Ultimate Firepower
Chapter 291 - 277 Call me Big Brother

Chapter 291: Chapter 277 Call me Big Brother

Talking big gets you nowhere, action does.

A few people disembarked from the ambulance, and the vehicle drove away, but this was merely the beginning—if it could even be called that. They were far from completely safe.

At this point, it was Gao Yi’s turn to show Khalid what generosity meant, what timely aid was.

Gao Yi sat down, while Lucy stood nervously beside him, and Luca’s face clouded over; he was loath to spend money, but at least he wasn’t the sort to die before parting with his wealth.

"Do you have an account? Can you receive money? I can’t possibly hand you a bundle of cash. The best solution is to have an account that’s secure yet accessible here in Tripoli, one that can receive money."

Luca’s tone was less than friendly. He had tried hard to match Gao Yi’s extravagant demeanor, but his inherent love for money prevented him from truly exuding the same air as Gao Yi.

Khalid was out of his element with this situation.

A lifetime of hardship, never did he hear such talk.

Risking life over disputes, willing to let go of life but not fortune, yet here he was, being offered money right off the bat.

Khalid was stunned for a good while before finally saying, "I have an account. It’s the company account of Ziyad Carpet Factory. It can accept foreign funds, but not too large a sum; it could... it could... expose us."

Khalid spoke hesitantly, seeing a large sum about to come in but not daring to accept it fully, which made him uneasy.

Should he just take the money and see?

Just as the thought crossed Khalid’s mind, Luca, with a stern face, said, "Then that account isn’t secure enough. But your company account can receive money, and you can withdraw cash from it at a bank in Tripoli, correct?"

"Yes."

Luca raised a hand, and with a hint of impatience, said, "Alright, I’ll give you a secure foreign account. It contains a safe fund of five million dollars. This account will be under your control; you can transfer money from it to your company account whenever you wish."

As Luca spoke, he took out a pen and pulled a small notebook from his pocket, starting to write in it.

A series of numbers followed by letters and digits. Once he was done, Luca tore the paper out and handed it to Khalid, saying, "The top part is the account, the bottom is the password. It’s a Swiss Bank account. The bank is still reliable for now, but that will change soon, so you’d best transfer the funds gradually within two years. Of course, such small change will be spent quickly; perhaps you needn’t worry about these issues."

Luca’s movements resembled writing a check, yet all he had written was a slip of paper.

Khalid received the slip, dumbfounded. He looked at it for a moment before suddenly asking, "This is the five million?"

Luca replied expressionlessly, "Do you have a phone with internet access? If so, I’ll show you how to operate."

It wasn’t that Khalid didn’t believe he had received five million, but rather he couldn’t believe how easily it had come his way. Luca had to teach him how to download a mobile banking app, how to access the online account, and then how to transfer twenty thousand dollars from the account now belonging to Khalid to his company account.

The entire process took about five minutes, and all the while, Joelson lay on the side, ignored.

Gao Yi impatiently said, "Not done yet? Must you be so cautious?"

Truth be told, Gao Yi understood Khalid’s reticence; had he himself encountered someone who’d flung five million his way with a mere gesture, he too would have been suspicious.

Khalid pulled aside one of his men and whispered something in his ear; then, the subordinate quickly ran out.

At that moment Khalid, with a grave expression, told Gao Yi, "If you’re playing me, you will die miserably. Now..."

After a slight moment of thought, Khalid, as if making a tough decision, issued a series of commands. Soon after, a few men carried the unconscious Joelson and helped the injured Feng Biao and others through a small door at the carpet shop, entering the factory area behind it.

The so-called factory area was in fact a small workshop. A few unfinished carpet pieces hung there, and a subordinate lifted a carpet from the floor to reveal a wooden panel beneath. The panel was lifted to unveil a fairly large entrance to an underground hole.

Down the tunnel, the passage was quite spacious. A few steps led to a wooden ladder ascending. With some difficulty, the men carried Joelson up, followed by those who had to make their way out of the tunnel, arriving at a modest, yet tidy cabin.

The cabin was a bit crowded with so many people inside, but after Khalid sternly gave a few orders, the door to the main room was opened, revealing several similarly structured small chambers on the side.

"This is our last refuge, our headquarters. Your arrival may expose our base, and I don’t know how long before someone will find this place."

Khalid’s tone was unfriendly as he spoke, clearly irritated by the forced exposure of his lair.

After a brief talk, a man around fifty was brought into the cabin, lugging a very old-fashioned medical kit; it seemed that this was the doctor.

Khalid started speaking to the doctor, his respect for the man apparent.

The doctor crouched to examine the bloody Joelson. He opened his case and took out a pair of scissors, quickly cutting open Joelson’s trouser leg to assess the wound, then looked up to speak.

