America: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 344. It doesn't matter who you work for, you're just a cow or a horse.

The guerrillas on Silver Island also witnessed the explosion in the sky. When they saw the private plane that had been hit by the warthog and disintegrated, with its parts and debris falling into the sea, they couldn't help but sigh. But most people cheered.

There was no time for them to compose themselves, as the Black Hawk helicopters and speedboats dispatched by the littoral combat ship had already arrived. The Black Hawks circled above the island's coastline, and fully armed soldiers used megaphones to shout, "Guerrilla members, immediately lay down your weapons, surrender, and assemble on the spot to await a headcount. Guerrilla leaders, please maintain order! This is a warning again! Lay down your weapons immediately..."

The loudspeaker's sound echoed throughout Silver Island, and all the guerrilla members tacitly put away their guns, deciding not to put up any more futile resistance and choosing to surrender obediently, heading to the coastline to assemble.

Seeing that the commander-in-chief and the captain were both dead, the deputy captain of the guerrilla team realized that he was the one with the most say on the island. He immediately rallied the guerrilla members, gathered more than a hundred people together, and marched to the coastline. They piled up their guns and projectiles and arranged them neatly.

The group couldn't help but start whispering among themselves, expressing their worries about their future.

The sergeant major, who had just landed on the coast of Baiyin Island by speedboat, couldn't help but admire their military skills upon seeing this scene.

Turning to the soldier piloting the speedboat beside him, he said, "Look, they've lined up so quickly. It's clear they've all received proper military training and trust us a lot. But if it were other special forces units on special missions, seeing them so neatly arranged, they might just fire a shell. They'd all be airborne by then!"

Upon hearing this, the deputy captain immediately lost his composure and stepped forward, saying, "Sir, we have already surrendered. Without weapons, we are just ordinary people. You shouldn't be firing on us anymore!"

"Of course I know that, don't worry, I was just joking." The sergeant chuckled, trying to reassure him.

Is this a joke you can just make? It almost scared someone to death! The vice-captain couldn't help but mutter to himself.

The Grand Master, riding in a Cirrus Fathead Shark piloted by Boketu, also landed at Silver Island Airport.

After getting off the plane, I looked around at the deserted airport. Last time I came here, I had to give the guerrillas some face. This time, everything on this island belongs to the chief.

Looking up at the warthogs circling overhead, the leader immediately informed him that he could land at the airport.

Bailey received the message and responded by turning around in mid-air, adjusting his direction, and swooping down to land the warthog safely at the airport.

Zhang Ailun asked Boketu to find a car, and after Bailey got off the plane, the three of them took the car to the coastline.

Upon arriving here, they saw that Captain Spike and the chief sergeant had already brought the situation under control. The guerrilla force of over a hundred people had not caused any disturbance and had been neatly lined up. The soldiers and their weapons had been confiscated, and they were being registered and called out one by one.

The Black Hawk helicopter also circled in the air for a while, conducting a carpet search of various areas of Silver Island, focusing on more secluded places like the rainforest swamp area. After making a routine announcement via loudspeaker, it returned to the coastline and landed on an open ground a dozen minutes later.

Seeing this, Zhang Ailun knew that it would take some time for the people to arrive, so he asked Boketu to bring a stool from the house, along with a few bottles of mineral water and some pastries. He then sat on the stool and waited, enjoying the scenery of the coastline.

A soldier soon jogged over and reported to the chief: "Commander, we have captured a total of 162 rifles, more than 15000 rounds of spare ammunition, 5 boxes of throwing materials, six pickup trucks, three 62mm machine guns, five RPG rocket launchers, and 20 high-precision rockets..."

He recounted the entire harvest in great detail. However, the leader didn't remember much of it, only skimming it over in his ears, and then focusing on remembering the 20 high-precision rockets.

"That guy was indeed up to no good, trying to shoot down our Black Hawk helicopter, but unfortunately he didn't succeed." Zhang Ailun chuckled.

Soon Captain Spike arrived with his men and reported, "Commander, this is the highest-ranking commander in the guerrilla organization, Vice-Captain Locke, and the Columbia informant Gucci you mentioned."

