America: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 177 Old Jack's Recruitment

"..."

Johnson glanced at the pile of rubble and was a little dumbfounded.

He swallowed hard. "Boss, is there a dead body hidden down there? Did someone dump it here? Wouldn't it be impolite for us to dig it out?"

"Just dig, otherwise how will you complete the preliminary tasks?" Zhang Ailun urged. "I'll go check inside. Hopefully, you've finished this by the time I come out!"

"If Sieg were here, he definitely wouldn't have said so much to me. He would have started digging himself up with just one look from me! He's already halfway done."

The Grand Master criticized.

"Okay!"

Qiao Sen instantly perked up, spat twice on his hands, and gritted his teeth to get to work.

Zhang Ailun turned around and went straight into the cabin. He pushed open the half-open door and a musty smell hit him. The facilities inside were dilapidated, the lamps and walls were covered with moss, and the wooden planks were rotten.

Moving aside the moldy sofa, I found the path to the cellar. Opening the floorboards produced a groaning sound, and a foul odor wafted out.

Zhang Ailun put on a mask, took out a flashlight to illuminate the surroundings, and walked down the wooden steps. He soon arrived at the cellar, which contained some wooden barrels and boxes, as well as some iron hooks for hanging cured meat.

Zhang Ailun noticed the zipper on the wall and tried pulling it, but the lights didn't turn on, and there was no water or electricity. The generator inside was also unusable.

After searching around, I finally found a human-shaped corpse in a corner. Perhaps because of the damp environment, it hadn't turned into bones and looked like a dried-up corpse.

Zhang Ailun shone a flashlight on the body and could vaguely make out that the armband on the clothes belonged to the CIA. The body was in a rather pitiful state; the skull was broken, the body was tightly bound, and there were signs of twisting on the arms and legs.

Zhang Ailun marveled at the ruthlessness of the notorious criminal Jack, then took out his phone and took pictures from various angles. He put on gloves and began searching the body, finding a piece of identification stuck together in his chest pocket. He could barely open it; the writing was blurred, but a headshot and CIA ID were still vaguely discernible.

After taking the photos, Zhang Ailun couldn't stand the environment anymore. It had a chilling, horror movie vibe that was a bit creepy, and the smell was unpleasant.

He turned and left the cellar, then moved a sofa over and used it to seal the exit again.

Once outside, I took off my gloves and mask and threw them into the grove, breathing in the fresh air.

Johnson worked diligently, his head down, and had almost finished digging the pit when he suddenly hit something hard with his shovel. He quickly bent down to clean it up and pulled out the bundle buried inside. Opening it, he discovered that the metal box contained a pistol.

"Boss! We've found something!" Johnson hurriedly called over the leader. "There's a gun here!"

Zhang Ailun walked over, glanced at you, took out his phone to take a picture of the Colt Python revolver, and nodded in satisfaction. "Well done. Bury it back in. Remember to restore the environment to its previous state."

"Huh?" Johnson was dumbfounded when he heard this.

Are you just tiring yourself out here, you silly boy?

But since the leader had spoken, he didn't say anything more and silently got to work. Zhang Ailun also sent the photos to Blitz.

Zhang Ailun: We've found the murder weapon and evidence used by the ruthless gangster Jack. There's also the body of a CIA agent in the cellar; that old bastard was incredibly vicious.

Blitz: What are you planning to do? Use these photos to blackmail him? Or report him directly to the CIA?

Zhang Ailun: There's no need to report it to the CIA. That happened so many years ago. It's a thankless task, and that agent was a traitor. If he hadn't been greedy, he wouldn't have died. But if that guy doesn't cooperate with us, we'll just send it to the CIA and let the authorities arrest him. He'll never be able to get out of jail again.

Blitz: Okay! What should I do?

Zhang Ailun: Let's meet with Jack and talk. Let's see if we can resolve this peacefully. It's at an abandoned gas station in the suburbs. Johnson and I will go there right away.

Blitz: Okay.

Blitz immediately sent these messages anonymously to the notorious gangster Jack.

Old Jack was playing cards at Sanji's Bar, calm and collected, but soon received a message. He took out his phone, glanced at it, and his expression changed.

Anonymous message: Jack the notorious gangster? Heard you're back to work? And on a big deal? I wonder if you want your past crimes to be known. I think the CIA would be very interested in these pictures. If you want to get to the bottom of these photos, let's talk in the suburbs. We'll only be here for half an hour!

