Ultimate Firepower
Chapter 96 - 86: It’s Too Violent

Chapter 96: Chapter 86: It’s Too Violent

He saw his chance and Martin wasn’t about to let it go.

An intelligence guy, but now relegated to running errands for a boss who raked in dirty money, earning peanuts with not just low rewards but high risks too.

As the saying goes, when the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will follow; Martin was already doing the dirty work for his superiors, so why would he be averse to earning a bigger slice?

Gao Yi remained silent, just raising his glass in anticipation, waiting until after he’d clinked it with Martin’s before gulping down most of his beer, while Martin, with an even grander gesture, tilted his head back and downed his half glass of whiskey in one go.

A couple of drinks in, Martin was starting to feel tipsy, shouting at the bartender, "Two more beers!"

Afterward, he turned to Gao Yi with a grin, "This round’s on me!"

Those in the know might think he’s just offering another beer, but those who don’t might think Martin was treating to a whole enchilada.

Gao Yi felt that he’d need to bring Luca into the next part, at least to let the two meet and get acquainted.

"I’m going to call someone in, you’ll meet; my..."

Gao Yi hesitated briefly, waved his hand, and said, "My friend."

Martin chuckled, "I get it, no need to elaborate, your fellow intelligence officer, right? Thanks, I knew meeting you would pay off. I had a hunch, brother, right the first time I saw you."

Martin was a bit long-winded, admittedly carried away by the booze and buoyed by the day’s smooth progress.

Luca walked in and sat down next to Gao Yi, to which Martin immediately raised his hand, calling out loudly, "Three beers!"

Luca kept a poker face while Gao Yi smiled, "Exchange contact information. This is..."

Gao Yi gestured toward Martin but didn’t continue. Martin reached out his hand and said, "Call me Martin."

"Luca."

Martin beamed and looked at Gao Yi.

Gao Yi shrugged, "Gao Busi."

Since they were getting into a partnership, they might as well reintroduce themselves with names that could trace back to each other, even though they were still aliases. That was the whole point of reintroducing themselves.

The three clinked glasses together, then Gao Yi murmured, "This guy is my business partner."

Luca added in a low voice, "Chief Financial Officer."

Gao Yi wanted to elevate Luca’s status a bit, but Luca wasn’t having any of it. He probably thought being a CFO was way more significant than a mere partner.

So Gao Yi continued, "If you can’t reach me for anything, contact him instead, same difference."

Martin nodded, then went on, "Alright, if you’re the CFO, I’ll repeat it, then. For any business you refer to me, I’ll give you a thirty percent cut. For minor deals with thin margins, I’m willing to give you half. Do you have any business for me right now?"

Gao Yi looked at Luca, understanding without needing many words; he whispered, "Thirty percent is fair, no matter the size of the deal, buddy. Are you a fisherman who can’t get on the net?"

Martin nodded vigorously, "Yes, FBI intelligence division. I can’t possibly have my own account or register on the Dark Web, and nowadays almost all deals go down there. If you understand my situation, mate, that’s great because I’m sincerely in this, I really am!"

Luca licked his lips, "Then we have a basis for cooperation. My account is Albatross. I’m actually an intermediary, even though I registered as an assassin. And yes, I can also access the intelligence boards. You get my drift?"

"Got it, crystal clear. That’s exactly the opportunity I’ve been looking for!"

Martin couldn’t stop grinning, speaking softly, "Let’s work together, long-term. I know the rules. Since we’ll be using your account, it’s up to you to protect my identity. Let’s go fifty-fifty on this!"

Luca smiled, "No, it’s seventy-thirty. We get thirty, you get seventy. Commit to a genuine partnership. We won’t squeeze you dry, and that’s how we can work together for the long haul. But I have one question, how big is the scope of your business exactly? If you can only provide information in the Los Angeles area, I hate to say it, but the deals won’t be rolling in. However, if you can provide information covering the entire United States, then you won’t find yourself short of business."

Martin exhaled, "Depends on what kind. I can provide intelligence on Los Angeles or even all of California. If it’s organized crime, I can find nationwide intel too. Other stuff... even if I can’t get it myself, I can find someone suitable to fetch the information. So, tell me about any business first, and then we’ll discuss if it’s doable, alright?"

Luca nodded, raised his glass, and the three touched glasses again.

Right then, Martin’s phone rang.

He quickly picked up the call, whispering, "Hello? Any news? Okay, go ahead..."

Martin paused briefly, pondered for a moment, and continued, "Send over the police stakeout locations. Alright, I’ll get the money to you quick. Cash okay? If you need cash, I can bring it to you tomorrow. Alright, we’ll talk if you need anything else. As for this... let me think it over with my friends."

While it wasn’t clear what exactly was said over the phone, once Martin hung up, Gao Yi whispered, "How did it go?"

