Mercenary's War-Chapter 2152 - 2129: This Is Just a Warning

Forty-eight hours have passed since Gao Yang was put under fatigue interrogation by Fatino, and it’s been sixty-eight hours since Mario first detained him.

Mario was feeling anxious, because various signs indicated that matters were more complicated than he had anticipated, and the consequences could be much more severe than he expected.

Mario’s eyes, just like Gao Yang’s, were bloodshot. Hearing the knock on the door, he immediately looked up and shouted, "Come in!"

"Sir, the news has been confirmed. Lorenzo was assassinated; he died in a hail of gunfire just as he was leaving the company. All three companions were killed, with no survivors."

Mario slammed his fist onto the table in front of him and then growled, "Who did it!"

"It’s confirmed as Grand Ivan’s men, four shooters in total, using fully automatic standard weapons, and they left this behind."

Mario’s assistant took a deep breath, gathered his courage, and took a photo from a briefcase he carried, placing it in front of Mario.

In the photo, a person covered in blood lay beside a car with its door open, and a piece of white paper covered the corpse’s face. In bold letters on the paper, a line was printed.

Mario, this is just a warning. Release him immediately.

Staring at the photo, Mario couldn’t restrain himself and slapped it with his hand, then suddenly stood up, his voice trembling, "They killed Lorenzo, and it’s just a warning? Cesare, they killed my most trusted person and consider it only a warning!"

After a moment of silence, Mario’s subordinate murmured, "I’m afraid so, boss. It seems Grand Ivan’s reaction is far more intense than we anticipated. If Grand Ivan is serious, then this is truly just the beginning."

Mario angrily said, "He dares! Immediately expose Grand Ivan’s gun smuggling routes! Publish the information on his shipping company, tell the Americans, tell everyone! We’ll give him a warning too, let him know what the consequences are!"

Mario’s assistant sighed and said quietly, "Sir, I must remind you that doing this won’t deter Grand Ivan. Don’t forget how he rose to power. When his rival killed Grand Ivan’s wife, Grand Ivan retaliated insanely. He abandoned everything, and will not stop until he kills every last enemy, first, second, until the very last."

Mario retorted angrily, "He was just a nobody back then! He didn’t have much to lose at that time! But now, Grand Ivan isn’t a nobody with nothing to lose anymore. We can expose one of his fleets; we can make him lose a stable trade line! We can also hand over the information about his arms dealers to the Americans one by one!"

Cesare spoke with difficulty, "Sir, exposing Grand Ivan’s trade routes or his controlled fleet won’t pose a fatal threat to him. As for the Americans, the fact that Grand Ivan could return to live in South Africa means he has already made deals with them. The Americans won’t help us punish him, and Djo Malthael was just killed by Grand Ivan, so now Grand Ivan has no significant rivals. Even if there were any, they wouldn’t provoke him after his full-scale war stance, so revealing some of Grand Ivan’s secrets won’t do much good."

Mario stared at his assistant, and growled angrily, "You think this is useless? Useless? You think arms dealers don’t care about their secrets?"

Cesare swallowed his saliva with difficulty but remained resolute, "Under normal circumstances, this would be effective, but when Grand Ivan has officially declared war, it’s ineffective. Sir, my recommendation is, if you do not intend to hand over the person to Grand Ivan immediately, then finally, prepare for real war, rather than trying to use intelligence tricks to force Grand Ivan to comply. These tricks work for others but are ineffective against Grand Ivan."

Mario said slowly, "Damn it, it’s just a mercenary, just a mercenary..."

Cesare whispered, "Sir, my suggestion is to contact Grand Ivan promptly and hand over the Ram to him immediately. Perhaps there’s still a chance to salvage the situation."

Mario sneered a few times, then gnashing his teeth, replied, "After Lorenzo was killed by him, and everyone knows that Grand Ivan has made a move against me, you want me to submit to Grand Ivan? Impossible! If Grand Ivan wants to play hardball, let’s see him try!"

Cesare was quite frustrated, but he was just a consultant responsible for offering suggestions, unable to make decisions. Thus he hastily said, "Sir, we made a wrong judgment at the start, Grand Ivan is a madman, the result of going to war would be mutual destruction. Moreover, the Ram hasn’t said anything so far; even if he is tortured to death, we might never get Justin’s whereabouts. It’s not worth paying a bigger price for the Ram."

The one who made the wrong decision was Mario, not Cesare, but at this point, Cesare could only share the blame with Mario.

Mario said coldly, "It’s not about the Ram now; it’s a matter of dignity. Continue interrogation, get an answer before he dies. If no answer is obtained, then dispose of him. The dignity of the Cicero Family cannot be undermined by a Grand Ivan. If he wants war, then let it be war."

Cesare almost whimpered, "Sir, I implore you, reconsider. Grand Ivan truly is a madman, his revenge is just starting. He will target you and your family for revenge. Think, even if we eventually win, but can you truly endure losing your family and living a life always worrying about assassination? I implore you to at least retain the chips for reconciliation with Grand Ivan; the Ram indeed should not be killed."

Mario hesitated, and Cesare said eagerly, "Sir, please take some time to think, Justin’s whereabouts aren’t worth the consequence of mutual destruction with Grand Ivan."

Mario sighed and stood up with an air of authority, "I’ll go see Fatino, damn it, he still hasn’t made any progress so far! Useless incompetent!"

Cesare secretly breathed a sigh of relief; Mario’s reaction meant he was tacitly agreeing with his suggestion, so he immediately said, "Alright, it should be checked, sir. Shall we mobilize everyone, be ready to face Grand Ivan, and ensure we’re prepared for battle?"

Mario paused for a moment, then nodded, "Yes, put more manpower here, mobilize everyone, everyone available, make sure not to let Grand Ivan succeed easily. If Grand Ivan dares to act recklessly, strike back fiercely, and give him the lesson he deserves!"