Fatal Strike: Mercenary Road of Gunfire Ranger-Chapter 906 - 846: Base Commander

Mountain Eagle said he was very busy because he needed to monitor multiple missions' progress, but then again, he wasn't really busy...

Nowadays, he just looks after the children, cooks a little, finds time to be affectionate with his wife, and handles matters mostly through the internet and phone.

Regarding Ryan Donovan, the 'Cleaner', Mountain Eagle has already received most of the information from Kate of the 'Bangkok Group'...

In fact, Kate is not too keen on investigating the domestic military arms smuggling operations...

Because this woman is a political animal; she knows the pressures faced when investigating such cases. Without the backing and assurance of powerful figures, relying solely on enthusiasm to investigate will usually lead to being resented.

There's a high possibility that even after painstakingly gathering evidence, the case could be intercepted and stalled by some influential figures during the transfer to the authorities for review.

Mountain Eagle, understanding Kate's mentality, knew just how feasible this task was and to what extent it could be done.

The FBI currently hasn't realized that Kerry Cantona is implicated in massive corruption issues; they are merely focused on tracing the origins of a few aerial bombs that landed in Alaska.

If Kerry Cantona would step forward and plead guilty, Kate, busy with the Sinaloa Group matters, would surely be relieved.

Mountain Eagle hasn't met with Kerry Cantona or the military personnel; everything is being coordinated by Ryan Donovan.

Now that he's arrived at their doorstep with his people, it shows the other party has made up their minds, and this time they're here to negotiate...

When Mountain Eagle opened the door to welcome them in and invited them to sit in the reception area near the fireplace, Xiao Wan voluntarily brought over a pot of red tea, then left with everyone else, giving Mountain Eagle space to talk.

Ryan Donovan's expression was somewhat serious, and after introductions, Mountain Eagle realized the guest was none other than Colonel John Clement, the top commander of Alaska's Elson Air Force Base.

Accompanying him was another colonel, Colonel David Lynch, who was responsible for logistics at Alaska's largest military base, Elmendorf Air Force Base.

During Ryan's introduction, the focus was mainly on Colonel Clement...

"Sir, this is Colonel John Clement, my employer for this mission. He is very interested in resolving the issue concerning Kerry Cantona through relatively peaceful means, so he wishes to talk with you in person."

Elson Air Force Base, managed by the United States Pacific Air Force Command, is a combat wing-level unit equipped internally with F-16s and A-10 attack planes, considered a support unit, so the top commander's rank isn't exceptionally high.

However, based on Mountain Eagle's intel, the bombs supposed to have been dropped on his head weren't leaked from Elson Air Force Base but 'lost' from Elmendorf Air Force Base.

Mountain Eagle shook hands with Colonel Clement and said, "Nice to meet you, Colonel Clement...

I didn't expect you would be the one to come..."

Reaching a colonel's position in the military implies some level of strategic mind; as soon as Mountain Eagle spoke, Colonel Clement realized something, exchanged a quick glance with Colonel Lynch beside him, then forced a smile and said, "Our logistics personnel encountered some issues internally, which may have caused you some inconvenience.

Fortunately, you weren't harmed as a result. When you have time, I would like to invite you to visit Elson Air Force Base. We've realigned our logistics personnel to ensure such incidents won't happen again in the future..."

It was a veiled acknowledgment of wrongdoing. They didn't know when selling arms that those aerial bombs would be used inside the United States...

Mountain Eagle, understanding the mutual courtesy, smiled and said, "It's my honor. Getting a chance to see America's air force base up close is every industry professional's dream."

Colonel Clement exhaled slightly, then, upon Mountain Eagle's invitation, sat down on a very comfortable sofa...

After everyone was seated and Mountain Eagle personally poured them a cup of red tea, Ryan lightly cleared his throat and said, "Sir, Colonel Clement recently encountered some trouble. He wants to ask for your mediation to help persuade Kerry Cantona and the FBI 'Bangkok Group'.

Their investigation is already affecting the base's normal operations. It's important to know that Alaska Air Force Base is the frontline defense against Russia, and prolonged investigations may even impact national security."

Mountain Eagle knew that the so-called 'national security' Ryan mentioned was nonsense. He glanced at Colonel Clement, whose expression was a bit stiff, and said with a smile, "Of course, I'm willing to help, but as you can see, I'm very busy right now..."

Saying this, Mountain Eagle cast a glance at Colonel Lynch, who had been silent, and said with a smile, "From my position, I am actually a victim of that arms deal. More than two hundred armed mercenaries attacked my camp with those weapons, and my family and I were there at the time...

