In the VIP room of the Beverly Hill Hotel's Spruce Restaurant in Los Angeles, Kayla approached Schiller and shook his hand. Behind him stood another man, a tall and burly African Arican, dressed in a uniform that made him almost indistinguishable from Arthur.
"Professor Schiller, this is Agent Lila from the U.S. Drug Enforcent Administration (DEA). We rushed to Los Angeles upon hearing the leads you provided," Kayla said.
"Please, have a seat," Schiller gestured to the chairs across from him and then walked to the door, instructing the server, "You may bring the dishes now, thank you."
Agent Lila from the Drug Enforcent Administration (DEA) had a very serious expression. Even before the food arrived, he said to Schiller, "The Guadalajara Organization is resuming its mariti activities, and that's not good news for us."
"About five years ago, one of our agents fell victim to a brutal attack that shocked the world. Congress and the President were furious. In just five years, the xican drug trade industry has resurged, and now they're even considering invading the West Coast again. We must make them pay for it," Schiller said.
What Lila was referring to was an infamous incident in the history of international drug enforcent. The perpetrator of this heinous act was the leader of the Guadalajara Organization, Galardo.
In November 1984, as the xican governnt launched a high-profile anti-drug operation in xico, an agent codenad Kiki infiltrated the managent ranks of the Guadalajara Organization's drug cultivation industry.
This real na, Camare LS Lacha, a drug enforcent agent, gathered information about the plantations, which led the xican governnt to burn down a plantation covering approximately 15,000 acres.
The owner of this plantation, Galardo, was furious. They captured this agent and tortured him for at least 30 hours. When his corpse was found, it was almost unrecognizable.
The Washington governnt was incensed, and under pressure from the U.S. Congress and the President, xico launched the first drug war, relentlessly cracking down on the Guadalajara Organization.
By 1989, the organization had lost its forr glory, drug trafficking organizations across the region were severely damaged, and Galardo had disappeared without a trace.
"This may be a signal," Agent Lila, the African Arican, tapped the table with his finger. "The xican governnt has relaxed its crackdown on the Guadalajara Organization. They may be testing us, thinking we might relax our surveillance of their mariti routes. They want to make a coback."
"Professor Schiller, you ntioned on the phone that mbers of the Guadalajara Organization massacred the indigenous people of a village on a small island in the Gulf of xico. Do you know the location of that island? We'd like to send soone to investigate," Kayla said while eating.
Schiller observed Kayla's hurried eating and realized she must be very hungry. Considering they had likely traveled overnight from the East Coast and missed dinner and breakfast, it was understandable.
Just last night, Schiller had called Kayla, the head of the tropolis Central Intelligence Agency office he had been in contact with, to report the situation. He hadn't expected such a prompt and serious response, with them even rushing to Los Angeles.
The collaboration between the Central Intelligence Agency and the U.S. Drug Enforcent Administration (DEA) might seem surreal, but in the vast South Arican continent, it was a common occurrence. These two entities didn't compete with each other, and it was a unique dynamic in this era.
"By the way, Professor Schiller, you ntioned more important information over the phone. What is it?" Kayla asked, looking at Schiller.
Schiller glanced at the door, and Agent Lila, who sat on the outer side, walked to the door and closed it. Schiller took out a set of docunts from his briefcase and handed them to Kayla. She skimd through the docunts and her expression turned grave.
Kayla passed the docunts to Agent Lila, whose face also darkened. After a mont, he pounded the table and said, "These damn vampires! They should go to hell!"
Kayla lightly nudged Agent Lila with her elbow, and he realized he had misspoken. He composed himself and said, "It's not surprising that the Queen Group is in contact with these drug traffickers. Most West Coast groups have shady dealings with them."
"While these materials provide so clues, they can't be considered evidence. We need more concrete evidence to bring down the Queen Group."
"Do you really want to do this?" Schiller asked, "Even the U.S. Drug Enforcent Administration (DEA) might not be able to stand against them in this matter. They have their people in state legislatures and Congress."
On this point, Agent Lila grew even more furious. He said, "They're feeding the enemy. To disrupt the situation in South Arica, so people in Congress are lured by the lucrative drug trade and are cultivating their own influence within the hos of the Southern U.S., leading to a situation where they can't get rid of it. It's a self-inflicted wound!"
Schiller looked at Agent Lila, who, despite his imposing appearance, spoke with a refined and educated tone, much like many professors at Gotham University and quite different from most African Aricans of this era.
"Professor Schiller, please don't mind. Agent Lila has a strong sense of public responsibility. He's been in this line of work for many years and has witnessed too many brutal acts by drug traffickers. We hope to obtain evidence, but we wonder if you can provide assistance in this matter?" Kayla said.
"The only lead I can provide is that the heir of the Queen Family was missing for so ti. However, recently, he has returned, and so mbers of the Queen Group did not want him back. They sent assassins to kill him. When the assassins arrived at the hotel, they found that young Queen wasn't here, but I encountered one of the assassins, and there is more than one."
