"Who? Who are you? Are you Markram?"
Although the concept of "ghosts" doesn't exist in other countries, many people firmly believe in the existence of souls. They believe that the souls of good people go to heaven after death, while evil people are under the jurisdiction of Satan.
Although David was unfamiliar with the voice, he was completely terrified by it after all the trauma he had just experienced. After all, he was the one who came up with the idea of finding the treasure, and it was possible that it was Markram, who had died with his eyes wide open, coming to claim his life.
"Ram, I didn't mean it. You know I'm not good at fighting. Please, have mercy on me..."
After confirming that the voice belonged to Markram, David was no longer as frightened as before. Even a living person could be fooled by him, let alone a soul rumored to be simple-minded after death.
"Ram? Markram?"
Peng Fei, who was hiding in a large, leafy tree and pretending to be a ghost, was stunned when he heard the name David said. He seemed to have heard the name somewhere before, but he couldn't remember where.
"No...no, we...must...live...together...and die...together..."
Peng Fei made a sound from the tree, not because he was particularly wicked and wanted to play a trick on David, but because he could sense that these people were no good. Peng Fei wanted to use this method to get some information out of them.
“No, no, Markram, you know we’ve worked hard to earn billions of dollars, we can’t let them all go to the banks, can we? Besides, don’t you have an illegitimate daughter in Siberia? You need me to help you raise her too, David, I keep my word…”
David, his mind clouded and no longer as sharp as before, was remarkably thick-skinned to have survived such a horrific scene without going insane.
“Markram? David?”
A flash of insight crossed Peng Fei's mind, connecting the two names together. He finally remembered the identity of the person below who was crying with snot and tears streaming down his face.
It's fair to say that these two names have become even more prominent than Osama bin Laden, the man behind 9/11, in the past year.
Thanks to the extensive efforts of the FBI, they finally discovered last year that the two people were the masterminds behind the shocking heist in New York.
The US government has repeatedly increased the bounty on these two individuals who slapped the US government in the face and plundered billions of dollars in wealth. The latest bounty has reached a staggering two hundred million US dollars.
Chapter 1269 Having Money But Daring Not to Spend It
Actually, this matter originally had nothing to do with Peng Fei. Peng Fei, who was living his own life in Beijing, wouldn't have cared about it. But since he and Zhuang Rui were both involved in this incident, they paid more attention to it.
After arriving in Central Africa, Peng Fei saw a notice from the FBI to various countries, which specified the bounty amounts for the two men.
As for whether the money will come from the US government or from those wealthy individuals who have been extorted, that remains unknown. However, one thing is certain: handing this guy over to the US government will definitely cost at least two hundred million US dollars.
"Damn, that kid robbed billions of dollars back then!"
Thinking of this, Peng Fei's eyes lit up. He and Zhuang Rui were both involved in that kidnapping incident, so they naturally knew more about it than others.
"Lamu, my brother is dead too. It's really not my fault. When I get back, I'll definitely take care of your family..."
Sitting in the woods, David was still muttering to himself, trying to use his silver tongue to seduce Markram's soul, but compared to his previous mental lapse, he was now much more lucid.
To be honest, the complete annihilation of Markram's group, including his brother's team, was not necessarily a bad thing for David. While these men provided him with powerful armed forces, they also made it easier for his identity to be exposed.
After all these people die, David can leave Africa, spend a lot of money to get a passport from a small country, and then appear openly in Western society. As long as he doesn't use the funds in the Swiss bank for the time being, he won't have to worry about being found by the US government after he's disguised.
More importantly, once he laundered that money, those billions of dollars would be entirely his. This made the inherently greedy David disregard even his brother's death.
"Hey, bro..."
David, who was rambling on, was startled when he suddenly heard a greeting from above. He quickly looked up and realized he had heard it clearly; it was definitely not a hallucination.
Just as David raised his head and before he could see what was happening above, an object suddenly flew down from the tree and hit him squarely on the temple. He let out a muffled groan and immediately fainted.
"Hehe, kid, I'll save you a pair of underwear later..."
Peng Fei jumped down from the tree, smiling as he pushed David aside. However, his smile froze when he saw David's face. "Why does he look different from the photo on the wanted poster? Did I make a mistake?"
After undergoing plastic surgery, David wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and looked very refined. It was hard to associate him with the robbery that happened in the United States. It would be more accurate to say that he was a scientist who came to Africa for scientific research.
