Northeast xico, Victoria City.
The headquarters of Los Zetas Organization is located in a 5-story building near the slums of the city.
This location was chosen by Z3 Lascano.
The building sits within a large slum, where local children can always be seen playing in groups at the various entrances.
Among these kids, there is certainly one with a mobile phone, and there is definitely a payphone within a nearby corner shop.
Their job is to keep watch.
Any unfamiliar faces that enter, or police and military personnel, these inconspicuous slum kids will relay the information to Los Zetas' mbers at the earliest opportunity.
Lascano cos from a Special Forces background, and he is very adept at selecting which parts of the city make good hideouts.
When Shorty and his group were captured in the suburban villa, Lascano saw the news and let out a pig-like laugh. He told his subordinates that these drug lords were experts in drug trafficking, but when it ca to dealing with military and police, they were not much smarter than idiots.
Because in the suburbs, unless one's hideout remains undiscovered, once exposed, it is doomsday. In sparsely populated areas, the xican military can mobilize heavy weaponry to attack the hideouts without any hesitation.
However, hiding in a busy urban area is a completely different story.
No military or police force would dare to use heavy equipnt here; everyone in the slum is their hostage and shield.
Any action taken in this area would have to be a small-scale elite force raid, but when it cos to raids and small elite Special Forces, Lascano is an expert.
Play him at his own ga in a densely populated urban area?
He's never been scared!
Fourth floor.
Lascano is sitting on the couch, facing the wall of the living room where speakers are mounted, playing rock music.
On the carpet in the living room, a dozen n and won are biting marijuana joints, scantily clad, and writhing face to face, imrsed in illusory pleasure.
Lascano does not have the habit of using drugs; no core mber of his organization uses other drugs beyond marijuana.
He can't control the other underlings, but the Special Forces mbers he recruited, the mbers codenad Z, cannot touch these.
If discovered, they would be kicked out of the organization.
After all, he is very aware of the harm that drugs like Number Four, Ice, or Coca can do to the human body.
As a forr mber of the Special Forces, Lascano still retains so traces of a military man.
Lascano holds his glass and watches the clock on the wall. There are ten minutes left until his eting ti with Sanchez.
Just then, his mobile phone begins to vibrate on the table.
Picking it up, it's indeed Sanchez's number.
"Boss, where are you at?"
"Just entered your territory. Get ready and find a quieter room. We need to talk," Sanchez says over the music in the background, "Not sowhere crowded; it's too noisy over there!"
"Alright, then we'll find a room on the second floor to talk."
Just as he hangs up the phone, a subordinate rushes in and whispers sothing in his ear.
Lascano nods, stands up, and quickly leaves the hall to go downstairs.
When Sanchez steps out of his bulletproof SUV, Lascano is already waiting in the courtyard.
The two hug briefly and then go up to the second floor, quickly finding a room to sit down in.
There are many rooms in the building, able to accommodate over a hundred people.
Lascano spends most of his ti hiding here.
He enjoys communal living, a habit ford in the army, and more people bring a sense of security.
Los Zetas has murdered many governnt officials over the years and killed quite a few rivals as well. No matter how cruel and fearless Lascano is known to be outside, he is more cautious than anyone in his day-to-day life.
Caution is what prolongs life.
As soon as he sat down, Sanchez raised his hand, spreading his index and middle fingers apart.
His subordinate, well versed in the routine, brought over a cigar box and opened it beside him.
Another subordinate took out a cigar, swiftly clipped the end with a cigar cutter, then expertly torched it briefly with a lighter before gently placing it between Sanchez's fingers.
Sanchez gave a look to his subordinate, signaling him.
The two subordinates imdiately brought the cigar box over to Lascano, intending to proceed with the ritual, but were stopped by him.
Lascano took out a cigar himself, clipped the end, lit it, and put it in his mouth.
He did not appreciate this kind of display from Sanchez.
Los Zetas, unlike traditional Cartel organizations, were founded by a group of Special Soldiers, hence the bond between them was strong and their daily interactions relatively egalitarian.
In action, there was a clear hierarchy and absolute obedience was demanded.
In everyday life, they were brothers, unlike the traditional Cartel bosses like Sanchez, where every detail had to fully reflect the status difference between the "little brothers" and the "big brother".
Lighting a cigar had to be done by Sanchez's subordinates, while Lascano would insist on doing it himself.
"Lascano, did you look over the information about the man I sent you before?"
Sanchez was the first to ask.
He raised two fingers.
"Big Leva is willing to offer Ten Million Dollars for you to kill him."
Lascano nodded and said, "I've looked over it, he's no easy target. I've used many connections and still can't find his background, only know that he owns a Defense Company, has rich combat experience, and maybe—I say maybe—he's very likely a Special Soldier. Plus, his subordinates are all mbers from various countries' elite forces, not easy to deal with."
"Ten Million Dollars is not a small sum, I've already taken this business for you. So, we must finish off this person soon, otherwise, I can't look good," Sanchez said in an undeniable tone.
As the boss of Gulf Group, Los Zetas was a relatively independent unit under his command.
Though independent, they still had to rely on his protection on his turf.
If Gulf Group was a great whale, then Los Zetas were the remoras attached to them.
All along, Sanchez and his predecessors had the practice of maintaining the hitman organization's combat strength, yet not letting them grow too big or too fast.
There are two ways to control an organization.
Control the people, or control the money.
Regarding people, Gulf Group couldn't exercise control, as the Los Zetas Organization had very strict recruitnt, most being Special Soldiers.
Thus, he controlled their money.
For instance, what Big Leva promised was Thirty Million, but after passing through Sanchez's hands, only Ten Million remained.
Can't let Los Zetas get too fat.
This is the tactic of every leader of the Gulf Group in power.
"Here's so intelligence for you."
Sanchez took an envelope from his pocket and threw it on the table.
"In three days, Song will take his people to Leimonte City to take over the Balrot Organization and et with the core of Balrot Organization there. Leimonte City is the Balrot Organization's territory, and it will be tricky to make a move there, but they will surely pass through the Cadreta Mountain Area, which is a suitable place for you to arrange an ambush and send them to et God. Everything about the route is in this envelope, you can look it over as a reference for the operation."
Lascano didn't speak but looked at the envelope, falling silent for a few seconds before he finally spoke, "Boss, you could have called or sent soone to deliver such a small matter, why bother coming in person?"
Sanchez responded, "Caution, since Shorty has colluded with Song, and Song has a CIA background, I have to co personally and discuss this with you with caution. This matter is related to our survival in the future, all Cartel organizations in xico are picking sides, and this battle is bound to happen sooner or later. If we lose, we all die!"
Lascano silently nodded his head and reached for the envelope, "Okay, I'll do as you said."
"Good! Then I'll go back and wait for your good news," Sanchez, very satisfied, stood up and with a wave of his hand his subordinates took away the cigar box.
"This box of cigars is for you, consider it a small token of my appreciation."
After that, he turned and left with his n.
Once everyone had left and Lascano heard the engine sounds fading away downstairs, he suddenly grabbed the cigar box like Mad Dog, violently smashing it against the wall, his eyes glinting like blades as he ferociously roared, "Go to hell! You greedy swine! Damn it, cutting down Thirty Million to just Ten Million for us! Are we brothers beggars?!"
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