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Chapter 58: The Test
🕑 Added 2024-06-04 15:41:09 +0000 UTCIn Arthur's imagination, Smith was an old man with white hair and a white beard, at least in his 50s or 60s. But when he met the man in person, he found that Smith was much younger than he had imagined.
Although Arthur knew Smith was over 50, he looked no more than 40 - his muscles were still well-developed and his physique was still robust. Just by looking at him, it was hard to associate Smith with the word "retired".
Smith gave Arthur the warmest welcome and displayed his strength, but his attire was very casual - just a Nike t-shirt and shorts on a big shot like him, which was the epitome of frugality and simplicity.
Arthur nervously shook Smith's hand and said, "Mr. Smith, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Arthur was a bit awkward with his words, but Smith let out a hearty laugh and patted Arthur on the back, saying, "Please, come in."
The interior of Smith's mansion was not lavishly decorated, but it was highly technological. As for its size and grandeur, it was beyond description - to use the analogy of Lady Liu visiting the Grand View Garden, it would be perfectly fitting.
After sitting down on a sofa that didn't look particularly luxurious, Arthur could feel its supreme comfort. He sat upright, and as Smith sat down across from him, Arthur wanted to find something to say but didn't know what.
However, Smith had a very curious expression as he said, "I've heard about you. Frank has mentioned you to me more than once, saying that you saved John, or else he would have been done for."
Arthur responded politely, "I just did what I should have done, and without the help of Frank and the others, I couldn't have rescued John on my own, so it was all of us who saved him."
The response was official and courteous. Smith nodded, then pointed interestedly at Arthur's barely concealed holster, saying, "Is that the gun that John lost to you? I've heard that your marksmanship stunned them, and Frank has emphasized many times that you're a shooting genius, which has made me quite curious about you."
Arthur gripped the gun's handle. With just the two of them in the living room, Smith looked at him expectantly, so Arthur didn't hesitate much. He directly drew the gun, turned it around, and gently placed it on the coffee table, smiling as he said, "This is the gun that John lost to me in a bet. It's my first handgun."
Smith picked up the gun, weighing it and turning it over a few times, then nodded and said, "Getting John to admit defeat is no easy feat. This guy never gives up. The Smith & Wesson 1911 - is this your main battle handgun?"
Arthur was taken aback for a moment, then replied, "Not really. This is the handgun I use daily, but it's not a battle handgun."
"What kind of handgun do you prefer? What brand or model do you like?"
Arthur thought for a moment and said, "I'm not sure. I've only used a Glock before, but I don't have a particularly loyal handgun brand yet."
Smith raised the gun and aimed it at the side, chuckling, "This gun is nice, suitable for personal defense, but not very suitable for the battlefield as a battle handgun, as it's too refined and a bit too heavy."
Arthur nodded repeatedly, agreeing, "It is quite heavy."
Smith placed the gun back on the table and smiled, "The 1911 is a classic. John likes it, and I like it too. Everyone loves it. But if you had to choose a battle handgun, guess what I would pick?"
The pace of the conversation was completely controlled by Smith, and after using the gun as an icebreaker, he quickly dispelled Arthur's nervousness.
Arthur thought for a moment and asked curiously, "The Glock?"
Smith immediately shook his head and laughed, "When I first started, the Glock wasn't as popular as it is now, and at that time, I could only afford the most common handgun on the market, so I used a Beretta M9."
Arthur unconsciously nodded, and Smith continued to chuckle, "Handguns are like whatever you're used to - that's what's good. I'm a sniper, so I never have the chance to use a handgun. But when I could buy any handgun, I found that on the battlefield, I still habitually carried an M9, because I was accustomed to its size, weight, and carry method. So I've always used the M9. But off the battlefield, I would also choose a 1911 - what American doesn't love the 1911, right? Haha..."
After laughing, Smith placed Arthur's handgun back on the coffee table, then said in a relaxed tone, "Seeing you reminds me of myself. When I decided to become a mercenary, I directly chose to be my boss, build my team, and go grab a meal. You're the same, directly becoming your boss. The only difference is that your starting point is much higher than mine."
Arthur felt a bit awkward as he said, "No, how can I compare to you?"
Smith waved his hand and said, "Young people have to dare to venture out, dare to fight. And starting a business in your 20s is better than in your 30s, and even better than in your 40s. Being young has advantages - you can withstand failures, and young people have enough time and energy to learn from failures and become better."
It was time to get to the main topic. Sure enough, Smith became serious as he said in a deep voice, "Frank started his business too late, and he didn't go solo because he wanted to, but because of Danny's provocation. He's not suitable for entrepreneurship, he's not a qualified businessman, so he... unfortunately failed."
Arthur nodded without speaking, adopting a listening posture.
Smith smiled and said, "I haven't had any contact with you, so I don't know your capabilities, but Frank said you are a natural-born warrior, and when it comes to selecting warriors, I trust Frank's judgment. And Danny said that although you are a rookie, you have the qualities needed to succeed, and in this regard, I fully believe in Danny's ability."
"Thank you for your high opinion of me."
Smith nodded and smiled, "I don't usually have high expectations for young people, but since Frank strongly recommended you, I will help you. So, now tell me, what can you do?"
