Fatal Strike: Paladins Mercenary Road

Chapter 847 Base Commander
Mountain Eagle says he's very busy because he needs to keep track of the progress of multiple tasks, but he also says he's not busy at all...

Now, he spends his days looking after the kids, cooking, and occasionally taking a moment to be affectionate with his wife. He mainly relies on the internet and his phone to handle things.

Regarding Ryan Donovan's 'cleaner' mission, Mountain Eagle has already obtained most of the information from Kate of the 'Bangkok Group'...

In fact, Kate wasn't particularly interested in investigating the domestic military's arms smuggling operations...

Because this woman is a political animal, she is well aware of the pressure she will face when investigating this kind of case. Without the support and promises of powerful figures, relying solely on passion to investigate the case will likely result in resentment from others.

It is quite possible that after painstakingly collecting evidence, the case will be intercepted and dropped by some powerful figures involved in behind-the-scenes maneuvering after it is transferred to the procuratorate.

Once Mountain Eagle understood Kate's psychology, he knew whether this matter could be done and to what extent.

The FBI is currently unaware that Kerry Cantona is involved in massive corruption; they are simply trying to trace the origins of the bombs that landed in Alaska.

Kate, who is busy dealing with the Sinaloa Group, would be more than happy to have Kerry Cantona come forward and plead guilty.

The Mountain Eagle has not yet met with Kerry Cantona or the military; Ryan Donovan is handling all the communications.

Now that he's come knocking with his men, it means the other party has already made up their mind; they're here to set a price...

When Mountain Eagle opened the door and welcomed them into the house, inviting them to sit in the reception area near the fireplace, Xiao Wan offered to bring over a pot of black tea. Then, she led everyone away, giving Mountain Eagle space to talk.

The man Ryan Donovan brought had a somewhat serious expression. After being introduced, Mountain Eagle realized that the man was actually Colonel John Clement, the supreme commander of Ellison Air Force Base in Alaska.

The person traveling with him was also a colonel, but he was Colonel David Lynch, the logistics chief of Elmendorf Air Force Base, the largest military base in Alaska.

When Ryan Donovan introduced the character, he mainly focused on Colonel Clement...

“Sir, this is Colonel John Clement, my employer for this mission. He is very interested in resolving the problems caused by Kerry Cantona in a relatively amicable way, so he would like to speak with you in person.”

Eilson Air Force Base is under the command of the U.S. Pacific Air Forces Command and is a combat wing-level unit. The base is equipped with F-16 and A-10 attack aircraft and is considered a support unit, so the rank of the highest commander is not particularly high.

However, according to the intelligence obtained by Mountain Eagle, the bombs that were supposed to be dropped on his head did not come from Eilsen Air Force Base, but were 'lost' from Elmendorf Air Force Base.

Mountain Eagle shook hands with Colonel Clement and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Colonel Clement..."

I never expected it would be you..."

Anyone who can rise to the rank of colonel in the military is bound to be somewhat shrewd. As soon as Mountain Eagle spoke, Colonel Clement realized something. He quickly exchanged a glance with Colonel Lynch beside him, then forced a smile and said, "There are some problems within our logistics support staff, which may have caused you some trouble."

Fortunately, you weren't hurt. When you have time, I'd like to invite you to visit Eilson Air Force Base. We've reorganized our logistics personnel, and the same thing won't happen again..."

This is a tacit admission of wrongdoing; they didn't know those aerial bombs would be used within the United States when they sold the weapons...

Mountain Eagle understands the principle that everyone will help someone who is already in the business, so he said with a smile, "It is my honor to have the opportunity to see an American air force base up close. It is the dream of everyone who makes a living in this industry."

Colonel Clement breathed a slight sigh of relief, then sat down on a very soft sofa at Mountain Eagle's invitation...

After everyone was seated, Ryan personally poured everyone a cup of black tea, then coughed lightly and said, "Sir, Colonel Clement is in trouble recently. He wants you to mediate and help persuade Kerry Cantona, as well as the people from the FBI's 'Bangkok Group'."

Their investigation has already affected the normal operation of the base. It's important to understand that Alaskan air bases are on the front line of defense against Russia, and a prolonged investigation could even impact national security.

Mountain Eagle knew that Ryan's so-called 'national security' was all nonsense. He glanced at Colonel Clement, whose expression was somewhat stiff, and said with a smile, "Personally, I would be happy to help, but as you can see, I'm very busy right now..."

As he spoke, Mountain Eagle glanced at Colonel Lynch, who had remained silent, and said with a smile, "From my perspective, I was actually a victim of that arms deal. More than two hundred armed mercenaries attacked my camp with those weapons. My family and I were there at the time..."

