Chapter 308
2-IN-1 chapter
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"This isn't your fault, you don't need to feel guilty. Let's regroup first, then figure out our next step."
Leo drove away from the Salamanca Cartel's estate.
Twenty minutes later, he arrived at the designated meeting point, honked the horn, and Lucy ran over from the roadside and jumped into the vehicle.
"How's the situation at the estate?" she asked, settling into the back seat.
V answered, "Just like you said, the Salamanca Cartel has mobilized the military. The defenses around the estate haven't weakened at all."
Lucy looked discouraged. "So what do we do now?"
V said nothing.
Even if the Mexican military wasn't as powerful as the New United States Armed Forces or the security forces of the megacorps, they were still an army—not your average gangsters.
More importantly, they had no reason to fight the Mexican military directly.
Just then, a call came in.
Leo checked the name—it was Jackie.
"Leo, I've taken José back to a motel in a small town outside Night City. Padre heard about our situation and sent ten men to protect us, so don't worry."
"I didn't expect this to trouble Padre. Tell him thanks for me. Once we're back, I'll make sure he gets a cut of the pay."
"Sounds good," Jackie replied without hesitation.
Even if Padre didn't want it, the money could be split among the ten guys who came to help. After all, if people benefit from helping you, they'll be more willing to help again next time.
Now that his side of things was secure, Jackie was clearly more relaxed and cheerful. "How about your end? You in Tijuana yet?"
"We're here. But it's not looking good. Hector's holed up in an estate on the outskirts, guarded by 300 gunmen. Somehow, he even got the Mexican military stationed in Tijuana to protect his assets."
"The military?" Jackie was stunned.
When Leo had mentioned dealing with the Salamanca Cartel, Jackie had suspected he might try the same approach he'd used against the Jōtarō Group.
But the Jōtarō Group wasn't the Salamanca Cartel. They didn't have the clout to call in Arasaka's Rapid Response Teams.
Which meant the same strategy wouldn't work here.
Jackie thought for a moment and came up with a new idea. "Want me to talk to Padre? Maybe he can send some people to back you up?"
Padre had over a hundred men. He wouldn't send them all, but Jackie was sure he could spare a few dozen. Leo could easily afford to pay for them, and Padre owed Leo a favor anyway.
Not just for helping him survive the Clemente hit, but for wiping out the Clemente family altogether.
If it was Leo's business, Jackie believed Padre wouldn't stand aside.
But to Jackie's surprise, Leo refused.
"No. Don't do that."
Leo rejected it immediately.
The reason was simple.
Even though Padre's influence had grown after seizing territory from the Juan family, he still wasn't on the same level as the Salamanca Cartel.
Padre's entire force combined wasn't even as large as the estate's guard detail. And this was Salamanca territory—they even had military support.
Plus, Leo and his team only had three people. Small teams could move fast, stay hidden, and adapt.
If Padre sent a few dozen guys down, they'd stick out like a sore thumb.
If Salamanca caught wind of them…
If all of Padre's men were wiped out in Tijuana, Leo wouldn't forgive himself.
It was better not to involve them at all—just the three of them would be enough.
"Leo, I get your concern. But it doesn't have to be Padre's guys. We could hire mercs. Don't forget—Padre's a fixer in Heywood."
Hire mercenaries?
Leo considered it.
But he still dismissed the idea.
Same problem—bringing in dozens of people into Tijuana was too conspicuous. The city was crawling with Salamanca eyes. As soon as mercs entered, they'd be marked.
Even if they did get mercenaries in, facing off against the military…
The Mexican army may have been corrupt, but that didn't make them pushovers. They were still soldiers.
And mercenaries, especially the low-end ones, were only in it for the pay. If things got tough, they'd fold fast.
That's why, during the corporate wars, it was always the megacorp security forces that determined the outcome. Mercs were only useful in small, low-priority skirmishes. On the real frontlines, the corps used their own troops.
Leo knew Jackie meant well. Even though the plans weren't feasible, the intention mattered.
"Jackie, don't worry about my side. Just keep José safe. I already have a way to lure Hector out."
"Alright. I'll wait for you guys at the motel."
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After the call, both V and Lucy looked over.
"Leo, you really have a plan?" V asked.
Leo nodded. "I just thought of it. If we do this, Hector will come out."
The two women exchanged glances, concern on their faces.
"Is it really that easy?" Lucy said. "I don't think Hector would leave his fortress so easily."
It wasn't that they didn't trust Leo—but everything about the Salamanca Cartel so far made it clear: Hector knew they were coming, and he understood their purpose.
He was entrenched in a fortress with armed guards everywhere.
Why would he give up such a defensible position?
Leo smiled but didn't explain further.
He opened the car door. "Wait here until I get back."
"You can't even tell us what you're doing?"
"You'll find out soon enough. I won't be long."
…
V and Lucy stayed in the car and watched as Leo left.
"V, what do you think he's up to?"
V shook her head. She couldn't think of a single method that would draw Hector out of that fortified shell.
Neither woman felt like talking. They sat there in silent anticipation.
Nearly three hours later, Leo came sprinting back into view.
He was holding something wrapped in cloth.
Seeing him, V jumped into the driver's seat while Lucy opened the car door for him.
Leo threw the bundle into the back seat, jumped in, and barked, "Go! Drive—now!"
V hit the gas.
"What is that?" Lucy asked.
"An urn. Hector's son's ashes."
