America: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 237 Taming the Eagle

Zorro's wailing voice came from inside, as the hero's bones were shattered by a violent slam, and the scalpel was soaked with the hero's tears.

Assassin? Even the toughest assassin, once anesthetized and lying in a hospital bed, is at the mercy of others.

"Who's your boss? I don't know you," Zhang Ailun scoffed.

"My mask is still in your hands. I need money now, and I can sell it to you for a low price of $200,000," Zorro said urgently. "You can make another $300,000 by reselling it. That's a good thing."

"This is my mask!!"

Zhang Ailun retorted angrily, "What proof do you have that it's yours? This is ridiculous! Even if I kill you, the money will still be mine, won't it? Since you can't even come up with a single cent, then use your own organs to pay the bill."

"WTF..."

Zorro was completely numb and quickly apologized, saying, "I was wrong! I shouldn't have done that to you! Please save me! They really are going to operate on me! $75000 in medical fees is just too expensive. I simply can't afford it!"

Zhang Ailun pondered for a moment and said, "Okay, I can help you pay this money, but we need to sign a loan agreement beforehand. You'll have to work for me for free from now on! Until this debt is repaid, don't even think about renegeing!"

"I'll sign! I'll sign!" Zorro cried, on the verge of tears.

Zhang Ailun cheerfully wrote a loan agreement, and the foundation paid $75000 for his medical expenses in the name of a charitable donation.

Zorro had no choice but to sign the contract of servitude.

After receiving payment, the attending physician, with a stern face, re-stitched the wound, grumbling, "Don't even think about coming here for treatment if you don't have money. It's a waste of anesthesia! Your physical condition is good; you just need two days of rest! It's not a fatal injury."

Zorro, his face dark, limped off the bed.

"You can walk now? Then let's go, come with me to start your first job today." Zhang Ailun said with a smile as he saw him come out.

"Are you a devil? I just had surgery and you want me to go to work? I can't even hold a gun properly in this condition!" Zorro couldn't hold back anymore, his mouth twitching.

"This is punishment for attacking me! Don't forget you still owe me $75000."

Zhang Ailun bluntly accused him, "I saved your life, so you have to repay my kindness. Otherwise, why would I save you? You still owe me a debt. If you don't pay it back, I can cut your kidneys out and sell them to others to pay off the debt at any time."

"Okay, okay! Where are we going!? We're really unlucky to have a vampire boss like you!" Zorro sighed helplessly.

"Go to the Western-style vintage bar. You should know which street it's on, right? I'm from out of town and don't know the way."

Zhang Ailun got out and sat in the passenger seat of the Highlander. Looking at Zorro, who was still standing there in a daze at the door, he urged, "Get in and drive! What are you standing there for? Have you ever seen a boss drive himself?"

"I just had surgery..." Zorro took a deep breath. "Why are you being so harsh on me?"

"This is your punishment for breaking the rules! Drive!" Zhang Ailun said irritably, "I'm afraid you'll sit in the passenger seat and shoot me in the back."

Hard bones? Let's see how hard your bones are!

Zorro had no choice but to sit in the driver's seat, start the old, beat-up Highlander, and drive to the Western Cowboy Tavern.

After passing through several traffic lights, we soon arrived at the Cowboy Bar and parked the car on the side of the road.

From the outside, it looks like a Western-style building, with a style reminiscent of the art direction and decoration in movies and TV shows. It's a three-story wooden house with butterfly doors, and at first glance, you might think you've stepped into the wilderness of the late 19th century.

"What are we doing here?" Zorro asked, still somewhat puzzled.

"Help people out of trouble and earn some extra money on the side. You don't need to ask anything else, just do as I say!" After Zhang Ailun finished speaking, he got out of the car and led him into the cowboy bar.

Upon entering the pub, one finds a number of oddly shaped and eccentric individuals sitting at a round table playing Texas Hold'em, along with two police officers drinking. The atmosphere is quite harmonious.

The bar was right next to the entrance. The bartender glanced at them and reminded them, "No fighting or disturbances are allowed in the bar. No firearms. Please store your weapons at the bar."

Zhang Ailun took off his tactical chest bag and handed it to the bartender.

The bartender stared at Zorro, who was wrapped in bandages, with a strange look in his eyes.

"What are you looking at me for? I'm a wounded soldier. Where can I hide a gun? I only have a sniper rifle in my crotch! Do you want it?" Zorro said irritably, still seething with anger.

"No need to check, I believe you. You look like Zorro the Death Shooter?" the bartender said, somewhat surprised.

"You've heard my story?" Zorro raised an eyebrow.

"Of course, we heard about the huge commotion at the Charm Bar last night. You didn't get beaten to death by those motorbike gangsters? We heard you won hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of jewelry by gambling your life!" the bartender exclaimed.

