Frank's eyes were very red; he was exhausted and sleepy, but after getting used to this kind of life, he could stay up another twenty-four hours without a problem.
"How did the surveillance go?"
John, who had just entered, didn't answer Frank. He went straight to the fridge, grabbed a can of Coke, and guzzled it down in one go.
After a loud belch, John took out a second can of Coke, opened it, and stood by the fridge, drinking half the can in one gulp.
Rubber said impatiently, "We're all waiting for your surveillance results, what's the deal with that kid?"
Frank frowned, squinting his bloodshot eyes, "Did something disturb you? Hadn't you quit drinking Coke? Why have you started drinking it again?"
John, holding the half-finished can of Coke, sat down on the sofa with a sigh. He took a deep breath and then slowly said, "I lost to that kid; a Smith & Wesson 1911, one thousand six hundred US dollars, Captain, you'll have to cover this."
Frank frowned, "What happened?"
John seemed like he was about to speak but then shut his mouth, thought for a moment, opened his mouth again, only to close it once more.
Rubber angrily said, "Speak up, are you dumb?"
"I am indeed a bit... uh, I need to organize my words. How about we first talk about Wild Bull, how is he? Can he be buried normally?"
Frank shook his head, speaking in a low voice, "It's troublesome, hard to produce a normal death certificate. If we bribe the coroner to falsify the cause of death, it will cost at least twenty thousand US dollars. The number of hoops to jump through is too many. Wild Bull had no insurance, no inheritance to speak of, and faking a normal death certificate doesn't make much sense. We all think it's better to hand over this money to his mom than to use it on a fake death certificate."
John let out a sigh, "Can we get in touch with his mother?"
Frank nodded, "I have her phone number and address."
"When is the burial?"
Rubber interjected, "We bought a plot in a private cemetery. Wild Bull can be buried there, but there can be no funeral and no ceremonies. So we didn't wait for you; we buried him today."
John frowned, "I wanted to attend the funeral."
"I told you, there is no funeral."
Impatiently having said that, Rubber waved his hand, "Now tell us your surveillance results, what's the deal with that kid."
John said gloomily, "Wild Bull died just like that; no funeral, no memorial service, no relatives, no friends, no wife, no children. You three just found a random place and buried him. Don't you... have any thoughts about this?"
Rubber spoke softly, "At least he had a coffin, a priest to pray over him, and a plot of land. What more do you want?"
The Captain sighed, speaking softly, "Yeah, at least we buried him. For a mercenary, Wild Bull's end was quite decent."
John made the sign of the cross over his chest and murmured a prayer. Looking up, he said, "So how much money are we giving to Wild Bull?"
Frank spoke softly, "The commission for this job was seventy thousand, but the middleman waived his cut, so we get a hundred thousand. Plus, the middleman's compensation of another hundred thousand means we each can take forty thousand."
John, clearly impatient, said, "Just give me the answer, don't make me do math."
After thinking a bit, Frank said, "Each of us takes ten thousand; the rest of the money, after all expenses are deducted, about one hundred twenty thousand, goes to Wild Bull's mom."
John nodded, waving his hand, "I can live with that, does Stingy agree?"
Rubber frowned, "Of course Stingy agrees, hey, stop calling George Stingy."
John took a sip of his Coke, then said, filled with dejection, "If Wild Bull hadn't died, we would have only gotten fourteen thousand US dollars each. Just for this little amount of money, Wild Bull lost his life. Now he can get over a hundred thousand, but what's the point?"
The three men fell into silence. After a long while, Rubber suddenly said, "Hey, we didn't come back overnight to discuss the miserable life of a mercenary with you. We're still waiting for your answer, what's the deal with that kid? Why did you lose a gun to him?"
John shrugged, his face filled with sorrow, "Uhm, it's complicated. First of all, I think he is still very... very... very..."
"Very what? Have you really gone dumb?"
Rubber was dissatisfied, but Frank looked puzzled, "Did something disturb you?"
John took a deep breath and then said with a serious face, "I think it's necessary to look into it further. As of now, I can't decide whether he is fit to join us."
Frank frowned and said, "All right, be specific, what's his attitude towards money like?"
"Of course, he loves money. He was very reluctant when buying clothes; I could tell. Simply put, he's a pauper, and that much I'm certain of."
Frank let out a sigh of relief and asked, "Does he have any bad habits? He doesn't seem to have any from his appearance. Have you probed him on this?"
