Mercenary’s War

Chapter 2245 - 2221: Military Enthusiasts Are Very Professional

Money can make the Devil turn a mill; as long as there’s enough of it, turning a clinic into a conference room is no problem, and it can even include remote video conferencing.

Black Demon doesn’t know how to use computer video, but Gao Yang and Justin do, and they didn’t even need to lift a finger. The clinic’s doctors and nurses set up the network for them. Connecting from a clinic in Germany to one in Greece, not only convenient but also legitimate. Not to mention that no one would question it; even if they did, it would seem perfectly normal.

Yake, with one eye wrapped in gauze, sat behind a conference table with a pile of documents in front of him. The situation on Gao Yang’s side was similar, with stacks of newspapers and printed documents downloaded from the internet.

Flipping through the materials Yarebin had organized, Gao Yang sincerely said, "You all are very efficient."

Justin was also attending the remote meeting. Holding a piece of paper, he loudly said, "From the materials already gathered, we have roughly figured out the itinerary of the Normandy landing commemoration. The exact arrival times of the heads of state are unclear, so we’ll skip that part for now and focus on what we can currently confirm."

Justin paused annoying briefly, pointlessly fiddling with his hair before continuing, "At nine in the morning, the French President will visit the Caen Memorial Museum to mourn the residents who died in the Normandy landing. This will be followed by a commemorative ceremony by France and America, held at the Colleville U.S. Forces memorial, which is the schedule for the morning. It’s meaningless to us because Mario won’t be there."

Even if it’s meaningless, it must be mentioned because no detail can be missed. Justin raised his right hand, shaking his index finger to emphasize the key points he was about to make, and raised his voice, "In the afternoon, the main ceremony will be held on Sword Beach at the Ouistreham Port, attended by all the heads of state. It is certain that Mario will appear there."

Gao Yang nodded and said, "Yes, he will definitely show up at Sword Beach."

Justin continued, "At the main ceremony, there will be performances and three large screens displaying footage from the original landings. The ceremony will have four parts: the Occupation of Europe, The Longest Day, March to Victory and Peace, and the History of European Development. Around seven hundred volunteers will be interspersed to perform songs and dances."

Gao Yang thought for a moment, finding nothing he could use, then noted something down with a pen and loudly said, "Tell me about the audience, who is allowed to approach and watch the ceremony?"

Justin said, "We don’t have very detailed information on that part yet. From the media’s public information, it mainly includes the heads of state and their entourage, followed closely by World War II veterans. Regular people will certainly be present but will definitely be far away from government officials and subject to extremely strict security checks."

At this time, Yake on the screen said, "Aside from the main events, I’ll add the individual activities of the heads of state. First, the British Queen will meet veteran representatives. The American President and the Canadian Prime Minister will also individually meet veterans. Contrary to what we previously thought, veterans won’t enter together but will meet the President individually first. Whether there will be any veteran representation at the ceremony is still uncertain."

Gao Yang looked at Yarebin and said, "Your plan won’t work."

Yarebin shrugged and ignored Gao Yang.

At this point, Justin said, "Now we come to the main part: as one of the major combatant nations in World War II, Italy’s role is awkward, so their activities are relatively fewer, mainly focused on the memorial ceremony at Sword Beach and a private meeting with the French President. Currently, only these two activities are confirmed. However, the good news is that I can obtain the schedule of the Italian Government, and it’s certain that Mario is very likely to participate throughout the Italian Government’s activities. Of course, it’s only highly likely, not guaranteed."

Gao Yang scribbled down the key points on paper, then sighed, "There’s no chance during the ceremony unless we take out Mario before he meets with the Italian Government or follow him after the ceremony and strike!"

Tarta snapped his fingers with a smile, "Exactly, that’s the crucial point."

Then Tarta stood up, wrote down the key people and activities on a whiteboard, pointed at it with a marker, and loudly said, "Looking at all the intelligence now, it proves one thing: we can’t strike while Mario is attending the event. So the only viable option is finding him at the ceremony, getting close, and then keeping a close watch on him. Do not strike but never let Mario out of our sight. Eventually, he’ll separate from the Italian Government, and wherever that may be, as long as we can track his movements, we’ll have a chance to strike!"

