9 Chapter 5 Private Armed Forces_1

As a military enthusiast, Gao Guang not only knew what PMC (Private Military Company) was but was also very familiar with it.

PMCs are shorthand for private military contractors, or you could also call them military contractors, which indeed is a legitimate profession.

However, what Captain and his team did today was utterly that of mercenaries, and mercenaries are illegal, but since Captain also said today was just a side job for them, there was nothing to fear.

After all, it's common for a legal PMC to switch to doing some illegal mercenary work on the side, and for mercenaries to transform into a legal PMC.

So, PMC work is an option, with the only consideration being the risk associated with the profession.

But Gao Guang didn't need to waste time studying the risks of being a PMC because he already knew, so things were much simpler for him. Before his indecisiveness could kick in, his nature had already made the choice.

"I'm in," Gao Guang chose to join, then quickly added, "I know what PMC is, and I understand the difference between PMC and mercenaries. If the job you're offering is that of a legal PMC, then I'm in."

"Huh?"

Gao Guang's response was so quick that Captain was a bit slow to react. After a brief moment of astonishment, Captain was quite surprised, "If you know what a PMC is, that saves trouble, but don't you want to consider it carefully?"

What else is there to consider? There's no need when just the fact of being poor is reason enough. What other reason is needed?

Rich second-generation individuals would find it quite difficult to squander their fortunes if they don't mess around too much. Thus, they could spend their lives indulging in luxury. On the other hand, it's possible for them to lose a fortune they couldn't spend in several lifetimes if they get too heated up about entrepreneurship.

But poor people must struggle. If they can start a business, they should; if they can venture out, they must. To live a stable life, it's very likely they'll be poor all their lives.

For Gao Guang, loving adventure was secondary. Being poor and unwilling to remain poor all his life was the primary reason that drove him to take risks without hesitation.

"Captain, I'm very poor. I need a job that pays well. PMC is very suitable for me, so I have nothing to consider. No, rather, you could say I've considered it for a long time. If I can become a PMC, then I absolutely will," he said.

Gao Guang's attitude was very proper, and what he said felt sincere. However, this only made Captain feel uneasy because things that come too easily can often bring a sense of insecurity.

After pondering for a moment, Captain turned on the dome light and then looked at Gao Guang, "You've got your passport, let me see it."

When Captain asked for the passport, he obviously needed to do some background checks, so Gao Guang immediately took out his passport and handed it over to Captain.

"Your name is Gao Guang, born in '94, so that makes you twenty-four this year. I don't understand the emergency contact information here. Who is this?"

"Those are my parents and their phone numbers."

"Is this your first time going abroad?"

"Yes, this is my first time going abroad."

"You have a tourist visa. Why would you choose Mexico for your first trip abroad?"

As Captain's question was within normal bounds, Gao Guang immediately replied, "This isn't for travel, not real travel. I studied Spanish, and I've just graduated from university. I need some experience in a Spanish-speaking country, which would help me find a job."

Understanding, Captain nodded, "Got it. You came to Mexico to find a job. So are you planning to stay in Mexico illegally, or use it as a stepping stone to sneak into the United States?"

"No, I don't want to find a job here. I have no intention of staying illegally, nor do I want to sneak into the United States! I can just take a lot of photos and some videos here in Mexico to use as evidence when I am job hunting. This isn't compulsory, but it does indeed help me a great deal in finding a job."

Without responding, Captain fell silent. Meanwhile, Bottle Cap turned around with a puzzled face and asked Gao Guang, "If you studied Spanish, then why didn't you go to Spain?"

Bottle Cap's question was just like asking, "Why don't you eat meat porridge?"

Gao Guang replied, somewhat helplessly, "Because I couldn't get a Schengen visa. If I could have, I would have gone to Spain. Besides, my Spanish leans more towards Latin American Spanish, and Mexico... has the cheapest flights of all Latin American Spanish-speaking countries."

With a nod, Captain said, "Then how did you get kidnapped by Sanchez?"

Gao Guang waved his hand helplessly and said, "I did a lot of research before coming to Mexico and knew that the security here was bad. So, when I left the airport, I chose to take a taxi. Right after I got out of the taxi, suddenly, three people surrounded me, pointing two guns at me. I thought it was a robbery and didn't resist. They put a hood over my head, tied my hands with cable ties, and shoved me into a car, taking me straight to where Sanchez was. At first, I truly thought it was just a robbery..."

"Alright, no need to say more."

Captain closed the passport and handed it back to Gao Guang, decisively saying, "You've proven your ability, and there are no issues with your background. We'll discuss your compensation when we get to San Diego."

This was like passing the interview and the background check. The next step was to join the company. Gao Guang took back his passport, feeling a weight lifted off his shoulders, "Thank you."

