King Of War: Starting with Arms Dealer

While P·B was carrying out their plan methodically, Jack Heinz, accompanied by the remaining mercenaries, struggled to rendezvous with the six remaining men of 'Trouble Maker'.

The 'Black Hand' of 'Trouble Maker', a true expert hailing from Delta Force, realized the situation was out of control when he saw the terrible condition of Jack and his men, along with the fact that six others from his squad had lost contact.

Until then, their plan had been to drag P·B's elites into the jungle, allowing the men from 'Ghost' mercenary group to act in Sangha Town.

But now, not only had they suffered huge losses, even the Ghosts had lost contact.

Jack met 'Black Hand' in a banana grove. When he saw the five fully armed 'Trouble Maker' mercenaries emerge from their hiding spots, he wasted no time and immediately said, "Call the vessel to come and pick us up. I must leave this place at once."

'Black Hand' didn't know what had happened to Jack's team, but he was aware of Jack's capabilities.

Seeing this SEAL Team Six operator showing a hint of panic in his eyes, 'Black Hand' frowned and nodded to a mercenary behind him, signaling him to contact their rear for support.

After all these arrangements had been made, 'Black Hand' frowned at Jack and asked, "What exactly happened? Did P·B's men enter the scene?"

Jack, with a grave expression, shook his head and said, "I didn't see the P·B personnel mentioned in the intel. We encountered a group of monsters.

Monsters that like to skin their victims!"

Jack watched 'Black Hand' fall into thought and spoke gravely, "Those monsters must be local natives, very familiar with the Congo Jungle.

I can't guess what their relationship with P·B is, but they are extremely skilled. From the start of the encounter, we were at a disadvantage. Their style of combat is something I've never seen, very strange but effective.

I've tried many ways to get rid of them, yet none were completely successful."

'Black Hand' listened and nodded slightly, "I've sent people to meet up with 'Lucky Thirteen,' but it seems setting up an ambush for the rendezvous didn't succeed either.

This mission is completely different from what we expected..."

While 'Black Hand' was talking, their radio operator came over and said, "Boss, we've made contact with people in North Kivu. They need confirmation of our plan.

If viable, they will send a vessel to the rendezvous point at position B, but it could take 36 hours."

As the radio operator spoke, he glanced at Jack, hesitated, and added, "Boss, I just received word that the Ghosts lost one at Sangha Town.

They've also contacted the rear, indicating that they will abandon the attack on Sangha Town if they don't get heavy weapons.

The people behind are trying to organize heavy weapons. They want us not to withdraw, but to create some big commotion in the jungle, to ease the pressure on the Ghosts."

'Black Hand' well understood the crucial role of fighting behind enemy lines; if the Ghosts couldn't succeed, their pay would be greatly reduced, and 'Trouble Maker's reputation with the CIA would plummet.

These mercenaries, who did the dirty work, would face a dismal end once deemed useless.

The message from North Kivu's logistics, though cryptic, was clear: a direct retreat was not an option. Making such a decision would surely result in the loss of all support.

'Black Hand' didn't take long to make up his mind, looking at Jack, he said, "We must do something to prove our presence..."

Jack also heard what the radio operator said, and he knew what 'Black Hand' was implying.

There was a large tribal village nearby. Once the vessel arrived, they would kill the villagers and then retreat, creating enough impact to alleviate the pressure on the Ghosts.

Moreover, they wouldn't just be able to evacuate by boat, but they could also disembark along the river at any time, creating more carnage to draw all attention to themselves.

This plan sounded simple, but Jack knew he couldn't do it...

He might attack a P·B mine or raise his gun against P·B soldiers without hesitation, but he couldn't bring himself to harm the jungle natives.

Jack had joined SEAL Team Six, passing through multiple selections. The remuneration there was nowhere near as high as the outside world imagined. The most important reason for the men there to persist was their sense of 'honor' and 'brotherhood'.

His adversaries in the past were mostly terrorists. Jack desired revenge but couldn't accept becoming a terrorist himself, which would completely nullify his decades of service.

'Black Hand', seeing the expression on Jack's face, knew the SEAL did not agree.

However, at this moment, 'Trouble Maker' was down to just six men, while Jack's side, including the Chechen mercenaries, consisted of 14 people.

The disparity in numbers forced 'Black Hand' to consider Jack's stance...

Slowing his speech, 'Black Hand' moved his hands to his back in a gesture and looked at Jack saying, "We don't have a choice because if we don't act, no one will come to evacuate us.

We are mercenaries; our ultimate goal is to save our own lives while securing a substantial amount of money.@@novelbin@@

We've sustained heavy losses now, but it's not hopeless yet!

If we attack the jungle villages along the way, we can lead P·B by the nose. Once the Ghosts succeed in killing Princess Amina, we'll evacuate immediately.

