Starting from South America, speeding through the world

Chapter 135 Spirit
Lucas came downstairs wearing a T-shirt and holding his phone.

"Send me that memo first, we can talk about the rest tomorrow morning, don't do it now—"

Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Yi had already handed him the brick.

Lucas frowned, instinctively catching it: "What is this?"

“A gift,” Zhou Yi said succinctly, “I brought it especially for you tonight.”

"What do you mean?"

"I suggest you handle this properly."

"Don't keep it at home, especially where children can reach it."

Upon noticing the bloodstains on it, Lucas's expression instantly turned strange.

"This is you."

He hesitated for a long time, then finally stuffed the item into the drawer next to him:
"What's going on with you lately?"

Zhou Yi sat down, resting one hand on the back of the chair, and did not answer immediately.

He glanced at the cabinet displaying toy guns under the warm yellow light, his gaze lingering briefly.

“I’m serious,” Lucas said again.
"The last time I saw you, you seemed to be in good spirits and everything looked normal. But this time you've come back, you're noticeably more—"

He paused for a few seconds, seemingly considering his words.

"—Even more radical."

Zhou Yi smiled.

"Is that considered radical?" he retorted. "I'm just handling problems efficiently."

"You know I'm not talking about efficiency."

Lucas gestured with his chin to indicate the location where the bricks were hidden. "I'm talking about these."

"I might be getting a little nostalgic lately." Zhou Yi raised his hand and touched his nose.

Lucas remained silent for a while, then changed his approach: "Have you had a new psychological evaluation recently?"

"Do not have time."

“You should do it,” Lucas said, “especially for what’s to come.”

"James's seven-figure mission?"

"Yes, in eastern Congo."

When Lucas said this, his tone was low, his body leaned slightly forward, but his eyes remained fixed on Zhou Yi.

"Which part specifically?" Zhou Yi asked.

"Between Ituri and South Kivu, on the western side of the Masisi Basin."

“The French developed it in the 1970s, but it was later taken back, and the project was interrupted for twenty years.”

“Re-tendering has been conducted in recent years.”

"You mean a gold mine?"

"Mainly cobalt, and rare earth elements."

Zhou Yi didn't reply immediately.

His gaze fell on the black and white photograph on the opposite wall in the living room.

Lucas's wedding.

I stood on the very edge, my smile restrained and stiff.

"Why do you want me to come over?"

"A crucial meeting is scheduled to be held there next month."

"It was proposed by the Kabila government with the help of 'certain forces'."

"The focus of the review is to reassess the mineral contracts signed in the early 2000s and to accept the World Bank and IMF's 'transparency monitoring mechanism' from now on."

"It sounds like a legitimate thing."

"Yes, for them."

Lucas shrugged. "But for others, once the plan is launched, all the previous arrangements over there will essentially be wiped out."

What benefits could CENTCOM possibly gain there?

"To be precise, it's not us—it's James's friends."

“Back in 2009, they signed a preliminary mining agreement with a company registered in Dubai, which gave them 30% of the mining area in that mining zone.”

Who is Party A?

"The interim government in eastern Congo was then controlled by local armed groups."

Zhou Yi smirked: "So it's an illegal contract."

“It can’t be called illegal.” Lucas shook his head slightly.

"It is a wartime resource contract based on de facto control."

Zhou Yi sighed: "Simply put, Langley was up to something, and they just happened to get caught in the crossfire?"

"more or less."

"The new government they support is preparing to cancel all old contracts, ostensibly targeting other countries, but in reality, it also affects the company."

Who did Langley send?

"The person in charge is named Tom Sherman."

"Armed protection?" "Of course, their people, even though they're using the name of a Ugandan defense company."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Ensure that meeting is postponed, moved, or fails."

"It's up to you to decide how to do it."

"kill?"

"If you believe you have no other choice."

"Is James also working at this company?"

Lucas remained silent.

After a long pause, he vaguely replied, "I have some shares, but it's mainly based on personal relationships."

How much can you pay me?

"one million."

"Too little."

"I'm sorry, they can't offer any more."

"You are not the only one carrying out this mission."

"But others can't do what I can."

Lucas did not refute.

Zhou Yi looked at him calmly: "Why don't you let someone from the system do it?"

"The system cannot leave any traces, and Langley has received a lot of support."

"The White House, the State Department's Department of Development, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. You know what that means."

"Two million, I'll set off immediately."

Lucas's eyebrows twitched slightly, but he didn't show any surprise.

"That's impossible. The most we can offer is 1.5 million."

"You want me to go and interrupt multilateral negotiations, disrupting a plan that has been in the works for years."

"This doesn't sound like something that can be solved with 1.5 million."

“You know I didn’t set the price,” Lucas said helplessly. “It wasn’t even James who decided.”

"The company makes the payments, and the account is in Luxembourg. The money moves quickly, but it can't be too large a sum."

"One and a half million, that's the limit."

"."

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Yi nodded and asked, "When should I set off?"

"Seven days later, other users were still in the gray zone and had not been officially labeled."

"But before that, I'll say it again: you need to get a psychological evaluation first."

Lucas looked very serious when he said this, and there was no hint of joking in his voice.

"You think I'm mentally ill?" Zhou Yi laughed angrily.

“Of course not,” Lucas quickly denied.

But then she added, "Your condition has changed too much lately, so the basic procedures still need to be followed."

Zhou Yi sighed, accepting the situation, and didn't argue further.

The living room fell silent again for a short while.

Just then, Sarah's voice came from the kitchen: "Are you done talking? The food's getting cold!"

Upon hearing this, Lucas stood up, turned around, and replied, "Coming, coming right away."

After he finished speaking, he gestured for Zhou Yi to come over with him.

But Zhou Yi didn't move.

He remained seated, his right hand resting on the armrest of the sofa, seemingly pondering a complex issue.

Lucas noticed and immediately stopped.

Then, Zhou Yi spoke:

Why did you do all this?

Lucas suddenly seemed a little tense.

Are you fucking serious?

"For money?" Zhou Yi continued, seemingly oblivious to his question, "Okay, then it's money. And then what?"

Lucas's eyelids twitched: "Don't tell me you've become a complete nihilist."

“You can think of it that way,” Zhou Yi nodded indifferently, “but you still haven’t answered my question.”

Lucas narrowed his eyes and walked back.

"how about you?"

Why would you give up a promising future and choose this path?

This time, Zhou Yi stared at his dark face and finally couldn't help but burst into laughter:
"Look at your face, bro, it's fucking hilarious."

(End of this chapter)