Starting from South America, speeding through the world

Chapter 128 Stop Flirting

3:12 AM.

The glass facade of the penthouse suite reflects the lights of the city center.

Benjamin Castelli lay in bed, half-asleep.

My body is relaxed, and my mind is immersed in thick syrup.

Every thought felt so sticky and delayed, like struggling to get through several layers of thick cotton.

he************.

Street brands with flashy packaging, and the results are indeed ridiculously good.

Now, the entire body is encased in some kind of transparent gel, and there is no longer a boundary between the skin and the mattress.

Suddenly, Benjamin sensed something was wrong.

It was neither a visual or auditory stimulus, nor a sudden awakening.

It's more like some kind of animalistic instinct.

A chill, without any apparent cause, rose from the back of my neck and spread down my spine.

You know that feeling—on the grasslands, the prey suddenly stops and its ears twitch.

It had neither seen the hunter nor heard any footsteps.

But for some inexplicable reason, I knew I was being watched.

Benjamin is in that situation right now.

Relax.

he told himself.

This has happened before.

Once in Los Angeles, and once in Mexico.

He was paranoid, believing that someone was hiding in the wall and was about to harm him.

calm.

calm.

calm.

It will be fine in a little while.

With that thought in mind, Benjamin remained lying flat, trying to determine if there were any sounds around him.

The air conditioner was running at a low frequency.

Other than that, there is nothing.

But the fear did not disappear.

On the contrary, it is getting stronger and stronger.

stronger.

His eyes shot open.

In that instant, my brain was forcibly turned on.

The nerve reaction was too intense, causing the stomach to start cramping.

Benjamin tried to sit up, but before he could fully exert himself, he noticed that the shadow in his peripheral vision had moved.

A man came to his bedside.

It's him!

That man!

I recognize him!

My heart almost stopped, my hair stood on end, and my mouth was open but I couldn't make a sound.

Benjamin instinctively raised his hand and touched the alarm button on the bedside table.

But as soon as he moved, Zhou Yi drew his pistol and pressed it against his forehead.

"do not move."

The cold touch left Benjamin frozen in place.

My mind, which was still a little foggy, was abruptly pulled back to reality.

"What do you want?" he tried to ask. "You need money? I can give you some, really, I have cash, bank transfers, anything—"

"Shut up," Zhou Yi interrupted him.

"I...I didn't call the police. I don't know you either—"

"Lie back down," Zhou Yi commanded.

At that moment, a man's voice came through the earphones, carrying a hint of mockery.

"Stop flirting with that kid, it's time to get physical."

Zhou Yi didn't respond, but instead looked down at Benjamin and said, "One last time, lie back down."

This time, the other party did as instructed.

Stiff movements and rapid breathing.

Sweat trickled down his cheeks and into his ears, making them itch terribly, but he dared not move.

Zhou Yi put away his gun and took out a prepared device from his pocket.

He tore open the aluminum foil seal, pulled out the syringe, and then pressed his thumb against the inside of his forearm to confirm the pulse location.

"What are you going to do?" Benjamin tried to struggle, but the previous assault had left him numb and powerless.

The next second, the man in the earpiece reminded him again:
—"There is no mobile signal on the 46th floor. The bodyguards will arrive in half an hour. Retreat via the north staircase."

The needle was inserted.

A few seconds later, Zhou Yi casually tossed the empty syringe aside.

When did he die?

"—It'll take three minutes if it's quick, but no more than ten minutes at most." "Is there any uncertainty?"

"Within a controllable range, I prescribed the safety dose."

Zhou Yi shrugged and continued taking items out of his bag, placing them one by one on the bedside table.

Benjamin's eyes were still open.

It just can't focus.

His pupils dilated, and sweat streamed from his forehead down to the pillow.

"Let's evacuate. I'll be waiting for you at the rendezvous point."

Zhou Yi straightened the bed sheet and took one last look at the room.

"Let's go," he said.

“You made quite a fuss this time,” the man said, twisting the bottle cap as he turned to look at him. “So quiet it’s almost unsettling.”

Zhou Yi opened the passenger door, sat down, took off his headphones and tossed them into the cup holder, then closed the door behind him.

"He was so dizzy, what tricks could he possibly pull?" he said.

“That’s true,” the man shook his head and pulled a file folder from under the driver’s seat. “We agreed before that after this job, you can choose any task you want.”

"What's there?"

The man threw the items onto Zhou Yi's lap: "Five orders."

"One in Tijuana, the requirements are the same as what you're familiar with."

"One of them is in Idaho, and he is a former government employee."

"These two aren't much; the maximum is 30,000."

"As for the rest—"

"They're all in Washington, and the prices are quite high, given their special location."

Zhou Yi opened the file folder and casually asked, "Who's in there?"

"Let's start with this one, Frederick Haines, who is part of the Air Force Compliance Oversight Program and is currently preparing for a closed-door hearing."

"The employer is willing to pay him 200,000 to shut him up."

"Such a high price?"

The man smiled, as if he had been waiting for this remark.

"Haines is currently in a semi-closed state."

"Because some 'kind-hearted people' provided him with a PSD-level security team."

Zhou Yi glanced at the target's photo.

Black faces that are not easily recognizable.

His hair was shaved very short, his eye sockets were slightly sunken, and the corners of his mouth drooped.

His facial features seemed to have been flattened, and he didn't show much emotion.

"Any other requirements? For example, the manner of death?" he asked.

"Absolutely not."

"Of course, the most important thing is—don't get caught."

"Where are the other two?"

"You're not planning to take all three, are you?!" The man sounded surprised.

“Of course, who would complain about not having enough money?” Zhou Yi said matter-of-factly.

“If Lucas knew I got you involved in this,” the man shook his head wryly, “he’d probably give me a hard time.”

Zhou Yi shrugged: "He's unreliable, so I have to find something to do myself."

"Alright then." The man sighed and began to explain the remaining two tasks.

“This person is Brian Rosen, the founder of Miratech.”

"You should have heard of that platform; it does content moderation and data hosting."

"I just passed the Pentagon's initial assessment last month and have been staying in Washington ever since."

Zhou Yi nodded and turned to the last page.

"this?"

“Catherine Dale”.

"The Securities and Exchange Commission."

"You remember that wave of scandals in 2008, right? Her influence was there from the very beginning."

The man took a sip of water to moisten his throat, and then, as if paying a bill, announced:
"So, the three tasks together cost a total of 350,000. Let's go."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yi frowned instantly: "Why is it still the same old stuff?"

"Don't worry, this time it's different. It's a stablecoin, pegged to the US dollar."

"The funds are moving quickly, and it's a new address, so it's very clean. Even the IRS can't find a trace of it."

After hesitating for a moment, Zhou Yi finally asked, "Do you want to come with me?"

"where?"

"Washington. These deals are quite lucrative; even if I share half with you, it won't be a loss."

Upon hearing this, the man immediately waved his hands frantically: "If you had said Tijuana, I would have agreed. Who doesn't love Latina girls?"

"But Washington... let's forget about it."

"I feel nauseous just being near those bastards in suits."

"That's why I turned down DoD's consulting job before."

"To be honest, the annual salary is pretty good, and it comes with a federal benefits package."

"Unfortunately, after listening to the briefing for three days, I threw my employee badge in their faces on the fourth day."

(End of this chapter)