Bluffing, This Wave Is Definitely a Bluff

Soon, Zhou Yi followed Darrell through the main entrance of the CIA headquarters.

Just as they stepped inside, the sound of a fire alarm, approaching from a distance, could be heard.

Following this, a fire truck convoy arrived at the entrance of the CIA headquarters, drawing the attention of everyone present.

"We received alerts in sectors 3, 7, and 12," three firefighters rushed to the front desk. The leading firefighter asked, "Did you receive any here?"

"We received them too," the receptionist replied, checking the interface on the computer with some confusion. "But the alarms didn't trigger."

"Which sector is the air conditioning unit in?" Ethan, disguised as a firefighter, asked.

"Sector 21, but there's no alarm in Sector 21," the receptionist answered.

"I need to go in and check the situation," Ethan said.

"I'm very sorry, but we cannot enter areas without an active alarm," the receptionist refused.

"Do you want the entire building to catch fire?" Ethan asked.

"I'm very sorry, but these are the regulations. No one is allowed to enter areas without a warning, unless..."

While the receptionist was speaking, Luther, who was waiting in the back of the fire truck, successfully hacked the warning system. Luther was a technician specifically brought in by Ethan for this operation.

The alarm sound then rang out.

"These gadgets are really useful... Where did Ethan get so many connections to acquire this kind of equipment?" Luther marveled at the specs of the gear Ethan had brought back a few days ago.

Little did he know, this equipment was actually newly developed gear that Zhou Yi had directly retrieved from the IRS Equipment Department.

Of course, it worked well!

"Hey," another receptionist tapped the one who was still explaining to Ethan, then pointed at the computer interface that Luther had just hacked. "We have an alarm now."

There was no way they could stop them now. The receptionist immediately said, "Follow me," and led Ethan and the others inside.

This was Ethan's plan for infiltration.

They first hacked the fire department's system, triggering a fire alarm report for the CIA headquarters' location. Then, they replaced the firefighters en route and arrived here without any obstacles.

After that, the powerful technician Luther would hack the alarm system here, giving them the opportunity to enter.

However, to be honest, this plan was riddled with so many loopholes that Zhou Yi couldn't even be bothered to complain...

Firstly, it was outrageous that when the fire alarm went off, the entire building's occupants didn't evacuate or send people to investigate.

Secondly, the firefighters arrived, and then... they were only accompanied by one receptionist to go and check the fire?

Were they that short-handed?

Thirdly, Ethan and his team had been carrying out their operation for a considerable amount of time. In all that time, no one came to check on them?

It was as if everyone had forgotten about them?

Fourthly, the dreaded ventilation ducts... This was the biggest and most classic point of contention.

Whether it was their width, large enough for two people to pass through, their thickness, strong enough to support the weight of several adult males, or their cleanliness, the fact that a rat could appear in them... Zhou Yi couldn't even be bothered to complain about these details.

The most absurd thing was that the CIA had installed a laser device at the exit of the ventilation duct in the main computer data room...

Since they had already considered the possibility of someone using the ventilation ducts, couldn't they have just made the ducts smaller, or made the exits smaller?

Even if we assume that the CIA headquarters had such a high population density that it required such large ventilation ducts... who would have ventilation ducts that were just pipes, without even a fan?

Were these ventilation ducts that relied on natural ventilation?

It was simply ridiculous!

Honestly, Zhou Yi felt like his intelligence was being dragged on the ground and ground into dust.

But...

Regardless, these weren't his teammates!

The more foolish the enemy, the better!

Although the CIA wasn't exactly an enemy, they were currently standing in opposition to what Zhou Yi intended to do, so calling them an enemy wasn't entirely wrong.

Zhou Yi wished that all CIA personnel were blind, allowing Ethan to smoothly retrieve the item and get that ten million dollars.

And he, in turn, would capture the mole, Jim, and hand him over to Ethan, thus completing their transaction.

Therefore, despite his inner complaints, Zhou Yi showed no outward signs of abnormality and said to Darrell, "Director Darrell, what were you saying earlier?"

"Ah, ah?" Darrell was about to ask what had happened, but when Zhou Yi called out to him, he snapped back to attention and quickly replied, "We were talking about... about the CIA renovation plans for next year!"

Zhou Yi: "...Huh?"

How come I don't remember us talking about that?

"Yes, that's right. You might not be aware, but the CIA is planning a large-scale renovation next year, making some modifications to the current old building plans."

Darrell began to utilize his fabricated storytelling skills, essential for his role as the head of administration, "This includes the ventilation duct system and many other aspects, which will require a significant expenditure of funds..."

As Darrell spoke, he led Zhou Yi towards the reception room, unaware that he had just narrowly escaped death.

To be honest, when Zhou Yi first heard Darrell mention the ventilation duct renovation, his immediate reaction was that they had been exposed, and he was already considering whether to make a move.

However, Zhou Yi quickly came to his senses.

Darrell wasn't that smart.

It wasn't that Zhou Yi was looking down on Darrell for no reason; it was just that, from any angle, Darrell had no ability or information channels to know about Ethan and his plan!

A bluff, this hand was definitely a bluff.

Besides, Zhou Yi saw nothing wrong from Darrell's expression, and... even if he had been exposed, Zhou Yi wouldn't have gone for the kill.

The objective of this operation was simply to get that list. If things escalated and someone died, it wouldn't be good for anyone.

Although Zhou Yi wasn't afraid, he wanted to avoid trouble if possible.

Ethan, naturally, saw Zhou Yi standing to the side. However, with his current disguised identity, he couldn't greet Zhou Yi. He was directly led by the receptionist towards Section 21.

In a car heading towards CIA headquarters, a man tried to make a phone call again.

However, just like the previous dozen attempts, the phone remained unanswered.

"Fuck!" The man threw his phone aside. "Not answering the phone, what are they trying to do?"

This man was the Director of the CIA, Brown Kerry.

After receiving a call from Administrative Minister Darrell and hearing the situation explained, he immediately had his driver take him to headquarters.

As such a massive intelligence agency, Brown, as the director, was very aware of what the CIA did on a daily basis. He understood that the CIA truly couldn't withstand an IRS investigation.

However, what he also understood clearly was that, under normal circumstances, the IRS wouldn't provoke them for no reason. After all, both were powerful departments, and both held dirt on each other, creating a mutual check and balance.

At most, there would be some minor friction.

But this time...

What was going on?

Out of the blue, they were going to turn hostile?

Brown was currently filled with clueless anger.

I believe I can do it, it's just 8,000 characters a day!

Hmm... did I expose something?

I have no saved drafts, believe me!