Agent Lila and Kayla exchanged glances. Agent Lila imdiately stood up, shook Schiller's hand, and said, "Thank you, Professor. This is a very valuable lead. The people of the West Coast and xico won't forget your help."
"We have business to attend to now. Please excuse us," he added. Kayla smiled apologetically to Schiller and followed Agent Lila as they left.
Schiller returned to his dining table, and before long, a figure dressed in yellow and black leaped in from the balcony. Death Knell walked over to Schiller's side, sat down, and lifted his mask to begin eating.
"I never thought that even rcenaries would one day need soone else's help for revenge," Schiller remarked as he ate.
"They take on more contracts but don't disclose the details to . It's a breach of the rules," Death Knell's voice was low and hoarse, concealing any hints of his age. He continued, "If everyone starts doing this, it will depress the market."
Earlier yesterday, Death Knell had approached Schiller again, hoping for his assistance in dealing with the Queen Family. The reason being that Queen Family had accepted multiple contracts without informing Death Knell.
In essence, while they hired Death Knell, they also employed many other assassins, but they didn't share this information with him.
It was evident that the masterminds behind the Queen Group's decision believed that among all these assassins, there would be one who could successfully kill Oliver Queen. And once Oliver Queen was dead, the others would lose their targets, rendering the deals null and void, with only a small down paynt required to significantly increase the success rate of the assassination.
However, within the assassin community, this was a major breach of ethics. If every client followed this practice, it would lead to cutthroat competition, not just in terms of success rates but also in speed and accuracy, resulting in lower prices and exploitation.
"In this world, he's not the only one who thought of this thod. Why haven't the fools realized that those who've used this thod have all gone silent?" Death Knell was always cautious, even in casual conversation. He never used specific terms to describe his employers, and even when he had to use pronouns, they had no pointed direction.
"But I can't directly kill him either; that would be a breach of the rules as well. In this circle, to get jobs, you need a good reputation," Death Knell's tone lowered even further, taking on a hint of resentnt.
"CIA and the Drug Enforcent Administration (DEA) have both set their sights on the Queen Family. They won't have an easy ti. Rember our deal, now you owe a life," Schiller put down his knife and fork, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and said.
"It's probably not just the CIA and the Drug Enforcent Administration (DEA), is it?" Death Knell's actions paused briefly, and then he asked.
"Kayla is with the KGB, I believe you've investigated. The African Arican he brought with him today, if I'm not mistaken, might have been a forr mber of the Black Panther Party. He described the Queen Group using the term 'vampires' and ntioned the people of the West Coast and xico. These aren't typical views held by U.S. agents," Schiller explained.
Schiller straightened his clothes as if preparing to leave, while Death Knell continued to eat slowly. Just before leaving, Schiller whispered, "U.S., xico, Soviet Union... do you feel like there are certain storms brewing?"
"None of this concerns . I kill for money," Death Knell's tone finally showed so fluctuations, and he said, "If you need to contact , use the sa phone as before. I can kill anyone for you, no matter who they are."
"Let's hope it doesn't co to that." Schiller picked up his umbrella, left his seat expressionlessly, and exited the restaurant.
Standing on the hotel room's balcony, as the morning sunlight bathed the sea, the golden-red ripples danced on the surface. Flocks of seabirds circled in the sky above the sea, occasionally landing on the water, their pristine white wings tinted red by the morning light.
The morning on the West Coast remained peaceful and warm. Those frolicking on the beach appeared completely unaffected by the picturesque scene. But far away in the Gulf of xico, the equally crimson sea had nothing to do with the sunlight.
White fishing boats sliced through the waves in a sea of deep red, and in the wake of the boats, many lifeless bodies slowly sank, attracting not only a school of sharks but also the arrival of Hal and two others, who had been too late.
"The sharks told these are all fishern, most from the north, perhaps U.S. or xican. They were all killed by those drug traffickers," Arthur said in a somber tone.
In a mont, the fishing boat was enveloped in a green glow, and Hal, standing at the bow of the boat, said in a low voice, "Full speed ahead. They must pay for this!"
Driven by the Green Lantern's energy, the fishing boat was no longer just a fishing boat. Even a naval vessel wouldn't match its speed. Following the trail of blood, they quickly caught up with the drug traffickers responsible for the massacre.
Green Lantern taking on ordinary drug traffickers was like using an anti-aircraft gun to shoot mosquitoes. Soon, the entire boatload of traffickers t the sa fate as the fishern, and the shark school continued to circle in the blood-red waters.
Over the next few days, they followed the traffickers' trail, causing a crimson frenzy throughout the entire California Bay. Wherever they went, the sea turned red with blood.
It wasn't until they set foot on the land of the Sinaloa State that they witnessed a brutal massacre.
In retaliation for an unknown enemy's massacre of their mbers, the Guadalajara Organization had orchestrated a slaughter of 135 people in a village in southern Sinaloa State.
The corpses were thrown into the sea, staining the waters off the Pacific Ocean's western coast red and shocking the entire world.
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