Fatal Strike: Mercenary Road of Gunfire Ranger

Anna's arrival was actually very important for Mountain Eagle, as her presence meant that the second most important deal for Russia had been reached.

Now it's just a matter of both sides exchanging views on the Crimea issue. As long as the United States doesn't go all out, rallying all its allies to sanction Russia, Russia's core demands will be met.

It's essentially telling the United States that a few hits don't matter, sanctioning some oligarchs and confiscating some assets is also acceptable, and it doesn't even matter if you don't recognize the Crimea referendum, as long as you're willing to shelve the disputes and not publicly disgrace us.

Russia's weakness shown towards old America is systemic. This point might not be publicly acknowledged by those inside the Kremlin, but if you tally up the distribution of overseas assets held by those people, you'll know how their money is voting.

Along the way, Mountain Eagle and Anna chatted to understand the specifics of the Cyprus Trust.

The situation was much better than Mountain Eagle had imagined...

Because many capitals participated in the investment and they were generally quite strong, the Federal Reserve promised, after arranging for their executives to take over the chairmanship of the Cyprus National Bank, to leave a channel for the liquidation of Cyprus Trust's assets, while not entirely locking down Cyprus Bank's overseas business.

This meant that those assets that were locked up due to the financial crisis became tradable assets again.

Now, Anna's former boss Victor Vekselberg was the major shareholder of Cyprus Bank, and the representative of the Federal Reserve controlled the operations of Cyprus Bank.

At the same time, influenced by the internal shareholders of the trust company, the European Union began to consider injecting funds into Cyprus Bank in the next three years to alleviate the financial crisis within Cyprus.

The asset trading channel within the trust company managed by Anna was opened, and as long as Cyprus completed certain financial reforms, it could potentially become a financial hub in the Mediterranean again in a few years.

Everything was developing in a positive direction, except that Victor Vekselberg was unlucky.

His funds were locked into shares in Cyprus National Bank through a debt-for-equity swap model. Originally, when Cyprus recovered, he could use his influence over the bank to become the communication channel between Russian capital and the outside world.

But now, this part of his rights was taken by Anna, leaving only the financial channel available.

Losing his influence over many politicians and wealthy businessmen within Russia, if he only controls the financial channel without other negotiation methods, the future legendary tycoon of Russia will find himself stuck between Boss Pu and the Western world, in a dilemma.

Because when the critical moment comes, in the eyes of both sides, his stance is biased unless he chooses to act decisively and sever ties.

If he does, his losses would be enormous!

In this situation, it was perfectly normal for Victor to want Anna dead before she firmly established herself.

Only by taking full control of Cyprus's financial and asset trading channels could he safeguard his own interests while participating in any subsequent potential contests.

Anna's negotiations in New York were anything but harmonious; she and her former boss Victor were, in fact, fighting their own separate battles.

However, Mountain Eagle's ally, Mori, introduced her to some rather powerful funds and a few Washington consulting firms unknown to most, allowing her to quickly take advantage in terms of capital and political issues.

Anna admired and even relied on Mountain Eagle for a reason...

In her eyes, this man, like a magician, went to Moscow with nothing, conjuring up a vast amount of resources and benefits, achieving an incredible turnaround while guiding her through a leap in her career.

Upon careful reflection, the development threads of events seemed clear, but only those within the circle knew how unbelievable achieving these results was.

At every critical juncture, they stood in the right position and made the most reasonable responses.

Mountain Eagle appeared to handle matters with intense decisiveness, leaving a trail of casualties wherever he went.

But in higher realms, he was always leveraging strengths and capitalizing on favorable circumstances, drawing in many prominent figures who hadn't even met him into a situation seemingly beneficial to everyone.

Anna admitted she admired Mountain Eagle and hoped he would be by her side during critical moments in her career.

When she arrived at the Santa Monica Beach Apartment, Anna acted more like the owner of the house than Mountain Eagle...

Her stern-looking security chief led a six-person team to sweep the house with various equipment to confirm there were no listening devices, then started installing cameras throughout the floor's hallways.

If Mountain Eagle hadn't expressed strong discontent, this guy probably would have installed cameras in the rooms too.

To accommodate these people, Mountain Eagle had to send Daria to the apartment management to rent another large apartment.

Originally, he thought that after driving Anna's bodyguards away, he could have some peace, but he never expected that the security chief would even meddle in Anna's food and drink.

Without anyone knowing, he arranged for two people to drive out and shop extensively at nearby markets.

Seeing the meat, vegetables, and bottled water they randomly purchased from various markets, Mountain Eagle truly felt the pressure Anna was under.

The interests entangled around her were immense, yet she was not irreplaceable!

Looking at the now-crowded living room and the security chief donning an apron to cook, Mountain Eagle amusedly said to Anna, "This guy is a talent; does your mom want him to be your husband?"

Anna, holding a glass of juice, sat on the sofa next to Mountain Eagle, curling her legs to rest in the corner of the sofa...

