Chapter 171 Competitive Mission
The bearded, strong and bulky man’s face was as rough as the bottom of a wok, and his beard was as sharp as needles. He came from behind while mocking Zhou Qingfeng. He even used his bulky body to push Zhou Qingfeng away, and his oppressive gaze made all the Ministry of Home Affairs personnel feel uncomfortable.
Zhou Qingfeng frowned as he found himself encircled a group of people. It seemed that all of them were subordinates of the strong and bulky man. They were well-armed, and they surrounded Zhou Qingfeng as if they were watching a movie.
“Oh… can you guys please calm down for a moment? If you guys are really aiming for the huge paycheck, you can consider collaborating with each other,” one of the personnel from the Ministry of Home Affairs attempted to solve the conflict.
“Are you asking me to collaborate with Victor Hugo? This is a total insult to me!” The strong and bulky man slammed the table once again, as he stared at Zhou Qingfeng and said, “Mr. Hugo, you probably don’t know who I am, but we’ve been enemies from the very beginning. I really regret not killing you when I had the chance.”
“Who are you?” Zhou Qingfeng asked, frowning. He flexed his muscles, ready to activate his ‘As Quick as Lightning’ ability at any time. However, there were quite a lot of people surrounding him. Zhou Qingfeng came out alone, and he had never thought that he would actually encounter some unexpected enemies.
“You can call me Guzman. I was once the right-hand man for the leader of the Zetas. You’ve destroyed Los Zetas’ dream, and have ruined my life as well, forcing us to hide as if we were a group of rats. You’ve even killed my partner…. I’ve always dreamed to make my revenge!”
The strong and bulky man standing right in front of Zhou Qingfeng was the bearded Guzman, and he was the one who came up with the plan that nearly took Zhou Qingfeng’s life. After his partner Koval got bitten to death by DogMeat, he once thought of planning for a comeback, but he was soon awakened by the reality.
Zhou Qingfeng had faced some difficulties in the past, and Guzman had encountered some of his own as well. However, the remaining members of the Zetas gradually left the gang, and there were now only thirty people who stayed and followed Guzman. Most of them were just unlucky men who had no other place to go.
In the end, Guzman was even more miserable than Zhou Qingfeng. He handed over all of his resources to the Brotherhood of Steel, just to qualify to become their mercenary. The whole team had been starving for days. They realized that they must find some work. Otherwise, the Zetas would probably completely disband in minutes.
After knowing that Zhou Qingfeng too had become a mercenary, Guzman’s unfathomable anger, which had accumulated within his heart, was immediately vented at Zhou Qingfeng, “Victor Hugo, I heard that you’re having some pretty tough times too.
“Didn’t you just form an Armed Nun Society? Where are your weaponry and nuns? Didn’t you once say that you wanted to become the largest force in Manhattan? Thousands of people have even gathered to work for you. How did you actually end up like this?
“How about those armored vehicles which you got from the NYPD headquarters. You used to break into our territories, kill our men, and force us to retreat using those vehicles. However, I heard that you’re now down to selling them. You’re just as miserable as I am, aren’t you?”
Guzman laughed loudly as he came closer to Zhou Qingfeng’s face and repeatedly asked, “Aren't you?” All of a sudden, Zhou Qingfeng grabbed his head and slammed onto the table. He then turned around, pulled out his gun, and pointed it at Guzman’s head.
Guzman’s nose was bleeding on the spot, and his men reacted by swiftly pulling out their guns and pointing at Zhou Qingfeng. The security guards from the Brotherhood of Steel’s Ministry of Home Affairs soon surrounded them and yelled, “Put your guns down! Everyone, put your guns down now!”
However, Guzman shouted as if he had gone crazy, “Victor Hugo, just shoot me if you dare! Do you even know the consequences of killing me? You’ve killed my best partner and ruined my everything. I really want to take you down with myself!”
Zhou Qingfeng looked at the muzzle pointed at him. The staff from the Ministry of Home Affairs, who was standing behind him and pointing a gun at him, yelled in fear, “Calm down, everyone! Mr. Guzman’s men, can you guys please first put down your guns? You can continue on though if really you want to reunite with your ex-leader.”
Guzman’s subordinates looked at each other for quite a while. All of them soon gradually put down their guns; after all, no one actually wanted to reunite with their ex-leader.
The staff from the Ministry of Home Affairs then lowered his voice as he tried to persuade Zhou Qingfeng, “Mr. Hugo, I think that there’s no need for you guys to fight among yourselves. If both of you really want to take this mission, then please keep your relationship in a competitive way. Whichever team that hands us Skull and Bones’ fifth core member’s—Fernando Rethno’s—head first will be the team considered to have completed the mission.
The staff from the Ministry of Home Affairs also handed Zhou Qingfeng a mission briefing on the target. After receiving it, Zhou Qingfeng pushed Guzman away and left Skull and Bones’ Ministry of Home Affairs with large strides. Meanwhile, Guzman stood up and wiped the blood on his nose. Then he shouted at Zhou Qingfeng, “Victor Hugo, just wait for me! I’ll kill you for sure.”
Nieto felt frustrated when he saw Zhou Qingfeng’s shadow slowly disappearing. The young man felt that he and Zhou Qingfeng had only a little difference in age, but their current circumstances were poles apart. Even though both of them were having a hard time, Zhou Qingfeng remained high-spirited, while he could only continue with his bad luck.
Hailey and Sofia were in the room when Nieto returned to his dwelling place. The two women had been following him all this time, and they managed to live on only because of the scarce food Nieto brought from the outside world.
After seeing Nieto return, the young Hailey quickly asked, “Do we have anything to eat today?”
“Nope.” Nieto shook his head. Guzman’s entire team had completely run out of rice and fuel. Therefore, Nieto only ate one meal per day. The two women had been starving for the entire day.
“What should we do?” Hailey asked.
“Our boss Guzman got us a job. I’ll be leaving with him soon. As for you guys...” Nieto trailed off, unsure. He would be away for at least ten days, and the two women might have already starved to death when he returned.
“Are you going to a war?” asked Hailey.
Nieto nodded.
Hailey instantly shook her head to indicate that she did not want to follow him. However, the older Sofia said, “I’ll go with you. I won’t find any food even if I stay here anyway. Perhaps I can get myself some food from the outside world.”
Just when Nieto wanted to nod, his room door was suddenly pried open by someone else. The lame Guzman broke in from outside as he threw a glance inside the room. He then laughed mischievously, “Nieto, I remembered that you got two women with you…. It seems that I’m right.”
Nieto felt panicked when he saw Guzman He replied stiffly, “Yes, indeed, I’ve always taken care of them.”
"It takes a lot of hard work to take care of two women at the same time, isn’t it? You’re in luck today, as I’ll be helping you to relieve some of your burdens. The team is about to set off, and everyone is likely to die in an unknown place. Therefore, in order to boost our team morale, I believe it’s important for us to first enjoy ourselves before leaving. How about giving us one of your women?"
Guzman wore a lascivious smile on his face and swept his gaze across both Hailey and Sofia. The two women instantly felt their blood run cold, feeling as if they had been targeted by a hungry wolf.
Hailey moved her feet gradually and hid behind Nieto. She whispered, in tears, "Nieto, please, protect me. I beg you, please don't send me out. I’ll be dead for sure."
Sofia was standing on the other side of the room, and she too was terrified. She stood still, not daring to even move a muscle. She then looked at Nieto with a begging gaze, hoping that he would not abandon her.
Meanwhile, Guzman yelled, "Nieto, make your decision now. All I want is a woman, don’t let me make things difficult for you. Ha ha ha!”