*** Robert Gonzalos's mercenary logbook ***

It had already been almost a month after that particular day. The day that our mercenary team got the first real mercenary mission. Now, we had already been back at Beidu city safe and sound with generous pay from our employers. The rewards from the mission were really rich, and I couldn't hope for a better.

However, until this day, I was still thinking about that moment from time to time whether I had made the right decision to accept this job.

On that day, after separating from two young masters, Chen Murong and Chen Dawei, I quickly walked back to my house and began drafting the hiring agreement. All of my team members that were there were extremely excited when they heard the news. Finally, we got a real mercenary mission!

"Nice boss!" one of my team members said, "So far, we haven't got a chance to participate in any high-rating missions, so not many people have heard of us. This will be our showcase!"

"Yes!" another team member quickly agreed and added, "And if we can complete this mission, our team could enter the upper tier!"

This sentence called for a loud cheer from everyone. Every team member that was present there in my house smiled and laughed. We were so optimistic about the mission and looked forward to our bright future, not knowing the reality we would eventually encounter.

The mission was, firstly, seemingly straightforward. By accompanying two young masters from a noble family in the Borderlands regime for a tour, we could gain a large number of guild points and coins. However, this simple task that we were supposed to have instead had turned into a serious one, even leaving an uneasy feeling in my conscience.

Who could I blame if not myself? I should have known when I saw their side of a convoy that they had prepared. These young masters must not be from an ordinary background. How could this mission be an easy one?

After I signed the contract with them, I was excused from them to organize my team. We decided that we would reconvene at one of the city's gates two hours later. Then, I swiftly called all of my subordinates to check and arrange our vehicles and supplies. When I and my subordinates were ready, we went to meet our employers at the meeting location.

When I approached the gathering place that we agreed upon, I saw a fleet of five humvees and one truck.

"It seems they are well prepared," I thought.

In fact, come to think of it right now, that should be my first clue. Who would prepare military humvees for the sake of touring or hunting animals in the Borderlands region?

At that time, when I saw what employers had prepared, I even felt confident and relax. Not only we had our modified jeeps, but our employers also had their own military humvees. I only thought that those two young masters were thorough or just too cautious. Either way, it was good for me.

Then, we introduced each other our team members.

I firstly pointed at my team and introduced them to these young masters, "These people are the members of our Drunken Spirit."

"They are Henry, Carl, Liu,..."

In turn, two young masters introduced people on their side. During our introduction, I was surprised to find that the people on the other side also had weapons, and their bodies seemed to be like the person who had undergone military training before.

In retrospect, this should also be my second clue. I honestly did not know why I did not see it at that time.

So, after a short introduction, both young master Murong and young master Dawei shook hands with all of us, and we began our journey through the Borderlands regime.

...

It had been six days since we left from Beidu-Borderlands border. We continued to drive with a two-hour intermittent stop for six days now in the daytime. Most of the routes that we used were consisted of dirt roads, which were common in the Borderlands region.

During this driving, we rarely encountered any cities or villages along the way. Not that there were none in the Borderlands region, though. It was just that the route that our employers chose was not a regular route. The employers still wouldn't tell us what they would like to see or were searching for. They only told us where they would like to go and which route we should use from the map.

On the way, there were some old and wrecked cottages on the side of the road, which all belonged to the old small villages that were destroyed by bandits and were now uninhabited. This entire land was full of thieves and robbers. Most people in this area either long moved out or settled down in larger villages.

Our convoy of humvees, jeeps, and trucks decided to stop and take a long rest at a famous resting village, Thames village. This would be our last extensive stop to refuel and refill the supplies before entering Borderlands inner region.

After arriving at the village, I led both of our teams to one of the hostels that I used to stay to settle down and discussed which route we should go next during our dinner.

I must say that I regretted this decision later. I should have been more careful. I should have known that, in this place, there were eyes and ears everywhere. There usually were scouts from different mercenary groups, spies from bandit groups, and agents from thief villages. Some may be neutral, but they would remember your conversation and sold the intel to whoever was willing to pay them. However, at that time, I did not think anyone would interest in us.

