Chapter 3: A Great Opportunity_2
"Uncle Juan, are you... are you now involved in 'agricultural import-export' trade at the US-Mexico border?"
Old Juan shook his head, straightened his back proudly, and replied in an almost official tone:
"No, I am now engaged in the aviation transportation industry, providing convenient and high-quality logistics services for areas with poor accessibility."
These words left Mills utterly speechless. He stared blankly at Old Juan, as if he were seeing the old man he once despised for the first time.
Monica, on the other hand, had a different reaction. She took two steps forward, glaring into Old Juan's face, forcing him to retreat two steps.
"Old man, you're a Mexican, what makes you think that becoming a citizen can make you an American? You even got a lawyer, do you think that will scare me?"
She grabbed Old Juan's wrist, making the expensive watch on it glisten under the light, but scoffed:
"This thing can only show off some pathetic superiority in front of the lowly. It won't save your life. If you can't catch Victor, I'll throw your whole family into 'Guantanamo' as terrorists."
Faced with real authority, Old Juan's face turned pale with fright.
Mills, on the other hand, started to enjoy himself again, shouting loudly: "Good, good, arrest him, detain this old coot. Without him causing trouble, the suspect named Victor won't escape."
-----------------
At this moment, Zhou Qingfeng had long since left the bustle of Monte Verde town, standing in another town over ten kilometers away.
The streets of the town were sparsely lit. He stood quietly in a dark corner, staring intently at a military police team twenty to thirty meters ahead.
It was a temporary checkpoint set up by National Guard soldiers, about a squad in strength, blocking the intersection and checking vehicles and pedestrians passing by.
The soldiers were evidently extremely dissatisfied, extremely tired, and impatient with this sudden night patrol.
Their movements were rough, their tones harsh, and their yelling was particularly grating in the silent night.
"Damn it, what the hell are we doing out here in the middle of the night!" a soldier muttered under his breath, kicking the barricade beside him as if to vent his frustration.
"One word from above, and we have to be out here on duty," another soldier echoed, his tone full of annoyance and resentment.
Whenever a vehicle or pedestrian approached the checkpoint, the soldiers would rudely wave them to stop, demanding their documents without any courtesy.
Their attitude was extremely nasty, treating every subject of their checks as potential criminals.
A middle-aged man moving a bit slowly was immediately berated: "Hurry up! What's taking you so long? You got something to hide?"
Zhou Qingfeng watched coldly.
Monica hadn't just called in the twenty or thirty vehicles and hundred or so military police guarding Monte Verde.
To capture the criminal who assassinated the governor, Florida had mobilized over a thousand military police overnight.
Hundreds of vehicles controlled all traffic routes around seven or eight towns surrounding Monte Verde in a couple of hours.
In Monica's plan, Zhou Qingfeng wouldn't receive any outside help and would be trapped, leaving him no escape.
What's next was to exhaust manpower and resources to search everyone in the blockade area, naturally catching Zhou Qingfeng in the process.
At that moment, the 'Gray Shark' called to report some bad news, "Victor, Old Juan didn't call me every half hour as agreed.
I checked his phone signal, and he's still in Monte Verde. According to the plan, he should have gone to the police station to report his heavy truck stolen by now.
Also, the fake signal base station in Monte Verde is filtering mobile numbers. Excluding the long-term residents' numbers, we found over a hundred incoming numbers.
A few of those numbers were in Miami a few hours ago. Monica is definitely among them. I can give you her location."
"Got it, looks like hiding is out of the question; time to teach that bitch a lesson." Zhou Qingfeng accepted the information from 'Gray Shark' and reverse-locked Monica's position.
Considering the distance between them... "I need to find a vehicle." Zhou Qingfeng looked at the military police at the intersection and made a call.
-----------------
The guards stationed at the checkpoint were yawning listlessly, their eyelids heavy as if filled with lead.
Their irritation and roughness were no accidents, but a true reflection of long-term slackness and fatigue.
