Chapter 17: Brave Onward

Getting from the United States to Mexico was convenient; the car simply drove past the border inspection station without anyone checking, without the need to slow down or stop.

However, the issue now was how Arthur would return to the United States from Mexico.

Last time, he managed to cross the border from Mexico because Frank sought help from his former boss and paid some money to facilitate Arthur's passage.

But this time, Frank and the others didn't even mention how Arthur would return. Arthur himself didn't bring up the topic either because he had already made up his mind. If he couldn't go back to the United States with Frank and the others, he would immediately buy a plane ticket and return home as quickly as possible.

The original destination was Mexico anyway. It's just that he experienced a lot along the way and took a stroll in the United States. If he couldn't stay or become a PMC, it didn't matter. Arthur would just consider the trip over and wait for more opportunities in the future. There was no rush at the moment.

Frank and the others had a clear goal, which was to find the middleman Peter and eliminate him to prevent any future trouble, regardless of how much money he could offer.

But the problem now was that they couldn't reach the middleman by phone anymore.

It took nearly five hours to travel from Los Angeles to Tijuana, which was already quite fast. Moreover, they had been in contact halfway through the journey. The last call was an hour ago. However, when they arrived in Tijuana, they suddenly lost contact with the middleman.

Without being able to reach the middleman, all plans were off the table.

The atmosphere in the car was already heavy, and now it felt like the air had frozen.

"Can't get through." Frank put away his phone, his face gloomy. "Tijuana is too big. We can't possibly find him. If he doesn't contact us voluntarily, then we'll have to leave."

John whispered, "Could it be that the Seta Group's people got to him first? If that's the case, we might avoid some trouble."

Frank pondered for a long time, then said helplessly, "Peter is not someone who would rather die than be captured. He doesn't dare to take matters into his own hands. If the Seta Group finds him, he's most likely captured alive, not killed or forced to commit suicide."

Arthur wanted to contribute, but after much thought, he realized that without any intelligence, there was simply no way to break the current situation.

Finally, Arthur voiced his concerns.

"What if the middleman has already fallen into the hands of the Seta Group? His phone shouldn't be turned off. Instead, he should tell us where he is, and then wait for us to take the bait. After all, it's much simpler for them to eliminate us in Mexico than in the United States."

Everyone fell into silence, and after long contemplation, Frank finally said, "That's a possibility, but based on the Seta Group's previous modus operandi, if they already know our identities, they should come to Los Angeles to eliminate us."

"But the Seta Group is different now from before. In the past, the Seta Group was powerful, but now, it's split, with its territory significantly reduced and less manpower. So if they think they can't act in Los Angeles?" John whispered.

"If the middleman has fallen into their hands, his phone shouldn't be turned off. Instead, he should tell us where he is and wait for us to take the bait," George whispered.

"Yeah, that makes sense!" George's words excited Frank. He exclaimed, "You're right. The fact that the middleman's phone is turned off proves that he's not intentionally luring us here."

This conversation confirmed something for Arthur: Frank wasn't particularly intelligent or the type to plan meticulously.

And Arthur himself couldn't come up with a three-step plan. So even though he wanted to contribute, he couldn't think of any solutions.

So, the moment of joy was short-lived, and soon everyone returned to their helpless gazes at each other.

"We can only wait for the middleman's call."

In the end, Frank reluctantly spoke the truth. Then he checked his watch and said quietly, "I'm very hungry. Let's eat something first. It's two thirty now. If by four o'clock, or after we finish eating, the middleman still hasn't contacted us, then we'll leave directly."

Frank wasn't a person full of strategic plans, but at least he was decisive.

"What should we eat?"

"Tacos, quick and simple."

"Okay, let's have tacos."

The topic quickly shifted from dealing with a life-threatening crisis to what to eat. This surprised Arthur a bit, but considering there were no other options, filling one's stomach was always a good idea.

Taco can be considered Mexico's national snack, with taco stands everywhere. After deciding on their meal, they almost immediately saw a taco stand.

Rubber parked the car next to the stand, and naturally, Arthur, the only one who spoke Spanish, got out to buy tacos.

Since it was past mealtime, the stand owner wasn't busy. When Arthur got out of the car and stood by the stand before he could even say anything, the people in the car had already started ordering.

"I'll have one chicken, one beef, no onions, extra pickles."

