Chapter 49: Falling Apart

These days have been very agonizing, from the rainforest to Medellin, from Medellin to Los Angeles, the length of each stay determined by John's condition.

We stayed in Medellin for three days. On the day we returned to Medellin, John's wound had already become infected. The doctor gave him antibiotics, but the wound still caused a systemic infection.

The situation was simple. The primary infection was very clear, it was the two gunshot wounds. But even in Medellin's best hospital, under the care of the best doctors, even with an overdose of antibiotics, John's systemic infection could not be treated.

Finally, Frank found a way to rent a charter plane and turned it into a medical charter, sending John back to Los Angeles.

In Los Angeles, John was on the brink of death several times, but under the best medical conditions, the hospital in Los Angeles finally identified a bacterium in repeated blood culture results and then tried several antibiotics. Finally, they used a targeted antibiotic that was not broad-spectrum but very effective.

The hospital in Medellin saved John's life, and finally, in the best hospital in Los Angeles, which was also the best hospital in the world, they completely saved John's life.

After the medication targeted the condition, John's condition immediately improved. Then, five days after he returned to Los Angeles, he was supposed to wake up.

John finally opened his eyes. His eyes were lifeless, but after blinking several times, he finally spoke in a hoarse and incomprehensible voice, "No, just leave me alone. I can't hold on anymore."

Arthur heard the faint voice, he suddenly looked up, stood in front of John's bed, and said urgently, "Hey, can you hear what I'm saying?"

John's eyes rolled around, still looking confused, but after a moment, he finally said, "Uh, am I in the hospital and not dead?"

"Yes, you're in the hospital, you're fine!"

Arthur grabbed John's arm, very happy, and said urgently, "Great, I knew you wouldn't die."

John's eyes glanced around, he saw Frank, he saw Rubber, and George, and then he smiled slightly and said, "I didn't expect you guys to be here."

Frank smiled, he wanted to say something, but in the end, he just smiled at John and said, "Buddy, glad you made it."

At this time, the doctor came in, so Arthur and the others left the ward.

Outside the ward, the joyful atmosphere of John's awakening was soon diluted by a heavy atmosphere.

In just a few days, Frank's temples had grown a few patches of white hair. There weren't many more wrinkles on his face, but from his expression, he seemed to have aged more than ten years.

"John woke up."

Repeating a useless statement, Frank closed his mouth, hesitated for a long time, and then said in a low voice, "John woke up, so our expenses can be roughly determined. Let's divide the remaining money today."

Arthur didn't speak, but when he looked at Frank, he seemed somewhat sympathetic.

Frank took out his phone, tapped a few times on the calculator on his phone, and said quietly, "We have a total of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The purchase of goods cost thirty-five thousand eight hundred, and the plane rental was forty thousand."

Rubber said somewhat impatiently, "Don't bother with these details, just say the total."

"No, it's better to be clear. We spent seven thousand dollars in the Medellin hospital, rented a charter plane for forty thousand dollars, and the bill already paid in this hospital is four hundred and sixty-three thousand dollars. But John still needs follow-up treatment. Although the follow-up treatment costs will be much less, including the unpaid bills and follow-up treatment costs, it will cost about six hundred thousand dollars."

Frank sighed and said, "John has no health insurance, and the personal accident insurance from the company doesn't cover it. So all these expenses need to be borne by us. The total cost is one million and fifty thousand dollars."

No one spoke. Frank pressed a few times on the calculator and said in a low voice, "I will transfer the remaining money to your accounts according to the contribution ratio."

Rubber and George still didn't say anything. Arthur, however, said softly, "Captain, are you going to retire?"

Frank was silent for a moment, then he smiled reluctantly, patted Arthur's shoulder, and said, "You're a good brother. I want to continue working with you. You're my best employee, much better than them. But I'm sorry, I don't want to maintain the company anymore. I'm not suitable for this job."

After saying that, Frank looked calmly at Rubber and George and said, "You two are going to Flames of War company, have you talked to Danny?"

