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Crossing the border was easy and straightforward, only a bit more expensive, last time it was thirty thousand US dollars, this time fifty thousand US dollars. According to Frank, the former boss was too embarrassed to always trouble others and couldn't keep doing it at the friendship price.
Matt needed to be hospitalized, but despite his miserable appearance, he had no particularly serious issues. George and Rubber took Matt to a private clinic in Tijuana. After the examination, they found he only had some superficial wounds and bruises, as well as a couple of fractures, but none of it was life-threatening.
The real danger was Arturo, this unfortunate kid who looked alright on the outside, but remained unconscious. So, after crossing the border, Gao Guang and the rest had no choice but to take Arturo to the hospital for a check-up first.
But, Arturo looked like he'd been through inhumane treatment; and his mother bore injuries all over her body, wrist imprinted with marks from being tightly bound, especially several bruises on her face that made it clear she'd suffered abuse.
With Arturo and his mother's condition, it was almost certain the hospital would call the police, but Gao Guang and John didn't want to have any dealings with the cops, so they could only let Arturo and his mother go to the hospital on their own, or choose to take Arturo to a clinic that wouldn't alert the authorities.
Where there's a need, there's a supply. San Diego had no shortage of under-the-table clinics catering specifically to drug traffickers and smugglers, and the quality of this particular clinic was actually quite high, as it was recommended by the people who had arranged their border crossing.
Frank, with his car full of combat gear, left first. The task of getting Arturo medical attention fell on Gao Guang and John.
The black clinic wasn't big, and from the outside, it looked like a plain private practice with one doctor, two male nurses, and a female nurse. But they were all efficient in their movements and showed no surprise at Arturo and his mother's condition, with no intention of calling the police.
The doctor, a middle-aged man in his forties, was clearly Mexican, and after only a glance at Arturo and a few listens with a stethoscope over his lungs, he immediately said in Spanish, "What happened to him?"
Arturo's mother, tearful but not crying, quickly responded to the doctor's question, "His ribs were already fractured, and then someone hit him in the chest, and he began coughing up blood. Today, they covered his face with a cloth and poured water over him... until he stopped struggling."
The doctor grimly said, "Rib fractures and water torture? High probability of a punctured lung, and clear symptoms of pleural effusion. The situation is very dangerous. We can only perform an X-ray here, we can't do a CT scan. You could go to the University of California San Diego Medical Center, which has one of the top respiratory centers in the United States, and they have better medical facilities and a higher level of medical care. If you stay here, you need to pay twenty thousand US dollars upfront. I can't guarantee we can save him, but I can arrange for surgery right away."
After speaking, the doctor glanced at the clock on the wall and continued expressionlessly, "Also, I must warn you, he doesn't have much time left."
If there's not much time, why all the nonsense?
Arturo's mother didn't hesitate, she immediately said, "Please save my son, treat him here!"
The doctor continued without expression, "Twenty thousand US dollars upfront, with possible additional costs to follow. Payment must be made first."
Arturo's mother was stunned. She looked at Gao Guang with pleading eyes and whispered, "Please lend me the money, I swear I'll pay it back. Help us, please."
This was to be expected, as Arturo and his mother had just been rescued, they couldn't possibly have any money on them. What they hadn't anticipated was how expensive the black clinic's commission would be; they demanded twenty thousand US dollars upfront.
Gao Guang could only look to John and whispered, "Twenty thousand US dollars, needed upfront."
John, cursing under his breath, pulled out a wad of cash and said irritably, "Pay them, quickly, save him."
The doctor swiftly confirmed that they had the money, directed the assistants, "Take him to get an X-ray, go collect the payment."
The female nurse said to John, "Twenty thousand US dollars, just give it to me, please come this way."
Although the clinic was on the United States side, the doctor and nurses were all of Mexican descent, and they all spoke Spanish, so there was no need for Gao Guang to stay and translate. It was fine to have Arturo's mother stay and watch over her son.
Leaving the oppressive atmosphere of the emergency room, Gao Guang took a long breath and muttered, "Let's hope Arturo can make it."
"He has to make it. We haven't seen the five hundred thousand US dollars yet. First, we've advanced twenty thousand, and if he dies, it's going to complicate our money situation."
After saying this resentfully, John turned to Gao Guang and said, "The Kung Fu you used today..."
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"You guys were incredible today, just three of you stormed into Juan's lair and killed at least a dozen people, and you all came out without a scratch, impressive!"
Gao Guang cut off John before he could speak, but John sneered dismissively and said, "What's so great about that? We've been through much tougher battles."
