Fatal Strike: Paladins Mercenary Road

Chapter 768 Found You

The three mountain eagles arrived at the location where the snowmobiles were hidden. They loaded all the supplies and equipment onto the sleds at the back of the snowmobiles, and then drove the snowmobiles into the sparse woods with its complex paths...

Experienced sled drivers led the way, and soon they passed through the woods and entered the vast wetlands.

In summer, the waterways here are like a maze, making it difficult for ordinary people to navigate by boat. However, in winter, the frozen waterways become highways.

By avoiding wetland islands covered in shrubs and relatively elevated areas, you can travel quickly using snowmobiles.

With the assistance of aerial reconnaissance and tactical computers, the Mountain Eagle planned a high-speed route as soon as it entered the wetland, and then led the way to accelerate through the wetland.

They traversed nearly 30 kilometers of wetlands in just one and a half hours. Once they emerged from the wetlands, they were greeted by a vast expanse of tundra.

The snow on the tundra was very thick, and apart from a few scattered traces of small animals in the bushes, there were basically no other signs of life.

Riding a snowmobile in a place like this is actually a very exhilarating experience, as long as you can withstand the cold!

Two tributaries of the Yukon River flow through the tundra, but at this time, apart from the main channel which is not yet frozen due to the flow rate, most of the other tributaries are covered with a thick layer of ice.

The experienced 'sled' simply searched up and down the river on his snowmobile and found a suitable place to cross.

The whole process was certainly difficult, but their equipment was excellent, and they had several Magenxi wolves to assist them. Even when they encountered insurmountable terrain such as riverbanks, the wolves were able to help the mountain eagles and their companions violently land on the shore.

At 9 p.m. that night, Mountain Eagle and his team spent nearly 7 hours traveling nearly 70 kilometers southwest to reach the vicinity of the town of St. Marys.

As snow began to fall, Alaska descended into utter darkness...

Following the mountain eagle's directions, 'Sled' found a sheltered grove of trees and began quickly gathering firewood.

Using large trees as fulcrums, Chakdi erected windbreaks and snow tarpaulins on the south side and above the temporary camp using tarpaulins.

After settling the snowmobile, the mountain eagle quickly erected the tent on the sled behind it...

Several steel pipes were placed in the pre-drilled holes at the four corners of the sled, and then the cold-proof tent was erected on top. The tent was then secured with ropes to prevent it from being blown over by the wind.

The three acted very quickly, and the whole process took only about an hour and a half before the campfire at the temporary camp was lit.

After settling the tent, the mountain eagle set up an iron pot above the campfire to melt the snow...

While waiting, he took a large bag of dog food from the sled and poured it for the hardworking Baron and Magnesee Wolf.

Seeing that they seemed uninterested in the dog food but instead stared at the canned food he had brought, Mountain Eagle chuckled and cursed a few times, then tossed a few cans of luncheon meat next to the campfire to heat them up, preparing to give them an extra treat...

Baron bent down and finished the dog food on the snow, then lay down at the foot of the mountain eagle, occasionally nudging the can with his front paws to bring it closer to the fire so it could melt and heat up faster.

This human-like gesture amused Mountain Eagle, who reached out and vigorously rubbed Balang's neck a few times. Just as he was about to speak, two sharp gunshots rang out from not far away...

"Crack, crack..."

Immediately afterwards, the four horses and wolves rushed out of the temporary camp and disappeared into the darkness.

The mountain eagle glanced through the peregrine falcon's eyes and discovered that while it was packing up the sled tent, the 'sled' had actually gone to a small lake less than a kilometer from the campsite after lighting a campfire, and there it had spotted several reindeer...

The gunshots were made during sled hunting. Even with a suppressor, the AK-105 is still quite loud if it is not equipped with special subsonic ammunition, and can only barely protect the eardrums from damage caused by the gunshots.

'Sled' shot down a young male reindeer with two shots, then chopped off its head and four hooves on the spot, and gutted it. With the help of four malathion wolves, he used a snowboard to drag the reindeer back to camp.

Mountain Eagle watched as Baron stood up as the 'sled' approached the camp and began to stroll happily in place. He shook his head with a smile and said, "You're a police dog, what's with eating raw meat all the time?"

While the eagle was speaking, Baron didn't turn his head in his direction, but only glanced at the eagle sideways, and then went to meet them as the 'sled' entered the firelight's range...

The sled carried the reindeer carcass near the campfire, then first cut the reindeer's heart in half and presented it to Balang, while distributing the other tender internal organs to several greedy Magnix wolves...

While the other big guys were feasting on the carnivorous meat, 'Sled' called on Chakdi to help skin the reindeer. At the same time, it removed several reindeer legs and laid them on the ground for Baron and the others to use, leaving itself the fattest belly and back tenderloin.

Looking at 'Sled's' behavior, Mountain Eagle shook his head helplessly and said, "There's no need. If we spoil these guys, how will Old Joe and the others feed them in the future?"

