Chapter 653: Red Sea Fury (Part Three) (Patreon)

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Upon hearing Schiller's voice, Death Knell didn't even turn his head. He simply continued to help himself to vegetables and scrambled eggs with a pair of tongs. Then, he walked directly to his seat, with Schiller following him and sitting opposite.

"I've always been curious about mercenaries like you who wear masks. How do you eat?" Schiller inquired, his gaze fixed on Death Knell's face. He observed as Death Knell lifted his mask halfway from the neck, revealing his mouth, and then he took a bite of his steak.

From the exposed chin, he appeared quite young, though it was uncertain whether he was married and had children, as suggested by the comic's backstory.

"Are you here on a mission? Who's your target this time?" Schiller continued to eat the food on his plate and said, "We go way back, and I hope I'm not your target again."

"It's not you," Death Knell replied succinctly. He wasn't a man of many words, unlike his cousin, but his words and actions always revealed a lot to Schiller.

First, Death Knell was indeed on a mission this time. Second, Schiller was not his target. Third, the target of the mission was likely within this hotel.

Considering the small portion of food on Death Knell's plate, it was clear that he didn't intend to fill up, especially given his height and build. This indicated that he was planning to take action soon, and he didn't want to be too full to affect his performance.

Looking at his attire, Death Knell appeared to have all his equipment ready, and he didn't seem to care about the curious looks from other guests regarding his outfit. This suggested that he wasn't here for an investigation and that this would be his last visit, so he wasn't concerned about being exposed.

Schiller initially regarded this encounter as a coincidence, but ten minutes later, his hotel room door was kicked open by a figure clad in black and yellow, drawing a long sword from their back.

Both of them were stunned behind the debris of the door. Schiller placed his hands on his hips and sighed, "It's been so long. Haven't you realized that you can't kill me? Do you want me to give you another performance?"

With a loud "thud," Schiller dissipated into a grey mist and began to transform into various shapes in the air. Death Knell planted his sword into the ground and watched the performance. When Schiller returned to his human form, Death Knell asked, "Where is he?"

"I guess you're referring to Oliver Queen, whom a shareholder from the Queen Group hired you to kill to prevent his resurrection. In that case, his butler must have betrayed him..."

"But sadly, he's not here anymore. You're a step too late; he's gone to become a superhero with someone you can't kill either," Schiller shook his head and looked at the remnants of the door.

"Who is that person?" Death Knell inquired.

"Perhaps even if I tell you, you wouldn't know. He's Green Lantern Hal, a guy who emits green light all over his body," Schiller responded.

"What abilities does he have?" Death Knell continued to question.

"He has many abilities: flight, teleportation, immense strength, instant healing, and currently, his energy is exceptionally high. He can battle you indefinitely, and if he can't defeat you, he can call for reinforcements. As soon as he does, there will be hundreds of Christmas elves emitting green light dancing at your doorstep."

"The mission is over," Death Knell said calmly. "My previous employer couldn't afford the new price."

"Maybe they won't stay together forever. You can wait until they split up before making your move," Schiller suggested.

"This is a rush job. My employer wants me to kill him within three days, or the deal is off, and the target's price has changed, canceling the transaction. Goodbye."

With that, Death Knell left. His every move conveyed the professionalism of an elite mercenary, but the exorbitant price they paid for hiring him indicated the Queen Group's strong desire to eliminate Oliver.

Initially, Schiller had no interest in the dirty dealings behind this, but after Death Knell's departure, several waves of assassins came after him.

While they lacked Death Knell's professionalism, their unprofessionalism worked to their advantage, as they realized Oliver wasn't present and decided to target Schiller instead.

Though the final result would become part of the ocean's ecological cycle, Schiller still found their presence annoying. These pests were interrupting his vacation.

So, on a warm morning on the West Coast, Schiller made a phone call to Bruce. He asked, "Do you know the Queen Group?"

Bruce glanced at Aisha, who was waiting for her meal at the dining table, and then replied, "Of course, I've heard of them. They're quite famous on the West Coast, especially in the semiconductor industry. They can give Wayne Enterprises a run for their money..."

"They seem to be acting unusually lately. Find out what's going on, and then tell me. I'll add two points to your final exam."

"No, Professor, I'm very busy these days, and I don't have that much time. Regarding business matters, you can go ask Lex; he's been idle lately and fighting with Clark every day."

"Listen, Bruce, the reason I'm not going to Lex is that two points are insignificant to him. 92 points with an extra two means nothing to him. What I mean is, you need those two points to pass."

"But I won't fail..."

