Shadow of the Beautiful World

Text 12. News from Ma Run

Merlin didn't know everything that happened in the distant Eastern Europe. He unilaterally thought that he had completed a perfect sneak investigation.

In fact, this was indeed the case. Even if Mandarin had guessed that someone was interfering with the actions of the Ten Rings Gang, he had no evidence to prove it. In the next few days, Merlin didn't act immediately, but stayed in his small bar, sorting out the information on the USB flash drive he brought back.

The information retrieved from Abbas, the leader of the Ten Rings Gang in the canyon, is a lot of dry goods, and it contains a lot of internal information about the Ten Rings Gang.

It's a pity that most of them are in Arabic. Merlin needs to use a translation program to understand the secrets contained in those words.

But just what he already knew was enough to make people feel excited.

First of all, there are rumors about the Ten Rings Gang. It seems that they should be some rhetoric used by the leader to fool the rookies.

According to the above records, the Ten Rings Gang was an organization that existed before the First World War. Its origin is in the area near Mongolia. Its leader, Mandalin, is said to have been a descendant of the famous Genghis Khan. Generations of prominent families have brought uncountable wealth to the young Mandalin.

But Mandarin was not fascinated by wealth and a good life. On the contrary, since he was young, he has been looking for a greater power.

Those materials did not describe what kind of power the Mandarin was after, but from those deceptive words, it was not difficult for Merlin to guess that the former member of the royal family should be pursuing power beyond reality, and his purpose was very simple , in order to achieve the legendary eternal life.

Whether he succeeded, no one knows.

But according to the information that Merlin saw, the Mandarin should still be active now.

The mysterious leader of the Ten Rings appeared before the First World War, which means he must be over 90 years old by now. But according to the leader of the canyon base, the mandarin now also possesses terrible and great powers.

That leader still rules with his iron fist the secret organization he has built.

This also shows that even if the mandalin did not find the technique of immortality, it still used some method to greatly delay its own aging.

Secondly, in those materials, Merlin found some internal communication materials of the Ten Rings Gang. Although they were not complete, Merlin still outlined the power section of this mysterious Ten Rings Gang according to the contents of those materials.

In the past ten years, under the command of the Mandarin, the main force of the Ten Rings Gang has shifted from Mongolia to Central Asia and Eastern Europe, just like the God's Whip Attila thousands of years ago.

Just the locations that Merlin found covered almost two-thirds of the area on the map.

In other words, the power of the Ten Rings Gang in Central Asia and Eastern Europe has already been described as pervasive.

If all of this information is true, then that Mandarin is already the real uncrowned king of Central Asia and Eastern Europe.

What makes Merlin even more horrified is that in a document collected by the base leader, there is news that the Ten Rings Gang has been secretly helping the Afghan local forces as early as the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, resisting the Soviet invasion.

In other words, they have been operating in Afghanistan for more than 30 years.

This is not at all the fringe area of the Ten Rings Gang's power. On the contrary, Afghanistan is one of the cores of the Ten Rings Gang's power radiation. It is very likely that more than half of the seemingly contradictory armed factions under various banners are subordinate forces of the Ten Rings Gang.

The civil war in Afghanistan since 1995 is also the last step for the Ten Rings to completely control Afghanistan.

Last but not least.

Merlin found a similar list of receipts and shipments in those documents. According to the list, in the past ten years, the Ten Rings Gang transported locally grown drugs to various places in the American continent through a secret channel. Cities, they use this to gain huge profits to feed their growing forces in Afghanistan.

The secret channel should refer to the cia's intelligence center in Afghanistan.

As far as Merlin knew, before the Soviet Union withdrew from Afghanistan that year, CIA had a very active intelligence force in Afghanistan, and the time of contact between the two sides was also right.

All the jigsaw puzzles that Merlin needed for his mission in Afghanistan this time have been collected in the past few days, and now he is only missing the last piece.

He has to get corresponding information from the local intelligence center of cia.

