Gunfire, Punk & Necromancers

With two weeks and one day left before the operation, Steyr finally got the balloon requested by the two pilots, and the full joint training officially began.Whether the action plan is really feasible, only successful joint training can give them confidence.

They sorted out a five-kilometer-long track. The locomotive could not reach full speed and could only simulate the wind resistance environment as much as possible.The first five kilometers are used to simulate landing, and then a few five kilometers are used for the trio to install equipment and blow up balloons, and the last five kilometers are used to simulate takeoff to see if they can lift the car full of goods.

The first time it failed without incident, the pipe rolled off the edge of the car, which meant that it might be seen by passengers, and exposure was tantamount to failure.The trio learned their lesson and got on the horse again, and everyone had no complaints, and started all over again together.

They finally completed the equipment installation during the seventh joint training session, and completed the lifting during the ninth session, and everyone was jubilant.Finally seeing the expectation of success, more than 60 tons of carriages, more than 60 tons of spoils, that will be a heavy income.

"Think about what you did right, and which link feels more dangerous, and then let's come again!" Zhuang Xuteng brought drinks for everyone, and the iced juice was sweeter than fine wine at this time. "We still have to add intelligence officers. I'll go find Nightingale and Rock Sparrow. Let's take a break and come back."

Everyone took the juice bottle from him, raised it up to greet each other, and asked Zhuang Xuteng to call the two sisters.

The news of the successful joint training reached the middlemen, and they were also very excited.There are still two weeks, enough time for everyone to practice the action routines, and even have time to practice backup plans, such as what to do if one or two of them are missing.

A backup plan should also be on the agenda, as any bit of redundancy increases the chances of mission success.Among all jobs, the easiest to replace is the locomotive driver.The locomotive travels on the rails, and the operation is the least difficult, so the three of Kent also have to learn the locomotive driving skills in order to liberate Muir and let her be Grove's substitute.

So Muir also needs to practice flying the helicopter downhill and taking off stably.

The most irreplaceable things in action are nightingales and chaffinches.They wanted to isolate the treasure house compartment one by one, which required intelligence spying implants to achieve, so they couldn't find a substitute, and they couldn't replace others.The two people in the car, Ge Gongdao and Zhuang Xuteng, expressed that they also wanted to do some backup work, especially on the roof to help the trio complete the laying.

"The job of finding an escort is essential, and the bottom line must also be guarded." Henry Henderson shook his head and said, "My three people can definitely complete the task."

"Nike can also fight, but I don't have his observation ability, so I can be a substitute." Ge Gongdao shook his finger and said, "I won't ask for more money because of it, you don't need to worry about it."

"Let him follow the training." Lucy agreed, and said: "He is idle now and has nothing else to do, so there is no problem following the training. Naike, come with me."

What Zhuang Xuteng is most afraid of now is being called away alone. He doesn't want to be assigned tasks like traitors again.Fortunately, this time it was just him and Lucy talking in the situation room, without any other intermediaries, and there were no nightingales and chaffinches to shield the signal.If you want to arrange tasks for yourself, it involves the issue of adding money, and you must have all three middlemen present.So Zhuang Xuteng didn't panic at all when he saw the current scene.

"How do you feel?" Lucy signaled Zhuang Xuteng to sit down, and asked him in a daze.

"It feels... pretty good. Sister Lucy, what aspect do you want to ask specifically?"

"If you are asked to perform the task tomorrow, can you complete it?"

"The probability of success versus failure is about 1 to 10. If that's how it feels, the answer is no. Is something wrong?"

Lucy ignored Zhuang Xuteng, and then asked, "What if the task is carried out next week?"

"It must be much better than now." Zhuang Xuteng thought for a while, and felt that it would be better to say it more safely: "Everyone is very professional, and the effect of practice is better and better, but we will never say that it is foolproof."

"I know, it's impossible to be foolproof, and the whole operation is to grab profits from risks." Lucy's expression was hidden under the mask, and the emotions in her voice were also covered by the voice changer. Zhuang Xuteng couldn't grasp what she wanted to express. "You train together, do you have any suggestions for action?"

