11 Chapter 11 - The Pillars Of Organized Crime

After the tour, we moved to the planning area to discuss our future plans. Right now, Lester was currently flipping through the files I gave him.

"This is gonna be a big operation. We need more people for this." Lester said as he rubbed his chin in thought.

"That's actually what I want to talk to you about today. Do you know anyone trustworthy enough to work with us? I know some names, but I want your opinions first." I said as I leaned on my chair and then turned it towards him.

"Hm…" Lester thought for a few seconds. "I've been working with someone… but they're too unpredictable."

No way… The only one Lester has ever called unpredictable was the Online Character. When I first came here, I couldn't really find any info on the OC 'cause they didn't really have an official name. So this is quite a surprise.

"Send me their details. They might be worth looking into." I requested.

"Sure," He nodded. "She's like a jack of all trades of sorts. She can shoot, she can hack, she can drive. Plus, she doesn't speak much so she's not annoying."

'She?' I thought, my brows raised.

"Man... If only we met earlier then we could've recruited some very skilled people. Moses, ironically, he found Jesus." He chuckled, and I did the same. " All those Irish crazies, they mostly just disappeared. That crew from the south all went down." He continued to list some names. He stopped when a thought suddenly came to his mind.

"There was this uh… eastern European guy making moves in Liberty City… Nah he went quiet." He waved the thought off.

That should be Niko Bellic, the main protagonist of GTA IV. He's currently in hiding after making enemies with the Russian Mob and the Italian Mafia, but considering his skill set, they shouldn't be much of a problem for him. He'll be a massive help for my plans so I'm planning on getting in contact with him in the future.

"I'll keep him in mind. You never know." I replied as I gave out a small smile.

"Uh-huh..." He continued to be in deep thought. " I have a few more contacts. Eddie Toh, a great driver but charges quite costly for his services. I know someone who'll take less but he's inexperienced, his name's Karim Denz. It's up to you if you're willing to cough up money for a driver." He said.

"I'll look into them later," I said as I made a mental note of their names. "Do you have contacts in the LS Underground as well?" I asked.

"Sadly, no. I don't dabble in that side of LS much. But if you want to get in, I've heard of a guy that could help you. Though I doubt he'll do it for free." He answered.

"I'm not that strapped for cash at the moment so that won't be much of a problem," I said. Lester only raised his brow to my words.

"From what I've heard of him, he doesn't really care much for money either. He goes by Benny. He owns a Mod Shop by Strawberry Avenue." He replied.

"I see. I'll try to get in contact with him later."

"Moving on, If you want a skilled gunman, I suggest Gustavo Mota. Though he's quite costly as well. I've worked with him once, so I can vouch for his skills." Lester suggested. I nodded at his suggestion.

"Okay, so we now have some candidates for gunmen and drivers. How about some flyers, know any good pilots?" I asked.

"I know one, Charlie Reed. He used to be in the Air Force but was made into a fall guy for an accident so he got discharged. He's currently looking for work so I suggest you recruit him as well." Lester replied.

"Why don't we get Trevor as well?" I questioned.

"Wha— Are you out of your mind?!" He exclaimed, looking at me in disbelief. "Yes, I did forgive you easily. But, HE wouldn't. You should know that already." Lester looked at me incredulously. "Do you have a death wish or something?!" He frowned.

"It's an inevitability, Lester. You've seen my plans. One way or another we'll clash. So why not strike early and meet him on my terms? Plus, if we have him on our side, it'll make our progress faster. He's also the best pilot I know." I explained.

"Fine." He sighed. "But you're on your own with this. I'm not helping you with Trevor."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm getting myself into." I gave out a small chuckle. I've had enough time to plan out how I'll get Trevor on my side these past few weeks. I have three conditions I need to meet before that.

First, I'll give him his cut from the North Yankton job. Of course with a four-year interest. Second, A score. Knowing Trevor, he'll agree as long as it's within his interest. And Lastly, The truth. Mixed with small lies that'll put me in a good light. What I'll do is put the gun pointed towards me and turn it towards someone else. That's why Dave Norton needs to die. I've nothing personal against the guy, but it's a necessary evil.

This is another reason why I need to do the FIB Raid. To give Trevor closure. Of course, there will still be hostility. But he'll at least be open to trust.

Lester sighed once more before speaking, "I have a few more names that might pique your interest. I know someone that's great with tech and a mechanic as well. Her name's Imani. If you want something to explode and mod your car, she's your gal."

