Peter had a bold idea.
"We take out the Zeta Group's boss?" Frank was scared by this bold idea, and he exclaimed in astonishment, "Have you gone mad?"
Peter said with a resolute face, "I'm not crazy. Right now, the Zeta Group would never expect someone to dare to strike back at them. They must catch me, they must find out from me who killed his brother, but they'll never expect that I would strike back. With that in mind, of course, we have a chance to take him out!"
Frank fell into deep thought, then said very puzzled, "I don't understand. You're already safe now. As long as you get back to the United States, you won't have to worry about the Zeta Group hunting you down. At worst, you change your name and never come back to Tijuana, but why do you have to kill Juan? This isn't your style."
If one messed with the wrong person, the worst case was to flee far away and live under a new identity. No matter how powerful the Zeta Group was, they couldn't guarantee that they would be able to find Peter.
But now, instead of choosing the safe, simple, and inexpensive way out, Peter was determined to kill the Zeta Group's boss. If he weren't out of his mind, then there had to be some compelling reason why he had to do this.
"I can't run anymore."
Obviously, Peter had a must-kill reason for Juan, his face grim with determination, then he said with a tone filled with hatred, "They've captured my partner here, they've learned my address in the United States, and my family is no longer safe. I can abandon the investments and assets here, but I can't afford to lose my family. If Juan doesn't die, my family and I will have to live in the shadow forever. I don't want to wander with my family indefinitely, I don't want this kind of life!"
Solving the problem at its root, this idea wasn't wrong, but Gao Guang couldn't think of a reason to take the risk with Peter because the root of their trouble was Peter himself.
However, it was tricky now that Peter seemed so confident, because it was hard to guarantee he hadn't made some arrangements to ensure he wouldn't be seen as an urgent problem to be solved.
Gao Guang couldn't think of a solution, but after hearing Peter's reason, Frank said in extreme astonishment, "You have a family?"
"No shit, of course, I have a family. Who doesn't have a family?"
Frank waved his hand and said urgently, "I can't understand, you actually shared your family's information with a partner?"
Peter replied helplessly, "We've known each other for a long time. It's because the partner knew my background that he was willing to work with me."
Frank couldn't help but laugh, then he asked curiously, "Alright, for you, taking out Juan is indeed the ultimate solution, but there's one problem. Why should we bother to take out Juan with you?"
"I can't look for anyone else now, and I can't afford to pay someone to kill Juan, but you're already involved. We're in the same boat now. Let me be clear, I've already told a reliable person your identities. If I die, this person will inform the Zeta Group of your details."
Peter was blatantly acting like a scoundrel willing to drag others down with him if he was to die. He was straightforward, very frank, with a tone of resignation, "Your company is in Los Angeles, and as soon as Juan knows your name, then King's Defense Company can forget about continuing its business. Are you willing to give up everything with me? Can you afford that?"
Frank nodded and said, "Hmm, that is indeed troublesome."
Peter whispered, "So we cooperate and kill Juan. The Zeta Group's goal is to make money. No matter who takes over as boss, who would want to avenge the dead Juan?"
"Makes sense, but there's one issue. If we help you take out Juan, how much are you going to pay?"
Peter said without hesitation, "I can sell my property in the United States, that's at least half a million dollars. I also have at least half a million in assets here in Tijuana, so I can pay you one million dollars. It may take up to a month, but I can definitely provide that money."
Frank nodded and said, "Your so-called family is just an excuse. Your partner is dead, only by taking out Juan can you stay in Tijuana, and only then can you get your partner's inheritance. So this is why you absolutely have to take out Juan, right?"
Peter was silent for a moment, then he said with a dark face, "Isn't a million dollars enough?"
Frank laughed and said, "A million is a lot, but not much when it comes to taking out the Zeta Group's boss. So a million isn't enough."
Peter waved his hand and repeated, "Let me say it again, Captain, we're in the same boat now."
Frank said without hesitation, "No, we're not in the same boat, Peter. You're a middleman, and I'm a mercenary. The most important thing is, did you forget who my boss is? Buddy, my boss just retired, but his influence is still there. Moreover, my boss is willing to exert a little influence to protect his old subordinates. Even if the Zeta Group knows it was me who took out Sanchez, what can they do? Would they dare to come to the United States to trouble me? So... what makes you think you can board my ship?"
Gao Guang had been observing Peter all along and noticed the fine beads of sweat that suddenly appeared on Peter's neck.
Peter was scared. He was frightened by Frank's words.
After Frank mentioned his former boss, Peter seemed to finally realize something—that Frank had backing, while he did not, which made his tactic of dragging others down ineffective.
Frank got the result he wanted. He smiled, took his time, and said, "Show your sincerity, otherwise... heh."
