Chapter 8: Reduction of Personnel (Part 1)
In the Soviet army, retreating requires more courage than advancing! — Joseph Stalin
The swift collapse of Hellfire left Ghost Dragon with a lot to gain. Some mercenaries who were squeezed out by the Hellfire Legion asked to join Ghost Dragon's mercenary group. After careful selection, Ghost Dragon established the North American branch of his mercenary group in North America, mainly taking on tasks such as protecting smuggling groups along the US-Mexico border.
The Mexican mounted police and US border patrol weren't too much trouble; most could be bribed with money, and if not, they would use force to break through. However, the infighting among the various smuggling groups was the easiest way to suffer losses.
Their first business was a commission from the Mexican-Chinese mafia to protect a shipment of cocaine being transported to the US. The route had to pass through a vast desert filled with cacti.
The origins of the Mexican-Chinese mafia were unknown, but over the years, they had accomplished several earth-shaking feats: in the late 1990s, they fought against the Mexican native mafia for control of the smuggling routes in Canada, causing social unrest that lasted for a year. Locals didn't dare to go out after 10 pm.
In 2002, they competed with the Mexican drug cartels for the US market, but negotiations in Detroit and Chicago failed to reach an agreement. The leader of the Chinese mafia personally killed all 12 leaders of the Mexican cartel who attended the meeting, and in the following six months, they launched a full-scale attack on the Mexican cartel's organizations within Mexico, forcing them to withdraw from most of the US market for two years.
In 2005, an anti-Chinese wave swept through Mexico, with many Chinese being attacked and persecuted. The Mexican-Chinese mafia quickly organized their men to patrol the Chinese districts in various cities and clashed with the Vietnamese gang, Japanese gang, Thai gang, and Mexican native gangs that came to attack the Chinese communities. Almost the entire gang was mobilized, and within a week, they repelled 19 large-scale attacks, suffering heavy casualties.
Because of this action, the Mexican-Chinese mafia's vitality was severely injured, and they sought out Ghost Dragon through the recommendation of US-based Wu Laoban (Old Man Wu). Wu Laoban, known for his exceptional memory, personally found Ghost Dragon and haggled over prices until Ghost Dragon finally agreed to protect the shipment at a very low price.
The three small trucks were modified with bulletproof steel plates that could withstand 7.62mm rifle bullets, windshields made of bulletproof glass, solid rubber tires, and fuel tanks moved inside the vehicles. The cost was...
The leader of the Mexican-Chinese mafia, Zheng, was a man of average height with a gentle appearance, except for the occasional glint of coldness in his eyes. As they were all Chinese, they dispensed with formalities and quickly got down to business.
Ghost Dragon called over two escorts and a chemistry expert to get on the truck, and Zheng patted Ghost Dragon's shoulder: "Brother, everything is up to you! If you can deliver this shipment safely, I'll treat you to a year of fun in Mexico!"
As they drove through the Canadian wilderness, a black civilian Hummer led the way. The small driver hummed an unknown tune while skillfully navigating the desert terrain.
Without turning on the headlights, they relied solely on the faint moonlight to proceed. The tall cacti displayed various shapes under the moonlight, exuding a desolate atmosphere.
Ghost Dragon wore NightDetective red night vision goggles to carefully observe their surroundings. This mission would not be easy; the Mexican-Chinese mafia was still recovering from the anti-Chinese wave and were at a low point in terms of funds and personnel. The various gangs that had attacked the Chinese communities had lost face, and they wouldn't let this opportunity for revenge slip away.
