[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-mercenary-s-war":3,"chapter-mercenary-s-war-mercenary-s-war-chapter-423":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Mercenary’s War",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1612963,2077,"Chapter 423 - 423 420 The Little Informant","mercenary-s-war-chapter-423",423,"\u003Cp>423: Chapter 420: The Little Informant 423: Chapter 420: The Little Informant Although they needed Lucica’s translation to proceed, Cui Bo and Lucas chatted happily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Santo Onos was called a small town, in the eyes of Gao Yang and his companions, it didn’t even measure up to a village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As far as the eye could see, all the buildings along the street were low-rise bungalows made not of brick, but almost entirely of wood planks, the most common type of housing in South America.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After entering the streets of the town and passing just two doorways, Lucas pointed to a yard without a gate and said, “This is my house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You can wait inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My dad is at home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as you give him some money, you can stay as long as you want.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Yang glanced into the yard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was large, over two hundred square meters, with a wall made of dirt and wood neither high nor imposing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Standing on his tiptoes, Gao could peer over the wall to see the cluttered yard and the shabby, weather-beaten wooden house with its corrugated iron roof.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The glass in the windows was almost all broken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Yang stretched out two fingers, pointing towards the house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon after, Jinfang and Sirte entered the yard, cautiously proceeding into the house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jinfang quickly reported back, “There’s only one person inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s safe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sun was climbing higher, and people would soon appear on the streets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They couldn’t stay on the street indefinitely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao waved his hand and the group all entered the yard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once inside, Gao spoke in a grave tone, “Worker Bee and Big Dog stay on guard in the yard; everyone else, go inside the house.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they approached the doorway of the house, Lucas suddenly stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spat out a few loud words, and while Lucica was in the midst of translating, he turned around and ran.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After running a few steps, he stopped again, said a few words to Cui Bo, waved his hand, then ran off toward the gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lucas says his dad would beat him, and he doesn’t want to go home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’s off to play,” Lucica translated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He says if we give his dad some money, his dad would be pleased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Also, he says, ‘See you later, Rabbit.’ If he sees the person we’re looking for come back, he’ll come and let you know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And don’t forget to get him a gun,” she added.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao’s reflex was to have someone stop Lucas but, after hearing Lucica’s translation, he dismissed the idea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Cui Bo cheerfully waved goodbye to Lucas, Gao gestured to Glolov to let Lucas leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Lucas had gone, Gao turned and entered the house, which was filthy and disordered, with hardly any furniture and a suffocating stench.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Passing through a small living room, Gao stepped into the bedroom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was even dirtier and messier, the floor littered with empty liquor bottles and chewed-up coca leaf residues, all enveloped in an indescribably foul stench that was even more unbearable than the living room’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lee Jinfang pointed his gun at a man lying on the bed—Lucas’s dad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the man had a gun aimed at his head, his expression was blank, and he lay still.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he saw Gao and the others enter, he just glanced at Gao and offered no reaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Covering his nose, Gao said to Lucica behind him, “Tell him we’ll be staying here for a while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He must not leave or make any noise, or we’ll kill him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Lucica translated Gao’s words to Lucas’s dad, Gao Yang pulled a few bills from his pocket—seven hundred US dollars in total.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao took a couple of steps and held the money up to Lucas’s dad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao’s gesture was clear, and a spark flickered in the dull eyes of Lucas’s dad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He quickly snatched the money Gao offered, and with a swift movement, sat up, then began to speak very fast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He says we can stay as long as we want, and he’s going to leave now to buy liquor,” Lucica interpreted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately after Lucica’s translation, Gao sharply commanded, “Tell him he can’t go anywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He must stay here until we leave and not step out of this room, or he’ll get killed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tell him we won’t be here long, so cooperate a little bit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Also, ask him if he knows where Teodulo and his people are.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Lucica finished speaking, Lucas’s dad showed a face full of anger and helplessness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, eyeing the barrel of the gun, he mumbled a few words then audaciously yawned and lay back down, closing his eyes as if ready to sleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The psychological resilience of Lucas’s dad was astonishing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A group of intruders had burst into his home, pointing a gun at his head, and yet he still managed to sleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Gao found it hard to believe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucica, with a look of disgust said, “He claims he doesn’t know anything about Teodulo or his people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And, he won’t kill Lucas, given the money we’ve given.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But we had best leave soon so he can go buy his liquor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shaking his head, Gao waved dismissively and the group retreated back to the living room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Lucas’s living room was filthy and disordered, it was quite spacious, accommodating the entrance of more than a dozen people without feeling too crowded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After returning to the living room, Gao Yang said in a deep voice, “We can’t go directly to where Teodulo is hiding, but we definitely can’t just take a child’s word for it, we have to do some reconnaissance to confirm whether Teodulo really isn’t in the town or not.