Rubber frowned, then turned his face aside, while George said softly, "Yes, we've talked. We'll wait for Bottle Cap to wake up, make sure he's okay, and then we'll go. Captain... I'm sorry."

Frank waved his hand and said, "There's nothing to apologize for. It's my fault for not taking care of you. If you had been with Flames of War all along instead of staying with King Defense, you wouldn't... you wouldn't... I should be the one to apologize."

Rubber whispered, "We did it for the money. It was just an investment, and we failed. So you don't need to feel sorry for anyone."

Frank nodded, "Thank you."

King Defense Company is not bankrupt yet, but Frank decided to sell it before it went bankrupt.

When they found that the location of the treasure overlapped with a guerrilla camp, King Defense Company was doomed to fall apart.

What Frank is doing now is to make sure John survives, roughly estimate how much it will cost, divide the remaining money immediately, and then everyone goes where they should.

Rubber and George are going to the Flames of War company. They were originally members of the Flames of War. It is normal for them to return to the strong and familiar old team after the failure of the venture with Frank. The CEO of the Flames of War company is very welcoming to their return.

Frank said he was going to retire. He wants to use the remaining money and the money from selling the company to get married and live a normal life.

As for Arthur, it's obvious that he's out of a job.

All of this was decided long before they returned to the United States, and now it's just a matter of finalizing the details.

Frank and Rubber didn't have much to say anymore. It would be awkward to say more.

Rubber looked at Arthur, shrugged, and said softly, "Mad Dog, come with us to Flames of War. I and... I and many people from Flames of War are friends. I'll help you get in."

Frank smiled awkwardly and said casually, "Yeah, go with them to Flames of War. You're born for this job. The starting salary there is six thousand dollars, although you're a newcomer and have no military experience, no one will reject you unless they're crazy."

George gave Rubber a blaming look, blaming him for saying these things in front of Frank. But after hesitating for a moment, he still said softly, "Come with us, the brothers are still together. Flames of War only accepts experienced retired veterans, but I believe you can get into Flames of War."

Rubber immediately added, "Just mention your experience in Colombia. Every team needs a Mad Dog. Trust me, as long as you agree, I'll help you speak up immediately."

Arthur hesitated for a moment. Now that Frank was quitting, he didn't know what John's plans were. If John also went to the Flames of War company, then he would go too. If John didn't go, he probably wouldn't either.

Although the treasure hunt failed, the four hundred million dollars turned into nothingness, and Frank's team was very reliable. Just by not abandoning John being willing to spend money, and being willing to use their own money to save John's life, this team was already very reliable.

Sometimes people are willing to risk their lives to help you, but they draw the line at spending money.

So Arthur didn't refuse Rubber and George's invitation, but he didn't immediately agree either. After thinking for a moment, he said softly, "Let me think about it and make a decision. Maybe I'll go back to my country and not work in a PMC anymore."

Rubber was stunned, then looked incredulous and said, "Can you find a job that makes more money than this?"

Arthur doesn't have much work experience, but he really can't find a job that pays twenty thousand dollars a month. Not to mention twenty thousand dollars, he can't even find a job that pays six thousand dollars. The six thousand dollars is not in US dollars, it's in Chinese yuan. Among the jobs Arthur has had since graduation, the highest-paying job was only five thousand two, and it didn't even include the five insurances and one fund, it was just a temporary job.

So Arthur was almost immediately shaken. With a monthly salary of twenty thousand US dollars, converted into Chinese yuan, it's more than one hundred and twenty thousand. Such a job, he can't refuse.

A peaceful and stable life is indeed wonderful, but without money, it's not worth it.

Arthur took a deep breath and said firmly, "I'll ask Bottle Cap. If he goes, I'll go!"

Rubber opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn't say anything. George shook his head at Rubber, then said to Arthur, "Take your time to consider, don't worry about Bottle Cap's opinion."

At this time, the doctor came out of John's ward. Arthur immediately went up to him and asked, "Doctor, how is he?"