This left Peng Fei scratching his head. If the other party was indeed a scientific researcher from some organization, then his behavior was far too reckless. Not only did he fail to help, but he also kicked someone when they were down.
"Peng Fei, what are you doing? Why did you knock this guy out?"
Just as Peng Fei was standing next to David, unsure of what to do, Zhuang Rui finally arrived.
Zhuang Rui was startled when he "saw" Peng Fei's actions with his spiritual energy. He didn't know what had gotten into this kid, why he attacked the only survivor of the team.
"Hey, Brother Zhuang, you're here? Hey, you didn't know? There was a big battle here just now. Oh right, you heard the gunfire and came here, didn't you?"
Peng Fei was already feeling a bit guilty, and he thought Zhuang Rui had seen him sneak attacking David, so he immediately changed the subject with a grin.
Zhuang Rui's face tightened, and he waved his hand, saying, "Stop talking nonsense. You think you're the only one who saw it? I was hiding over there. I saw both the battle between the man and the crocodile and the battle with the giant python. I'm asking you now, why did you knock this guy unconscious?"
Zhuang Rui wasn't lying; he did "see" it, but it was a silent film, not as realistic as what Peng Fei saw.
"Brother Zhuang, you're no good either, you didn't even think to remind them..."
Peng Fei chuckled. Having known Zhuang Rui for so many years, he could tell whether his older brother was genuinely angry or just pretending.
"Get out of the way! Remind them? Do you think I'm going to die? Who told them to ignore the warning signs I put up?"
Zhuang Rui curled his lip. If this were an unarmed team, Zhuang Rui would definitely do everything in his power to stop them from coming here, even if it meant showing himself.
However, this team possesses formidable firepower. In the Central African region, these forces are either government troops, anti-government forces, or at the very least, mercenaries with blood on their hands. Zhuang Rui has no liking for any of these people, and the fact that he wrote the warning sign is already an act of great kindness.
"Yes, yes, they were wrong, they deserved to die..."
"Alright, stop talking nonsense and answer my question..."
Zhuang Rui interrupted Peng Fei's interruption. He was really having a headache about the person left behind and didn't know how to deal with him.
Because no matter who the other person is, he can't just kill him or restrict his freedom, right? If he did, Zhuang Rui's subsequent actions would be greatly affected.
"Hey Zhuang, look at this guy, doesn't he look like that guy who's wanted by the US?"
Seeing the puzzled look on Zhuang Rui's face, Peng Fei quickly explained, "It's about the incident where we were kidnapped in the United States, the mastermind behind it all, the one named David..."
"You're talking nonsense, there's no way such a coincidence could happen..."
Zhuang Rui smiled and shook his head, leaning down to look at David's face. He said, "It doesn't look like him at all. The David on the wanted poster has a hooked nose, triangular eyes, and much more flesh on his cheeks. How could it be the same person? Do you think he's been to South Korea?"
Zhuang Rui was right. The "David" lying on the ground looked completely different from before. Not only had his face been slimmed down, but he had also had surgery on the corners of his eyes and even had a cut on his nose. Even if his parents hadn't died, let alone Zhuang Rui and Peng Fei, they would never recognize this son.
"South Korea? South Korea..."
Peng Fei was stunned when he heard Zhuang Rui's words. He suddenly squatted down and touched David's face with his hand.
"What are you doing, kid? Hurry up and wake him up and ask him where he comes from..."
Zhuang Rui kicked Peng Fei. He was still thinking about how to get this guy out of the forest; he couldn't let him discover the secrets of the castle.
"Brother Zhuang, his face has definitely been treated. The technique is way better than any Korean guy's. Damn, if you hadn't mentioned Korea, I wouldn't have even thought of it..."
Even the most perfect cosmetic surgery will leave some traces. Even if they are not visible on the surface, there are still subtle differences in the degree of muscle relaxation when you touch them. In this respect, Peng Fei can be considered an expert.
"Could it really be that David? Damn it, my Xuande incense burner is still in his hands..."
Upon hearing Peng Fei's words, Zhuang Rui looked at the person on the ground in disbelief.
For more than a year, Zhuang Rui still often thought about the stolen Xuande incense burner. After all, it was the only genuine Xuande incense burner Zhuang Rui had ever seen. Whenever he thought of it, he felt a deep resentment towards those robbers.
"It's most likely him. Many of the people in that group do look like Eastern Europeans. The Markram this kid mentioned is probably that former Russian special forces instructor..."
