Farming Life Starting in Africa

After driving into the western suburbs of Juarez, the number of houses on both sides of the road began to decrease.

The road was lined with dense woods on both sides, with branches forked and stretching into the middle of the road. Rosen looked out the window and saw that there were quite a few surveillance cameras in the woods, hanging openly on the treetops.

Suddenly, a man emerged from behind a large tree ahead. He was wearing a black suit, with a rifle slung over his shoulder and his finger resting on the outside of the trigger guard.

A black communication cable hung from his ear, winding down from behind his ear and extending along his neck into his collar.

He stood in the middle of the road, raised his hand to signal for the car to stop, and kept the muzzle of his gun pointed at the ground.

Guan Yuming released the accelerator, allowing the car to slow down naturally, and finally stopped a few meters away from the person.

Guan Yuming rolled down the car window and took out two packs of cigarettes from the glove box.

The man walked to the driver's side window. "Hey! Jackie, you're late!"

This man clearly knew Guan Yuming well. Guan Yuming laughed and said, "There was a traffic jam on the way." As he spoke, he placed the cigarette on the inside of the steering wheel door, a spot that the man could see.

The man looked at the cigarette in Guan Yuming's hand. He first looked around and, not seeing any other people, quietly reached out and took the cigarette from Guan Yuming's hand.

"Is it the border control area?"

Guan Yuming's brow twitched. "The news got here so fast?"

"We have the best sources of information in Mexico. I heard the boss was very happy to receive this news. I think you two will have an even better chat later."

He then looked at Rosen in the passenger seat and asked, "Who is this?"

Guan Yuming said with a smile, "A new buddy! I brought him out to broaden his horizons."

The man sized up Rosen for a few seconds, nodded, then took a half step back and patted the car door.

"Okay, let's go in."

The man retreated into the shadows of the trees by the roadside, and the road he had cleared became empty again. Guan Yuming shifted gears and started driving, the car slowly passing in front of him.

Rosen saw in the rearview mirror that the person had returned to the tree, half of his body hidden in the shadow of the branches and leaves, and it would be impossible to notice that there was a person standing there unless you looked carefully.

Rosen looked away. "Are you familiar with the people here?"

Guan Yuming gripped the steering wheel, his tone tinged with helplessness, "I'm only familiar with the one from earlier."

"what?"

"He used to drive for Redding Guzman, the second-in-command at Columbia Group, for many years. After Redding died, a group of people were purged. The guy from earlier wouldn't have escaped anyway."

Rosen asked, puzzled, "And then?"

"His father took a bullet for Joaquín Guzmán and lost his life. Joaquín remembered this favor, which is why he survived."

Rosen glanced at the rearview mirror again; behind him was only an empty dirt road.

"So now you're only having him guard the outer perimeter?"

Guan Yuming sighed. "Being able to guard the gate is already considered lucky. At least his boss is still willing to use him, and even lets him wear a suit and carry a gun while standing at the door. If it were someone else, nobody would even know where their grave is."

There were no forks in the road or any road signs. Every so often, there were surveillance cameras behind the trees. After driving for about three kilometers, the forest came to an end.

Suddenly, the view opened up ahead, and a gray-white wall stretched out along the undulating terrain. Broken glass and barbed wire were stuck on the top of the wall, and a spotlight was placed every few dozen meters.

Behind the wall stands an estate, with a main building in the center built in the style of an ancient castle, featuring a pointed roof, towers, long windows, and exterior walls paved with stones of varying shades.

The entire estate covers a considerable area, with no end in sight from the entrance. The iron gate is forged from black iron, and two stone lions stand atop the gateposts.

Rosen leaned back in his chair and glanced at it a few more times. It's not unusual for rich people to build houses, but building one like Hogwarts—are they planning to teach dark magic in there?

In fact, the voodoo culture is still very prevalent in Mexico. They have learned some of the evil things from Europe, and although some of them are not quite right, they have carried them forward.

As the vehicle approached the gate, the iron gate slowly opened, revealing four men standing behind it, all dressed in dark suits and carrying long guns slung over their shoulders. Two men stood guard on either side of the gate, while the other two kept their eyes on the approaching vehicle, their hands hanging naturally at their sides, less than a hand's width from the butts of their guns.

A modified pickup truck was parked nearby, its bed covered with a tarpaulin. The vaguely bulging outline beneath the tarpaulin made it impossible to tell what it was. But Rosen recognized it; it was the exclusive equipment of the pickup truck machine gunner.

Guan Yuming drove the car through the gate, and stopped next to a palm tree after only ten meters or so. The tree canopy cast a fan-shaped shade over the hood. "Get out of the car."

When Rosen pushed the door open and landed, two of the four people were looking him up and down, but no one searched him.

The bald man at the front gestured with his chin toward them. "Jackie, come with me." He then turned and walked toward the main building.

Guan Yuming closed the car door, walked to Rosen's side, turned his head and lowered his voice to say, "Don't talk too much once you're inside. Only answer if someone asks you a question."

Rosen nodded. "Understood."

The bald man walked in front, while the other three did not follow.

The road was paved with light-colored flagstones, with pebbles filling the gaps. Neatly trimmed palm trees and low shrubs lined both sides, and several stone sculptures and a fountain for a child to urinate sat on the lawn.

Rosen understands such statues very well because Europeans are really used to urinating and defecating anywhere, otherwise where would the high heels come from?

A short while later, they followed the bald man into the main building.

The main building has a ceiling height of nearly six meters on the first floor, with a string of crystals hanging from the chandelier overhead. The crystals sway gently in the cross breeze, refracting tiny spots of light onto the surrounding walls.

Several Roman columns rise from the ground to the second floor, connected by arches.

There are several statues and oil paintings at the corner, and several Persian tapestries hanging on the wall.

Rosen was puzzled when he saw these blankets. He wondered if Europeans had originally hung them because the walls were too damp. They were so thick, they really absorbed moisture.

The number of surveillance cameras in this castle is outrageous; within just a few dozen meters of him entering, he had already discovered no fewer than 20 cameras.

It seems the owner of this place really knows how to prioritize their safety.

They followed the bald man through the hall. The floor beneath their feet changed from stone slabs to parquet wood flooring, then there was a flight of stairs leading upstairs, and beyond that, they entered a small hall.

This place is completely different from the front hall. There are a few children's toys scattered on the floor, some snacks on the table, and a huge wine cabinet next to it. It has a bit of a homey feel here.

The bald man didn't linger there. He pushed open the back door, which led to the central courtyard of the castle, surrounded by buildings on all four sides.

The entire central courtyard is a square courtyard, covering an area about the size of two football fields. It is filled with flowers and plants, and stone paths are divided into several, winding around the pool and flower beds and extending to different exits.