Chapter 81: Selling the Airplane

After a quick sweep of the battlefield, Daniel had to admit, Donovan's skills in the Shadow Ops Unit were pretty damn impressive.

Turns out, there were only two mortar shells in that camp explosion, but those two bad boys took out all the gunners left behind. Among the casualties were four folks from the Mori Family and one from the Sea Hounds mercenary group.

The rest of the mortar shells were scattered everywhere, but they were still mostly intact and safe.

James jumped right in to grab the spoils of war. He went back to the battle site, gathered all the bodies, picked up anything that looked valuable, and then doused the pile with diesel before setting it ablaze.

Following Daniel's orders, Donovan re-secured the scattered mortar shells and packed them up. Surprisingly, one of the mortars was still in one piece.

Daniel was checking out the gear James had recovered. Besides an M24, the military version of the Remington 700 sniper rifle, which was pretty sweet, the other weapons were just meh.

But the Sea Hounds had a leg up on the gang gunmen with their decent pistols, specifically the rare Beretta 93R. This automatic defense pistol could be fitted with a stock to double as a submachine gun when needed.

Its accuracy was so-so, but it had a crazy rate of fire, and its 20-round capacity was on par with a typical submachine gun. In close combat within 60 feet, this high-intensity firepower was super handy.

Daniel wasn't a fan of this shooting style, but he still packed up these relatively new pistols, thinking they might make cool gifts.

James was more practical. Sticking to the idea of never going home empty-handed, he bundled up the most valuable machine guns to see if the PMC at the mines wanted them.

It took Daniel and his crew almost an hour and a half to clean up the battlefield. By the time they were wrapping up, Nis and Natalie had brought Michael and a few PMC members over the hill to their spot.

Reinforcements from the PMC company had arrived. Joseph not only sent the injured comrades to the hospital in Pearlhaven but also brought back four new colleagues from there.

The first thing these newbies did after getting off the plane was to relieve the original security guards. Then Michael led the original team to join the action.

Michael was super curious about Daniel. When Natalie was directing via drone, he was right there with her. The aerial view didn't show the battle's intensity, which to Michael seemed less intense than a video game.

But when Michael crossed the hill and entered the camp, he immediately lost it at the sight of a piece of intestine on the ground.

Frantically shaking his foot to kick away the pink intestine, Michael rushed to a nearby tree and dry-heaved while holding onto the trunk.

After puking some bile and feeling a bit better, he looked up and saw the half-burned bodies not far away.

The diesel had burned out, and now the flames were being fueled by the bodies' own fat.

The not-so-intense flames gave off a weird smell. As Michael looked up, a head rolled down from the top of the pile of bodies.

The charred skin and flesh wrapped around the skull, with flames still flickering in the eye sockets.

Thinking he was tough and had seen his share of war and dead bodies, Michael, who prided himself on his strong nerves, totally lost it. He screamed, took a few steps back, and then plopped down on the ground.

Even when Daniel helped him up, Michael was still shaking like a leaf.

Handing Michael a bottle of water, Daniel grinned, "What are you doing here, man?"

Michael, feeling embarrassed about losing his cool, took a sip of water and managed a weak smile, "I just wanted to see how you did, Daniel. Who knew my legs would turn to jelly at the sight of dead bodies."

It wasn't just Michael; the bodyguards and security personnel who came along looked pretty freaked out too.

They were all vets, used to shooting people from a distance, but seeing charred bodies up close was a whole different ball game.

Coming from peaceful places, none of them had ever seen dozens of bodies piled up and burned.

Seeing the uneasy looks on the newcomers' faces, Daniel nodded understandingly and said to Michael, "It's good you're here. I've got some weapons. If you find them useful, you can take them for some cash.

My helicopter's parked at your mine for now. I've got some business to handle, and I'll come back to get the chopper tomorrow afternoon."

Hearing this, Michael glanced at Joseph, who had been flying the helicopter back and forth. Seeing Joseph's hesitant expression, Michael pulled Daniel aside and said, "All that's cool, Daniel. Joseph came with his company's proposal. They want to buy a small armed helicopter, but they can only offer a million bucks."

Seeing Daniel about to say something, Michael quickly added, "Don't get me wrong, Daniel. They're not trying to rip you off. They just have limited funds, especially cash. If you're not satisfied, I'll chip in $300,000 for delivery."

Daniel was taken aback, then shook his head with a smile, "That's not what I meant. If they want a helicopter, I'm happy to sell it to them.

I was just thinking about how to get back after everything's done.

But that's not your problem. Since they're willing to pay a million bucks for the helicopter, the spoils here can be a bonus."

Michael, surprised, said, "You're leaving soon?"

Daniel glanced at Donovan, who had already re-equipped, and nodded, "Yeah, someone's gunning for me. As a gun dealer, I need to respond.

But after this is settled, I might take off for a while. If you need anything, think about it quick, and I'll deliver it before I leave."

Saying this, Daniel pulled Michael a few steps, picked up the most valuable M24 sniper rifle from the ground, and handed it to him, smiling, "This should be the gun that injured your security guard.

Although it's not as good as the Remington 700 hunting rifle I sold you, I checked it just now, and it's well-calibrated. You can use it yourself or give it as a gift."

Michael nodded, "Yeah, the Remington 700 you sold me is still the best. I'll use this gun to get back the hunting rifle I lent to Joseph.

You know, Joseph is also a great shooter. When he heard I spent $50,000 on a Remington 700, he looked at me like I was nuts.

But after using it, he didn't want to give it back.

I need to get my gun back. I can't keep letting these PMCs take advantage of me."

Michael then asked, "Daniel, do you need my help dealing with the people behind these mercenaries?"