There were two thousand and five hundred mercenaries from Ten Thousand Armies amongst the troops that had come to crush Hamed this time.Originally, the officers from Ten Thousand Armies had also underestimated the enemy just like the commander of the government. They felt that they had already seen the level of the Syrian anti-government forces and that they would be able to destroy them easily. So, they did not do enough preparatory work at all. They only thought about how they would immediately establish their own mercenary base in Syria to further enhance and strengthen their influence in the Middle East after helping the government solve their major problem. Unexpectedly, they would suffer such an unprecedented blow this time because they had underestimated their enemy. More than five hundred lives were lost directly on the slope of Hamed’s base. The commander of Ten Thousand Armies was a man who was about thirty years old.His name was Zephan Levatt, and he was a five
As soon as the government supreme commander heard Zephan’s words, his eyes lit up.“A feign attack from the front, and a roundabout outflank!”“That is definitely a very feasible battle plan. It seems as though this Zephan Levatt really does have some skills!”Zephan did not know that his own set of attack tactics, which could not be any more ordinary, would actually end up being such an ingenious plan in the eyes of the other party’s supreme commander.This was mainly because the other party’s military literacy was truly too low. It was so low to the point that it was absolutely ridiculous.Although the regions in the Middle East were constantly at war, it had to be admitted that the entire modern Middle Eastern was just not good at fighting wars.Ever since World War II, the war had become more and more demanding in terms of its tactics, strategies, as well as its patterns. The whole world had learned a lot of war experience from that war, and even the originally weaker Southea
However, his own side did not have any advantage at all on the frontal battlefield. Even if it was a feint attack, he would lose a lot of soldiers.Moreover, the party feigning the attack would not only have to suffer losses, but the main point was that they would have to wait for the people from Ten Thousand Armies to make a roundabout and sneak into the other party’s permanent fortification. After that, the credit for conquering the enemy’s camp would still f*cking belong to others.The more he thought about it, the less cost-effective he felt it was.So, he spoke up, “I think that this tactic of yours should work fine, but I think that my team should not be the one feigning the attack. Why don’t we switch so that your team can feign the attack while I ask my soldiers to make a roundabout to outflank the enemy?”Zephan said angrily, “You can stop f*cking dreaming! You want my soldiers to feign the attack? Do you really think that your soldiers, who are severely lacking in trainin
“Make a roundabout to outflank us?”After all, Hamed had studied in Oskia before. Although he did not specialize in military commands, at the very least, he had already broadened his horizons. So, he immediately blurted out, “In that case, I will ask my men to release the drones and keep a close eye on our surrounding situation. If they have really sent their troops to secretly try and infiltrate, we will definitely be able to spot them with the drones.”Charlie then said, “Good. You have to remember not to let the other party know that you have released the drones. That way, you will be able to lure the enemy in so that you can take them by surprise and they will have no way to defend themselves at all.”“Okay!” Hamed said, “I’ll certainly put in my best effort and attention from now on, and I absolutely will not give them any chance to perform a sneak attack on us!”Charlie looked at the time and spoke up, “It should be morning over there now, right? It is much better during the
In order to defend against this group’s attack, Hamed summoned his adjutant immediately and asked, “How many drones do we still have at our base?”The adjutant hurriedly said, “We still have more than twenty drones that we bought from Oskia. We bought a few more at that time because of the cheap price.”Hamed asked, “What is the drone’s approximate battery life?”The adjutant thought about it for a moment and replied, “it should be around twenty-five minutes and no more than half an hour at most.”Hamed nodded and said faintly, “Although the time is a little short, it should be more than enough. You should immediately give the order that the drones should be in a state of readiness. I request to ensure that at least five drones are up in the air around our base at all times to observe and keep an eye on our surroundings. We have to be alert to the enemy’s small groups of troops trying to infiltrate our fortifications. If there are any such signs, you have to report it to me immedia
Ten minutes later, Zephan had already picked out the candidates who would be participating in this roundabout and outflank attack.This time, Zephan decided to lead a thousand elites from Ten Thousand Armies to outflank Hamed’s permanent fortifications from the valley on the left.He gave these thousand elites thirty minutes of preparation time, and he told them to carry all of their weapons and equipment during this period of time so that they could strive to take down Hamed’s base completely in one go.Meanwhile, in Sudbury, Oskia.Eight black extended bulletproof Rolls-Royces were slowly driven up outside of the Schulz family’s villa and parked neatly in front of the villa.A burly young man in his twenties who had a short haircut came out of the first car at the front of the line. This man opened the door, got out of the car, and he had a very tough and upright walking posture. At first glance, it was obvious that this man had already undergone intense professional training.