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Bo said, “Our characteristics are too distinctive, we’ll definitely be exposed if we go to investigate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I think Lucas seems quite honest, maybe we can trust him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Yang said with a mixture of annoyance and amusement, “Stop talking nonsense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would an honest child dare to make deals with people like us?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I think this kid is as sly as a monkey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucica, do your people have a way to go investigate?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After whispering with Kamp for a few moments, Kamp simply shook his head repeatedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a little more discussion, Lucica shook her head at Gao Yang and said, “This town is too small, and our features are too distinctive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The residents will recognize us as outsiders at a glance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The danger is secondary; I’m more worried about alerting Teodulo’s people.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucica was right; the town was too small.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Foreigners like Lucica’s people and Gao Yang’s group seemed no different when it came to reconnaissance, and Gao Yang didn’t have any solution to that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On someone else’s turf, every move was hindered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was something they couldn’t simply avoid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After pondering for a moment, Gao Yang also couldn’t think of any good solution, and in the end, he could only say helplessly, “It seems we can only hope for Rabbit’s young friend now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Let’s hope he won’t let us down.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Bo chuckled and said, “Don’t worry, you can rely on Lucas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There definitely won’t be a problem.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Yang could only shake his head helplessly and said, “Now we can only strengthen our vigilance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone takes turns resting, and we need to have at least four people on guard duty at all times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’ll go up to the roof to see how the view is.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leave someone in the living room to watch Lucas’s dad, send a few people to check the other rooms, and let’s spread out to rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We’ll change shifts in two hours.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing Gao Yang’s orders, everyone went to check the other rooms and then found places to lie down for a nap in their clothes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Yang, meanwhile, went into the yard and climbed up to the roof using a ladder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tin roof wasn’t very sturdy, and Gao Yang, fearing that he would collapse it, crawled around and surveyed the area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He found that the surrounding houses weren’t much different from Lucas’s house and that he had a far view from atop the roof, with a large open space behind Lucas’s house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The open space was littered with domestic waste; perhaps it would be more appropriate to call it a dump.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the end of the dump, there was a river flowing by, with a forest on the opposite bank and no other buildings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The visibility from the V-shaped gable roof was good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To avoid being cornered, it was necessary to set up an observation post on the roof.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After checking the area, Gao Yang felt that his attire stood out too much on the roof and needed a disguise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides maintenance, no one would go on the tin gable roof.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Yang lay on the side of the roof near the dump and used some miscellaneous items from the courtyard to make a simple arrangement around his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Yang remained on the roof, monitoring the activity on the streets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the sun rose higher, the temperature had climbed considerably by 7:30 am, and the garbage dump behind Gao Yang began to emit an even stronger stench as it warmed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By eight o’clock, Lee Jinfang, Sirte, and Frey came out of the house to relieve Gao Yang, Glolov, and Tommy of guard duty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having been tired for a whole day and night, Gao Yang finally had the opportunity to rest properly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After entering the living room, Gao Yang didn’t bother to take off his backpack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He scraped a clear spot on the ground with his foot and then lay down on his side, falling asleep within seconds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is Test Tube.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas has returned, a total of six children, all of them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a dangerous situation, even in sleep, one must keep one eye open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Gao Yang was deep in sleep, he heard Bruce’s voice in his earpiece and almost simultaneously sat up as he opened his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Gao Yang sat up, Bruce immediately said through the walkie-talkie, “Lucas has come back, just by himself, the other children stayed in the street.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as Bruce finished speaking, Gao Yang stood up, flashed to the back of the living room door, and took a quick look outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He saw Cui Bo and Lucica keeping watch behind the yard fence, while Lucas had already entered the yard and was talking to Cui Bo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After squatting down and speaking a few words to Lucas, Cui Bo promptly said over the walkie-talkie, “Lucas says Teodulo’s people have come back, just now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They look very tired, all went into the house, and probably won’t go out again today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, Teodulo’s men are scattered around, and the house where Teodulo lives is exactly the one Sirte mentioned.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right on time, Lucas had brought back the message, which greatly relieved Gao Yang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as he was about to ask Cui Bo to bring Lucas inside for a more detailed conversation, Lucas turned and ran out of the yard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Lucas ran out of the yard, Cui Bo quickly said over the walkie-talkie again, “Lucas has gone to play, no need to mind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If there’s any new information, he’ll tell us.” (To be continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to vote for it with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Your support is my greatest motivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)\u003C\u002Fp>",1901,"2026-06-06T10:19:38.027Z",1,"novelbin.me","86363c6c43685746afdfc86f74ef138a3cc3e19dfad1f0c08afb7ab48635fefc","mercenary-s-war-chapter-424","mercenary-s-war-chapter-422",2343,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmercenary-s-war-cover.jpg"]