120: Chapter 120 Persuading Yan Qingcheng

In the living room on the first floor of the seaside villa, Wu Feng was conversing with a woman dressed in African tribal-style clothing, her face veiled in black gauze.

"Brother Feng, can your boss really persuade that expert to take action? The Black Scorpion Mercenary Group is ranked eighth in strength on the African continent. They have advanced weapons and equipment, thousands of armed personnel, and their combat power is comparable to a regular army. No matter how powerful that expert is, he can't fight against such numbers. Their base is even equipped with countless high-tech devices for all-around early warning; an assassination is impossible." The veiled woman's voice was somewhat raspy, and her gaze was anxious.

Wu Feng shook his head and said with certainty, "Mr. Cao is not someone who makes reckless jokes. He made this decision knowing the situation, which means that expert must have special methods. Those extraordinary people all have strange abilities that are quite eerie and cannot be explained by science. High-tech isn't necessarily useful against them; perhaps that expert has the ability to kill silently from a distance. Mr. Cao should be waking up soon; you can ask him yourself when you see him."

"It's almost noon and he's still not up; this boss of yours seems a bit unreliable. Anyway, since I'm already here, I won't be satisfied until I get to the bottom of this," the veiled woman said, still somewhat skeptical.

"Brother Wu, do we have a guest? Who is this?" Cao Xiao walked down the stairs wearing a set of pajamas.

"Mr. Cao, this is Yan Qingcheng," Wu Feng stood up and introduced her to Cao Xiao.

Getting caught red-handed badmouthing someone made Yan Qingcheng feel a bit awkward. She quickly stood up to greet him, "Hello, Mr. Cao!"

"Please, have a seat! I'm sorry, I went to bed very late last night and kept you waiting," Cao Xiao said apologetically.

"It's fine, I just arrived," Yan Qingcheng replied.

"I've heard about your situation from Brother Wu. It just so happens that I need someone to help me manage a mercenary group, so I had Brother Wu invite you from so far away. I hope you don't mind," Cao Xiao sat on the sofa, observing Yan Qingcheng's movements.

Yan Qingcheng frowned and said seriously, "Mr. Cao, let's skip the pleasantries. I came here today for an answer. You know my story. If I don't send that beast to hell, I won't be at peace. So, if you can help me resolve this, my life is yours. As long as it's not something heinous, I, Yan Qingcheng, will be at your beck and call through thick and thin!"

Cao Xiao understood Yan Qingcheng's meaning: unless he could help her get revenge, everything else was off the table. This Yan Qingcheng was quite interesting; even though she was asking for a favor, she remained neither humble nor arrogant and emphasized the word "heinous" heavily, effectively leaving herself a way out. If Cao Xiao really helped her get revenge but turned out to be a villain, she could leave with a clear conscience. These words seemed impulsive but actually hid a sharp edge, showing that Yan Qingcheng was not without depth. He didn't mind; on the contrary, he admired her a bit. As the leader of an armed force, one needed not only outstanding martial prowess but also superior strategy to manage people and lead the team to grow.

"I only had you come because I'm very confident. I want to see if you have the ability to help me before I decide whether to pay the price to ask that senior to make a move. However, you won't be at ease without seeing that senior's methods, so let me show you my sincerity!" Cao Xiao said to Yan Qingcheng with a slight smile. Then he stood up, cupped his hands toward the door, bowed, and shouted, "Senior! Please take action!"

Seeing Cao Xiao like this, Wu Feng and Yan Qingcheng both looked toward the door nervously. But outside, there was nothing but low plants and a wall; there was no sign of the expert Cao Xiao mentioned. However, Cao Xiao wouldn't speak without reason. Their muscles tensed, and they instinctively took defensive stances, reaching for the pistols in their holsters and warily scanning their surroundings.

With his back to the two of them, a sly smile appeared on Cao Xiao's face. There was no senior expert outside at all; it was all a fabrication he had made up to be mysterious. To persuade Yan Qingcheng, he had to use some tricks. Anyway, as long as he could help her get her revenge, it would be fine.

After waiting for a moment, there was still no sign of any expert, and not even a breeze stirred in the living room. Yan Qingcheng looked at Wu Feng with doubt, and Wu Feng was also confused. After being tense for so long with no result, was Cao Xiao joking with them? Just as he met Yan Qingcheng's gaze and was about to speak, his expression suddenly changed drastically. He pointed at Yan Qingcheng's head in horror and said, "Qingcheng, your veil! And your hair!"

