"How do we fix this?" Ke Liangjie and Li Zoyi asked in unison.
Hearing Fang Zhen mention a solution, both Li Zoyi and Ke Liangjie immediately turned their full attention to him.
Fang Zhen didnât answer right away. Instead, he looked at Ke Liangjie and asked, "First things first. Whatâs your escape plan? Where are you going to lay low?"
Ke Liangjieâs first instinct was to refuse, but for some reason, he had a nagging feeling that not answering would anger Fang Zhenâand he was afraid of Fang Zhenâs anger.
"Probably Africa. Places like South Africa, Nigeria, or Angola," Ke Liangjie said. "You can still make decent money in those places. Plus, Iâve got some buddies over there who are doing alright. I could probably crash with them for a while, wait for the heat to die down here, and then figure things out."
Hearing this, Fang Zhenâs interest was piqued.
As far as he knew, those African countries were all pretty chaotic. A lot of weapons circulated on the open market.
Buying an RPG within Ah Mei was practically impossible, but in places like that in Africa, getting your hands on a rocket launcher was completely normal, as long as you had something to trade for it.
âIf Ke Liangjie can really make those connections work, then keeping in touch with him could open up a new channel for upgrading my weapons down the line.â
At this thought, Fang Zhen made his decision.
He wasnât going to silence Ke Liangjie.
His Extraordinary Power hadnât been directly exposed anyway. The deaths at the scene were the result of a shootout between Ke Liangjie and the gang. The police werenât likely to investigate a gang-related case like this too thoroughly. The only real concern was the gang seeking vigilante justice.
Fang Zhen was about to leave Ah Mei anyway, and the Mexican gang couldnât follow him to Xia Country.
No need to dirty his hands.
Fang Zhen nodded. He turned, bent down, and pulled a large, transparent plastic bag from under the driverâs seat of the car.
He held up the bag and tossed it to Ke Liangjie.
Ke Liangjie caught it reflexively. It was surprisingly heavy.
Ke Liangjie took a closer look and exclaimed, "Itâs weed!"
Fang Zhen nodded slightly.
Heâd seen it earlier when he went into the car to get the money. There was a large bag of weed inside.
It seemed those three Old Mos werenât just in the gun business; theyâd do anything for a profit. They had probably just come from a deal, scored a big bag of weed, and stuffed it under the seat.
The bag contained several kilograms of the stuff.
"Hereâs my solution: I get the guns, and you get the weed from the car. I donât touch the stuff."
"Also, the gold chains and watches on these three gangsters have some value. You and Zoe can split them. I donât want any of it. Consider it compensation so you didnât come here for nothing."
Fang Zhen said.
He wouldnât touch the weed, and compared to the guns, the watches and gold chains werenât worth much anyway.
Hearing this, the expressions on Ke Liangjie and Li Zoyiâs faces softened considerably.
Fang Zhen never had any intention of touching the contents of the plastic bag. If it were up to him, his personality dictated heâd douse it in gasoline and burn it.
However, considering Ke Liangjie desperately needed money for his escape, giving it to him was an acceptable alternative. Besides, it wasnât harming his own countrymen. On top of that, Ah Mei was moving toward legalizationârecreational use was already permitted in thirty-seven states, as long as you paid taxes.
That being the case, heâd let Ke Liangjie have the weed. Fang Zhen wouldnât get involved.
âWhat was that diplomatic platitude again? "Non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries."â
Fang Zhen wouldnât interfere with how Ke Liangjie handled it, either.
Ke Liangjieâs expression brightened considerably. He had channels to offload this stuff, and it would be more than enough to fund his escape to Africa.
Li Zoyiâs mood also eased.
"That was handled well. Itâs a fair deal," Li Zoyi said.
"Letâs do it," Ke Liangjie agreed emphatically.
For the next half-hour, Ke Liangjie handled the cleanup.
Ke Liangjie stripped quite a bit of loot off the three Old Mos.
There was over three hundred US dollars in cash. There were also two watches, which he guessed were worth over $3,000 in total, a gold necklace, and two Golden Rings, which together were probably worth another $3,000.
Li Zoyi and Ke Liangjie split it.
Fang Zhen, on the other hand, collected all the firearms at the scene.
He also found a case of assorted ammunition in the trunk of the Old Mosâ car. It was mostly ammo for the HK416, along with 40 rounds for an AWP and 500 nine-millimeter pistol rounds.
Fang Zhen happily took it all.
Once everything was dealt with, Fang Zhen suggested they split up and leave separately.
He would drive Ke Liangjieâs rental car to the airport and fly back to Houston alone. Meanwhile, Ke Liangjie and Li Zoyi would take the Old Mosâ car to offload the weed, then take a different route and fly back to Houston.
"What are you going to do with all those guns in the car? Youâre not actually thinking of taking them on the plane, are you?" Zoe asked, sensing a problem.
"Donât worry about it. I have my ways," Fang Zhen said, cutting the conversation short without further explanation.
The main compartment of his Kingâs Belt could hold all the firearms, and the ammunition would fit too.
The reason heâd suggested splitting up was precisely because having Li Zoyi and Ke Liangjie aroundâtwo liabilitiesâmade it inconvenient to use the Kingâs Beltâs storage space.
Li Zoyi didnât press the issue.
But you could clearly tell that her curiosity about Fang Zhen had grown even stronger.
After they decided to go their separate ways, Fang Zhen added Ke Liangjie on Telegram.
You could tell Ke Liangjie didnât dare refuse.
"If you really canât make it out there, you can consider coming to Xia Country. After all, Iâve never heard of a Mexican gang being able to chase someone all the way to Xia Country to âtake care of businessâ," Fang Zhen said.
He said this mainly to dispel any resistance Ke Liangjie might have.
More than wanting Ke Liangjie to come to Xia Country, Fang Zhen hoped the man would thrive in Africa. That way, heâd have another contact and channel for upgrading his gear in the future.
Of course, if Ke Liangjie did show up, it wouldnât be a loss for Fang Zhen. He might even help him out a little.