"Thank you."
Ela finally found a chance to thank Steve Owen, who nodded slightly.
"Pack up. We're getting out of here..."
Now that they had avenged Jim and Patrick, the group was preparing to leave. When Sam said "pack up," he didn't mean dealing with Leta Sanchez's corpse—he was referring to the bundles of U.S. dollars inside the house. At a glance, there seemed to be one or two million. Even though they were soaked in blood, they were still dollars.
This was clearly not the entirety of the Sanchez family's wealth. Drug lords never deposit their money in banks, which meant there had to be a dedicated place for storage—but no one knew where. Mario and Guzman had tried to interrogate them before, but neither had any clue. Leta Sanchez most likely knew, but unfortunately, they didn't have enough time.
The group found several travel bags and started stuffing in the cash. One or two million looked like a lot, but when divided up, it wasn't that much per person. Still, it was a windfall. Owen felt no qualms about taking the money—this wasn't like the money he'd seen before. These were drug funds, ill-gotten gains. Owen had no problem scooping some up along the way.
"Bang bang bang~~ bang bang~~~"
Suddenly, the gunfire downstairs stopped. Owen crept to the window and peeked out. The open ground outside was strewn with corpses.
"What's the situation down there?"
Owen asked over the comms.
"All enemies have been neutralized..."
Bayev's voice came through, and then Ghost added, "There were fewer people left behind than we thought, and they weren't elite…"
Owen was surprised, but then it made sense—Dorok had probably taken all the elite forces with him, leaving behind only average armed drug dealers.
"What's that?"
Just as Owen was deep in thought, Fred suddenly cried out at the bullet hole-riddled wall, then began tearing at the shattered planks around the hole. Moments later, something fell out.
It was a bundle of U.S. dollars...
Everyone looked at the gap, then at the cash on the floor. In an instant, they all understood. More people joined in. The gap widened. Strips of wooden planks were torn down, revealing stacks of U.S. dollars hidden inside the wall.
Whoosh~~~~
Everyone held their breath. The scene before them was simply too shocking—an entire wall filled with cash. How much was this? A few million? Ten million?
Faced with such a staggering amount of money, everyone's eyes lit up with blazing desire. They never expected he'd hide it in his own house, inside the wall cavities.
As the others caught on, they began prying open other walls. Every single one was filled with cash, no exceptions. It was likely that the walls throughout all three floors were stuffed with money. How much was that in total? No one had a clear concept. None of them had ever seen so much money before. A hundred million? Two hundred million? A billion?
Sam and Owen exchanged a glance. Both their eyes were gleaming.
"Ask how much time we have left."
Sam's meaning was obvious. Owen, staring at the money spilling out of the walls, was also visibly excited.
"Becky, how much time do we have left?"
"Boss, this... money... is there a share for me?"
The sweet and naive girl's voice trembled slightly. She had already seen the mountain of cash through the team members' bodycams. She was so shocked, she could barely speak.
"Of course. Everyone gets a share. One for each."
Owen answered firmly. Equal distribution was the fairest approach, and he was sure Sam wouldn't object.
"Hmm, you've got ten minutes left—no, wait, now it's down to 9…"
"Oh my God…"
Bayev, who had run upstairs, stared wide-eyed at the money-filled room. He'd been listening to everything on the radio, but he couldn't resist coming up for a look himself. The scene stunned him.
"Are we about to strike it rich, boss?"
Bayev looked at Owen in disbelief.
"Stop standing around—move, move! Everyone get moving! Go find enough bags—we've got more money than we can carry..."
Sam clapped his hands. Everyone sprang into action. Their motivation hit the ceiling—this was the kind of score that could let you retire on the spot.
Everyone was in high spirits, bustling about. Then Owen suddenly remembered something and pulled Sam aside. "We can't take all this money…"
"What?"
Sam thought he had misheard.
Owen repeated, "We can't take all this money."
"Why not?"
"A single $100 bill weighs 1.05 grams. So, ten million dollars weighs 105 kilograms. A travel bag can hold about 8 million. But the Little Bird helicopters have a maximum load of 1300 kilograms, and their empty weight is nearly 700. That means, with no passengers, each chopper can carry at most 40 to 50 million—but no passengers is not an option…"
Owen's words hit Sam like a sledgehammer. Not just him—everyone froze. If they hadn't known, fine. But now with a hundred million dollars sitting right in front of them, and being unable to take it—it was unbearable.
"What do we do then?"
Sam's mind went blank. He regretted choosing the Little Birds. If only they had a Black Hawk—or better yet, a Chinook. Sam couldn't bear to give up the money.
"We can haul it with a car. I saw a van downstairs…"
At the critical moment, Bayev suddenly spoke up. Everyone turned to Owen as if they'd just grabbed a lifeline—including Sam.
"Alright."
Owen only thought for a second before agreeing. He didn't want to give it up either. Even though it was risky, for a hundred million dollars, it was worth it.
"Everyone, listen to me now. Bayev, go downstairs immediately and set up landmines at the front door with Ghost. We must delay their advance. Heartbeat and Howling Wolf are already en route. Bryan, go get the car. The rest of you start moving the money to the backyard and load it into the vehicle. Bryan will drive; I'll ride shotgun. Everyone else will get on the helicopters and provide cover along the way. Understood?"
"Yes Sir~~~"
Everyone followed Owen's orders and split up. Some gathered cash, some stuffed bags, others hauled them out to the backyard. Bryan soon drove the van into the back—thankfully, these guys had the habit of leaving the keys in the ignition.
Their plan was risky, but for a hundred million, it was worth the gamble. Owen had also considered the issue of trust—he and Bryan, who would be escorting the money, were from two different teams and had a close personal relationship, which minimized the risk of mistrust or conflict.
At the front door, Bayev and Ghost set up multiple landmines. They had prepared for the possibility of retreat when they first came, so they had brought plenty—some for vehicles, some for personnel, in various types and quantities.
While Sam carried the money down, Owen went upstairs carrying gasoline. Any money they couldn't take had to be burned. They couldn't take down the entire Sanchez cartel, but the less money it had, the weaker it would be—and the safer they would be.
"Alright, that's it, no more—time to go, now!"
The sound of rotor blades echoed outside. Howling Wolf and Heartbeat had arrived, but Light and Fred were still greedily clawing at the walls. Time was already running out.
"Move it! Stop stalling…"
Rat-tat-tat! Owen fired a few rounds at their feet, snapping the two money-crazed guys back to reality. They dragged their bags downstairs. Owen poured out the last of the gasoline, then tossed the lighter.
BOOM~~
The lighter hit the floor, and with the help of the gasoline, the entire third floor was instantly engulfed in flames. All the money they couldn't take burned to ash. Owen didn't have time to think—he sprinted downstairs.
BOOM~~~
The first trap at the front door was triggered—proof the enemy had returned.
Owen jumped into the back of the van and slapped the side. In the front seat, Bryan slammed the gas pedal, tearing through the rear gate. At the same time, the two helicopters lifted off. Team members sat on the edge benches, guns ready and scanning for threats.
BOOM BOOM BOOM~~
Explosions rang out in rapid succession. The landmines at the front door detonated one by one. The enemy's vehicles finally appeared in their sights—and at that exact moment, the van sped down the mountain road under the covering fire of the two helicopters.
______
(≧◡≦) ♡ Support me and read 20 chapters ahead – patreon.com/Mutter
Every 100 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter on Saturday.
Every 5 reviews = 1 extra chapter on Saturday.