Zhang Ailun looked at the vice-captain, who was in his early thirties, and the gray-haired veteran Gu Qi, and praised them, "You did a good job and saved me a lot of trouble. Don't worry, I've always been very generous to talented and pragmatic people. I will definitely not treat you unfairly! The reason I bought this island from the Colombian government was to develop its treasures. Now I need people, and as long as you're willing to switch sides, I'd be happy to recruit you to work for me. After all, you betrayed your superior, causing him to fall into the sea and die. You should no longer be part of the guerrillas."

The vice-captain became somewhat agitated upon hearing this, "Mr. Jin, then am I still the vice-captain?"

"Vice-captain?"

Zhang Ailun exclaimed in surprise, "The Commander-in-Chief!"

He simply waved his hand and promoted him, saying, "From now on, you'll be in charge of managing those hundred-odd people on the island for me."

Upon hearing this, the vice-captain was completely stunned, because the surprise came too suddenly, and the gift package that fell from the sky almost knocked him unconscious.

He became even more excited, and if there hadn't been so many people around, he almost would have accepted the man as his godfather.

"Thank you for trusting me, Mr. Jin! I'm sure I can do this job well!" the deputy captain immediately assured him solemnly.

Then, in his mind, he started cursing his former boss, Golza, "Good riddance! If you hadn't died, how could I have jumped ship and made a name for myself?"

"How much were your salaries before?" Zhang Ailun asked again.

"Mr. Jin, the hourly wage for ordinary guerrilla members is 8 Colombian pesos, which is about $18. The hourly wage for the vice-captain is 10 pesos. I'm not sure about the wages for captains and above. But in reality, it's not that much, because wages are often delayed. They are only paid once a week, and some people have already sacrificed their lives in the war before they even received their wages," the vice-captain said respectfully.

Zhang Ailun was somewhat surprised. "With such low wages, how come people are willing to work for them? Your guerrilla team is really poor. If I paid my employees $18 an hour and then delayed paying them for no reason, they definitely wouldn't be willing to risk their lives for me."

"Mr. Kim, this is Colombia, not America."

The deputy captain was also helpless, "Human life is the least valuable thing here. Sometimes people are willing to take the risk for just $1000. Many people only earn $300-$500 a month."

Zhang Ailun fell into deep thought. It seemed he had overlooked the chaotic environment of that country. In certain parts of Africa, a flat rate of a thousand dollars could hire gunmen to work for him. Those black men were truly willing to fight!

Don't be fooled by the fact that they can't afford shoes; their skills are actually quite advanced.

They hadn't received any theoretical knowledge; all they had was practical target practice. People without real skills had died long ago there, and those who remained were battle-hardened veterans proficient in faith shooting and jungle ambush.

"I can offer you wages slightly lower than the security team's. Regular employees earn $30 per hour, with subsidies, overtime pay, and weekly days off. If you are injured in combat or die in an accident, the company will also pay tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars in compensation, depending on the circumstances," Zhang Ailun said. "But you will also be responsible for the excavation and mining work. It's not just about maintaining the island's security; otherwise, I wouldn't need so many people."

This treatment is considered quite ordinary on the West Coast. It can be described as a heartless boss, considering that the employees are either fighting with guns or carrying bricks and digging pits. Even the donkeys in the production team wouldn't dare to be treated like this!

But the vice-captain looked quite honored, and was extremely grateful, saying, "Boss! You're so kind."

"Call me Commander," the Grand Master said.

"Commander!!" the vice-captain immediately corrected himself.

Zhang Ailun then looked at the old man, Gucci, and asked, "What are your thoughts? Do you want to stay and work here with me, or go back to Columbia?"

"Mr. Kim, as an informant for the Colombian government forces, Golza's death is inextricably linked to me. If the news gets out, I'm likely to face the guerrillas' furious retaliation! Although I don't want to face that situation, I also don't want to abandon my family. I can only hope for the protection of the Colombian government forces. My greatest wish is to see my son shed the label of being the offspring of a criminal, to become a knowledgeable and faithful person, an officer, instead of being called a country bumpkin." Guchi gave a bitter smile and spoke his true feelings.

"I'll talk to Representative Dutch and have them arrange the best school for your son so he can receive the best education. I'll also allocate tuition funds for him so he can finish college. But are you sure you want your son to join the army?" Zhang Ailun asked doubtfully.

