Chapter 452 65. For the Country
Smith.

Hearing this familiar voice and name, Karl’s eyebrows raised slightly.

“It seems that I have caught someone by accident.”

“A coincidence? Then it seems to be luck that gives us another chance to cooperate.”

Smith’s words were calm, and he obviously didn’t quite believe what Carl said about coincidence, but he didn’t care too much about it, because they would find out later whether it was a coincidence or not, and now, Carl and his team had indeed arrived at the right time.

Smith continued, “You did a great job last time, and the gentleman was very satisfied.”

“You said this last time. You don’t need to say it again.”

Karl noticed something strange: “Listen, your tone is a little different. Didn’t you memorize the template Smith gave you last time?”

After Karl said this, Smith, who was about to say something, was silent for a moment.

“You are really sharp.”

Smith is obviously just an identity used to communicate with outsiders. If necessary, everyone who needs to hide his identity and communicate with others can be Smith. Smith, who is communicating with Carl now, obviously did not expect that just a slight difference in the tone of voice between the two conversations would be noticed by Carl, even though they were using the same template and voice.

“The guy before you had a rather arrogant tone, as if you were lucky to be working for us. It was really annoying. He wasn’t so kind as to even ask for cooperation.”

“That should be a small mistake in communication on our end, but KK you don’t have to worry about it.”

The current Smith said indifferently: “After all, you won’t see him again. You only need to remember my tone and voice in the future.”

Look, that Smith is no longer in this communications position?

Was it a promotion, or…
Listening to the current Smith’s bland words, Carl already knew the outcome of the previous Smith.

Obviously, Smith, whom Carl would never see again, might have physically disappeared from the world.

It disappeared the moment I turned around. How cruel.

However, this was only their internal matter after all, so after Carl sighed a few times, he no longer cared about it.

Isn’t it just the death of the person who assigned the task? Carl has experienced it three times, from Faraday to Cormac, and now to Smith.

“So, what kind of cooperation are you looking for now?”

Karl glanced around: “Does anyone need to leave for a while?”

When mercenaries take on business, confidentiality is always the first rule. There were also members of Mann’s team present. Although they were friends, if it was a secret mission, it was necessary to ask them to go outside and drink for a while with the bottle of wine.

Hearing Carl’s tone that seemed to indicate he was ready to take the job, Mann didn’t quite understand why he was working one moment and talking about cooperation the next, but he was smart enough to stand up.

If there was any private matter, he could wait. Anyway, he could drink whenever he wanted. But just when Mann stood up, Smith unexpectedly called him:

“Please wait a moment, former Warrant Officer Mann. If possible, we hope that your team in Night City can take on the next mission together with Team Carl. You don’t need to avoid it.”

Hearing Smith call out “Warrant Officer”, Mann paused for a moment, then frowned slightly. He now realized, “You are from the New America.”

Mann was spotted by a recruiter and joined the New America army because he knocked down five New America soldiers in a bar. He stayed in South America for two years and performed various missions with very capable teammates until Mann retired during the Unification War and came to the New America. His last military rank was warrant officer, which was higher than a soldier and belonged to the position of officer cadets and reserve officers.

The rank of Warrant Officer is not considered very impressive in the New United States, but Mann was awarded such a rank only two years after joining the army. There is no doubt that he has shown excellence in the army. If he had not been determined to come to Night City to create his own team and hoped to become a legend, his rank in the New United States Army might have been higher.

Mann had never mentioned this rank, which had been sealed after his retirement, to anyone. But now it had been revealed. The person who had revealed his name could only be the new American personnel who had access to his information.

Smith neither admitted nor denied Mann’s words. Obviously, he knew how to keep secrets better than his predecessor who said he was working for military technology. He spoke in a way that Mann could understand:

“Now, the country needs you again.”

“Hehe, the country needs me.”

Mann snorted coldly, obviously disdainful of what Smith said:

“Do you want me to go to South America to set fire to villages again, or do some internal cleanup? Haven’t you asked me to do these jobs before? I remember I made it very clear at the time that I would no longer have anything to do with you.”

“Since you, Warrant Officer Mann, are unwilling to serve the country again, I think I can now assign you tasks as a client.”

Smith didn’t care about Mann’s attitude. He had seen countless people like this who thought they would have nothing to do with them once they retired. And the final result of those people was that they were found by Military Technology and New America and squeezed out of their last bit of value.

Smith immediately quoted a very high price: “One million Euros, this is the price for your team, Mann. I think you can understand how much a commission of this price can bring to you.”

Mann had originally planned to refuse Smith as soon as he opened his mouth. He didn’t want to be involved with military technology and the New America. However, his hands trembled slightly after hearing the number of one million euros.

“Is this price satisfactory to you, Warrant Officer Mann?”

Mann fell silent as he listened to Smith’s words.

Finally, he sat down in silence under the gazes of his companions who were waiting for his decision, and then looked at Karl: “I’ll wait for your decision, if you want to pick us up, then we’ll take it.”

Obviously, Mann was very tempted by the price. If his team had this one million euros, they would not only be able to live a life of luxury, but at least they would be able to live a carefree life. However, he was still rational. He knew that only military technology or new American personnel could offer this price, and this job would definitely not be easy. So he gave the decision to his friend Carl, who had more experience in big business negotiations.

“I’ll decide, okay?”

Carl didn’t feel anything was wrong. He thought that the team would take on the job, and with the addition of Mann’s team as a new force, things would be easier.

So he looked at the phone that was emitting Smith’s voice: “Tell me, I want to know what the ‘country’ wants us stateless mercenaries to do.”

(End of this chapter)