There was no one better than him.
But that didn’t an I could make a decision right away.
What I knew about Amado was barely scratching the surface. I needed to review the information Black Bear had before deciding.
“Let’s end the discussion here for today. It’s not sothing that needs to be decided imdiately.”
“Understood. Here’s my contact information.”
Amado placed a slip of paper with his phone number on the table.
“Do you have a place to stay in xico City?”
“Of course. Sowhere close to Carlos Slim’s residence.”
“I see. Then I’ll be in touch.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
I instructed Manager Ma to escort Amado.
After Amado left with Manager Ma, I organized my thoughts.
‘There’s no one like Amado who can influence the entire cartel structure... but...’
He was soone who had already been declared dead once. Of course, the bosses of the Tijuana and Juárez Cartels knew he was alive.
But whether every cartel mber would accept him as the boss of bosses... that was still uncertain.
“Boss. The files have arrived.”
Manager Ma returned with a laptop in hand.
I took it and quickly checked the email.
There was a substantial amount of data.
I knew so things about Amado, but since he was officially ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) dead, I hadn’t paid much attention before.
So I had Black Bear send over everything they had on him.
The materials included detailed records—his life, personality, even his family history.
The more I read, the more I had to admit that Amado was the perfect candidate.
“He’s quite an interesting man. Want to take a look?”
I turned the laptop toward Manager Ma.
While he reviewed it, I recalled what I had just read.
‘He’s more ticulous than I thought.’
Amado had entered the marijuana business at a young age under the guidance of his uncle, Don Neto.
But he never stepped into the spotlight.
Because of that, even while handling most of the air transport of marijuana and cocaine to the United States under Gallardo’s Guadalajara Cartel, he managed to avoid U.S. law enforcent.
When Don Neto was arrested along with Rafa for the murder of a DEA agent...
When the Guadalajara Cartel collapsed...
Amado survived it all.
Rafa had kidnapped and tortured a DEA agent in an attempt to find evidence that Amado had tipped off the DEA to eliminate competition.
‘And he had.’
Amado wanted out of the marijuana business, which had beco the DEA’s primary target.
So he sold out Rafa’s massive marijuana plantations to them.
After confirming the location, the DEA burned over 2.5 billion dollars’ worth of marijuana.
He couldn’t have known that small spark would bring down the entire Guadalajara Cartel.
“He’s even more impressive than I expected.”
Manager Ma closed the laptop. His thoughts matched mine.
“He’s more calculating than Gallardo. While Gallardo drew attention from the U.S., Amado quietly earned people’s trust.”
From what I had seen, Gallardo was a coward.
A ruthless criminal, yes—but lacking charisma.
He compensated for that by negotiating with the governnt.
In the end, he was arrested by Carlos Salinas, who beca president in 1988.
Burdened by rumors of collusion, the president cut ties and discarded him.
And the man Carlos Salinas chose in his place was Amado.
‘You think it’ll end just because you caught ? If I disappear, the cartels will scatter—and an even greater storm of blood will follow!’
As Gallardo had warned, the cartels didn’t unite under one leader.
Instead, they splintered, turning their guns on each other—and xico fell deeper into chaos.
“What do you think, Manager? Making Amado the boss of bosses—I think he’s the right man.”
“He is.”
“If I had known he was alive, I would have t him before Carlos Slim.”
My mind was already leaning toward Amado.
After so thought, Manager Ma carefully asked,
“Boss... can you trust him? He’s a man who killed the boss of the Juárez Cartel and took his place. He could betray you at any ti.”
“If I can give him what he wants, he won’t betray . The boss he killed was as good as dead anyway—he had already sold out his own superior.”
Still, even if I was leaning toward him, it wasn’t a decision to make lightly.
“Call Ramos. I want his opinion.”
“Yes, Boss.”
A mont later, Manager Ma returned with Ramos.
“You called for , Boss?”
“Ramos, co in. Have a seat.”
He had started calling “Boss” now.
“You saw the man who ca earlier, right?”
“Yes. But who is he? I’ve never seen that face before.”
Ramos didn’t recognize him.
And he had practically been running the DEA’s xico branch.
That ant Amado had completely changed his appearance.
“It’s Amado.”
“Amado? Who?”
Even after hearing the na, Ramos didn’t make the connection.
“Amado Carrillo Fuentes.”
Ramos frowned in confusion.
“What? He’s dead.”
His reaction was natural.
If I hadn’t seen him at the Tijuana eting myself, I might’ve reacted the sa way.
“I thought so too. But that’s not the case.”
