Chapter 5 Naturally

Gao Yi's periods of consciousness grew longer, and his sleeping spells shorter.

However, the days he awoke were not easy, for there was nothing Gao Yi could do while conscious.

No phone, no television, just a nurse to exchange a few words with, but the nurse spoke only Thai, and besides greeting her with "Sawadeeka", Gao Yi had nothing else to say.

Moreover, although the nurse was a woman, she was short, dark, overweight, and unattractive!

It was not until the fifth day of Gao Yi's awakening, when he could finally sit up in bed instead of just lying down, that Luca finally returned.

Upon entering and seeing Gao Yi sitting up, a smile appeared on Luca's face.

Closing the door of the hospital room, he stood at the entrance and said with a smile, "You're recovering well. Your injuries were severe, sitting up so soon is quite remarkable."

Gao Yi had been eagerly anticipating Luca's arrival, so he was genuinely excited and quickly said, "You finally came, why did you disappear after leaving? Can you get me a phone? I'm just lying in bed all day, and it's incredibly boring."

Luca spread his hands and replied, "The doctor has forbidden you from using a phone. It's not good for your recovery. Just bear with it for a few more days until you're better."

Gao Yi paused for a moment and finally said, "Alright…"

Without hesitation, Luca continued, "I came today to check on you and to pay the bill. Your medical expenses are now $36,422 USD."

Not seeing him for days, and Luca's opening was to remind Gao Yi how much money he owed.

Gao Yi was stunned for a moment, then realized he was indeed afraid of hearing those numbers.

"That expensive…"

Luca seemed offended and immediately replied, "Expensive? Do you think this is expensive? In the United States, you'd have to add a zero at the end! The medical standard in Thailand is quite good and comparatively cheap. You need to understand your situation; it's illegal for the doctors to treat you, it is… well, pretty expensive."

Previously saying it wasn't expensive because the medical fees in Thailand are not considered high, and the standard is relatively high in Southeast Asia.

Changing his statement to 'expensive' because Luca remembered it was he who had advanced the money.

Gao Yi felt quite ashamed: "Don't be angry, I just blurted it out. I don't have money, and I feel bad for always making you advance the payments, I really do feel embarrassed."

Luca's expression eased a bit, but he still stood by the door, sizing up Gao Yi for a moment before suddenly asking, "You're not having second thoughts, are you?"

Gao Yi looked puzzled and replied, "Second thoughts? What second thoughts? Oh, you mean you're worried I won't cooperate? No such thing, I'm a man of my word, I never go back on it."

Luca nodded, then he smiled and said, "That's good. Rest up, I'll go talk to the doctor. Goodbye."

"Eh… you're leaving already?"

Luca opened the door backwards and retreated out of the room, then closed the door behind him.

The hospital room wasn't very large, but there must have been at least four or five meters between the bed and the door. If Luca really just came to visit Gao Yi, he should have come closer to the bedside to talk.

Gao Yi sat on the bed, stunned, staring at the door when suddenly an idea struck him.

Luca always stood by the door because he was on guard!

Even after being near death from a gunshot, Gao Yi had killed six people. Although his injury hadn't fully healed and he couldn't even get out of bed, Luca still felt the need to be cautious.

No wonder Luca never got close after entering the room.

Realizing this, Gao Yi wasn't angry.

Right, assassins are always highly cautious, and since Luca was also Gao Yi's creditor, his caution would be even greater.

After all, if Gao Yi suddenly attacked Luca and then dragged his greatly healed body out, it wouldn't be an impossible scenario.

This let Gao Yi to deduce that Luca's refusal to give him a phone to pass time wasn't out of concern for his health.

Luca's big-money mission was to assassinate a warlord named Gray Horace. Since he was a warlord, he would likely be a high-profile figure, possibly identifiable with an internet search.

If Horace were a simple character, Luca wouldn't need to invest in the seriously injured Gao Yi.

So it was quite simple: Gray Horace must be a dangerous character of high threat, and Luca probably feared that Gao Yi would refuse to cooperate once he knew this.

Having understood all this, Gao Yi still wasn't angry.

He just marveled at how cunning the underworld could be.

But then, thinking about it, could underworld figures afford to be straightforward?

Putting himself in Luca's shoes, Gao Yi thought Luca might be feeling quite troubled at this moment.

A close-combat partner who was superbly formidable, whose background and history were unknown, completely unfamiliar and without any trust... How would Luca control him once he fully recovered?

How would Luca ensure that he would definitely repay the debt, or for that matter, ensure that he wouldn't just kill him?

Now, Gao Yi felt it was justified for Luca to be cautious, but then, if Luca was wary of him, should he be wary of Luca too?

