Mercenary’s War

Chapter 2278 - 2254: The Fourth Category

But what Simon and Morgan said was also true; bodyguards with a defensive nature and mercenaries with an offensive nature have fundamentally different ways of thinking, not to mention their approaches to dealing with danger, which are vastly different.

For Gao Yang and Satan’s group, when they encounter danger, their first thought is undoubtedly how to eliminate the enemy. But for bodyguards, their primary concern is to ensure that the person they are protecting does not fall into danger, trying to eliminate all dangerous factors in their infancy stage.

Even if they do indeed encounter a sudden situation, bodyguards will never think about killing someone but rather quickly escort the person they are protecting out of the danger zone as their first response.

Ivan is still alive thanks to Satan, but the biggest reason Ivan survived is his bodyguard, nicknamed Shield. When danger was detected, Shield’s first reaction was to shield Ivan. If he hadn’t blocked the fatal bullet for Ivan, Ivan wouldn’t have had the chance to be saved by Satan at all.

Number Thirteen often plays the role of Gao Yang’s bodyguard. But to be honest, while Number Thirteen is impeccable as an assassin, he is unqualified as a bodyguard.

Moreover, Number Thirteen is off doing who knows what now and it’s uncertain if he will ever return.

Gao Yang also realized he indeed needed a full-time bodyguard. When Simon said he had a suitable recommendation, Gao Yang immediately asked with interest, "Who is it? Tell me more."

Simon looked at Gao Yang and said unhurriedly, "I have a few suitable candidates, and they can protect you."

Gao Yang was momentarily taken aback and said, "They?"

Simon nodded and said, "Yes, they. What you need is a bodyguard team, not just one person, at least five people. They will be responsible for your food, clothing, and shelter, with an annual salary of 160,000 US Dollars after tax, plus their insurance costs, averaging at 180,000 US Dollars per person per year."

Gao Yang exclaimed in surprise, "Five people? That’s way too many. I don’t need that many..."

Morgan, with a dissatisfied look, said, "Let him finish!"

Ignoring the astonished Gao Yang, Simon continued, "These five people will protect you, but it’s limited to situations where you don’t go to particularly dangerous places, like going to Yemen for a fight and wanting them to stick by your side ready to take a bullet for you—that’s certainly not feasible. Unless you offer a price they’re willing to accept."

Gao Yang whispered, "I just think five people are too many."

Simon smiled and said, "Not just five, you also need a personal bodyguard, someone experienced, extremely sensitive to danger, someone who sleeps with one eye open and is ready to die for you at any time, so at least six people. And this personal bodyguard will have an annual salary of at least a million."

Gao Yang took a deep breath and said, "Isn’t that a bit exaggerated?"

Simon calmly said, "To be precise, what you need is a security officer. Let me explain simply the difference between an ordinary bodyguard and a bodyguard with a million-dollar salary."

Simon raised one finger and said seriously, "Firstly, bodyguards can be divided into several types. To put it simply, the bodyguards you often see protecting rich people, their job is to protect the employer’s safety, but there’s a limit to this safety. Their training focuses on ensuring the employer’s safety at all costs. However, due to survival instincts and the limited cost the employer invests, you can’t really expect them to be ready to exchange their life for the employer’s anytime, anywhere. It’s easy to understand, right?"

"Yes, it’s easy to understand. A monthly salary of over ten thousand dollars is a lot, but definitely not worth risking one’s life."

Simon nodded and said, "There’s also another type: personnel protection trained by the state. This type of bodyguard might not earn particularly high salaries but has a sense of mission. They exchange the safety of the person they protect based on courage and sacrifice, like the Presidential Guards of various countries. These people are appointed by the state, so there is no doubt about their ability to fulfill their mission."

Gao Yang nodded immediately, "Right, right, I know about this. I saw a movie, it was really good, called Mid..."

Before Gao Yang could finish, Simon continued, "However, because bodyguards trained by the state have a special status and mission, it’s almost impossible for them to retire, and even after retirement, it’s inconceivable for them to be hired by the wealthy. So, this type of bodyguard is almost unnecessary to consider."

Gao Yang spread his hands and said, "Yeah, unnecessary to consider."

Simon extended a third finger and said, "There’s also a type who are childhood friends or brothers, and later one became the other’s bodyguard. The loyalty of this type can be said to be the highest, but their professionalism might be lacking in general, sometimes significantly so. The bodyguards you’ve used before belong to this category."

Gao Yang laughed and said, "They weren’t bodyguards really; they were just stand-ins for a while."

Simon exhaled and said, "What I want to talk about is the fourth type—my type of bodyguard."

Gao Yang curiously asked, "Oh, and which type do you belong to?"

Simon said seriously, "I was once a special operations soldier, received complete and the best training. During this stage, I was an offensive killer. Later, my position adjusted, and I was selected to execute VIP protection tasks, receiving three and a half years of specialized training, plus half a year’s assignment period for adaptability tasks. Only after being tested and achieving full marks on all aspects did I have the opportunity to undertake real VIP protection tasks."

Gao Yang laughed and said, "So it’s like an internship."

Simon calmly said, "But before my internship ended, and before I was assigned or selected to protect a specific VIP, I was ordered to retire immediately, and then I came to America to protect Morgan, and have been doing so ever since."

Gao Yang said repeatedly, "Since you haven’t protected a VIP before, there’s no concern about any classified issues, so you could protect Morgan, right?"

Simon nodded slightly and said, "Right, now what I want to focus on is there exists such a person, who has undergone up to six years of training, transitioned from a regular soldier to a professional bodyguard, but lost the qualification to become a bodyguard on the eve of becoming one."

Gao Yang said, "Wait a minute, you’re talking about Shinbet, right? The Israeli Internal Security Service, Shinbet! Isn’t it? I know that department, specialized VIP protection agency, right? I’ve heard its members must leave after serving seven years, right? And it seems it’s not too hard to hire someone from Shinbet out, right? Many become consultants, open bodyguard companies, and so on."

Simon exhaled and said, "What you see is a façade. Shinbet certainly is famous, but within Shinbet, there’s a hierarchy. Some are qualified to protect the Prime Minister up close, but most can only be the outer protective layer. Trust me, the ones you’ve encountered absolutely belong to this level."

Gao Yang immediately said, "Understood."

Simon smiled and said, "The person I’m referring to, their skills, physical capabilities, and reactions, all at the peak state of their life, and they’re absolutely ready to die for the person they protect any moment. This person is looking for a job right now, and I intend to introduce him to you."