Crippled Peter

Early the next morning, Lin Fei set off, boarding a plane bound for America.

After flying for over ten hours, the plane finally touched down at the airport in California.

Stepping onto foreign soil on the other side of the ocean for the first time, Lin Fei felt a bit nervous about this unfamiliar land.

When he reached the security checkpoint, he was stopped by an officer who began asking him a series of questions.

Lin Fei could barely understand what the man was saying, but his own spoken English was poor, making it impossible for him to explain himself clearly.

Just as the security officer began to look impatient and prepared to take Lin Fei away, a Chinese person nearby spoke up to help him out of the predicament.

"Thank you!"

Lin Fei nodded at the person with gratitude; she was an auntie in her fifties who had also come from Great Xia.

"Don't mention it. We're all from the same country, so it's only right to help each other out when we're abroad."

This brought a touch of warmth to Lin Fei, but it also made him realize that without an acquaintance to guide him, he would likely find it impossible to take a single step further in this place.

Lin Fei had no choice but to call the lawyer friend of Wu Zhen, who told Lin Fei to wait at the airport and promised to come pick him up.

After waiting for over two hours, a black Ford pulled up in front of Lin Fei.

"Hey, are you Lin Fei?"

"Are you Lawyer Wang?"

"That's me. Get in!"

This lawyer was named Wang Yibo. He was in his forties, dressed in a suit and tie, with his hair combed meticulously and his beard cleanly shaven.

According to Wu Zhen, Wang Yibo was also from Yunzhou and had come to California years ago to study abroad.

After graduating, he stayed here to work and had been here for many years, making him very familiar with the area.

"President Wu has introduced me to you, right? He said you are very good friends and asked me to do my best to help you."

"I heard your friend is sick and you're here to visit him. Which hospital is he in? I'll take you there."

Lin Fei hesitated for a moment before deciding to be honest.

Only in this way could he achieve his goal as quickly as possible.

"Lawyer Wang, I lied. I'm not here to visit a friend."

"Then what are you here for?"

Wang Yibo didn't seem surprised, maintaining an indifferent expression.

If it weren't for Wu Zhen's request, he wouldn't have cared at all about why Lin Fei was here.

"I want to buy guns!"

Only then did Wang Yibo glance at Lin Fei before pulling the car over to the side of the road.

"Young man, why do you want to buy guns? You know you can't take these things back to Great Xia, right?"

"If you just want to have some fun and satisfy your curiosity, I can take you to a shooting club. As long as you pay, you can shoot as much as you want."

Lin Fei's face remained calm, and his tone was equally steady.

"I don't want to just have fun. I want to buy guns—a lot of guns—and I have no intention of taking them back to Great Xia."

"I can guarantee you that I won't do anything illegal or criminal, and I will never cause you any trouble."

Wang Yibo fell silent, staring straight at Lin Fei.

It wasn't until a police car drove by with its siren wailing that Wang Yibo started the car again.

"If you hadn't been introduced by President Wu, I would have truly thought you were a lunatic."

"I can't help you with buying guns..."

Lin Fei had guessed that Wang Yibo would refuse; after all, they were meeting for the first time, and there was no trust between them.

He had a family and a career here, and there was no reason for him to take risks for Lin Fei's sake.

"One hundred thousand dollars."

"This isn't about money..."

"Two hundred thousand dollars."

"You'd better find someone else..."

"One million dollars."

"You... deal!"

A smile squeezed onto Wang Yibo's face as he extended his right hand toward Lin Fei.

"From now on, you are my client, and I will do everything in my power to help you achieve your wish."

Lin Fei shook his hand and added, "I've checked online. There are specialized weapons companies and mercenary firms here in California."

"Handguns, sniper rifles, grenades, flashbangs—I need all of these. You handle the logistics of how to buy them legally; money is no object."

"Help me hire a mercenary. I need someone experienced, someone who has killed before and is proficient with all kinds of weapons. I want him to train me."

Wang Yibo looked completely bewildered and couldn't help but ask, "What on earth are you trying to do?"

"Personal hobby!"

With that single phrase, Lin Fei brushed Wang Yibo off.

Wang Yibo didn't press further, not wanting to make a fool of himself.

He simply pegged Lin Fei as a wealthy second-generation heir with a penchant for military gear, someone who had come here looking for a thrill.

Situations like this were not unheard of.

Wang Yibo was a professional, and he was also very pragmatic.

He took Lin Fei to a hotel to get settled, then asked Lin Fei for two hundred thousand dollars as a deposit.

Lin Fei used the bank card Wu Zhen had given him, withdrew the two hundred thousand, and handed it to Wang Yibo.

Wang Yibo told Lin Fei to get some rest at the hotel and adjust to the time difference, promising to come pick him up once he had everything arranged.

The next day.

Wang Yibo arrived and drove Lin Fei out to a farm in the suburbs.

"I've found someone who meets your requirements. He's a former mercenary with extensive combat experience, he's killed before, and he's proficient with all kinds of weapons."

"His name is Luo Hongwu, and his American name is Peter. I must warn you, this guy has a bit of a temper."

Lin Fei couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation.

"It doesn't matter, as long as he has real skills."

Wang Yibo parked the car on the farm, where a man with a straw hat covering his face and a pipe in his mouth was resting on a lounge chair.

"Hey, Peter!"

Peter lifted the straw hat and stood up from the lounge chair.

He walked with a limp, and there were burn scars on his face that made him look rather ferocious.

Lin Fei turned to look at Wang Yibo and whispered, "What kind of person did you find? Why is he limping?"

Peter seemed to have heard Lin Fei; he suddenly pulled a handgun from his waist and aimed it at Lin Fei.

Lin Fei tensed up instantly, his body rigid, not daring to move a muscle.

"What is he doing?"

Just as Wang Yibo was about to speak, Peter suddenly shifted his aim and fired several shots in rapid succession.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Following the gunshots, the wine bottles hanging from a tree dozens of meters away shattered one after another.

Peter holstered his gun and looked at Lin Fei silently, as if to prove a point.

Wang Yibo quickly laughed and said, "Heh, you saw that, right? Peter's skills haven't rusted; his marksmanship is flawless."

"His leg was blown off during a mercenary mission, which is why he retired. Letting him train you is absolutely the right choice."

"Most importantly, Peter is one of our own from China, so he's reliable. He has plenty of firearms and ammunition; he can definitely satisfy your needs."

Luo Hongwu spoke up then: "Someone said you're willing to pay one hundred thousand dollars for me to train you, is that right?"

"If you want to buy weapons and ammunition, that's a separate price."

Wang Yibo leaned in close to Lin Fei and whispered, "Damn, I clearly negotiated for two hundred thousand. This middleman is greedy as hell, pocketing half."

"Lin Fei, about the money..."

Lin Fei didn't care about the money at this moment; he only cared about whether he could learn real skills.

"Money is not an issue!"

"My time is precious. Let's start the training now!"