Starting from South America, speeding through the world

Chapter 81 Stepping in

Chapter 81 Stepping in
It's almost night.

A faint, iron-gray glow lingered on the distant horizon, but it couldn't illuminate the wind-eroded wasteland beneath the hills.

Zhou Yi lay half-lying behind a collapsed rock face, his body hidden between two boulders.

The backpack, placed under my chest and forearms, shielded me from the chill of the frozen ground.

Through his binoculars, he observed a Soviet-era ammunition depot two kilometers away.

The main body of the building is mostly buried at the bottom of the slope, with only the front entrance exposed.

Locals call it "Warehouse No. 6," but its actual number has never appeared in any public records.

The wind blew in from the direction of South Bay, carrying a damp, fishy smell.

He had been waiting here for more than four hours.

The telescope was bought from Yuri, along with several Makarov rifles, two AKS-74s, and a vehicle, for a total of $1,750.

The binoculars were old military equipment, a BBK-5 with 12x magnification. They lacked modern electronic systems, but the optical quality was surprisingly clear.

Ever since Zhou Yi obtained the address of the American expert from Milova, he has been keeping an eye on him.

Luckily, they found this place within two days by tracking it.

After all, most of these people have engineering backgrounds and are not very aware of confidentiality, so they did almost nothing to conceal their itinerary.

Turning his gaze away, Zhou Yi opened his notebook, took out a pen, and continued taking notes.

15:28—Observation begins. Two sentries change shifts, equipped with AKS-74U rifles and individual radios. Their uniforms are intact, the shift change procedure is standard, and after completing the handover of identities, they conduct foot patrols along the north and east sides respectively. No abnormal behavior is observed.

16:03—ZIL-131 entered, the vehicle had no serial number, the rear was covered with a tarpaulin, and a danger sign was affixed to the upper right corner. It entered alone, without any escort.

16:10 — Eight people carried out two large metal boxes without the use of machinery. The boxes had no obvious unit markings, were approximately 2.5 x 1 x 1.5 meters in size, and were unmarked. The boxes had clips on their corners, suggesting they were military-grade containers.

16:51—A brief stream of white vapor was emitted from the north-facing roof vent for about 20 seconds. There was no obvious thermal disturbance, and the vapor diffused slowly, suggesting it may be temperature-controlled exhaust. No air conditioner or generator was exposed.

At 17:03, a brief gathering occurred within the restricted area. One person, carrying a black leather wallet, spoke with the sentry for approximately 30 seconds before entering the main gate. No equipment was carried. The rest remained in place before dispersing and leaving. This was determined to be a document delivery or administrative inspection activity.

17:24—UAZ-469 arrived, two people in plainclothes entered carrying documents. No inspection was observed. They were determined to be authorized visitors.

18:12—Warehouse area lighting is turned on, limited to the main entrance and surrounding area. The lighting is stable, with no external cables visible. The lighting method is low-key, possibly from a small independent transformer or connected to the existing military power grid.

18:37—A brief flashing of lights occurred on the east ramp, lasting approximately three seconds, but did not affect the main lighting system. This is suspected to be an internal circuit switching or backup power test. No one was seen checking outside, so it is determined to be a non-malfunction.

19:08 — The three left through the side gate, dressed the same as the previous porters.

19:45—A small technical vehicle leaves the warehouse, its top red light constantly illuminated. The platform is empty, with a flexible cable connected to the rear. It stops several times during transit. Sensors or interface components are mounted on the side of the vehicle, suspected to be for air/radiation detection. Record complete.

Zhou Yi waited for another half hour, but there was still no new activity from the warehouse.

After a moment's consideration, he decided to retreat first.

The risks are rising at night.

As sentries increase their patrol routes, they also become more irregular.

More importantly, he was using an old-fashioned optical telescope, which had no night vision function and no thermal imaging module—but the other party might not have been.

Military warehouses like these from the 1990s, especially facilities that handle strategic materials, were likely already equipped with early models of infrared sensors or fixed heat source scanning equipment, which were sufficient to locate a heat source that did not move for a long time.

With that thought in mind, Zhou Yi quickly packed his things, lowered his body, and quietly retreated down the slope from behind the rocks.

After walking for about twenty minutes, he finally found his way back to the car hidden beside the ditch.

Zhou Yi threw his backpack under the passenger seat, started the engine, and stepped on the gas, driving southwest along the gravel road toward the city.

Due to its price, the car body is old and the suspension is a bit loose, so every bump causes a slight vibration inside the wheel arches.

But Zhou Yi's thoughts kept flowing.

The site visits over the past few days have been quite fruitful.

One of these measures is to confirm that the enclosed area beneath the main warehouse does indeed contain the target and that preparations for its transfer are underway.

The pace, process, loading method, and the discipline of the handlers all indicate that this batch of goods is not "unused" inventory, but rather destined for Russia—the exact date is unknown. It's impossible for one person to force their way into the warehouse.

Even if he managed to sneak in, he wouldn't be able to take anything with him.

There was no hoisting, no cover, and no transport route.

In reality, such a warhead, along with its container, weighs at least 300 kilograms.

That's not something you can "carry"; it has to be "hoisted" out.

Not to mention the box, which will most likely have an electric lock, timer, and thermal fuse.

Zhou Yi took a deep breath.

Therefore, what he needs to keep an eye on next is not just the warehouse, but the transfer of warheads after they have undergone the minimum safety passivation process.

That is, railways.

But similarly, that also requires manpower.

Therefore, in the time to come, he must advance from two directions simultaneously:

First, it is necessary to obtain the transfer schedule and route nodes, including all possible temporary shunting stations, branch line connection points, and available railway platforms for loading.

These are things he can do alone.

It takes money, patience, and a little bit of violence.

The second, and more challenging, challenge is finding the right person while remaining completely unaware of your true intentions.

By the way, what was that arms dealer's name again?

Zhou Yi frowned.

Igor.

Igor Sergeyevich.

Just then, the car phone under the passenger seat rang.

That thing was obtained by Yuri; it was an old Tavaria-1 car radio.

It connects to a regional communication frequency band left over from the early days of the military, with the wiring hidden behind the audio system.

The signal was intermittent, but it was enough for him.

Zhou Yi picked up the microphone, but before he could speak, a familiar voice came from the other end.