The Ultimate Firepower

Chapter 5: Naturally Following the Course

Ethan was staying awake for increasingly longer periods, while the time he spent unconscious was becoming shorter and shorter.

However, the days after waking up were not easy, because whenever Ethan was awake, there was nothing he could do.

There was no phone, no television, and only a nurse he could talk to for a few words. But the nurse spoke Eldorian, and aside from saying “Hello,” Ethan had nothing else to say to her.

And although the nurse was a woman, she was short, dark, fat, and ugly!

It was not until the fifth day after Ethan woke up, when he was finally able to sit on the hospital bed instead of only lying down, that Lucan finally came again.

After entering the room and seeing Ethan sitting up, a smile appeared on Lucan’s face.

He closed the ward door and stood by the entrance. Lucan smiled and said, “You’re recovering pretty well. Your injuries were very serious. Being able to sit up so quickly is already quite remarkable.”

Ethan had been looking forward to Lucan’s arrival, so he was genuinely excited at this moment. He immediately said anxiously, “You finally came. Why did you disappear after leaving? Hey, can you give me a phone? All I’ve been doing these days is lying on this hospital bed. I’m going crazy from boredom.”

Lucan spread his hands and said, “The doctor forbids you from using a phone. It’s bad for your recovery. Endure it for a few more days. You can use it when you’re feeling better.”

Ethan was stunned for a moment, but eventually said, “All right...”

Lucan said without hesitation, “I came today to check on your condition and to pay the bill. Your medical expenses are now thirty-six thousand four hundred and twenty-two U.S. dollars.”

They had not seen each other for several days, and the first thing Lucan did upon meeting him was remind Ethan how much money he owed.

Ethan was stunned for a moment, then realized that he really was quite afraid of hearing those numbers.

“That expensive...”

Lucan seemed offended. He immediately said, “Expensive? Is this expensive? If you were in the United States, you’d have to add at least another zero to that! Thalvaria’s medical care is already quite good, and it’s also very cheap. You need to understand your situation. The doctor saving you is actually illegal. This is... uh, it really is quite expensive.”

Earlier, when he had said it wasn’t expensive, that was because medical expenses in Thalvaria really were not particularly high, while the country’s medical standards were indeed relatively high compared with those of Southeast Asia.

He changed his tune and said it was expensive because Lucan suddenly remembered that he was the one who had paid the money upfront.

Ethan felt very embarrassed. “Don’t be angry. I just said it casually. After all, I don’t have any money, and I feel embarrassed making you pay for me all the time. I really am sorry.”

Lucan’s expression softened somewhat, but he remained at the entrance of the ward. After looking Ethan up and down, he suddenly said, “You haven’t changed your mind, have you?”

Ethan looked confused. “Changed my mind? About what? Oh! Are you worried that I won’t cooperate with you anymore? That’s not happening. Once I give my word, I absolutely won’t go back on it.”

Lucan nodded, then smiled and said, “Good. I came today just to see how you’re doing. I’ll go talk to the doctor. See you.”

“Hey... you’re leaving already?”

Lucan opened the door with one hand, backed out of the ward, and then closed the door again.

The ward was not very large, but the hospital bed was at least four or five meters from the entrance. If Lucan had really just come to visit Ethan, he should have walked over to the bedside to talk to him, right?

Ethan sat on the hospital bed in utter astonishment. He stared blankly at the door, and suddenly an idea came to him.

Lucan had remained at the entrance the entire time because he was guarding against him!

Even when Ethan had been shot and was on the verge of death, he had still been able to kill six people. Now, although his injuries had not yet healed and he could not even get out of bed, Lucan still had to be on guard against him.

No wonder Lucan had refused to approach him after entering the room.

After figuring this out, Ethan was not angry.

That made sense. After all, he was a killer, so his sense of vigilance was naturally extremely strong. And Lucan was also Ethan’s creditor, so he had to be even more cautious.

After all, if Ethan suddenly attacked and killed Lucan, then dragged his already much-improved body outside, it really would not be impossible.

Following that line of thought, Ethan suddenly felt that Lucan’s refusal to give him a phone to pass the time had nothing to do with concern for his health.

Lucan’s mission to make a fortune was to kill a warlord named Garrick Horven. Since he was a warlord, he should be an important and influential figure, and there was a good chance that simply searching for him online would reveal who he was.

If he were an ordinary target, Lucan would not have invested in Ethan when he was seriously injured and on the verge of death.

So the logic was very simple. This Garrick Horven had to be an extremely formidable and highly dangerous figure. Lucan was simply afraid that after Ethan learned all this, he would no longer dare to cooperate with him.

After understanding all of this, Ethan was still not angry.

He simply felt that people in the underworld had far too many schemes.

Then again, how could someone survive in the underworld if they were not scheming enough?

Putting himself in Lucan’s shoes, Ethan felt that if he were Lucan, he would probably be having a headache right now as well.

A partner who was incredibly powerful in close combat, whose background and origins were unknown, whom he was completely unfamiliar with, and whom he had absolutely no reason to trust. Once Ethan’s injuries completely healed, how could Lucan restrain him?

How could Lucan guarantee that Ethan would definitely repay his debt? And even more importantly, how could Lucan guarantee that Ethan would not kill him?