The squad leader stood by the roadside, his shadow stretched long under the bright headlights. Suddenly, his phone vibrated, showing an unknown number on the screen.
He quickly glanced around, seeing no one noticing, then walked towards a dark corner, answering the call.
"Is this Sergeant Johnny?" A strange voice came from the other end.
"Yes, who are you?" Sergeant Johnny lowered his voice and scanned the nearby lazy soldiers warily.
"Old Juan said you could provide some help if necessary."
"You're nearby, aren't you?" Sergeant Johnny looked around the darkness again. "Yes, I can help. But you need to pay three thousand US dollars, in cash."
"No problem, I need to get to Monte Verde. I'll give you three thousand US dollars when I get in the car, and two thousand more when we arrive."
Sergeant Johnny was stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting the destination to be Monte Verde. "Aren't you trying to escape? Why go to Monte Verde?"
"Is there a problem?" the voice remained calm.
"No problem, but I need to bring a soldier with me, you don't mind, right?" Sergeant Johnny emphasized.
"I don't mind."
After negotiating, Sergeant Johnny suddenly turned around and shouted to his subordinates: "I'm going to the town to buy some food. Do you want hot dogs, burgers, drinks, or anything?"
The restless soldiers cheered upon hearing the sergeant would bring back food, as if this short-lived expectation could dispel their fatigue.
Sergeant Johnny picked a trusted soldier, and the two got into a military vehicle, quickly leaving their post, disappearing into the endless night.
After driving a hundred meters or so, Sergeant Johnny stopped the car by the roadside, ready to dial the phone again.
Before he could press the call button, there came a knocking on the window—Zhou Qingfeng had arrived.
After getting into the car, the sergeant took three thousand US dollars in cash and saw that the passenger was an Asian man. Zhou Qingfeng confirmed that both soldiers were Latino.
The two men briefly shook hands, but Sergeant Johnny did not let go immediately, squeezing slightly as if testing something.
"I'm just trying to earn some money for my kid's milk powder, you don't look down on me, do you?" His tone had a hint of self-deprecation.
Zhou Qingfeng also squeezed back, gripping the other's hand tightly. "I would only praise you as a responsible father."
The two men's hands wrestled in silence, like an unspoken contest. After a few seconds, they both laughed lightly and let go.
The soldier in the back seat seemed a bit nervous, clutching his rifle tightly, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the safety latch.
The vehicle reached its destination in just seven or eight minutes for the ten-plus kilometers journey.
Before getting off, Zhou Qingfeng indeed paid the additional two thousand dollars as agreed, even giving the backseat soldier five hundred dollars as a tip.
Inside the car, the sergeant and soldier watched Zhou Qingfeng's silhouette gradually disappear into Monte Verde's night. Chесk Мy Virtuаl Librаry Еmpirе (МV1LЕМР1YR) fоr thе lаtеst updаtеs.
The soldier looked at the money in his hand and couldn't help but ask, "That guy's bounty is a million dollars. Why didn't we catch him?"
The sergeant pursed his lips and shook his hand, still faintly aching, showing it to the soldier. "That guy has real strength. I'm not confident about earning that million dollars."
The soldier saw the obvious red marks on the sergeant's hand and immediately closed his mouth, not saying another word.
-----------------
At this moment, Mills lazily walked out of the small town police station, finding a deserted shadowy spot to unzip and urinate.
Halfway through, he heard footsteps approaching from outside the police station.
The sound was monotonous, suggesting just one person. But anyone daring to be on the street in the middle of the night was quite odd.
Mills turned his head towards the direction of the footsteps, seeing a tall figure emerging under the streetlights not far away...
Recognizing that cold, stern face, Mills felt a chill run from his feet to his head.
Ignoring the unfinished business, he didn't even have time to zip up, shaking his 'bird' as he turned and ran to the police station, shouting:
"He's here, he's here! That guy is alone. It's a great chance, catch him, catch him now!"