Lucy froze. "Then you just—"
Leo smiled. "The Salamanca Cartel's cemetery. Hector covered his estate and his business territory with guards. But the cemetery? Practically no one there."
"Guess he never imagined his dead son would become a vulnerability."
And Hector really didn't expect it.
The cemetery was in a remote area. Locals knew better than to go near it. Everyone in Tijuana feared the Salamanca Cartel. Even if they knew the location, no one dared step foot near it.
No one would dare dig up Hector's family's ashes—unless they wanted their whole bloodline erased.
And that complacency made Hector careless.
Of course, just possessing the ashes didn't mean much. This wasn't Elden Ring. He couldn't summon the soul from the urn to fight.
"This thing doesn't have a soul—but it'll pull Hector out."
Lucy's face changed when she realized what Leo was implying. She looked at him in horror.
V, still driving, hadn't been listening. "What? What's going on?"
"If I'm right," Lucy said quietly, "he plans to use Hector's son's ashes to lure Hector out of the estate."
Hector's obsession with avenging his son had already pushed him to provoke the western states.
If he found out someone had taken the urn…
Even if it was a trap, he'd never sit still.
Leo knew this too.
And he also knew disturbing the dead was a vile act.
So he'd already decided: once this job was done and they were back in Night City, he'd download an electronic prayer bead app and tap it as often as possible to restore lost karma.
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"Who are you?"
Inside the Salamanca estate, Hector scowled at the video call popup—showing a young man with arms crossed under his nose, glasses glowing faintly.
"You should already know who I am, Hector. Why ask?"
Hector's brow twitched. "You're the one who helped the bastard who killed my son escape Tijuana?"
"Smart. No wonder you're the boss of the Salamanca Cartel."
Hector sneered. "Flattery won't help you. What's your goal in calling me? You here to beg?"
Before Leo could answer, Hector cut him off again.
"You're begging now? Don't you think it's a little late? Or do you really believe I'll forgive you?"
His words were harsh, but deep down, Hector wasn't nearly as confident as he sounded.
From the events leading up to this point, Hector had already realized that the group opposing him—Leo and the others—were definitely not ordinary people.
If pushed to the brink, they might well do something extreme. That couldn't be ruled out.
But even so, as the patriarch of the Salamanca Cartel, Hector would never show a shred of weakness.
"Begging for mercy? Of course not," he said. "One of the reasons I reached out was simply to confirm your appearance. Though Mr. González provided a photo, making a mistake at this stage would be problematic."
He let out a snort. "It's already come to this, and you think you can still kill me?"
"Yes."
Hector sneered.
"What a joke. Still, as foolish as you may be, I have to admit your courage is admirable. I know there are many rumors about me, but most of them are untrue."
"I'm actually quite a reasonable person. There was never any personal grudge between us—it's merely a matter of sides. You took González's money, so you came to save his son. That makes us enemies, but not in a way that can't be resolved."
After Hector finished speaking, Leo responded calmly.
"People say Hector Salamanca is a brutal man, feeding people to lions at the slightest offense. But here you are, chatting with me this long—seems those rumors might not be entirely accurate. Though from the way you're talking, I wonder if you think there's still room for reconciliation?"
"Why not?" Hector said. "Like I said, it's a matter of sides. If you help me with one thing, not only will I let you leave Tijuana alive, but I'll even pay you. Whatever González promised, I'll double it."
"Sounds good. So what's the cost?"
With a sinister grin that didn't reach his eyes, Hector said, "Very simple—bring me González and his son. Alive would be best. But if you must, corpses will do."
It all sounded nice on the surface—but if Leo and the others really handed over Dante and his son, would Hector keep his word?
Of course not.
Hector had no qualms killing his own men. Why would he spare the people who had repeatedly thwarted his revenge?
He didn't know whether Leo would buy his pitch. But in the end, it was just words—if Leo didn't believe him, nothing lost. If he did, Hector stood to gain everything.
Leo's expression didn't change.
"Hector, you're not much to look at, but you've got some imagination."
"So that's a refusal?" Hector said coldly. "Shame. Then I'll just kill you all first, and then handle the Gonzálezs myself. No one offends the Salamanca Cartel and walks away. You won't be the first, and you won't be the last."
He moved to end the call.
"Don't hang up just yet, Hector. Why not take a look at this first?"
Hector paused. On screen, Leo reached off to the side and placed something on the table.
The moment Hector saw it, his face changed.
He couldn't not recognize it—it was the urn holding his son's ashes.
"You damned monsters! Despicable! Cowardly! Treacherous devils!"
Leo spread his hands with a helpless look.
"No need for all the name-calling, Mr. Hector. I'll admit, it was a dishonorable tactic—but no matter what we did, it's still cleaner than what your cartel does."
"After all, no matter what I do, it doesn't affect your son—he's already in heaven. But your Salamanca Cartel? You've driven family after family into ruin."
Why were the Salamanca Cartel's soldiers so willing to die?
Because every one of them was buried in debt.
And who gave them those loans?
If you happen to have a hacker friend skilled enough to break through multiple layers of digital firewalls, they could tell you the truth:
It was the Salamanca Cartel.
Even without a hacker, it wasn't hard to guess.
The Salamanca Cartel controlled every aspect of Tijuana—birth to death. They toyed with people's lives like it was nothing.
They were a parasite feeding on the backs of countless victims. The more suffering people endured, the fatter the parasite became.
But Hector wasn't just some thug—he knew that insults alone solved nothing. He took a long, deep breath.
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