Sky-cracking Rider

Chen Fei shook his hands off.

Boss Hana covered her eyes, unable to bear the sight.

Mister Tough Guy, at least put up a serious fight, hang in there for a second or two, but what's with being knocked down by such a light punch?

Takano Yoshiko's eyes darted back and forth between the bearded man and Chen Fei. The big bearded man lying on the ground convulsing, could he really be such a pushover?

Could it be he's ill?

Old-timer Claude Hughes shook his head repeatedly, the greater the expectations, the bigger the disappointment.

I thought I was going to witness an epic battle of dragons and tigers, but... that's it?

Such a pathetic military contractor isn't even worth the trip.

Hanna Gagel sighed and said, "Rookie, wake him up!"

There's still stuff that big beard needs to do, he can't stay fainted like this.

Took a cup of water from the water dispenser and poured it right on.

"Hot hot hot..."

The bearded man who went from lying flat like a salted fish to leaping up like a carp gasped for air as he furiously rubbed his face, his old cheeks turning red.

If it weren't for the big beard blocking, that would have been a serious scald.

"It's clearly cool water!"

Chen Fei looked at the mug in his hand, then back at the water dispenser.

The bearded man said bitterly, "The water dispenser is broken!"

This unlucky fellow, getting scalded even by cold water.

"Seems like Blood Lake's financial situation is not very optimistic!"

Hanna Gagel started to laugh, her eyes slightly narrowed as she surveyed the entire office, and many things further confirmed her suspicion.

Even the leather-covered black walnut screen behind her was not showy but truly shabby!

The bearded man insisted stubbornly, "Nonsense!"

One of the mohawk-haired subordinates, handcuffed, twisted on the ground with difficulty, and incredulously said, "Boss, is it really that tough?"

The bearded man said stubbornly, "No, there's no such thing!"

His exaggerated gestures and expressions, combined with his flustered tone, were all revealing a bluffing yet hollow panic.

Even a fool could hear there was a problem.

A man covered in tattoos of Hyakki Yagyo asked with a crying tone, "Is it really over?"

Chen Fei looked puzzled at Boss Hana, we're all small military contractors, how come you're so rich?

"Don't compare me to that trash!"

As if guessing what Chen Fei was thinking, Hanna Gagel dismissed it with disdain.

The Gagar Family had after all participated in the founding of Apocalypse Defense Group, and even though they had withdrawn, the resources and connections they possessed were incomparable to those meager contractors who survived on scraps and leftovers.

"Pretty disappointing!"

Takano Yoshiko kept shaking her head. Being a boss like this, he was a total failure.

"No, it's not like that!"

The bearded manager, as if his spine had been taken away, slumped down his head and whispered softly to himself.

"We can hold out for at most another half a month."

If he weren't desperate, he wouldn't be eyeing Jiu Defense Company like a scavenging vulture, trying to pick up some scraps stealthily in order to keep Blood Lake Security Company going.

Half a month?

The subordinates exchanged tearful looks, then collectively hung their heads in despair.

Tired, beyond rescue, just get it over with!

They thought the company, while not booming, could still keep going, not realizing it was already this difficult, teetering on the brink of collapse, with unemployment looming for them.

Nowadays, every industry is fiercely competitive.

Those with a particular skill might be better off, but it's rough for these combat vets: past thirty, their physical energy and vitality significantly declined, carrying various old injuries, and some even with families to care for, became conservative and cautious in their actions, nowhere near as bold and reckless as the young studs just starting out.

Once out of their comfort zone, finding the same kind of work becomes incredibly difficult.

"This is utterly boring, let's go!"

Hanna Gagel lost all interest, shook her head, and stood up.

A group of guys who've lost their fighting spirit, they're all flash and no substance. Had I known, I wouldn't have bothered.

In at most half a month, the other side will naturally go bankrupt and dissolve, ceasing to exist.

"Tweet!"

Little Bird flew off the desk, landing on father Chen Fei's shoulder.

With the machine gun back in hand, Chen Fei began unlocking the handcuffs of the shackled guys one by one. Those locked down in the small room downstairs would naturally get rescued by their own people; no need for him to worry.

Then Hana and her group prepared to leave.

Previously, they just wanted to teach a lesson, but now it seemed the other side wasn't even worth their effort.

"Wait!"

Just as Hanna Gagel stepped out of the Blood Lake Security Company's stronghold, she heard a loud shout from behind.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Please wait a moment!"

Chen Fei immediately turned around, stepping diagonally to shield Hanna Gagel and the rest behind him.

Light weapons were ineffective against him, so he could absolutely act as a qualified human shield.

With the machine gun pointed, the bearded man in a white suit rushing down from upstairs hastily stopped in his tracks, falling to his knees and knocking his forehead to the ground.

"Miss Hanna, please give us something to eat!"

Several people inside the small building had been on the lookout and let out mournful screams upon witnessing the scene.

"Ah! Please, no, boss!"

"Stand up, don't kneel to that woman!"

"At worst we'll quit, boss, get up, ahhhh!"

