Starting from South America, speeding through the world

Chapter 67 Looking for a job

A burst of boisterous laughter erupted from around the round table.

Immediately afterwards, the remaining three people stood up from their seats.

Zhou Yi remained silent, turned his body, took a half step back, and reached for his lower back with his right hand.

Using his coat as cover, he summoned a pistol from the system.

The nearest bald man was within five steps.

Two others came from the flank, and another approached from the rear.

He could take care of the nearest one with his bare hands, then draw his gun and hit the flank, before turning around to deal with the last one.

The whole process will not take more than ten seconds.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" the bald man shouted. "Are you scared?"

It's now--

"Almost got it."

A deep voice came from the corner.

The young men paused, turning their heads to look in that direction.

Zhou Yi sensed that things might be turning around and quietly tucked the gun back into his waistband.

After all, there were only eight bullets left in the magazine.

It's a bit of a waste to waste it here.

Perhaps we should wait for a better opportunity to make our move later.

The speaker was a middle-aged man, bald, not tall, but very stocky.

"guys."

He stood up as he spoke, straightened his cuffs, and said in a slightly teasing tone:
"You can make such a fuss over a drink? Are you guys planning to raise the protection fee for the bar, or are you recruiting soldiers here?"

The bald man's facial muscles twitched, and his gaze lingered on the middle-aged man's face for a few seconds, tinged with a hint of apprehension.

“Yuri,” he said, “this is our territory.”

“I know.” The middle-aged man nodded. “That’s why I didn’t do anything, I just said something.”

The air fell silent.

The bartender stood behind the bar, his gaze sweeping over the middle-aged man before quickly shifting away.

Zhou Yi remained vigilant, but his fingers slid off the gun handle and instead braced themselves on the edge of the chair.

The middle-aged man walked up to him, glanced at the wine glasses on the table, and then turned to ask the bartender, "How much is this wine?"

"One US dollar."

"I thought it was some kind of price, worth all this?"

The middle-aged man shook his head and clicked his tongue in amazement. He pulled out a banknote from inside his coat and slapped it on the bar. "This drink is on me."

The bartender didn't say anything and obediently took the money.

Seeing this, the young people had no choice but to give up and return to the round table with resentment on their faces.

"Thank you," Zhou Yi said softly.

"Don't thank me." The middle-aged man turned to look at Zhou Yi. "I just don't want anyone to start a fight in a place like this."

"Making a mess like this is really not worth it."

After he finished speaking, he took a beer from the bartender, patted Zhou Yi on the shoulder, and said, "Anyway, if you go out now, they will still be watching you. Why don't you sit with me for a while?"

Zhou Yi glanced around and realized that the man's appearance must have some ulterior motive.

Otherwise, who would be crazy enough to come and help you out of a predicament for no reason?

I just arrived here, with no money, no power, no status—a complete nobody.

Despite these thoughts, Zhou Yi still sat down.

Anyway, I'm not in a hurry. The system has given me three months to complete the task, so I might as well see what it wants first.

The middle-aged man smiled slightly, sat down next to Zhou Yi, lifted a corner of his coat to reveal a Makarov pistol in his waistband.

Then, he gestured to the bartender with his chin, "One for my friend, and some lard and garlic bread, too."

The bartender finally nodded like a human being and turned to prepare. "This place," the middle-aged man said, not in a hurry to get to the point, but instead remarked, "is full of resentment and drunkards. I don't mind it, I just find it interesting."

After he finished speaking, he offered me a cigarette. "Want one?"

“I have some.” Zhou Yi took out his cigarette case from his pocket and handed it over.

The middle-aged man took it, but instead of lighting it, he sniffed it. "Pretty good. Not local?"

"A pirated American product." Zhou Yi lit a cigarette for himself and handed over the lighter.

The middle-aged man, with a cigarette between his teeth, turned his head to light it and took a satisfied puff. "It's better than the one I brought back from Odessa the day before yesterday."

The two smoked in silence for a while.

The sound of the bartender chopping things came from the other end of the bar.

At the round table not far away, the group of young people were still cursing, but they did not approach again.

"Were you about to pull out your gun just now?" the middle-aged man finally asked.

Zhou Yi did not deny it and continued smoking.

"Good job, didn't even lift a finger. Those guys aren't worth wasting bullets on."

"If you really fight, you'll be the one who loses money in the end."

"They recognize you?" Zhou Yi finally asked.

“I know a bit about them. They collect protection money here, and this bar is under their control. I deal with them occasionally,” he explained casually.

"But you——"

"You're no ordinary person."

“I’ve been observing you for a while now, from your clothes and mannerisms. You can’t afford to pay for the drinks.”
"what do you want to say in the end?"

“It’s nothing,” the middle-aged man said, shrugging. “I just wanted to invite you for a drink.”

"So I'll leave after I finish drinking?"

The middle-aged man's smile deepened. "Why don't you listen to why I'm willing to help you?"

Zhou Yi nodded slightly, signaling him to continue.

“Your face screams ‘I need a job.’”

The middle-aged man said slowly and deliberately, "Swift movements and unwavering eyes. If you wanted, I reckon you could take down two of those guys in three seconds."

"But you don't, so I guess you don't have many bullets in your gun."

"In other words, you've just arrived here."

The middle-aged man moved closer and lowered his voice, "I happen to need someone who dares to take action. We don't have new faces every day. Interested in making some quick money?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the bartender brought out the food.

A bottle of beer, two small plates of thickly sliced ​​pork fat, and a plate of fragrant garlic rye bread.

After the bartender had walked away, Zhou Yi finally spoke, "What do you mean?"

The middle-aged man grabbed a piece of bread, added lard and salt, took a bite, and mumbled:

"That's what it means."

“I have a friend who has recently run into some trouble.”

"Of course, it's just a minor problem. We need to find a reliable, quick-acting, and quiet person."

"Why me? There are plenty of people who can kill these days."

"Because this is a messed-up era, newcomers are often more reliable."

“Those Muscovites, Odessa people, Chechens, they were all mixed together, and nobody knew who was working for whom.”

"Today we're friends, tomorrow we'll be stabbing each other with knives."

"Aren't you afraid I might be the other one with a knife?"

“I don’t know,” the middle-aged man shrugged. “But I like to gamble.”

"Bet on me?"

“I’m betting on your face,” he said. “You know what kind of person makes me feel most at ease? Not someone who’s always patting their chest and saying, ‘You can trust me,’ but someone who can’t even be bothered to mention the word ‘trust’.”

(End of this chapter)