There were some questions that were difficult to voice, but Gao Guang was bursting to ask. After weighing his words carefully, he cautiously asked, "Why did Wild Bull die at the hands of Sanchez's bodyguard while our operation today went so smoothly? Tonight's action was supposed to be more dangerous than the last one, right?"
John shook his head and answered, "Wrong, hostage rescue operations are always the most dangerous because you have to ensure the safety of the hostages. Last time we could only get as close to the target as possible and then launch the attack. We weren't careless, but Sanchez's bodyguard was indeed a very skilled and dedicated protector, plus the penetrating power of the MP7 rounds is strong, helmets can't stop them, that's why Wild Bull died."
Knowing that Gao Guang was a Rookie, John felt he needed to explain more clearly. He sighed and continued, "Also, last time we used equipment provided by Peter. There was nothing wrong with the equipment; the problem was the lack of heavy firepower. To ensure the safety of the hostages, we couldn't launch a rocket attack first as we did today, nor could we throw a few grenades before entering. We had to engage in a direct gunfight with the kidnappers, so... it's quite normal for someone to die in any hostage rescue operation."
Gao Guang nodded and said, "I see, so that's the difference between a hostage rescue operation and an assault operation."
John nodded slightly, with a hint of helplessness, "Being ex-military combat unit veterans, totally obliterating a target is what we do, and wiping out everyone in a house is also within our capabilities. But we're not professionals at hostage rescue. Wild Bull was an exceptional assaulter. He had been through dozens of indoor battles. It's unbelievable that he died by the hands of a drug dealer, and for a mere twenty thousand... "
After finishing with a look of unwillingness, John sighed deeply. Then, suddenly he said, "Speaking of which, ever since we rescued you, our financial luck seems to have improved. Just today we earned two million, that's more than we've made in the past two years. Earning money as a legitimate PMC isn't easy. F*ck, no, special missions like this bring in money fast."
John was getting excited. He patted Gao Guang on the shoulder and said, "You're really a lucky guy, lucky to have been rescued by us, lucky to have found a job, and now you get to share in several hundred thousand US dollars just by showing up. F*ck! I worked for years and didn't make that much. Saving money is so hard. You're one lucky bastard. Speaking of money, we're getting the cash from Arturo, right?"
Gao Guang was about to speak when he saw Arturo's mother come out of the clinic and head straight for him and John.
"Has Arturo's surgery started?"
Arturo's mother hugged Gao Guang and said with a sob, "The surgery has started, thank you, thank you all, you've saved Arturo twice, God bless you."
Gao Guang gently embraced Arturo's mother and whispered, "He'll be fine, ma'am. How should I address you?"
"My name is Maria."
Letting go of Gao Guang, Maria wiped the tears from her face, nodded towards John, and then immediately said to Gao Guang, "I will change the money I owe you, and I'll also pay you five hundred thousand. I should have left Tijuana a long time ago, but my husband's business was all here; I couldn't bear to abandon what he had left. I wanted Arturo to take over his father's business when he grew up, but now I see how stupid that thought was. We're going to Los Angeles. Please give me some time; I can get you the five hundred and twenty thousand US dollars tomorrow!"
Maria rambled on, and John, impatient on the side, waited for Maria to finish before he immediately asked in a low voice, "What is she saying? Did she mention the money?"
Gao Guang nodded and replied, "She said she can give us the money tomorrow."
John's furrowed brow relaxed, and he said with satisfaction, "Good, considering the five hundred thousand US dollars, console this lady well, and keep her company."
Maria glanced at John and then continued to Gao Guang, "We're going to Los Angeles. I want to buy a house where we have relatives. No matter what, I'm not coming back to Tijuana. It's too terrible... my husband died, and my son almost died too. Do you think the kidnappers will be able to find us if we move to Los Angeles?"
All Gao Guang could say was, "You'll be safe in Los Angeles, the kidnappers won't be able to find you."
John made a gesture and whispered, "Our financier needs some psychological support. Have a good chat with her. We'll discuss the Kung Fu issue later, no, tomorrow. We'll have a sparring session tomorrow, alright. You're busy now, don't worry about security, I'll be on the lookout, trust me, I'm good at that."
Gao Guang desperately tried to change the subject, but it still came back to Kung Fu. With resignation, he said, "Are we going to spar tomorrow?"
"Why not? It won't take much time. Alright, I won't disturb you any longer. I'm off to keep watch."
Pointing at Gao Guang, John moved aside and then suddenly turned back and said, "Oh, and one more thing, I made a bet with Rubber. I bet you can beat him. Don't let me down."