"Yes, he smokes. I asked him if he wanted to try something stronger; there's legal stuff you can buy. He refused me with extreme determination. I asked if he wanted to go to Las Vegas and gamble a bet, turn five thousand US dollars into ten thousand; he fearfully refused me and said he never gambles."
Frank nodded with satisfaction and said, "That's good, continue."
John said absently, "I paid one thousand five hundred eighty-four US dollars for him, and he immediately gave me one thousand six hundred. From this perspective, he seems quite sensible, then he was very polite, um, not the type of impetuous and jumpy young man."
Frank nodded again and asked, "So after he got a windfall, did he buy any luxury items or anything like that?"
"No, just necessities. When shopping for groceries, he also chose the cheaper options. Overall, he's just a pauper who hasn't seen big money."
"I trust your judgment. Handing him over to you, I'm at ease," Frank said earnestly. "We've all seen his performance; he's very calm under extremely adverse conditions, has courage, but most importantly, he has brains, guys, he's a talent. Even though he hasn't received military training, he is still the kind of person we need."
John raised his hand and then said with a wooden face, "Speaking of which, I have to interrupt here. What if the kid lied?"
Frank's eyebrows twitched as he said, "Lied? Explain."
John gulped down his coke, crushed the can with a crackling sound, and then said with a wooden face, "He claims to have no military experience, no military training, but haven't you guys noticed the key point? I lost a gun bet to him. I've mentioned it twice already!"
Rubber said in astonishment, "I see why you look like you've been beaten up. I thought it was your Kung Fu dreams shattered, but what you mean is, he defeated you in shooting?"
Frank also asked very seriously, "I too thought it was a Kung Fu issue, but you're talking about shooting. Tell me in detail."
John said with a wooden face, "He shot the full package at the club next door. First time firing a gun, ten-meter target, ten bullets, scored eighty-six rings."
Rubber snorted and said, "Anyone can do that, even for a first-time shooter it's nothing."
"Then I had him shoot a twenty-five-meter target, and he still did well."
Frank asked with a puzzled face, "Well for a novice or what? Did you guys compete?"
John tugged at his ear, scratched his neck, and then said uncomfortably, "We didn't compete, but he shot better than me…"
Rubber's face first showed astonishment, then he switched to a disdainful smile.
Frank, however, said quietly, "That's not right. If he shot better than you, then it's impossible that he's never fired a gun before. It's very difficult for someone to hide their habits while shooting; he can hide his true ability, but it's hard for him to change his shooting habits!"
John coughed lightly and said, "Listen to me, he knows almost all handguns, I mean all brands and models, some of which even I don't recognize. How could a Huaxia person know more than me?"
"Right, there's a problem," Frank said gravely. "But... if he wanted to hide something, it seems he shouldn't be so eager to show off, right?"
John continued, "After shooting the large caliber, he switched to shooting with his left hand, and then he… he… he just flicked his hand and shot three bull's-eyes while swinging his hand, using his left hand."
Frank opened his mouth slightly, and Rubber, after imitating John's gesture a few times, said in astonishment, "Shoot like that? Are you joking?"
John swallowed and said, "That's why I made a bet with him, betting he couldn't shoot three bull's-eyes again; then, then..."
"Well, spit it out, have you turned dumb?"
John sighed lightly and said, "Then he scored with the target. He fired eight shots, three bull's-eyes, five misses. Guys, he was showing off to me, playing with me, embarrassing me!"
"Still shooting while flicking like that? Can you even score with that kind of shooting?" Frank, also swaying his left arm and then asking in disbelief, said confusedly, "But why would he do that?"
John exhaled, looking dazed and said, "I don't know. I've begun to doubt my judgment. He seems very familiar with all kinds of guns and knows how to use them all. He's also very knowledgeable about the shooting rules, but I can see the thrill he gets from picking up a new gun is genuine, even a bit reverent. Yet… his shooting doesn't look like a beginner's. I don't know anymore; I can't make a judgment. That's why I said I'll take him to shoot a rifle tomorrow; that's the plan, Captain. You've got to give me the money for the rifle; at least you have to split it with me."
Frank didn't pay attention to John. He said with a serious face, "The reason for this situation is simple; he might have only shot Huaxia guns before and never any others, so he would be excited and even reverent. Tomorrow we'll test him with a rifle, uh, what is the standard service rifle of Huaxia? We have to search for it overnight, make calls, ask which range has Huaxia guns available for use, let's start searching now!"