I also thought that our team would be safe since our team dressed like other mercenaries. However, I forgot about our employer's team, especially two young masters. Their uniforms and logos had shown the locals that they were definitely not from around here.

So, we had a nice dinner, rested a bit for the day, and after that, we got back onto the road, not knowing we had been tracked and marked by several people.

...

Not too far away from the convoy's position, a mysterious man secretly looked at them with his binocular and spoke to his comrades over the phone.

"I have spotted the convoy using Zhongshan route. They have five humvees, six modified jeeps, and two trucks. They are matched with our intelligence report. It seemed they are also loaded with light weapons and skilled mercenaries."

"Affirmative. We will be ready for them. Other positions continue to keep track of them. Tell us when they arrive at your position." Another side of the phone replied.

...

Back at our convoy, not long after our fleet left the village, at about 30 kilometers out, most of our members had emergency situations. We needed to poop! Something was wrong with our food!

So, we made an unscheduled stop in the middle of nowhere.

During our stop, a group of bandits was quietly surrounding us. They each carried guns as they began approaching from all sides. One of my subordinates actually noticed it and promptly informed us. However, before we could take off, several gunshots were heard. Quite a few humvees and jeeps' wheels were popped by those bullets, making it impossible for us to escape without leaving some of us behind. Without any other choices, I signaled others to prepare our guns and find protection. However, strategic location speaking, this site was not good for us. There was no natural protection that we could use.

My second in command asked. "What should we do, boss? It seems some powerful forces specifically target us."

It was understandable why my second in command said this. These guys were definitely not the usual local bandits. The typical local bandits would only pick on the seemingly weak convoy that was full of resources. Our convoy was full of weapons and soldiers rather than supplies. If there were a prey rating, our convoy would fall in the category of "Not worth an effort prey" without a doubt.

I, then, shouted to the surrounding bandits.

"What do you want from us!"

Some of the bandits emerged but still pointed their guns at us. One of them that supposed to be their leader shouted back. "Put down all of your weapons and put your hands behind your head!"

"Not a chance. There are noting values in this convoy. Let's talk this out." I shouted back.

"Hahaha. That may be true. But, you have something we want."

"What is it? Our cars?" I asked the leader of the bandits back.

"Well, that would be a bonus. But, we actually would like to invite two young masters from the Chen family." The leader of the robbers shouted with a chuckle.

"We don't have two people you were referring to," I shouted this lie to the robbers even though I thought it should not work.

"Don't lie to us. We have already investigated your convoy. Follow our demand. It would be better if this thing could be resolved without bloodshed."

"Let's us discuss for a bit?" I asked the robber back.

"Fine. I give you 5 minutes!"

While I still contemplated the plan to escape this situation, the walkie-talkie in my car buzzed with a fuzzy sound.

...

"Dawei and I will go with them." One of the young masters, Chen Murong, spoke through the walkie-talkie.

"No, young master," I hurriedly reply. "We don't have enough people to win this battle, but we could cover for both of you and let you two escape, young masters."

It was not just me that thought this way.

"Yes, I would rather die like a man than live like a coward." My second in command instantly added.

"It is alright. We also don't want our men to be hurt," young master Murong still insisted on his idea and gave a reason. "Also, it seems they want us alive. We may be able to negotiate later."

"But..." I tried to persuade him back because I was still not convinced.

"It is ok." Young master Murong interrupted me.

Then, young master Murong and young master Dawei did not wait for my additional response. Both of them immediately left their car, moving to the location between the leader of the bandits and us.

"We are the people that you guys want. Let them go, or we will fight." Young master Murong firmly shouted.

"Hahaha. You guys are so brave. Ok. I will let them go. Could you come here like a good boy then?" the leader of the bandits teasingly ordered them.

"Let them go first." Young master Murong negotiated.

The bandits' leader thought a little bit and, finally, said to other people in the team. "Ok. You guys can go."

I looked at those two young masters hesitantly. But, finally, our team saluted them and reluctantly got in the remaining usable cars.

When our convoy left the scene back to our previous last stopped village, I could tell that all our mercenary members felt guilty in their hearts.

This was the first time in my life that I felt ashamed to be called... "Mercenary."