"Hmph, those guys were unlucky to dare mess with me," Zorro said disdainfully. "Too bad, they were the ones who broke the rules first, so I had to teach them a lesson. They fired first, I acted in self-defense! Texas law can't convict me."

"What would you like to drink?" the bartender asked.

Zhang Ailun's real intention wasn't the drinks. He glanced at the beverages on the counter and casually said, "Please give this sharpshooter a pain relief package. I'd like a free glass of ice water."

He took out $15 in cash and handed it to the other party.

"Okay. One 76-degree 'Tidal Wave' cocktail and one glass of ice water." The bartender quickly prepared the drinks and placed them in front of Zorro.

Zorro glanced at Zhang Ailun's ice water, then at the vodka flaming with blue flames in front of him, and said meaningfully, "Boss, are you afraid I won't die? I'm still injured."

"You're injured, yet you're still so energetic even without drinking. I'd like to see what you're like after you've had a drink," Zhang Ailun said with a forced smile. "Consider it a small gift from me. You're not afraid to drink because you're scared of dying, are you?"

"Fine, I'll drink it."

Zorro downed the whole thing in one gulp, and his face turned red at a visible speed.

"Come with me." After finishing his drink, Zhang Ailun led him through the crowd and up to the second floor.

After wandering through the corridor and exploring like a carpet, I found room 222 around the corner. At the door, I saw a few shifty-looking guys busy picking the lock.

The other person turned to look at the two of them, surprised that someone would come up. He paused for a moment, then quickly withdrew his hand.

"WTF! Where's the lookout? Where did that guy Kieran go?" he muttered under his breath.

"What are you doing?" Zhang Ailun asked.

The other person said with a stern face, "Buddy, we didn't do anything, we were just testing the door lock. What are you doing here?"

"I'm a staff member at the bar," Zhang Ailun smiled slightly. "Guests, would you like to open this room?"

"That's right." The group exchanged glances, their expressions softening.

Zhang Ailun went straight over and knocked on the door.

The person inside, fast asleep, vaguely heard the noise and said impatiently, "What are you doing?"

"Clean up," Zhang Ailun said. "There are a few guests outside who want to chat with you."

"Don't talk nonsense! We have no such intention..." The expressions of the group changed slightly.

The door was quickly opened, and a yellow-skinned man with a long braid poked his head out. He glanced at the yellow-skinned man in front of him, the red-faced boy with bandages next to him, and the others behind him.

With a furrowed brow, he hesitated and said, "I feel like I've seen you somewhere before..."

"Fxxk you! Our boss told us to say hello to you!!" Seeing that he was completely unprepared, the group stopped pretending and pulled out daggers from their pockets, rushing forward.

The man with the braid was terrified and cursed under his breath. He accidentally cut his clothes with a dagger and got into a fight with several people.

"Hey! Help! They're trying to kill me!!"

"Zorro! Go!!" Upon seeing this, the Grand Master immediately shielded Zorro in front of him.

"Why don't you get on?" Zorro said irritably.

"They have knives," Zhang Ailun said calmly. "I'm afraid of dying, is that a problem?"

"Am I not afraid?" Zorro's lips twitched.

"You've been drinking, what are you afraid of? Show some courage!" Zhang Ailun snapped. "You dodged three bullets in Russian roulette, what's a mere dagger? I hired you to be there to shield me from the blade in a pinch."

"I..." Wasn't I drunk?

Zorro was trembling with anger. This was too much!

"Hey! Don't eat the pickled radish!" The man with the braid forcefully shoved someone aside, clearly showing he was trained, but was immediately pinned to the ground by several others.

An elderly Mexican man with a mohawk, his face contorted in a ferocious grimace, stabbed him thirteen times. The knife tips were bent from the repeated stabs. Reaching down, he noticed the man with the braid was wearing a stab-proof vest, with an inner metal plate beneath his shirt.

"Fxxk! Have I traveled back to the Wild West?" The Mohican chieftain was shocked. How could anyone be so afraid of death these days?

Not only were they wearing stab-proof clothing, but they also wore a metal sheath underneath.

"What the hell do you know? I'm a Native American! This is our tradition! Do you think I come here without protective gear?"

The man with the braid cursed and seized an opportunity to flip over and take the upper hand. He disarmed the man with his bare hands and punched him in the nose, instantly drawing blood from the mohawk-wearing man's head. He was somewhat stunned by the blow.

Seeing this, the others still bravely rushed over, forming a human pyramid and wrestling on the ground.

Zorro grabbed a bottle and smashed it over someone's head. The man's head spun, and he glared back at Zorro, yelling, "Fxxk you!!"

"Get out of the way!"

Seeing that the enemy had been disarmed and was no longer a threat, Zhang Ailun pushed Zorro aside and kicked the man hard in the chest, sending him flying two meters away.

