The two men who had come out to negotiate wiped the smiles off their faces the moment they heard my coercive tone.

“I don’t want to waste time on pointless talk. We’ll discuss terms only after you decide whether you’re going to stand with me... or stand against me.”

“Listen here, Charlie.”

Antonio Arellano Félix spoke while barely suppressing his anger.

“Have you forgotten this is Mexico?”

“I’m more aware of that than anyone. If this weren’t Mexico, you and I wouldn’t be sitting across from each other like this in the first place.”

“......”

“So, what will it be? Will you join the order I’m building? To be precise, it won’t be me stepping forward—it’ll be Carlos Slim.”

With that, I fell silent and lifted the coffee cup in front of me to my lips.

I intended to give them a little time to make their decision.

The two exchanged nothing but glances, communicating only through their eyes.

From the Gulf Cartel’s perspective, they had no choice but to think it through carefully.

At that moment, it wasn’t Antonio but Eduardo Arellano Félix who spoke.

“What exactly is this ‘order’ you’re talking about?”

“Simple. Just like Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo did—I intend to unify and manage all the drug cartels in Mexico.”

“You think that’s possible? Even Félix couldn’t subordinate us. He only coordinated interests.”

I set the cup down and met Eduardo’s gaze.

“That’s because Félix didn’t have the power. He wasn’t capable of waging war against every cartel. That’s why he settled for coordination.”

“Are you saying you can?”

“Judge for yourselves. No matter how much I talk, it’s meaningless if you don’t feel it firsthand.”

People called Félix the godfather of the cartels, but his actual military strength had never been that great.

He had acted as a coordinator, bringing organizations together and expanding the business.

Before Félix, the term “drug cartel” didn’t even exist.

What he built was essentially an alliance of marijuana plaza bosses scattered across the country.

Marijuana was already profitable, and the plaza bosses were satisfied with that—they had no desire to expand further.

But Félix knew cocaine was far more lucrative.

So he gathered them, formed a cartel structure, and delivered massive profits to the bosses who joined him.

People began calling him “the godfather,” offering loyalty—not out of devotion, but because it benefited them.

“What do we gain from this? We know how Félix ended.”

Clearly, Eduardo and Antonio played different roles.

Unlike Antonio, who prioritized pride, Eduardo focused on profit.

Just as he said, Félix had ultimately failed to escape American surveillance.

Sensing his end was near, he split the organization into multiple groups and handed them back to the regional bosses.

That became the origin of what were later called the four major cartels.

After seeing the godfather extradited to the United States, never to return, cartel bosses came to fear extradition more than anything.

“I’ll make sure you never have to worry about being extradited to the U.S. again. That’s what you fear most, isn’t it?”

“...Is that really possible?”

“If the Gulf Cartel proves it’s willing to stand with me, then yes.”

At my calm answer, Eduardo glanced at Antonio before speaking.

“May the two of us talk privately for a moment?”

“Of course. I’ll step outside. Take your time.”

I left with Chief Ma. As we walked slowly, I spoke in my usual tone.

“Chief Ma.”

“Yes, Boss.”

“If they refuse to join us today, kill them both on their way back.”

“Understood, Boss. What about cleanup?”

There was no need to think about it.

“Put them on display where everyone can see. Make sure every cartel still hesitating understands my warning. I went to the Tijuana Cartel myself—but now, I’ll make them come to me.”

“Understood. I’ll prepare accordingly.”

If they joined, fine.

If not, it was better to eliminate them here.

There was no reason to leave seeds of conflict behind.

After about the time it took to finish a cup of tea, Antonio and Eduardo called me back in.

I sat down, crossed my legs, and asked:

“Have you made your decision?”

“We’ll join you.”

Eduardo answered, but Antonio’s face was filled with dissatisfaction.

He didn’t object—but he didn’t agree either.

I smirked slightly.

‘Antonio... I’ll deal with him later.’

From the way he behaved, he was the type to bow for now and betray me later.

“Good. Then, as proof of your cooperation, tell me where Heriberto Lazcano is hiding. Don’t say you don’t know—you built those hideouts for him.”

“Bring a map.”

Having decided, Eduardo began cooperating immediately.

He drew circles on several locations on the map Chief Ma handed him.

“He’ll be in one of these three places. We don’t know the exact one. He doesn’t trust even us.”

