Mercenary’s War

Chapter 2182 - 2159: Timeframe

Justin, of course, knew his family’s affairs, so he naturally knew which people were important, which people were secondary, and which ones, when gone, would still allow the Cicero Family’s intelligence channels to function properly, lacking whom it would become hindered.

Justin knew all this, but he couldn’t be sure that the inheritance from his father was these people, some of whom he was familiar with and wished to avoid. But now, after Yarebin’s explanation, Justin started to think that the power his father left him lies within these people.

It’s undeniable that sometimes experience is an irreplaceable advantage.

Justin cleared his throat, looked at Yarebin, and said very seriously, "Then what should I do?"

Yarebin rubbed his forehead, sighing, "It’s very difficult now. If these people can’t contact you, then you should initiate contact with them. However, you can’t distinguish who will only be loyal to the Head of the Cicero Family. I guess there should have been a list, but that list definitely isn’t on paper. The greatest possibility is that it’s in your father’s assistant’s mind, but he’s already dead."

Justin said, "You mentioned loyalty to the Head of the Cicero Family earlier, why not loyal to me?"

Yarebin laughed, "That’s a bit silly of a question. In a family, the important thing is the family, not a single person. Your father chose you as the head for the sake of the family, not for your sake to become head. So naturally, the family members are loyal to the head representing the family, not to you or Mario."

Justin scratched his face, hesitantly saying, "I understand that principle, really, but I just want to know what we should do next? Do we contact everyone one by one?"

Yarebin shook his head, "No, of course not. The issue now isn’t to figure out who’s prepared to be loyal to you; there are too many people, and you can’t try one by one because you can’t show up now."

Gao Yang whispered, "Teacher, what is the most important thing we should do now?"

Yarebin pointed at Justin and said, "The top priority is to help him ascend to the position of head. The method is simple: if Mario dies and the other brothers withdraw from the competition, or even more simply, if they all die, then Justin becomes the head. But now he can’t rely on the Cicero Family’s power. It’s simple - we’ve mentioned this before, the situation in Italy is delicate. If Justin appears now, those observing the situation might change their stance, and we can’t survive if we are fighting against Italy and the whole of Italy."

Yarebin held up three fingers, "There are currently three things to do. First, eliminate Mario. This is the most crucial task, but this target is really hard to achieve. So what we can focus on now is the second thing: relentless revenge. Show everyone our determination, courage, and strength, so those observing will keep observing."

After stating two items, Yarebin curled up his third finger, "Third, completely protect Justin’s identity. Actually, Justin came a bit early. The reason to emphasize this separately is because if the news of Justin still being alive and appearing in Rome leaks, you’re all finished. This is too important."

After he finished, Yarebin said very seriously, "These three essential tasks are broad because we currently lack intelligence, without which there’s no clear target to pursue. So we now can only strive to accomplish the second goal. The Cicero Family’s prestige and strength have fallen to a low, and before those watching decide to join the attack personally, we must withdraw from Italy. At this point, Justin can be pushed to the forefront, and at this stage, Justin must showcase his ability to rejuvenate the Cicero Family. Only then can we deter those intending to take advantage of the situation and get allegiance from within the Cicero Family."

Gao Yang was taken aback, the battle with the Cicero Family had just started, yet Yarebin was already planning how to wrap things up, and it included supporting Justin to ascend after.

Yarebin gestured to Justin to come over and said, "We’ve always lacked understanding of the Cicero Family, but now with you, it’s different. Even if removed from the family’s intelligence system, you should have some understanding of your brothers, right?"

Justin nodded, "Uh, of course."

Yarebin looked relaxed, "That’s fine then. Now let’s identify a few manageable small targets. Within ten days, we’ll eliminate them one by one in Italy, and by the tenth day, we must withdraw, then come back to get rid of Mario. Once everything is settled."

Gao Yang asked embarrassedly, "Uh, teacher, may I ask why is it set to a ten-day period, and how are you sure we can find and eliminate Mario?"

Yarebin laughed, "It’s simple. When a large family collapses, people have patience. When a crisis emerges until it concludes, there’s always a time period. People like to use multiples of ten for intervals – a week, ten days, half a month, or a month. For a massive entity like the Cicero Family, destruction in one week is obviously impossible, so we can mark this observing time period at ten days, more conservatively and safer. Under normal circumstances, a month might be closer."

Yarebin, like a teacher earnestly guiding his students, looked seriously at Gao Yang, waving his hand after finishing, "As time passes, people will evaluate the situation’s development, deciding to partake or remain as bystanders. These are data we derived from extensive research, and it’s unlikely to be wrong. So at the ten-day mark when we withdraw from Italy, it should be fine. Even if some impatient ones exist, they won’t act within ten days."

Gao Yang nodded repeatedly, "Understood, understood."

Yarebin also nodded, then smiled at Gao Yang, "And you’ll understand why Mario will appear. Mario is the Cicero Family’s head. If such a significant event occurs and he keeps hiding, it will lead to total loss of control. Even for stabilizing the internal family morale and intimidating the lurking enemies, he must appear, and publicly at that. Otherwise, it shows the situation is so bad he doesn’t even dare to show his face. He can’t afford the consequences, so we must time our withdrawal right when Mario must appear."

Gao Yang heaved a sigh of relief, "Got it, really got it."

Yarebin waved his hand with a smile, "So, since Mario must appear publicly, he’s doomed."