novelxo Chapter 34
Chapter 34
After approximately forty minutes, Fabian and Commander Gregory arrived at the scene.
Oliver cautiously concealed himself behind a clump of grass, observing them discreetly. It was indeed Fabian leading the team, accompanied by others, all dressed in the uniform of the Manchernius army and armed with live ammunition. Once Oliver confirmed their identity, he emerged from his hiding spot and waved to them.
Gregory was a tough and rugged-looking man in his thirties.
As soon as Fabian saw Oliver, he hugged him and asked for a detailed account of the events from the previous night. After listening intently, Fabian engaged in a lengthy conversation with Gregory.
Oliver then addressed Fabian, saying, “Fabian, once the official auction is concluded, we will return home, which will take a total of four days. I will transfer 400 thousand dollars to you, and upon your arrival in the city, please assist me in withdrawing the funds and handing them over to Gregory. Additionally…”
Fabian nodded enthusiastically and immediately relayed Oliver’s words to Gregory. With a smile, Gregory nodded in agreement and engaged in a low rumble of conversation with Fabian.
After their discussion, Fabian turned to Oliver and said, “Mr. Eastwood, Commander Gregory said that if you stay in a hotel, it’s not convenient for them. If the army guards the hotel, it will cause too much attention. He invites you to stay in the military camp instead, where your safety will be more easily ensured. However, please be aware that the conditions in the camp are not as comfortable as a hotel.”
Oliver’s face lit up with joy as he promptly agreed, “That’s fine. We’ll stay in the military camp!”
Hailey added, “Fabian, please convey to Gregory that I will provide an additional 200 thousand dollars as a supplementary food allowance for the military camp.”
Fabian swiftly translated Hailey’s offer to Gregory, who couldn’t help but smile appreciatively at her generosity!
The offer of 200 thousand dollars, equivalent to 200 million Manchernius dollars, was an astounding amount considering that the whole army troop itself didn’t even have that much for a year’s living expenses.
Manchernius was renowned as the world’s poorest country, plagued by deep-rooted corruption that trickled down from the. top ranks. The lower-level troops bore the brunt of the exploitation.
But Gregory’s army troop fared relatively better. Their primary responsibility was to ensure the security of the official auction in Moulmore, a position that brought them significantly more benefits than other army troops. As a result, they enjoyed a relatively comfortable existence.
For someone like Oliver, who sought their security services, Gregory couldn’t have been happier. As long as there were no incidents within their jurisdiction, his superiors turned a blind eye to how they made money.
A business venture worth 600 thousand dollars, equivalent to a staggering 600 million Manchernius dollars, was an enormous windfall for Gregory and his army troop.
After Oliver informed Fabian about Hailey’s foot injury, Fabian relayed the message to Gregory. In response, the commander had already instructed his subordinates to bring a mobile stretcher bed.
Two soldiers carefully lifted Hailey onto the stretcher while Gregory issued commands to his troop, ensuring a clear path and providing support at the rear as they made their way down the mountain in a grand procession.
Although there was no real danger, they needed to maintain an imposing presence to satisfy Oliver, their client.
Once at the bottom, they boarded the military vehicles provided by Gregory. With over thirty individuals spread across eight cars, they drove majestically into the city.
No abnormalities were encountered, and there was no sign of the group from the previous night along the way.
After Fabian withdrew the substantial sum of 600 thousand dollars that Oliver had transferred to him from the bank, he handed it over to Gregory upon their arrival at the military camp. Gregory received the money with a smile, and upon distributing it among his 30 subordinates, each soldier received 2,000 dollars in cash.
In Moulmore, the Dollar was as widely accepted as the Manchernius dollar.
The camp brimmed with joy and excitement as the soldiers realized that the 2,000 dollars they received were equivalent to approximately 2 million Manchernius dollars. A soldier’s monthly allowance was typically around 100 thousand Manchernius dollars.
That meant 2 million Manchernius dollars would amount to their income for roughly a year and a half. How could they not be happy about this sudden windfall?
In response to their good fortune, Gregory made a grand gesture and arranged for the logistics team to improve the soldiers’ meals during their stay.
Special arrangements were made for Oliver and the other two to ensure they were well cared for.
Fabian turned to Oliver with a mischievous grin and asked, “Do you want to play with the guns?”
“Guns? Is that okay?” Oliver’s heart skipped a beat at the thought. While he had always wanted to handle firearms, it was something impossible back home unless he joined the military. However, he missed the opportunity to enlist due to exceeding the age for conscription.
