Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for Better Call Saul.Gus Fring's secret gun had major ramifications for Better Call Saul's Lalo feud. Ever since Tony Dalton first arrived as Lalo Salamanca in Better Call Saul season 4, it has been a cat-and-cat chase between him and Giancarlo Esposito's Gus Fring - two wily criminals accustomed to getting their way. Gus harbored vengeful ambitions to muscle out the Salamancas, particularly due to the cruel actions of Better Call Saul's Hector Salamanca. Meanwhile, Lalo was drafted in to protect his family's interests after Tuco was sent to prison by Mike and Nacho. Throughout several episodes, neither Gus nor Lalo managed to deliver a definitive blow, but Gus Fring first came closest with the failed assassination attempt in the Better Call Saul season 5 finale. The world believed Lalo died that day, but Gus knew otherwise. In the end, Gus managed to finally kill Lalo, and it's all thanks to his secret gun in Better Call Saul season 6.
Looking over his shoulder became too much for Gus in Better Call Saul season 6, episode 5 "Black & Blue." Awaiting Lalo Salamanca's inevitable retaliation pushed Fring into a bath-scrubbing, customer-serving frenzy (did that guy ever get his coleslaw?). So, alongside Mike and a team of bodyguards, Gus paid a visit to his half-built superlab from Better Call Saul season 4. Mike assured Gus the site's tunnel was inaccessible due to compacted dirt and cement, then offered to post more guards outside. Rather than responding, Gus surveyed the excavation site alone. He examined the layout, the various pieces of equipment lying around, then subtly took the gun from his ankle holster to put it inside a parked digger. Mike seemed to assume that Gus was just afraid that Lalo Salamanca would discover the superlab, and this little field trip was just the Chicken Man reassuring himself that the site was properly protected. However, Gus' planted gun in Better Call Saul not only revealed that Gus was expecting Lalo to show up but also why Gus kept certain tactical decisions secret even from Mike.
Indeed, in Better Call Saul season 6, episode 7 "Point and Shoot," Gustav Fring's hidden gun pays off when he used it to finally kill Lalo Salamanca. In yet another moment that shows why Gus Fring is the best villain in Better Call Saul, what first seemed like Gus being overly paranoid was actually just an experienced crime boss covering all the bases. Here's everything else that viewers might have missed regarding Gus Fring's hidden gun and Lalo Salamanca's unexpected death in Better Call Saul season 6.
Gus' Planted Gun Was How He Killed Lalo
Since Gus suspected Lalo was alive, he had expected that Lalo would turn up at his personal residence, hence the massive security detail. Even in "Black & Blue," Mike stood in Gus' house and uttered, "Sooner or later, he's gonna end up right here." Earlier in the episode, however, Gus Fring experienced a sudden epiphany while asking a customer if they'd like to try Los Pollos Hermanos' spice curls. After weeks without a peep, Gus realized Lalo couldn't kill him without upsetting the cartel. The Salamancas' only option was to find proof of Fring's betrayal first, and nothing screams "betrayal" like a massive underground superlab the cartel knew nothing about. Having been constantly wondering where Lalo would attack from, Gus knew his nemesis would, sooner or later, visit the superlab. This foresight allowed Gus to prepare for battle, giving himself a home-field advantage by planting a hidden gun.
Gus then waited for Lalo to uncover the superlab and check the site out for himself. He then caught Lalo off-guard by appearing unarmed, then pulling the planted gun. It's the classic bathroom stall trick from The Godfather, where the Corleone family assassinated Sollozzo and McCluskey by hiding a gun in a restaurant bathroom before everyone arrived – one of the many true story-inspired scenes in Godfather. Apart from paying tribute to classic gangster cinema, this also shows how Lalo actually had no chance against Gus. Lalo Salamanca was essentially defeated because he massively underestimated Gus, which was also part of Gus' plans for Lalo. While the two are similarly driven by pride, Gus is fine with being openly underestimated, standing in contrast to the Salamancas who are known for their violent flashiness.
Gus kept the hidden gun secret even from Mike because he knew that waiting for Lalo alone would be the cleanest way to handle the problem. Meanwhile, Lalo thought he was being sneaky by spying on Gus' operation from the sewers - not knowing that he was actually walking into a trap. Though Lalo had to take a video as proof for the cartel, his prolongation of the ordeal was exactly what Gus needed to spring the trap he prepared. Indeed, while Lalo Salamanca's high kill count made him complacent and over-confident, each kill made Gus a better strategist. That said, the surprising circumstances of Lalo's death echo Gustavo Fring's own death in Breaking Bad, which in turn was because Better Call Saul's Gus underestimated Hector Salamanca.