Upon hearing Mountain Eagle's words, Anna glanced toward the kitchen and shook her head, saying, "His name is Mikhail Volkov, he used to work in the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

He wasn't arranged by my mother, but by Old Patrushev.

This guy's father was once a comrade-in-arms with Boss Pu and even a martyr; his brother currently works in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is highly trusted.

"You're right, they want me to marry this guy because it matches their aesthetic in terms of thought and political lineage."

The Old Patrushev Anna referred to is the secretary of Russia's National Security Conference...

If Boss Pu is the Emperor, then the secretary of the Security Conference can be roughly equivalent to the Emperor's Cabinet Prime Minister.

Anna's mother used to be Old Patrushev's assistant but has now been transferred to the intelligence department.

Anna's tone sounded a bit sardonic, while Mountain Eagle could also feel her helplessness.

The foundation is still too shallow!

An up-and-comer whose backing isn't solid sometimes needs to use marriage as a quick means to solidify their position.

This has nothing to do with gender, it's the same for both men and women!

This kind of thing is not something Mountain Eagle can comment on; he glanced at the busy Mikhail...

Stern expression, rigid behavior, orders strictly followed...

This guy's performance seems very professional, but from another perspective, he's a husband who is off-the-charts controlling and extremely strict with his wife.

Mountain Eagle noticed the annoyance in Anna's eyes and suddenly laughed, "Did you bring an evening dress?"

Anna was taken aback, "What?"

Mountain Eagle shrugged to show off his suit, laughing, "I'm going to a cocktail party tonight, hosted by Li Chengji, the President of the International Intermediary Company!

The security there should be secure, originally I had just one companion, Daria, but I don't mind bringing one more."

As he spoke, Mountain Eagle nodded towards the corner of his eye, laughing, "Your eyeliner is a little smudged, I suggest you make yourself a little prettier because there are lots of beautiful women at the cocktail party..."

Anna instinctively wiped the corner of her eye, then picked up a cushion and threw it at Mountain Eagle...

Seeing the guy laughing heartily, she stood up straight, chest out, chin slightly raised, looking down at Mountain Eagle from the corners of her eyes, "You should learn about my past, ever since high school, from England to the United States, I haven't lost a single social event."

Looking at the proud Anna, Mountain Eagle shook his head, "That's a bit childish, change your expression and posture.

You are now the female president of the Cyprus Trust Company, your company manages assets worth tens of billions of US Dollars.

Bring out the queen aura, nothing can defeat you...

If there is something, then destroy it forcefully!"

Mountain Eagle glanced at his watch, waving his hand, "Quickly go change; the cocktail party starts at 8, you have two hours to prepare.

You need to help me stand out, I want those bastards at the party to know that Mountain Eagle is not a mercenary!"

Anna got energized as she heard this, she locked eyes with Mountain Eagle for a few seconds, confirming he wasn't joking, then excitedly twirled in place before starting to make phone calls...

After she went for a shower, about 40 minutes later, a female stylist arrived at the apartment door carrying a cosmetic case, accompanied by two female assistants dragging suitcases.

While the bodyguards checked them, Mountain Eagle curiously peeked over, only to be directed as a guide by the sharp-faced, affectatious stylist...

Mountain Eagle didn't get upset; as he passed Daria's room, he saw the girl fiddling with her makeup alone, while Tiffany and Lilith, like two minors, curiously played with those complicated jars and bottles...

So he turned back and laughed, "You all look quite professional, how much would hiring you cost?

I have a few ladies here who need some professional help!"

The stylist squinted at Mountain Eagle and then smiled, "Anna already paid!

But I think not only the ladies here need help, you need some too.

Your suit's shoulders are a bit tight, and the tie color is very outdated; if this is your choice, it shows you have no idea how to wear a suit."

With that, the stylist crossed her arms in front of her, tapping her lips with her right index finger as she circled Mountain Eagle, "Your physique is great, but unfortunately I don't have a suit that fits you..."

The stylist's condescending look made Mountain Eagle a bit disgruntled; he walked to Anna's door, knocked twice, and upon hearing a response inside, pushed open the door...

Seeing Anna standing naked in front of the mirror, wiping her hair, Mountain Eagle momentarily marveled at the openness of these foreigners, then like a qualified waiter, he stood at the doorway making an inviting gesture towards the stylist and her assistants...

After closing the door and hearing laughter inside, Mountain Eagle was about to turn around when he saw Tiffany sneakily appear behind him...

"Boss, that's Jessica Past, one of Hollywood's most famous stylists..."

Looking at Tiffany with unevenly applied powder on her face, Mountain Eagle sighed, "You and Lilith don't need a stylist; you need estrogen.

But since someone is picking up the tab, you might as well get yourselves dolled up a bit – or make yourselves look handsome.

I have a feeling that tonight's cocktail party won't be too peaceful..."