Chapter 109: The Fifth Member
Translated by: kevin1782
Edited by: Isalee
Much to Gao Yang’s shock, he never thought that Fly had taken another person’s life before — he looked like a young and naïve boy.
Looking at the appalled Gao Yang, Fly shrugged and sighed, “There was no other way. I was really desperate back then. Ella had a miscarriage when she was four months pregnant due to a beating from her father. She was in a critical state. I had to get the money to send her to a hospital. That’s why I killed. Sir, I can kill, and I dare to kill. Please allow me to be of use to you. As I have said, I can do anything.”
Gao Yang was even more shocked. Fly was only seventeen and Ella looked like she was sixteen years old at most, but they almost had a child together. He was boggled and asked, “How old are you and your girlfriend?”
“I am seventeen, and Ella is fifteen. Sir, my age is not a problem. If not for that incident, I would have become a father last year. You should know that when a man becomes a father, he dares to do anything.”
Gao Yang nodded and smiled wryly. “Seems like age is really not an issue, but being a mercenary is not that simple and it’s very dangerous. Your mother will never want you on a battlefield. I can help send you to other countries with your mother and girlfriend to find a proper job.”
Mrs. Smith looked gratuitously at Gao Yang and sobbed, “He’s right!! Fly, you are too young. There is no way you can become a mercenary.”
Fly smiled before saying with an adamant face, “ I will die even sooner if I stick around. I killed for drug traffickers before. They will order me to keep killing, and if I don’t, they will kill me. Mother, you’re right. Even if I work abroad, what can I do? I will still be at the bottom, and I will receive the most meager salary. I don’t want to live that kind of life. I want to go big!”
Gao Yang pondered for a moment: “Mrs. Smith, can you tell me what happened earlier today? Why did Fly pick a fight?”
“Ella’s father was drunk again and he was beating Ella up. Fly heard Ella’s pitiful cries and wanted to rescue Ella. What follows was as you saw, they got into a fight.”
Just then, Ella could no longer hold back her tears: “My dad wants me to be a prostitute. He said those blacks like white women, and I could make lots of money. I told him I didn’t want to, so he beat me up. He even said that he wanted to kill Fly so that nobody would stop him. He… he even…”
Upon hearing what Ella said, Fly immediately flew into a rage. “D*mn it, why didn’t you tell me earlier? I want to kill that bastard!”
Elena was angry too, and she whispered to Gao Yang, “You shouldn’t have avoided killing him with that kick.”
Ella sobbed, “He’s my dad, he isn’t like that when he’s not drunk.”
Fly furiously exclaimed, “But he’s drunk all day, everyday!”
Gao Yang stayed silent. Mrs. Smith wanted to say something, but she also kept quiet, her tears welling up in silence. Just then, Elena shook Gao Yang’s hand and softly said, “I feel that you should really give him a chance.”
Gao Yang nodded, then turned to Mrs. Smith and said, “Mrs., I would like to hear your opinion on this. If you want to leave this country, I will think of a way to get you all out. You can then strive to live on by yourselves afterwards.”
Fly said, “I can make money by being a mercenary, not by doing anything else. Mother, even if we leave South Africa, I will also become a mercenary. I swear I will allow you and Ella to live like the upper class.”
Mrs. Smith shook her head and sighed. Turning to Gao Yang, she said, “He’s always been this stubborn. He will definitely run off to become a mercenary anyway. Mister, I trust you. If Fly really wants to be a mercenary, I hope he can follow you. I will be more at ease then.”
Gao Yang nodded, “Alright, I understand. I have to make a call and discuss this with the others. If no one objects, Fly can join me.”
Gao Yang and Elena went out of the shed and made a call. It was Natalia who picked up. After making sure Grolev, Jin, and Tribo were all there, Gao Yang asked her to get them all near the phone for a phone conference.
Gao Yang, Grolev and company came to the consensus that if they were recruiting, the four of them had to agree. After all, nobody liked to have his or her back facing someone they could not trust. Gao Yang needed to ask the other three’s opinions.
After everyone gathered together, Gao Yang went straight to the point. “I have a little problem. Someone wants to join me as a mercenary and I would like to hear your thoughts.”
“Is he dependable?”
“Who is it?”
“What can he do?”
Each person in the trio asked a question. Gao Yang arranged his thoughts before he replied, “It’s my friend’s son whose name is Fly. He’s the son of the South African white male who sat next to me on the plane. I brought him up before, not sure if you still remember him. His son and wife are now in a predicament, so his son desperately wants to be a mercenary.”
Tribo frankly said, “Oh, I remember. He was the previous owner of your knife, yeah? You think that kid’s dependable? If so, then it’s all good, why even ask?”
“I think he should be dependable. However, I really can’t say for sure until we work together.”
Grolev said, “Dependable or not, that needs to be verified. What skills does he have?”
“He doesn’t know anything about fighting, which can be a little troublesome, but he killed before. He definitely has the courage. If he joins us, what should be let him do? Also, what salary would be fitting for him? Since you’re more experienced, Grolev, I would like to hear your input. Of course, if any of you objects, then there’s nothing left to discuss.”
