Chapter 1576 - 757

Chapter 1576: Chapter 757

The atmosphere in the private room seemed to suddenly freeze, leaving only the gurgling sound of the boiling hot pot.

The middle-aged man raised his left hand, pressing it down slightly, making a gesture.

Only then did the others slightly relax their tense muscles.

He put down the bowl and chopsticks, turned to take an old-fashioned brick phone from his briefcase, pressed the answer button, and held the receiver to his ear.

A low voice faintly came through from the other end of the phone, speaking a few words of foreign language that the others couldn’t understand.

The middle-aged man simply responded with two words, "Understood," and then decisively hung up the call.

Then he tossed the phone back into the bag and grabbed a napkin to wipe his mouth.

The attention of the other four people was entirely focused on him.

"There’s a job to be done."

The middle-aged man spoke, his voice steady, with an inexplicable infectiousness.

Huang Mao spat out the toothpick in his mouth, shuffled his folding chair forward half a step, and asked in a low voice:

"Brother Tian, this call, was it from that mysterious organization that contacted you before?"

The middle-aged man, referred to as "Brother Tian," nodded slightly.

The two burly men exchanged a glance, their faces darkening, showing some apprehension.

The short-haired woman stopped her movement of picking food, turned to look at the middle-aged man, and asked softly:

"Brother Tian, what do they plan for us to do?"

Brother Tian leaned back in his chair and said slowly, without haste:

"They’ve officially assigned the first task, for us to plan a bombing in East Capital to draw the police’s attention."

"A deposit of fifty million will be credited to the account within these two days. The specific action plan and targets will be notified later."

The young man with dyed yellow hair heard this, his eyes darting around, feeling a bit puzzled:

"Isn’t this task too strange? They don’t want us to assassinate politicians or high-profile figures, nor to touch those tycoon noble families, just to be ordinary robbers. The money seems too easy to get."

The others at the table were also full of suspicion.

Since arriving in Xia Country two months ago, this group had been holed up in this chaotic urban village, keeping a low profile and waiting for an opportunity.

Hiding daily in narrow little motels, everyone had already been bottling up a stomach full of frustration.

Tonight was a rare occasion to come out for a meal, eat something delicious to satisfy their cravings, and also to discuss how to earn their first pot of gold in Xia Country.

They were even beginning to consider which local gang to "borrow" travel expenses from to turn their current situation around.

Now, hearing the mysterious financier give such a peculiar order, everyone felt both surprised and inevitably filled with waves of doubt.

The short-haired woman pursed her lips, her brow showing some worry:

"We can never figure out this group’s background. Are we really planning to risk our lives for them? Brother Tian, I just feel uneasy about this..."

Brother Tian stretched out his palm and gently patted the woman’s hand twice as a way to comfort her.

Then he withdrew his hand, his gaze sweeping over the others at the table, and said slowly:

"We crossed General Ruan in Southern Ocean, not only hijacking his goods but also killing his useless nephew. That old guy issued an underworld bounty, sealing off all ports."

"After finally hiding in the hold of a freighter, eating sour food for a month to smuggle ourselves to Xia Country, it was all to lay low and find a way to survive."

He paused slightly, then continued:

"Now this organization not only is willing to take us in but also promises to help us completely clear our identities after the job, even to help eliminate General Ruan who dominates in the Southern Ocean."

"Aside from a clean passport, each person will also receive a generous relocation fund. This money is enough for us to reinvent ourselves in Xia Country, live as wealthy men in peace."

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent.

The private room fell into a brief silence, leaving only the gurgling sound of the red-oil broth bubbling.

They recalled the days in the Southern Ocean rainforests, licking blood from the edge of a knife.

Every day dealing with poisonous snakes and insects, their clothes soaked with sweat and rain, emitting a foul, sour smell.

Risking their lives for dirty deals just to earn a meager commission.

With the slightest slip, they’d be hunted like stray dogs by the warlords, not even having a safe place to sleep.

The kind of precarious, mud-slogging life, they had long had enough of.

The short-haired woman sighed and continued the conversation:

"Daozai is still lying in the underground clinic, his wound inflamed, with a fever that won’t go down. The doctor demands two hundred thousand for surgery, and the cost of subsequent treatment will only increase."

"And Gui and Song En, who were left in the Southern Ocean and couldn’t escape, their families are likely to be found by General Ruan’s people, urgently needing money to buy their way out... Our funds are running low; we truly can’t wait any longer."

These words hit everyone right in their hearts.

The two burly men’s faces grew even more unpleasant, one irritably tearing open his collar, and the other sighed heavily.

"Brother Tian, Sister Juan."

Huang Mao, hearing this, hesitated for a moment, then couldn’t help but say:

"The thing is, everyone knows there are no free meals in our line of work. If they’re willing to pay such a high price, this job surely requires staking our lives on it."

He licked his lips, his eyes fierce:

"Those promises of a clear record and relocation fund are just words. Those guys in suits have darker hearts than us mercenaries; once the job is done, they might turn around and kill us."

"If we really want to get the money, we can’t follow their rules. We must hold something over them, or simply take the initiative, bite a chunk off them, and take down this deposit!"