“Locke, give me your contact information.
Fat Barros has started stirring up trouble along the border again.
The next time Slope 21 takes action, you’re in.”
Rock knew that was an obligation every auxiliary gunman on Slope 21 was expected to fulfill.
So far, Elena had presented herself as a fairly approachable gang leader.
Still, Rock did not let his guard down.
A kindhearted boss, especially a beautiful woman, did not survive in a favela surrounded by hostile gangs on friendliness alone.
There had to be far more to her than what she showed on the surface.
“Camilla, I’ll tell everyone on Slope 21 not to let word about you get out.
Stay in the neighborhood for a while before you leave again.
Ricardo would never dare come here.
And if you’re having money problems, come to me.”
“Elena, could you share your intelligence on Ricardo with me?”
Rock suddenly stepped forward and made his request.
“Oh, so the Asian guy speaks Portuguese like a native.”
Other than greeting her with “Olá” when he arrived, Rock had not said a word.
Now that he had finally spoken, his fluent Portuguese took Elena completely by surprise.
“If Camilla and Carlos hadn’t told me you were a foreigner, I would’ve thought you grew up in Brazil.
Your Portuguese is incredibly fluent.”
“I do have some intelligence on Ricardo, but it won’t be cheap.
How are you planning to pay?”
Elena walked up to Rock.
The athletic young woman was about the same height as Camilla, and only had to tilt her head back slightly to meet his eyes.
“As long as the price isn’t outrageous, I can pay in reais.”
Rock was willing to buy the intelligence from Elena because he knew he would have to spend money no matter where he went.
Elsewhere, however, there was a chance that whoever sold him information on Ricardo would also sell information about him to Ricardo.
Things would probably be safer with Elena.
Besides, paying her might encourage her to pay closer attention to Camilla and her sister.
That way, even if Ricardo’s men managed to slip onto the street, they would be more likely to get caught.
Rock’s true goal was to confirm Ricardo’s location and launch a direct surprise attack.
When a problem was too difficult to solve, the simplest solution was to eliminate the person at the center of it.
That approach was extremely effective in gang conflicts.
Rock had also noticed that even after he killed ten of Ricardo’s men the day before, not a single report had appeared in the local news on his phone.
After experiencing the benefits firsthand, he was starting to feel restless.
Most of his current abilities had come from killing Ricardo’s men.
Rock could swear on Camilla’s conscience that he wanted more.
He also wanted to see just how strong he could become.
Before his imagination could run much further, Elena raised a finger and traced it from his cheek down to his chest.
“Maybe you could pay with yourself.
I’m getting more curious about you by the minute, Asian boy.
You could get to know me a little better too.”
Was she really being this direct in front of Camilla?
Rock turned to look at her, only for Camilla to shrug.
“I can wait downstairs.”
With that, she turned and left the rooftop.
Carlos “The Mustache” looked from Elena to Rock, let out a whistle, and followed her down.
Their casual reaction left Rock unsure how to respond.
In the end, he gritted his teeth.
Neither of them seemed bothered, so was he the one being too conservative?
If he truly cut loose, even he might scare himself.
“Elena, you won’t be disappointed.”
Rock took Elena’s hand.
His palm was warm and firm.
“Locke, come downstairs and prove it.”
…
Two hours later, Elena personally escorted Rock downstairs, her face still flushed.
“Locke, I sent the files to your phone.
Good luck.”
She even stepped forward and straightened the collar of his shirt.
Rock took his Glock from Carlos, who looked completely unfazed, and tucked it back into his waistband.
“Congratulations on plucking the most beautiful rose on Slope 21,” Carlos said with a faint grin.
“Thank you.
I feel very fortunate,” Rock replied modestly.
He had put in quite a bit of effort and paid a considerable price to obtain this timely intelligence.
Once he got back, he would need to study the digital map, go over the information carefully, and figure out the best way to carry out the attack.
As he followed Camilla home, Rock glanced at her smiling face and found it rather strange.
Was she really this open-minded?
“Camilla, do you honestly not mind what I just did?” he asked cautiously.
Rock had already decided that if Camilla turned on him, he would take his weapons and equipment and move out of her house.
After his intimate heart-to-heart with Elena, he had completely shed his old inhibitions.
People from his homeland were as resilient as wild grass.
No matter where they ended up, they could put down strong roots.
Rock gave himself a mental thumbs-up for his adaptability.
Was he worried about not finding beautiful women in Brazil?
No.
Rock was only worried that there would not be enough enemies for him to level up.
Her answer caught him completely by surprise.
“Why would I mind?
I’m proud that my man is so popular.”
Camilla gave him a radiant smile.
There was not even a trace of anger in it, and Rock believed her.
Even though he was living in a favela, he absolutely loved this side of Brazil.
When they returned home, Rock and Camilla organized their guns and ammunition, then began studying the intelligence Elena had sent them about Ricardo.
Ricardo: Second-in-command of the “Crazy Train” organization
Age: 32
Primary business: Flour trafficking
Owns seven bars, three auto repair shops, and more than a dozen flour supermarkets in the Stone River favela.
Flour supermarkets are common in Brazilian favelas.
Flour is displayed on shelves for customers to purchase, just like merchandise in a regular supermarket, while armed gunmen stand guard nearby.
Primary base: Nightingale Bar
Commands between 100 and 120 gunmen
…
Camilla knew Rio de Janeiro better than Rock.
After reading through Ricardo’s file, she helped him locate the Stone River favela on the digital map.
It was situated in eastern Rio.
Camilla had made it as far as high school before dropping out, which made her relatively well educated by favela standards.
She could read and write without difficulty.
“Locke, Ricardo loves spending time at the Nightingale Bar in Stone River.
It’s also his main base.
There are always at least fifteen fully armed men guarding the place, and more than thirty gunmen can arrive as reinforcements within ten minutes.”
Camilla studied the information on her phone as she spoke to Rock.
“Then we need to finish this quickly.
Whether we succeed or fail, we have to withdraw within five minutes.”
Rock had decided to attack Ricardo, and he had no intention of leaving Camilla behind.
She could still be useful.
Camilla was also more than willing to take part, since the trouble had started with her in the first place.
A woman raised in the favela would not simply retreat whenever danger appeared.
Anyone who survived by quietly accepting whatever happened to them would have vanished from the favela long ago.
Even seemingly friendly neighbors might not hesitate to sell a naive young woman if it meant bringing home enough money to buy food.
“Camilla, we need to sell that gold jewelry as soon as possible.
I think we’re going to need a few pieces of equipment…”
Rock reminded her to find a buyer and turn the jewelry into cash.
Their upcoming operation would require money for the necessary gear.
They had enough guns and ammunition for now, but Rock was not yet an invulnerable super soldier.
He needed a bulletproof vest that could protect his torso.
“All right.
I’ll go sell the jewelry now.”
…