“That’s impossible. I saw the body with my own eyes.”
“You compared dental records and DNA, didn’t you?”
“Of course. Everything matched. That’s why we were certain he was dead.”
“What if those tests were fabricated?”
“What...? That’s impossible...”
Ramos trailed off, stunned.
“Did the U.S. governnt handle it? Or the xican governnt?”
“......”
“If it was the xican governnt, there’s a chance it was manipulated. So let’s verify it properly this ti.”
First, we needed to confirm whether he really was Amado.
“Do you really think that man is Amado?”
“He probably is. But we’ll need scientific proof to be 100% certain. His records are with the DEA, right?”
We needed to verify his dental records and DNA.
Not even a 1% doubt could be left.
“Yes. But I can’t access the DNA directly—it’s stored at DEA headquarters.”
“We can compare it with his brothers’ DNA. What about dental records?”
“That’s possible imdiately.”
“Then bring those first.”
“Yes. I’ll verify and bring everything we can use to confirm his identity.”
Ramos seed almost eager. He couldn’t believe it either.
For now, identity verification could wait. I asked for his opinion.
“Ramos. What do you think about making Amado the godfather?”
“Amado? Hmm...”
After thinking for a while, he answered.
“If it’s Amado, the other cartels will follow.”
“Follow?”
The nuance was strange.
He nodded.
“They’ll follow on the surface. But whether they’ll be truly loyal is another matter. These people betray each other like it’s nothing.”
That was true anywhere.
“Even Gallardo, who united the plaza groups into one cartel, was abandoned without hesitation. If Amado weakens, they’ll turn on him imdiately.”
“Amado says full integration is necessary. That a loose alliance will only repeat the sa mistakes.”
Ramos shrugged.
“If it were possible, that’d be ideal. But it’s not. Anywhere in the world, the underworld isn’t controlled by a single organization. It’s always alliances or federations.”
Even in Korea, where Cheonha Group held overwhelming power, smaller groups still existed.
They just couldn’t act independently under its shadow.
“You’re pessimistic.”
“Yes. Even if you force it into one organization, the leader’s authority becos too great. It could be impossible to control.”
That was exactly why I hadn’t considered full unification before.
“I’ll think about the thod. But Amado is the right person for integration, correct?”
“Yes. That I can’t deny.”
“Good. Bring the materials to confirm his identity as soon as possible.”
“Yes. I’ll have them by today.”
Ramos nodded and hurried out.
* * *
A few days later, I called Amado again.
Before eting him, I asked Javier about his identity.
Javier confird—it was Amado.
“Javier says you are Amado.”
“I wouldn’t tell a lie that would be exposed so easily.”
“Still, you never know.”
I gave Manager Ma a look.
The door opened, and Ramos entered.
Recognizing him, Amado glared at .
“Charlie! You called the DEA?”
“Don’t misunderstand. Ramos is my man. After this, he’ll leave the DEA and act as my proxy in xico.”
“And you expect to believe that?”
“If you don’t... do you want to be arrested here?”
At that mont, Ramos burst into laughter and walked toward Amado.
“I never thought I’d et you like this. And never thought we’d work together. Well... that is, if you really are Amado.”
Amado ignored him and kept staring at .
“I’ve heard Javier’s confirmation, but I need certainty.”
“Certainty?”
“Yes. You were declared dead. I can’t just take your word for it. Testimony alone isn’t enough.”
I looked at Ramos.
“So Ramos will give us that certainty. Go with him to a dentist, get X-rays taken, and we’ll compare them with your DEA dental records.”
“......”
“Even that won’t be enough. We’ll run a DNA test with your brothers as well.”
Amado let out a deep sigh.
“...Is all that really necessary?”
“I said I need certainty. That’s the only way we can move forward together. If you refuse, you don’t have to take any tests.”
Of course, if he refused, he wouldn’t be leaving here alive.
Whether he was Amado or an impostor, I couldn’t allow any unknown variables.
After a long silence, Amado spoke.
“Fine. Let’s do it. But if you try anything funny, the Juárez Cartel will never follow you.”
“I don’t break my promises. For soone who claims to know well, you seem to doubt .”
I smiled.
“Now go with Ramos. First the dental check, then et your family, and finally the DNA test at our designated hospital. Do you agree?”
Amado nodded.
“Good. Once everything is confird, we’ll have a real conversation. Ramos—check everything thoroughly.”
“Yes, Boss. I won’t make the sa mistake again.”
There was a strange glint in Ramos’s eyes as he spoke with a faint smile.
Amado watched him for a mont, then silently stood and left with him.
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