"What's wrong?" Dexter asked as he walked into the fruit shop. On his drive over, he had seen Svetlana standing at the entrance from a distance, holding a baseball bat.
Since Dexter owned the shop, Svetlana didn't see the need to hide anything. She answered truthfully, "A few Mexican guys seem to be looking for trouble. They came by once during the day, and they just came back again."
Sure enough, what was bound to happen was happening.
Dexter turned his head to look across the street.
He had just spotted those Mexican guys, though he hadn't gotten a clear look.
"During the day, did they just stand across the street watching you too?" Dexter asked.
"Yeah," Svetlana nodded calmly. "Boss, it's fine. They don't dare actually start anything. If they do, I'll beat them to death."
Dexter smiled. He wasn't worried about Svetlana's combat prowess.
However...
How could he miss such a perfect opportunity to farm some "Merit Points"?
"Alright. I'll swing by a bit later. Hopefully, I'll run into them. I haven't fought in ages, and my hands are itching," Dexter said with a laugh.
Svetlana was a bit surprised. "Boss, with your build... can you handle it?"
"Hey, watch your mouth," Dexter teased. He then found a place to sit and chatted with Svetlana.
They talked business for a while, but there wasn't much to say, so Dexter got ready to head back to the hotel.
Just then.
Svetlana suddenly walked toward the restroom, saying over her shoulder, "Boss, come give me a hand with something."
Mmhmm.
Nice.
After enjoying a BJ and feeling much more relaxed, Dexter left.
Back at the hotel, Dexter took a shower and lay down on the bed. Checking his phone, he realized Hernando had called several times, so he immediately dialed back.
"Mr. Ding, I hope I'm not disturbing you," Hernando said with a smile, very polite to his cash cow.
Dexter lit a cigarette. "Not at all. Is it done over there?"
"It's done," Hernando said, voluntarily explaining the details.
Dexter listened quietly, getting the full picture.
In the beginning, Fiona tried to take full responsibility, wanting Lip, Ian, Debbie, and Carl to be acquitted.
But that's not how deals work.
Sam, the officer in charge of the case, took a hard line, telling Fiona that strategy wouldn't fly.
After all, the police don't have the power to sentence; judges do. And judges aren't idiots. The video evidence was clear as day. Lip and Ian weren't little kids; they were close to adulthood. To claim they were completely ignorant was nonsense that no judge would believe.
After that, both Fiona and Ian basically broke down...
Hernando then started negotiations with Sam—a very standard plea deal.
Sam also had no interest in sending the two kids, Debbie and Carl, to juvenile detention.
Negotiating the deal wasn't particularly difficult.
In the end, both sides agreed.
Debbie and Carl would be released without charges.
Fiona, Lip, and Ian had to plead guilty. However, since they were first-time offenders, Sam would put in a good word with the judge to push for the minimum sentence possible.
"All that's left is to go to court tomorrow for the formalities, and this matter will be over," Hernando said cheerfully.
"Good. How long will the three of them likely serve?" Dexter asked.
"Not too long. Burglary isn't a capital offense, and with the plea deal, Fiona will get a maximum of one year. If she behaves inside, she could be paroled in three to six months. Phillip and Ian are minors; they'll spend at most six months in juvie, maybe even just three."
An excellent outcome.
Perfect.
"Alright, thanks. After the results are official tomorrow, come to my restaurant, and I'll settle the bill."
"You got it. Thank you, Mr. Ding. If you run into any legal issues in the future, please be sure to contact me," Hernando said enthusiastically.
"Will do."
The call ended.
Dexter tossed his phone aside, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, feeling great.
---
After enjoying the moment for a bit, Dexter didn't waste time.
Now that the situation with Fiona and the others was settled, he needed to put other matters on the schedule.
So.
Time to open treasure chests.
He needed to draw some cash, and more importantly, something related to "criminal activities."
[You have opened a Silver Treasure Chest. Congratulations, you have won: Helicopter Piloting Skill (Professional Level).]
?????
Useless. Where am I going to get a helicopter?
Open another.
[You have opened a Silver Treasure Chest. Congratulations, you have won: Common Plant Toxin Extraction Skill (Professional Level) — includes full set of equipment.]
????
Good lord, this is powerful.
But, for the time being, not very useful.
Keep going.
[You have opened a Silver Treasure Chest. Congratulations, you have won: $99,000.]
[You have opened a Silver Treasure Chest. Congratulations, you have won: Military Micro Remote Bombs (5 units), includes remote control equipment — these bombs cannot be traced, use with confidence.]
Heh heh, heh heh heh!
In this moment, Dexter was genuinely overjoyed.
Bombs!!
Damn right. This "season" of Shameless was coming to an end.
At the very end.
Why not blast a wave of them? Set off some fireworks.
Pretty damn good.
Dexter grinned brilliantly. Once finished, he didn't hesitate to withdraw the five bombs from his inventory.
The bombs weren't big, only about the size of a palm.
But according to the information in his head, if this thing detonated, anyone within a sixteen-square-meter radius would be dead or crippled. Extremely domineering.
Dexter had never even seen this kind of stuff in his life, let alone played with it. He was extremely excited and immediately studied them.
It took a little time, but he finally figured out how to use them.
So, what was he waiting for?
He found a paper bag to hold the bombs and headed out.
Before long.
Dexter drove to the vicinity of the fruit shop, parked on the side of the road, and got out to stroll along the sidewalk opposite the shop.
He strolled to the intersection where the Mexicans had been standing earlier.
Dexter stopped by a trash can, then squatted down, pretending to tie his shoelace. He pulled the paper bag containing the bombs out of his down jacket pocket and tossed it into the bin.
He had already observed the area; at this time of night, there was no one nearby.
Trap set. Dexter stood up and continued walking forward. He found a convenience store, bought a pack of cigarettes, and then retraced his steps back to the car.
It was now 9:45 PM.
There weren't many people on this street.
The homeless people here didn't have a tradition of rummaging through roadside trash cans for bottles to sell.
And the garbage truck wouldn't come until the latter half of the night.
So, he didn't have to worry about someone taking the bombs away.
Actually.
If a homeless person did take the bombs, so be it.
He'd just detonate them anyway.
The homeless people around here weren't exactly saints either.
Dexter sat in his car, lit a cigarette, and waited quietly.
His plan was to wait until midnight. If those Mexicans didn't show up, he'd retrieve the bombs and try again tomorrow night.
However, he felt that the Mexicans would likely show up. After all, they had come by twice during the day; they couldn't have just been window shopping.
Facts proved him right.
At 11:30 PM.
On this street where only a few drunks were wandering, seven or eight figures appeared. They were wearing black beanies and carrying baseball bats or hammers.
These people walked hurriedly, reaching the intersection next to the trash can with the bombs. They stopped, facing Dex Fruit Shop, which had closed half an hour ago. Then, in sync, they pulled their beanies down into masks.
Undoubtedly, the Mexicans had arrived. It was highly likely the whole family had come out for this.
Well, nothing wrong with that.
Mexicans place a lot of importance on family.
Dexter smiled.
"Finally, I've been waiting for you."
Murmuring the words, Dexter didn't hesitate. He pressed the remote control.
BOOM!