Chapter 36: Gurkha Mercenaries

  Zhao Ziyang, who had narrowly escaped death, crawled into the helicopter and sat in the cabin, panting heavily, his eyes fixed on the person who had rescued him.

  The earl, the person who saved him is the earl.

  Seeing the Earl, Zhao Ziyang did not have any reaction, although in his heart he had always regarded the Earl as a traitor. But this made him unable to say anything, and the best approach was to wait for the Earl to speak up and see what he would say.

  "You must think I'm a traitor to all of you, right?" The Earl spoke up, calmly asking the question.

  "That's right." Zhao Ziyang also didn't deny it, there was no need to hide in front of this person.

  They all have a pair of eagle-like eyes, years of experience and understanding of human nature, and they can always see through people's thoughts.

  "Unfortunately, I'm not." The earl rubbed his face and gazed out of the cabin with an extremely despondent expression, muttering: "Phillips is dead. Our former OP combat team may only have me left alive."

  "Is the captain dead?" Zhao Ziyang's face showed a look of shock, he had thought that Heiying would be controlled, but he had never thought that Heiying would die so quickly.

  Normally, a high-ranking mercenary leader like Black Hawk has great utility value and the US military wouldn't dare kill him. But now the Earl says he's dead. The Earl had no need to lie about it, nor any reason to explain anything with such a falsehood.

  All sorts of emotions rose up in Zhao Ziyang's heart, he thought of the Black Hawk who played extreme sports, the Black Hawk who commanded battles, the down-to-earth Black Hawk...

  "Evidence!" Zhao Ziyang's voice was shaking slightly, even he himself didn't notice.

  A stack of photos was placed in front of Zhao Ziyang, showing the corpse of Hei Ying.

  From the photo, it can be seen that Hei Ying was shot dead by a bullet in the center of his eyebrows. His hands were tied behind his back, with ten fingers covered in blood, and his body was full of scars from whipping, showing that he had suffered extremely cruel torture before his death.

  These photos were taken from various angles of the dead black eagle, and it was done on purpose by someone with ill intentions.

  "The photos are all real, and that can be concluded through technical appraisal. You can do it." The earl lit a cigarette and took a deep drag before continuing to speak to Zhao Ziyang: "This was done by an old comrade-in-arms inside... alas..."

  The black eagle is dead, the lurker is finished...

  Zhao Ziyang, holding a stack of photos, had this thought on his mind. Indeed, without the Black Hawk, the hidden agents would really be doomed and would disintegrate in an instant. From then on, there would no longer be any hidden agents with this mercenary name, they would be abandoned in a forgotten corner.

  Slowly, Zhao Ziyang tucked the photo into his bosom and fell silent. He took a cigarette from the earl's hand, lit it, and used the pungent smoke to irritate his lungs, making himself feel a little better.

  "How can I believe what you say?" Zhao Ziyang asked in a low voice, his hands clutching his head in anguish.

  Seeing the photos of Hei Ying's corpse, Zhao Zi Yang only then realized that he wasn't just living in the past with his old comrades, but also in the present, among these lunatics who were hiding in ambush.

  When Zhao Ziyang asked the question, the earl gently opened his own shirt and revealed a bowl-sized gunshot wound on his chest and a through-and-through gunshot wound in his abdomen.

  "I took two bullets for Phillips." The earl continued slowly, "Phillips took three bullets for me. His face was covering me when he was hit by the shotgun blast. He always joked with me about marrying my sister to him, haha..."

  A dry laugh escaped the earl's throat, a laugh filled with pain and memories. Along with the dry laughter, the earl's eyes turned red, his originally bright eyes becoming somewhat dull, tears swirling inside.

  "Hmm..." The earl rubbed his face hard, wiping away his tears, and lit another cigarette. He turned to Zhao Ziyang and asked, "Do you believe it?"

  "Letter!"

