Fatal Strike: Mercenary Road of Gunfire Ranger
Chapter 188: The Shabby Mercenary

Chapter 188: Chapter 188: The Shabby Mercenary

Mountain Eagle, by giving Selena a hard time, indirectly expressed his dissatisfaction to the old lady, Victoria...

He himself wasn’t particularly short of money, but he didn’t have much money either.

Basically, all his cash was handed over to Mr. Poincaré, preparing to make a killing in the next month with insider tips.

If Taigore hadn’t taken over the renovation, Mountain Eagle might still be in debt for his house in Thailand.

For Mountain Eagle, saving every penny he could at this stage was definitely the goal...

Having agreed with enthusiasm to prepare weapons for Butcher and his four men, Mountain Eagle was somewhat worried, fearing that what they requested would max out Blood Fox’s VIP card at the Weapon Bank.

To Mountain Eagle’s surprise, the list penned by these four somewhat reticent men was so rudimentary that it made him feel a bit shabby...

AKS74U short assault rifles, 1 standard AKS74 rifle, and a PKP machine gun, with a note in brackets that if there was no PKP, a PKM would do as well.

And that was it...

Looking at this rudimentary and shabby list, Mountain Eagle said to Butcher: "Buddy, I don’t really have much money, but I can manage to equip you guys with what you need.

Besides weapons, don’t you need anything else?

Tactical vests, tactical backpacks, bullet-proof plates, helmets, radios, night vision goggles, and stuff like that—don’t you want them?"

Butcher frowned at Mountain Eagle, his voice hoarse: "Some things we don’t need, some things we have ourselves..."

As he spoke, this particularly fierce-looking dude, pulled out several worn elbow and knee pads from a large backpack and set them aside; then from inside the bag he yanked out four canvas vests so tattered, Mountain Eagle could hardly bear to look at them...

These kinds of things could still be seen back in the nineties in his old home, but now they’ve pretty much gone into the trash heap.

Strictly speaking, these items can’t even be considered tactical vests, but rather, a type of carrying tool for magazines, hand grenades, and miscellaneous items.

Watching Butcher dumping out bits and pieces like folding knives and work gloves from the backpack, Mountain Eagle stared and asked, "Is that all?"

Butcher didn’t feel like he was being made fun of, and instead nodded as if it was a matter of course: "As long as the weapons and ammunition are in place, we have enough to do the job for you!"

Mountain Eagle thought about rolling out to face the Moscow gang, and when the car door swung open, four beggars in rags jumped out to intimidate whom exactly?

If photos got out, they might just die of laughter!

Mountain Eagle himself came from poverty, but while working he was typically in elite mode...

It didn’t matter if he wandered around in underwear and a vest during his off time, but when he worked, he had to be dressed to the nines.

That uniform, even if his ability was a bit lacking, had to make the opponent feel that he was meticulous and highly professional.

Professionalism, meticulousness, these two things, plus brutality, could establish sufficient deterrent in the short term with the least cost, raising the perceived cost among those who wanted Snowden dead.

Sometimes appearance is a practical tool!

So the operatives must be professional, and they must also look particularly daunting.

Four soldiers stealing equipment from a museum for battle, no matter how tough they are, won’t scare off opponents who aren’t on the scene.

Watching the four guys looking as if it were only natural, Mountain Eagle pondered and then said, "I’ll figure out the weapons, they can be delivered soon...

You guys wouldn’t mind some packaging from the boss, would you?"

Butcher heard this, frowned, and said, "What are you talking about?"

Mountain Eagle didn’t explain; instead, he stood up, shouldered his tactical pack, then spread his arms to display it, and forcefully pulled the drawstring of the bag. The bag quickly split into two and transformed into a tactical vest.

Mountain Eagle quickly tightened the Velcro on his ribs, then took off the AK-105 from his chest, pulling the bolt to strike a tactical pose.

The whole action was smooth and seamless, not even taking more than two seconds, clearly demonstrating urban combat disguise and rapid costume change.

Looking at the four expressionless men, Mountain Eagle sighed and asked, "What do you guys think when you see me like this?"

Big baldy, the short and stocky ’Post Box,’ shrugged his shoulders and said, "You look like a movie star..."

Mountain Eagle was stunned for a moment, then shook his head with a smile: "Thanks for the compliment, but don’t you think I look particularly expensive and highly professional?"

’Pirate’, with his big beard, flashed a toothy grin, revealing his yellow teeth, and laughed, "We’re going to fight a war. On the battlefield, the guy who looks particularly expensive is the easiest to get shot at."

Mountain Eagle, stumped by Pirate’s comment, pointed at him and nodded: "That’s right, if I went out dressed like this with you guys, I would definitely be the first to get shot at.

So, I hope you guys can also have professional gear, at least to look professional..."

The sniper, ’Pigeon,’ lean with big eyes and a hooked nose, said in a deep voice: "We are professionals, the spirits of Groniz can testify for us."