The language was Arabic, incomprehensible to the others.

Khalid’s complexion was difficult to look at, as he glanced at Gao Yi, seemingly caught in hesitation.

Gao Yi could not hold back, "What’s the problem? His injury isn’t that severe, right? Why can’t he be saved?"

Khalid spoke softly, "He can, but it would require a lot of medicine, and our medicines are very precious."

Gao Yi looked incredulous and blurted out, "Precious medicines? Just buy them!"

Khalid looked at him as if he were an idiot but, remembering that this idiot could be a major sponsor, he ultimately had to suppress his anger and muttered, "The medicines are controlled, we are always being tracked. If we purchase the drugs and equipment needed for surgery, it could lead to our discovery."

Gao Yi said helplessly, "Now you’ll be exposed whether you buy them or not. Hurry up and save him; whatever you need, I’ll give it to you."

Fear of poverty had become a habit, and it remained uncertain whether the five million was real. Even if it was confirmed, the ingrained habit of frugality wouldn’t change overnight.

But saving a life was indeed the utmost priority now. Taking a breath, Khalid said to the doctor, "Save him, there’s no need to skimp on the medicine."

Khalid spoke in English, mainly for Gao Yi to hear.

To his surprise, the doctor also understood and immediately responded, "Okay, we have enough anesthetics, and there are enough antibiotics, but after using them on him, we won’t have enough left to support another major surgery."

The doctor habitually reported the situation to Khalid, then turned to a few people beside him and instructed, "Take him to the operating room."

Four people lifted Joelson up and carried him to the next room. Gao Yi couldn’t be bothered to watch and turned to Khalid, "Is your situation really that tough, lacking even the most basic medicines? Hmm, what’s the quality of your doctors? If they’re not good enough, find the best you can."

Khalid rotated his head, annoyed, and retorted, "Our doctor is Syrian. He’s the best surgeon in Syria and a senior doctor who studied in the UK. He’s very good, we don’t need to look for another doctor."

After saying that, Khalid couldn’t help but look at Gao Yi again and demanded, "Who on earth are you? How did you find me, and what trouble have you stirred up?"

"Don’t ask about my background right now. Just remember one thing. If you need money, I’ll give you money. If you need medicines, I’ll give you medicines. Whatever you need, I can provide. I am your..."

Gao Yi paused.

What was the right thing to say? Calling himself ’A Timely Rain’ would only make sense if Khalid understood the reference. Saying he was his ’sugar daddy’ might be taken as an insult; such a term shouldn’t be used lightly.

Gao Yi finally found an appropriate term and said earnestly, "I am your good big brother. Whenever you need something, I’ll provide it. You’re probably wondering why I’m doing this. The reason is simple: I am rich. Right now, I need your help, so I will repay you a hundredfold, a thousandfold."

Khalid couldn’t help but scoff.

Gao Yi was not in a hurry because he was certain Khalid would eventually bow to him.

Sure enough, after a short wait, Khalid’s minion who had been sent away earlier emerged from the tunnel, then began to pull banknotes from his bosom.

Though he couldn’t understand what the two were saying, upon seeing a large pile of colorful notes, Khalid’s look at Gao Yi finally changed.

"Five million... it’s real!"

He was still somewhat skeptical, but now belief outweighed doubt.

Luca said impatiently, "You can completely transfer the remaining four million nine hundred ninety-eight thousand dollars to your company’s account, remembering to deduct the service charge. The bank charges a twelve-dollar fee per transaction."

Khalid took a deep breath, and when he looked at Gao Yi again, his gaze became restrained.

"I don’t understand, why?"

Gao Yi waved his hand and explained, "My enemy is the CIA. Right now in Libya, only you can help me. That’s your value. If I need someone, I can only rely on you; if I invest, it can only be in you. That’s the reason."

The reason was all too convincing.

Now Khalid believed him, nodding and responding, "Yes, only I can help you!"

Gao Yi spoke gravely, "You’ve been resisting the Americans for many years; all this is the reward you deserve."

Khalid took a deep breath and nodded affirmatively, "Yes, we’re the only ones still fighting!"

Gao Yi smiled kindly, "Get past the immediate crisis, and from now on, I will support you."

Without any hesitation, Khalid promised, "No matter the cost, I assure you that you won’t run into trouble. If the Americans want to catch you, they’ll have to step over our bodies first."

After speaking, Khalid hesitated momentarily but then earnestly reassured Gao Yi, "Rest assured, big brother!"

Khalid indeed started addressing him as ’big brother’.

The change in address indicated that Khalid was a wise man who understood the times; his age was not a factor. Recognizing his place, he was a good ’little brother’.