Chapter 224: Mercenary Forbidden Zone!
The Amazon Rainforest.
A certain rugged peak.
The inside of the peak had been completely hollowed out and divided into countless rooms of varying sizes, each one filled with people. There were men in various strange uniforms silently wiping their firearms. There were also captured men and women, all sallow and gaunt.
In the deepest part of the hollowed-out mountain, a dozen people sat around a table in a massive conference room, their expressions grave as they watched footage on a large screen. The person filming seemed to be in combat, so the image was a blurry, dizzying mess. Finally, a loud boom sounded, and the footage cut out.
The atmosphere in the conference room was heavy.
After what felt like an eternity, the gaunt elder at the head of the table took out a cigar and lit it. The others silently followed suit, and soon, the room was shrouded in smoke.
Only after everyone had calmed down did the elder slowly speak. "Gentlemen, do any of you have something to say?"
"The honor of the Blood Rat Mercenary Corps must not be violated!" a large Black man to the elder’s left stood up, seething with murderous intent.
"Indeed," another man echoed. "With Bai Shu’s sacrifice and the enemy’s blatant provocation, we must kill them!"
"Kill them? And how do you propose we do that?" a white man sneered. "Gentlemen, Bai Shu ranked among the top five in our corps in terms of strength. If even he failed, you can imagine how powerful the enemy is."
"So you want us to just sit and wait for the enemy to come knocking? August, you really are a mole, aren’t you? Pathetically timid," the Black man taunted.
Enraged, the man called August slammed his hand on the table. "Say that again!"
"I said you’re a coward!" the Black man shot back, unafraid.
"You’re asking to die!" August roared, leaping to his feet and pulling a gun on the Black man.
CLICK. CLICK. CLICK.
The men sitting beside the Black man instantly drew their pistols as well, all aiming at August. At their leader’s command, they would riddle him with holes. In response, August’s supporters also brandished their weapons. The atmosphere grew taut, a firefight ready to erupt at any moment.
"Enough!" The elder at the head of the table slammed his hand down and roared, "August! Ba Di! Both of you, sit down!"
However, the two men continued to glare at each other, not bothering to conceal the murderous intent in their eyes.
"Shit!" Infuriated, the elder drew his own gun and slammed it on the table. "I’m not dead yet! Are you going to ignore my orders now?"
Seeing the elder was truly enraged, the man named Ba Di shrugged and raised his right hand. His men immediately lowered their weapons. August did the same, slowly sitting back down, but his expression was incredibly grim, the murderous intent in his eyes burning even brighter.
Damn you, Ba Di. You’d better not let your guard down, or I’ll personally twist your head off and toss it in the Amazon River to feed the fish.
Meanwhile, Ba Di let out a cold sneer. He gave August a thumbs-up, then slowly turned it upside down. The gesture nearly sent August into a blind rage, but he held himself back. He knew that Ba Di, a brute with more brawn than brains, was foolish enough to actually start a fight right here.
Looking at the two men barely restraining themselves, the elder felt a throbbing headache. Although he was the leader of the Blood Rat Mercenary Corps, his authority had greatly diminished over the years. The entire mercenary corps had effectively fallen under the control of Ba Di and August, leaving him with very little power to command. With his most loyal subordinate, Bai Shu, dead, he had no one capable left. To keep Ba Di and August in check, he needed a new plan.
With this in mind, the Blood Rat leader spoke in a deep voice, "Gentlemen, the enemy has provoked us so brazenly. If we don’t retaliate, the standing of the Blood Rat Mercenary Corps will suffer."
Ba Di immediately nodded. "The leader is right! Anyone who dares to touch the Blood Rats, I, Ba Di, won’t stand for it!"
"Hmph. Ba Di, don’t act like you’re the only one with guts here. I, August, am not to be trifled with," August said with a cold laugh.
"Is that so?" Ba Di retorted, his face full of disdain.
"Alright," the leader interjected, fearing another argument. He tapped his fingers on the table. "Gentlemen, I’m getting old, and I’ve felt my strength failing these past few years. Therefore, I plan to select one of you to become the next leader of the Blood Rat Mercenary Corps."
He swept his gaze across the room. "Does anyone have a good suggestion?"
As expected, his words lit a fire in both Ba Di’s and August’s eyes. August was better at hiding it, masking his greed almost instantly, but Ba Di was visibly thrilled. The other members had long ago thrown their lot in with one of the two men and held no ambition for the leadership themselves. However, if their boss became the leader, they would all benefit greatly.
After a few seconds of silence, the room erupted.
"I support Ba Di!"
"I recommend August!"
"No one but Ba Di is fit to be leader! I, Wei En, will be the first to object to anyone else!"
"August’s contributions are plain to see! He’s the only one I’ll recognize!"
"..."
The meeting room became as raucous as a marketplace.
What an impatient bunch of hyenas, the leader thought with an internal sneer. His face, however, remained pleasant. "I acknowledge the abilities of both Ba Di and August, and their merits are evident to all. It seems your supporters are evenly matched. How about this..."
He paused, a smile playing on his lips. "I have an idea. Whoever successfully kills that man, Lin, will have my full support to become the next leader."
At this, the room fell silent. Ba Di and August both wore grave expressions.
The old fox! they both thought.
If that man were so easy to kill, Bai Shu wouldn’t have failed. But the rules of the Blood Rats were clear: when two candidates had equal support, the endorsement of the previous leader was required to take power. Of course, there was another way—kill all your opponents—but that would cripple the Blood Rats. Neither Ba Di nor August was foolish enough to do that.
"What’s the matter? Don’t you dare?" the leader prodded. "If that’s the case, then I’ll just..."
"What’s there to be afraid of?" Ba Di immediately bristled. "He’s just some yellow-skinned pig! Killing him will be a piece of cake!" He stood up decisively. "Just watch! I’ll bring back his head!" With that, he stormed out, his men following close behind.
August also rose, gave the leader a slight bow, and said, "I will be sure to complete the mission you’ve given me." He then departed as well.
Once most of them had left, a man standing behind the leader spoke with concern. "Leader, are you really going to..."
The leader waved a hand dismissively and sneered, "If they want to be the leader, let’s see which one has what it takes. However, killing that man will be no easy task."
He added grimly, "After all, that place is known as the Mercenary Forbidden Zone."