CHAPTER 1263: CHAPTER 1261: MAKEUP ARTISTRY

"Boss, we have about ten kilometers to go before we reach a small town under Bata’s jurisdiction. From our investigations, this town has the highest rate of disappearances!"

Teng Wei pointed at his wristwatch and spoke to Hao Jian.

They had just reached the Bata area from Anisock, and just moments ago, Xia Hou, who was following them, sent a message stating that their thousand-strong special support unit had already arrived at Bata’s port, asking if they needed to take immediate action.

Hao Jian simply replied, "Let’s wait and see."

"How many people are in that town?"

Glancing at those around him, Hao Jian pondered for a moment before speaking up.

"Less than five hundred..."

Scratching his temples, Teng Wei felt a bit helpless. With their experience, they naturally understood why Hao Jian was asking this.

According to their original plan, they intended to be captured as prisoners and taken into the Baldeke Base. Unfortunately, since the town’s population is small, and with so many of them suddenly storming in, it would easily arouse suspicion.

If suspicions were raised, it might result in the task’s failure. This mission, however, had to be completed perfectly by Hao Jian since he didn’t want the Mercenary Alliance or the Assassin Alliance to escape.

If they got away, he wouldn’t be able to face himself, let alone answer to Lin Qingxue. As her man, not being able to help her avenge completely would be such a disappointing thing.

"In that case, let’s do a little make-up disguise!"

For this situation, Hao Jian already had a plan. After saying this, he turned his head to look at Zou Jia.

"Hehe, then Boss, I won’t be shy!"

Seeing Hao Jian’s gaze, Zou Jia flashed a mischievous smile, and for some reason, the rest suddenly felt a chill down their spine.

"Let’s begin."

Rubbing his forehead, Hao Jian couldn’t find any other solution, so he had to resort to the old method. However, this approach was going to be tough on his subordinates.

Even though Zou Jia was a professional in this field, everyone was still terrified when it came to her work.

Seeing Zou Jia’s expression, everyone remembered what they needed to do and cast pleading looks at Hao Jian. However, in response to their pleas for help, Hao Jian just turned his head.

"It’s just some make-up. Is it necessary to be this way?!"

Zou Jia murmured, pulling out a heap of make-up tools from her backpack. The rest of them trembled at the sight.

Back when they were Hao Jian’s students, they planned a performance report, and being a graduate of the beauty and make-up art major, Zou Jia unsurprisingly became the chief make-up artist.

That particular performance became an unforgettable event in their lives; every member’s look was ruined by Zou Jia. It could be said it was the ugliest moment of their lives during that performance report.

"Jiajia, please do a good job. I still need this face..."

Seeing his girlfriend approach, Tao Tao forced a smile that was harder to look at than crying, and Zou Jia snorted at his expression.

"Sigh..."

In the next half an hour, Zou Jia worked on make-up for the nineteen including herself—twenty people. As for Hao Jian, he leaned against a tree, watching his subordinates wailing in misery, and smiled.

His subordinates, each of them possesses unique traits and skills. These twenty-six high-level members of God of Death Island were carefully selected by him, and each one’s abilities matched their professional skills perfectly.

Another crucial selection criterion was their character, all deemed excellent enough to earn Hao Jian’s favor.

Seeing them now more united compared to before made him feel quite gratified.

"Hehe, Boss, I’ve completed my task perfectly. Have a look at my work. If you are satisfied, I’ll start on you right away..."

Zou Jia approached Hao Jian with a smug smile and pointed to her group of transformed brothers and sisters, her tone filled with gleeful mischief.

The group, now completely transformed by Zou Jia’s incredible make-up skills, had their original powerful presence entirely swapped for the look of war-torn refugees.

Each person, not only in terms of clothing but in every aspect, had been thoroughly altered. Even their commanding presence was affected, turning into the despair and desolation of refugees.

"Not bad."

Even Hao Jian, at first glance, thought they were actual refugees, but he quickly realized and nodded at them approvingly.

Seeing Hao Jian nod, Zou Jia’s pretty face beamed with pride, unaware that her comrades were almost gnashing their teeth at her. If it wasn’t for this mission given directly by Hao Jian, they would have already confronted her.

