Starting from South America, speeding through the world

Chapter 319 Carrot and Stick

Chapter 319 Carrot and Stick
Potomac.

In the early morning, the woods on the opposite bank of the river were not yet fully awake, and a few birdsongs could be heard in the distance.

In the kitchen, the aroma gradually wafted from the coffee machine.

Isabel, wearing a dark shirt, got up from the dining table and walked towards the cupboard.

"Where is the salt?"

"It's on your right." Zhou Yi put the omelet from the frying pan onto a plate and answered without looking up.

"I never expected you to make your own breakfast."

“You can’t expect a dedicated Panera employee to be willing to endure a 40-minute drive.”

Zhou Yi turned off the stove, picked up the plate, and walked towards the restaurant.

“Yeah, I’m right.” Isabel shrugged and followed him.

"But I prefer to call it the suffering of the rich."

Just as Zhou Yi was about to speak, his old cell phone, which was placed on the corner of the table, vibrated twice.

"A work phone?" Isabel raised an eyebrow. "Come on, what time is it?"

"I consider myself a dedicated person," Zhou Yi replied casually, taking his phone to unlock it.

A string of characters quickly appeared on the webpage.

Inbound Tx (1/3) – conf:6
Then came the second and third, with a few seconds in between.

Seeing this, Isabel wisely shut her mouth and silently ate her breakfast.

At the same time, two lines of text appeared.

—Two delivery confirmations.

—Well done, Jim Spencer.

The knife and fork scraped across the porcelain plate.

"What's wrong?" Isabel asked.

"It's nothing." Zhou Yi blinked, as if nothing had happened.

A new message appeared in the chat room.

Delivery accepted. Down payment available. 10 names. $100 million.

Then, ten surnames were neatly listed, all of them belonging to important figures on Capitol Hill.

Sterling, Walsh, Collins
— Either accept or refuse.

—Please consider the following three dates before making your choice:
——05/17/2011–Hermosillo

—09/02/2012–McCarlan
——03/08/2013–El Paso (vic.)
Zhou Yi's expression was a little strange.

Isabel also keenly noticed it.

"Are you really okay?" she asked.

“My colleague,” Zhou Yi paused, seemingly considering his words, “made a small mistake at work.”

Meanwhile, the employer was still sending messages.

You won't like the consequences of rejection.

A silhouette image with almost no resolution was sent to me.

Located in the parking lot, the bottom right corner has very small white text: NCIC pending.

Carrots and sticks were served.

The order is also quite important.

Unfortunately, the target was wrong.

—We value the abilities of professionals; compensation is not an issue.

—Prove yourself, Jim.

Zhou Yi couldn't help but laugh.

—A very courageous attempt, Madeline.

There was immediate silence on the other end.

Three seconds later, the screen flickered.

Do your job well.

And then, there was nothing left.

Isabel pushed the plate towards Zhou Yi: "You haven't eaten yet."

"Eat later."

"Don't waste it."

"will not."

She stared at Zhou Yi's face, hesitated, and finally just shook her head and said, "I have to go."

"I have a meeting at 10 o'clock on K Street, so I might be back a little late today."

Zhou Yi took out his car keys from his pocket and tossed them over: "It'll be more convenient to drive the car away."

"What about you?"

"I still have some things to take care of."

Are you coming home for dinner tonight?

"Not necessarily, it depends on the situation."

“Well,” Isabel sighed. “Anyway, Congress has been arguing about the budget lately, and nobody’s happy.”

"Anyway, be careful in everything. If you can't handle it, there's always James." After saying goodbye to Zhou Yi, she picked up her briefcase and left the room.

The sound of something sliding came from the direction of the garage, and after a while, the engine started and the car drove away.

The villa fell silent again.

Zhou Yi sat for a while before standing up and putting the dishes into the dishwasher.

After he finished tidying up, he walked into the living room, bent down, and took a USB flash drive out of the drawer.

Plug it into the computer, press the power button, and connect it to the preset node.

The system loads very slowly.

He lit a cigarette, let out a long sigh, and entered the chat room.

Not long after, Jim's code name lit up.

—Did you see that?
—I see. First carrot, then stick; the employer thinks he's Roosevelt.

—The employer thinks I am you.

After Zhou Yi finished typing this line, he pulled over the ashtray that was not far away.

—She thought she knew everything.

—Not everything, but pretty much.

—Those three dates, and the signboard, Hermosillo. McCallum. El Paso. I don't think it's a coincidence.

—If someone like this can find out about you, I should say your skills have deteriorated?

Jim returned quickly.

—Don't forget, she's the Deputy Secretary of State, a Deputy Secretary of State with an MI background, not some local councilor.

No matter what, you have to give up this account.

—And then? Ten names, I don't think it will end here.

The cursor blinked a few times, and finally typed:

How certain are you that she is the employer?

Before Harrison, it was 30%; after Harrison, it was 50%; now? 90%.

I need a reason.

Zhou Yi squinted, flicked his cigarette butt, and sparks landed on the edge of the table.

—Just look at the list and you'll know.

—Two congressional testimony that are relevant to recent events.

—There are two more. A few years ago, I tried to bring up old grievances, but I was kicked aside.

—I don’t think it’s a coincidence that it’s four out of ten.

—You finished your homework before breakfast? That's quite efficient.

Smoke swirled above the keyboard.

Zhou Yi ignored the teasing and quickly dropped her fingertips.

—What are your plans to do?

Jim thought for a few seconds, then quickly wrote down seriously:
—I can tell this woman is going crazy.

—After that incident in Kunar Valley, I swore I would never work for a madman again.

--so?
—Let's eliminate this hidden danger. You and me.

This is not an easy task.

—But it's not difficult either.

Zhou Yi surveyed the chat room's rudimentary layout: gray background with black text and no extra buttons, resembling an old forum from ten years ago.

He pondered for a moment, then typed a line:

—I'm not sure if you know, but she's going to Ukraine soon.

—Are you referring to a “learning trip” or “technical assistance”?
—This year is 2013.

--you mean?

—None of those. Someone was pushing her along, making her feel "indispensable."

—This has nothing to do with us. Are you still in contact with them?

—Unofficial, occasionally knowing where they operate, the latest news, Kyiv.

How should we meet?

—3 PM, Annapolis, dock.

—That old place where the seagulls never stop making noise?
--Yes.

See you later.

Zhou Yi stubbed out his cigarette, unplugged the USB drive, and rearranged the computer.