Chapter 204: Major

"This Mr. Holden is right."

When Carl Holden left, it was already 6:30 PM. The apartment living room was filled with the red afterglow streaming down from the sky. Sampson Blout, who had been standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows gazing at the scenery, finally walked over to Li Mochen.

"Since you've made a move against the Blood Hand Gang and Antonio, never give them a chance to catch their breath."

"Great minds think alike. I personally feel the same way."

Li Mochen said as he opened all the documents Carl had sent over. "But Sampson, are you sure there's no problem on your end? I reckon you've only just finished recruiting your people, right? It's been less than twelve hours?"

"No need to worry, boss. The situation is better than I expected."

Sampson Blout sat upright with a solemn expression, his back as straight and towering as a mountain. "Every one of my comrades held a rank above ensign in the military. They have ample experience leading teams and are qualified instructors. And the people you selected this time, boss, all have service backgrounds. Though many of them are from abroad, they're relatively easy to train. Some of the combat groups are already ready for battle."

Having said that, Sampson handed a document to Li Mochen with a hint of apology. "I'm sorry. After learning about the Craig Community Bank robbery, I slightly raised the recruitment standards. So the total payroll is a bit over budget. I think you need more powerful and cost-effective combat-ready forces right now, don't you?"

"You're the commander of the combat forces, so you have that authority. But I hope next time you make such a decision, you'll inform me in advance. Of course, this time was an exception—we couldn't contact each other in the afternoon."

Li Mochen carefully read the document Sampson Blout had provided, then a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. He confirmed that the former lieutenant colonel of the Red Scorpion unit had no intention of overstepping; it was purely a tactical consideration.

This was a list of the assault teams, followed by the résumés of all personnel and the composition of each group.

First, the payroll overrun was not large—only about 1.7 million gold shields, still within his expectations. Second, Blout had not, as Li Mochen had imagined, assigned all his comrades to lead the various groups. Instead, he had concentrated six of them and mixed them with newly recruited personnel to form two assault groups capable of confronting extra-legal threats.

Thus, among Blout's twelve former subordinates, only six held the position of group leader. For the remaining groups, he selected the most capable individuals to lead.

Moreover, the people he recruited were indeed powerful combat-ready forces. Although the number of Level 10 magic-energy professionals was slightly higher, the combat configuration was more reasonable, boosting the overall combat effectiveness of the forces by 20 to 30 percent.

This pleased Li Mochen greatly. Though he had never doubted Sampson Blout, the latter's adherence to his role and dedication to duty still brought him satisfaction.

He thought that any superior would appreciate such a subordinate.

So after reading the document, Li Mochen pondered briefly and said, "Actually, regarding the combat forces, I was just thinking of discussing with you whether we could add three more combat groups and one extra-legal group, as appropriate."

"I certainly welcome that. It would ease the pressure we face. But that would mean hiring two extra-legal operatives, seven Level 10s, and four Level 7s. We'd have to pay an annual salary of 3.5 million gold shields, plus equipment."

Sampson Bruttleton raised his eyebrows slightly, a look of pleasure appearing in his eyes. No commander in the world would complain about having too many men under his command.

"I wonder if you have any suitable candidates here, BOSS? If not, I can introduce a comrade-in-arms. This man first served in the Red Scorpion unit, then transferred to the Marine Corps. Not long ago, he retired with the rank of Major. He is a Level 13 Magic Energy Hunter, also a Level 9 Magic Energy Mage, and has several formidable former subordinates under him. As far as I know, his original plan was to take his men to the Middle East as mercenaries. But if you, BOSS, can offer sufficiently favorable conditions, you could hire him to come to Atlanta. If possible, who would want to leave their homeland? I can guarantee that his arrival will bring you a very powerful, immediately deployable fighting force."

"A retired Major?"

Li Mochen showed a look of interest: "May I ask his name? Could you briefly tell me about his situation?"

One of the reasons he had hired Lieutenant Colonel Bruttleton was for the latter's connections within the military.

The American national defense forces and veterans formed a massive group numbering in the tens of millions, among whom mid- to high-level magic energy professionals were countless, almost an inexhaustible treasure trove.

"His name is Thompson Adams, a former recipient of the Navy Cross."

Sampson explained: "He is a very capable guy, becoming a Level 13 magic energy professional at just over twenty-seven, with a secondary profession close to outlaw level. As a commander, his mission success rate exceeded 87%. I don't know the details of his retirement; it's said to be related to pensions. The Navy had his unit carry out a very dangerous mission, and many of his subordinates died as a result. Afterwards, the Navy department refused to recognize their status as martyrs, claiming the operation was unauthorized. So Thompson resigned in anger. His original intention to form a mercenary group in the Middle East was to earn money to help the families of the deceased. He could have received compensation from his superiors and been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel—"

Li Mochen immediately called Karl on his mobile phone. Soon after, he looked at Sampson with surprise: "The situation with Major Adams is roughly as you said. But Karl found out that when he was in the Red Scorpion unit, your relationship with him was very bad, with several conflicts, right?"

"Our conflicts were over official duties; there was no personal grudge. At that time, my comrade was also young and hot-tempered."

Sampson appeared unconcerned: "The situation is different now. I believe Major Adams and I can cooperate well, and this does not diminish Major Adams's value."

"Then what are we waiting for?"

Li Mochen continued dialing on his mobile phone: "I will send an employment invitation to Major Adams through the Red Sparrow Club, and I hope you, Sampson, can persuade him through personal connections. I guess someone like him must be in high demand?"

So after hearing about Thompson Adams's illustrious achievements, Li Mochen had little hope left, even though he could offer above-average pay.

After all, Mr. Adams was neither like Sampson, who had a deep hatred for the Dragon Witch Cult, nor like Zhang Wei, who had a reputation for harming his master.

"He is indeed in high demand, but you, BOSS, still have a good chance."

Sampson laughed: "Those prestigious families won't value him highly, and gang forces like the Blood Hand would clash with his values. So he has few options; otherwise, he wouldn't have considered becoming a mercenary. I'll do my best to persuade him for you, BOSS."

"Then I'll leave it to you!"

By now, Li Mochen had placed several photos from Karl's folder on the dining table.

"Let's get back to the main topic. What should we do next, and where should our next target be?"