Old Jack's face was grim, filled with shock and anger. He didn't know how his secret had been discovered, and he instantly had the idea of ​​killing someone to silence them!

But then he thought again, the other party had leverage over him, was of unknown origin, held the initiative, and knew about his new plan, which meant that their intelligence network must be extremely powerful! It was not something a lone wolf like him could afford to mess with.

After thinking for a moment, I decided to go and keep the appointment.

Old Jack glanced at the cards in his hand. He had a rare good hand, but it had caused him so much trouble that he had no desire to continue playing.

He slammed the card down, downed his brandy in one gulp, got up, dusted himself off, and left.

"Sir, aren't you going to play anymore?" Mary asked hurriedly when she saw him about to leave.

"I've had my fill." Old Jack waved and left without turning his head.

Someone curiously revealed his cards and was astonished: "Nine points! He actually chose not to play!"

"Is this old guy out of his mind... He's already lost several thousand dollars. He got a big hand at the end but then quit."

The guests all felt that this person was inexplicable.

Old Jack left the bar, found his old, beat-up pickup truck in a nearby parking lot, took out a paper package from under the seat, and pulled out a gun, tucking it into his waistband.

I started the car, stepped on the gas, and drove off the street towards the agreed-upon location in the suburbs.

Zhang Ailun and Qiao Sen drove to the abandoned gas station. Sitting in the car, they watched the cars coming and going on the road. There were a lot of people around today, so even if they wanted to shoot here, it would be impossible.

Even if the other party were a ruthless bandit, they wouldn't dare to cause trouble openly.

After waiting for a while, we saw a pickup truck driving over and stopping at the gas station.

Old Jack got out of the car and went straight to the Wrangler, knocking on the window. The window rolled down, and he saw the two people sitting inside.

"Don't move, buddy." Zhang Ailun smiled slightly, took out a pistol, and pointed it at him through the window. In the passenger seat, Johnson was holding a submachine gun.

Old Jack remained expressionless, unmoved even with a gun pressed against his chest. He simply said calmly, "Listen, buddy, if you're trying to blackmail me for money, you can shoot now! I've already spent all that money; I don't have a single penny left. I don't leave myself many options, and I'm not easily intimidated. If you're trying to hand me over to the CIA, I have the ability to escape and get my revenge! I guarantee you'll never have a peaceful life!"

Old Jack, a seasoned and ruthless bandit, remained calm and composed despite his many years of experience; this small scene did not frighten him at all.

Zhang Ailun looked at him admiringly, put away his phone, and said, "I was thinking about whether to kill you directly, take your name to help the casino settle accounts, take that huge sum of money, and split it with my subordinates, or to send you to the CIA for sentencing! But I found that the latter would be of almost no benefit to me. I'm not an American, what kind of law and peace am I supposed to maintain for them? They don't give me a single cent, and they even charge me taxes."

"Even if I take care of you now, the casinos might not choose to cooperate with us once they get wind of it," Zhang Ailun added.

"So you want to join this business?"

Old Jack frowned, puzzled. "Where did you get this information? I haven't told anyone. Was it Old El-Yao? Or the casino's treasury manager?"

I can't understand why the seemingly flawless plan was leaked at the crucial moment, allowing others to find out. This is a major taboo in the industry! This deal is basically ruined!

However, it seems these people are also after money. Since it's for money, then it's easy to talk to them.

"I can work with you. Let's make this deal a success together," Old Jack said immediately. "We're all in this for the money, after all. If we can make money, everything's negotiable, right?"

"But I'm more worried that you'll go back on your word and stab me in the back, like that CIA agent. Don't you like double-crossing people?" Zhang Ailun said.

"You don't understand the truth at all."

Old Jack said with a grim face, "That guy used my wife and children to threaten me, demanding more money, and even tried to kill me to get credit for my success and a promotion! That deal only made $50. It was all agreed that the three of us would each get 30% of the profits, and the rest would be used for equipment. But in the end, those guys went too far, causing my friend to die on the run! That damned bastard betrayed us, wanting not only money but also my life! I had no choice but to retaliate and kill him!"

"That's how the CIA is. It's like dealing with a tiger for its skin. How could you possibly end up well if you cooperate with them?" Zhang Ailun learned the truth from him and suddenly realized it, although what he said might not be entirely true.

