[Chapter 304: Migras's Death]
San Francisco Bay Area, Santa Clara.
At a budget motel, Alcy and Sigmar, both sporting beards, were eating cup noodles. They had come to San Francisco over two months ago on Danny's orders to gather intel on Migras, the chairman of Gesler Architectural Company.
During the day, they went out; at night, they returned and changed lodgings every two days.
Migras was extremely reclusive in the first month, traveling only between his office and home in a bulletproof car. He drove directly into the underground parking garage of his heavily guarded office building in the mornings and into his sprawling mansion at night, always accompanied by eight bodyguards.
For over a month, his movements were rigid: just between company and home, no detours. It was clear he sensed danger and was extremely cautious.
However, starting last month, his security measures gradually relaxed. The number of bodyguards dropped to four.
A week later, his movements increased; he occasionally picked up his kid from school and spent nights with his mistress.
By August, his security and activity resumed normalcy, always with three bodyguards. When idle, he frequented hotels and clubs and went to his mistress's place every Wednesday night.
Today, Alcy and Sigmar received a new directive from Danny: two operatives would arrive to execute the final task, and they were to fully cooperate.
While eating noodles in the motel, Alcy's phone rang.
After confirming the code, he verified the arrivals were the operatives. He sent the location of a nearby park for the meeting and set the time.
Sigmar devoured his noodles, finishing his bowl and downing a soda, asking, "Are they here yet?"
"Yeah, meeting at Bay Park in half an hour."
They quickly finished eating and tidied their room before leaving the motel. They got into the secondhand Cherokee they had bought and headed toward Bay Park.
...
They didn't rush directly to the park but circled it twice, ensuring no tails. Sigmar then got off early to walk to the parking lot while Alcy kept watch from a distance.
Once Sigmar confirmed no issues, Alcy called the number again. Soon, the van's lights in the parking lot turned on.
Alcy didn't drive in immediately but called Sigmar to approach the lit van.
After Sigmar reported safety, Alcy pulled into the lot beside the van. He grabbed the canvas bag on the passenger seat and boarded the van. The van's lights went off behind him.
Inside, two figures were barely visible in the dim night, but they radiated the aura of deadly professionals.
When exchanging names, they clearly used aliases -- one called Messy, the other Hook. But that didn't matter; cooperating on the mission was what counted.
Alcy briefed them on Migras's latest security and movements, then handed over the canvas bag containing all collected intel: frequent locations, security details, vehicles used, frequent contacts, and routes.
The operatives planned to review the material first. They arranged to stay in touch by phone. Alcy and Sigmar exited the van, got back in their own Cherokee, left the park, and found a different motel.
...
Meanwhile, Messy and Hook drove directly to nearby San Jose, checked into a budget motel, and started studying the intel Alcy had provided.
Both were Thunder Guards from the farm military base, retired special ops -- one a sniper, the other a spotter. They had done numerous assassinations and behind-enemy-lines reconnaissance missions.
Both were selected for overseas base trials this year. But David, their superior, had them stay behind to complete a critical task before deploying to Africa.
A few days ago, David handed each $100,000 to carry out the assassination of Gesler's chairman in San Francisco.
They were given Alcy and Sigmar's contacts for advance intel gathering.
The two flew into Los Angeles, stored luggage at the airport, bought a commercial van in the secondhand market, and headed north to San Francisco.
Their materials were even more comprehensive than Alcy's briefing, detailing Migras's daily schedules, vehicles, number and placement of bodyguards, frequent contacts, non-work and non-home venues, and even scheduled appointments with his mistress.
After a long glance, Messy asked, "So, where do you think's the best spot to strike?"
"Without seeing the surroundings, it's hard to judge. Let's check out his usual spots tomorrow."
"Alright, rest up then."
...
The following night at another motel, after eating cup noodles, Messy questioned Hook, "Where do you think we should make our move?"
"At Helen's place -- Migras's mistress. It's a seaside villa. Within 150 meters, there are taller buildings nearby, perfect for sniping from above."
"That's solid. At that range, with your aim, he's a goner."
"Let's notify Alcy and Sigmar to inspect the site tomorrow and plan the operation and escape routes together."
...
For two straight days, the four traveled in two vehicles near Helen's villa. Messy and Hook scouted entry points; Alcy and Sigmar worked out retreat paths.
They met briefly each night to share ideas and finalize their plan.
...
Two days later, the strategy was set, waiting only for Wednesday night when Migras would visit his mistress.
Starting Monday afternoon, the four stuck close to Helen's villa, ready for action.
Unfortunately, Monday and Tuesday yielded no target.
Wednesday evening, two cars escorted a bulletproof Mercedes from downtown to the coast. But there were no other guards following.
Alcy, familiar with the terrain, parked the Cherokee early on a roadside spot the convoy would pass. Spotting the Mercedes and its escorts, he immediately alerted Messy near the villa.
"Let's go!" Messy grabbed the bag and led the way upstairs.
Hook, dressed in sportswear, followed Messy into a slightly worn apartment building adjacent to the villa.
They opted for the stairs over the elevator, ascending to the rooftop on the sixth floor.
*****
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