"Well... To be honest, I want more intelligence support." Zhuang Xuteng scratched his head and said, "Sister Lucy, I didn't say that to flatter you. For this mission, I think the information at hand is not as good as just It was so detailed when I followed you. Sister Lucy, I still remember what you promised. After the two of us pass the assessment, you will use your own intelligence network to conduct a thorough investigation again. How is it? Is there any result?"

"There is no problem with the information provided by Steyr, and the result of my investigation is the same, which proves that this is a worthwhile operation." Lucy said: "I called you here this time to discuss with you about the mission: we How are the three missions assigned to you individually?"

Alas, as expected, it was still the job of finding a mole, Zhuang Xuteng's face immediately drooped. "Judging from the performance of active training, everyone is thinking about the same thing: get this operation done. I haven't found any abnormalities so far, so I still say the same thing: I am completely blind for this job."

"No, in fact, you discovered some strange phenomena, and you just hid them for a bigger goal." Lucy leaned down, approached Zhuang Xuteng and said, "There is a problem with nightingales and chaffinches."

Zhuang Xuteng took a deep breath, frowning deeply.He was thinking about the meaning of Lucy's words, was it implying that he was going to pour dirty water on the nightingale and chaffinch?The two of them are an integral part of this mission, and there is not even a substitute. If the two of them are fired, then don't proceed with the mission.

Unless Lucy has already prepared a substitute, is it possible to let Meteor act again? Zhuang Xuteng thinks it is impossible, that girl has not overcome her fear of the external environment, and she cannot accompany her when she acts, then her resentment will quickly accumulate, and then everything will crash.

"There is no evidence, and I haven't found any signs of it, so I can't do it." Zhuang Xuteng shook his head and said, "Lucy, I am a mercenary for money. You are my middleman. I can accept you." arrangement, but I have to figure out what's going on and whether it's in my interest."

"According to Meteor's investigation, Steyr is in great financial trouble. In fact, he is already bankrupt and can only rely on the proceeds from this operation to tide him over. If he can be kicked out of this operation, he will have to sell it The resources at his disposal include his mercenaries. Whoever is prepared at this time can gain a lot."

Zhuang Xuteng shook his head and said: "Your proposal jeopardizes this operation. If I do what you say, it will be tantamount to using the money I should have earned to help you fight a middleman war. Lucy, don't try to use the 'action is nothing but Pause, you can come back later' This reason convinced me. You are actually very clear that once Steyer is kicked out, this operation will definitely be leaked, and others will not be able to carry it out. No, I will not do this."

"So you have to help me think of a good solution." Lucy said: "I want the dividends of the task, and I also want the resources of Steyr."

Zhuang Xuteng didn't immediately refuse. After all, he was Lucy's mercenary, so he couldn't be stingy when it was time to use his brain.Under Lucy's gaze, Zhuang Xuteng pretended to be racking his brains and trying his best to think, and finally came up with a solution.

"Since Steyr is bankrupt, you should buy his debts in advance! You are his creditor, so he has to give you money? You can..."

"I don't want money, but the resources in his hands."

"I don't even want his resources, as long as this mission is successful." Zhuang Xuteng pointed out his bottom line, and then said: "There is another way: you find a way to make Steyr lose even worse. He didn't put all his hands into To a cover operation? If I understand correctly, the cover operation should preferably fail, right?"

Lucy nodded, she probably understood what Zhuang Xuteng was going to say.

The cover operation was like an alibi, success or failure didn't matter as long as it proved that Steyer was busy with other things.Due to the existence of an insider, even if the cover operation is successful, there will be little benefit. Therefore, letting the mission fail, deducting or even penalizing the dividends of each mercenary can save Steyr a lot of money.

Once the mission is successful, even if the final income is very low, Steyr will have to pay each mercenary the money they deserve according to the specifications agreed on the mission, which will make his financial situation worse.

