Chapter 211: Chapter 211: The Disposable Mi-24
As William got off the plane, he hugged Barney and then boarded the central car with Barney and Christmas. Once the convoy set off, Barney pointed to the driver and said, "Boss, this is Captain Antonov of the Polar Bear Squad. Before he retired, he was the commander of this battalion, with the rank of lieutenant colonel. Captain Antonov, this is our boss, William Devonshire."
Antonov turned his head to smile briefly at William before focusing on the road ahead, speaking in heavily accented English, "Good afternoon, Boss. I'm Antonov, the leader of this operation."
Hearing Antonov's accent, William laughed heartily and replied in Russian, "Hello, Captain. Maybe we should find a chance to have a drink together. Your English might improve."
"Ha ha, thank you for the suggestion, Boss," Antonov laughed heartily, finding William to be quite approachable.
"Alright, let's get to business. Captain, are you satisfied with your equipment?" William asked.
Antonov nodded, "Very satisfied. Some of the equipment is even more advanced than what we used before."
"Good," William turned to Barney, "Have you located Solomon Fandey?"
"Sorry, Boss. The time was too short; we haven't found him yet. However, we did pay a local leader in Sierra Leone to secure emergency self-defense rights and a hidden base outside Freetown. As long as we don't attack Sierra Leonean officials, we can do whatever we want here."
"What?" William looked at Barney in surprise.
Barney shrugged, "You know how it is, Boss. In some places, money can buy you anything. Of course, we'll only do what's related to the mission."
William glanced at Antonov and said with some concern, "Captain Antonov, I hope you can keep your men in check. I don't want to have to enforce martial law on your team."
"Rest assured, Boss. We were a regular unit before. The people here are just trying to make a living; we have no interest in terrorizing civilians. We're here for the money," Antonov replied.
Hearing this, William chuckled, and so did Barney and Christmas. Antonov, confused, asked, "Did I say something funny?"
Christmas, sitting next to Antonov, said, "Antonov, my friend, the last thing you need to worry about is money. Any problem that can be solved with money is not a problem for the Boss. What you should be concerned about is whether there are enough missions. If you win one, each of you can get $200,000, and it can be sent directly to your families without you having to send it back."
Hearing that money was not an issue, Antonov smiled, "Alright, my mistake. Apologies."
After the joke, Barney said, "Three Mi-24 helicopters will arrive in about ten hours. Although each helicopter comes with a set of parts, we lack a maintenance base. The base outside Freetown can only perform basic maintenance to ensure the helicopters can be deployed. Without thorough inspections after each use, the helicopters may become inoperable after a few missions. Boss, we need a place where they can undergo full maintenance."
"No, I'm only concerned about the condition of the helicopters for the first few missions. After the mission is complete, I don't care what happens to the Mi-24s. In fact, if anyone wants them, they can have them," William responded.
Antonov was surprised, "God, those cost $15 million! Are you sure, Boss?"
William shook his head, "I have no use for them. I don't have any businesses in Africa that need protection. I'm not interested in minerals, oil, or natural resources. These things are already monopolized by countries and companies. Joining in now would require too much effort and time, with low returns compared to other industries. Barney, do you have any plans for the Mi-24s?"
Barney quickly shook his head, "No, Boss. I don't want to be invited back for a chat by special agents. We're mercenaries, not a regular army, and we don't face problems that big."
"Well," William knew that Barney and his team had never faced large-scale missions and had always taken on smaller, more suitable assault missions. "Antonov, what about you? After this is over, will you stay in Africa or take the money and go home? Have you thought about formally establishing a Polar Bear Mercenary Corps? I could invest with these weapons and equipment."
Antonov thought for a moment and said, "Sorry, Boss. After the mission, I'll definitely take the money and go home. $40,000 plus a job back home is enough for my family to live well. As for the others, I don't think many would stay. Even if some do, it won't be many. The average age of those here is 30, and 70% have families. We wouldn't be here fighting if we weren't in desperate need of money. So, sorry, Boss."
"Alright then, I guess I'll have to sell them to Yuri at a discount. Hopefully, I can get half price and offset some of the expenses for the Sierra Leone leaders."
"Haha," Barney and the others laughed at William's words. Working with a boss who didn't care about money certainly made things easier. Barney shook his head and said, "Boss, I don't think it'll cost that much. Securing the special self-defense rights only cost $2 million. $7.5 million would be enough for three trips to this country."
Looking at the dilapidated capital of Sierra Leone, Freetown, William said, "Once is enough. I definitely won't come back to this hellhole."
The three looked out the window, all silently agreeing with William. Even Antonov, who was struggling financially, thought this country was hell, lamenting, "I always thought we were poor, but I never imagined this country could be so rundown."
Reflecting on the information he'd read about Sierra Leone, combined with Antonov's words, the group fell into a contemplative silence.
The convoy arrived at the only four-star hotel by the sea in Freetown. Instead of stopping at the main entrance, they drove past it and turned into an iron gate beside the hotel. Barney had booked a three-story building with over 60 guest rooms behind the hotel.
As they passed the hotel entrance, William noticed a bald, muscular black man in a white shirt and dark red vest carrying luggage for guests. Recognizing the man, William tapped Antonov's seat and said, "Stop up ahead, Antonov."
Antonov picked up the radio and instructed the convoy, "Stop up ahead. Repeat, pull over up ahead."
The convoy stopped at the hotel side entrance. William continued to observe the bald man and then said to Christmas, sitting in the front passenger seat, "Christmas, get out and find that guy with the people from the last car. I want to meet him."
He pointed to the bald man standing at the hotel entrance.
"Got it," Christmas didn't ask why William wanted to see the man. He took the radio from Barney and got out of the car.
After Christmas exited, the convoy resumed its drive to the building they had reserved.
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