"I'll have three beef, extra hot sauce."

"Ask the boss what his specialty taco is, and if he has any with minced meat."

Arthur was surprised that these people could think about what to eat at such a tense moment. But since they made their requests, he acted as a qualified translator and runner.

The stall owner began making the tacos, and Arthur stood by, waiting. After the first taco was made, he took it and placed it by the car window. "The beef one without onions."

Frank took it, handed it to Rubber, and just then, Frank's phone rang.

After looking at the caller ID, Frank hurriedly answered the phone and immediately became furious. "What's wrong with you? Why couldn't I reach you?"

Not knowing what was said on the other end, but after a burst of angry words, Frank immediately turned to Arthur outside the car and said urgently, "Get in the car and let's go! Quick!"

Arthur had just received the second taco and, upon hearing Frank's urgent call, rushed into the car. Meanwhile, the stall owner, who was still making tacos, shouted, "You haven't paid yet! You can't leave; you haven't paid!"

Arthur quickly searched his pockets, but Rubber had already taken out a twenty-dollar bill and thrown it out of the car window. At the same time, he snatched the taco from Arthur's hand. "I'm paying, so I'm eating."

At this moment, still able to think about snatching food, Arthur felt enlightened.

While Frank was still on the phone, he made a gesture not to make a sound and then switched the call to speakerphone.

"I was hiding in the tunnel just now. They searched for a long time. I don't know if they've left, but I must have been betrayed by the Mexican partners; otherwise, they wouldn't have found this place so quickly. You have to save me. I'll pay $500,000. I have property in the United States; I'll sell it to pay you. You have to save me!"

"Then tell me your address quickly! Idiot, tell me where you are!"

"At the south side of Aikovario Hotel, there's a Paquiao car repair shop. South of the repair shop, there's a taco restaurant. I escaped from the repair shop's tunnel to the backyard of the restaurant, but there were people outside. I'm trapped here. If they find the tunnel and come over, then... Damn it, I have to hang up; you'd better hurry."

The voice grew lower and lower, and then the call was hung up. After the call ended, the car was filled with John's chewing sound.

Frank scratched his head, looking annoyed. "Quick, navigate to that Aikovario Hotel!"

George was already navigating. "Eight kilometers away, twenty minutes."

The navigation started, and Rubber turned the car around, accelerating in the direction given by the navigation.

John finally finished his taco, licked his lips, and after throwing the wrapper out of the window, he said calmly, "Still not full. So, what do we do after we get there? Rescue him from the Seta Group's men and then kill him with a shot?"

Frank shook his head and sighed, "That's too risky. We need to stop further away and assess the situation before deciding what to do."

Arthur was puzzled, and he felt it was important to clarify since it involved his life.

"Do we have to fight the drug dealers in broad daylight on the streets of Tijuana? Even if we manage to kill all the drug dealers, won't the Mexican police do anything?"

Arthur wasn't very afraid of fighting drug dealers; he was worried about what to do after the fight.

This question once again stumped Frank and the others. After a moment, Frank finally said helplessly, "This is the biggest problem, but for now, we can only take it step by step and see how things develop."

John, on the other hand, looked at Arthur and asked, "Do you have any good ideas?"

Now was not the time to be modest. Dealing with these foreigners required being direct, so Arthur didn't hesitate to say, "Since our goal is to eliminate the middleman, we can observe from a distance. If the middleman is killed by the drug dealers, then we don't have to do anything. That's the best outcome. If the middleman is captured alive by the drug dealers, then we can just kill the middleman. Although we still need to adapt to the situation, it's much safer than rushing in to snatch him."

Arthur didn't think his idea was particularly good, but after he finished speaking, Frank immediately said, "Good idea! Let's do that! We need someone to get close to the taco restaurant to observe. Who's suitable?"

Everyone's eyes turned to Arthur simultaneously, and Arthur immediately realized that his idea seemed to have backfired on him.

If there was a language barrier, a lot of dangerous information might be missed. So, the fact that he could speak Spanish meant that Arthur was the only suitable candidate to approach and gather information.

Sure enough, Frank said seriously, "Only you can get close to observe. Don't worry; we won't let you go for nothing. If you do well, I'll take care of your passport problem."

John patted Arthur's shoulder and said encouragingly, "Go ahead! Don't worry, I'll protect you."