Mercenaries are King

Chapter 18 I've struck it rich

Upon hearing about the money being divided, Lu Chen and the others were overjoyed. Even if they couldn't go back, being able to send the money back to China would ensure their parents and sister had money to spend, which could be considered fulfilling their filial duty.

Lu Chen was so happy that he said generously, "Boss, keep this box of US dollars for the team. Just transfer one million US dollars to me."

Mike patted Lu Chen on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Chen, thank you. You've given away so much money; it's a good deal for the people at the base."

James said angrily, "These bastards, we're bleeding and sweating, and they want to take 100% of it. It's so unreasonable."

"Whoever has the strongest fist is right. Do you see Blackwater security guards paying their fees?" Mike said angrily.

Lu Chen frowned. This was the first time he had ever heard of having to pay a handling fee to the Allied Forces for a transfer, and such a large one at that—one million for every ten million. This was simply vampire-like behavior, blatant robbery.

He shouted, "Can't we just transfer money to other countries? Why are we giving them so much money?"

Mike glanced at Lu Chen, then at the others, and waved to them, saying, "Since everyone has asked, there are some things you should know." He then sat down on the steps.

Lu Chen, James, Anthony, and Alex sat around him, all staring at him with wide eyes. Although Lu Chen was eager to return to China, he also wanted to hear some inside information about mercenaries.

Mike looked out the door. It was summer, and the sun was blazing, distorting the air. But the villagers who had received the dollars were still working under the scorching sun, just to get a meal.

He stared at it for a full ten seconds before saying, "After I retired, I couldn't find a job, so I went back to my old boss and formed the Werewolf Mercenary Group. I applied to enter Iraq, and the condition for entry was to pay $100,000 every month, or to charge a fee based on 10% of the transfer amount."

"If one day you don't want to do it anymore, then you can either hand over a million dollars, die in Iraq, or be designated as an illegal armed group by the coalition and be wanted worldwide," Mike continued.

Lu Chen and James were all surprised. James said directly, "Boss, you paid for all the previous transfer fees. You're too good to us."

"And after entering Iraq, there were no missions for several months in a row, but we still had to pay money, which Captain Mike paid for in advance," Alex said with a sigh.

Lu Chen was completely stunned. Was this supposed to be a mercenary? He looked more like a laborer. Meanwhile, Captain Mike was silently bearing all the pressure. Lu Chen suddenly realized how great the captain was.

He thought for a moment and said, "Isn't there any other way?"

"Yes, unless we become a top-tier mercenary group like Blackwater Security, the king of mercenaries. Then, the party that issues the mission will handle all these trivial matters," Mike said earnestly, because that was also his ideal.

"Mike, we're confident we'll become the kings of mercenaries!" James shouted.

Anthony and Alex chimed in, but Lu Chen remained silent. He wanted to go back to China, but he longed to return even more.

Mike looked at the silent Lu Chen and said earnestly, "Chen, don't you want to?"

Lu Chen looked up at Mike, gave a wry smile, and said, "Perhaps, but we have another way to reduce the fees. Each person can transfer 100,000 yuan first, which will reduce the fees. We can keep it with you for now."

He didn't know how he could say such a thing. Didn't he want money? He kept asking himself that question.

"Yes, that's the way to do it. We can't just give them the money for nothing. Once we become the kings of mercenaries, we won't have to give it to them anymore," James said loudly.

Anthony and Alex echoed his sentiments.

Mike looked at Lu Chen again and said with a smile, "Chen, your idea is good, but if you haven't changed your mind by tomorrow when you get to the base, I will transfer the full amount to you. I will cover the cost as a way of thanking you."

What a great captain! Lu Chen's eyes welled up with tears. He instinctively opened his arms, hugged him tightly, and patted his back forcefully.

"Lu Chen, I want a hug too." The tall and slender Anthony walked over and looked at him with wide eyes.

"It's not like it's a matter of life and death, why are you being so sentimental? Anthony, let's go over there and tell our story." James quickly stepped forward, grabbed Anthony's arm, and said as they walked.

Lu Chen, Alex, and Mike couldn't help but laugh.

Mike smiled at the two men. He realized that he couldn't rest at this moment. He waved to them and said, "Come on, let's go check out the basement. Maybe we'll find a surprise."

Lu Chen and the other man nodded vigorously, then followed Mike toward the basement. The basement door was open as security guards and villagers were carrying weapons inside.

When they reached the door, Mike, Lu Chen, and Alex's eyes lit up.

Mike and Alex ran straight in, with Lu Chen following behind. His eyes widened as he looked inside: mountains of assault rifles, dozens of heavy machine guns, countless bullets, and several mortars. It was practically an armory; this equipment could probably equip an entire regiment.

He never imagined that this mission would bring him such a huge reward, in addition to the commission.

At this moment, security captain Faisal ran over with a list in his hand. He said in the local language, "Boss, there are 900 AK47 assault rifles, 40 heavy machine guns, about 100,000 rounds of ammunition, 5 mortars, 10 boxes of shells, and 50 pickup trucks at the village entrance."

Alex clapped his hands and said, "Boss, we're rich!"

Lu Chen knew the importance of these weapons and equipment. In war-torn Iraq, weapons were life itself, and even money couldn't guarantee you could buy them. Now that they had so much equipment, as long as they had enough to eat, they could recruit people anytime.

He walked up to Mike, smiled, and said, "Boss, congratulations. Soon you'll catch up with the Blackwater security and become the king of mercenaries."

"No, it's us, it's us. Once a werewolf, always a werewolf, that's our vow," Mike said resolutely.

Lu Chen's mouth dropped open in surprise, and he said blankly, "There's such a saying? How come I didn't know that?" He didn't want to be labeled a werewolf for life; he just wanted to be an ordinary person.

Mike patted him on the shoulder and said, "Alright, without our induction oath, you're not a real werewolf."

Lu Chen breathed a sigh of relief, thankfully he hadn't officially joined.

"However, we've given you special treatment; we've already considered you one of us werewolves," Mike paused before continuing.

Lu Chen hurriedly said, "No, please don't." He suddenly noticed red dots moving on Mike's body, which were almost invisible unless you looked closely. With a bad feeling, he quickly said, "There's a sniper." After he finished speaking, he grabbed Mike and rushed out.