Grolev immediately responded, “He can learn about fighting in no time. I am in need of an assistant gunner — he can assume that role. That way, I’ll have someone to help me bring more ammunition and spare barrels or whatever, and I can use a machine gun that can fire more persistently instead.”
“How about the price? How much will we be paying him?”
“He’s a rookie and knows nothing, so a hundred US dollars a day at first. During wartime, three hundred to a thousand dollars a day. Bonus if he performs well, and it depends on the situation. This is the best remuneration a mercenary corp has to offer. Of course, you can also set your own pricing. I doubt the rest will have any opinions on this, and neither do I.”
Gao Yang immediately said, “Alright, let’s just go along with what you suggested. He’s our first hireling, hope he doesn’t disappoint us. Okay, that’s all for now, I’ll hang up first and let’s talk over the rest when I get back.”
Back in the shed, after seeing Fly, Gao Yang said sternly, “I have to be clear with the conditions. First, if you join us, whether we are on the battlefield or not, you must unconditionally obey our orders. Second, absolutely obey our orders unconditionally. Third, again, unconditionally obey orders. If you can agree to those, then we can talk about your salary.”
Fly promptly replied, “Sir, I trust you. If it’s your order, I will make sure I unconditionally obey it. I swear on my father’s soul.”
Gao Yang nodded, “Very well, let’s talk about your pay. Since you’re a rookie, as long as you are with this mercenary corp, you shall receive a hundred US dollars a day during peacetime. During wartime, your pay will be anywhere between three hundred to a thousand dollars a day, depending on your performance. If you perform exceptionally well, you will even get a bonus. This is the best offer in the industry, and of course, you are free to reject this offer.”
Fly opened his mouth wide in astonishment and said, “You mean, even if we don’t fight, I get paid a hundred dollars a day?”
Gao Yang nodded, “That’s right, a hundred a day. Of course, if we pay you and you escape during wartime, we will chase you down to get our money back.”
“Oh my god. Mother, did you hear that? A hundred dollars a day, that’s around a thousand Rands a day! Oh my god, during a fight, that goes up to three hundred dollars. F*ck, of course I’ll do it. I definitely will, I am not dumb!”
Gao Yang coughed a bit and said, “Take note, it’s at least three hundred. Emphasis on at least, and I hope you will strive to aim for the highest pay and then even more on top of that. The salary that a mercenary can get has practically no cap, and it all depends on how well you perform.”
Fly said with a straight face, “Sir, thank you, you gave me this chance. I swear that some day in the future, you will feel glad that you made this decision. I swear!”
After settling matters with Fly, Gao Yang clapped and took out two thousand dollars again. He then said, “This is two thousand dollars. It’s an advance payment for you. Take it.”
Fly hesistantly gazed at his mother, only to see Mrs. Smith remain undecided as well. His mother was a strong woman. Fly would not know whether to accept Gao Yang’s money or not without Mrs. Smith’s verbal consent.
Seeing that Fly could not make up his mind, Gao Yang smiled, “Fine, this is an order.”
Fly immediately accepted the money from Gao Yang and handed it over to his mother. Gao Yang was satisfied with Fly and nodded, “Very well, you have made your first bucks. You can use this money to improve your lives first. I guess we can start with your living conditions. Pack your belongings and move to a better community. Rest assured, I can pay more of Fly’s salary upfront, so don’t worry about money issues.”
Fly turned to Ella and said, “You wouldn’t stay behind, would you?”
Ella softly replied, “If I’m gone, what will happen to my dad? He will drink until he dies.”
Fly gently said, “If you stay behind, I am sure you will die before he does. Dear, there’s nothing to be hesitant about. A scum like your father would be better dead. Unless you still want to take more beatings, don’t stay behind.”
Upon hearing the word “beating”, Ella shuddered and replied, “I will go with you and never come back. Never ever.”
Fly and his mother immediately began packing their belongings after dealing with Ella. However, they really were too poor and did not have much to pack up. They were ready to move out after just chucking some worn-out clothes and documents into a suitcase. Fly’s personal belongings only included a baseball glove, a baseball bat, and two baseballs.
“Moving out? Congratulations, don’t ever come back to this hell hole. Pity on Ella, hope you can forget about this hell hole and your father.”
“How lucky. I’m so envious of you all. Do remember us, but go as far away from this place as you can and don’t ever come back. Farewell.”
As Fly and his mother followed Gao Yang out with their suitcase, almost everyone who saw the duo would greet them in almost exactly the same way.
When they reached the place where Fly had a brawl with Ella’s father, Ella’s father was still groaning on the ground. Ella suddenly broke free of Fly’s hand and ran over to the trailer that she and her father lived in. She came out with a very old teddy bear and a photograph frame.
Ella got Fly to hold onto the teddy bear for a moment. She then opened up the frame and took out the photograph that was in it. With tears of agony flowing from her eyes, she tore out the part of the photograph with her father and threw that part on her father. She then turned and left without hesitation.
Looking at Fly comforting Ella as they walked on, Elena suddenly released Gao Yang’s arm and ran over to Ella’s father. She ferociously sent another kick into the bastard’s groin, and then as if nothing had happened, she ran back to Gao Yang. Her face was full of glee as she grabbed Gao Yang’s arm again amidst the screams of pain from Ella’s father.