Farming Life Starting in Africa

On the rocky cliffs on both sides of the valley entrance, several simple, carefully disguised bunkers were hidden. They were piled up with stones and weeds, blending perfectly with the mountain and were indistinguishable to the naked eye.

However, under the thermal imaging lens, the heat source of the human body inside the bunker is particularly clear and glaring.

There were three people on each of the two hilltops, and six sentries remained hidden and on duty throughout the entire process, maximizing the level of concealment.

The deeper they went into the valley, the greater the density of guards became. Overlapping and interwoven layers of sentries, the defense system was tight and complex, leaving no loopholes in sight. Guards were hidden everywhere – in the roadside bushes, behind rocks, and in the shadows of trees.

The group quickly scanned the footage transmitted by the drone, their hearts sinking inwardly. There were nearly thirty sentries, both visible and hidden, just outside the castle. And this was only what they could detect on the surface; no one knew how many hidden guards, surveillance cameras, and traps were lurking in the shadows.

Their idea of ​​sneaking in unnoticed was basically a pipe dream.

Beyond the layers of sentry posts, the main body of the castle at the deepest part of the valley was fully revealed to everyone. Only a few guards remained outside the castle, while the rest were servants.

However, inside the castle, drone footage still revealed a considerable number of armed personnel.

Rosen stared at the fortress on the screen, and the more he looked at it, the more familiar it seemed. It looked so much like Joaquin Guzman's castle, almost a one-to-one copy. Could it be that such a castle was standard equipment for drug lords?

The Mercedes carrying Guan Yuming stopped outside the castle and did not go any further. Obviously, the driver knew that Guan Yuming would need to be searched before going inside.

At the same time, Chen Ximeng controlled four drones to take off separately, arranged at different heights, and circle around the castle from all directions.

High-speed cameras quickly capture building structures, wall layouts, door and window locations, and sentry posts, stitching together images in real time and accurately surveying to create a complete 3D map of the stronghold, making thorough preparations for subsequent surprise attacks.

It's not that we don't want to take more drones into the air, but it's during the day, and too many drones at high altitudes are easily detected, which would be bad if we alerted them.

Inside the castle, Guan Yuming, whose entire body had been touched and whose head was still covered, was being dragged along.

He walked through long corridors and courtyards, eventually being led to a quiet back garden.

The garden was elegant, with neatly trimmed flowers and plants, a stark contrast to the menacing atmosphere outside.

Here, Guan Yuming had his hood removed and finally met the true leader of the Sonora Group—Fosto Alarcon.

The two looked at each other in silence.

Guan Yuming stood quietly in place, staring intently at the man in the chair, his whole aura icy.

Time ticked by slowly, and the silence that followed made the atmosphere increasingly tense.

Alarcon, who was sitting in the chair, finally put down his cigar. He slowly stood up, a familiar yet insincere smile on his face, and spoke in a relaxed tone as if he were chatting with an old friend: "Jackie, long time no see."

Without any further pleasantries, Guan Yuming's voice was devoid of warmth: "Fosto, where is my daughter?"

"Don't worry, the girl is doing very well." Fausto shrugged. "She's upstairs chatting with my daughter right now. They're both girls, just chatting about personal things."

"I want to see her with my own eyes." Guan Yuming's tone was firm, showing no sign of backing down.

"There's no rush." ​​Fausto waved his hand, his smile fading slightly, and his tone became somewhat probing. "Jackie, I'm quite curious, why did you suddenly stop cooperating with our Sonora Group? I only discovered the other day when I was cleaning up the business left by Diaz Jr. that you hadn't shipped anything from us for almost a year."

A hint of impatience flashed in Guan Yuming's eyes. "Last year, I lost two batches of goods, suffering heavy losses. If I continue to use your channels, I won't make any money at all."

Fausto raised an eyebrow. "So that's why you switched sides and allied with Columbia Group?"

"Fosto, I am first and foremost a businessman," Guan Yuming said calmly. "Those two lost goods last year cost me a lot of money in my dealings with the Chee Kung Tong. When we Chinese do business abroad, the most important thing is integrity; reputation is the foundation of our business. It was your oversight that almost ruined my reputation."

"Let's put the past behind us." Fausto took a half step forward, his tone softening. "I assure you, there will be absolutely no more problems with your goods. We've known each other for so many years, there's no need to ruin things. Let's still be friends, how about that?"

Guan Yuming looked up at him directly and punctured his hypocrisy with a single sentence: "But you kidnapped my daughter."

Fausto, however, seemed unconcerned, saying casually, "So what? Your daughter is perfectly fine, not a single hair is missing, and she hasn't suffered the slightest grievance. Jackie, aren't you curious why I've been so insistent on a deep collaboration with you?"

Guan Yuming was also full of doubts, silently watching the drug lord in front of him. He knew very well that although his annual freight volume seemed considerable, the total freight cost for the whole year would at most amount to four million US dollars.

This year, he opened up several new channels, and with Qian Bida joining him, he dared to expand his business, resulting in a surge in freight volume in a short period of time.

With such a small size, it shouldn't even catch the eye of a top drug lord like the Sonora Cartel, so there's no need for them to go out of their way to win him over.

Fausto noticed his confusion and smiled. "My analysts have done detailed reports. In recent years, the trade volume between China and the United States has skyrocketed, with a very strong momentum. I also want to find a clean and safe new way out for the Sonora Group, to get rid of its single gray business."

He paused, then revealed his trump card: "Jackie, I want you to help me build a large processing plant in Mexico. Labor is cheap here, and costs are low. The finished products can then be shipped to the United States, which will generate much higher profit margins than if you ship directly from China."

Hearing these empty promises, Guan Yuming could only scoff inwardly.

He had already thought about building the factory, so how could he not know the pitfalls involved?

Mexico may seem to offer cheap labor, but it's actually full of hidden pitfalls.

The local political situation is chaotic and corrupt, policies change at will, and the risks are ridiculously high.

Hydropower resources are in short supply year-round, and even starting construction cannot be guaranteed to be stable.

Even worse, the local workforce is highly mobile and mostly uneducated, making it impossible to control the product qualification rate in more refined processing procedures.

Coupled with an arrogant labor union and a weak local supply chain, it may seem like he's saving money, but in reality, the later investments and potential risks can wipe out his profits completely, and it's also very unstable.