"He's fine, and there won't be any sequelae. Of course, the patient still needs to recover. You can go in now."

The best hospital, the most expensive price, of course, also the best doctors. It was not easy to save John's life, but it was worth it.

Arthur was eager to go into the ward, but Frank held him back and said softly, "Don't tell him what happened yet. Wait until he recovers completely."

Arthur hesitated for a moment and said, "Then I... okay."

After he recovers, don't ask John if he wants to go to the Flames of War. Since Frank has instructed this, Arthur thinks it's better to follow Frank's advice. The current situation is not straightforward, so he can't talk to John too directly.

The four of them walked into the ward, and upon seeing them, John frowned and said, "Guys, I feel like I've been beaten up many times."

Rubber smirked, "That's normal. You were indeed beaten up badly when you were captured."

John lay in bed, but that didn't stop him from laboriously flipping Rubber off.

The four of them stood on either side of John's bed, and because of the conversation that just happened, none of them looked very natural, and their smiles were all forced.

Before Arthur could speak, John suddenly said, "You guys look like you're bidding farewell to a corpse, which makes me very uneasy. Come on, what happened? Uh... are you two going to the Flames of War?"

"No."

"Not going."

Rubber and George immediately denied it, but John looked at Frank and asked seriously, "They're going to the Flames of War. What about you? What are you planning to do?"

Frank smiled, "What can I do, continue to run King Defense. Buddy, get well soon, I'm tired of doing it alone."

John was silent for a moment and said softly, "You're speaking so politely, you must be going bankrupt."

Frank's smile immediately disappeared.

John sighed and said, "Okay, everyone, we know each other well enough. There's no need to say these meaningless lies. I'm very grateful that you didn't abandon me, but what should end will end. There's nothing to hide."

Frank said quietly, "I'm going to retire. I want to get married and live a normal life."

"You're getting married. What about you two?"

Rubber shrugged, "Going to the Flames of War."

John's mouth twitched, smiling ironically, then he looked at Arthur and said, "What about you?"

Arthur said softly, "I don't know. What are you going to do after you recover?"

"Not going to the Flames of War! On this point, I agree with the Captain."

After saying that, John sighed lightly and said, "Alright everyone, I'm really glad to see you all again. I know you're also glad you don't have to attend my funeral. That's it, let's have a drink when I'm better, but for now, I need to rest."

John dismissed them, but Rubber and the others didn't leave immediately. After chatting aimlessly for a while and realizing that the atmosphere couldn't be cheerful, they left first.

Then it was Frank's turn. He talked to John for a while and then continued to be busy with selling King Defense.

Arthur volunteered to stay. In his opinion, John needed someone to take care of him, and as John's friend, this was his duty.

After only Arthur was left, John asked in puzzlement, "Why aren't you leaving?"

"I'm here to take care of you."

"There are doctors and nurses. What do you need to take care of me for?"

Arthur was speechless, then he smiled bitterly and said, "Is this how you treat someone who saved your life? You haven't even said thank you yet."

John was silent for a moment, curled his lips, and said, "Idiot."

"If you don't thank me, you'll scold me?"

John sighed lightly and said helplessly, "If you want to help me, I will say thank you. If you save me, I can't just say thank you. You don't even understand this, you're an idiot."

It means that big favors shouldn't be thanked for. Arthur immediately understood and said, "I'm not joking with you. Rubber and George invited me to the Flames of War, but I want to know what you plan to do in the future."

John's face became serious. After thinking for a long time, he finally looked at Arthur and said, "Don't go to the Flames of War. It's not suitable for you there. Your personality and style of work don't fit in with the Flames of War. The Flames of War is just a company now, where there are only colleagues, not brothers. So the Flames of War is not suitable for you!"

Arthur whispered, "But the Flames of War pays a lot of money. I want to make money, a lot of money. If I don't go to the Flames of War, where should I go? Do you have any suggestions?"

John smiled and said, "Don't cheaply sell your life to others. If you want to make big money, do it yourself."