“Jack, about the gold treasure, I have some good news and some bad news. Do you want to hear it?”
“Huh!?”
Hearing the word "gold", Jack immediately became serious. Compared to his busy days, Lu Hao always brought back surprising good news.
“Tell me about it.”
Aida also came over to listen. Now they were like drowning people, desperate to grab any straw that could save their lives, unwilling to miss any clues.
Lu Hao looked at Jack with an eager expression and said with a smile: "The good news is that I have already found the exact location of the Bucky Old Qi base."
“What!?”
Jack and Aida were both stunned, their faces filled with disbelief. "Lu Hao, you said you have found the exact location of the Bucky Old Qi base?"
“Indeed, I did. However, I was not sure if it was the Bucky Old Qi base before, but now I have confirmed it.”
Lu Hao blinked his eyes, a smile on his face.
“Where is the Bucky Old Qi base!?”
Jack and Aida were excited, eagerly asking.
Lu Hao pondered for a moment, deliberately being coy. "That brings me to the bad news?"
The two felt a sinking in their hearts. Had the real Bucky Old Qi base sunk into the desert, or had the gold inside already been transferred by someone?
“The bad news is…" Lu Hao shrugged. "Jack, I'm not going to tell you." He looked at Jack with a teasing smile. "Oh, I forgot to mention, this is your bad news, not mine."
“……”
Jack and Aida’s smiles froze. Aida couldn't wait to ask, "Lu Hao, why?"
“Simple.”
Lu Hao raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "What's in it for me to tell you!?”
“But you and Jack have accepted the Earl’s commission to help find the gold.”
“The commission accepted by the Asian Flying Eagle, what does it have to do with me, the Asian Flying Dragon?”
Lu Hao spread his hands, a smile on his face. From the very beginning, he had never accepted the Earl's commission. He had always been following Jack into the desert to find gold in his own capacity.
When Jack accepted the commission, he was prepared not to bring Lu Hao, so naturally he wouldn’t take the commission on Lu Hao's behalf.
Later, Lu Hao joined the treasure-hunting team based on his performance.
Or rather, even if he hadn’t joined the treasure-hunting team, Lu Hao would have ventured into the desert alone to find the Bucky Old Qi base.
Thinking about it, Jack was speechless. "You've been planning this all along, waiting for us!"
“Jack, you can't blame me for this. Who would have thought that your military map would be wrong and you wouldn’t be able to find the Bucky Old Qi base.”
Lu Hao looked innocent. "This gives me a chance to drive a hard bargain. No, this is the first time I've bargained."
“To be honest, if the key wasn’t in your possession, but in someone else’s, I would have already found a way to steal the key and go solo.”
“……”
Jack looked at him with suspicion. This guy can’t be fooling me, can he?
When did our relationship become so close?
Worth two hundred tons of gold!?
“Cough, cough, Jack, why are you looking at me like that?”
Lu Hao couldn't hold it in any longer and laughed, "Alright, the truth is, besides you guys, there is another group who probably knows the location of the Bucky Old Qi base and they are looking for gold. I’m all alone and can only sell valuable information to get money early, so that I don’t end up with nothing.”
That’s more like it.
Hearing Lu Hao's reason, Jack immediately believed him. He nodded. "Lu Hao, what do you want? The Earl promised me two tons of gold after we succeed. How about this? I will give you one ton of gold as payment for this information."
Aida nodded in agreement with this proposal.
“Jack, do you think I'm an idiot!?”
Lu Hao looked at Jack as if he were an idiot. "First, two tons of gold is your reward. As a partner, I won’t take your reward.”
“Second, at the current rate of the spread of news about the gold treasure, even if we recover the gold, there will be a lot of arguments about the ownership of this batch of gold on an international level, who knows how long it will take to get your two tons of gold approved.”
“Third, I don’t like empty promises. We don’t know what’s going on with the gold in the Bucky Old Qi base. Maybe the gold inside has already been moved by someone, who knows, so wouldn’t I be working for nothing at that point?”
“Therefore, I don’t want your verbal promise of gold, I want actual US dollars.”
Lu Hao secretly added in his mind: I not only want actual US dollars, but also actual gold.
US dollars and gold, I want them all.
“……”
After listening to Lu Hao's analysis, Jack was dumbfounded. Lu Hao's points seemed reasonable. What if there was no gold in the Bucky Old Qi base? Wouldn't he be working for nothing?
Even if they recovered the gold, they might not be able to get his two tons of gold for a while.
Damn, I should have asked for US dollars.
He was a little regretful.
Aida's eyes widened. Oh no, her reward was also in gold. This is a problem now. Even if they recover the gold, they will face a series of problems.
“Lu Hao, I understand what you mean, but we are in the desert now. Even if you want to ask for a price, we can’t contact the Earl.”
Jack’s brows furrowed. He didn't mind Lu Hao’s demanding price, after all, it was information obtained through his hard work. Besides, he really had not accepted any commission. So even if they recovered the gold, Lu Hao wouldn’t get a single dime.
No wonder he’s demanding a high price for his vital information.
After all, he can’t work for nothing.
Most importantly, they messed up at a crucial moment. They couldn't find the Bucky Old Qi base following the instructions on the military map. Who would have thought?
Lu Hao rolled his eyes. “Jack, do you think they wouldn't carry satellite phones when they venture into the desert, for use at critical moments?”
In this day and age, satellite phones are not a rare item. Whether it’s ocean voyages or venturing into deserts and uninhabited areas, satellite phones are essential items.
“Uh…”
Jack scratched his head and looked at Aida. Aida blinked her eyes, innocently saying, “The satellite phone is in the custody of Colonel Byrd and Colonel Banner, it’s none of my business.”
The division of labor in their treasure-hunting team was clear.
Jack is the leader, responsible for the general direction, Aida is responsible for keeping the military map and the key, and Colonel Byrd and Colonel Banner are responsible for keeping the satellite phone and communication.