen for the helicopter pilot.
If it really comes down to it, Rabbit and I can also take the helm, but Rabbit and I aren’t quite up to par.
If we were to fill all the pilot and copilot seats for the transport helicopters, F**k, even with Rabbit and me included, we’d still be short three.”
“Three is doable; we should be able to find them.”
Gao Yang sighed and said, “Buddy, this is just the shortfall for the transport helicopters; there are also the armed helicopters.
One pilot, one weapons operator, at least four people are needed there.”
F**k, this is really tough.
Finding aircrews with great chemistry is seriously hard.
Gao Yang scratched his head and said anxiously, “You’re telling me.
There are grunts everywhere, but these top-tier talents like pilots are not easy to come by.”
Little Donnie hesitated for a moment, then said softly, “How about we just use pilots from Syria?”
Gao Yang was adamant as he said, “No way, absolutely not.
Syrian pilots average only thirty flying hours a year, which is way too low.
You see how they fight.
Pilots are too important for our operation plan.
We need the good ones, the very best.”
Little Donnie moaned, “Then, could you lower your requirements a bit?
It’s very rare to find pilots with at least two thousand flight hours among mercenaries.
They exist, but they’re treasured by big companies, and we can’t offer them long-term employment.
Plus, we’re sending them to high-risk places like Syria.
Even though we pay a lot, these guys aren’t exactly short on cash.”
Gao Yang felt quite helpless and said, “Two thousand flight hours is the lowest I can go.
We can manage without our own mechanics, but we must have top-notch pilots.
Otherwise, I won’t have peace of mind when they’re up in the air.”
Little Donnie sighed, “Alright, I’ll try again.
If we really can’t find anyone, we’ll continue to increase the remuneration.
How about one thousand dollars for non-combat days and five thousand for combat days?”
Gao Yang gritted his teeth and responded, “Throw money at it.
I refuse to believe we can’t get a good pilot with cash.
I’ll give you a cap of ten thousand dollars for the combat day rate.
Negotiate within that limit and don’t go over!”
Little Donnie replied with a wry smile, “A combat day rate of ten thousand ups the market price for mercenaries again.
Well, with that guarantee, there shouldn’t be any problems.”
Gao Yang let out a sigh of relief, “Now, where have you found good people, and how do you plan to get them here?”
“We have some in Africa, in America, and two in South America.
Eh, you don’t have to worry about their travel.
We just handle recruitment and don’t take care of transportation or equipment.
If they want to come, they’ll need to bring their own weapons and show up at the location.
Don’t worry, it won’t delay things.
I’ve found a transport company that will send them directly to Djibouti.
They’ll have to cover their own travel expenses, and if they can’t afford it, we can advance the cost, but it will be deducted from their salary.”
Gao Yang laughed, “Self-funded travel expenses, bringing their own weapons—it sounds pretty good, quite hassle-free.
Hmm, speaking of which, I just thought of someone who might help me find a few pilots.”
After that, Gao Yang hung up the phone and then dialed Destin’s number.
At first, Gao Yang didn’t think of asking Destin for help.
Although Destin had access to the best soldiers, Destin’s guys weren’t quite like regular mercenaries.
If the mercenaries he found died, they died for money, and if they lost their lives, nobody could be blamed.
But most of Destin’s men were from proper PMCs.
If they died in battle, Destin’s company would have to take full responsibility.
The aftermath would be too complicated.
It wasn’t convenient on the whole.
Gao Yang hadn’t planned to use the combat personnel Destin could provide, but since pilots were so hard to find, he had no choice but to ask Destin if he could find some pilots.
Israeli pilots, no need to say more, receive intense training, frequent combat missions, and their fighting capabilities are top-notch.
The only downside is that they’re too expensive, and Israelis showing up in a place like Syria is not very convenient.
But in a pinch, in Gao Yang’s operational plan, pilots were an extremely important element, perhaps the most important.
After getting through to Destin’s number, Destin asked in surprise, “What’s up now?”
Gao Yang chuckled and said, “Could you help me find some pilots?
Helicopter pilots will do.
I still need seven, two attack helicopter crews, and three transport helicopter pilots.
If push comes to shove, give me a transport plane pilot too.”
Destin replied in a troubled tone, “That’s really hard to say, you know.
Pilots, even the retired ones, aren’t hard up for work, and how could those young, strong, and experienced pilots possibly retire?
Even if they retire due to age, they’re still in the reserves.
They can’t just become mercenaries whenever.
Why don’t you find some pilots from Russia or Eastern Europe in Africa?
They’re cheap, and there are plenty of them.”
Gao Yang responded helplessly, “I’ve looked.
Good ones aren’t leaving their mercenary groups.
The main issue is the time crunch.
There’s the need for face-to-face talks and to verify their flying hours and skills.
We don’t have the time.
If I had another month, I definitely wouldn’t need your help, but from the start, I only had ten days, and now, I only have four left.”
Destin replied with a wry smile, “Just four days, you must be joking, right?
Okay, I’ll do my best to try for you, but don’t get your hopes too high.
Oh, you have a ready candidate for a transport plane pilot.”
“Who?”
“National Bird, Jacklan.”
“National Bird HIM?
He’s not short on money, and isn’t he on our ship?”
“Buddy, do you think a playboy can stay content on a ship forever?
Just give him a call.” (To be continued.
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