Peter said without hesitation, "You get half! We'll split all the earnings. This might take a little time, but you will get at least three million dollars!"
Three million? Three million dollars? Gao Guang's heart skipped a beat.
Peter continued, "Pay attention, that's at least three million dollars! If there's more, you could get up to five million dollars. My partner had been operating in Tijuana for many years; he had a net worth of tens of millions. Moreover, after his death, I could take over the market he left behind, which is another long-term income. How about it, do you agree?"
Frank seemed to be moved, and as Rubber was about to speak, Frank extended a hand to stop him from saying anything. Then he leaned forward in his seat to look at Peter.
"It sounds fair, but we're the ones who have to do the job of killing Juan, and there's nothing you can do. We're being dragged into this by you and have to shoulder all the risk. Someone might die, no matter who it is. It's very likely that one of us will die, or even all of us might, yet you want to take half?"
Without hesitation, Peter said, "Who says I'm not doing anything? I'm the bait!"
"You're the bait?"
"Yes, I'm the bait. That's the only way to kill Juan. Captain, I'm risking my life just the same, so why shouldn't I take half?"
Frank thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright, I agree to split it evenly, but we need to discuss it. If we all agree, then this deal is considered done."
Peter let out a sigh of relief and said, "Okay."
Frank then spoke to Rubber, "Stop the car, let him out."
The car stopped, and Peter got out. As Frank watched Peter standing about ten meters away from the car, he spoke in a low voice, "What do you guys think, can we do this deal?"
John blurted out eagerly, "If we really get three million dollars, of course we can do it! With that amount of money, we can... it's enough, let's do it!"
George spoke under his breath, "I don't really trust this guy, but three million dollars, let me think, let's do it!"
Rubber also whispered, "It's dangerous, but the money is too good to resist."
After everyone had spoken, Gao Guang remained silent. John nudged him with his elbow and urged him, "Speak up, what's your opinion?"
Gao Guang looked startled, pointing to himself he said, "I need to give my opinion too?"
Frank nodded and said, "You're involved, of course, you have the right to give your opinion."
Gao Guang sighed softly and said, "I don't really know how you guys normally do this, don't know how strong the Zeta Group is, and don't know how dangerous it is to kill Juan. I don't even know what to do. My worry is, what if Juan doesn't die?"
Everyone seemed to have written Juan off as a dead man. Gao Guang was puzzled and said, "If we make our move but don't manage to kill Juan, then it's a different situation. We'd become mortal enemies with the Zeta Group, the kind where it's a fight to the death. So, what I want to know is, what if Juan doesn't die?"
John immediately said, "You don't need to worry about that."
"Oh? Why's that?"
"If we make a move and Juan doesn't die, we will have to, there's no need to worry about what comes after death."
Gao Guang was stunned for a moment, then he whispered, "Alright, then... I get a share too, right?"
Frank whispered back, "Yes, you'll get one-fifth. In this kind of mission, we split it evenly."
Gao Guang scratched his head and said, "I have another question."
Impatiently, John said, "Why so many questions?"
Frank snapped, "Bottle Cap, shut up, let him speak."
Gao Guang spoke softly, "Sorry, I want to know if Peter has to raise funds in Tijuana, if he has to liquidate his partner's estate before he can pay us, do we need to stay in Tijuana to keep an eye on him? If everything is built on trust, how good is Peter's trust? If he takes the money and runs, can we find him? Uh, actually, it boils down to one question, can we get the money?"
Caught off guard, John turned to Frank and said, "Yeah, can we get the money?"
Frank nodded and said, "You've asked a very key question. Indeed, if we do kill Juan, we can't kill Peter too if we want to secure the rest of our payment, which means he's safe. Then he'll have plenty of time and opportunity to take the money and run, and we obviously can't chase him all over the world. That's Peter's plan."
Upon hearing the conversation between Gao Guang and Frank, John looked stunned for a moment, then his shoulders slumped as he spoke dejectedly, "This is so complicated. If we can't get the money, what's the point? Maybe we should just forget it. If worse comes to worst, we could ask the boss to mediate. The Zeta Group won't insist on seeking revenge on us, right?"
Frank's face was expressionless as he said, "That was just to scare Peter, to make him think he doesn't have us under his thumb. But don't forget, the boss doesn't have any friendly relations with the Zeta Group. If the boss were to mediate, he would have to rely on someone else's connections and relationships, and what would that cost him? If it requires money, are we expecting the boss to pay for us? Besides, the boss has been retired for a long time, we can't always ask him to step in every time there's an issue."
John sighed and said, "So we're still being dragged into this by Peter, aren't we."
Frank let out a breath and said, "I have an idea, let's do this…"