Chapter 81: The Largest Russian PMC—Wagner

“Why is it so lively here? Who’s come now?”
Hearing the doorbell ring again, Xing Xiaolong went over in confusion and opened the door, only to find three men standing outside—all of them fellow private military contractors on this operation.
Aside from the sole female PMC, Black Fox, all the male contractors involved in the mission had now arrived.
The six men, presumably having just collected their task commissions, coincidentally gathered in Xing Xiaolong’s apartment, crowding the small living room almost to overflowing.
Once the three newcomers sat down and explained their purpose, Tiger, Baldy, and Trist exchanged bewildered glances.
It turned out they, too, were here to recommend Xing Xiaolong.
Since everyone was present and their goals aligned, Xing Xiaolong was at a loss for how to proceed. Tiger, whose personality was brash and forthright, took the lead.
Everyone would state their terms and circumstances, and Xing Xiaolong would make the decision himself.
He began with his own introduction.
Through Tiger’s self-introduction and explanation, Xing Xiaolong gained a comprehensive understanding of his background and learned some little-known secrets about the community of retired soldiers in the “Great Bear Nation.”
Tiger’s full name was Sergei Kostya, hailing from the Great Bear Nation’s preeminent private military contractor—
Wagner Security Company.
Wagner was the largest PMC firm in the Great Bear Nation and a leading force worldwide, a company whose words carried weight across the globe.
Its enigmatic owner had an impressive background: Yevgeny Prigozhin, known as “Putin’s personal chef.”
With such deep roots, Wagner’s status in the Great Bear Nation was firmly established.
The company had over 8,000 contracted operatives and more than 15,000 affiliated subcontractors. The contracted operatives were elite veterans from the national military, with the lowest starting point being special forces.
Though the Great Bear Nation boasted the world’s largest and most diverse special forces, nearly every branch of its military had its own elite units—even the logistics and transport departments possessed specialized troops.
Units like Signal Flag and Alpha were simply among the earliest and most elite special forces founded in the country.
With access to such a vast pool of veterans, Wagner’s strength was formidable.

Tiger was among the earliest members of the PMC industry, with more than a decade of experience. He was not only a captain-level contractor at Wagner, capable of forming his own operational team,
but had also earned the rank of senior attendant at the “Peace Hotel,” granting him the ability to assemble a personal service squad.
“Attendant” and “service squad” were internal terms used by the Peace Hotel,
and after years of effort, Tiger had elevated his “Beast” service squad to Class A, able to take on most missions and enjoy privileges such as complimentary firearms, equipment, and post-operation cleanup.
In other words,
although Black Fox, Baldy, and the other PMCs were registered attendants at the Peace Hotel, they lacked the authority to lead teams on missions directly.
Ultimately, whether or not they received assignments from the Peace Hotel depended on the squad captain’s approval.
In terms of capability and background, Tiger was undoubtedly the most outstanding among all present PMCs, and the terms he offered Xing Xiaolong were the most enticing.
He could directly sign an employment contract with the Great Devil Nation’s largest PMC company—Wagner.
Tiger also explained that the PMC industry had a high entry threshold, requiring at least specialized military training and strict screening.
With Xing Xiaolong’s ordinary military background, he wasn’t even eligible to apply for assessment.
But if Xing Xiaolong followed Tiger, he could bypass the assessment and sign directly with Wagner, officially becoming a PMC.
Compared to Baldy and Trist, who held low positions in their companies and could only recommend Xing Xiaolong for entry—leaving his acceptance and team placement dependent on passing further assessments—
Tiger’s offer was clearly more reliable.
The remaining three contractors came from different companies: the American “Three-leaf Jungle,” the German “Deyang Arms,” and Peru’s “Finland International,” all reputable private military firms.
Like Baldy and Trist, these three lacked their own PMC squads and could only recommend Xing Xiaolong to their companies.
If he performed well, perhaps he could team up with them on future assignments, but the assessments were unavoidable.
As for income after joining a PMC…
Perhaps earnings varied by assignment, making it impossible to predict.
Or maybe, since this $2 million operation was personally commissioned by Xing Xiaolong, he already knew how much the seven of them would split after completion—no need for further explanation.

Therefore, none of the PMCs, including Tiger, specified how much could be earned daily.
Thus,
with all the information at hand, Xing Xiaolong now faced two distinct choices.
Tiger and the others could be grouped together—the advantage of joining the PMC industry was high earnings, but the drawback was instability; the more lucrative the mission, the greater the danger.
This rescue operation, for example, earned Tiger and his team two to three hundred thousand dollars in just two days.
But as soon as they returned to the hotel, their income dropped to zero, awaiting the next mission for new pay.
The dangers inherent in these missions needed no further comment.
Becoming Louis’s personal bodyguard, on the other hand, meant attending the world’s top security academy, with a stable annual salary of a million dollars post-graduation and much lower risk.
After all, it didn’t involve combat zones—the danger was limited.
The advantages of being a bodyguard were clear, as were the drawbacks: a fixed annual income of a million dollars, with any increase reliant on a 20% commission raise each year to boost his earnings.
And as a bodyguard, he’d have to follow his employer closely at all times, sacrificing personal freedom.
It was less free than being a PMC.
Bodyguard or PMC—each choice had its merits and flaws, and no one could advise Xing Xiaolong; the decision was his alone.
One thing was certain…
Xing Xiaolong had no desire to return to security work. The ten thousand a month offered by the wealthy woman paled in comparison to these generous opportunities.
But whether to opt for the stable, safe route of a bodyguard or plunge into the high-earning, high-risk world of PMCs—
Xing Xiaolong had much to consider.