As he thought of this, Arrington replied in an unpleasant tone, “There are many people who want to meet with Lord Schulz every day. You have to declare your identity first and let me know the exact identity of the person who wants to meet with Lord Schulz. After that, Lord Schulz will then decide whether he wants to spare any of his precious time to meet with all of you. Otherwise, do you think that Lord Schulz will meet with just anyone?”“Declare our identity?” The young man sneered and said, “You’re just a subordinate, and you’re not qualified to know of our lord’s identity!”Arrington felt that he was greatly insulted, and he said angrily, “Even if I am a f*cking subordinate, are you not a fucking subordinate too? We are all just subordinates, so what right do you have to speak to me like that?!”The young man rushed over to Arrington with great speed, and before Arrington could even react, he had already grabbed Arrington directly by his neck as he picked him up and said sternl
Arrington’s heart suddenly tensed up because of Henderson’s words.He could not think about how he should regain reputation at this time and instead, he hurriedly asked, “Henderson, if this person’s strength is really above you, what should we do if they have any malicious intentions, then?”Henderson said calmly, “If the other party truly had any malicious intentions, they would have already acted long ago. After all, they came in a total of eight cars. The strength of the only person who came out is already far beyond the level of my strength, so perhaps the strength of those people who have not gotten out of the car might even be higher as compared to his strength. Under this kind of circumstance, it would be simply impossible for us to defeat them.”Arrington’s neck shrank out of fear as he hurriedly asked, “Then, should we ask Lord Schulz to make a decision now?”Henderson said, “I feel that the other party should not have any malicious intentions. Otherwise, they would not ha
Zachary couldn't help pointing at the screen and snapping, "Fucking loser! The more you feel pressed, the less you should be nervous! What are you thinking?! You're falling right under that bastard's trap!"Jacob was frustrated too, growling through his teeth, "Shit! I didn't think that bastard was a sly old fox. Fucking hell!"He then sighed, shaking his head. "Forget it, Zachary—I'm going home to pack my shit, and I'll depart for Dubai first thing tomorrow. Just handle that bronze sculpture for me and wire the money over."As he was about to get off, Zachary sighed in exasperation and apologetically said, "Sorry, Mr. Wilson… but it's fine! Even if this plan screwed up, just let me cook up another plan to destroy Raymond Cole!"Jacob ignored him as he strode out of the car, but that was when Raymond spoke audibly from Zachary's phone, "You can calm down. I'm not accusing you of lying to me. I just think that it's not Renaissance… Rather, it's medieval.""E-Early medieval…?" Billy
In Treasure Measure, Raymond unwrapped the red cloth around the bronze sculpture in front of Billy and the camera.There was a brief flash of surprise on his face, and it was soon gone.Still, he picked up the bronze sculpture, fiddling with it as he asked, "Do you know where it's from?""Yeah," Billy nodded. "A Renaissance-era sculpture. I think the base makes it obvious."Raymond looked up at him and asked in curiosity, "Are you sure about that?"Billy, presuming that Raymond had already noticed a catch, quickly said, "Well, the old man had an expert check it, and the expert said it was immediately obvious! To be honest, I want to sell it because the old man just passed away—gotta sell this baby before my brother goes for a garage sale."He had certainly added more details to the script, and Raymond nodded as he said nonchalantly, "But it doesn't look Renaissance to me. Sculptures from that era—be it the craftsmanship or the unique attributes? It's quite different from this one
In the antique trade, items that raised eyebrows would only be shown in the evenings—when various shops were about to close.That was certainly the case in Antique Street, as most items arriving in the evening were either freshly excavated, stolen, or forgery used to dupe unsuspecting victims.Even if Raymond had started his career abroad, he had learned every last unspoken rule during his earlier stint in Aurous Hill.Seeing the wariness on Billy's face and the way he was holding something in his arms, Raymond knew right away that what he carried wasn't legal.Still, the antique trade was no different here than it was abroad.Tomb raiding, forgery, or adding some touch-ups that increased the value of an item—everyone across the globe pretty much played the same tricks, and Raymond had his fair share of experience.Still, he did not let his wariness show, instead grinning, "Yes, of course. Come on in—let's talk inside!"And with that, he quickly led Billy inside.Meanwhile, bot
