Chapter 76 The Loyal Michael

Donovan from Italica's 'Shadow Ops Unit' was dead set on working for Daniel, which left him feeling kinda amused and a bit annoyed.

But hey, Donovan was a solid dude, and even though the 'Shadow Ops Unit' wasn't exactly famous worldwide, it was the most badass team in the Italica forces.

So, Daniel was like, "Alright, let's do this."

Donovan spilled the beans on the number, setup, and location of the 'Sea Hounds' mercenaries. After Daniel jotted it down, he passed it to Natalie to double-check. Then, he pulled Michael aside, who had been tailing him, and laid out the whole enemy situation and the problems hitting the mining community.

Seeing Michael go quiet, Daniel shook his head a bit and said, "Man, I didn't mean to stir up trouble. It wasn't my plan to mess things up for the client, but since it's gone down like this, I'll handle it."

Michael looked shocked and then said with a pained look, "Daniel, they're gunning for me. You think I'd blame you for having my back? What kind of jerk would that make me?"

Seeing Michael's face turn red, Daniel felt a bit better.

He had been upfront with Michael to see how he'd react and figure out the next move.

If Michael had hesitated, Daniel would've gone all in, smashed the 'Sea Hounds,' and then bailed, leaving the aftermath to sort itself out.

But since Michael showed some serious loyalty, Daniel couldn't just rush things.

With Donovan on the inside, the whole deal was pretty clear now.

The 'Sea Hounds' had six guys left, and Donovan had fifteen. Their job was to control the mortar spots and help the Sea Hounds ambush any choppers coming in, busting the mining community's defenses and making the folks inside cry for help.

In the end, going after the so-called 'arms dealer' was just a side gig, not the main goal.

Happy with the response, Daniel shook Michael's hand firmly and said with a grin, "Michael, you're loyal, so I won't let you down."

Seeing Natalie nod to confirm Donovan's info, Daniel told Michael and his bodyguards, "Leave the mercs to us; you just deal with the Novarians."

Michael was shocked and shook his head, "No way. There are only four of you. How can you handle it? Let's wait for my security team to get here. The chopper doesn't have to land in the warehouse area; there's plenty of space at the main gate."

Daniel shook his head, "They've got the high ground, and the mortars have a long range. If you land close, you'll still get bombed. If you land far, they'll know their target is exposed.

But we've got the upper hand now. If we strike fast, we can cripple them in one go.

It's not just about numbers. We've got drones in the sky and sniper support. We might not wipe them out, but we can definitely mess them up and give the mining community some breathing room."

Michael shook his head, "No, this won't do. We agreed you'd just guard against snipers, but now you're risking your lives. I can't agree to that."

Not bringing in the peacekeeping forces was a call made by me and the security team. It’s got nothing to do with you. I can’t just sit back and watch you take such risks.”

Seeing Michael’s sincere look, Daniel patted his arm and said, “Michael, you’re a stand-up guy. Folks like you deserve to make it big.

But like I said, this is my mess, and I can’t let others take the hit for it.

I’ll handle my own business. If you really wanna help, move your people to the front, chase off those Novarians, and keep the mercs busy.”

After convincing Michael, Daniel gathered everyone in an empty room.

Seeing Natalie calmly charging the drone, Robert grinned and said, “Owl, you’ve been a lifesaver this time. Hope you don’t find working with me too risky. I’m kinda worried you might not dig this job anymore.”

Natalie was caught off guard for a sec, then smiled and said, “Nah, this is my dream gig. I love this vibe; it makes me feel like I’m actually doing something.”

Daniel nodded and then turned to James, “I wanna take out everyone on that hill. Any objections?”

James fiddled with his radio and pointed to Natalie’s drone, “We’ve got eyes in the sky. We can spot their positions and take them out.

RPGs and mortars aren’t gonna do much against these buildings. Once their snipers are down, Harpy and Owl can stay here to cover us, and the two of us can finish the job.”

Daniel was always a bit uneasy with James’ blunt approach, but he had to admit the guy made sense. The only hitch was that James didn’t realize his boss wasn’t exactly a combat vet.

James was so impressed with Daniel’s shooting skills that he forgot his boss’s combat experience was just a notch above a newbie’s.

But with the upper hand, Daniel couldn’t say anything to dampen the mood. He just hoped James had a solid plan. Who knew James would be so straightforward?

Natalie then showed her worth by pulling out a hand-drawn map of the hill’s terrain, pointing to two red-marked spots, “The enemy’s hanging out on the backside of the hill. When the chopper with reinforcements gets close, the mercs will head to one of these spots.

Once the mortars on the hill’s backside finish bombing the chopper, they’ll launch a chaotic attack.

It’s not smart for just two people to hit their gathering point. I think you should set an ambush at one of these spots.”

Robert didn’t get it at first, but after checking the terrain with binoculars, he caught on.

When the chopper gets close, the enemy will get ready to attack.

The mortar fire will stay on the hill’s backside near the top, but the mercs will move to spots for a quick strike. If they don’t, they’ll miss the best shot after the mortars finish.

The spots Natalie marked were perfect for setting up machine guns and RPGs to cover the whole area. The enemy wouldn’t pass up such prime positions.

For Daniel, the best move was to set an ambush at one of these spots and bet on the Sea Hounds’ choice.

But Daniel had other plans now.