It must be admitted that Maurice Singleton was very smart. After he took Yusuf Zuck on a tour of his house, Yusuf’s originally crazed and bloodthirsty heart softened.
The breakfast was sumptuous, with sandwiches similar to burgers, along with milk, steak, and so on.
Before the two left, Maurice actively suggested that Macklin Greene should go to China as soon as possible. He also requested Yusuf to have his friends in the capital help with the airport pick-up and to make arrangements for Macklin.
International students going to China didn’t necessarily have to adhere to the start date of the semester because foreign academic systems differ from China’s. Thus, Macklin could start her classes whenever she arrived in China.
And what’s more, Macklin had surprisingly enrolled in Traditional Chinese Medicine!
Traditional Chinese Medicine, something that even native Chinese might not fully grasp, yet Macklin had resolutely chosen to study it. Yusuf could tell this was a girl with perseverance and ambition!
The reason Maurice wanted Yusuf’s friend to pick up his daughter was self-evident: My daughter is being picked up by your friend; you should trust me now, shouldn’t you?
Indeed, Yusuf’s wariness towards Maurice had dissipated.
Once they hit the road again, Yusuf started a conversation with him, asking about the work he did for the gang.
Maurice answered, "I’m in charge of arms procurement in the black market, sort of a minor leader."
"How many people are in your gang? And who was the guy in the white robe that I killed before?"
"There are around six hundred people, inner and outer circles combined. The one before was the boss’s son."
"The boss’s son?" Yusuf nodded, no wonder.
"So if you survive, would the boss let you off?" Yusuf mused.
"I’ve raised a bunch of my guys over the past few years, nearly seventy or eighty of them, and since I’m in charge of arms procurement, the boss wouldn’t kill me easily."
"If your boss were to die, would you have a shot at becoming the boss?"
"He dies?" Maurice was momentarily stunned, then chuckled bitterly, "If sir would help me, I could become the boss."
Yusuf nodded, then thought for a moment and said, "How much does your gang make in a year?"
"It varies," Maurice replied, "It should be a few billion US dollars, perhaps even more."
"I can help you kill your boss and even help you take his place, but I want thirty percent of your gang’s annual net income," Yusuf didn’t make an outrageous demand because operating a gang also required expenditures; they earned a lot but also spent a lot.
He also didn’t ask what the gang’s main activities were — as they were certainly not on the right side of the law — so he didn’t bother asking.
"Really? Can sir truly help me? In that case... in that case, I can promise to transfer forty percent of the annual net income into sir’s name!" Maurice said excitedly.
"That’s fine, but I have one requirement: whatever illegal activities you’re involved in must have nothing to do with me, and you must not harm Chinese people anymore. Just those two things. If you can do that, we have a deal," Yusuf said.
"Rest assured, sir, it absolutely won’t happen. Moreover, if I become the boss, I will migrate my whole family to China!" Maurice laughed, "Your political system there is quite good now, and the safety of the citizens is very high. I’ve been planning on migrating there for a while, but due to various reasons, it hasn’t happened. However, now it should be feasible!"
"Hmm, things are indeed pretty good domestically. The China of today is no longer the old society of the past. But as far as I know, isn’t it hard to migrate to our country?"
"It’s indeed tough," Maurice nodded, "Perhaps due to the system, China is one of the few countries internationally with stringent immigration requirements. But it shouldn’t be a big problem. Once I take over the gang, I’ll allocate some funds for investment in your country, which should allow me to apply for the green card there, granting my family residency rights. If Macklin manages to marry a Chinese, it would be even more convenient."
Yusuf nodded, "Let’s go, back to Mexico City. After sorting out your problem, maybe I’ll be able to fly directly to Las Vegas!"
"Okay, but may I make a phone call first, sir? I need to make some arrangements," Maurice Singleton requested.
"Sure," Yusuf Zuck handed him his cell phone.
As soon as Maurice Singleton took the phone, he dialed a number, and his voice took on a cold, commanding tone, as if he were issuing orders.
After making that call, he made another, and then nodded and bowed as if he were on the phone with his boss.
"All set," Maurice Singleton said a moment later, handing the phone back to Yusuf Zuck, "I’ve arranged for my men to prepare the weapons, and I’ve informed the boss that you are in my hands."
"Oh, let’s hear the detailed plan," Yusuf Zuck said with interest.
"I told the boss that I wouldn’t be back until tonight and that I would escort you to his villa, which also serves as the gang’s headquarters. My men will be lying in ambush around the headquarters, and at my signal, they’ll storm the place."
"The boss has no idea I’m going to betray him, so there aren’t many people at the headquarters. By the time the others get the message, it’ll be too late. And if anyone resists, I’ll kill them until they’re subdued."
"And what about me?" Yusuf Zuck asked.
"Sir, you need to firstly cooperate with me and, secondly, should we encounter too much resistance, I will need you to take action. Of course, if you could intimidate the gang members with your presence, my position would be even more secure," he explained.
"I understand," Yusuf Zuck nodded. When the time came, he would just need to use his "Space Exploration" to control a dagger for killing. That would scare the gangsters to death. Chapters first released on novel·fire·net
During the day, the traffic moved swiftly on the roads of Mexico, not as congested as back home, so by the afternoon, the two quietly returned to Mexico City.
And Mexico City wasn’t panic-stricken over the deaths from the previous day. In other words, here, the death of even dozens of gang members or a couple of policemen who got what was coming to them wasn’t anything unusual. People died and nobody cared. Even the official media mentioned it only briefly: just an internal gang strife!
Maurice Singleton took Yusuf Zuck to a large warehouse in the suburbs, where quite a few people were gathered.
When Yusuf Zuck walked in, all those people raised their guns at him, but they obediently lowered their weapons when Maurice Singleton issued a cold shout.
Yusuf Zuck knew this Maurice Singleton was no ordinary figure – a man in his fifties, old but shrewd. He was probably more than just a small-time leader, likely one of the veterans within the gang.
Yusuf Zuck didn’t pay attention to what Maurice Singleton was saying but instead sat alone in a corner, sipping coffee.
People here didn’t have the habit of drinking tea; they treated coffee like tea.
Maurice Singleton seemed to be issuing a rallying order, stirring up excitement among the crowd. One by one, they brandished their guns and howled.
In this country, the force of the law was very weak!
Gradually, more people joined in. Maurice Singleton claimed there would be seventy or eighty of them, and sure enough, about an hour later, the numbers had reached just over seventy.
A loud "bang" resounded just when all were gathering and Maurice Singleton was sitting with Yusuf Zuck, drinking coffee. Suddenly, the warehouse’s large metal door was violently burst open, and a sweaty youth ran in panting.
Indeed, these gang members were not old, some were only sixteen or seventeen years old.
The youth ran up to Maurice Singleton and said something. Hearing his words, everyone’s faces turned pale, and Maurice Singleton’s complexion instantly went ashen.
"Trouble?" Yusuf Zuck raised an eyebrow.
"Hahaha..." Laughter came from outside the warehouse door, followed by a dozen gang members armed with submachine guns storming into the warehouse. Behind them was an old man with a white headband, dressed identically to the young man in a white robe whom Yusuf Zuck had killed.