Fabian took a stack of 2,000 dollars from his bag, still intact with the bank’s paper wrapping, and handed them to Gregory. He gestured as if holding a gun while explaining something.
Gregory burst into laughter, eagerly nodding in agreement. Naturally, he gladly accepted the 2,000 dollars, appreciating the gesture.
This was a military camp. Naturally, ammunition consumption quotas were in place. But, even if they exceeded the quota, it could be compensated by reducing shooting practice in the following month.
Additionally, the army could acquire almost any military supplies they needed with money.
Considering that, Gregory personally ordered his subordinates to gather firearms and ammunition for the shooting range. They had handguns, rifles, and semi-automatic submachine guns but lacked high-end firearms like sniper rifles.
However, it didn’t matter to Oliver since he was unfamiliar with guns. He wouldn’t be able to differentiate between advanced firearms anyway.
Under Gregory’s expert guidance and instruction, Oliver started his shooting practice with a handgun and fired off a box of bullets.
His hands were left numb, and no bullet managed to hit the target at a distance of 50 feet.
Observing Oliver’s attempts, Gregory shook his head, realizing the need for further assistance. He then took the initiative to demonstrate proper shooting technique. With a series of swift shots, he fired three rounds that all hit the target accurately.
Inspired by Gregory’s demonstration, Oliver carefully analyzed his movements and focused on the key points of shooting. When he fired the next box of 12 bullets, he astonishingly hit the target with every single shot, and three of the shots even hit the 9-ring!
Gregory was slightly stunned by that unexpected display. The best he had achieved during his demonstration was a 7-ring. but Oliver managed to hit a 9-ring on only his second attempt!
It became clear that Oliver possessed some natural shooting talent
Oliver’s shooting talent continued to shine as he displayed remarkable accuracy. He hit the target with all 24 shots in the following two boxes of bullets. Among them, 11 bullets landed in the 6-ring, 8 in the 7-ring, 2 in the 8-ring, and astonishingly, 3 bullets even hit the coveted 10-ring.
Impressed by Oliver’s consistent performance, Gregory couldn’t help but give him a thumbs-up before teaching him how to
shoot a rifle.
The target’s distance was increased to 165 feet for the rifle practice. After Gregory explained the key points, he fired only two shots, and both hit the target, albeit only in the 5-ring.
Oliver fired ten bullets. Among them, 8 hit the 9-ring, and 2 managed to strike the 10-ring.
Gregory couldn’t help but shake his head, amazed by Oliver’s accuracy and progress. Moving on, he taught Oliver how to handle a semi-automatic submachine gun.
The effective range of this firearm was limited to 100 feet, with practice typically conducted with targets placed at 50 feet.
Oliver fired several rounds, and although he maintained a high hit rate with the semi-automatic submachine gun, he lacked the same enthusiasm as he did with the rifle.
He recognized that while the submachine gun had a high rate of fire and could provide suppressive fire with its large number of bullets, its accuracy and lethality were significantly inferior to the rifle.
Nonetheless, Oliver couldn’t explain why he felt such a strong connection to rifles and why he was so drawn to them. After Gregory left, Oliver continued his shooting practice in the company of Fabian. He fired dozens of rounds and nearly hit the 10-ring with every shot from a distance of 165 feet.
On the other hand, Fabian had little interest in shooting and didn’t understand much about it. He fired a few shots with a handgun before his arm grew sore. Setting the gun aside, Fabian turned his attention to his phone.
Oliver decided to challenge himself by selecting a target at a distance of 330 feet. Initially, his shots landed, in the 6-ring, but as he continued firing, every subsequent shot hit the 8-ring. After firing dozens of rounds, Oliver achieved remarkable accuracy, with nearly every shot at 330 feet hitting the 9-ring or higher.
Once he finished shooting with the rifle, Oliver didn’t ask for more. His arms were sore and nuinb, making it difficult to continue shooting.
Back at the barracks, a soldier brought him some beverages.
Meanwhile, Fabian informed Oliver that Gregory had gone to the old mine area to escort the raw stones back to the city.
Accompanying Gregory were 100 soldiers, with 45 divided into several groups to maintain security in the mine area, 25 guarding the warehouse, and the remaining 30 soldiers stationed at the camp.
A sudden realization struck Oliver, prompting him to inquire with Fabian urgently. “Fabian, did you inform Gregory that we are interested in purchasing raw stones at the official auction?”
Fabian nodded in affirmation and replied, “I mentioned it briefly. Gregory said that once he returns, we can go to the warehouse to select the raw stones we desire. Once you find the ones you want, he will make the necessary arrangements at the auction to ensure no one else bids against you in the official auction.”