Fatal Strike: Mercenary Road of Gunfire Ranger
Chapter 177: Pursuing Clues

Chapter 177: Chapter 177: Pursuing Clues

Mountain Eagle didn’t care about what Sergei said, as the symbolic meaning of the pistol and bullets was much greater than their actual significance.

Sergei’s spare gun was also a CZ75, but he used 9mm caliber, which didn’t match the 10mm caliber Mountain Eagle was accustomed to.

However, that wasn’t important, what mattered was the attitude!

By providing pistols and bullets, they were essentially becoming accomplices of Mountain Eagle; once Mountain Eagle shot someone, they would have to take responsibility for dealing with official investigations.

Only when both sides can bear responsibility for each other can they truly cooperate sincerely!

Mountain Eagle honestly and unapologetically took the gun and bullets, then smilingly said, "This firepower is not enough. If I provide some useful clues, could you get me some decent weapons?"

Sergei was momentarily stunned and awkwardly shook his head, "We can’t apply for extra rifles."

As he spoke, Sergei looked at Mountain Eagle curiously and said, "You’re a mercenary working in Moscow, and you got a handgun not long after arriving at the hotel. Can’t you get a rifle?"

Mountain Eagle spread his hands and said, "Of course I can, but wouldn’t that mean spending my own money?

Additionally, buying guns in Moscow right in front of two Great Russia agents, I worry that such an action might be seen as disrespecting you?"

Sergei was stunned again; he knew that what Mountain Eagle was saying was nonsense, but he was somehow moved...

Then after some thought, he said, "If you judge during our cooperation that it might be needed, then you probably should..."

Sergei’s words were not fluent, but his meaning was clear...

It meant if you think it necessary, go buy the guns, but don’t act recklessly; they can only be used when we are with you.

This is what it looks like when someone’s principles within the system are compromised...

Once it happens, it will happen more frequently and intensively!

Poorly handling interpersonal relationships and repeatedly compromising the principles of those within the system can lead to annoyance and wariness.

But if handled well, it can forge a solid alliance of interests with those within the system!

Two marginalized nobodies in Great Russia’s relatively straightforward system are simply no match for an old gun like Mountain Eagle, who has risen through ranks within the system.

He quickly figured out their personalities and then led them again and again to act out of line with their status.

However, Russia has its own national conditions!

Doing something outrageous in Russia hardly counts as anything, especially for the Great Russia Intelligence Department.

Having stayed in St. Petersburg for a long time, Mountain Eagle clearly recognized that the political situation within Russia was typically a ’can’t do good without being corrupt’ state.

To say that their officials at all levels accept bribes is an exaggeration, but being inactive on non-core issues unless involved in corruption is indeed a reality and even the norm.

Even the common people of Russia have gotten used to it; it resembles the fastest-developing years back home when it seemed abnormal for officials not to take money...

Even many people would say, ’I’m not afraid of your corruption as long as you’re getting things done.’

This sounds reasonable, but in reality, without the bonus of era development, corruption is a deadly poison hindering progress.

The Western world does well in managing grassroots corruption; although not efficient, eliminating the need for bribes at each step makes most people, who desire to live a lawful and a reasonable life, feel comfortable.

Therefore, the West has become an ideal for many, thus attracting a lot of technical talents to migrate there.

But in reality, when these individuals hit the developmental ceiling, they find that due to its completely different operational modes, the Western world harbors the most powerful corruption syndicates globally.

These corruption syndicates exist legally in the form of capital groups combined with the revolving door between government and business, easily influencing national policy and legislation...

Open political donations, speaker invitations are just the most superficial layer of legal corruption; the transformation of functionary officials into corporate consultants, receiving high salaries or even shares, is just a part of the revolving door.

Utilizing power to influence national budget allocations is the real deal!

For instance, in the United States, it’s not unusual for someone to wave around a well-written report by some guy, loudly promoting some threat theory, and then quickly, a special budget worth billions gets approved.

The American military-industrial complex was fostered this way, even becoming a behemoth that’s difficult to shake off.

And upper-level elites’ chronic legal corruption devours a nation’s hard power even more swiftly.

Otherwise, with the United States’ performance in the wars in Iraq, with an annual military expenditure of 800 billion US Dollars and astronomically high special budgets, how could it be stuck in such an unfortunate place as Afghan?

If the money they claimed to have spent was converted into coins and scattered over Afghan, the Taliban would have been drowned.

People who have done business in Russia know that Russia is corrupt and getting worse!

