The next morning, Song Heping sat beside the shipping container, sipping lemonade.
When he woke up, his head was splitting with pain.
The Scotch whisky purchased last night by the chef might have been counterfeit.
If it were real whisky, why would his head hurt?
"Lost."
Grey Wolf had arrived behind him at some point.
"Good morning."
"Do you also have a headache?"
"Yeah, I think the chef bought fake whisky last night."
Hearing this, Song Heping laughed.
He hadn't expected someone else to share his thoughts.
Following the war in Eligo, the alcohol business also thrived.
Everything in the war zone was expensive.
Smuggling whisky was also a good business here.
At present, most of the alcohol in the Green Zone had an unclear origin, and its price was twice as high as in normal countries.
That's war for you.
A nightmare for the common folk, a paradise for the ambitious.
Song Heping, "Hasn't the chef woken up yet?"
Grey Wolf looked back at the shipping container and nodded, "Yeah, he also drank too much."
Then he said to Song Heping, "You drank so much last night, yet you still managed to get up so early. You really can hold your liquor."
Last night Song Heping had been the center of attention.
He had made a name for himself in a single battle.
In the mercenary world, bad news travels fast and so does good news.
After the battle at the overpass, many in Baghdad's mercenary circles knew of a newcomer from China who possessed exceptional skills and had successfully protected the VIP during a critical moment on his first mission.
Reputation is everything.
A personal reputation could also elevate the team's price.
The chef was very pleased.
So, last night he opened six bottles of whisky and even treated everyone to a shot of tequila.
He created a buzz intentionally, which was basically advertising, telling everyone—come to us for jobs, we are strong, our team is full of skilled members!
Song Heping saw what was happening and realized that the chef had it tough too.
Who said only locals need to give toasts? These foreigners had to give toasts as well.
Last night, Thomas also showed up.
Song Heping was quite grateful to Thomas.
It was him who had recommended Song to the chef's team, giving him a way to make a living.
So, Song took it upon himself to give a few toasts.
However, Thomas's face looked off, lacking his usual enthusiasm. Song didn't know whether it was work troubles, eating something bad, or just a case of traveler's diarrhea.
In Eligo, many people suffered from traveler's diarrhea, so he didn't think too much of it.
"Is there work today?"
Song Heping still remembered what Grey Wolf had mentioned previously.
He and the chef's team were "ungrouped" lone ghosts, freelance mercenaries.
If there's work, they earn; if not, they wait.
Richer on some nights, poorer on others.
No wonder the chef had said not to save money but to enjoy life as it comes.
Grey Wolf shook his head, "Haven't heard of any jobs for now, we'll see what the chef plans once he wakes up."
The chef was the core of the team.
Song Heping was beginning to understand.
Why would Grey Wolf and the other paratroopers choose to follow a chef with no service experience and be content working under him.
If White Bear or Grey Wolf were in charge, the whole team would really be out in the cold.
"The contract with Angel, we only took it for one day?"
Song Heping still missed the days of earning ten thousand US dollars a day.
It was wonderful.
If there were such good jobs every day, he could achieve his little goal in less than half a year.
Grey Wolf said, "Now it's Mad Dog's team and the Eligo Security Forces taking over her security. It's none of our business anymore."
Then he laughed and said, "A ten thousand US dollar job a day, do you think our small team would get that every day?"
Song Heping said, "Then I'll go wash up and head to the weapon store."
Grey Wolf was astonished, "What are you doing there?"
Song Heping said, "I'm going to buy a scope for my gun and get some more ammo."
Grey Wolf looked at Song Heping with new respect.
This kid isn't stingy.
At first, everyone thought this newcomer from China was very tight-fisted, as he didn't even spend a thousand US dollars to buy a bottle of whisky after receiving it; the chef had paid last night.
And today, he even spoke of buying a scope.
His AKM, even the cheapest 1P29 white light scope along with installation and customization costs here would be five hundred US dollars, half of what he made yesterday.
Looking at it this way, he didn't seem like a stingy guy after all.
Song Heping left the camp, first stopped at a McDonald's in the Green Zone for a Big Mac and a Coke, and then headed straight to the weapon store.
Harvey was in the store and ignored Song Heping, busying himself with his own work.
"Look around yourself, tell me when you decide."
"I need a 1P29 scope, do you have one here?"
The 1P29 is a Soviet-designed 4x white light scope, compatible with various Soviet firearms, even usable on a PKM machine gun, considered a classic Soviet scope, functionally similar to the US Army's ACOG.
While not cutting-edge, it's rugged, durable, and relatively affordable.
"Yes."
Without a second thought, Harvey turned around, retrieved one, and placed it in front of Song Heping.
"Second-hand?"
Clearly, the white light scope in Song Heping's hand was not new, as evident from its appearance.
"What? You want a new one? Got it."
Harvey turned again and took out another 1P29 scope, placing it in front of Song Heping.
"This one 700 US dollars, that one 300 US dollars, 300 dollars for customization fees."