  There's nothing to disbelieve, although there's no conclusive evidence, Zhao Ziyang knew that the Earl had no reason to lay hands on Heiying. Being able to block bullets for each other on the battlefield and having blocked bullets for each other on the battlefield are two completely different concepts. Such comrades-in-arms would never betray each other; they would rather die themselves than let the other person die.

  This is something Zhao Ziyang deeply felt, so he believed it.

  "I cannot avenge Phillips, the Gurkha mercenaries I lead are my kin, I am responsible for them, my personal vendetta cannot let them die."

  The Earl's words are very correct, his Gurkha mercenary corps is of the same ethnic group, he is leading his own people to make a living. He has to be responsible for these ethnic groups, he has to be responsible for the parents and wives and children of these soldiers, so he cannot let these soldiers take revenge for him.

  It is the Earl's duty to return home alive with his Gurkha mercenaries, and it is his personal responsibility to avenge Phillips. But since the Black Hawk was killed by the Americans, the Earl can do nothing about it.

  "I will avenge the captain's grudge." Zhao Ziyang narrowed his eyes, with many debts to repay, he had lived this life for hatred.

  "This is also the purpose of my visit." The Earl's eyes suddenly burst out with a cold-blooded venom, and he said in a chilly tone: "The US government owes us too much for the blood debt of our OP brothers."

  Upon hearing this, Zhao Ziyang understood that the Earl and Black Hawk had gone to two extremes after the OP special operations group disappeared: Black Hawk chose to forget the past and never serve any powerful country again; The Earl chose to enter the mercenary world and continue to serve various countries, including the United States, but he was a submissive snake, waiting for an opportunity to pounce and bite hard.

  Perhaps the Earl's intention in advising Heiying was to let him choose the same way as himself, an explosion under endurance.

  "What's your intention in saving me?" Zhao Ziyang stared at the Earl's venomous eyes and asked.

  "Saving you is to let you live on!" The Earl said to Zhao Ziyang without any reserve: "I want you to take the hidden ones and develop them into the most powerful mercenary group in the world. I will do my best to help you, but you must agree to one condition."

  "Hahaha...!" Zhao Ziyang burst out laughing, shaking his head disdainfully at the Earl and saying: "I, Zhao Ziyang, don't do deals that come with conditions. Without your help, I can still bring the dormant back to life on my own!"

  Confidence, arrogance, and strength, this is the aura that Zhao Ziyang exudes at this moment.

  Just now when I saw Hei Ying's dead body, Zhao Zi Yang had already thought of this. The hidden ones cannot be finished, the hidden ones must continue, this is what the captain wants to see.

  The Earl's eyes flashed with a strange color, staring at Zhao Ziyang for a long time.

  "I think I understand why Phillips likes you so much, you're just like Long Reid."

  "Oh, Long Ji Jiang?" Upon hearing this name, Zhao Zi Yang furrowed his brow.

  "Dragon Rider, Dragon Rider..." The Earl's face broke into a smile as he reminisced, "The Dragon Rider was the captain of our OP team, a Chinese man. He was one of the world's top special forces operatives, no one could surpass him..."

  Chinese?! The captain of the world's strongest OP fighting team is actually Chinese?!

  Almost the moment the Earl's words fell, Zhao Ziyang knew why Black Hawk was so good to himself and why the Earl would show a mischievous look when he saw him. It turned out that their former captain was Chinese, a special soldier with the code name Dragon Rider.

  The helicopter landed in a large courtyard within the black town, with Gurkha mercenaries standing guard at the gate and around.

  These Gurkha mercenaries were not tall in stature, but their lean faces all showed a strong and fierce aura. The most eye-catching was the Nepalese curved knife attached to their backs, which is the heritage of the Gurkhas and one of their symbols.

  The Khukuri is a medium-length curved knife used for both practical and ceremonial purposes in Nepal. In the past, it was awarded to brave warriors as a reward for their valor. This tradition has been passed down through generations and has become an integral part of Nepalese culture. When facing enemies in battle, Gurkha soldiers would draw their Khukuri and instantly possess unyielding courage and lightning-fast speed and strength.