Of course, what's done is done; I can't blame the 'gun sellers'...

But gentlemen, asking a 'victim' like me to step in and calm this situation — don't you think that's a bit off?"

Mountain Eagle sensed when they entered that despite Colonel Clement seeming to take charge, the person who truly had the say should be Colonel Lynch. So he conveniently went straight to the decision-maker, also easing some pressure off Colonel Clement.

The supervisor of this secondary military base being pushed into the limelight clearly indicated a scapegoating trend.

He might indeed be Ryan Donovan's employer, possibly involved in the arms smuggling business, but at his level, he's not in a position to influence the Pentagon's internal budget allocations.

Helping him resolve this issue might earn him a favor, but for a military commander whose influence is confined to the internal affairs of Alaska, the return for Mountain Eagle is too little.

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

Colonel Lynch never expected Mountain Eagle to immediately see through the connections on his side. He glanced at Clement and Ryan, then after a moment of contemplation, said in a deep voice, "We need to resolve the issue...

Get Kerry Cantona to shut up, and put an end to the arms smuggling case!"

Mountain Eagle glanced at Colonel Clement, who looked slightly tense, and said with a smile, "Solving the problem is simple, the FBI's 'Bangkok Group' personnel are in my Brown Bear Camp...

As long as the negligent logistics personnel that Colonel Clement mentioned are willing to plead guilty, and cooperate with Kerry Cantona's confession, this matter will soon be over.

However, there's a saying 'business is business'. Persuading the 'Bangkok Group' to cooperate quickly and wrap up the case requires taking risks..."

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

Colonel Lynch contemplated for a moment, then replied in a deep voice, "If you want money, you might be disappointed. My boss doesn't have much cash available.

But I can tell you, if you choose to help, you can earn the friendship of some important figures, and you'll gain some unimaginable conveniences in Alaska..."

Mountain Eagle nodded slightly after listening...

This Colonel Lynch is still quite candid; his words reveal a lot of information. Most importantly, his boss is not the highest-level person involved in this corruption case; they hope to resolve the matter at his boss's level.

When Colonel Lynch says his boss doesn't have much cash, he's hinting that they can pay in another form...

The so-called friendship with influential figures means he could leverage their channels to cash in.

Mountain Eagle suspects Colonel Lynch's boss might be a bigwig at Elmendorf Air Force Base, and being the largest military base in Alaska, the headquarters of the Alaska Command, it undertakes air defense and Pacific Theater support missions.

A bigwig in such a military base can do unimaginable things.

The simplest thing is to give greetings to people at other military bases, use creative excuses to transport prohibited items via aerial transportation.

American soldiers smuggling drugs is nothing new. Mountain Eagle personally experienced the American base in Thailand using their channels to assist in human trafficking cases, where Kate from the Bangkok Group was caught.

Their transport cost is the American military's budget, it's zero-cost, and in the world, no one dares to check American forces!

The conditions offered by Colonel Lynch are excellent, but Mountain Eagle really couldn't imagine where he would need to use the Alaska Military Base's channels?

Firstly, he doesn't want to sell arms, nor is he prepared to deal in high-profit items like drugs...

If this channel were merely soy sauce, Mountain Eagle would have to make dumplings for that soy sauce, which isn't worth it for him!

After thinking for a long time, Mountain Eagle slightly shook his head and said, "Colonel Lynch, your offers are generous, but they're not enough for me..."

Mountain Eagle glanced at Colonel Lynch, who furrowed his brows slightly, and said with a smile, "Please let me finish, I might not be a fully legitimate businessman, but I have my principles...

And that's I will never let my friends take unnecessary risks for me, nor let my friends do things that might harm their interests.

I'm interested in the 'friendship of influential figures' you mentioned, but we all know 'friendship' is mutual rather than one-sided.

Transporting a batch of scrap military weapons from the Alaska Military Base, selling them to dangerous people in Latin America, I might earn a lot of money, but that harms my friends.

I'm a businessman; I have another way to achieve our friendship. Do you want to hear it?"

Colonel Lynch glared at Mountain Eagle's eyes with furrowed brows...

This colonel, who has always worked in the military, is indeed clever but his mindset and habits are somewhat detached from the outside world, inevitably a bit 'plain and blunt'.

When he heard Mountain Eagle roundabout wanting to achieve genuine 'friendship', he pondered for a moment and then nodded, saying, "Go ahead, I'm listening..."