I studied the circled areas.

They formed a triangle surrounding Nuevo Laredo.

“So you’ve encircled Nuevo Laredo.”

“When Los Zetas first requested those locations, even we found it strange. Later, when we realized why, we were shocked.”

“It’s so they can retake Nuevo Laredo at any time.”

“Exactly. Every cartel covets that city.”

Nuevo Laredo was a gateway straight into Texas.

If Juárez was a key distribution hub, Nuevo Laredo was called the second Juárez—a prize every cartel desired.

“Are there any other locations?”

“If he’s not in those three, even we can’t find him.”

“Then we hit all three at once.”

“That’s the only way. If you hit just one, he’ll disappear. Can you do it?”

Eduardo’s eyes gleamed.

It was a test.

Since they had chosen to join, they wanted proof of ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) my power.

And if we failed, no one could predict what Lazcano would do after learning of their betrayal.

“Don’t worry. If the location is correct, Black Bear does not fail.”

“...Then I’ll trust you.”

“Go back and wait for my call. And don’t try anything foolish.”

Eduardo nodded and stood, lightly patting Antonio’s shoulder.

“Come on, Antonio. Let’s go.”

Antonio rose as well.

I shook my head at his lingering resentment.

“Boss Antonio.”

He turned back.

“I’ll stop your brother Osiel Cárdenas Guillén from being extradited to the U.S.” 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

His eyes wavered—but he said nothing.

“Contact the Tijuana Cartel. You’ll understand what I mean.”

Antonio left without another word.

After they were gone, I gave an order.

“Chief Ma. Call in Castro and the other two mercenary team leaders.”

“Yes, Boss.”

It was time to take Lazcano.

* * *

After obtaining the information from the Gulf Cartel, we verified it through the intelligence team.

The result: a high probability that Lazcano was at one of those locations.

Three mercenary teams—Castro’s unit and two newly reinforced teams—would strike all three locations simultaneously.

As before, I would oversee the operation from the command room.

“Team 1.”

— Ready.

“Team 2.”

— Ready.

“Team 3.”

— Ready.

Chief Ma coordinated all three teams.

“The operation begins at 11:30. Use full firepower. Total annihilation. No survivors.”

— Understood!

Thirty minutes remained.

Might as well boost morale.

“Chief Ma. Tell them there’ll be bonuses after this.”

The message was relayed.

Through the monitors, I heard the mercenaries cheer.

It made me smile.

They were loyal to money—and nothing was better than money.

Time passed.

“Begin operation!”

At the signal, helicopters roared in from a distance.

At all three sites, anti-tank missiles were launched simultaneously.

Each hideout had high walls, with mountains behind them.

Knowing Los Zetas used RPG-7s, Black Bear maintained distance.

The helicopters fired all payloads from afar and withdrew.

Then the mercenaries advanced.

Two locations showed little resistance.

But the third—where Castro’s team was—was different.

Even after the missile strike, the defenders regrouped instantly and held the line.

“That’s the one.”

Their organization was unmistakable.

Unlike the others, they deployed armored vehicles and fought with military-level tactics.

Even mercenaries struggled to approach.

“Tell Castro to hold position. Don’t push. Contain until reinforcements arrive.”

“Yes, Boss.”

Orders were relayed.

Castro pulled back slightly and spread his forces.

“Send all helicopters to cover the mountain routes. Shoot anyone trying to escape.”

We blocked all escape paths.

After several hours, the other teams regrouped.

“Finish it.”

With the order given, armored vehicles led the charge.

The battle resumed.

But against superior numbers and equipment, even Los Zetas couldn’t hold.

Within an hour, the mercenaries breached the compound.

Fighting continued inside.

One by one, cartel members fell.

By dawn, the gunfire stopped.

The mercenaries began confirming kills.

After some time—

— Target located.

“Show me his face.”

Castro lifted a man toward the camera.

It was Lazcano.

His face was lifeless.

“Done. Clean up and withdraw. Bring the body—we’ll hand it over to the Mexican government.”

— Understood!

Moments later, explosions engulfed the hideout in flames.

As I watched the withdrawal, I stood up.

“Good work. I’ll get some rest.”

I turned toward the bedroom—

BOOM.

A heavy explosion shook the building.

Chief Ma immediately pulled me down, shielding me.