Thinking it over, this problem wasn't easy to resolve.

So, what could Luca do to break this stalemate? Or in other words, what could he do to build some initial confidence?

If Luca couldn't establish trust, then what should he do?

Gao Yi pondered long about this, putting himself in Luca's shoes, the only way seemed to be letting him see the possibility of making a lot of money from cooperation.

It was about temptation, but a mutually beneficial kind, not just giving money.

That was what Gao Yi thought, and on the tenth day, he got his answer.

That day, with the nurse's help, Gao Yi managed to get up from bed and walk a few steps, and had just lain down again when Luca arrived.

He knocked on the door first and then pushed it open, pausing for a moment in the doorway. This allowed Gao Yi to see the two Southeast Asians standing behind him.

They looked robust, with bulges around their waists—surely they were armed.

Luca didn't close the door this time, he took a few steps forward and stood at the foot of Gao Yi's bed, his face full of concern as he said, "You can get out of bed now, that's really quick. Ah, your medical expenses are 45,000 USD, I've just paid off all the outstanding balance. Your medical bill won't get any longer."

Gao Yi glanced at the two Southeast Asians at the door and thought for a moment before asking, "Your friends?"

"Oh yes, my two friends."

This time Luca had brought bodyguards.

Thinking about it, it made sense. The first time they met, Gao Yi had just woken up, so Luca dared to stand by his bed. The next time he was awake and could sit up, Luca only dared to stand by the door.

This time, since Gao Yi could leave the bed, it was natural for Luca to bring bodyguards to intimidate him a bit.

Should he speak frankly or play dumb?

Gao Yi decided it was better to be straightforward to avoid Luca feeling tense every time they met, which wasn't good for their cooperation.

"I have a disease, a very serious one."

Luca stared at Gao Yi, his face showing fear as he trembled, "You have a disease on top of your injuries? What kind?"

Luca's voice started to tremble.

"Poverty disease."

"Poverty disease? What do you mean?"

Never mind, Luca didn't catch the joke.

Gao Yi earnestly explained, "I have a severe case of poverty disease. It's hard to cure for most people, but for me, it's easy to cure—I just have to trade my life for it."

Luca suddenly understood Gao Yi's meaning and replied in resignation, "You could have just said directly that you're poor. Why use such an obscure metaphor? I just told you the amount of the medical fees, I didn't ask you to pay right now."

Gao Yi also felt helpless, smiling wryly, "I mean I'm very poor, I need to make money to repay debts, I must cooperate with you to make money, so you don't have to be so guarded against me, don't fear that I'll kill you and default on the debt, now do you understand?"

Luca didn't grasp the Eastern style of subtlety, but with things clarified to this extent, he finally understood what Gao Yi meant.

Luca's face showed no embarrassment, and he seemed much more relaxed, remarking, "You're a smart man, this is very good, very good…"

"I'm someone who repays kindness and acknowledges debts, you'll understand more about me later, but for now, can we discuss the details of the task?"

After pondering for a moment, Luca spoke earnestly, "In the Scavenger's operation room, I saw that your heart was shot but you didn't die, and there were four bodies around you, all fatally wounded with a single blow. Most importantly, I confirmed that you had acted after being severely injured. At that moment, I knew you were the person I was looking for.."

Gao Yi remained silent, quietly listening to Luca.

"I admit, I was a bit too excited back then, after all, in my years in this line of work, I have never seen someone as... as ruthless as you, so I took a gamble and placed a heavy bet on you!"

Gao Yi spread his hands and replied, "Then I can only say you gambled correctly."

Luca smiled, "I've always wanted to complete a big job, one that could make a lot of money and earn fame. Now my opportunity has come, mate, and so has yours."

"Let's discuss it, I'll be ready to proceed as soon as I'm fully recovered."

Luca glanced outside at the two bodyguards, then he leaned in and whispered, "Just answer me one question, were you really not an assassin before?"

Here it came, as expected, the juicy part before the big job.

Gao Yi immediately replied, "I really wasn't an assassin."

Luca exhaled, looking somewhat disappointed, "Then we can't go straight for the big job. You'll need to familiarize yourself with the characteristics of an assassin's work and gain some experience. After all, being an assassin isn't just about outright killing someone, what do you think?"

"I think... that makes sense, let's start with a few smaller jobs to get some practice."

"Good, since we're partners, it's only natural that we discuss which tasks to take on. Come, take a look, here are a few suitable tasks which are also close by. Pick one."

Luca felt good, feeling that everything was on track. He pulled out his phone and handed it to Gao Yi.

Gao Yi also felt good; as he had anticipated, initial trust between the two was established, and they could now proceed with beginner assignments.