As long as he finds the crucial evidence, then he can retire.

Even better, Merlin already has a goal.

William Rawlins, the chief of the secret service who was sent to Afghanistan more than a month ago. In the memory of the militant leader, Merlin had already confirmed that Rollins had an indelible relationship with this matter.

That person is the breakthrough Merlin needs.

For Merlin, no matter how difficult the task is, once he has a goal, the next thing to do is to make a plan and then execute the plan.

In the past few days, Merlin has been sending the raven spirit Victor to patrol the sky near Kandahar, looking for the hiding places of those cias. He already has several targets, and now he just needs to find a time, one Just check one by one.

If Merlin is lucky enough, he can get everything he needs without even fighting.

Then he can quietly leave the country where the war is about to break out, just like when he came here.

But just when Merlin was about to start his exploration plan tonight, he suddenly felt a car parked in front of his bar, and in the car, there were two people moving around.

Judging from the flowing life energy, it should be two people I know.

Merlin frowned. He stepped forward and opened the closed door with his hand. It was already evening outside the door. At the door of this small bar, Billy Russo of the Marine Corps was standing outside the door with his good friend Frank Castle on his arm.

Judging from the dress of these two Ma Run, they should be enjoying the holiday.

Yo, you're recovering well.

Merlin looked at Frank, who was on crutches. The tenacious vitality of the soldier in front of him really surprised people. A few days ago, he suffered an injury that would kill an ordinary person. In just a few days, he was able to walk on crutches.

Merlin knew that such a recovery speed required not only a strong physical fitness, but also a will as strong as iron.

Obviously, Frank Castle in front of him is that kind of fighter with astonishingly strong will.

It's all thanks to you, Mr. Yuri.

Frank said something in a hoarse voice, and next to him, Billy, a handsome young man in a black T-shirt and sunglasses, said to Merlin:

We're off today, and Frank said he hasn't thanked you enough, so we're coming to your place. Just grab a drink.

This time?

Merlin looked down at his watch. It was still a few hours before it was completely dark. He glanced at Frank and Billy, and shook his hands:

Then come in, I'll serve the two uncles to drink.

A few minutes later, two glasses of mixed wine were pushed in front of Frank and Billy.

Merlin picked up the sackcloth and wiped his hands, looking at the two soldiers in front of him. They were curiously looking at the colorful liquid in the glass, which was a cocktail they had never drunk before.

Try it.

Merlin put his hands on his hips and said softly:

This thing is called 'Three-Headed Dog's Hair'. Let me tell you, except for me, even if you search all the bars in New York, you will never find it.

Bragging.

The handsome boy Billy is very good at dealing with people. Although he and Merlin have only met for the second time, he seems to be very familiar.

He picked up the wine glass, took a sip, and the next moment, his expression became very exciting.

The irritating feeling in the chaos made him somewhat indescribable.

For a moment, Billy felt like the legendary three-headed hellhound, who could spit out a flame when he opened his mouth. But the smell, while irritating, was not painful.

The hot feeling lasted for less than a second, followed by bursts of comfort like icing on the tongue.

This is the real two heavens of ice and fire.

Wow!

Billy put down his wine glass, and he shook his head vigorously, allowing his temporarily paralyzed tongue to recover the sense of taste. He let out an exclamation of praise, and then gave Merlin a thumbs up.

This taste, there is no need to say!

ha.

Merlin snorted triumphantly. While wiping the bar, he said to Billy:

Even if you praise me again, you still have to charge for the second glass of wine. You have also seen that I am running a small business.

And Frank, who was sitting on the side with scabs on his face, looked at his brother suspiciously. He also tentatively picked up his glass and took a sip like Billy. After ten seconds, a wrinkled Baba's money was placed before Merlin's eyes.

Frank slapped the table and said aloud:

Two more glasses!

Let's finish the cup in your hand first, soldier.

Merlin took the money, and he said to Frank, who had obviously improved a lot under the stimulation of alcohol:

Don't look at it as a small cup, but no matter how powerful an alcoholic is, he won't be able to drink a second cup.

