Gao Fei had always thought he was pretty good at putting on an act, but only after meeting Parker did he understand what it meant to be utterly outclassed, and what a truly silver tongue was like.
The key was that Parker didn't just know how to pose and talk—he actually had genuine ability.
Parker was formidable. He could genuinely be of great help, but he was also genuinely dangerous.
If Gao Fei still believed Parker had been duped into coming here, he would have to be an absolute idiot.
The guy knew everything, his mind spun so fast—if someone like Parker could get tricked into coming, shouldn't everyone else on earth just drop dead?
Naturally, Gao Fei was deeply on guard against Parker now, and whenever he looked at him, his eyes couldn't help betraying his true thoughts.
And as shrewd as Parker was, how could he fail to pick up on Gao Fei's shift in attitude?
"Rex, Rex!"
Parker called out to him. Gao Fei initially intended to pretend he hadn't heard, but after Parker called him repeatedly, he finally looked over and muttered in a low voice, "What is it?"
"Nothing, just chatting. There's nothing going on right now. If we've got something to say, we'd better say it quick; once the fighting starts, we won't get another chance."
After saying this, Parker hesitated for a brief moment, then suddenly asked, "Did the squad leader tell you to shoot me dead if the battle turns against us?"
Gao Fei was taken aback. The stunned look in his eyes immediately gave him away.
"Nonsense. You're so capable, why would we shoot you?"
Gao Fei had one virtue, though: his stubborn mouth. Having knocked around in society for a few years, he knew some things could be done, but never spoken aloud, much less admitted.
Once admitted, there was no room to maneuver.
Parker didn't bother arguing the point either. He simply spoke with utmost seriousness: "Don't shoot me. You shouldn't do that. What good does it do you? Brother, with your skills, you'd be welcomed anywhere. Stick with me. Even if the battle goes south, even if everyone else dies, you'll be fine. I guarantee it!"
Good grief. Gao Fei could only marvel. The battle hadn't even started, and Parker was already trying to turn him.
Should he just put a bullet in Parker right now?
Gao Fei lowered his head, avoiding eye contact, but he began giving the question serious thought.
It wasn't out of any great loyalty to the Russian military; the crucial point was that Gao Fei knew Sokholov and Glaski would never surrender. Even though he had known them for only two days, betraying his brothers and surrendering to the enemy was something Gao Fei wouldn't do if his life depended on it.
So, maybe it was better to just shoot Parker and get it over with.
Yet Parker decisively pivoted again. He had only been testing the waters, and seeing that Gao Fei was unlikely to be swayed, he said without missing a beat, "Still, my assessment is that we can win the upcoming battle. Because you're here. You're the wild card in this fight, understand? You have the ability to alter the tactical balance. Sure, it's just a small battlefield, but changing the tide in a localized engagement is more than enough, right? So with you here, this fight is winnable."
Gao Fei looked at Parker again, bewildered.
He wasn't bewildered about what Parker was trying to pull, but genuinely curious about what else might come out of the man's mouth.
Parker's objective was simple: he just wanted to survive. He was searching for every possible angle to create an advantageous situation for his own survival.
Gao Fei finally couldn't help saying, "What do you actually do? Don't tell me you were tricked into coming. Say that again and I'll pull the trigger right now."
Parker chuckled, then lowered his voice. "I definitely wasn't tricked into coming. I just wanted to make big money. I'm an opportunist, you get me?"
"You speak Russian, but at the start you pretended you didn't."
"Hey, that's simple. How was I supposed to know who was storming the trench? I had to use the most concise words possible to scrape together a slim chance of survival. Once I found out you guys spoke English, of course I switched to English. Isn't that totally normal?"
It did make sense. That was indeed how it went.
"Who the hell are you really? How do you know artillery procedures?"
"Uh, as a mercenary, you always have to know a little bit of everything."
Gao Fei shifted his muzzle slightly toward Parker.
Parker raised his hands at once, looking thoroughly helpless. "Brother, don't be nervous. I'm telling the truth. Think about it: if a mercenary outfit doesn't have heavy artillery, would they keep a dedicated artillery scout on payroll? Of course not, right? But sometimes you really do get artillery support. Like when fighting in Africa—they had artillery, but nobody knew how to operate the guns properly. If I could guide them on how to use the artillery back then, wouldn't we gain a massive advantage?"
Gao Fei remained silent. He knew he couldn't out-argue Parker, and the worst part was that he couldn't tell whether Parker was telling the truth or lying.
But Gao Fei knew how to use a gun. When words failed, let the rifle speak. The gun would convince Parker to tell the truth.
Parker had to come up with a story that at least held water.
Seeing Gao Fei's movement, Parker sighed with a face full of helplessness. "I have a friend who graduated from an artillery academy. He was a mercenary too, but an actual academy-trained artillery commander. We met in Iraq. He was teaching the Iraqis how to use artillery, and I learned from him."
