Starting from South America, speeding through the world

Chapter 27 Lucas

The white ceiling was somewhat glaring, and the smell of medicine permeated the air.

Lucas Henrique Pereira da Costa leaned against the hospital bed, the pillow so thin it offered almost no support.

My right shoulder was wrapped in thick bandages. Although I had been given tramadol, I still felt a tearing pain whenever I moved my body even slightly.

He had been awake all night.

Every time I close my eyes, the man's image appears in my mind—his hat pulled low, wearing a cheap floral shirt, calmly saying, "I want to report myself."

Lucas shook his head gently, trying to stop the uncontrollable surge of memories.

Just then, the door to the ward was suddenly pushed open, and a rush of cold air rushed in.

He subconsciously looked up and saw a man in a dark blue suit walk in.

He was tall, had dark skin, and a stubble on his face.

Lucas tensed up instantly, fearing that the killer's accomplices had come knocking on his door.

Fortunately, the man quickly pulled out a leather ID holder from his pocket and said:
“I am Enrique Barbosa, Federal Police, head of the National Security Investigations Group.”

Upon seeing the golden badge inside, Lucas secretly breathed a sigh of relief: "Hello, may I ask what can I do for you?"

"We will launch a preliminary investigation into the attack."

Enrique had no intention of small talk. He pulled up a chair next to the hospital bed, sat down, and took out paper and pen from his pocket: "Now, tell me everything you remember, from beginning to end."

"."

Lucas swallowed hard, his gaze flickering slightly.

Enrique stared at him expressionlessly, without urging him on.

Finally, after adjusting his posture for the third time, Lucas began his halting recollection:
"The attack happened around 2 p.m. I was on duty at the reception desk, following normal procedures, and there were no unusual visitors. Then... I saw him."

"Yes, he's Asian. He's about 1.8 meters tall, neither fat nor thin. When he walked over, he had his hands in his pockets, like an ordinary person."

"He told me he was going to report it to the police."

"Report a crime?"

"Yes, I also found it strange at the time."

“I told him that this was not a police station, but he completely ignored what I said and continued to repeat his statement about reporting the incident.”

"Then, he listed a bunch of crimes against himself, and then... he pulled out... a submachine gun from his pocket."

Lucas choked up halfway through his sentence.

"I didn't have time to react before he shot me."

"I don't remember anything after that."

Silence fell over the ward.

Enrique waited a few more seconds before taking out his phone, unlocking it, and turning the screen towards Lucas: "The Asian you're talking about, is it him?"

A candid photo.

The man was wearing a baseball cap and a black jacket, and his head was slightly bowed.

Lucas stared intently at the screen, one second, two seconds, three seconds.
After a long while, he finally raised his head and said with difficulty, "Yes."

You've caught him? Who is he? Why did he do that?

Enrique forced a stiff smile upon hearing this, patted the bed rail, and whispered, "Take a look at the news, kid."

After saying that, he turned around and left the ward without hesitation.

On his way to the parking lot, he quickly dialed a number:
"Sir, it's me, Enrique."

“Speak.” “The receptionist also confirmed that, consistent with the statements of other witnesses, the attacker was the wanted Asian man.”

"."

"Sir?"

"Alright, let's temporarily suspend the investigation and await further instructions from me."

After giving his instructions to Enrique, Rocha hung up the phone, his brow furrowing slightly, but he quickly regained his usual composure.

He straightened his clothes, pushed open the door to the club's private lounge, and went inside.

The surrounding walls were not deliberately decorated; they were simply made of wooden panels and dark curtains, which reflected soft light.

In the corner hangs an 18th-century French court painting by Fragonard.

A noblewoman, dressed in a fluffy skirt, swung lightly on a swing dappled with the shadows of the trees, her skirt billowing in the wind, while a man beside her looked up and stole glances at her ankles.

Álvaro Domingos sat at the oak table in the center of the room, dressed in riding attire, his boots still on, with mud streaks remaining on the toes.

He twirled a glass in his hand, the amber liquid swirling and gleaming under the crystal chandelier.

Hearing footsteps, he merely glanced at Rocha indifferently, waiting for the other to explain.

"Barbossa just called to report that the Asians orchestrated the attack on the intelligence agency the day before yesterday."

As he spoke, Rocha casually pulled out a chair and sat down.

Alvaro narrowed his eyes and tapped his fingers lightly on the rim of his glass: "Are you sure it's the same person?"

“Yes, the eyewitness accounts match, and Barbosa also had them compared.” Rocha reached for a glass of water.

"Judging from the results, this guy had a clear purpose. He wasn't just randomly creating chaos somewhere; he was operating according to some clear program."

"Oh?"

"This operation resulted in one death and six injuries."

“Logically speaking, he could have killed them all, especially during a large-scale power outage, and no one would have known it was him.”

"But he didn't. Instead, he chose such a high-profile approach that it was almost as if he was sending some kind of message to the outside world, no, to us."

Alvaro stopped moving, his gaze darkening slightly.

"It sounds like you already have a guess."

Luo Cha took two sips of water to moisten his throat:
“I don’t think Rubens was telling us the truth.”

"There may be others in the intelligence agency who have that recording, or Gina may not have had any evidence at all in the first place, and she was just a scapegoat pushed out to take the blame."

"Regardless of the truth, Rubens played a key role in it."

"Who knows, maybe he orchestrated the whole thing."

"For example, Rubens is ambitious and has some connections, so he plans to find some secret information in exchange for benefits, such as a promotion or money."

"But after the truth came out, he realized that the situation was far beyond his control. So, he made the decisive choice to sacrifice Gina."

"Of course, to be honest, these are all just my speculations, there's no real evidence. He—"

"Someone will deal with Rubens."

Alvaro finally spoke up, interrupting his reasoning. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority.

Rocha didn't show any surprise, nodded slightly, and then asked, "What about the Asians and Gina? Should we continue the pursuit?"

Looking down at the time, Alvaro slowly stood up and picked up the black polo gloves lying on the table: "I hate risk."

"understood."

(End of this chapter)