Starting from South America, speeding through the world

Chapter 31 New Plan

Zhou Yi pushed open the villa's door, and the aroma of food wafted out.

The richness of butter, the spiciness of spices, and the intense flavor of grilled cheese blend together, with a hint of sweet coconut milk.

On the table, the golden soup gleamed under the candlelight, garnished with tomatoes and coriander leaves.

Several pieces of plump sea fish are soaking in a rich sauce.

The bowl next to it contained farofa, tapioca flour coating crispy bacon bits, with a faint smoky aroma.

On the far left is a large salad, with fresh lettuce leaves at the bottom, thin onion rings and a few slices of cucumber, and topped with olive oil and lemon juice.

Two glasses held chilled guarana soda, bubbles rising to the surface with a soft popping sound.

Gina was sitting at the dining table with two loaded guns beside her.

Hearing someone enter the room, she looked up, a look of wariness flashing in her eyes.

Upon seeing that it was Zhou Yi, all their anticipation turned into excitement.

"How was it? Did the plan succeed?"

Zhou Yi pulled out a chair, picked up the cutlery, and shook his head.

"The plan failed."

As he spoke, he scooped up a piece of fish and put it on his plate.

The wooden spoon swept across the rim of the bowl, causing the soup to slosh around.

"Someone fired before I could."

Gina froze, her hand holding the fork stiffening for a moment: "What?"

Zhou Yi cut off a small piece of stewed fish, and the moment it entered her mouth, the aroma of coconut milk spread across her tongue.

Next comes the slight acidity of the tomato and the refreshing aroma of lemongrass, which cleverly balances the heaviness brought by the oil.

After swallowing his food completely, he calmly began, "It was a young man, probably seventeen or eighteen years old, disguised as a volunteer, shooting with a Taurus PT92 pistol."

Gina's breath hitched, and she quickly asked, "Did he succeed? How's the target?"

Zhou Yi picked up the glass on the table, took a sip of soda, and said, "Good marksmanship, right in the chest."

Gina frowned: "So, Rodriguez just died like that?"

“He died on the spot.” Zhou Yi nodded and continued eating his stewed fish. “It’s a pity that none of his bodyguards knew how to perform first aid.”

The air was quiet for a few seconds.

All that remained were the flickering shadows of the candlelight and the faint sounds of melting ice.

Gina took a deep breath, her voice unconsciously lowering: "Anyway, I've already sent the documents to my journalist friend, and he promised to publish them immediately once the incident occurs."

Zhou Yi scooped some farofa onto the plate: "Don't even think about it, it's useless."

"Why?" Gina stared at him, her eyes filled with urgency.

"Because when that child fired the gun, he shouted a bunch of things about revenge, corruption, and justice."

Gina instantly understood what this meant, her eyes widened, and her face turned pale.

"In this way, the incident will be portrayed as revenge by slum youths, rather than some damn political conspiracy."

Zhou Yi calmly analyzed.

"The document you're releasing now will only circulate within a specific circle at best, and it won't attract enough attention."

"Moreover, with Rodriguez dead, Alvaro has almost certainly won the game."

"This will undoubtedly deter those lawmakers with ulterior motives and make them more cautious in pushing for a CPI survey."

"Then what should we do now?"

Gina had lost all appetite, her voice trembling with unease, "Plan another assassination?"

"The public will only be interested in the first assassination because it is groundbreaking and impactful."

Zhou Yi had a good appetite; he shrugged and picked up another half plate of salad.

“But what about the second time? It loses its novelty and becomes a boring repetition, like some kind of clumsy imitation.” He poked the tomato on his plate with his fork.

"So if we want to change the situation, we can't use the same methods. We need something more inflammatory, something that can't be ignored."

Gina was silent for a moment, then picked up her glass and took a sip of soda.

The cold liquid slid down my throat, but it did nothing to ease my anxiety.

After a long pause, she finally spoke:
"John, can we leave El Salvador first?"

"why?"

"Don't you think this is too dangerous?"

Gina sighed, her expression showing a hint of exhaustion.

“We can’t hide here forever. We’ll be found sooner or later. Instead of wasting our time here, we should leave first and then make a new plan.”

Zhou Yi took a tissue and wiped her mouth: "Where do you want to go?"

Gina thought for a moment and tentatively suggested, "Could we go to Campinas, or even further, to São Paulo?"

Zhou Yi started eating again with his head down.

Gina's cooking skills are really good, much better than the MRE he used to eat raw while squatting in the outpost.

"Or, go directly to Brasilia?"

Gina was still listing place names, her tone slightly hurried.

"As a political center, that place might be where we can find a breakthrough in the federal government."

Zhou Yi remained noncommittal, reached for the glass on the table, and rubbed his fingertip against the outside of the glass.

"Or we could leave Brazil? South America is huge, we could go to Argentina, Chile, or even Peru, or—"

Gina licked her lips, then took a deep breath: "Or, shall we just go to America?"

Zhou Yi seemed to have thought of something and raised his voice slightly: "Go to America?"

"Yeah, anyway, you said you were an operative for an intelligence agency, didn't you?"

Gina simply let loose.

"If anyone can influence Alvaro, it's definitely the Americans. Why are we going through all this trouble and taking such a huge risk? Wouldn't it be simpler to just target his biggest financial backer?"

Zhou Yi didn't answer, but just looked at her quietly, as if he was thinking about something.

A few seconds later, he suddenly chuckled, put down his glass, and asked meaningfully, "Do you know what year it is now?"

Gina frowned: "200X? What's wrong?"

With the plan in his mind becoming clearer, Zhou Yi tapped the table with his finger, looked up and said, "Okay, why not go to America?"

Gina was very surprised: "Are you serious?"

"Of course, but we need to get plane tickets."

"The problem lies in proof of identity."

Gina looked a little worried. "You don't have one, and neither do I. A black market passport isn't something you can get overnight."

"So, we need some special help."

"You mean—?"

"Tell me about your benefactor."

"His name is Oswaldo Teixeira, and he's in charge of the intelligence agency's international operations and counterintelligence. But I don't see any reason why he would help me, especially after pushing me out to my death."

Zhou Yi scratched his head: "Is he married?"

"Well, as far as I know, he got married a long time ago, but he only has one son."

"Great, here's the reason!"

(End of this chapter)