178: Chapter 175 Target

A heavy-duty bipod was set up on the rifle rest to stabilize the trajectory and reduce the trauma caused by recoil to the user.

Even so, the padding on his shoulder and chest could only mitigate so much. He rubbed his chest and said in a low voice:

"Report, the target is still alive."

A response, slightly crackling with static, quickly came through his earpiece.

"Your mission is over. Move out. We have the target under control."

Hearing this, the sniper smiled, revealing a mouthful of bright white teeth:

"Boss, you don't need me to keep watching? Aren't you afraid the fish will slip through the net?"

"Our team finally landed such a big job. If we pull this off, it will be much easier to expand our business here in the future."

The sniper was offering a well-intentioned reminder; after all, it had been difficult for their team to find an opportunity to enter the M country market. Having made it into such a place from war-torn regions, they naturally had to do everything possible to establish a firm footing.

The other side remained silent for a moment. After a long while, a deep, thick, middle-aged male voice, crackling with static, finally barked:

"Hmph! Where do you think this is? This is M country, not the Middle East or some place in Africa."

"Besides, we are no longer mercenaries. We are a legitimate company with a business license. If this kind of off-the-books job didn't pay so well, we wouldn't touch it at all in the future! Do you want our company to attract the attention of the FBI?"

"Fine, fine, Boss, I know. We're a 'legitimate company.' But our crappy PMC company has no connections. If it weren't for this side job, I think we should just head back to the war zone early."

"It's dangerous there, but whether we help the government forces or the rebels, we can make a fortune. Or we could go to the Bear country; I hear the fighting is pretty intense there. The Ukraine is in desperate need of us! Hehe."

The sniper laughed casually. He was one of the few top-tier snipers in the team, so naturally, he was much more relaxed when talking to the boss.

"Don't even think about it. It took me so much effort to build up some connections here. If you don't want to live a stable life, I certainly do."

"Don't worry, they've promised that once this dirty work is done, they will provide us with a lot of help regarding our PMC business."

The boss on the other end began to reassure the sniper.

"Heh, honestly, this is way too elementary for us. This guy seems to be the leader of a Chinese Gang, right?"

"They need us for this kind of trash? Tsk, tsk, this money is too easy to make. If only it were this easy in the war zone."

"After this mission, I must keep a Hollywood star as my mistress!"

The sniper began to fantasize about the future.

"Hmph! It's true the mission is simple, but we can't let our guard down."

The boss on the other end said in a low voice: "The brothers haven't been active for a long time. It's perfect that we all act together. Quick and decisive. The trouble isn't the resistance from this Chinese Gang leader, but the subsequent investigation by the FBI and the potential pursuit that might follow."

"Finish it quickly, then withdraw. Rendezvous at the port, then head out to sea for a spin before coming back!"

"Fine, whatever you say, Boss."

Ending the communication, the sniper, Hammock, bared his teeth. He felt the boss was making a mountain out of a molehill.

"Tsk, tsk, fifty brothers—that's enough to count as a reinforced mercenary squad. This many people are enough to wipe out a reinforced company!"

Hammock muttered to himself. Their team could thrive in war zones because their high combat proficiency was key.

At this moment, inside Master Wen's estate, he was playing Go with Third Master, enjoying a rare moment of leisure.

He had been exhausted from playing political games with those politicians recently; he had spent a lot of effort but couldn't open that door. Later, he was busy receiving the Old Master.

Not having seen each other for so many years, their relationship had certainly faded quite a bit. For a while, father and son had lived and eaten together, which at least helped reconnect their feelings.

Master Wen was still quite grateful to his father, who was far away in the country.

Although his father had left him and his mother abroad back then, when thinking carefully about the situation in that era, it was a helpless move.

His father had a patriotic heart, which he hadn't understood before. But after struggling abroad for so many years, suffering the cold glares and discrimination from those foreigners,

he understood clearly that a strong nation was the only true strength. Thus, he could now well understand his father's decision back then, and even throughout these years, he had often helped domestic enterprises anonymously.

For some difficult matters, such as business negotiations or harassment from some minor officials, he helped wherever he could.

He asked for nothing else, only that after his death, his ashes could be buried in the country, so he could find peace of mind.

Of course, this was also an old tradition among Hongmen Disciples; many patriots worked secretly for the country, often without seeking any reward.

However, even today, quite a few of those former people had gradually done things that chilled his heart because of profit.

"Third, your Go skills have really declined recently! You didn't even see my 'four-corner heart-piercing' move. Look, you're about to have your Dragon slaughtered, hehe."

Master Wen chuckled and placed another piece, looking somewhat smug.

"Master Wen, look at who I spend my days with. The only one at the repair shop who knows how to play Go is Xiao Qi. He's just a terrible player; I can't play with him."

Third Master was very helpless, but there was no helping it; his Go skills had been taught by Master Wen himself.

"Then you must stay here for a few more days and practice your Go. Besides, I see that Xiao Qi is already on the right track; with him there, things won't get chaotic on your end."

Master Wen said with a smile.

Just then, a manservant walked over quickly and whispered something into Master Wen's ear.

Third Master didn't think much of it; Master Wen was often like this. After all, apart from the Gang, business matters were the big priority.

However, the next second, even Master Wen, who usually had excellent composure, had his expression change abruptly.

After speaking, the manservant stood by, seemingly waiting for instructions.

"Master Wen, should I step aside?"

Seeing this, Third Master asked, being very tactful.

"No need."

Master Wen waved his hand, his face still very gloomy.

"Then what happened?"

Seeing that Master Wen wouldn't let him leave, Third Master knew it must be something regarding the Gang.

"An informant of mine in the Fuxing Gang said that their boss has been getting very close to those Mexicans recently."

"Yesterday, he followed their boss to meet those Mexicans, but it wasn't just the Mexicans there; there were several other Gang leaders from around here as well."

"The informant couldn't get inside to hear what they were discussing, and he only just found the opportunity to tell me about it."

"Master Wen, this... this... those scumbags in the Fuxing Gang! Son of a bitch!"

Third Master opened his mouth, and finally punched the table, his old face flushed with rage. "How dare they? We are all compatriots—how could they do this?!"

"Sigh, I expected the Fuxing Gang to do something like this, but what I'm worried about is Brother Li."

Master Wen frowned deeply, his fingers constantly rubbing the pair of walnuts in his hand that had long since developed a patina.