Now Ethan felt that Lucan was right to be wary of him. But if Lucan was wary of him, should he also take precautions against Lucan?

Thinking about it, this problem was not easy to solve.

Then how could Lucan break this deadlock? Or rather, what could Lucan do to establish some initial trust?

If Lucan had no way to establish trust, then what should Ethan do?

Ethan thought about it for a long time. Putting himself in Lucan’s position, he felt that Lucan’s only option was to let him see the possibility that cooperation would definitely lead to making a great deal of money.

It was simply an incentive through profit, but it had to be the kind where both sides benefited, rather than simply giving him money.

That was what Ethan thought.

Then, on the tenth day, he got his answer.

That day, Ethan was able to get out of bed with the nurse’s support and take a few steps. Just after he had lain back down, Lucan arrived.

He knocked on the door first, then Lucan pushed it open. When he opened the door, he paused at the entrance for a moment, because only by doing so could he let Ethan see the two Southeast Asian men standing behind him.

They looked very strong, and their waists were bulging, so they were obviously carrying weapons.

The ward door was left open this time. Lucan walked two steps forward and stopped at the foot of Ethan’s bed. With a concerned expression, he said, “You can get out of bed now. That’s really quite fast. Hmm, your medical expenses are forty-five thousand U.S. dollars. I just paid the entire remaining balance. Your medical bill won’t get any longer from now on.”

Ethan glanced at the two Southeast Asians at the door. After thinking for a moment, he asked, “Your friends?”

“Oh, yes. My two friends.”

So Lucan had brought bodyguards this time.

Thinking about it, it made sense. The first time they met, Ethan had just woken up, so Lucan had dared to stand beside his bed. The second time, Ethan could sit up, so Lucan had only dared to stand at the entrance.

This time, Ethan could get out of bed, so naturally Lucan had to bring bodyguards to intimidate him a little.

Should he speak frankly or pretend not to understand?

Ethan felt that it would be better to speak frankly. That would save Lucan from being nervous every time they met, which would not be good for their cooperation.

“I have an illness. A very serious illness.”

Lucan stared blankly at Ethan and said fearfully, “Besides your injuries, you have an illness too? What illness?”

Lucan’s voice had even begun to tremble.

“Poverty.”

“Poverty? What do you mean?”

Forget it. Lucan didn’t understand the joke.

Ethan said very seriously, “I have a very serious case of poverty. For the vast majority of people, this illness is difficult to cure, but for me, it’s easy to cure. As long as I’m willing to trade my life for it.”

Lucan suddenly understood. He finally grasped what Ethan meant, and said helplessly, “You could have just said you were poor. Why use such an indirect metaphor? I was only telling you the amount of the medical expenses. I wasn’t asking you to pay me back immediately.”

Ethan was also helpless. He smiled bitterly and said, “What I mean is that I’m very poor. I need to make money to repay my debts. I have to cooperate with you to make money, so you don’t need to be so wary of me. You don’t have to be afraid that I’ll kill you and refuse to pay the debt. If I put it that way, you understand now, right?”

Lucan truly did not understand Eastern-style subtlety, but after the conversation had reached this point, he finally understood what Ethan meant.

There was no embarrassment on Lucan’s face. Instead, he looked much more relaxed. “You’re a smart man. That’s very good, very good...”

“I repay every kindness and acknowledge every debt. You’ll understand what kind of person I am in the future. But for now, can we properly discuss the mission?”

After thinking for a moment, Lucan said seriously, “In the Cleaner’s operating room, I discovered that you should have been shot in the heart, yet you didn’t die. There were four corpses beside you, and every one of them had been killed with a single strike. Most importantly, I confirmed that you had acted after you were already seriously injured. At that moment, I knew you were the person I was looking for.”

Ethan said nothing. He quietly listened to Lucan.

“I admit that I was a little too excited at the time. After all, I’ve been in this profession for so many years, and I’d never seen someone like you... someone as ruthless as you. So I took a gamble. I placed a huge bet on you!”

Ethan spread his hands. “Then all I can say is that you bet correctly.”

Lucan smiled. “I’ve always wanted to complete a major mission, one that could make me a lot of money and make me famous! Now my opportunity has arrived. And so has yours, buddy.”

“Then tell me about it. I’ll go as soon as I’ve completely recovered.”

Lucan glanced outside. He was looking at the two bodyguards outside the door. Only then did he lower his voice and say, “First, answer one question for me. You really weren’t a killer before, were you?”

Here it came. Just as he had expected, the real meat of the story had arrived, the transition before the major mission.

Ethan immediately said, “I really wasn’t a killer.”

Lucan let out a breath and said with a hint of regret, “Then we can’t directly take on the major mission. You need to first become familiar with the characteristics of a killer’s work and gain some experience. After all, being a killer isn’t simply about going up and killing someone. What do you think?”

“I think... that makes sense. Then let’s take a few small missions first and practice.”

“Good. Since we’re partners, of course we’ll discuss together what missions to take. Come, take a look. There are several suitable missions here. Most importantly, they’re relatively close to us. Pick one.”

Lucan felt pretty good about things. He felt that everything was finally getting back on track. He took out his phone and handed it to Ethan.

Ethan felt pretty good too. Just as he had expected, the two of them had established a preliminary level of trust, and they could now proceed to the next step: the beginner missions.