"Five hundred grand?"Mick chuckled. "Well, the sculpture looks Renaissance, and the craftsmanship as well as the material are all ideal. It would sell for up to two million in an auction, while established antique traders like us could offer up to a million. So, why the lowball?"Bill sighed. "I won't lie—it belonged to my old man, who just croaked this afternoon. But you see, he left a will stating that every antique in the house would be given to my brother… Since he's playing favorites, I thought I had to get something for myself.""That's why I quietly sneaked this baby out without anyone else knowing and am trying to sell it quickly to change my own circumstances. You don't have to tell me how many millions it's worth—I'm not that greedy. Give me five hundred grand, and it's yours."Mick shrugged as he shot back, "If it's as you say and your old man intended for your brother to have it, the fact that you sneaked it out here makes this theft. Do you think I'd buy stolen proper
It was half past six, and the skies were darkening when a figure hurried into Antique Street, heading straight toward the center—to Vintage Deluxe.Mick Crane, the manager, was holding the fort with some of his employees, and there were some guests window shopping there as well. As Mick asked the employees to assist the guests, he waited anxiously for Billy—Zachary's henchman.Nonetheless, a certain figure rushed inside within minutes, asking eagerly as he entered, "Is the manager in? Do you still buy antiques?""Yes, and yes!" Mick exclaimed as he approached Billy enthusiastically, asking, "May I ask what you're planning to sell?"Billy looked around before sneakily holding up a parcel wrapped in red cloth, carefully lifting a corner to reveal an edge so that Mick could see.Then, he promptly lowered the cloth again, whispering, "This is the good stuff. I'm just not sure if you have the money to buy it."Mick grinned. "What are you saying? If it's something Vintage Deluxe coul
Jacob chuckled. "Can't tell you right now. But I will once it's done.""Well, have you decided when we're going to Dubai?" Elaine quickly pressed.Jacob said, "I'd have to wait until tonight to see if this deal works, but we're leaving first thing tomorrow. I'll get the tickets first, and we will be staying at the Burj Al-Arab that I told you about. People are always saying how amazing it is on the internet every day, seeing how luxurious the seven-star hotel is, but I'll be the judge of that."Elaine was overjoyed to hear that. "That's amazing! And I was just thinking we can't go sooner! Go about your business, then. I'll pack our luggage right away."Jacob chuckled smugly. "Don't pack so much, though. Just stick to the necessities, since we can get the rest over there!""Alright!" Elaine exclaimed, beside herself in excitement. "Alright, you hurry up and get your thing done over there. I'll start packing now!"After hanging up, Elaine called Charlie, who was in Champs Elys Reso
As Zachary agreed to do a favor for Vintage Deluxe's Mick Crane in passing, he and Jacob agreed to meet up at 7pm at the car park by Antique Street.He first took Jacob back to the Calligraphy and Painting Association and called Billy, one of his boys whom he thought was smarter than the rest, giving him the gist of the plan and telling him to familiarize himself with the script.Then, he took the sculpture back to Heaven Springs and met up with Billy in office, telling Billy what to do in finer detail and making sure he committed everything to memory.Zachary's strength as a judge of character certainly proved itself—Billy had never done anything like this before, but he took to the plan like fish to water. He committed the script to memory soon enough, and he was flawless.Once he made sure that Billy was fine, Zachary called Mick.As soon as Mick answered, he immediately asked, "Hello, Mr. Evans. How is that thing we talked about going?"Zachary chuckled. All the arrangements
Zachary continued, "Why do you think casinos are always making a profit? It's exactly because no matter how unassuming a guest is the first time, they would be allowed to win a couple of hands, making a little profit.""And suddenly, they would think that they are the chosen one, destined to win against all odds and always come out triumphant! Once such radical, blind confidence hits them, every last bit of his money would be lost to the casino!""At that point, you can get anything from them—their house, their wife, their children… hell, they'd be willing to die if you'd just let them gamble again!"Turning toward Jacob with a grin, Zachary then asked, "So, with all the points I made and that sculpture you're holding… Do you still think Raymond wouldn't fall for it?"Jacob laughed out loud. "Oh, talk about a plan within a plan! No one would ever see it coming! Raymond Cole is so screwed!"Zachary smiled and nodded. "That's why there's no reason to rush—I'll arrange a man to get r
As soon as they drove out of the village, Jacob asked Zachary eagerly, "So, when do you think we should make our move? I can't wait!"Zachary didn't hesitate, "Let's do it today. It's better than waiting! I'll get someone reliable to bring this to Treasure Measure and get him interested. I'm sure that since he has just returned to Antique Street, he'll need a hot deal to generate hype and make himself known. That's why I'm sure he'll take this sculpture."Jacob nodded repeatedly as he chuckled. "I think so too. Today is definitely best since I'll be going to Dubai soon and probably leaving once I'm done with this. Once you get this settled by the end of today, I'll get tickets for the flight tomorrow!"Zachary grinned. "Don't worry, chief. We will definitely get it settled today…"He trailed off for a moment before continuing, "Still, you should be a little patient. We should do this in the evening—at the second just before Raymond Cole closes shop.""But why?" Jacob asked in curi