Zhuang Xuteng continued: "I don't know how big a hole he has. If it expands to the point where even if this mission succeeds, he will still go bankrupt. Does this mean that this mission will not be implicated?"

"Your ideas have expanded my thinking, so this mission will not be implicated—I assure you." Lucy said: "There is one thing you need to know: the dividends for this mission are calculated according to the head, In the end, there are as many people as there are people who will share the money.”

"Thank you for telling me that this approach is literally encouraging cannibalism."

"If you want to build prestige among mercenaries, this is an opportunity. With prestige, you can attract people to fight alongside you, adapt your team to more scenarios, and perform more complex operations."

"I see, thank you for your reminder." Zhuang Xuteng smiled, and then asked: "When will the cover operation be carried out? It must be before our official action?"

"It's less than a week away, so get ready."

Zhuang Xuteng understood in seconds.And by preparation Lucy meant nightingales and chaffinches.As the people Steyr always brought with them, and also as intelligence officers, they must know the real situation of Steyr.If things change, the two of them must be stabilized, otherwise the entire mission may be affected.

Zhuang Xuteng does not like variables, but the occurrence of variables does not depend on human will.He must act to make things develop in his own favor.The two sisters can let go a little bit, and the issue of dividends must be resolved.

Although Lucy suggested that Zhuang Xuteng seize the opportunity to increase his prestige and lay the foundation for attracting other mercenaries in the future, Zhuang Xuteng thought it was a matter of Ge Gongdao.When the two of them were partners, Brother Dao was in charge of the network part, and he focused on solving the problems encountered in the mission.If the entrusted task is regarded as a house, then Zhuang Xuteng is the inside, and Ge Gongdao is the outside.

What kind of people should be allowed in, and what kind of things should be done to attract others—that is, what Lucy called prestige—is up to Brother Dao to decide.He is a person who has suffered and been injured, so he has rich experience and lessons. If he does not use it, it will be a waste of resources.So after leaving Lucy, Zhuang Xuteng went directly to Ge Gongdao and told him about the "head dividend".

Ge Gongdao patted his forehead, and said: "I was afraid that this would happen, but in the end...every mercenary took money from their middleman, and this time involved multiple middlemen, so there is more room for manipulation. Lucy told you? Then she's probably one of the three."

"What are you going to do?" Zhuang Xuteng asked.

"I'll check first to see if it's true. Of the four of us, the key lies in the three of Henry Henderson."

"I think the key lies in the nightingale and chaffinch. Can you win them first?" Zhuang Xuteng said: "I think they are not in good condition, and they may have complaints about Steyr in their hearts, and they need money more than us."

“How come you see?”

"Their implants are more expensive to maintain and Steyr makes them treat clients like whores."

Ge Gongdao shook his head and said, "Things that you think are pitiful may not be really pitiful. Hmm...you think the abilities of Nightingale and Chaffinch are very rare, do you want to draw them into the team?"

"I have this idea, but I also know that they are the people Steyr focuses on, and we are Lucy's subordinates."

"Yes. They are focused on and trained by Steyr. If they don't want to do something, would Steyr dare to force them? Especially since they are intelligence officers, they are equivalent to eyes and brains, and they can prioritize life and death. I The meaning is: Those bad things, either they want to do it themselves, or they are unable to refuse. The former is a problem of thinking, and the latter is a problem of ability, neither of which meets our standards."

"I understand what you mean: they have to save themselves, otherwise others can't go beyond Steyr to help." Zhuang Xuteng said: "I leave it to you to deal with people. I will think about the task. Hmm... I want Go out for a trip, there will be a treasure trove train tomorrow, I will check the situation."

"Have you discussed it with Lucy?"

Zhuang Xuteng shook his head and said: "Lucy is distracted by other things, we must think for our own interests. I will go there, and I won't be found out. Everyone is training and preparing in advance. The two of us really Relying on improvisation? Don't worry, I will hide my identity and will not take any action, just to observe."

"Alright then, I'll cover you up and come back early."