The Captain then took out a phone from the pocket of his tactical vest, only this time it was a satellite phone with a large antenna, and he said very seriously, "We need to leave Mexico as soon as possible, the original plan won't work, I need to contact the boss, only he can help us, but it will require us to cover the expenses ourselves, we need to share the cost, any objections?"

Bottle Cap exhaled and said, "Alright, the money's no good if we're not alive to spend it, I agree."

Rubber hesitated for a moment and said, "If the price isn't too high, I can accept it."

With Rubber's agreement, the Captain immediately said, "Joey agrees too, then I'm making the call."

Joey, pulling the hostage and Wild Bull's corpse behind him, but with walkie-talkies communication wasn't hindered, now the four of them had come to an agreement. As for Gao Guang, having just joined, he had no right to voice his opinion.

Gao Guang felt that the Captain was waiting for him to decide to join, to become a trustworthy insider before he was willing to make this critical call.

The Captain dialed a number on the satellite phone and after a wait, he said in a deep voice, "Boss, hello, this is Frank, uh... I'll just get straight to it, Wild Bull is dead, and we've encountered some trouble."

After waiting a moment, the Captain continued, "We took on a rescue mission, to save a hostage held by a drug trafficker in Tijuana, but the intermediary didn't tell us the trafficker was from the Zeta Group, no no, I'm not asking you to trouble the intermediary, now we've clashed with the Zeta Group, and they definitely won't let us go. Staying in Tijuana is too dangerous, I need to cross the border into San Diego as soon as possible."

Listening to a few words from the person on the other line, the Captain hung up the phone and then he sighed lightly, "The boss needs to make a few calls, he'll give us a clear answer later, for now let's head to the border crossing."

The Captain had a boss above him, but the call didn't seem like a conversation between a boss and a subordinate.

Gao Guang was curious but he was certain he wouldn't ask anything.

Another ten or so minutes passed, and as their car was about to enter Tijuana's city area, the Captain's satellite phone finally rang.

"Boss... okay, lane twenty-four, got it. How much do we need to pay? I can't let you cover it for us, okay, thanks boss."

After the Captain finished the call, he immediately said, "It's arranged, the twenty-fourth passage at the border crossing, there will be a car waiting there to take us through the checkpoint, we have to pay thirty thousand US dollars, it's the friendly price negotiated by the boss."

Bottle Cap immediately said, "Thirty thousand for five people to share is... uh..."

Rubber without hesitation said, "Six thousand a person, that's still acceptable."

The Captain didn't say anything, but Gao Guang held back again and again, eventually bursting out, "Thirty thousand US dollars divided by five people is six thousand each, and besides, I don't have any money."

The Captain whispered, "The five doesn't include you, the money will be paid by Wild Bull."

Rubber was astonished, saying, "Is it six thousand per person? Uh, okay, anything under ten thousand US dollars is still acceptable."

Gao Guang's heart eased because he really couldn't afford the six thousand US dollars, and the others were relieved too, because being able to quickly get through the border meant much less risk for them.

The Tijuana border crossing is huge and open twenty-four hours a day, but from the United States to Mexico the way is clear with hardly any inspection. The other way around, from Mexico into the United States, the inspection is very strict.

Approaching the border crossing, vehicles were noticeably multiplying, but the Captain and his crew just took off their helmets, still wearing their face masks and bulletproof vests, a somewhat brazen demeanor.

Gao Guang was curious how their two vehicles, armed with guns and a dead body, would get through the US checkpoint. If they could just clear customs like that, then the Captain's boss seemed too powerful.

It was now past eight in the evening, yet the line of vehicles waiting to cross the border was still quite long. However, the car driven by Rubber didn't fall in line; instead, it headed straight for a lane separated by concrete barriers, and at the end of the lane, a black SUV was blocking the way.

The Captain breathed out and said in a low voice, "Black Ford Suburban, that must be the car. Pull up behind it and stop."

Rubber slowly applied the brake, stopping the car right behind the black SUV, then the Captain rolled down the window and poked his head out.

The front SUV also rolled down its window; however, no one got out or looked over, the Captain just said loudly, "Hello, Mr. Smith asked me to pass on his regards."

Someone in the car in front put a beacon on the roof, which started flashing, quiet without making any sound.

The SUV in front roared to life, its tail lights lit up, and it began moving forward slowly while Rubber quickly followed.

Cars lined up on their left for inspection as far as the eye could see, but Gao Guang and his convoy followed the beacon-equipped SUV, travelling on an empty lane, rapidly approaching the checkpoint.

Then, barriers blocking the inspection lanes ahead were moved aside, and the cars barely slowed down as they sped through the checkpoint.

Without the long wait, without meticulous inspection, without unpleasant questioning, without any hassle, and even saving on the forty-dollar border crossing fee, Gao Guang passed through the US-Mexico border without any real sense of the experience.