Chapter 18: Don't Be Nervous

The car drove past the TACO restaurant, and everyone in the car was watching the surroundings closely.

The traffic situation in Tijuana was completely different during the day and night. During the day, there were many cars, but at night, there were very few. So, even though the cars were moving slowly, it didn't seem suspicious.

There were too many suspicious individuals. There was a car parked in front of the restaurant with three or four people who didn't look like good news. They were glancing around, and a little further ahead, next to the repair shop adjacent to the restaurant, there were two cars parked with people standing around chatting.

These were just the visible individuals; there were likely many more unseen.

"There are a lot of people, but they probably don't have long guns. There are people in the car. Look over there; those two standing there are on guard."

Frank, sitting in the front passenger seat, had the best view. He pointed out several of the most suspicious-looking people. After the car passed the entrance of the repair shop, Frank immediately said, "Park the car at the hotel entrance. It won't look too suspicious if we go to the hotel."

Frank and his group were foreigners, but during the day, there were many tourists in Tijuana looking for fun, so it was normal to see groups of foreigners at hotels.

The hotel was about two hundred meters away from the repair shop. This distance allowed for observing the situation at the restaurant and the repair shop. However, if support was needed, it would take some time.

Therefore, it was very dangerous for someone to go to the restaurant alone to check the situation.

If this was a trap, the person sent to check would be doomed.

John suddenly handed Arthur a handgun and whispered, "Hide it."

It was a Glock 19. Arthur took the handgun, lifted his shirt, and tucked the gun into his waistband, whispering, "Give me a few spare magazines."

"If you need to use the gun, you probably won't have a chance to change magazines."

"No, having two extra magazines makes me feel more at ease."

John shrugged, took out two more magazines from his pocket, and whispered, "Don't put them in your outer coat pocket; it's easy to be spotted."

With the waistband already tight, it was uncomfortable to add another handgun and two magazines, but Arthur managed to squeeze them in.

At that moment, John whispered, "I'll go with him. Two people going to eat tacos is normal. Keep an eye on us; if there's trouble, provide support quickly."

When approaching for reconnaissance, wearing a bulletproof vest was out of the question. At most, one would conceal a handgun. Once discovered, it would lead to a close-quarters battle, and with so many of the drug dealer's men around, it would likely be a one-way trip.

Arthur was very grateful to John at that moment. No matter what, going together was safer than going alone.

Frank didn't say much. He just whispered, "Be careful. If things don't look good, retreat and we'll figure something out."

The car stopped, and the hotel doorman had already opened the door. Arthur tightened his coat and was the first to get out of the car, followed by John. He turned to John and asked, "Do you want to go eat tacos?"

"Sure, hey, do you guys want to eat?"

Frank and the others declined, so Arthur and John turned and walked towards the restaurant.

Even if the drug dealers were arrogant, they wouldn't dare to surround an area with guns in broad daylight. This gave Arthur and John an opportunity.

"Don't be nervous; everything's fine. The drug dealers are doing their thing. As long as we don't cause trouble, they won't be too aggressive. It's not like five years ago; back then, the drug dealers could shut down the streets for a gunfight."

Arthur looked up and then whispered, "Those people are observing us. They must have seen Captain and the others entering the hotel. Doesn't that help with our reconnaissance?"

"You call this reconnaissance? This doesn't count; it's just... Well, we rarely do this kind of work. We're more about rushing in with weapons drawn. Someone else handles reconnaissance."

Arthur thought he should be afraid, but when it came down to it, walking towards the drug dealers, he felt completely calm, without a hint of nervousness.

He was even slightly excited.

At that moment, John whispered again, "Don't be nervous; act natural."

Arthur turned to John and smiled, "Are you the nervous one? Hey, don't have such a stern face; you look like you're ready to fight."

John rubbed his face with his hand and glanced at Arthur, realizing he was indeed smiling, a rather lewd smile, showing no signs of nervousness.

"Why are you laughing like that?"

"I've seen people who've just done something bad laugh like this; a few people look sleazy."

"You... You're a natural at this!"

John was a little speechless. He waved his hand, and by now, they were very close to the person guarding the entrance of the repair shop.

A man wearing a blue headscarf stared fiercely at Arthur and John, with a gaze like a wild beast spotting its prey. It wasn't hostile but rather possessive, with a superior attitude.

Arthur didn't meet the drug dealer's gaze. Instead, he said to John, "I'm starving. I need to eat three tacos."

John nodded repeatedly. Under the gaze of several drug dealers, they turned into the taco shop together.

Taco was a Mexican burrito and also a kind of fast food, so the taco shop was a fast-food restaurant. A cashier was nervously standing at the counter. When he saw Arthur and John enter, he stammered, "Sorry, we're... we're closed now."

There were no other customers in the shop, but there were two drug dealers drinking sodas, staring at Arthur and John. There were also two waiters, but they were standing idle.

The waiters spoke Spanish, but Arthur and John pretended not to understand. They ignored the waiter's hints. John looked at the pictures on the wall, pointed, and said, "I want this, this, give me two. Hello, hello, extra spicy sauce, got it?"

Arthur also pointed at a picture and said, "I'll have two, two, got it?"

Both of them spoke in English. Even if they noticed that something was off with the waiter, they pretended not to notice. At this moment, the waiter looked at the two drug dealers sitting and sent a pleading look. One of them waved his hand blatantly and said, "If the customers want to eat, then make it. Is this how you serve?"

The waiter nervously took their order, took their money, and then Arthur and John sat down directly.

Choosing their seats carefully, Arthur deliberately sat with his back to the two drug dealers, while John sat opposite him. This way, one of them could always see what the drug dealers were doing without looking too deliberate.

If both of them sat facing the drug dealers, it would be convenient to observe their every move, but they would likely be noticed by the drug dealers.

At this moment, Arthur heard one of the drug dealers behind him say blatantly, "Do you think they're here to find that bastard?"

"I don't think so. Otherwise, they wouldn't be so bold. I think they're just two stupid Americans."

"Should we ask them and search them? That way, we'll know what they're up to. Even idiots can see what's going on here. How dare they sit down and eat?"

"Have you ever seen Asians causing trouble in our territory?"

"Hmm, you're right. Asians are all mathematicians, and they're all very timid."

This was what you called stereotyping, but Arthur welcomed this stereotype now.

However, John couldn't understand what the two were saying, but seeing Arthur's unusual expression, he calmly took out his phone and started fiddling with it.

After a while, the tacos and drinks were served. John put down his phone, picked up a taco, took a big bite, and said unclearly, "Tastes good, I'm starving."

Arthur was also very hungry, so he didn't eat slowly. Watching the two of them devour their food, one of the drug dealers behind them sneered, "Look at them, they're starving. Once they finish eating, they'll leave."

Just then, there was a commotion from behind the restaurant, and then someone shouted, "Found the entrance to the tunnel! He's inside!"

Arthur raised an eyebrow, tilted his head slightly, and gave John a signal.

But John was too busy stuffing his face with tacos and didn't see it. So Arthur had to put down one hand and take the drink from in front of John.

After attracting John's attention, Arthur signaled again, and after a moment of hesitation, John finally nodded imperceptibly.

In English, Arthur said, "What are we doing after we finish eating? Rest at the hotel or go out?"

John mumbled, "Rest? Of course, we're going out. We've eaten, so we have to go out and play. The two of us will go out on our own without calling them."

Arthur understood. John was planning to take action. If Peter was brought out, they would find an opportunity to kill him before doing anything else.

This style of doing things was quite rough.