After successfully fooling the visiting delegation from Vietnam, it took less than a week for them to obediently deliver a $1 billion order to the Russian government.
This perfectly validated the saying often quoted by netizens: "Fools with money—come quickly." (In his previous life, Vietnam had been just as naïve, spending $1 billion to purchase outdated equipment from Russia. It wasn't until more than a decade later that Russia finally sold them a more advanced version.)
A significant portion of this $1 billion order would go to Mavi's Sukhoi Design Bureau and Mikoyan Design Bureau. As for the T-55 tanks that were part of the deal, Mavi didn't care about the small profits they could bring. Instead, he considered it a favor to the Russian Army.
However, while he was doing them a favor, the Russian Army wasn't stingy either. In return, they gifted Mavi several secret weapons that were not available for foreign sale!
Among them was the legendary TOS-1 "Flamethrower Tank"—a highly classified and powerful battlefield suppression weapon.
The TOS-1 is equipped with a 24-tube 220mm rocket launcher, arranged in three layers. It can fire both incendiary warheads and thermobaric warheads, with an effective range of 400 to 3,500 meters.
According to a Russian Army major general, they once conducted an experiment using just one TOS-1. A single volley of 24 rockets, fired in just 7.5 seconds, was capable of completely destroying a small village or a large concentration of enemy forces.
Its power could only be described with one word: "devastating."
In addition to the terrifying TOS-1, the Russian Army also gifted Mavi several other advanced weapons for his "Ma V" Security Company.
### Mavi's Elite Mercenary Corps
After more than a year of steady growth, Mavi's private security company had expanded to a force of 1,500 personnel.
But these weren't just ordinary bodyguards. Every single one of them had undergone rigorous training and had passed through selection trials at Russian, American, and Ukrainian military bases. They had fought through fierce competition to emerge as true elites.
Each member was a highly skilled warrior—capable of counterterrorism operations, national security missions, and VIP protection.
Moreover, every elite trained under Ma V Security was proficient in multiple combat tactics and adaptive battlefield strategies, thanks to Mavi's cross-training program.
This unique training method combined the expertise of several world-renowned forces:
- Russia's Alpha Special Forces
- The Signal Flag Special Forces Unit
- The U.S. Secret Service
- The U.S. Marine Corps
- The British SAS (Special Air Service)
Through integrating their strengths, Mavi developed a distinctive combat doctrine for his "Ma V Mercenary Corps."
Of course, he didn't do this alone. It took tremendous effort and a substantial amount of money to recruit top military strategists and urban warfare experts to help craft these training programs.
### A New Mission: Chechnya
With a 1,500-man elite mercenary corps, the possibilities were endless. However, their top priority was now to eliminate the remaining Chechen terrorists.
Yes, the full-scale Chechen war had officially ended, but guerrilla fighters still operated within Chechnya, constantly ambushing Russian forces.
These small-scale, hit-and-run battles frustrated the Russian Army, as they lacked the proper training to effectively handle guerrilla warfare. The only effective response they had was deploying the Alpha Special Forces, but their numbers were too limited to cover all areas.
Under such circumstances, the Russian government turned to their trusted ally—Mavi. They offered him a large sum of money in exchange for deploying his best mercenaries in the upcoming counterinsurgency operations.
Shortly after receiving the order, Mavi was contacted by an officer from the Alpha Special Forces:
"Mr. Mavi, I'm calling from the Alpha Special Forces Unit. I heard that your mercenary corps will be working with us on the Chechen mission?"
"Yes, that's correct," Mavi responded calmly over the phone.
To ensure his mercenary force had an early advantage in the campaign, Mavi personally invested $8 million into equipping them with the most advanced weaponry.
"Alright, Mr. Mavi. There's something I need to clarify. Starting next week, your 625 deployed mercenaries must unconditionally follow our command during operations."
The Alpha officer's tone was firm and authoritative.
"Hmm, I understand. But let me remind you, officer—large-scale warfare and guerrilla warfare are two very different things. Casualties in guerrilla warfare can be several times higher than in full-scale battles."
Mavi didn't hesitate to warn him.
He wasn't about to send his men into battle without preparation.
In modern warfare, conflicts between major and minor nations were almost always asymmetrical. The casualty ratio was often extremely lopsided.
For example, in his previous life, during the Gulf War, the U.S. military had annihilated 150,000 Iraqi soldiers, while only suffering 27 casualties—an outright massacre.
However, once the war transitioned into a guerrilla conflict, the situation changed drastically. U.S. soldiers started dying daily, as insurgents conducted relentless hit-and-run attacks.
After all, in small-scale skirmishes, even the most advanced military gear couldn't always protect soldiers from a $50 AK-47 hidden in the shadows.
"Don't worry about that, Mr. Mavi. The Alpha Special Forces are highly experienced in this type of warfare," the officer assured him confidently.
"Let's hope so."
Mavi knew there was no point arguing over the phone. After all, the Alpha Unit was in charge of the Chechen operation.
"Alright, then. That's all for now." The officer ended the call, leaving Mavi deep in thought.
### The Weight of Command
"Young Master, was the conversation with the Special Forces difficult?"
His butler, Ivan, had noticed the concerned expression on Mavi's face.
After all, this 1,500-man elite mercenary corps was something Mavi had spent over a year meticulously training and selecting. He remembered the faces and names of many of his men.
Now, he was about to send 625 of them into the brutal guerrilla warfare of Chechnya.
How many would return?
How many would fall—dying in a cold, foreign land, their bodies never recovered?
"The conversation was… fine."
Mavi knew that if his mercenary corps were ever to truly grow and thrive, they couldn't simply stay in the safety of a training camp.
No amount of practice could replace the baptism of real combat.
To create a truly powerful mercenary force, they had to survive the battlefield first.
They had to become battle-hardened warriors.
(End of Chapter)