Capítulo 214: Chapter 214: No Matter the Cost, You Must Be Eliminated
The video followed Jessie and the children until they entered the medical area surrounded by barbed wire, with security guards at the gates and nearby. After watching it again at Solomon's request, he stood up and bowed to William, stammering his thanks. Solomon now truly believed in William's sincerity, having helped find his wife and daughters and provided them with safety and a place free from hunger. This indirectly saved his family, and Solomon knew that finding and rescuing his son, Dia, also depended on William. He no longer had any reservations about the mission William had given him and even felt a slight excitement about the task, thinking about the 300,000 dollars and the possibility of moving his family to a peaceful country.
Looking at William, Solomon's eyes no longer held the wariness and distrust they had before.
"Christmas, give Solomon some equipment. I need to know his every move so we can react accordingly."
"Understood, Boss," Christmas nodded, leaving the room to fetch the gear. He returned shortly with a pair of ordinary-looking shoes, a plain belt, and a small box.
"These are size 45 shoes, with receivers in the heels. The transmission range is five kilometers. They should fit your feet," Christmas explained.
Solomon quickly removed his old shoes and put on the new ones, then stood up and walked around. "They fit perfectly," he said. He then changed his belt and inserted the earpiece, with the microphone embedded in the belt buckle.
After adjusting the earpiece and locator, Christmas joked, "Be careful with this gear, Solomon. This set costs 120,000 dollars, especially the earpiece in your ear, which alone is worth 100,000. Don't lose it."
Solomon was stunned by the price, his mouth agape, staring at Christmas, causing William, Barney, and Christmas to burst into laughter.
After the laughter died down, William said, "Alright, Christmas, stop scaring him," and spread a map on the table, asking Solomon, "Where is the mine?"
Solomon stared at the map for a long time but couldn't pinpoint the exact location. He only knew it was about 20 kilometers north of his village. The exact location would require either driving or walking.
This didn't pose a problem for William; the mine was large enough that they could locate it by sending out a Black Wind drone from Solomon's village to the north.
William measured the map, noting that it was only about 180 kilometers from Freetown to Solomon's village. The Mi-24 helicopters, with a combat radius of 310 kilometers, would easily reach the mine.
"Christmas, take some men and a Black Wind drone in the Mi-24 helicopter to locate the mine, but don't engage immediately," William instructed, then asked Solomon, "Do you have a photo of Dia?"
Solomon was taken aback, then shook his head sadly, "No, when the rebels came to my village, I didn't have time to grab anything else."
"That's a problem," William said, "You'll have to find your son yourself when you get to the mine."
Seeing that Solomon had been with him for nearly two hours, William instructed him to return to the hotel lobby and continue working, waiting for someone to approach him. As Solomon was leaving, William reminded him, "Act naturally, Solomon. Think about the 300,000 dollars, your wife and children, and the peaceful life you'll have in Europe. Doesn't that give you strength?"
"Understood, Mr. Devonshire. Don't worry; I'll do my best," Solomon replied, rubbing his face. As he put his hands down, his expression reverted to a simple, honest look, which pleased William. He instructed Solomon to dirty and scuff up the new shoes and the belt buckle.
Solomon looked at his new shoes and belt with some reluctance but nodded, understanding William's intention and surprised by his attention to detail. He left, saying, "Thank you, Mr. Devonshire. I'll do as you said once I leave the building. Goodbye, sir."
After Solomon left, Antonov hurried in with a concerned expression, "Boss, we just received news that the rebels are only 30 kilometers away. The government troops might not be able to hold Freetown. What should we do?"
"So soon?" William was surprised. "I thought they were still 100 kilometers away. How could they cover 70 kilometers in a day? Damn it, were the government troops sleepwalking while the rebels drove into Freetown on a sightseeing tour?"
After William finished venting, Antonov suggested, "Boss, we should leave the city and go to the temporary base outside Freetown. It's near the coast, so we can evacuate by sea if necessary. Besides, the rebels are unlikely to move further north after taking Freetown."
William nodded, "Barney, have the remaining members of the Expendables take turns deploying the Black Wind drone. I need to know the exact time the rebels enter the city. Also, arrange for a boat to be on standby offshore at the base. If you can't rent one, buy it."
He then asked Antonov, "Do you have anyone on your team who can operate boats?"
"Of course, Boss. We can operate anything that moves, including fighter jets," Antonov replied.
"You must be desperate," William said, surprised. "It takes a lot of desperation to have fighter pilots working as mercenaries."
Antonov shrugged helplessly.
"Leave 12 of your best fighters here, fully armed, to stay with us. The rest should head to the base. Tell your men not to engage anyone unless absolutely necessary. This isn't our country, and our mission has nothing to do with the government or the rebels. Stay out of trouble," William ordered.
"Understood," Antonov agreed, relieved that William wasn't planning on some heroic intervention. He relayed the orders to his team, putting the temporary base on high alert.
Two hours later, bad news arrived. Barney's informant told him that it was unlikely Freetown could be defended and advised them to prepare to leave the city, as the rebels would probably enter the city within two days at the latest.
With two days left, William felt relieved, knowing they had time. As long as the rebels didn't enter today, he had enough time to execute his plan. He instructed Barney and Antonov to handle their tasks.
Standing on the balcony with a glass of wine, William pondered his next move. If they found the mine, should they have the 2,000 southern mercenaries occupy it first, pretending to be miners and armed guards, and wait for General Jetfrobey's men to walk into the trap?
Without an ambush, William feared that the temporary mercenaries might be easily overrun by Jetfrobey's forces.
However, timing the occupation of the mine was crucial. Doing it too early risked leaking information to Jetfrobey, while waiting too long might not leave enough time.
Determined, William resolved that no matter the cost, he would eliminate Jetfrobey to prevent any future retaliation.
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