NOVEL WEB Chapter 719
There are two cardinal rules in the Mexican cartel that must always be followed.
First, never touch an American.
Second, absolutely never touch an American.
This is because if an American gets harmed, the U.S. military will intervene.
To help illustrate this, consider the following analogy.
The fierce beasts in an African safari park have, over generations, developed an instinct that tells them they must never attack humans.
If they were to mistakenly mess with a frail child?
In that moment, armed black men would rush in and mercilessly unload bullets into their bellies.
So it goes.
“Mmm…! This chicken quesadilla is really delicious, Auntie!”
“Haha, it seems it’s a bit spicy for you, dear?”
“Yup! I’m not great with spicy food, but chicken has to be spicy to taste good, right?”
When we entered the building, the members of the organization had already finished their dinner and dispersed.
The maid, washing the dishes alone in the kitchen, quickly whipped up some spicy chicken quesadilla for us.
“More and more people are gathering…”
“Let’s at least avoid their gaze for now.”
Matteo and Miguel were also burying their heads in their plates, enjoying their meal.
“Ugh, this is spicy. Do you have yogurt ice cream here?”
“Yogurt ice cream? I doubt we have any. We’ll have to go buy it at the mart.”
“Oh, then I’ll give you the money, so please buy the best one! How many people live in this building?”
“There should be around fifteen of us. Wow, why would you need so much just for ice cream?”
Members of the organization were gathered in the living room, staring at us fixedly.
I handed some cash to the maid and pointed out a few members.
“You, you, and you three. Go buy twenty portions of ice cream. If there’s extra money, get some snacks for your seniors.”
These intimidating organizations have a clear hierarchy, making it obvious who the youngest member is.
“Me?”
“Hey! The wizard asked you to go, hurry up and move it!”
“Yes, understood…!”
“Oh, right. If you buy drugs, you’re dead!”
I savored the last piece of quesadilla, gripping it with both hands.
The boys who had already finished their food were staring longingly at the empty plates.
“Hey, are you guys hungry? Want me to give you my extra?”
“N-No! I’m good! Really…”
“I-I’m not hungry either. But, NoName…”
“NoName.”
“Right, NoName. How long do we have to stay here?”
“You can leave anytime you want. I called you guys because I was worried you might be hungry. But since you’re here, at least eat some ice cream before you go.”
“Ah, okay…! We’ll do that.”
Dinner was a light affair.
It was the most delicious Mexican food I had eaten recently.
I took my coffee cup and moved to the living room.
Ten cartel members looked at me all at once.
I slowly nodded.
“Perfect. This is tastier than the Michelin one-star I had in New York.”
And the thumbs-up was extra.
“Wowww!”
“Whoa! The cooking skill of Aunt Gabby hasn’t diminished!”
“NoName, can I take a picture with you?”
“I can’t take a picture with a guy who’s shirtless. Tattoos included.”
“Hey, give me something to cover my head. Anything, quickly.”
“Make sure to put on a nice smile. You want me to spread rumors that I hang out with gangsters?”
After taking the photo, I sipped my bitter coffee and slowly scanned the surroundings.
‘It seems everyone here hasn’t killed anyone. Are they drug couriers or just the lowest level members of the organization?’
The cartel members played a video on an old beam projector.
[NoName vs. Levi Huning Jr.]
“NoName is entering the National Exchange Tournament again this year.”
“Wasn’t he supposed to enter anyway?”
“No, it’s a bit complicated. Anyway, he’s just going to participate in the group preliminaries and then drop out.”
“Why do that? I keep telling you, those Yankees run things poorly.”
Despite the gangsters’ fear of the U.S., most Mexicans harbor hostile feelings toward them.
“Wow! I’ve never seen NoName appearing in a magic duel with Na-me before.”
“NoName, do you remember this match?”
“Of course. Levi Huning Jr. was really strong back then.”
“But you won, didn’t you? Hahaha!”
Was my victory against Levi Huning Jr. that exhilarating?
‘Since that match, the number of Mexican subscribers has increased by over three hundred thousand.’
Moreover, I was set to face off against an American again this year.
The opponent, coincidentally, was John L. Marshall, a fellow alumnus from Philips Academy.
Ding dong—
“Ahh. I’ve brought the ice cream.”
“Ah, you worked hard on this hot day.”
“Boss, the chief is about to arrive.”
“Is that so? Got it.”
The members who had dropped the ice cream bag.
“Melon? Mango? What do you want?”
“Give me melon. This is Korean ice cream, right?”
“Oh? That’s right.”
I bit into the Melona.
Matteo and Miguel were getting ready to awkwardly leave with the ice cream.
I should at least give them a quick send-off.
“You’re not leaving?”
“Hmph, I still have a bit of work left.”
“NoName, this is definitely a drug cartel. Staying here too long won’t do you any good.”
“I know, that’s why I came. Don’t worry too much about me. Oh, do you want me to sign something for you?”
I grabbed a pen from the table and signed their soccer jerseys.
“Be careful on your way back. I’ve memorized your faces and names. If you ever end up in a gang, and I run into you on the street later, I might just kill you without a warning. Hmph, understand?”
Nod, nod—!
I also threw in some warm-hearted advice to discourage them from going astray.
When I returned to the building, I was greeted by the tattooed men with missing shirts.
“Why didn’t you go with the kids? Why are you back again?”
“I have something to ask your boss.”
“If it’s about the cartel, then leave it. We just welcome you out of pure fan sentiment. If we get involved beyond that, it’ll be hard to protect you.”
“Then can I ask you first? We’ve become friends, even for a short time.”