In places like Colombia, where fighting is constant in some areas, the death rate for government soldiers is several times higher than in other industries. Although there are opportunities for advancement, many government soldiers are less ethical and moral than guerrillas and drug lords. Their salaries are meager, and their income comes almost entirely from bribes received from drug lords and gangs.

There's no reason for parents to send their children into a fire pit.

"In Colombia, the poor can only have a bright future if they study hard, enter politics or the military. Otherwise, they can only be farmers for life, or join guerrillas, gangs, drug dealers, or smugglers. But I've spent half my life growing sugarcane and then struggling to grow leaves for the rest of my life. I really don't want my son to become the next me," Gucci said frankly.

"Okay, I respect your opinion, and I believe you will be a good father."

Zhang Ailun nodded, then asked Bailey to fetch his briefcase. He unzipped it, took out $5 from a pile of green banknotes, and handed it to Gucci.

"Take it, it's yours! As a good father, I'm willing to support you and give you some help," Zhang Ailun said appreciatively.

"Mr. Jin, this is too much..." Gu Qi accepted the money, feeling flattered and at a loss for words.

"Take it, it's what you deserve. If it weren't for the intelligence you provided that allowed me to know the news in advance, I might have had to go through more trouble to deal with this island. It wouldn't have been as simple as just damaging a private plane." Zhang Ailun waved his hand.

Without news from Councilor Dutch, the Grand Master will likely wait for the Warthogs to arrive, just to be on the safe side. Then he'll have Bailey destroy all the vehicles at the airport, make an example of a few troublemakers, fire a few shots at the island to destroy some things, and then threaten them to surrender immediately.

But the losses would be much greater than that.

Now, with only a little fuel and some bullets lost, the island has been recaptured. Guqi's contribution is considerable.

"Mr. Jin, thank you so much! You're such a good person." Gu Qi was extremely grateful. This was a real boss, a wise leader worthy of being followed! Unlike Golza, who only made empty promises.

Don't believe him when he says he'll give you a $20 bonus afterward.

He said he'd take care of your wife, so don't argue.

After all, this guy's moral character was practically nonexistent even among guerrillas; he was notorious for his lack of martial ethics.

He immediately said, "Mr. Jin, there are a few of Golza's confidants in the crowd. They were responsible for following my orders to fire and carry out the surprise attack. Now that Golza is dead, they have all surrendered and blended into the crowd. I can help you find them all to avoid causing you trouble in the future."

"Then it's up to you. Clean it up thoroughly, and Spike will cooperate."

Zhang Ailun nodded and gave Spike a wink, signaling him to join them in handling the matter.

It's better that Gucci doesn't stay here. After all, he's a member of the Colombian government army, and the Grand Master doesn't want to be watched every time he does something in his own home.

The other party only took a few tens of thousands of dollars in benefits, and they managed to expose those potential problems, even providing after-sales service. These people are truly professional!

"Understood." Gu Qi and the vice-captain immediately agreed and turned around to become guides.

Soon, several people were pulled out of the crowd and taken deep into the rainforest. Several gunshots rang out, startling even the seagulls and birds that had just landed on the coastline.

The guerrillas were terrified and panicked, but the vice-captain played a crucial role at this moment, spreading the promises of generous treatment from the leader and doing ideological work among them.

The guerrillas were astonished upon hearing this, never expecting their new boss to be so generous.

No wonder they're billionaires from America; these foreigners are so generous with their money.

To hell with the guerrillas!

It doesn't matter who you work for, you're just a cow or a horse.

From now on, I'll be Mr. Jin's brick; I'll be moved wherever Mr. Jin needs me!

They'll move as much as they can, as long as they get paid!

You damned guerrillas better not mess with Mr. Jin, or they'll make you regret it!

The soldiers looked at their leader with unwavering loyalty, devoid of any other emotion. The group was already planning to work shirtless and toil away, digging as much dirt as possible; otherwise, they'd really be wasting their $30 hourly wage!

Soon, the warship's soldiers also brought news to the commander-in-chief: "Commander, we found a speedboat in the port behind the mountain. It should be a backup plan prepared by those who wanted to escape, but we don't know why they didn't use it."

"Then let's take them in. Everything on this island is now our private property." After saying that, Zhang Ailun looked at the incongruous geologists not far away and immediately ordered, "Bring those hostages over. I have something to say to them."

"Understood." The soldier immediately turned around and brought the geologists over.