CHAPTER 512: CHAPTER 476: THE SHOW BEGINS

Mountain Eagle had dealt with similar people in his line of work...

Some of them had left him with a good impression, but most of the time, the things they did were laughable or even sometimes infuriating, yet he was powerless to do anything about them.

Different countries have different terms and scope when it comes to NGOs...

In the United States, they are often referred to as "non-profit organizations", "independent organizations", or "the third sector".

In the UK, they are called "voluntary organizations", and in some countries, they are referred to as "associations".

Everyone knows what the associations on Hong Kong Island are all about, which also reflects from one aspect the status and actions of these NGOs.

Of course, not all NGOs are bad, but they have one thing in common: they try their best to carve out niches in reputation, influence, and power.

Because this affects their ability to raise enough donations from society!

They create influence through action, then monetize that influence, expand it, then monetize it again, and after accumulating to a certain extent, they form certain standards and even rights.

If anyone still doesn’t understand, the Swiss Better Cotton Development Association (BCI) is a very good example...

Most of the world’s branded apparel are members of the BCI NGO, and this organization has set a series of standards for cotton production and use, then regulates the world’s cotton output and prices.

If they say you’re not up to par, you can produce as much as you want, but you won’t be able to sell it!

There are even more powerful human rights NGOs that can dictate that member companies must strictly comply with labor laws, and require these companies to refuse to cooperate with companies that do not adhere to labor laws.

So domestically, although overtime is universally lamented, those state-owned enterprises, large multinational companies, and listed companies - some of which may indeed have severe overtime issues - absolutely do not skimp on overtime pay.

Overtime work is illegal by itself, and since giant corporations care about their image, they shy away from such reputation-damaging activities, making them easy targets for NGO hijacking.

For small enterprises once targeted by NGOs, high litigation and compensation costs can even drive a company completely bankrupt.

Additionally, human nature inherently prefers comfort; no one really wants to work overtime, so gradually, these habits take root.

When human rights NGOs have won over enough industry giants, they can set rules to supervise all businesses in the supply chain.

With upstream regulations in place, breaking them could result in being kicked out of the supply chain, a cost they cannot afford!

That is the power of top-tier NGO organizations!

The mission they claimed at the start was mostly benign, and in times of peaceful development, these NGOs indeed played a role in promoting, supervising, and coordinating.

But NGOs have national boundaries!

In an era of high-speed development with globalization and decentralization, such problems won’t surface.

But once economic growth stalls or declines and countries begin trade wars, the NGOs’ actions will inevitably be politically charged, and the standards and rules they established will become weapons.

The Green Nature Foundation isn’t very well-known now, but with their extreme methods and support from some industry giants that have paid ’protection money’, they are wielding their axe ferociously, forging a divine weapon with the blood of their enemies.

Based on their background, targeting you is a sign of respect, while simultaneously offering you an opportunity to pay a protection fee to join.

However, this time they miscalculated!

An avalanche destroyed everything and buried the Solin family’s billion-dollar investment over the years.

The Solin family’s relocation of their lab from the Arctic Circle to deeper inside Alaska not only was due to their discovery of a second Neanderthal fossil - it was also largely to avoid fallout with the Green Nature Foundation.

Yet these guys, leveraging on their background, recklessly chased after and landed another blow, resulting in irreversible consequences.

Little Huzi’s abduction of Richard Franklin and Emma Stone must be the Solin family’s attempt to use them as bargaining chips in negotiations with the Green Nature Foundation.

If things were really to turn sour, there would be no need to leave survivors.

It’s clear that people from the Green Nature Foundation know this, so they want to snatch back the hostages before the Solin family has a chance to speak.

Now, this situation is too advantageous for Mountain Eagle...

Originally, he only had Black Fox as a big pawn shielding him up front, now the Green Nature Foundation has presented him with another door.

Being a small fry, he’ll become much less noticeable in the middle of it all!

He has to make money, and if anything happens later on, people’s attention will definitely focus first on the Green Nature Foundation and Black Fox.

Maximizing benefits is an instinct etched in Mountain Eagle’s bones!

He doesn’t conduct affairs in a cut-and-dried fashion like others, treating each task as a single harvest; he instinctively amplifies the profit from one event, even deriving further profits from it.

After Mountain Eagle confirmed his very first official commission that was genuinely his own through the laptop, he took out his mobile and sent a message to Butcher...

At the same time, Thomas, who had arrived in Russian Mission Town last night with his three partners, had also roughly located where the hostages were kept.

The area of Russian Mission Town is small to begin with; local residents were forcibly moved out when the Dimension Card Company arrived.

Now, the town is filled with workers from Alaska, curious reporters, and volunteers from NGOs like the International Animal Protection Organization and environmental organizations.

Thomas, an experienced investigator and an old gun, quickly used his expertise to identify several suspicious individuals, then followed them to locate a few potential spots.

After a simple screening, he roughly confirmed where the hostages were most likely being held.

Little Tom’s actions were extremely arrogant because he had official endorsement, so he didn’t care how others saw him.