After determining that David had undergone plastic surgery, and recalling what he had just heard, Peng Fei was convinced that this kid was the mastermind behind the major robbery in the United States back then. Moreover, if it weren't for them, where would the billions of dollars in bank deposits come from?
"We can't be that lucky, can we? This kid's worth two hundred million dollars..."
Zhuang Rui was somewhat convinced by Peng Fei's words. He thought that these terrorists who had offended the Americans really had nowhere to go except to hide in Africa.
"Brother Zhuang, why hand it over to the US government? That's such a bad deal. What's two hundred million dollars? They stole billions of dollars! Anyway, none of that money belongs to our country; it's all from a bunch of rich guys. Let's just consider it robbing the rich to help the poor..."
Peng Fei shook his head repeatedly after hearing Zhuang Rui's words. He knew that those Swiss banks had firmly refused the United States' request to freeze the funds. In other words, as long as they could get the account password from the boy, all the money would belong to him and Zhuang Rui.
Zhuang Rui thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "No, do you think it's that simple? Even if you get the account password, you can forget about getting a single penny if you don't want to be hunted down by the Americans..."
Zhuang Rui studied finance and has some understanding of international banking.
Swiss banks are world-renowned for their excellent reputation and protection of client privacy, but this is not an unchanging principle. Under pressure from the United States and from banks that encompass almost all of the world's super-rich, those banks will likely make some concessions.
If he were to covet the money, he would likely cause a huge problem in the future. The Americans might even think that he colluded with the robbers to carry out the heist.
"Damn, these idiots, they went to so much trouble to steal all that money, and they can't even spend a single penny of it?"
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Peng Fei grinned. The most painful thing in the world is having a naked beauty lying in your bed, but you are impotent. If there is anything more painful than that, it is having a huge pile of money but not daring to spend a single penny.
David didn't hear Peng Fei's words. If he had, he would have been moved to tears and considered Peng Fei a close friend. Life as a rat in the street is really not easy.
Chapter 1270 Arrangement
"That's not necessarily true. They did withdraw some money from Russia, which might be why they fled to Africa?"
The joint military exercises conducted by the US and Russian governments in Siberia could not be kept secret from some countries. As a party involved in the hijacking incident, Zhuang Rui had heard Ouyang Lei discuss the matter.
However, putting these things together, the possibility that the person underground is David has greatly increased. The Americans were able to find a strongman like Bin Laden, so perhaps only in this chaotic African region could he escape the pursuit of the US government?
"Are we just going to hand it over to the Americans like this?"
Peng Fei was somewhat unwilling. Although he didn't have much interest in money, it was billions of US dollars, not just some cabbage at the market. Anyone would have some fantasies about it.
"Isn't there still two hundred million? When did you become so greedy?"
Zhuang Rui gave Peng Fei a disgruntled look, then said, "Aren't you good at interrogation? This guy's yours. Find out if he's really David, and if he is, just knock him out..."
Peng Fei was puzzled after hearing Zhuang Rui's words and asked, "Hey, Brother Zhuang, where are you going?"
"I'll go check inside the castle. Oh, and whatever you do, don't take this guy there. Our people will be here tonight, so we'll bring him back to the ship first..."
Peng Fei's eyes were fixed on David's billions of dollars in Swiss banks, while Zhuang Rui was eyeing the wealth in the castle.
Although he hadn't gone inside to observe, every plant and tree in the castle had been examined by spiritual energy, and the collection contained within the castle far exceeded Zhuang Rui's initial imagination.
"Alright, Brother Zhuang, don't worry, I guarantee I'll make sure this kid is completely obedient..."
Peng Fei squatted on the ground and waved to Zhuang Rui, ready to wake David up.
He didn't care much about the castle's wealth. Having followed Zhuang Rui for so long, he knew Zhuang Rui's temperament: even if the wealth were priceless, Zhuang Rui wouldn't sell it for money; it would only become part of his museum's collection.
"Damn, this is really brutal..."
After emerging from the woods, Zhuang Rui found himself at the battlefield where the prehistoric creatures and Markram had fought. The stench of blood made him want to vomit, and the bloodstains on the bluestone slabs by the lake had turned somewhat black from the sun.
Due to the hot climate in Central Africa, both the corpses of the two prehistoric creatures and the scattered limbs were covered with all kinds of ants and flies, making Zhuang Rui frown.
Such a situation could easily trigger a plague. Zhuang Rui will stay here for the next few days; he doesn't want this place to become a barren wasteland.