Starting from South America, speeding through the world

Chapter 188 Uniform Temptation
Zhou Yi took the fire escape, not the elevator.

Because elevators imply signals, monitoring, and known routes.

He stopped against the wall in front of the third-floor corridor, drew his pistol, and pulled the slide.

There were footsteps outside the door.

The soles of the shoes rubbed against the floor at a steady, unhurried pace.

Zhou Yi was aware of this situation.

The sentry was not given the full details, only told that "someone will handle it."

Don't ask too many questions, don't look too much, and don't overthink.

Therefore, their first reaction to the sudden change was not to draw their guns.

But -

"Ding!"

The elevator door opens.

Several figures not far away turned around at the same time, their shoulders tensed, and they peered out.

However, before they could make out what was happening, a flash of light appeared.

Recently, the person's head tilted to one side, and he fell sideways with a "clatter," knocking over an IV stand in the corridor.

His teammate instinctively bent down, a bullet whizzing past his shoulder, sending a blast of hot air through him, forcing him to lunge for cover in a corner.

"enemy--!"

Before he could finish speaking, blood gushed from his neck.

The world is blurry, and the ceiling is spinning.

Zhou Yi kept moving, firing short, continuous shots without wasting a single one.

Someone was running frantically, their boots stomping on the paving stones, getting faster and faster.

Unfortunately, the rhythm was off.

Perhaps they didn't expect the gunman to be so bold as to follow them and kill them.

Soon, Zhou Yi stopped aiming at the head and instead shot at the chest and leg bones, sending pieces of flesh flying everywhere.

Everyone fell as if they were stepping on the corpses of those who came before them.

A dozen seconds later, the third floor fell completely silent.

Just then, a rustling sound came from the room at the far end.

Zhou Yi pushed open the door and entered.

The room was so messy it looked like it had just been ransacked.

The two bodies had clearly died recently; the tubes had been forcibly pulled out, and the monitor had fallen to the ground.

At the far end, the hospital bed is tilted, and the rollers are stuck on the edge of the track.

A woman in a nurse's uniform is kneeling on top of the injured person, holding a sharp blade high and pressing it down forcefully.

She was wearing a medical mask, her hat had slipped down, and her blonde hair was soaked with sweat and stuck to the sides of her face.

The injured are still alive—not just alive, but fighting back fiercely.

His wrist was locked around the woman's forearm, his right shoulder was pressed against the bed rail, and his legs were kicking wildly.

The layers of bandages wrapped around his chest seeped out in large patches of deep red from the strenuous exercise.

Both of them noticed the change, but neither dared to stop first.

Zhou Yi remained silent.

He stepped closer, raised his gun, and aimed—all in one fluid motion.

"boom."

The bullet struck the back of the head, exploding into a cloud of blood.

The woman collapsed like a doll with its string cut.

The man convulsed violently, letting out a hoarse groan.

The thick liquid smeared on my face and eyelashes, and my nasal cavity was filled with a fishy smell.

He gasped for breath and struggled to his feet, but froze the moment he saw who it was—

Asian, dressed as a policeman, tall.

He recognized him.

The next moment, the man gripped the dagger that was stuck in the mattress.

“I didn’t kill you back then,” Zhou Yi said coldly, “so don’t force me to change my mind.”

The man didn't move, still staring intently at him, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

The air fell silent for half a second.

Then--

A cacophony of footsteps approached from afar.

Aggressive and murderous.

At least two groups of people.

The man's face turned deathly pale, and his breathing became increasingly rapid.

Of course he knew what it was. They were there to silence him.

Seeing the change in the man's gaze, Zhou Yi decided to say no more.

He pulled a Glock from his waist and cocked it.

Then, he casually tossed the gun onto the bed sheet.

"Either die now."

Zhou Yi stared down at him, her tone calm to the point of being almost icy.

"Either come with me."

The man quickly made up his mind, no longer hesitating, and gritted his teeth as he gripped the blood-stained pistol.

Two o'clock in the morning.

Potomac, Maryland.

The wind rustled through the trees, the night was heavy, and a thin mist hung over the lawn in front of the villa.

Suddenly, several beams of light appeared at the intersection in the distance.

Four black SUVs sped up and came to a stop. As soon as they stopped, the operatives dressed in dark gray tactical gear got out and dispersed.

They were on high alert, with serious expressions, and wearing DHS/SRT armbands.

The leader of the group was a burly middle-aged man.

He strode up the steps, clenched his right fist, and slammed it against the oak door.

"General Carter! This is a special operations team from the Department of Homeland Security!"

"In accordance with Article 213 of the Patriotic Law, we are ordered to conduct a safety inspection of the residence!"

Their attitude was tough, leaving no room for compromise.

There was silence in the house.

A few seconds later, the light in the entryway came on.

Lucas's voice rang out: "The Patriot Act is not an excuse for you to surround officers' private residences."

“We have received a notification from the National Counterterrorism Center.” The middle-aged man paused briefly, then raised his voice: “Mission codename NCTC-STRIKE 621-B, has been filed with the NSC.”

Lucas wasn't intimidated by the string of technical terms and calmly said:

"The counterterrorism center is not an executive body, and registration does not equate to authorization."

Where is the White House-stamped authorization for exceptional use?

The atmosphere outside the door froze.

The middle-aged man's face twitched twice, then he forced a smile and replied, "The anonymous report indicated that the residence might be harboring individuals suspected of multiple assaults—"

This time, Lucas interrupted him with a cold laugh.

"Harboring someone? What a lame excuse."

"Pursuant to Section 333 of Title 10 of the Code and the Defense Support Act, I have the right to immediately notify JAG and CID."

"Are you prepared to be treated as a hostile armed force?"

Before the words were even finished, the operators exchanged glances, and the gun barrels that were originally aimed at the door hinges dipped slightly.

The middle-aged man remained motionless, but his expression gradually turned ugly.

Clearly, he had not been granted upgrade permission over the radio.

Nevertheless, the man gritted his teeth and tried his best to explain, "General, we are not targeting you—"

However, his speech was once again ruthlessly interrupted.

"Don't fucking say it's not targeted at you." Lucas's words carried a hint of anger.

“If you dare to come to my door fully armed in the middle of the night without a presidential order, under any wartime engagement agreement, it would be enough for me to order the firing.”

"Go ask your minister in the suit if he really thinks he has the right to provoke the military."

The middle-aged man's lips twitched, but he ultimately didn't reply.

Lucas paused for a moment, as if he had completely lost patience, and said in a deep voice:
"If you don't get out of here in ten seconds, I'll call the 29th National Guard Brigade right now."

"Don't think I'm joking—this country has been in chaos for a long time."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man felt caught in a dilemma.

He didn't know what to say, so he just stood there stiffly.

Finally, the evacuation permission came through the earpiece.

The man let out a barely perceptible sigh of relief, turned his head and said, "Let's call it a day."

The operators instantly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly returned to the vehicle.

The black SUV made a U-turn and drove away, its high beams sweeping across the street corner as it disappeared into the distance.

Lucas sighed, put down his pistol, and turned to walk back into the living room.

On the sofa, Zhou Yi was looking down at his phone, seemingly doing nothing.

The man next to him was wrapped in a blanket, had been given a sedative, and was still unconscious.

Lucas walked to the liquor cabinet, poured himself a glass of water, drank it all in one gulp, then slammed the glass down and said helplessly:
"Listen, we need to talk."

(End of this chapter)