Two armed teams withdrew from the expedition in the northern mountains and joined up with Little Tom’s squad, a team of over thirty people was resting and preparing in the small town...

Such an eye-catching group was hard to misidentify!

Next, Thomas’s task was to find the opportunity to confirm the specific location of the target. Once he had evidence, he could report back.

Observing from afar, he was completely unaware that a large Crow had perched on a tree outside the target building, nor did he know that Butcher had already led Pigeon and two newcomers upstream to land, setting up camp about a kilometer from the town and waiting for the right moment.

Compared to the undercurrents stirring in Russian Mission Town, Brown Bear Camp was a picture of thriving prosperity.

Miranda deployed Red Sparrow, which confused Little Ruby to no end, then manipulated the honest engineer into busily scurrying around...

He operated a small excavator and used its mechanical power to help Miranda reinforce the exterior walls of the main house, while also setting up high-ground positions on several large trees within the camp.

After all that, Miranda was still not satisfied. The next day, she ventured into the surrounding forest. After a simple survey, she again deployed Red Sparrow, taking Little Ruby with an oil saw back into the woods...

Mountain Eagle had to admit that Miranda possessed very strong overall planning abilities...

By felling trees and controlling the direction they fell, she easily defined the invasion route for external intruders.

Whether this would be effective against top-tier forces was debatable, but it would certainly work against the people led by Little Tom.

Mountain Eagle couldn’t participate in activities, so he took the initiative to look after several mischievous kids...

In the afternoon, he organized Shasili and the Indian women, taking all of the infants on board a boat and headed to the temporary camp previously established in the wetlands, led by Quida.

The environment in the wetlands was fantastic, whether for fishing, hunting, or gathering berries.

Mountain Eagle stayed in the wetlands, playing with the kids until sunset. Before leaving, he pulled aside native Wayne and made him promise to ensure the children’s safety no matter what. Only then did he let Quida take him back to the camp by boat.

Stepping onto the dock, Mountain Eagle immediately felt a heavy atmosphere in the camp...

He offered a comforting grin to the nervous State Police Michael, then returned to his tent. Sitting down on the platform’s lounge chair, he watched the distant sunset with a hint of a smile...

Tiffany came to Mountain Eagle with some unease and said, "Mountain Eagle, you’ve sent all the natives away. We’re short-handed now..."

Mountain Eagle replied with a smile, "I’m friends with the natives, and as a friend, I can’t let them take undue risks."

Upon hearing this, Tiffany sighed and said, "Then you shouldn’t have come back. You’re unable to do anything now, sitting here will only distract others..."

Mountain Eagle responded by whistling...

Balang and a group of Big Dogs that were roaming around the camp ran over and sat down in front of the platform, gazing up at him.

Feeling Tiffany’s surprised gaze, Mountain Eagle chuckled and said, "Without me, who here has the power to make these Big Dogs obey?"

Saying so, Mountain Eagle gestured with his hand, "Go about your tasks. Miranda and the others come from the Special Service Bureau; protecting VIPs is their specialty. With me here, they can show their true value!"

Tiffany wanted to say that Mountain Eagle was causing trouble, but seeing those fierce-looking Big Dogs, she choked back her words and turned to find Miranda to discuss countermeasures.

What Tiffany didn’t know was that Daria could also somewhat control these Big Dogs. It wasn’t that Mountain Eagle took undue risks out of recklessness, but rather he was confident in keeping danger within an acceptable level.

After seeing Tiffany off, Mountain Eagle turned and entered his tent. When he came out, he had several special dog bullet-proof vests and accompanying cameras in hand.

As he called Balang and the Big Dobermans over to put on their gear, Hummingbird, the smallest member of the Special Service Bureau trio, appeared beside him...

Watching Mountain Eagle fit a camera onto Balang’s back and then inserting Smoke Bombs and Jump Mines into straps on its sides...

This young blonde exclaimed in disbelief, "Are you going to use them in combat? My God, can the cameras on their backs be used for remote monitoring?"

Mountain Eagle nodded slightly and said, "Of course. I hear you’re in technical logistics, would you like to give it a try? With them around, you’ll definitely spot the enemy earlier!"

Hummingbird paused, surprised, and pointed to her own nose, "Can I do that too?"

Mountain Eagle shrugged and said, "Unless you have something else to do, there’s no reason you can’t."

He then spoke with feigned mystery, "Actually, compared to combat personnel, I have more appreciation for your kind of technical logistics. Being able to shoot is no big deal, right?"

Hummingbird nodded, then realized she had been sidetracked by Mountain Eagle. Looking at her future boss, she shook her head and said, "Operatives are the core, I’m just support. And I can shoot, quite well at that!"

While Mountain Eagle was busy talking to Hummingbird, Daria came running over with a phone...

"Boss, it’s a call from Thomas. He says over thirty boats are heading our way..."

Mountain Eagle laughed and said, "Ignore him. That guy’s definitely being watched and trying to curry favor for help... Inform Butcher to take action! Tonight’s definitely going to be lively!"