"Definitely news. Here’s the deal: Trash Dog and a guy named Walter are dissing each other. They wrote songs slandering each other, with Trash Dog threatening to smash Walter’s skull, and Walter claiming he’ll do it to Trash Dog first. Both of them are from the Limp Gang; they’ve got their own crews, so their controlled territories could erupt into a battle any time now. The cops have no choice but to keep a close eye on them."

Gao Yi incredulously, "With all that, they’re not arrested?"

Martin spread his hands, "They’re just writing songs, no actual actions, so what’s the charge?"

Gao Yi couldn’t help scratching his head.

Martin continued, "The authorities are indeed watching Trash Dog, some keeping an eye on his home, tailing him, even ready to block off a couple of streets to prevent a major disturbance. That’s what makes this tricky, too many cops around, at least ten or more."

Having ten cops monitoring someone without any immediate plans for arrest, merely preventative, was indeed a lot, since no one knew how long this surveillance would last.

"But Trash Dog deals drugs, doesn’t he? Can’t they nail him for that?"

"No evidence! Trash Dog’s been to jail before for illegal firearm possession, assaulting an officer, and drug trafficking, but now he’s smartened up. He keeps his hands clean, and his supplier is a Mexican, who happens to be a CIA asset. It’s a mess."

Having said his piece, Martin lowered his voice, "The police don’t have fixed surveillance points, so that’s a hassle. Plus, with Trash Dog wandering all over, it’s impossible to keep tabs on him. So if you take on the job of taking him out, let me tell you it’s going to be tough."

Trash Dog wasn’t even worth mentioning compared to the likes of Gray Horace and Suleyman, less so compared to Ditzel. But because Trash Dog was based in Los Angeles and under police surveillance, this job was trickier than taking out any of the previous high-profile targets.

What’s more annoying was that the contractor was a complete idiot; if Trash Dog were to be killed, this fool wouldn’t keep it on the down-low. Chances were, as soon as Gao Yi’s side succeeded, the next hit single – "I went on the Dark Web, hired an assassin named Busan to smash Trash Dog’s skull, oh yeah..." – would drop.

Gao Yi could already imagine the lyrics. Perhaps Walter’s new diss track was already penned, waiting for release.

Two hundred and twenty thousand – this contract was a loss.

Luca couldn’t hold it in anymore, his face a picture of gloom, "West Coast, rap, diss, Falke!"

Looking at Gao Yi, Luca helplessly said, "I’m not taking this sort of job again. Sorry, my bad. I really overestimated the intelligence of these idiots."

To take out Trash Dog under the watchful eyes of the cops and then turn around to deal with Walter?

Gao Yi sighed softly, "We’ve taken it on, so let’s find a way to get it done, sigh."

Then, he turned to Martin, "Give your friend five thousand dollars. So how much should you pay here?"

"He gets five thousand, I get the same, though I’m willing to waive my fee this time."

Martin was pained by the thought of not charging, choosing to waive his fee to strengthen the rapport and pave the way for future long-term cooperation.

Gao Yi shook his head, "No, we’ll settle the amount as it should be. Clear accounts make for long friendships."

Luca agreed with Gao Yi’s thinking, nodding, "That’s how it is."

Martin also breathed a sigh of relief, smiling, "You guys have principles, that’s good. So that’s ten thousand dollars in total. But actually, I’ve got a suggestion to run by you guys."

Gao Yi gestured for him to continue, and Martin’s voice dropped lower, "Trash Dog and Walter keep on like this and everyone’s irritated. The police can’t make an arrest for lack of evidence. Waiting for one to off the other and then arresting them is too passive, and the biggest problem is not knowing how long it will take. So, how about we communicate with the cops, get them to pull out? The outside world doesn’t even know they’ve started surveillance. Taking out a troublemaking junkie will make everyone’s life easier, don’t you think?"

Okay, my world view has been refreshed yet again.

Gao Yi gazed at Martin, stunned, as Martin gestured, "Work it out with the cops, they retreat, you move in, maybe plant some evidence pointing to Walter. No need to pay, consider it a favor to the police. The only thing is to coordinate the timing with them. It might be a slight risk for you guys, but I can assure you there won’t be any problems, guaranteed safe. What do you think?"

Luca suddenly said, "Walter might betray us; might as well settle him too, what do you think?"

Martin looked at Luca, who nodded and whispered lower, "Take them all out, saves trouble. Your thoughts?"

Martin whistled softly, "Sounds good, should I make the arrangements for you?"

Gao Yi nodded, slightly dazed, murmuring with doubt, "Is it really no problem?"

Martin bumped his fists together, "Two drug dealers fight it out, die, everyone’s happy, it’s all less hassle. What could go wrong? Just agree, and I’ll get on it right away, can clear out all the posts tonight. If you can help plant something as evidence, even better. The police may even assist you. That’s pretty much it, very straightforward, yeah?"