"What's wrong with my face? My hair? Ah!!" Yan Qingcheng was startled and hurriedly reached for her face. It was only when she touched it that she realized what had happened and let out a scream.

"Mr. Cao, what on earth is going on? Did that expert just make a move?" Wu Feng's heart was in turmoil. Why had a lock of hair from Yan Qingcheng's temple mysteriously been cut and fallen to the floor? Why was her veil neatly split down the middle? He was certain no one had approached Yan Qingcheng just now. Furthermore, as former special forces soldiers who often lived on the edge of life and death, they had a keen intuition for approaching danger. Yan Qingcheng had this intuition too; it wasn't a supernatural ability, but a warning sign produced by the body's natural instincts. Many who have experienced life and death situations have this feeling to some degree, though not as strong as theirs. Yet just now, not only he but even Yan Qingcheng herself hadn't noticed anything unusual. Since it had happened, there was only one possibility: the expert Cao Xiao mentioned had acted!

Cao Xiao pretended to be puzzled, turning back to look at the two with surprise. "What's wrong? Huh! Miss Yan, what happened to you? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Mr. Cao, was that expert nearby just now?" Wu Feng asked softly and cautiously.

"Yes! Why?" Cao Xiao continued to play dumb.

Wu Feng said with a bitter smile, "That expert just made a move! Even while we were on full alert, he still silently cut a lock of Qingcheng's hair and sliced her veil right from the front."

"Oh! No wonder you're reacting like this. Miss Yan," Cao Xiao said with a look of realization and an apologetic expression to Yan Qingcheng, "I'm sorry, that senior is a bit of a prankster and was just joking with you. Please don't mind!"

Yan Qingcheng tore off the veil that had been split in two, revealing large, unsightly scars on her face. She respectfully cupped her hands and bowed toward the door, then said solemnly to Cao Xiao, "Mr. Cao, I, Yan Qingcheng, am a woman of my word! I have seen the senior's skill. However, I have one request. When that senior takes action, I hope he doesn't kill that beast directly. Hand him over to me alive. I want to kill him with my own hands and use his blood to appease the souls of Auntie Wu, the Old Director, and my younger siblings."

"That shouldn't be hard to do. That senior's abilities are peerless, beyond my imagination. Dead or alive is all the same. I will tell... Yes! Okay, this junior knows what to do." As Cao Xiao spoke, he suddenly pretended to hear someone talking to him. With a respectful expression, he turned toward the door and muttered to himself. Then he turned back to Yan Qingcheng and said, "That senior just told me that if you want to take your enemy's life personally, you should go yourself. He instructed me to lead people to assist you, and he will be there to back us up. We'll launch a direct assault!"

The two of them were awestruck. The senior was communicating with Cao Xiao, yet only Cao Xiao could hear the voice—this was the legendary technique of Secret Voice Transmission! They became even more convinced of the senior's immense power. Moreover, it was clear that this senior's personality was somewhat domineering; launching a direct assault on the stronghold of a large mercenary group showed total confidence in his own strength.

"A direct assault? With just our people, we probably wouldn't last a single encounter under their intense firepower. Even with the expert's help, we would surely die! This is impossible!" Yan Qingcheng reacted strongly. It wasn't that she was afraid; she had long since disregarded her own life for the sake of revenge. If she could kill her enemy with her own hands, she would be willing to die immediately. However, if the expert went alone to assassinate the target, there might be a chance of success. In a direct assault, the disparity in strength was too great. The expert might be fine, but their group was far from enough. Calling it an attack was more like offering themselves up as live targets. Even if the expert eventually killed her enemy, she wouldn't be around to see it. A direct assault was the stupidest method; she even began to wonder if the expert was out of his mind. So, while she didn't directly object, she firmly rejected the idea.

"Who said we don't have the manpower? Didn't I invite you here to take over a mercenary group? The Iron Fist Mercenary Group's base happens to be in Somalia, and they have seven hundred direct soldiers and over two hundred affiliated mercenaries. I have a very advanced Electronic Jamming Device that can disable all of the enemy's high-tech equipment. With that senior backing us up and destroying their defensive works, we can catch them off guard, strike directly at their heart, and wipe out their core command personnel in one fell swoop. The others are just a disorganized rabble and nothing to worry about," Cao Xiao said confidently.