"Without those two points, you'll definitely fail."

It was a clear threat, but after a glance at Aisha still waiting for her meal, Bruce sighed and said, "Okay, I'll get you the materials in half an hour."

After Bruce hung up the telephone, he picked up Aisha, patted her back, and said, "I have some urgent matters to attend to. You'll have to eat on your own."

Aisha teared up again, but Alfred still picked her up. Bruce left the dining table smoothly and began to investigate the Queen Group.

He didn't know why Schiller suddenly took an interest in the Queen Group, but he suspected it might be related to Oliver, whom they had recently rescued from a deserted island.

It didn't take long for Schiller to receive materials related to the Queen Group. Most of the information appeared normal, with one particular project standing out.

After the lifting of capital controls in 1989, a large influx of foreign capital, including speculative short-term capital, poured into Mexico. The Queen Group was among those foreign investors.

The materials indicated that Queen Group intended to relocate certain semiconductor factories to Mexico. To establish these factories, they had made over 50 investments, including land purchases, procurement of raw materials, local industry acquisitions, and hiring employees.

Bruce's materials also contained some covert information, such as Queen Group's interest in industries with lower investments but higher returns, including the cultivation of raw materials for drugs.

It was well-known that Mexico had certain indigenous crops like marijuana and poppy, which were essential to the livelihood of many local Mexicans. At the same time, large-scale plantations managed by the capitalist class yielded immense quantities of these crops, which had enabled Mexico to surpass Colombia in the drug and drug precursor industry in just over a decade.

The climate was favorable, labor costs were low, and the involvement of certain countries had made this industry a cornerstone of the nation's economy, attracting many ruthless players.

Mexico's drug industry wasn't a recent development, and Queen Group's cooperation with it had been established for over two decades. The materials revealed that Queen Group had been involved in shipping with certain local Mexican companies.

The West Coast's advantageous geographical location had provided the best support for this lucrative endeavor. Low investment, quick returns, and minimal risks had formed a solid foundation for Queen Group's development.

Within the materials, one name was repeatedly mentioned: a drug production and distribution organization that Queen Group had always been in contact with, "Guadalajara."

"Guadalajara?" Hal, standing at the bow, awkwardly pronounced the word. He said, "I'm sure I heard it right. The people on that ship just mentioned it."

"It's probably a Spanish word, so it doesn't roll off the tongue easily for us, but at least we figured out the name of this organization. It's a promising start," Oliver remarked, standing next to Hal.

Ripples appeared on the sea in front of them, and Arthur emerged from the water. Hal pulled his arm and pulled him onto the boat. Arthur wiped the water from his face and said, "I went down to inquire with the nearby schools of fish. They mentioned that every Tuesday afternoon around 4 o'clock, two ships similar to the one we just encountered pass through here. If we can seize one of them, we can find out where their base is."

"Their base is definitely in Mexico, but the question is which province," Oliver stated with confidence. "I checked the materials; Badiraguato is the most prosperous place in all of Mexico for shipping. It has unique conditions. If this so-called Guadalajara is a powerful drug trafficking organization, they're sure to use it as their main base."

"In that case, we'll wait for their ship to arrive and then extract the exact location of their base from them," Hal devised the operational plan.

The three men waited on the boat until Tuesday afternoon. For them, dealing with drug traffickers on a cargo ship was a breeze. Hal took the lead, Arthur was responsible for rocking the boat with seawater, and Oliver sniped from their own boat. In no time, they defeated almost all the traffickers on one of the ships.

Hal landed on the deck and grabbed one of the survivors, asking, "Where is your base? Who's your boss?"

However, the crew member was so terrified that the sight of Hal radiating green light from his body made him see Hal as a demon from the Bible. He waved his arms and yelled frantically, spewing a stream of Spanish that Hal couldn't comprehend.

Activating his Green Lantern ring's translation function, Hal was met with a barrage of profanities, mostly aimed at him being a demon. After questioning him relentlessly, the man remained silent. Hal had no choice but to toss him into the sea.

After Oliver came aboard, he said, "Questioning these crew members is futile. We need to find the ship's captain, first mate, or some of the administrative personnel. They're the ones with reason and can negotiate with us."

As he predicted, the captain had already perished, but the first mate was still alive. He begged incessantly and spilled all the information he knew. Among the details he provided, besides confirming that Guadalajara's base was indeed in Badiraguato, another name came up repeatedly. Hal and Oliver were certain that this person was the leader of the Guadalajara Organization.

His name was "Miguel Felix Gallardo."

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 654: Red Sea Fury (Part Four)