The 'sled' skins the reindeer's belly and ribs, then the meat is cut into long strips...

Upon hearing the boss's words, 'Sled' said with a serious expression, "Boss, they are not pets. Today they proved to me that they are the best partners."

As he spoke of the 'sled,' his expression a mix of complexity and anticipation, he said, "Boss, you'll entrust Maria and Alena to my training, right?"

Mountain Eagle paused for a moment, then looked at the two female wolves who were devouring meat. He sighed and shook his head, saying, "Buddy, you've already named them, what else can I do?"
However, you should be prepared that they may grow to be very large in the future.

I'm not worried that you can't afford to keep them, but they can't possibly follow you all over the world except to perform specific tasks.

Alaska is the best place for them to live! 'Sled' nodded decisively and said, "I don't care. I can stay in Alaska and stay at the brown bear camp to take care of them. When you need me, boss, I can take them there."

Boss, they make me feel very safe, even more so than when I'm with the butcher and the others...

Because I know they definitely won't abandon me!

Mountain Eagle knew about 'Sled's' past, and he didn't expect that even though he had already reconciled with Butcher and his gang, this guy still had a hurdle he couldn't get over...

However, he could understand the intense psychological trauma, and the Brown Bear Camp did indeed need a strong figure to oversee things, so he nodded and said, "Then it's up to you, but you need to explain things clearly to Butcher and the others yourself..."

To get you involved, they made many promises to me and said many good things about you.

I don't care, I just hope you don't let your comrades misunderstand..."

A bitter smile appeared on 'Sled's' face, but when he looked at the two she-wolves, the bitterness turned into pleasure...

"They won't misunderstand. If I keep staying with them, they'll be the ones who feel uncomfortable!"

Mountain Eagle wouldn't waste words on an adult's life choices. He spread out a sheet of tin foil on the snow, folded the edges, placed the strips of meat cut from the 'sled' on it, then poured in various seasonings and sauces and began to knead...

After the first batch was almost done, Mountain Eagle spread the meat strips on the tin foil, then sprinkled the diced reindeer fodder on top, covered it with another piece of tin foil, sealed the sides, and placed it on the campfire.

Chakdi finished off the other side of the reindeer meat, but he chose to cut the meat off in one piece.

He placed the square pieces of venison on the snow to wash them, and then decided to preserve them...

Seeing what Chakdy was doing, Mountain Eagle laughed and said, "It'll be a hassle to eat them once they're frozen..."

"Let's bake it today, so we can have a hot meal tomorrow morning."

Chakdi paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "Boss, what are you planning to do?"

Mountain Eagle thought for a moment, then pointed to the open space next to the campfire and said, "I'll take care of curing the meat. You dig a small pit nearby..."

Men don't need to communicate in great detail; as soon as Mountain Eagle said something, Chakdy roughly knew what he was going to do.

So he took out an entrenching tool and began digging diligently around the campfire...

Digging through the permafrost in Alaska is extremely difficult, but fortunately the campfire helped a little, making things a bit easier for Chakdi...

While Chakdi was busy, Mountain Eagle cut the large chunks of venison into strips 4 cm wide and 15 cm long, then poked many holes in them with a dagger, pounded them with the butt of a gun, and then marinated them in sauce...

When the venison was about to freeze, Mountain Eagle had the sled bring over a few pieces of reindeer caul fat, which is the fat inside the belly of the reindeer. After lining the marinated venison with the caul fat, they rolled it up, secured it with wire, and then hung it inside the hole that Chakdi had dug.

After the mountain eagle finished all that, the first batch of foil-grilled venison was ready...

The venison wrapped in tin foil was moved to the ground, and the top layer of foil was lifted. A thick aroma of meat and charred fragrance wafted out as steam rose...

'Sled,' who was processing the remaining venison strips according to the boss's instructions, couldn't help but sniff and exclaimed, "It tastes amazing..."

"I've never eaten anything this delicious while on a mission in my entire life!"

The eagle picked up a strip of meat and popped it into its mouth to try it out...

Hmm, it's a bit too oily, and it's very chewy with a rich flavor. Although it doesn't retain the tender texture of fresh reindeer meat, it's done a very good job given their current conditions.

After tasting one, Mountain Eagle moved the foil closer to the campfire, keeping the meat warm while adding a few instant noodle cakes to the boiling pot...

Everyone needs to eat something hot to get through this cold night so that they can maintain enough physical strength and energy for tomorrow's operation.

…………

Just as the mountain eagles were setting up camp, a crow flew to a tree branch outside the window of an abandoned state police office on the outskirts of St. Marys...

Meanwhile, in the abandoned state police office, the generator was running, the interior was brightly lit, the long-dormant radio had been cleaned and restarted, and several people were arguing around a table...

…………

The mountain eagle, which was eating, looked up and glanced southwest...

"Found you!"

(End of this chapter)