  The entire length is 52 cm, the handle is 15 cm long, and the whole body is hand-made. An ordinary curved knife requires four skilled craftsmen to work together for a whole day to make one.

  Its blade shape is rough and coarse, in battle it's a super clean and neat slaughtering weapon, easily cutting off people's legs at the root.

  The eyes glanced at the curved knife of the Gurkha mercenaries and Zhao Ziyang followed the earl into the house.

  "Special forces, actually when Phillips found me seeking help that day, I had all the mercenaries come to this black city, and cooperate with you in battle." The earl patted the sofa with his hand, letting Zhao Ziyang sit down, and handed him a glass of water.

  As for this, Zhao Ziyang had no doubts. He knew that the Gurkha mercenaries were swift and decisive in their actions, and as soon as an order was given, they would carry it out immediately without any hesitation or discount. This made him wonder why the Earl who was with the Black Eagles seemed to be doing nothing at all.

  "Were you with the captain at that time?" Zhao Ziyang drank a mouthful of water and wiped his mouth, asking the earl.

  The earl immediately understood what Zhao Ziyang meant by asking this question.

  "I'm working for the American team, while Phillips is working against the US government." The Earl said briefly and didn't continue.

  Zhao Ziyang had already sensed from his words what the Earl wanted to express and felt a deep sympathy for him.

  He was living a dog's life in America, barely scraping by, and even when his closest comrades were caught and killed right in front of him, he remained unmoved.

  But Zhao Ziyang knew that this was just a facade. If the Earl was an American dog, it would be a seemingly gentle mad dog that wouldn't bite people normally but would bare its bloody mouth and pounce on its master at critical moments.

  The earl is very tired, so tired that even he himself doesn't know it.

  "Go to Africa." The earl made his own suggestion.

  Most African countries are plagued by war all year round, where mercenaries breed and multiply. Even the United States cannot extend its tentacles deep into Africa, but can only use mercenaries to achieve their goals.

  Africa will be the best stage for mercenaries, where everything is lacking except excellent soldiers. As long as you have money, countless black warriors will die for you.

  Zhao Ziyang nodded in agreement, he also thought Africa was a great place to go.

  "Oh, right." The earl seemed to remember something and said to Zhao Ziyang: "The Defender Mercenaries have a base in Black City, I think you'll be more interested."

  Zhao Ziyang's eyes lit up when he heard this, and with a whoosh, he stood up from the sofa, asking in a deep voice: "Where?"

  "The black town's satellite receiver." The earl tapped the table lightly and continued to Zhao Ziyang, "Do you think it was a coincidence that the defenders suddenly appeared behind you? No, they have high-definition satellite images provided by the US military, every move you make on the battlefield is in their grasp."

  "And also, all other members of your sleeper cell have been ambushed by the Guardians, including those at your underground military base on the Gold Coast."

  "I need a weapon." Zhao Ziyang said to the Earl, then pointed to a Nepalese curved knife hanging on the wall and said: "I want it!"

  This Nepalese curved knife is all black and doesn't reflect light even when placed under the sun, at a glance you can tell it's not an ordinary item.

  The earl took down this Nepalese curved knife and carefully wiped it lightly, sighed and handed it to Zhao Ziyang.

  "Take it away, this Nepalese military knife may be suitable for you Chinese only."

  The sword entered his hand, a bone-piercing chill spreading from the palm to every pore of his body. Along with the chill came a bloodthirsty and murderous aura, causing Zhao Ziyang to sprout an overwhelming desire for battle.

  On the hilt of the military sword is engraved a dragon flying and phoenix dancing, domineering and arrogant, unmatched in the world.

  "Can I re-melt it without any problem?" Zhao Ziyang gazed at the military sword.

  "No problem." The earl smiled lightly and said to him: "It doesn't matter what shape the knife is in, what matters is the person using the knife."

  The sword entered the bosom, Zhao Ziyang followed the Earl into the Gurkha arsenal, he wanted to do something earth-shaking, let the guardian remember the madness of the hidden, and remember his revenge!