"I have over two hundred people in Somalia, but even with over a thousand of us, we're only a fraction of their numbers. Besides, we haven't taken over the Iron Fist Mercenary Group yet, so it's hard to estimate their actual combat power. Mercenaries aren't as loyal as soldiers; if the counterattack is too fierce, they'll scatter like birds and beasts. A rash direct assault is too risky. Even if we successfully destroy the Black Scorpion Mercenary Group, our strength will be severely depleted, and other factions will definitely unite to swallow us up while we're weak," Yan Qingcheng analyzed with a deep frown.

"You don't need to worry about that. You haven't seen the senior in action; once his methods are used, the enemy will be terrified, and no one will dare to stand against him. This will be an easy victory. Bringing everyone along is also for training and establishing authority. Once Black Scorpion is wiped out, who would dare to target us? Otherwise, I could just take Brother Wu and the others to destroy their nest myself." Within a twenty-kilometer radius, Cao Xiao was a god. Let alone a mercenary group, even a modern armored division—the most powerful in the world—wouldn't be enough if he didn't mind being shocking. When the time came, his fabricated "senior" wouldn't show up. He would use the Collection Function to disable the enemy's electronics and then collect any bullets or shrapnel that might harm his side. This way, the enemy's attacks would be useless, and his soldiers would only need to keep advancing.

"Qingcheng, let's just follow Mr. Cao's arrangements. If things become impossible, that senior won't just watch us die." Wu Feng hadn't interjected until now. In truth, he was also uncertain. He had seen such extraordinary people before, and while they felt invincible in a fight, it was impossible for them to be strong enough to withstand a regular army. On a battlefield where hundreds or thousands of people fired at the same target, the resulting wall of fire was something no one could dodge, no matter how fast they were. Even if their bodies were truly invulnerable, they would be killed by the impact of the bullets. Furthermore, he had never heard of the Electronic Jamming Device Cao Xiao mentioned, and its actual effectiveness was unknown. But since Cao Xiao was so confident, he and Yan Qingcheng couldn't persuade him otherwise. Besides, there was no harm in trying! If it worked, everyone would be happy; if it failed, they had the ability to protect Yan Qingcheng and retreat, though the Iron Fist Mercenary Group would suffer heavy losses. If Cao Xiao could equip all the participants with the Special Body Armor they were wearing, then even without the senior's help, they might be able to take out Black Scorpion's nest. But since Yan Qingcheng was there, he couldn't ask Cao Xiao about it.

"Alright! But before the operation, I request to take over and integrate the Iron Fist Mercenary Group," Yan Qingcheng agreed somewhat reluctantly. She didn't have much hope for this direct assault and only hoped to increase their strength as much as possible before the battle.

Seeing Yan Qingcheng agree, Cao Xiao became even more satisfied with her. She was calm and not impulsive, had her own ideas but wasn't stubborn, and knew how to plan ahead. He could feel at ease leaving the mercenary group to her. "Very well. I'll have the Angress Family send a few key members to assist you in taking over Iron Fist. Brother Wu and the other five will also go ahead to help you. I require you to take full control of the mercenary group and eliminate the Angress Family's influence over it. Weed out all the stubborn elements and disobedient troublemakers. From now on, the Iron Fist Mercenary Group will only take orders from the two of us. I'll give you five days. In five days, the senior and I will meet up with you, and the weapons and equipment for your re-arming will arrive at the same time."

"No problem. My people will also be dispersed and integrated into the Iron Fist Mercenary Group; they are all die-hard loyalists of mine. If this succeeds, I will also be a die-hard loyalist of yours." Yan Qingcheng stood up, snapped her feet together, and gave Cao Xiao a standard military salute.

"There's no need to be so formal in the future. Rest here for a bit. I'll have the Angress Family get ready so you can set out." Cao Xiao signaled for Yan Qingcheng to sit down, then turned to Wu Feng and said, "Brother Wu, take the six of them to help Sister Qingcheng. Keep an eye on the Angress Family members. If they still haven't given up and try any tricks, don't be polite!"