"You learned all that just by picking things up?"
"I studied for a long time, brother! I told you, I even have plenty of friends in the Wagner Group. How could a mercenary like me not have a few connections? And how could a mercenary like me have any allegiance? If Ukraine pays more, I fight for the Ukrainians. But now that you guys captured me, I'll fight for you. Doesn't that make complete sense?"
After pitching the question back to Gao Fei, Parker answered it himself in rapid succession: "It makes total sense! Brother, we're mercenaries! Mercenaries fight for money, but staying alive definitely comes before cash, right? Now that I've been captured, using my own skills to keep myself breathing isn't wrong, is it? Wanting to survive can't possibly be wrong, right?"
Gao Fei felt there was something wrong with Parker's argument, but with Parker hammering 'right?' after every point, Parker's reasoning started to sound genuinely unassailable.
It felt like he was being led astray. Wait, let's sort this out.
Gao Fei quickly identified the problem: wanting to survive was certainly not wrong, but what he doubted was Parker's background, not his motivation!
"Who are you really? Wait—what nationality are you?!"
Determined not to be led by the nose, Gao Fei leveled his muzzle straight at Parker and said grimly, "Think carefully before you speak, and show proof, or I shoot right now."
"I'm Irish-American, but I carry passports from four countries. So you tell me, what nationality am I? I've got dog tags and an American driver's license on me; those can prove my identity. But it's completely meaningless, brother. Does nationality mean anything to a mercenary? Isn't it just whichever passport is most convenient, right?"
"Wait a minute!"
Gao Fei had to untangle his thoughts again to avoid getting derailed. After pondering what he ought to ask, he spoke up once more: "Then what was your actual role on the Ukrainian side? If you say one more word about being tricked into coming, I'll—"
"I was the commander of a Ukrainian training detachment. I had twelve mercenaries under me, plus a hundred and twenty Ukrainian soldiers. I led the training detachment to supervise and command all Ukrainian forces in this sector."
Parker spoke at breakneck speed, but immediately added, "But if I had revealed that from the start, would I still be breathing? More to the point, would I have even had the chance to say it? Man, I obviously had to use whatever identity gave me the best odds of surviving to win your sympathy first, right? But now that's no longer necessary. You guys don't need to kill me, so I can use my skills to help you. Plus, I have to think about surviving after being taken prisoner. I'll definitely have to join Wagner, or else I'm a dead man. So now I can show my true identity. Think about it—doesn't that make sense? Isn't that totally reasonable?"
Gao Fei couldn't help nodding, because he genuinely felt Parker's words made a lot of sense.
Putting himself in Parker's shoes, Gao Fei felt that had he been in that position, he would have done the exact same thing.
Suddenly, Gao Fei turned toward Sokholov and yelled, "Squad Leader, we caught a big fish!"
Parker was too glib. Before the man could weave any more bewitching words, Gao Fei had better expose his identity first.
Sokholov glanced over at Gao Fei and shouted back, "I know! Just keep an eye on him!"
Gao Fei turned back to Parker. "You're not being straight with me. You didn't hide the truth at first just to stay alive—you were looking for a chance to turn on us and kill us, weren't you?"
"You're overthinking it!"
Parker waved his hand forcefully, looking dead serious. "Brother, you must be new to this. How do you not know the mercenary code? As a mercenary, once you're captured, how could you ever do something like that? Since staying alive is priority number one, why would I take such a massive risk?"
Gao Fei let out a breath. "Sounds somewhat reasonable. But I still feel you're dangerous."
Parker waved it off. "Right now, my danger comes from the Ukrainian forces. You guys aren't dangerous to me anymore, so I'm no danger to you."
Suspicious, Gao Fei said, "You're this skilled, and you're just a mercenary? That doesn't add up."
"A mercenary, yes, but not an ordinary one. Name's Parker. I'm quite famous. I used to run my own outfit, so my real title would be mercenary commander."
With that, Parker tilted his chin toward Gao Fei. "Once this battle is over, come roll with me. I guarantee you'll make serious bank."
"You're a mercenary commander? Then where's your outfit? If you had a mercenary group, why did you come here to fight?"
Parker sighed and lowered his voice: "Ah, my unit got wiped out, along with my brothers. I suffered a brutal defeat before. Hey, that's war—defeats happen. But I came to Ukraine specifically to rebuild the Red Stone Mercenary Group. Brother, ask around. The Red Stone Mercenary Group is famous, and so am I. If you ask around, you'll definitely hear about us."
Now, was Parker finally telling the truth?
Gao Fei still had his doubts, but Parker pressed on: "There are men here, money here, and the best pool of recruits. So of course I had to come. Brother, come with me. I guarantee you'll get famous and make big money. Really, trust me."
Chapter 48