In a few hours after Tristan got the flash drive, the video infected with the trojan was sent to Dagoberto Quixada's secretary and adviser.
He watched it from his work computer and immediately wanted to show it to more people. He wasn't in his position because he was a tattletale, though, so instead he only forwarded the message to Quixada's email.
At the time, Quixada was inspecting the soldiers that were preparing for the next stage of the street war between the gangs. An hour later, he watched the video from his smartphone while his bodyguard drove him back to his mansion.
After hearing the insulting words of Leon Clavon, Quixada gripped the smartphone and almost chucked it through the car's window on the spot!
***
Later in his office, Quixada re-watched Leon's video from his computer. He was trying to find more useful information from it and not knowing he was only shooting himself in the leg.
Then, he made an important call.
Although Quixada was a man who carried himself with an aura of power, when listening to the voice from the other side of the call, he subconsciously bowed slightly.
The power of Quixada and Cuatro Angulos as those Americans knew it was nothing compared to the power of Quixada's boss and the rest of the cartel!
Countless men worked for Cuatro Angulos in Mexico, producing, guarding and smuggling drugs, weapons and people over the border. If moving such power to America was possible, King Lion Gang would've been squashed like ants long ago.
At the very least, these people could always crush Quixada, who was only a boss of a small branch of the cartel that was located in this city.
There was a pensive pause at the other end of the call, a pause that made Quixada sweat a little.
Although he felt like his boss didn't need to know small details like Leon's insult, maybe showing him would've convinced him more.
Quixada sucked in a breath.
The call ended.
***
Tristan listened to the recording saved in the Beholder's cloud storage and sighed.
Yeah, that was a major flaw of his plan.
He didn't know even a bit of Spanish, and wasn't sure that anyone in the gang did.
Of course, in modern times, with AI being able to do more and more things, using a computer to transcript voice recording to a text you could put in online translator was possible.
Tristan knew, though, that the quality of this translation might easily make it useless.
'Well, with the amount of Mexican immigrants in our city, surely at least someone knows Spanish in King Lion Gang. They couldn't all be a part of Cuatro Angulos.'
He checked the text and sound recorded by the Beholder and gathered as much useful information from it as he could. After only the first day of spying, there was already a lot.
Then Tristan brought the more filtered information to Pierce, who was already waiting for it.
"Of course these Mexicans talk in Spanish," Pierce muttered bitterly as he checked out Tristan's findings. "They live in America, but have no decency to speak like Americans. No matter, I know a person who can translate that. Good work, Hayes."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Pierce turned away from the computer and pulled an envelope from a drawer of his table, which he pushed toward Tristan.
"Your payment for this job. Even though you volunteered, it deserves a bonus."
Tristan smiled; Pierce said the words like they pained him. Tristan could tell already that the bonus was Leon's idea.
***
It only took a few more hours for the first information to be translated.
Tristan found that out the next day, when Leon gathered a military council and invited Tristan to it.
This was happening not in the Good Lion Bar, but inside Leon's own house: a large house full of luxurious furniture, lion-themed items, and security features.
Six people gathered around a large oval table with legs carved like lion paws.
Besides Tristan, Leon, and Pierce, there were three more gangsters, all of which belonged to the more experienced kind who didn't need to dirty their hands themselves for a long time. Their names were Delgado, Whitman and Martinez.
Tristan was by far the youngest in the room, and immediately after entering it, felt a disdainful look fall upon him.
Martinez spoke up, smiling politely at Leon while giving Tristan contemptuous side-looks.
"Mr. Clavon, I thought this was an important meeting that might decide the future of the war we are in. I remember your recommendations of the boy, but no matter the talent, he surely doesn't have the status to sit in this meeting!"
Tristan gave the man a cutting look, but he didn't need to defend himself this time.
His earlier work to gain respect and familiarity with other gangsters paid off, little by little. That, and his military successes.
Because before Tristan or Leon could speak, Delgado and Whitman rose to his defense!