"Boss, I'll carry bricks, isn't that enough?"

"Right, we have hands and feet, we can always make a living."

The men of Blood Lake Security Company were on the verge of tears.

A man's knees are as precious as gold; how can they kneel before others so casually?

These stout men with arms strong enough to gallop horses on, when did they ever fall so low as to beg a woman for food to survive? This was beyond their imagination.

"Miss, please grace us brothers with a meal!"

The bearded man still had his head bowed to the ground, his burly body trembled slightly, but he never once thought of getting up.

It wasn't Hanna Gagel he was kneeling to, but the ruthless reality of an intensely competitive society.

Hanna Gagel, however, turned to Chen Fei and smiled slightly.

The men of Blood Lake burst out of the small building, tripping over themselves as they forcibly helped their boss, the bearded man in the white suit, to his feet.

"Hehe, very well then!"

"Boss, boss, why put yourself through this!"

"I'd rather wander as a vagrant, I'll always find something to eat."

"Don't do this! It's not worth it!"

Some of them shot angry glances at Hanna Gagel and the others, perhaps feeling that the people of Jiu Defense had coerced their boss into such a humiliating act. Even if they could earn their allegiance, they might not win their hearts.

With an expressionless face, Chen Fei stared at the men, ready to pull the trigger without hesitation and wreak havoc at his boss's command.

The bearded man broke free from his men and respectfully bowed to Hanna Gagel, saying with a smile, "Thank you, miss. Thank you!"

As he turned around, his face immediately became stern.

"What are you all doing, thinking your wings are hard? Carrying bricks--with your degenerative lumbar disc, is it you carrying the bricks or the bricks carrying you? And you, Rosim, your child starts school, right? How about the tuition, the extracurricular fees? Your whole family going to live off the wind? Who mentioned wandering?

Get caught as an illegal migrant, sent back to Africa, go chew roots and bark! And you, don't be dissatisfied..."

The authority of the manager of Blood Lake Security Company returned to the bearded man as he berated them, causing his men to bow their heads involuntarily, and some even began to sob.

They weren't afraid of bloodshed, sacrifices, or losing their honor; they were afraid of starving. Even if they could endure hunger, they couldn't bear the thought of their families lacking clothes and food, although very few of them were actually married with children because family ties made it hard to adapt to life-and-death combat at the front line.

Beyond fighting and killing, these warriors had little else to offer. What they hoped most for was to take a bullet for the wealthy and earn some insurance money.

"...do you have anything else to say?"

The bearded man glared at these worthless fellows.

Just moments ago, the mood was tumultuous, but now it was as if their throats were gripped, each of them silent as a henpecked rooster, unable to lift their heads.

For the huge sacrifice the boss made for them, if they could not understand, they would be too ashamed to face his painstaking efforts.

"Since none of you have anything to say, join me in saying, 'Greetings, big sister!'"

The bearded man turned around, and greeted Hanna Gagel with a humbled smile.

A group of rough men weakly chorused: "Greetings, big sister!"

The bearded man turned back and bellowed, "Haven't you eaten, say it again!"

"Greetings, big sister!"

This time it was finally loud and spirited, with a bit of the desired atmosphere.

They were just a group of soldiers who had lost their honor, and achieving this much was actually quite good; it was unrealistic to expect too much.

Hanna Gagel looked over each person, her smile brimming as she said, "Please call me General Manager Hanna, I prefer being addressed that way!"

Having lost face once is embarrassing, and twice is the same, not much different from losing it yet another time. The big men of Blood Lake energetically roared in unison.

"Greetings, General Manager Hanna!"

Despite the more formal title, it somehow felt like the same old sentiment.

"Can we really trust them acting like this?"

Chen Fei cautiously reminded his boss that Jiu Defense, though small, was not meant for just anyone.

The current staff had all been through life-and-death together, shared hardships and wealth, but it was hard to say the same for the newcomers.

Hanna Gagel already had a strategy in mind and said confidently, "No problem, start them off on peripheral tasks, if they want better pay, they'll have to work hard for it. If anyone doesn't want to work, they can leave early; I won't hold them back. Wanting to be treated like a lord is out of the question."

At the founding of Jiu Defense, manpower was naturally lacking, so they did indeed need some people to do miscellaneous and support work.

The modest wages of a mere few dozen people were completely affordable for her.

Hanna Gagel turned her head to look at the experienced driver, asking, "Claude, do you have any other work to do next?"

The veteran driver, Claude Hughes, was taken aback but quickly understood, nodding while patting his chest, "I've been idle recently anyway, and I'd be very glad to serve General Manager Hanna."

"That's good, this batch from Blood Lake will be under your care. Help me out for at least six months, and if there's something important coming up, let me know a month in advance. Also, cultivate a good successor; I might need them."

Hanna Gagel immediately laid out her directives clearly.

"No problem, BOSS!"

Claude Hughes immediately stepped into his role.

Having collaborated with Hanna Gagel on many occasions and even participating in multiple team operations, this in-depth collaboration came as a natural progression.

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