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Chapter 30 Treasure
🕑 Added 2024-06-01 17:27:51 +0000 UTCArthur didn't want to join in without knowing what the big deal was, but if he didn't join, he wouldn't know what the big deal was, which was a dead end with no solution.
From a cost-benefit analysis perspective, Arthur already had two hundred and seventy thousand dollars, which was already a huge sum. He didn't want, nor did he need, to risk his life for more money.
Moreover, knowing too much would make it difficult to extricate himself. So, Arthur didn't want to get involved in a big deal that he didn't understand.
However, now that Arthur knew too much, he couldn't refuse. The answer was obviously no, as the situation was beyond his control.
Human nature is unfathomable. Although Arthur had gotten along well with Frank and the others so far and had earned a large sum of money with them, he didn't know what the consequences of refusing would be.
So, there was only one correct answer.
"I am willing to join you!"
Without much ado, Arthur chose to join in.
"Great, you've made the right choice."
Frank smiled and extended his hand towards Arthur, saying, "Welcome aboard."
Arthur stood up, shook hands with Frank, and then asked naturally, "Can you tell me what business we're going to do now?"
Everyone laughed, and then Frank shook his head, saying, "It's not business, it's treasure hunting. Have you heard of Pablo Escobar?"
The name Pablo Escobar sounded familiar to Arthur, but he couldn't recall who he was.
"I think I've heard the name, who is he and what happened to him?"
Frank smiled and then shook his head, "Pablo Escobar was a drug lord, the biggest drug lord in the world. He died a long time ago, in 1993."
As soon as Arthur heard about the world's biggest drug lord, he remembered.
Having learned Spanish, it was inevitable to deal with the Spanish-speaking countries of South America. After a little understanding, he knew that these countries were deeply affected by drugs, especially Colombia.
Pablo was rooted in Colombia, with influence throughout Latin America, and reached into the United States. He was a generation of drug lords who did things that the Mexican drug lords couldn't match because Pablo did things that they couldn't do.
Pablo was on the cover of Time magazine and was once ranked the seventh richest man in the world. In the 1980s, Pablo was estimated to have at least $30 billion in assets, mind you, this was the 1980s, and this was just an external estimate.
Then Pablo had his army, with more than forty thousand men. He killed at least twenty-five thousand people in his lifetime, a figure that could be verified. As for how many people he killed, only God knows.
But the most amazing thing was that Pablo also became a substitute congressman in Colombia.
Pablo also had a magical move, building himself a luxurious prison, complete with a casino and entertainment center. The prison held only him, and he could use the phone to remotely command his criminal empire. There was even a secret tunnel that allowed him and his men to come and go from the prison freely.
After living in prison for six months and realizing that he could not prevent himself from being extradited to the United States, Pablo escaped in June 1992. He then unleashed a bloody reign of terror in Colombia.
Finally, Pablo was shot dead in Medellin in December 1993, his hometown and headquarters. A generation of drug lords finally got what they deserved, thus ending a life of crime.
Arthur couldn't recall too many details, but he finally knew the general story of Pablo, which saved Frank the time to introduce the background to him.
"I know Pablo Escobar, and then?"
Frank slowly said, "We are going to search for the treasure he left behind."
Treasure? The treasure left by Pablo Escobar?
Arthur was stunned, and at this moment, John slapped Arthur on the back and said triumphantly, "Are you scared silly?"
"Uh, uh, yes, what is Pablo's treasure?"
Frank said calmly, "Where do I start? From Pablo being very rich. He needed to buy a thousand dollars worth of rubber bands every week just to bundle his cash. While on the run, he burned two million dollars in cash just to keep warm."
Arthur nodded subconsciously, and Frank shrugged, "What I'm telling you is that Pablo was super rich, and he mainly had cash. Even when he was on the run, he was still super rich."
Arthur suddenly realized, "So we're looking for the cash Pablo left behind?"
"Yes, the cash Pablo left behind."
Frank's expression became serious, and he said in a deep voice, "Pablo has been dead for over twenty years, but only a small portion of his wealth has been found, because he hid a significant part of it, mostly in cash."
Arthur swallowed and said, "I understand, I can imagine what you mean."
Frank smiled and continued, "Money may seem light when it's small in quantity, but it becomes very heavy when there's a lot of it. So Pablo couldn't carry all the cash with him. He had many places where he hid his money, and I know one of those places, the only one I know!"
Arthur's breathing became heavy.
Setting aside the question of how much money Pablo's treasure contains, the key point is that for a young man with a strong adventurous spirit, the idea of treasure hunting itself is enticing. Moreover, the wealth left by Pablo should be one of the few legendary treasures in the world today, and its authenticity is beyond doubt.
Who could resist such temptation? Arthur didn't feel aggrieved at that moment. He asked tremblingly, "How much money is there?"
Frank said confidently, "Four tons!"
Four tons, measured in tons, so how much money is four tons? A hundred-dollar bill weighs a little over a gram, so four tons would be roughly four hundred million dollars.
"Four hundred million dollars." Arthur was excited but still had some doubts. He immediately asked, "Is this... reliable?"
Frank replied calmly, "I wouldn't do something without certainty. We've been planning to get this treasure for a long time. However, to find and bring back the treasure, we need at least two million dollars in startup capital. To be honest, we've been earning money too slowly, but now our money is enough, and we can start doing this."
"Okay, what should I do then?"
"We need to go to Colombia, and we'll need someone who speaks Spanish. Other than that, you don't need to do much, because this is about treasure hunting, not warfare."
After saying this, Frank continued, "Let's talk about the distribution. Each of us needs to invest money. The four of us will each contribute five hundred thousand dollars, and since you don't have money, you only need to contribute two hundred and fifty thousand. I initiated this project, and I'm the only one who knows the location of the treasure, so I'll take thirty percent, and the other three will each take twenty percent. Since you're the last one to join and have the least share, you'll take ten percent. Do you agree?"
This distribution ratio is quite fair, and one could say Arthur is getting a good deal. So, Arthur immediately said, "I agree."
Don't ask where the treasure is; that's a secret known only to Frank. Don't ask when to set off; Frank and his team have surely made thorough plans over the years.
No need for more words; let's get to work.