This oligarch-dominated country has an extremely singular economic model, and from top to bottom, relies on corruption to drive the development of its industries.

Otherwise, why can’t Russia, with its top-notch hackers and programmers, produce a top-tier internet company?

Russia has the best systems engineers in the world, yet why does its heavy industry lack impactful contributions?

If managing a country were likened to farming, then corruption is like directly sucking nutrients from the soil, leading to reduced or even failed crop production.

Under such national conditions, Sergei, who has continually had his bottom line breached, does not feel particularly uncomfortable.

Mountain Eagle, who gradually touched Sergei’s tolerance limit, was even in a better mood...

He smiled at Sergei and Selena, then walked into the room and took out an AK-105 and VSS sniper rifle from the Sergeant System...

He folded the stock of the AK-105 and packed it into a tactical backpack designed for quick conversion, along with several magazines, then placed the VSS together with a few specialized magazines into a gun case.

Next, Mountain Eagle openly took the two bags out of the room and sat back on the sofa, placing the bags right at his feet.

Looking at Sergei’s astonished gaze, Mountain Eagle smiled and said, "You might have heard of the ’Weapon Bank’, I am their client..."

As he spoke, Mountain Eagle took out his phone and pulled up the tattoo from the female thief’s inner arm, while simultaneously taking out a room card, saying, "This is something from that female thief...

When I entered, she was already in bad shape, but she left behind these clues."

Selena took Mountain Eagle’s phone, enlarged the photo, studied it carefully, then with furrowed brows handed the phone to Sergei, saying, "This tattoo is in Hebrew, and the words have no connection to each other; I’ve seen similar things in the archives..."

Upon hearing this, Mountain Eagle interestedly said, "What exactly is this thing? That female thief was dying and yet she showed me this tattoo, which shows its importance."

Selena thought for a moment and said, "Before the Soviet Union fell apart, KGB spies operated in Western Europe for a long time. Some of them, to conceal their identities, would entrust some important items to an underground bank operated by the Haredi, hence the archival records.

The Hebrew on this tattoo consists of several unrelated words...

Woman, eagle, desert, solitude.

If my guess is correct, then this should be a cipher, which should correspond to a set of numerical passwords and a key.

Only with these can one access a safe deposit box in a Haredi-operated underground bank."

Selena, with a strange expression, looked at Mountain Eagle and said, "If my guess is right, then where’s the password and the key?

Why would this woman show something so important to you?

This room card is not from the Four Seasons Hotel, but from another nearby hotel; it should be able to open a room there, what’s inside?"

Mountain Eagle shrugged and said, "How would I know?

Maybe she thought I was a good person with a sense of justice, so she wanted me to seek justice for her.

If what you’re saying is true, then the other half of the password and key should be on that male thief.

The two thieves stored the stolen items in a safe and then separately kept the cipher, password, and key, which fits their modus operandi."

Mountain Eagle looked at Sergei and asked, "Where is the body of the guy who died at the airport now?

If this room card is a safe house they set up in advance, there might be clues about who hired them.

By following these thieves’ clues, we might just find the target."

Sergei immediately picked up his phone and made a call...

A minute later, Sergei looked at Mountain Eagle and said, "The body has been taken for an autopsy; I’ll drive..."

Faced with the invitation to view the body, Mountain Eagle indifferently said, "You handle the autopsy and see if there’s any password tattoo on it..."

He then looked at Selena, smiling and said, "Let’s stroll around the hotel indicated on the room card; I believe there might be something interesting there.

Oh, I haven’t had the chance to ask you yet, how were you knocked out, are you sure you’re fit to drive?"

Selena, with a rigid expression, stood up and said, "I was just careless; driving is not a problem."

Selena, looking at Mountain Eagle’s obviously expensive suit, with a complex expression said, "Since we are collaborating, don’t act on your own during operations; communicate with us on any issues."

Mountain Eagle, observing Selena who seemed prouder or perhaps more affected than Sergei, considerately said, "Rest assured, as long as it’s for work, I’ll try my best not to leave your line of sight."

As Mountain Eagle stood up and glanced at Selena’s dirty dress, just about to suggest she change clothes, an explosion occurred inside an apartment a few streets away from the Four Seasons Hotel...

Mountain Eagle and the others faintly heard an explosion, then rushed to the room’s balcony to look over...

Thick smoke rose a few streets away, followed immediately by the sound of sirens!

Mountain Eagle glanced at Sergei and said, "Let’s set off and ask what happened on the way.

An explosion at this time, it’s unlikely to be a coincidence!"

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.