Of course, what's done is done, and I can't blame the person who 'sold the gun'...

But gentlemen, isn't it a bit inappropriate for me, the 'victim,' to step in and quell this matter?"

When they entered, Mountain Eagle sensed that although Colonel Clement seemed to be in charge, the one who actually held the reins was Colonel Lynch. So he simply went straight to the point and approached the person in charge, which relieved some of the pressure on Colonel Clement.

The fact that this supervisor of a second-tier military base was pushed forward at this time clearly indicates that he's destined to take the blame. He may indeed be Ryan Donovan's employer, and he may indeed be involved in the arms smuggling business, but someone of his rank is not high enough to influence the direction of military spending within the Pentagon.

Helping him solve the problem might earn him a favor, but a military commander whose influence is limited to Alaska can offer the Mountain Eagle very little in return.

Directly pointing out Colonel Lynch's position actually made Colonel Clement feel more at ease...

Colonel Lynch hadn't expected Mountain Eagle to see through their relationship so quickly. He glanced at Clement and Ryan, pondered for a moment, and then said in a deep voice, "We need to resolve this issue..."

Shut that Kerry Cantona up and put an end to this arms smuggling scandal!

Mountain Eagle glanced at Colonel Clement, whose expression was slightly tense, and said with a smile, "Solving the problem is simple. The FBI's 'Bangkok Team' is right here in my Brown Bear Camp..."

This matter will soon be over if the logistics personnel mentioned by Colonel Clement are willing to plead guilty and cooperate with Kerry Cantona's confession.

However, there's a saying, "Business is business." Asking me to take the risk of persuading the "Bangkok team" to cooperate in quickly closing the case is a risky business…

As he spoke, Mountain Eagle looked into Colonel Lynch's eyes and asked, "Sir, I'd like to know what my friends and I will get if I choose to help?"

Colonel Lynch pondered for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "If you want money, you may be disappointed. My boss doesn't have much cash on hand."

But I can tell you, if you choose to help, you can gain the friendship of some important people, and you can also obtain some unimaginable conveniences in Alaska..."

The mountain eagle nodded slightly after listening...

Colonel Lynch was quite frank; his words revealed a lot of information, the most important of which was that his boss was not the highest-ranking person in the corruption case, and they hoped the matter could be resolved at his boss's level.

Colonel Lynch's statement that his boss didn't have that much cash implied that they could pay in another form...

The so-called friendships of important figures are essentially about leveraging their connections to generate income.

Mountain Eagle speculated that Colonel Lynch's boss might be a bigwig at Elmendorf Air Force Base, which, as the largest military base in Alaska and the location of the Alaska Command headquarters, undertakes air defense and Pacific theater support missions.

The bigwigs in such a military base can do things that many people can hardly imagine.

The simplest way is to contact people at other military bases and, under some pretext, transport some contraband over by air.

It's nothing new for American soldiers to smuggle drugs. Mountain Eagle personally witnessed a case in Thailand where American bases used their channels to assist in human smuggling, and Kate from the Bangkok team was caught there.

Their transportation costs are covered by the US military budget, which is zero cost, and no one in the world dares to investigate the US military!
Colonel Lynch offered very good terms, but Mountain Eagle really couldn't imagine why he would need to use the Alaskan military base.
He didn't want to sell weapons, and he wasn't planning on getting involved in high-profit items like drugs...

If this channel is a dish of vinegar, then Mountain Eagle would have to make dumplings for that dish of vinegar, which is not worth it for him!

After thinking for a long time, Mountain Eagle shook his head slightly and said, "Colonel Lynch, the conditions you've offered are very generous, but they're not enough for me..."

As he spoke, Mountain Eagle looked at Colonel Lin Qi, who was frowning slightly, and said with a smile, "Please let me finish. Although I am not a completely legal businessman, I have my own principles..."

That means I won't let my friends take unnecessary risks for me, and I certainly won't let them do anything that might harm their interests.

I'm very interested in what you said about 'friendships of great people,' but we all know that 'friendship' is a two-way street, not a one-sided exchange.

I could make a lot of money hauling a bunch of obsolete weapons from an Alaskan military base and selling them to dangerous people in parts of Latin America, but that would be harmful to my friends.

I'm a businessman, and I have another way to maintain our friendship. Would you like to hear it?

Colonel Lynch frowned as he looked into the mountain eagle's eyes...

This colonel, who had always worked in the military, was very shrewd, but his way of thinking and habits were somewhat out of touch with the outside world, inevitably making him a bit 'simple and crude'.

Hearing the mountain eagle's roundabout way of trying to achieve true 'friendship,' he thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Go ahead, I'm listening..."

(End of this chapter)