The gang members glared at me with a rather displeased look.
They snickered in disbelief before responding.
“But do you even know what we do?”
“It’s obvious, isn’t it? You’re drug couriers, right? Also keeping an eye on other organizations encroaching on your turf. Judging by how manly and handsome you all are, you probably follow Sinaloa and not that sneaky Juarez.”
“What…? Ha. Hahaha! Wow…! NoName, you’re really different. Did everyone hear that?”
“Wow, that’s so creepy. You’re fucking local, NoName? No one not local could know that kind of high-end info. Hahaha.”
“NoName the wizard wouldn’t be local either. Anyway, what are you curious about?”
“Do you know of Los Calchona, which is under the Sinaloa cartel?”
“Hmm… Why are you curious about Los Calchona?”
I slowly nodded the Melona stick in my mouth and savored the woodsy taste.
‘Yeah, they don’t seem clueless. I’m lucky today.’
An oppressive silence filled the room.
“Slurp. It seems they touched our factory. Janjeol is coming soon. Half of it is owned by an American company.”
“Those crazy bastards don’t know their place…”
“Two of our factory employees were kidnapped during quitting time. As the CEO, I have a duty to protect my staff. I’m still not sure if it was Los Calchona’s doing, but they left graffiti out in the open, so I have to investigate, right?”
I pointed at each member with the wooden stick and wrapped it carefully in paper.
“If that’s the reason you’re here, I’m guessing you’re already geared up.”
“Well, if we’re armed, we just have a small particle barrier and Bunsil.”
“Bunsil?”
“Oh? Interested? This is an amazing tool. Want to take a look?”
“Ah, no. Not particularly interested. Whoa, what the heck is this!”
A large, beautiful blade of cold air erupted from the wand.
“Heh, it’s my secret weapon for the National Exchange Tournament. Normally I don’t show things in advance, but since you’re my friends, I’ll make an exception.”
* * *
“Damn it. That fat bastard, even after covering for his ex, should be thinking of earning money through selling drugs. What changes one or two thugs being bullied about? Damn it, shit! Cough cough!”
El Rizo, the curly-haired middle-aged man, spewed curses as he puffed on his cigar.
He has been involved with the Sinaloa cartel for twenty-five years now.
Having been pushed out of the central power struggles, he established the ‘Los Caleres’ family to continue living as a subcontractor of Sinaloa.
His motto was solely ‘fine and long’.
After witnessing many Sinaloa kings meet tragic ends.
El Rizo began to obsess over money rather than power.
“Should we bring in technicians? We’re already struggling for money as it is.”
He knew the struggles of a small business owner.
Naturally, the only client he had was the Sinaloa cartel.
Competing families were currying favor with the Sinaloa using cutting-edge technologies like wand designs or tank manufacturing.
The room for sales representatives who had to hustle was getting increasingly tighter.
*Pat pat—*
“Yeah, that works. I’d rather be beaten by a capable family than deal with these useless ones.”
The issue was that there were too many female bosses under the Sinaloa’s subcontracted cartel.
It’s not that El Rizo is a severe misogynist.
The lovers of the number one and number two started to get into positions one by one through their connections.
It had come to the point where the entire Sinaloa cartel was shaking.
“Sigh… This feels less like reality and more like a B-grade movie.”
El Rizo clenched and then loosened his fists.
Perhaps he no longer had the same fiery passion as he once did.
“Who the hell called me all the way to this remote place?”
“Boss, you have arrived. Please give me the bag.”
“You said it’s a woman? A famous singer? An actress?”
“Uh… Didn’t you get a brief explanation on your way?”
“Yeah. It’s a surprise.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll make sure to properly train my subordinates.”
“That’s alright. It happens. But if she’s not a pretty girl, I might be very disappointed in you today.”
“Maybe it’s because you’re young, but she does have smooth skin.”
“I can’t believe that at all. Well, let’s take a look.”
*Crackle—*
“Huh? What is that sound?”
As we stepped into the yard, we heard the innocent laughter of a child.
This wasn’t a residential area, so it was undoubtedly out of place.
“Wooosh!”
Out from behind the building came NoName.
She was sitting on a chair made by two organization members, swinging around her Frost Crystal Sword.
Shiny ice shards were scattered all around.
“Huh?”
“I greet the boss…!”
“Ugh!”
The members stopped what they were doing and quickly took a formal stance.
At the same time, Na-me tripped forward.
*Thud—*
“Could you just say stop if you’re going to stop… huh?”
She was very young, perhaps even younger than El Rizo’s youngest daughter.
Na-me dusted the sand off her arms and cheerfully asked.
“Finally meeting you, you must be the boss of Los Calchona, right?”
“?”
“Or what did you say? Cal, what? Ahh… Caleres? That doesn’t sound like Spanish… Anyway, I was waiting with my subordinates while playing.”
“Who are you?”
El Rizo asked in a bewildered tone.
Suddenly, one side of Na-me’s mouth tugged upward.
She had momentarily switched from speaking Spanish to fluent English with an American accent.
“I’m American, and I was kidnapped by these people today.”
“Hey! You! Bastards!!! What the hell is going on here!!!”
With anger erupting from the depths of my belly, a scream exploded from my throat.
What? An American? And they kidnapped a mere child?
The air was vibrating with an aura.
An oppressive pressure that shakes one to their bones.
In that instant, everyone present held their breath and stared at El Rizo.
Only Na-me, like a retriever caught red-handed, looked up slightly.
“Hey, I’m just messing with you.”
“What?”
“I’m technically an American.”
“Aaaaaahhh!”