For example, he concealed the fact that he killed a CIA member from another friend. But Zhang Ailun wasn't interested in these things; the old ways were in the past.

"You finally got to live a peaceful life, so why are you back in the game?" Zhang Ailun said. "Wouldn't it be better to live a peaceful life?"

"Of course it's for the money. In today's society, you can't do anything without money! I've already done my research and confirmed that this deal is risk-free. It's just a power struggle between the casino operators and the owners of the shares; it doesn't involve any official forces. I've decided to retire after this last deal."

Old Jack stated frankly, "If you also want to join this business, you can. But you must prove your worth!"

"What do you think of the power of our intelligence network?" Zhang Ailun asked.

"Impressive." His past has been dug up, what else can be said?

They're at least much better than those incompetent CIA bastards!

Even within the CIA, the people themselves are not a united front; they are divided into several factions, riddled with corruption, and they even have to compete with the FBI for performance.

There are many people and intelligence that can be bought with money. After all, people always have to think about themselves. If you are in a high position and don't make money, wouldn't that be a waste of resources?

"I can cooperate with you, but you must destroy any evidence against me, and don't mess with my family!" Old Jack said sincerely. "Profits are based on merit; whoever contributes more gets more. I need at least $30!"

"Is three hundred thousand dollars enough to live on?" Zhang Ailun asked.

Old Jack's expression turned serious. "What do you mean?" Usually, people who say things like this are being sarcastic, implying that he's taking too much.

"Want to work for me? I like people like you who are capable, follow the rules, care about their families, and are full of confidence!" Zhang Ailun didn't follow the usual script and directly extended an olive branch, wanting to recruit him.

If everyone is on your side, then profit sharing is easy to discuss. If they're not on your side, no matter how much you explain, they won't trust you.

"I'll stop once I've earned $30," old Jack said calmly.

"Three million, I guess. With inflation these days, what can you do with three million? A car, a plane, a secondhand house—that's basically it. Do you think this is the price level of the last century? With three million, you can basically live a worry-free life. As long as you stick with me, not only three million, but even thirty million won't be a problem in the future," Zhang Ailun said.

"You're very confident..." Old Jack's eyelids twitched wildly; it was the first time he'd ever seen someone so arrogant.

"I need to think about working with you. I don't know you well. What exactly do you do? I won't do it if the risks are too high," Old Jack said cautiously.

"My name is Juan Jin. I work in can recycling in District 5 and own a bar called Sanji. What do you think of the brandy?" Zhang Ailun asked with a smile.

"So that bar was owned by you." Old Jack's lips twitched. He knew it. He hadn't offended anyone, so there was no way he would be investigated for no reason.

"If this deal goes smoothly and you give me a satisfactory profit share, I can consider working with you." After thinking it over, Old Jack agreed. "The brandy does taste good, but I never get drunk."

"That's settled then. I'll have someone contact you. You can explain your plans to them. I have to escort a shipment of weapons this afternoon."

Zhang Ailun waved, put on his sunglasses, and said, "See you later!"

"..." Old Jack's eyelids twitched when he heard about the convoy of weapons, and he knew that this guy was not so simple.

He hesitated for a moment. What if he refused the invitation and got killed on the way? Or what if a big truck suddenly appeared in the middle of the night and crushed his whole family, house and all, to pieces?

No matter how you look at it, the other person seems more like a ruthless bandit than you do.

Old Jack regretted that he had attracted his attention; he had been careful enough.

He sighed. Things had come to this point, and the other party had leverage over him, so he might as well just let it go.

Back in the pickup truck, he soon received a new message.

Anonymous message: I am Mr. Jin's employee in charge of intelligence and cybersecurity. You can call me Robot.

Old Jack: Alright, robot, I'm one of you now, working for your boss. You've investigated my background and my whole family thoroughly. So, tell me what I'm to do. Will my future assignments be killing or cleaning up dirty work?

Anonymous message: Don't be so pessimistic. You'll see that joining us was the wisest decision you ever made.

Old Jack: Don't touch my family, just let me make money!

He's got nothing but a worthless life; he can't fight back, and he can't escape either. He's already given up on reality.

Zhang Ailun drove Johnson back to the city, found Blitz, and called over everyone except Sieg, then took out the $15 worth of jewelry.

He kept $100,000 in USTD for himself and gave the remaining $50,000 in cash to Blitz and his associates to divide the spoils.

His assets have now reached $273219!

(End of this chapter)