Even if you want to put on a disguise, can you just casually do it for them, as long as it can fool those patrolling soldiers? Why make it so elaborate?

However, they didn’t dare to say these words out loud, with Hao Jian right here, and being Zou Jia’s backer at the moment. How could they speak up?!

Didn’t you see that even the boss has to accept the disguise? Saying such things at this moment is just asking for a scolding, isn’t it?!

"Then I’ll begin!"

Hao Jian agreed, so naturally Zou Jia could proceed with her work. However, this time she didn’t dare to mess around, since this person was the boss. If she displeased the boss, she’d have to go to that dark and miserable eighteenth level of Hell...

At the mention of this name, Zou Jia couldn’t help but shiver, which made Hao Jian somewhat puzzled as he asked, "Zou Jia, what’s wrong?"

"Nothing!"

Zou Jia quickly shook her head, looking at Hao Jian’s back, suppressing her anxious heart, as she picked up her things and began her makeup operation.

Perhaps it was due to her profession. The moment Zou Jia picked up one of the tools from her equipment, all her tension vanished, her eyes becoming bright and full of fervor.

"Oh no..."

Seeing Zou Jia’s expression, her boyfriend Tao Tao immediately rubbed his forehead. He understood why Zou Jia would react this way.

Focusing on her profession or maybe her specialty, you could also say her passion; once she picked up her tools, she completely immersed herself in her own world.

Stroke by stroke, she gradually drew Hao Jian into an extremely impoverished and starving refugee, his facial features and physique entirely transformed, and even his skin color had turned black, exactly matching the people of Equatorial Guinea.

Fifteen minutes passed, and everyone had completely adapted to their transformed identities. Their equipment had long been disassembled into small parts, hidden somewhere in their bodies.

Their backpacks had also been casually buried on a piece of ground they found.

"Since you’re all ready, let’s head out!"

Glancing at the crowd, Hao Jian smiled and walked ahead.

The crowd nodded and followed behind Hao Jian, and with each step they took, their aura instantly changed from that of strong individuals to the desolate feeling of refugees.

At this moment, if you weren’t in the know, you wouldn’t be able to see any issues with this group at all.

Everyone was covered in dust, their bodies filthy, clothes tattered, with the frightened and desperate look of refugees, heading slowly towards the small town.

Ramsey was a low-ranking officer at the Baldeke base, the lowest level of officer, and there were over four hundred officers like him throughout the base.

His task was to capture helpless refugees, and the higher-ups, worried they wouldn’t work hard, even offered a reward. As long as he could bring in a refugee, he’d receive two grams of gold!

In this disaster-ridden country, the national currency was utterly unreliable. Gold was still the most reliable, or alternatively, the US Dollar.

However, many people were unwilling to take US Dollars, as it was useless in this country; it could only be used by those like Bafil who wanted to go abroad.

You could only spend US Dollars overseas.

But in this kind of country, not to mention going abroad, even if you left the city, you might be killed at any moment, so the medium of exchange was switched to gold.

Just two days ago, he captured three qualifying refugees and took them to the base, receiving a reward from his superiors, though a tenth of it was taken from him. But that was the rule, so it didn’t matter; he then took two more tenths and gave them to his subordinates. The rest was all his.

After getting paid, he went to the most famous red-light district in Bata, enjoying a night of pleasure. Remembering that woman’s skills, he still felt a lingering craving.

Of course, the cost was that he spent almost all the money he had received.

There were many low-ranking officers like him capturing refugees without any background, but few were as generous as him. After all, giving away thirty percent of the profit at once made others think he was a fool.

But they didn’t understand that he was laying the groundwork for himself, fostering good relations with his subordinates.

"Captain Ramsey, look... over there... there are more than twenty people on the street over there..."

While Ramsey was whistling and patrolling the street, one of his subordinates named Ordas suddenly brightened up, pointing towards the street ahead, calling out anxiously.

"What’s with the shouting? They’re just people, aren’t they?!"

Still reminiscing about the comfort of that night, Ramsey didn’t catch the meaning in his subordinate’s words, not realizing what he was implying.

"No... no, Captain, those... those people look like refugees!"

......