When it comes to the Chechen campaign, Mavi's Ma V mercenary group has been crushing it. Over six months of guerrilla warfare in Chechnya, they've taken out more than 400 Chechen terrorists. That kind of performance catapulted the Ma V crew straight into the top ten mercenary groups worldwide.
Based on the bounty Mavi set earlier, 400 terrorists means over $20 million in rewards. Whether his team members are dead or alive, he'll make sure that cash gets to them or their families. No way he's letting his people risk their lives for him without proper payoff.
"Hello? Miss Yuna, what's up?" Mavi picked up the satellite phone casually. Being able to take calls on a plane is clutch—no restrictions like on commercial flights where you've got to turn off all your gadgets.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Mavi!" Yuna, the secretary, replied in her pleasant voice. "Here's the deal: about this upcoming Defense Ministry meeting—specifically the plan to deploy missiles targeting the Japanese archipelago—Minister Grigorov wants to hear your take on it first."
Thanks to the tactics Mavi provided, Russia tackled both the large-scale Chechen conflict and the guerrilla mess like champs. So now, the Russian Defense Minister is all ears for his input.
"My take, huh?" Mavi paused to think it over before answering. "Deploying missiles to keep Japan in check? Absolutely necessary. But long-range or intercontinental missiles? They don't pack enough punch. Those big boys need fixed launch sites, which aren't nearly as sneaky or mobile as mid-range missiles."
Mavi laid out his stance. Intercontinental ballistic missiles—those beasts with ranges over 8,000 kilometers—rely on land-based silos for launch. Sure, there are vehicle-mounted ICBMs, but they're limited by the truck's size and weight, so their specs usually fall short of the silo-launched versions.
Point is, land-based ICBMs are the real deal. They don't sweat environmental constraints, boast the longest range, fastest reaction time, and best self-defense capabilities. But deploying them against Japan? Overkill and impractical. Mid-range missiles are way more intimidating—and cheaper to boot.
The catch? The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. It bans Russia from developing or owning missiles with ranges between 1,000 and 5,500 kilometers.
"But, Mr. Mavi, mid-range missiles are off-limits for us, right? Unless we just ditch the INF Treaty altogether?" Yuna chimed in. She's no airhead—she knows her stuff, unlike some girls obsessed with jewelry and designer bags.
"No need to scrap the treaty. There's a workaround," Mavi replied coolly over the phone.
In his past-life memory, the U.S. unilaterally tore up the INF Treaty in 2019, kicking off their mid-range missile program after a 30-year hiatus. So, to stay ahead of the game, researching mid-range options is a must. Just because Russia and the U.S. are tied up doesn't mean other countries are sitting idle.
Take Germany with its V-2, Horten, and Roland missiles. China's got the Dongfeng series, plus sea-based Julang, Hongqi, Shangyou, Haiying, Yingji, Hongjian, Pili, and Shandian missiles. India's rocking Agni and Prithvi. Iran's got Shahab and Fateh. Even Pakistan later jumped in with Hatf missiles.
The field's wide open—and critical.
"Really? Mr. Mavi, if that's true, I bet Minister Grigorov will be thrilled to hear this!" Yuna said cheerfully.
"Probably," Mavi replied, keeping his cool. No need to get cocky—he's got the steady vibe down pat.
"Alright then, Mr. Mavi, see you at the meeting!" Yuna said with a smile in her voice. Among Russia's younger generation, who's the standout? Hands down, it's Mavi from the Mikoyan family. Yuna knows it too, so she treats him with the respect you'd give a boss, never getting too casual.
"Yep, see you there." Mavi hung up, then slipped into deep thought.
In his past life, Russia was boxed in from all sides—constantly targeted by the EU and hassled by NATO. To play it safe, Mavi's spent the last year-plus shifting his personal assets and company operations toward Russia and China. Even the money he had stashed in Citi Bank? Moved to Russian domestic banks.
On top of that, he's planning to build Ma V Global Group's headquarters in Russia and an Asia-Pacific hub in China. That way, certain countries won't be able to mess with him so easily.
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A day later, inside the top-floor conference room of Moscow's Defense Ministry building, General Grigorov, the Defense Minister, sat at the head of an oval table. Flanking him were the ministry's top brass.
The meeting's focus? Figuring out how to deploy long-range or intercontinental missiles against the Japanese archipelago—give little Japan a lesson so they'd quit stirring the pot.
"Minister Grigorov, I say we stick short-range missiles on the Northern Territories," one senior official in a black suit suggested. "That'd put Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force base at Ominato right in our crosshairs. Keep 'em sweating every day."
Before he could finish, a naval rear admiral across the table, decked out in his uniform, jumped in with a counterpoint. "Minister, putting missiles on the Northern Territories is too reckless. Japan would flip out and push back hard—it'd backfire as a deterrent. I'd go with ICBMs in the Far East instead. Pair 'em with the navy and air force to lock down Japan's sea, land, and air defenses."
"ICBMs need land-based silos, and the cost is insane," another suit-clad official shot back. "One missile runs nearly $12 million, not to mention the upkeep and storage fees. Our budget's stretched thin as it is—we can't swing that. Plus, silos aren't exactly subtle. They're easy to spot, so the threat's not as sharp."
Thanks to the INF Treaty, Russia can't openly crank out mid-range missiles. They're stuck using pricey ICBMs as a stand-in, at four times the cost. For a Russian government already strapped for cash, it's a brutal pinch.
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(Chapter End)