Chapter 1048
“Why not p>
Owen asked.
“They claim we destroyed too much of their infrastructure and are demanding financial compensation p>
“Isn’t that just a blatant extortion attempt?” The entire rescue mission for the Mavarian victims had been pre-approved through official diplomatic channels.
“Exactly. We obliterated their narcotic operations. They’re seething, but they can’t complain about it officially, so they’re manufacturing petty excuses to delay us p>
Dominic agreed.
“So, what’s our counter-offer p>
“We told them we’d pay for the buildings, provided they pay out emotional distress
and wrongful death settlements for every Mavarian victim.
If we run the numbers, their payout to us would be exponentially higher p>
“Good. Stick to that p>
Owen said.
“Right. So, we’re definitely not heading out tomorrow p>
“Not a chance p>
Dominic sighed in frustration. “Can you ask Master Ellis to synthesize more of that knockout gas p>
He had personally witnessed the sheer stopping power of the Ellis family’s chemical agents. Mira’s squad was the only unit that had suffered zero casualties.
The other teams hadn’t been nearly as fortunate.
“Since we have downtime tomorrow, could you make a fresh batch? The agency will cover all expenses and reimburse you for the supplies you’ve already used.
Chances are, we have another firefight ahead of us p>
“Understood. We’ll produce as much as we can tomorrow p>
Mira replied. Master Ellis had already been planning to brew another batch anyway.
“And those little aerosol sprayers you used were highly effective. I’ll have Lieutenant Vance scour the area tomorrow to see if we can source more of them p>
“Sounds good. I’ll let them know when I get back p>
Mira said.
“Oh, one more thing. Your field trauma powder-the medics said it worked miracles. Can you mix up more of that as well p>
“We’ll… try our best. There are only three of us, and synthesizing these compounds requires specialized technical knowledge. Outsiders can’t really help p>
Owen explained helplessly. Even he was just acting as an assistant. Mira and Master Ellis were the only ones who possessed the actual expertise.
When they returned
to the hotel,
Master Ellis was already hard at work in the makeshift lab. Since Mira and Owen had been out, Master Ellis had borrowed two operatives from York Vance to assist with dicing and grinding the raw ingredients.
Surprisingly, the innkeeper, Winston, was also there lending a hand. Seeing Mira and Owen walk in, he quickly offered, “I’ll go tell the chef to prepare something for you p>
“No need. We already ate at a friend’s place p>
Owen replied.
Winston looked somewhat guilty, shifting awkwardly on his feet.
Mira glanced in the direction he hurried off to. “Master Ellis, I’m half-convinced he’s trying to steal our formulas p>
“Relax. Our techniques can’t be replicated by just anyone p>
That was true. Even with her brilliant
mind, it had taken Mira ages to
master the chemical synthesis.
There was no way some random
amateur could effortlessly copy their work.
Exhausted from the grueling few days, they didn’t stay up late. By ten o’clock, they were all in bed.
The next day, the three of them, along with the two enlisted helpers, spent the entire day manufacturing the required supplies.
Late that evening, Dominic called again. “We barely managed to reach an agreement today, but the route back is going to be incredibly volatile.
According to the official itinerary, we depart tomorrow morning.
But for security reasons, we are mobilizing tonight at ten o’clock to catch them off guard p>
Dominic said.
“If we do that, we can hit the border by first light.
And once we cross over, our people will be waiting p>
Hanging up, the team immediately began packing. They traveled light, abandoning
any unnecessary equipment to ensure maximum mobility.
At exactly ten o’clock, the charter buses Dominic had secured pulled up to the front
of the hotel.
Because they had so many civilian
survivors to transport, flying wasn’t a
logistical possibility, and Mavaria
couldn’t exactly drive military
armored vehicles across the border to retrieve them.