Starting from South America, speeding through the world

Chapter 24 Digging a Hole in the Backyard
The evening breeze rustled through the treetops, carrying the scent of damp earth.

The pale moonlight, fragmented into scattered spots by the layers of branches and leaves, fell on the road.

A yellow taxi stopped in front of a dilapidated little villa.

The headlights were off, and darkness swallowed it up, making it seem like a lifeless object.

The windows of the villa were tightly closed, but several figures could be vaguely seen moving inside.

Inside the car, the driver was panting, cold sweat beading on his forehead, his fingers gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white.

“They’re waiting.” His throat was dry and his voice was hoarse.

"I know."

Zhou Yi's voice was calm.

As soon as he finished speaking, he grabbed the driver's head with both hands and twisted it sharply.

"Click."

There was a crisp sound.

Before the driver even realized what was happening, his neck was bent at an unnatural angle.

His body went limp instantly, his mouth slightly open, and his pupils dilated.

He released his grip, letting the body slump onto the passenger seat, then pulled out his pistol and got out of the car.

Gina took a deep breath; the crazy experiences of the past few hours had left her almost numb, and she followed silently behind.

The two walked silently toward the villa entrance.

The living room reeked of cheap alcohol.

On the wooden dining table, greasy fried chicken bones were scattered everywhere.

Upbeat country music was playing on the television.

"Damn it, why aren't they coming down yet?" the man standing in the middle complained, kicking the table leg in frustration.

The fat man, sprawled on the sofa, shrugged, grabbed the last piece of fried chicken, and stuffed it into his mouth: "Just wait, they might be checking the goods."

"What can he possibly find out? The person's still in the car, what tricks can he possibly pull?"

The tall, thin man sitting in the corner leaned back in his chair and casually put his feet on the dining table.

"Relax, buddy." The bald man with a cigarette in his mouth stepped in to smooth things over: "After this is over, once we have the money, the good days are yet to come."

Upon hearing this, the fat man wiped his greasy fingers on his pants and gave a lewd smile.

"By the way, Spring also caught a pretty girl. Have you guys figured out how to split it?"

The young man, who had been silent until now, excitedly interjected, "Can I go first this time? I've been holding back for so long."

"Damn, how come you have so much energy? Can't even the bitches in Paraná satisfy you?"

The bald man chuckled and took a big gulp from the beer bottle.

"Our young man is so young, next time I'll take you to do something even more exciting."

After the tall, thin man finished speaking, it caused a burst of laughter.

Just then, there was a knocking sound at the door.

The people inside the room exchanged glances.

The fat man clicked his tongue: "Damn, it took them so long to get here."

"I'll go pick it up, I'll go pick it up."

The young man couldn't wait to get up and ran over in a few steps.

However, the moment he opened the door—

He was then pressed a gun barrel against the center of his forehead.

"boom!"

The bullet entered through the forehead and exploded in the back of the head, creating a fist-sized hole.

Thick liquid gushed from the bursting skull, splashing onto the wooden floor.

The young man, still looking surprised, slumped backward.

At this moment, no one in the room had any idea what was happening.

Gunshots rang out again.

"boom!"

The bald man's hand was still on his waist when he was hit in the head by a bullet.

Upon seeing this, the man standing next to him quickly bent down to reach for the hunting rifle placed at his feet.

"boom!"

The bullet pierced the spine.

His body jolted, swayed a few times, and then collapsed, lifeless. Blood flowed from his wounds, spreading across the floor.

The tall, thin man finally raised his pistol in a panic, but forgot to cock it.

"boom!"

A 9mm bullet shattered his Adam's apple.

The tall, thin man made a few gurgling sounds as he fell, as if he wanted to say something, but the words were immediately blocked by the rush of blood.

The body fell back onto the chair, its fingers still twitching unconsciously.

The fat guy was the slowest to react among the four.

Blood and flesh splattered all around, and his companions all died in the blink of an eye.

He was so frightened that his face turned deathly pale. He knelt down, raised his hands in terror, and cried out in trembling voices:
"I surrender! I surrender! Don't kill me! Please! I surrender!"

"Get down."

Zhou Yi kept his gun raised and aimed.

"I'm lying down, I'm lying down, I'm lying down."

The fat man nodded frantically, his knees buckled, and he collapsed onto the pool of blood.

The silence that lasted only a few seconds felt like an eternity.

He felt a pair of worn-out sneakers stop beside his face.

The soles of the shoes were covered in mud, mixed with bloodstains from the wooden board.

My heart felt like it was being gripped tightly by a giant hand, and my stomach was churning uncontrollably.

Extreme fear shattered his last shred of dignity, causing his body to make the most primal physiological response—he urinated.

Warm liquid instantly spread rapidly from his crotch.

The room smelled even stranger.

Zhou Yi frowned and moved a little further away from him: "What's your name?"

"Fernando. Fernando Hernandez." The fat man sounded like he was about to faint.

“Listen, Fernando, every word I’m about to say is important—”

Halfway through his sentence, Zhou Yi suddenly switched to Spanish: "So please listen carefully, understand?"

Fernando was taken aback, and after noticing his Mexican accent, he became even more nervous and nodded tremblingly.

“I will ask you a few questions, and you just need to answer them briefly and honestly.”

“I promise to be completely honest, sir.”

"Great, your friend is still waiting in the car outside. He'll help me verify the answer. So, don't lie to me."

"Sir, I understand. I will never lie."

Zhou Yi pushed the tall, thin corpse off the chair and sat down himself.

He thought for a moment, then began with his first question: "Is everyone here?"

"Yes, sir, he was the driver, except for Spring. Everyone else is dead here."

"The spring will be with you soon, so relax."

Zhou Yi switched hands and gripped the gun handle, letting the magazine slide into his palm.

Eight bullets remain.

"Besides you, does anyone else know about this place?"

"Sir, no. This is a secure outpost, used only when we are working."

"Where are your family? Do they know where this place is?"

“I have no family, sir. I lost contact with them a long time ago.”

Who owns this place?

"It's a spring-loaded one. He bought it from an old man a year ago."

Zhou Yi squinted and put the magazine back into the gun handle.

With a click, the bullet entered the chamber.

"One last question: Will anyone come looking for these dead people?"

The fat man's Adam's apple bobbed rapidly, and his breathing became even more rapid: "No, sir, they...they are like me."

I appreciate your honesty.

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Yi clapped his hands and stood up straight: "Now grab the shovel and come with me to the backyard to dig a hole."

(End of this chapter)