Mercenary’s War

Chapter 2396 - 2372: A Talented and Useful Person

The engine cover of the self-propelled artillery was opened. Masyev turned the wrench a few times and then casually yelled for someone to ignite it, and it started.

The first artillery roared to life. Rebrov personally drove the self-propelled artillery out of the garage, made two circles on the open ground, then came out of the cockpit and shouted to Gao Yang, "Everything’s normal, Boss!"

Gao Yang finally felt at ease.

It was clear that when the supervisor of the Artillery Company was summoned away, they played a trick so the self-propelled artillery could not start. However, with the mechanic named Maxim around, this small trick only caused a minor hindrance to Satan’s crew.

Whether in Syria or Ukraine, where large combat equipment is used, logistical and maintenance personnel are indispensable. Although Gao Yang had seen many mechanics, Maxim was the most impressive one he had encountered.

Modern warfare cannot do without tanks, vehicles, planes, and artillery. Anything mechanical inevitably requires maintenance and repair and will certainly have problems. Whether it’s maintenance or repairs, the role of an excellent mechanic is evident.

Whether it’s tank or self-propelled artillery crew members, they are responsible for driving, fighting, as well as having the ability to perform basic maintenance and troubleshoot simple faults. However, if there’s a major issue or if damage occurs in battle, you certainly need a professional mechanic to intervene.

The more high-tech the equipment, the simpler it is to inspect. Nowadays, many pieces of equipment are modularized; when finding faults, use a computer to find fault codes. Once the cause is found, just replace the parts. If damaged in battle, just replace what’s broken on the spot, much like repairing cars at an automotive 4S shop. Essentially, it’s all about replacement rather than repair — very simple.

Such top-tier advanced armored vehicles can be fixed this way, but it doesn’t work with equipment that has been in service for decades. Issues with old equipment rely on the mechanic’s experience to solve. Repair when possible; even if a component is at the end of its service life, it won’t be easily replaced unless it’s beyond repair.

As for Satan, they can use the world’s best light weapons, better than any country’s army, but for heavy weapons and large equipment, they’ll have to make do with what’s available.

The point is, Masyev is an extremely capable and useful mechanic, a real asset.

Ask Masyev to fix an M1A2, a Leopard 2A6, any of the latest tanks or armored vehicles, he’d probably be at a loss.

However, it’s the same the other way around. For mechanics who usually repair advanced equipment to handle diesel engines from forty or fifty years ago, most of them wouldn’t know where to start because they’re from completely different eras.

This makes Masyev unsuitable for working in the armed forces of countries like the United States, France, and Germany but perfect for countries like Yemen, Syria, and Somalia, making him a great fit for Satan.

Watching Masyev systematically troubleshoot the self-propelled artillery, Gao Yang was increasingly satisfied. Finally, he said to Glolov, "This guy is pretty impressive, isn’t he?"

Glolov nodded, smiling, "Not bad at all. He’s excellent. In every maintenance support personnel, there’s always someone like him in the team; these people are treasures. We had a mechanic in our airborne division who could identify issues just by listening. Even our commander treated him with respect."

Gao Yang laughed, "He just listens and knows where the problem is, huh."

Glolov nodded, "Exactly, people like this are treasures. It’s a good idea to keep him around."

Gao Yang smiled, "I knew you’d understand me. I was a bit harsh earlier. How about you talk to him?"

Glolov shook his head, "Forget it, you should go yourself. You’re the commander; it shows more sincerity."

Gao Yang nodded, loudly calling out to Masyev, who had just fixed the last self-propelled artillery, "Masyev, come over here, don’t be afraid. Come here."

Masyev was still quite scared and didn’t dare to look up when he stood in front of Gao Yang.

Gao Yang reached out and patted Masyev’s shoulder. Masyev instinctively tried to dodge, quickly shrugging up his shoulders like a quail.

"Haha, Masyev, you’re quite skilled."

Masyev quietly responded, "I, I..."

"Where are you from?"

"I, I..."

This Masyev was just too timid, afraid to speak. Gao Yang cleared his throat and laughed, "Don’t be afraid. I was just scaring you earlier; how could I really shoot you? I was testing you to see your actual skill level, and yes, you are indeed very skilled."

After easing Masyev’s mind, Gao Yang continued smiling, "You speak Russian and your name is Masyev, so you’re definitely not a Yemeni. Where are you from, and how did you end up here?"

"I, I... I’m, how to put it..."

Masyev said with a troubled expression, "I’m Kyrgyzstani but was born in Moscow. My father was a Soviet officer, and later I joined the military and was stationed in Kazakhstan. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, some returned to Russia, some stayed and became part of the Kazakhstani military, but I had nowhere to go..."

Still looking troubled, Masyev raised his head to glance at Gao Yang, then quickly lowered it again, speaking softly, "I am Kyrgyzstani but have never been to Kyrgyzstan. I wanted to return to Moscow but no longer had a dormitory there, so I stayed in Kazakhstan. But my wife and child were in Moscow, and I wanted to go back, but what could I do once there? I had no special skills and couldn’t find work."

After rambling a bit, Masyev quickly added, "After two years in Kazakhstan, I had to leave the military. Our unit was disbanded, I had nothing to do and couldn’t earn money, life was really hard. Then, someone introduced me to Egypt, where I could still do my old job and support my family."

Suddenly, Masyev stopped rambling, and with a hint of helplessness, he said, "I stayed in Egypt for a few years, then divorced my wife and moved to Yemen. I forgot why I came here at the time, it was just a coincidence, but I’ve been working here for many years ever since. Although the earnings are low, it’s enough to make ends meet, and where else could I go? I’m just an old guy who knows how to deal with these mute old machines. Where else could I go..."