Merlin was telling the truth.

Not only because this three-headed dog's hair is mixed with several kinds of spirits, but also because this thing is actually a kind of magic drink with weak magic power. It was concocted hundreds of years ago by a group of wizards in pursuit of fine wine.

No matter how powerful a wizard is, he will become slightly tipsy after drinking a glass of wine.

This has nothing to do with the amount of alcohol.

Sure enough, after a few minutes, both Frank and Billy looked slightly drunk, and under the impetus of alcohol, they also talked more.

Things around Kandahar are getting worse these days.

Frank complained:

The combat effectiveness of those local people is too poor. We gave them enough weapons and equipment, and trained them, but within two weeks, they were dispersed by the jihadists. Now we have to go to the field and help them Stabilize the situation.

The local armed forces are strong.

Billy also shook his head, and said sadly:

They have also united with factions in other places. If this continues, the fall of Kandahar is already a matter of time.

So you are on the side of the government army?

Merlin was lying on the bar, listening to the chat between the two soldiers, he interrupted and said:

You help government forces fight jihadists? No wonder you are attacked by them.

Merlin asked softly:

Speaking of which, didn't you investigate the matter behind the attack where Frank was injured?

Of course we investigated.

Billy says:

But nothing useful was found at all. After all, we are a combat force, and these things have to be handed over to more professional people. Those CIA agents in the camp are dealing with this matter, and those guys are looking for someone to talk to all day long.

Don't mention them! I'm annoyed when I mention them.

Frank took a sip of his wine and said angrily:

They're like a bunch of rats staring at people, and that goddamn Rollins, he's what we call a guy with dicks on his face.

He came to talk to me these days, and I feel that he doesn't treat me as a human being at all, but as a prisoner for interrogation. To be honest, looking at his perverted eyes, I really doubt that if it wasn't in the barracks , this guy will probably lynch me.

Frank scolded:

That guy is a true sadistic pervert!

Merlin, who had no hope for this chat, narrowed his eyes at this moment.

He heard Rollins' name, and from Frank's point of view, that Rollins seems to be in the marun camp now, and from Billy's point of view, the Marines operating in Afghanistan seem to be It has been temporarily assembled for certain things.

Oh, is it so?

Merlin picked up the wine glass, wiped it, and asked sideways:

A tough guy like you, when you encounter such a pervert, shouldn't you rush up and punch that Rollins?

Actually, he's already done that.

Billy shrugged and said with a hint of regret:

Just yesterday, he punched Rollins, but was stopped by Kurt. That Secret Service chief is a slob, you know? He went to our major general on the spot and demanded that Skuno Major General Fu put Frank in confinement, hehe, that guy is really not a man!

A major general?

Merlin narrowed his eyes, it seemed that this group of Ma Run was about to carry out a large-scale combat mission.

It's a pity that I'm a little weak now.

The half-drunk Frank shrugged, and he said to the two people in front of him:

The punches that come out are weak, or I'll blow him out of the eyes with one punch. Damn, that guy's eyes are disgusting.

Tsk tsk, what a violence.

Merlin smiled. He turned around and picked up a few bottles of wine. After a while, two glasses of pure blue wine like sea water were pushed out. Merlin said to the soldier in front of him:

The story you tell is wonderful, and in return, try this again.

I call it the Siren's Tongue.

Merlin leaned over the counter and said to Frank and Billy:

This glass of wine is my treat, drink it.

It can't be done.

Billy rubbed his forehead and said to Merlin:

Already drunk, I have to drive this guy back to the barracks in a while. You can't drive heavy machinery when you're drunk.

It's okay, if you're really drunk. I'll take care of sending you back.

Merlin turned his head to look at the darkness outside the window, and said to the two informants in front of him in a relaxed tone:

The night is still long, let's drink two more glasses.

He himself raised his wine glass and said to the two soldiers in front of him:

This cup, to the soldiers!