Arthur hesitated because Smith had touched on his sore point.
What can he do? What can he accomplish?
Arthur himself didn't even know what he was capable of right now, as a rookie, his shortcomings were too many and too great.
But his ability to speak came into play right then. Since he didn't know what he could do, he decided not to say anything.
"Whatever you need me to do, I will do it!"
Arthur's response greatly surprised Smith, who then felt delighted.
Smith laughed and nodded, pointing at Arthur, "Now I understand the basis of Danny's evaluation of you. You have mastered the art of speaking, and in this regard, you are far better than Frank."
This should be considered a compliment, but Smith quickly suppressed his smile and said very seriously, "Frank only talks about what he can do, but whatever he says he can do, he must be able to accomplish."
Arthur replied seriously, "I will do my best, but I won't take on tasks that are beyond my capabilities. It's not that I'm afraid, but I don't want to mess things up for you."
Smith nodded and said, "Since you're just starting in this line of work, you need opportunities, and I have quite a few opportunities for you. I have some personal connections that can help you find some suitable business, like... protecting certain diplomats in dangerous areas during their daily work. Can you do this?"
What Arthur had said was that he would do whatever Smith wanted him to do, meaning he was willing to work for Smith. But Smith was proposing a small business for Arthur to do on his own, which was very different.
Arthur thought it over and said, "I don't have any experience in protecting VIPs, so I can't do a good job with this kind of work for now."
Smith nodded and said, "You're right, protecting and attacking are completely different types of work. Then, are you interested in taking on an offensive task? In Mosul, we need a team that's willing to fight hard. Not too many people needed, around 20 would be enough."
Arthur felt a bit embarrassed and softly said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Smith, I don't have the manpower right now, so I can't take on a task like that."
He could brag or flatter, but he absolutely couldn't mess things up. Taking on tasks beyond his capabilities would be courting disaster and causing trouble for Smith.
But Smith kept proposing these challenging tasks, which puzzled Arthur because he felt Smith should understand his situation and not suggest such difficult jobs.
After thinking for a while, Smith suddenly said, "It seems your strength is quite weak. Do you have any ideas of your own?"
Arthur honestly replied, "I don't have a very clear business plan yet. Right now I need to first solve the problem of survival, accumulate experience, and enhance my abilities, and then look for long-term goals that suit me."
"Hmm, finding a suitable small business to solve the problem of making a living, that's the right approach. But to be honest, I don't have any job opportunities that would suit you at the moment."
How could Smith have any suitable small-time jobs for Arthur? But after pondering for a moment, he suddenly said, "Ah, I've got it! You have a legitimate security license, so there's a suitable job for you. A friend of mine in Los Angeles is having some trouble and needs a few legally qualified bodyguards to protect his safety, but his bodyguards need to be willing to take action when necessary."
Smith looked very pleased as he said to Arthur, "I know you don't have any experience as a bodyguard, but that's not a problem. My friend has professional bodyguards, but he needs people with legal qualifications who also have courage. You don't need to worry about shielding him from gunfire, you just need to be willing to take down any attackers when he's under assault. Can you do this?"
Without hesitation, Arthur said, "Yes, I can do this!"
"Great, let me call him and ask how much he's willing to pay and how many people he needs. Excuse me for a moment, I need to make a phone call."
Smith smiled as he stood up and went to another room to make the call.
Arthur remained seated on the sofa, but he had relaxed considerably.
However, instead of calling his "friend", Smith took out his phone and called Danny.
After waiting for Danny to pick up the call, Smith smiled and said, "Frank's young friend has arrived, and he's not bad - he has a proper attitude, not reckless like young people, and his performance is better than I expected. I've decided to give him a chance, so I'll assign him the task you mentioned."
"Okay, the pay for that task is $2,000 per day, but the risk is high. However, it's still fair for a newcomer, and there's no limit on the number of people. I'll contact the client now and introduce Mad Dog to him."
Smith suddenly said, "No, wait. Let's put a requirement on the number of people. One person can't handle a big job, so I want to see if the young man can find some helpers. Let's say three people - requiring him to find two helpers in the short term doesn't seem unreasonable, does it?"
Danny thought for a moment and replied, "The requirement is not unreasonable. Then let's say a team of three or more, with a daily pay of $6,000."
Smith chuckled and said, "Are you testing his business attitude? Then let's not do $6,000, let's do $7,000 instead."
"Okay, we'll do it your way. I'll send you the contact information later, just tell them you're reporting to you, and they'll accept them."
Smith hung up the phone and returned to the living room, gesturing to Arthur and saying, "I've got the details - $7,000 per day, paid daily, but with a requirement of at least three people. The timeline is one week from now. Can you do it?"
$7,000 per day, that's $210,000 a month! But the requirement for a team is a challenge. Still, with a week, how could he pass up an opportunity like this?
Arthur stood up, visibly excited. "I can do it! I can handle this task. Thank you so much."
Smith smiled and said, "This is just a small job, the smallest kind. Don't get too excited. First, focus on earning that initial capital with small jobs, and then I hope you can bring me a long-term, promising business plan. I have high hopes for you."