"Oh, she's actually on my list already," I responded. Lester was a bit surprised but moved on quickly.

"Hm, I'm surprised you even know her," He said, raising a brow.

"Another one is Paige Harris. Amazing hacker, but of course, I'm still better" He said smugly. I chuckled at his words. "But it's not her hacking skills I'm interested in. Unlike me who pick and choose my clients. She works for anyone who pays a high sum. So she has quite a large network. So if you want connections, get her on your side." He suggested. I nodded.

Lester flipped the documents till he reached a stop. "Let's move on to the drug side of the business. I could help you with management, but unfortunately, I don't know anyone who could help us kickstart this." He said. "Also, are you sure you want to work with this guy?" He asked as he pointed at a picture of Gerald. One of the contacts that the Online Character works within the game. "It says here he's affiliated with The Famillies so I doubt he'll agree to working with you."

"Don't worry, I'll handle it," I replied. "He's got quite a reach in LS drug dealing business so he's a must."

"I see… Oh, and this one." He pointed at another picture. "Anthony Prince? Seriously? Why's he included? I know he has history, but how's he gonna help us?" Lester looked at me confused.

Tony Prince was a well-known club owner in Liberty City but due to complications, moved here to Los Santos.

"What I want is his name. I'm planning on starting my own Night Club as well. Which will be our main front for our product distribution. He also has experience in management so he'll be a great help." I explained.

"The question is, will he even work with us?"

"Knowing him, he probably would. He used to own one of the most popular nightclubs in Liberty City. I'm sure he'll be more than willing to get back in the game." I answered.

"I see… What about this one?" He pointed at another photo. "Who's Johhny Klebitz?"

"He's the President of The Lost MC. They moved here last year after a deal gone wrong. If I get them on my side, our reach would get even wider."

"I hope you're not biting more than you can chew here. You want to work with the Families, now Bikers as well?"

"Don't worry." I chuckled. "When I decided to return, I prepared myself for any possible difficulties that'll come our way."

"Okay then, suit yourself," Lester said as he flipped through the documents again. "So that should be enough for recruits for now. I hope you some plans on how to get the farms and labs running 'cause I'm drawing a blank on this" He continued.

"Once I get some people, I'm planning on sending them to raid some stashes around LS. Then we sell those for now till I get the farms and labs started."

"What about our equipment situation?" He asked.

"Merryweather just started migrating here in LS so we've got guns flowing in abundance right now."

"Merryweather? Are you sure you want them gunning for you?" He frowned "Stealing from gangs I can understand. But from well-trained mercenaries is just asking for an early death."

"That is if they know who's stealing from them. They're currently at war with the Duggans, we could use that to our advantage and raid their bases."

We continued to talk about how we wanted to proceed with our operations. We didn't even notice the time passed by. Midway through our talks, I brought out a bottle of wine and we got to drinking. A few hours later, it was time for him to leave.

"I should go," Lester spoke. "But before I leave." He lifted his glass half-filled with wine. "To hopefully a successful business and a better future." He smiled.

"Cheers" I raised my glass as well, and we both downed the remaining wine in our glass.

"Oh, before I forget. Once you get production running, tell me. I know some buyers who'll buy them in bulk."

"Sure will." I waved him goodbye as he left the Arcade.

***

PLEASE READ!!

400k VIEWS!! HOLY SHIIII. I didn't expect I could even reach that high of a number. So with the sudden increase in views, I want to answer some questions here.

I admit. I might have written myself into a wall after giving Michael overpowered skills from the start. I did say I'm still a newbie in this, so mistakes were to be expected. But! I haven't dug myself into a grave just yet.

The skills are OP, sure. But I've put some limits to it as well.

For RNGesus' Blessing. I put in the skill description that it won't activate for the benefit of others. Just for the MC's. So for example, if Michael was tied to a bomb with another person, it wouldn't activate.

For the Profiler. It will not make him omniscient. Things will happen that are not within his control. Also, there are problems that large amounts of money won't be able to solve.

For the Gamer. I don't want to say much about this 'cause it'll spoil some major plot points in the future. But if you've played Far Cry 3, you should know where I'm going with this.

And about Amanda. It seems her being a former "Exotic" Dancer is a big dealbreaker for a lot of you. So I decided to change her into a former Waitress. Don't worry, this will not just be a last-minute change. I'm planning on expanding on this in future chapters.

That's it for now! If you have suggestions as to where you want this story to go, let me know in the comments!