Harvey quoted the price, and Song Heping felt a pang of pain.
So, he picked up the brand-new scope to examine it, and then looked over the second-hand one.
White light scopes are not easily damaged, unlike more precision-based holographic or red dot scopes. The 1P29 has a physical reticle inside, which can be used as long as it's not damaged.
"How long has this second-hand one been used?"
Song Heping, seeing the worn edges and chipped paint of the old 1P29, couldn't help but ask.
Harvey said, "You're asking me? I don't know either. Why don't you ask it, let it tell you. All these I just recycled. I only check if they work, not how long they've been used. Take it or leave, and if not, get lost!"
Harvey really didn't want to waste more effort on a newcomer like Song Heping who hardly had any money in his pocket.
Recycled?
On hearing this, Song Heping couldn't resist putting the scope to his nose, smelling it as if he could actually detect a hint of blood.
It might have been collected from a killed former Iraqi solider or mercenary, and the original owner had probably long passed away from this world.
One new, one old, the prices of both differed by more than double.
And modifying it wouldn't be cheap either.
The Romanian-made old model AKM doesn't have a dovetail slot, the new model does. Song Heping's was an old model, which required adding the dovetail mount himself.
But modifying costs would be an outrageous 300 US Dollars…
Robbery!
Owning a gun shop must be so lucrative!
If he bought the new one, his thousand dollars would just vanish here, leaving him broke and unable to even buy bullets.
He suspected Harvey of ripping off newbies and regretted not bringing Grey Wolf along.
"Boss, I'll take this one..."
Song Heping handed back the new one to Harvey and kept the old one.
"Humph!"
Harvey snorted coldly, as if proving to himself that he hadn't misjudged the man.
A pauper is a pauper.
"The modification fee is 300 US Dollars, totaling 600 US Dollars."
Song Heping felt another pang of pain.
These damn 600 US Dollars—converted to RMB, that's an ordinary person's annual salary back in his hometown.
"Boss, if I modify it myself, could you make it cheaper? Just charge me for materials."
Song Heping tried to bargain.
Harvey snorted coldly again upon hearing this.
The modification required riveting a dovetail slot base to the proper position above the left trigger guard on this old model AKM to fit the 1P29 scope.
This job meant dismantling the entire gun, drilling precise holes to fix it in place.
This was skilled work.
Dovetail slots themselves were already outdated compared to Picatinny rails and had issues like being prone to looseness. If not handled well, the gun could be ruined.
Suddenly, Harvey felt like playing a prank.
Just wants to save some bucks on manual modification fees, huh?
Let's see how much skill this kid has!
He remembered the newbie from China in front of him didn't have much money.
Yesterday, he came to buy a single solider kit, scrimping and saving, haggling over every penny, and spent a bit over two thousand US Dollars.
A newbie, relying on himself?
Modifying a gun?
Thinks he's got some serious skills?
Wait till he messes it up and see him cry!
If ruined, wouldn't he have to buy another AKM from his shop?
Thinking this, Harvey, who had been making quick calculations in his mind, suddenly became generous and said, "Fine, modify it yourself; I won't charge a wastage fee, and I'll only charge you 300 US Dollars for the 1P29."
"Really?!"
Song Heping was delighted beyond measure.
It was early morning with few customers in the store.
Only two or three mercenaries were picking out items.
Harvey was also happy to find some entertainment.
The others, hearing the commotion, also joined in to watch Song Heping.
Everyone was waiting to see a comedy unfold.
"The equipment is over there; go modify it yourself."
Harvey pointed toward the corner to the small lathe, warning as he spoke.
"Don't damage my equipment; you'll pay for any damages!"
"Okay!"
Song Heping took his AKM assault rifle excitedly and ran to the corner of the shop. He examined the small lathe and tools, then expertly dismantled his gun and started working meticulously with the lathe.
Harvey and a few mercenaries couldn't help but gather around to watch.
What they saw stupefied them.
This…
They say experts know the game.
Seeing Song Heping's operation, Harvey regretted it immediately.
Damn, the guy was a pro!
From positioning to drilling, the precision was exceptional.
Quick eyes, steady hands, calm and collected.
He'd been duped!
Harvey winced in distress.
He'd been had.
Song Heping quickly modified his AKM, fitted the 1P29 scope snugly, and, giving it a tug, felt its stability. He then raised the gun to aim outside, rechecked the reticle and battery mount, and, satisfied, handed over three hundred US Dollars to Harvey.
"Boss,in online)">300 US Dollars. And also, I need a basic set of bullets."
Song Heping was thrilled.
He'd never thought Harvey would agree to let him modify it himself.
He'd saved a bundle!
Just as he received the bullets, he heard Grey Wolf's voice at the door.
"Song! Let's go! We've got a new job!"
Song Heping looked back and sure enough, it was Grey Wolf.
With an expression as if he'd just won the lottery, Song Heping knew right away it was something good.