The other person clutched their chest, gasped, slammed against the wall, fell to the ground, curled up like a shrimp, and passed out.

Seeing that his side had the upper hand, the man with the braid unleashed his fury, giving the two men a sound beating! He quickly subdued them!

"Thank you for your help, friends." The man with the braid, panting, stood up gratefully.

"It's okay, we just happened to be passing by and saw them picking locks. We figured they weren't good people, so it was just a small favor," Zhang Ailun said with a smile.

"..."

Zorro also took a deep breath. He had never seen such a shameless person.

"Hey buddy, do you know who they are?" Zhang Ailun asked.

"They must be from an underground casino. I won a lot of money there yesterday, and they don't want me to leave the city with that money, so they're trying to assassinate me. I even found a tavern where I store my weapons to stay overnight, and I didn't expect them to be so bold!" The man with the braid said with a gloomy face.

"I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Quipa, I live in Houston, and I'm Native American."

"My name is Humbert Juan King. This is my friend Zorro," Zhang Ailun said.

"Zorro the Death Gunman?" Quipa looked at the bandaged man with some surprise. "I heard you often gamble your life in bars?"

"it's me."

Zorro nodded expressionlessly. He said coldly, "I just want to make money."

"You dared to challenge death; you are a respectable person!" Quipa said solemnly.

Zorro's lips curled up in a smile.

"It's not that amazing. He's just a drunkard. He did something stupid yesterday because he was drunk. He hesitated for ages when I asked him to go over and disarm you." Zhang Ailun didn't hold back in exposing him.

Zorro's face instantly fell.

Hehe, no hehe.

"Thank you so much for your help. Without the two of you, I definitely wouldn't have survived this assassination attempt today. Please accept this gift." Quipa turned and went into the house, took out two stacks of Franklin's dollars from a black briefcase, and handed them to Zhang Allen.

He said sincerely, "You can come to Houston to find me in the future. I will treat you with the highest honors of our Native Americans. My family also owns several casinos in Houston."

How many...how many casinos?

Is that human language?

Isn't what you're saying just making it clear that your dad is a chief?

Casinos require gambling licenses to operate, and Native Americans' welfare and income largely depend on casino rake. Gaming licenses are reserved for them every few years, which is also permitted by federal law.

Only chiefs and people of high status and seniority in the Indian reservations were mostly qualified to participate.

No wonder he likes playing with techniques so much; it seems he's been exposed to and trained in them since he was little.

"Although I don't really like gambling, if you're willing to give me tens of thousands of chips for free when I travel to Houston sometime, I'd be happy to go and take a look." Zhang Ailun accepted the gift with a smile, and they exchanged contact information.

"Hamburg, you guys go ahead, I'll stay here and deal with these guys. Even if something happens, it won't affect you!" Quipa looked at the group of men, already preparing to take care of them.

"Good luck, buddy." Zhang Ailun greeted him, then turned and went downstairs with Zorro to pick up his tactical chest bag from the front desk.

Although the fight upstairs didn't last long, it attracted the attention of the staff, and soon the two police officers went upstairs to conduct a routine inspection.

However, it shouldn't have much impact on the Quipa brothers.

Once outside, Zorro stared intently at the banknotes the Grand Master had collected. "Boss, shouldn't I get a share of this?"

"You still owe me $75000! I saved Quipa's life, and he gave me $100,000 as payment! I saved your life, and you're still trying to lay a hand on me."

Zhang Ailun said irritably, "Get in the car, we're going to the next place."

"Where? Is there something else to do? How did you know that Quipa would be assassinated?" Zorro asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Because these locals are particularly fond of double-crossing, and my intelligence network is very accurate, you'll find out in the future," Zhang Ailun said calmly.

"Okay, I sincerely apologize for what I did before. Boss, could you give me some money?" Zorro said honestly, "I've been starving all day, I'm exhausted, and I really have no money for food."

Zhang Ailun chuckled, drove straight to a McDonald's, ordered over a dozen hamburgers at the counter, threw them in his face, and yelled, "Eat!!"

He said menacingly, "If you don't finish your food, I'll kill you!!"

"..."

You didn't actually give me food, did you?

Zorro ate the hamburger with tears in his eyes.

"It's too dry."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ailun drove to a convenience store and bought a large bottle of Coke for only $2.9.

"Drink! If you don't finish it, I'll kill you!!"

"……belch."

Zorro, having eaten and drunk his fill, let out a burp and looked at the remaining hamburger and half a bottle of cola, his lips twitching.

He looked utterly hopeless.

He cautiously asked, "Boss, can I eat the rest tonight?"

"Okay." Zhang Ailun nodded.

Zorro's eyes welled up with tears.

Thank God, you're finally a human being!

Zhang Ailun smiled with relief. "You finally understand human language and have learned to behave yourself."

Anyone can train a hawk.

(End of this chapter)