Keep in mind we've only received half of the deposit. If we don't proceed, not only will we miss out on the remaining payment, but we will also lose our logistical support, and even the boat scheduled to meet us won't arrive."

But as long as Ghost can succeed, not only can we claim all the commission, but also share the bonus. Find more to read at My Virtual Library Empire

"Even if we can't get the $3 million bonus, half of that would be enough for us all to share," he said.

Black Hand's words didn't shake Jack's conviction, but they did sway the anxious Chechen mercenaries.

They just wanted to leave this cannibalistic jungle, but as Black Hand said, they didn't have the choice. Without backup against the pursuit of those monsters, the Chechens had no confidence in getting out of the jungle.

And these brutes, marked by both their ethnicity and religion, indeed needed to vent. Two days of forced retreat had already drained their patience; they sought to regain the initiative.

Those two old monsters were elusive and unpredictable, but the jungle natives were not.

If they could capture what those old monsters cared about, they could strike back and avenge their brutally slain comrades.

Seeing the expressions on the faces of the Chechens, Black Hand smiled at Jack and said, "Jack, we have no choice. Without backup, even if we could get out of the jungle, we'd need to pay a heavy price in the end.

But if we succeed, we'll earn enough commission to compensate the families of our fallen comrades."

Jack looked at Black Hand, who seemed like a devil tempting him, and shook his head, "No, I won't let myself become a war dog like you."

Upon hearing this, Black Hand shook his head regretfully, and in the moment he turned to look at the mercenaries surrounding him, his right hand drew a pistol and fired two shots at Jack's thigh.

The moment Jack fell to the ground in pain, his remaining four mates aimed their guns at Black Hand, but they didn't dare to make a move, as Black Hand's men had somehow gotten behind them.

Smoker, watching Black Hand hold a gun to Jack's head, angrily shouted at the stunned Chechens, "What are you dazing for? How many times has Jack saved you? Without Jack, you wouldn't have made it this far."

Black Hand bent down, disarmed Jack's pistol, took the dagger from his waist, then smiled at the hesitant Chechens, "Jack is stubborn, but I'm sure you aren't.

Mercenaries work for money. Death should not be our concern.

Do you really believe, without extraction, that this guy can lead you out of here?"

Saying this, Black Hand looked at the Chechens whose gun muzzles never rose, and said sincerely, "Come with me, your captain is dead, and you won't be able to get the rest of your commission on your own. Follow me, and we will strive for a hefty bonus.

You must have heard of Trouble Maker. Our reputation may not be good, but our credibility is definitely reliable."

Jack saw the Chechen mercenaries glance at each other and then aim their guns at his own companions. He let out a wry smile, then looked at Black Hand and said, "Kill me, let Smoker and the others leave, and you can continue with your mission."

Black Hand looked at the naively honest Jack, grabbed his hair to make him kneel, pointed a gun at the back of his head and spoke to Smoker and the other four, "I know what the Heinz Family 'debt' is all about. I offer you a chance to pay it off.

Continue eastward, take all those so-called monsters with you. We will stay here waiting for the extraction vessel.

If we're successful, I'll take Jack out of Africa, find the Heinz Family 'Accountant', and prove you've paid off your debt."

As he said this, Black Hand looked at the snarling Jack and sneered, "If we are wild dogs, then the Heinz Family are hungry wolves.

But compared to you, I have more appreciation for your father, because at least he didn't have a hypocritical sense of justice."

After finishing, Black Hand knocked Jack on the head with the butt of his gun and then looked at the four with complex expressions, smiling, "So, do we have a deal?"

Smoker looked at the pitiful Jack and said gravely, "How can you guarantee he'll make it back to America alive?

Once he's dead, the Heinz Family 'Accountant' will release evidence of the foolish things we did, and we, along with our families, will be destroyed!"

It was then that the sound of a helicopter suddenly appeared in the distance. Black Hand listened for a moment and then said to Smoker, "I can't guarantee anything!

We all know his value. I don't know if I'll survive, but I promise that if I get the chance, I'll take Jack back so the Heinz Family 'Accountant' knows your debt is cleared."

With that, Black Hand pointed toward the helicopter, "You can't owe a debt to the Heinz Family!

You have no choice!"

Jack saw Smoker give a slight nod, and he struggled violently as he shouted, "No, Smoker, you owe me nothing; I'm the last of the Heinz, I don't need you to pay off any debt..."

Smoker looked at the bloodied Jack and gave a bitter smile, then shook his head and said, "Jack, I respect your father, but the Heinz Family 'Accountant' is a vampire.

We've made many mistakes, and in the end, your father saved us, but he also took the evidence, leaving us indebted to the Heinz Family.

We can die, but we can't let our families, wives, and children suffer for it."

Smoker then lowered his gun, shared a look with his three companions to confirm their resolve, turned to Jack, and said earnestly, "Jack, survive!

You must live and return to America, don't let our deaths be in vain.

We've paid off the Heinz Family's debt..."