Gao Yang went over his notes and said, "There are many difficulties. Finding Mario might not be too hard, but how do we continually monitor his movements? Also, how do those tracking him relay information? Even if the information can be passed, we’ll need enough manpower for the final assassination step. Thus, it requires very high mobility on our part. For instance, if Mario separates from the Italian Government at the airport, how do we confirm his airplane’s destination? If his flight is heading to America, or the United Kingdom, how do we get there ahead of him after obtaining the news?"

There are many problems, difficult to solve, but the purpose of the meeting is to come up with a feasible method and then figure out solutions.

Yarebin thought seriously for a moment and shook his head, "Continue discussing intelligence; later, we’ll consider how to solve the difficulties."

Yake on the screen said, "I’ll supplement the various projects of the ceremony. There will be two tanks on display, one from the U.S. Army and one from the German Army. There will be a flyover of several helicopters, about eight in total. Furthermore, during the segment called ’The Longest Day,’ there will be a reenactment of a battle scene: first, an American veteran will perform a parachute landing onto a German Army position, followed by a beach landing performance..."

Yake suddenly lowered his head, glanced at something unknown, then looked up and said, "On this note, I have a question for Justin. The Cicero Family seems to have played a role in the Normandy landing; could you explain what that role was? It’s very important."

Justin waved his hand and said, "Well, it’s a long story. It goes like this, back then..."

Gao Yang suddenly pounded the table and loudly said, "Wait! Wait, Yake, repeat what you just said."

Yake frowned, "Which part?"

"The part about the performance, what programs are there?"

Yake promptly said, "Tank display, veteran parachute, beach landing, planes, and helicopters..."

"Stop! Stop! What are the tanks? How will the veteran parachute? No, primarily explain the beach landing part in detail."

Yake quietly said, "I need to find some detailed information. Should I look for it after Justin explains?"

Gao Yang hurriedly said, "No, no, I think this part is crucial. I need you to find out immediately, the details of the beach landing performance. Who would perform if it’s a reenactment?"

Yake immediately said, "Give me some time; I should be able to find out."

Justin puzzledly asked, "Why are you asking about this?"

Gao Yang gestured a hand wave, "I believe this is a key point. Do you know how to check? Quickly find out."

Justin curled his lip and said, "I’ll make a few calls; this kind of information can hardly be considered intelligence. As long as we know the direction, it’s easy to dig up."

Both Justin and Yake started to get busy. Yake was continuously searching on the computer in areas he thought could be related, while Justin stepped out to make phone calls.

About ten minutes later, Justin returned with a strange expression and said, "I found out; the beach landing reenactment is performed by volunteers from various countries!"

Gao Yang slammed his hand on the table, gritting his teeth, "Military enthusiasts! It’s military enthusiasts, right? Such performances aren’t done by the army but by civilian military enthusiasts, for sure!"

Justin nodded, but then he winced and clutched his neck, "You guessed right; they’re military enthusiasts. Volunteers from Germany, America, Canada, the United Kingdom, and France are recreating the battles from back then. They’re all what you call military enthusiasts."

Gao Yang exhaled a long breath, smiling confidently, "That wasn’t a guess. I knew it. Nowadays, the ones most interested in studying World War II equipment and tactics aren’t the army and generals, but military fans, because these are outdated. No general would study World War II individual equipment, so for a combat reenactment performance, it’s naturally done by these enthusiasts."

Speaking with great confidence and joy, Gao Yang pointed with his hand, loudly ordering, "Check! These military enthusiasts must be organized; investigate everything about this segment!"

Yarebin frowned, "Are you planning to sneak into the reenactment and shoot Mario?"

Gao Yang nodded and softly said, "Not yet certain, but I hope to do that."

After saying this, Gao Yang slightly smiled, "Think about it; you can openly carry a gun inside. Although there will be strict checks, I think there’s a chance. Mainly, this is indeed my forte."

Yarebin exhaled and said, "How likely do you think you’ll survive afterward?"

Gao Yang smiled and said, "Don’t worry; it might not even work out. But I think, teacher, my chances of survival after shooting are definitely much higher than if you tried to get close and assassinate Mario. Much higher, so let’s continue gathering intelligence. This is just a somewhat feasible direction."