Mountain Eagle felt that he hadn’t found the right frequency to communicate with these guys, and waved his hand: "I don’t mean to disrespect you, what I mean is your current equipment is fine for robbing a bank, but it doesn’t match my vision for my team.

We’re not assassins, our goal is to deliver a ’lethal blow’ to the enemy’s vital points and establish our image externally.

But the outside world is superficial, and pure brutality will only make them think we’re violent yokels from some poor, remote village."

But a professional appearance can instinctively elevate others’ opinion of us and subconsciously instill fear in them.

This way, we can achieve our goals without having to kill too many people."

As Mountain Eagle said this, he looked at the frowning Butcher and seriously said, "Pal, I think I get some of your ideas...

Covert, lethal, the less presence the better, and the more an enemy underestimates you, the easier they fall.

But my goal is not just about killing someone. Playing possum or hiding in a corner to strike doesn’t suit my needs.

If you were knives before, now I want you to become hammers. No matter the enemy, we confront them head-on, crush their bodies and spirit, make them feel fear.

Why are those superheroes in the movies dressed so absurdly? Why do cops blast their sirens when nabbing criminals?

Because they’ve gone through a phase of creating deterrence, and then they can intimidate opponents right off the bat with their highly recognizable appearance and sound.

In fact, this approach has proven effective in reducing unnecessary confrontations and battles!"

After listening, Butcher said in a deep voice, "Our job is to confront, otherwise why would you pay us?

We can’t go into battle dressed up like dandies..."

Mountain Eagle’s nose was out of joint when he heard this, he said a bit displeased, "I’m the damn boss now, you wear whatever I tell you to wear, got it?"

Butcher nodded and said with resolve, "We don’t!"

Mountain Eagle blurted out, "I’ve got the costumes ready for you, all you need to do is don them and go on a killing spree."

Butcher exchanged a glance with his comrades and said, "You’re the boss, your call!

If it’s free, we’re all in!

But we can only guarantee to return the guns afterward; we can’t ensure that the gear will remain intact."

At this point, Mountain Eagle finally understood—the problem was that they were too poor...

These guys weren’t against good equipment; in fact, everyone liked it...

They were just worried they’d have to pay if they damaged it.

Weapons are essentials, the risks must be taken, but in their view, these additional equipments were not necessities.

Such is the common state of low-level mercenaries; they sell their lives for money and won’t spend an extra penny on what they deem unnecessary.

They even refuse pistols, not because they can’t use them but because they find them of little use and risk having to pay if lost.

This frugal mindset would make them an asset if working for someone in Thailand, but not in Moscow.

Because Snowden is an open secret, there’s no escaping!

Therefore, Mountain Eagle had not only to fight but also to leave faceless footage for Victoria to spread, ensuring the Underworld in Moscow and worldwide knew that such a formidable group was in action.

Now, Mountain Eagle was gradually figuring out these guys’ characters and thought processes...

They were all somewhat introverted and taciturn, but despite their common stingy nature, they differed in personality...

Butcher was composed; Pirate had a hint of cold humor; Post Box spoke straightforwardly without beating around the bush; Pigeon possessed the sniper’s characteristic calmness and pride.

Understanding everyone’s biggest communication barrier made the following interactions much simpler...

Mountain Eagle then called the Weapon Bank to inquire about their weapon inventory before renegotiating the weapons needed with Butcher and the rest...

The two assault men were content with the AKS74U as is, but the sniper Pigeon’s standard AKS74 rifle was switched for the SVD sniper rifle he preferred.

The machine gunner Post Box’s requested PKP was out of stock, so Mountain Eagle negotiated and switched it for Mini Mi Small Caliber machine gun instead.

Just for urban combat, using 7.62 mm machine gun rounds was not only inconvenient to carry but also overkill in terms of lethality.

Apart from that, a second-hand Glock 17 per person for weapons was sufficient.

As for the other equipment, the newly promoted Boss Eagle decided to handle it himself after consulting with the Weapon Bank...

Because the quotes from the Weapon Bank for auxiliary equipment were so exorbitant, it made him feel like the world had gone mad!

Combat uniforms, combat boots, tactical vests, backpacks, waist belts—charging slightly more than the outside market was acceptable considering home delivery, but to say it was just a tad higher than NATO purchasing prices was intolerable.

A simple individual radio set plus noise-canceling audio pickup headphones were daringly priced at 22,000 Euros.

An ordinary monocular night vision device was outrageously priced at 18,000 Euros.

He felt like he was being treated like a cash cow, being ripped off in broad daylight and expected to be grateful for it.

The Sergeant System was strict on weapons and high-end electronics, but it was quite generous with these common low-end tactical accessories, which were activated along with clothing, backpacks, bullet-proof vests, etc., back in the Golden Triangle.

Although the cost was still higher than market products, it was a cost-price comparison, not comparable to exorbitant rip-off prices...

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