Chapter 438: Worry About What’s In Front Of Us
"Sir."
Gustav glanced toward the back seat, where Lucian sat staring out the window.
His expression remained unchanged.
No one would ever guess that Lucian was still undergoing treatment. His complexion was far better than it had been in previous years. If anything, he looked as though he had fully recovered.
"I received a report," Gustav said. "Here."
He handed Lucian a tablet.
Lucian took it and casually lowered his gaze to the screen. His brows rose slightly as he read the first report.
"It seems the Di Carpios are under attack," Gustav remarked. "Five of their major money trees were burned to the ground. The operators and the people working under them were also targeted. The estimated loss is around a billion... or more."
Gustav paused.
"I’m only bringing this up because the Di Carpios might ask Dominion for assistance. And the Madam..." His voice trailed off when he noticed the corners of Lucian’s eyes crinkle slightly.
Deep lines appeared on Gustav’s face as he studied his boss.
"Let them be," Lucian said, handing the tablet back to him. "The Di Carpios are considered the second largest on the continent."
"But your wife—"
"Don’t worry about her." Lucian cut him off just as their vehicle came to a stop. "Worry about what we have in front of us."
At that moment, the door beside Lucian opened from the outside.
Gustav huffed and nodded, reminding himself that they had other things to worry about.
Lucian stepped out. He straightened his back and stared sharply at the grand entrance of the High Chamber.
As Lucian walked toward it, Gustav and several of his men followed closely behind.
After all, this hadn’t been part of their plan tonight.
They were supposed to stay with Liza.
However, while Lucian was at the funeral accompanying her, a bad feeling had settled in his gut.
His wife had already blown the horn. So, Lucian couldn’t wait until tomorrow to make his move. Not after realizing Memphis might be working with someone else.
******
Meanwhile...
The rendezvous point for Ashley’s team was a beach house in a country close to all five target locations.
The house sat directly on the edge of a cliff, giving the property an added sense of privacy.
The first to arrive were Khan and Warriyo, who had completed their mission almost immediately. It had only taken them a few minutes to take out their target in one go.
The second pair to arrive was Rum and Gin.
Their mission had been a success. However, that success almost became irrelevant the moment Khan and Warriyo saw Rum.
The man was glowing. He looked as though he had just fallen in love.
Rum couldn’t stop smiling or talking about their mission.
"All that pent-up energy... Whoa! The best!"
Rum laughed as he grabbed a bottle of beer from the fridge and raised it toward Khan and Warriyo, who were idling by the bar counter.
Gin shook his head and dragged himself toward the deck connected to the kitchen.
"Goodness," he muttered.
Exhausted, he slumped into a chair.
Warriyo, carrying a carton of milk, placed it on the table before sitting across from him.
"Why do you look so depressed?" Warriyo asked.
Gin glanced up at him before his gaze landed on the milk.
"Thanks." Clicking his tongue, Gin straightened in his seat. "Working with Rum is like working with a vampire. He drains you completely."
"And why is that?"
Curious, Khan stepped onto the deck as well. He sat farther away and lit a cigarette.
"Gin is just being overly dramatic." Rum followed them outside when he realized everyone had gathered there instead of listening to him brag. "He didn’t even fight!"
"I didn’t need to fight to get tired!" Gin glared at him. "Did you forget what you did?!"
"Uh, I beat their asses?"
Gin scoffed, then whipped his head toward Warriyo.
"This guy—the Madam said to do it quick! Quick and clean!" Gin pointed accusingly at Rum. "Did he do it quickly? No! He took his precious time and made a complete mess! I had to clean up after him!"
What Gin meant was that Rum had fought almost everyone inside the facility he infiltrated. But because he was alone, one person had nearly escaped.
Rum had to chase him.
Sure, he eventually caught the man.
But Rum’s face would’ve been plastered everywhere if Gin hadn’t manipulated every CCTV camera along the road. Otherwise, Rum would’ve already been arrested.
"Oh, come on!" Rum dragged a chair over and sat down, grinning at Gin. "Gin, this is exactly why you’re my partner. You’re the best!"
Gin deadpanned. "I’m the best because if you were partnered with anyone else, you wouldn’t even dare pull this shit."
"That’s not true!"
"When have you ever done this while working with Red or Tank?"
Gin sighed before looking at Warriyo and then Khan.
The two, who clearly didn’t suffer from the same problem as Gin, merely shrugged and shook their heads.
Meanwhile, Rum chuckled and chugged his beer.
"What’s taking them so long?" Warriyo wondered, looking out from the deck. "Did something go wrong?"
"Don’t worry about them." Rum waved dismissively. "If we succeeded, they’ll be fine."
Then he paused as he realized Warriyo wasn’t talking about Red, Vodka, Tank, or Ashley.
"Don’t worry about Rus and Nelek," Khan said. He puffed smoke into the air, keeping his gaze ahead. "Nelek and Rus work better together."
In their group, Rus and Nelek were the main fighters.
Khan was the brain, while Warriyo mostly handled support.
Although Nelek and Rus were still training under Red to hone their skills, Khan believed in them.
"They’ll be..." Khan’s voice trailed off.
He stretched his neck slightly when he spotted a small boat making its way toward the shore. He narrowed his eyes before a satisfied smile appeared on his face when he recognized the people aboard.
"Never mind," he said.
Khan rose to his feet and approached the wooden railing. "They’re here."
Warriyo immediately jumped from his seat and rushed to stand beside him.
"Nelek! Rus!" He shouted to get their attention before grinning widely.
Rum and Gin studied the two men standing by the railing.
Rum chuckled. He raised his bottle and made a passing comment before taking another mouthful.
"Just look at them. They look so relieved."
Gin smiled as he watched Khan and Warriyo. He lifted his carton of milk.
"I guess they’re still not used to working separately."
Even so, Gin could clearly see how Khan acted like an older brother to the other three.
No wonder they followed him everywhere.
Khan might act cool and composed, but it was obvious he’d been worried before Nelek and Rus arrived.
The thought made Gin wonder...
"Do you think Red ever worries about us?"
"Don’t dream." Rum scoffed. "That guy’s gonna kill us if we die on a mission."
Gin thought about it. Then he nodded.
"You’re right. He’d probably risk his life retrieving our bodies just so he could kill us again."
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