Cooperation

Tom: "...I don't care how you plan to act, but you must guarantee that they end up safe and sound."

FBI Agent: "That, I can certainly guarantee."

Tom: "Thank you."

FBI Agent: "You're welcome. Happy cooperation."

Tom: "Happy cooperation."

After ending the call, Zhou Yi flicked the car into a drifting turn and parked it in the yard.

Although Yinsen's wording in the text message seemed somewhat rude, there had actually been nothing wrong with it at all.

Otherwise, Zhou Yi would not have replied so patiently.

After all, Zhou Yi had been the one to threaten Yinsen first.

The adult world did not have so many fairy tales, nor was it so idealistic.

If Zhou Yi went to Wisconsin to protect Yinsen's parents, the most suitable approach would be to seize his parents in advance, or snatch them away from the CIA.

And either way, the final result would be—the parents would fall into Zhou Yi's hands.

Compared with falling into the CIA's hands, the only difference was that Zhou Yi would not make the matter public knowledge.

To begin with, Zhou Yi and Yinsen merely had a cooperative relationship. There was no trust to speak of, so Yinsen had naturally seen Zhou Yi's other purpose in doing this—

He was telling Yinsen that he had better cooperate obediently and not try anything else.

It was simply a different kind of unspoken threat, one they both understood.

Zhou Yi considered himself a decent person, but he was not noble enough to put morals above all else.

First and foremost, he had to ensure that his own interests remained unharmed.

Yinsen might be the protagonist, but Zhou Yi did not have a good relationship with him. How could he guarantee that Yinsen would not choose "justice" at the final moment and hand over the ten million?

If he failed to get that ten million, where was Zhou Yi supposed to get it back?

And ten million that could count as experience points, at that?

So, since there was leverage he could use as a safeguard, Zhou Yi naturally chose to hold onto it.

Yinsen also understood Zhou Yi's reasons. He knew Zhou Yi simply wanted a guarantee.

At least, as long as they did not fall out and continued cooperating, it would only be a guarantee.

And compared to the CIA's open and direct threats, Zhou Yi's guarantee was naturally the better choice.

So, after obtaining a guarantee from Zhou Yi, Yinsen thanked him again. He understood that if their cooperation succeeded, Zhou Yi's actions could simply be seen as having protected his parents once.

Their exchange had only consisted of a few brief lines, but it contained more than enough information.

"My lawn!"

As Zhou Yi recalled the hidden messages in their previous exchange and planned how to protect Yinsen's parents afterward, the villa door opened and a man wailed.

Zhou Yi: "..."

"Don't get worked up, Director. Your lawn..." Zhou Yi looked at the green lawn, where his drifting turn had plowed two black trails through the soil, paused, then said, "Doesn't this make it more artistic?"

"Artistic my ass!" Chris nearly lost it. "Don't think I didn't see you drifting in just to show off!"

"Oh..." Zhou Yi nodded thoughtfully. "How many times do you want to experience it?"

"How many times?"

Chris nearly laughed from anger. "Do you think I'm an elementary school kid? Would I want to experience something that only looks flashy and is basically completely useless just for a few—"

"I'll teach you."

"Deal!" Chris's eyes lit up. Afraid Zhou Yi might change his mind, he immediately agreed.

What was a lawn? Would the dignified IRS Director care about a patch of grass?

Wasn't it just the equivalent of one dish in a meal?

What Chris truly valued was Zhou Yi's skill!

He had hinted at it and brought it up to Zhou Yi several times before, but Zhou Yi had never agreed. Until today... Wait.

Something was wrong!

Chris thought it over, realized it, and instantly became alert.

Why had Zhou Yi refused so many times before, yet agreed so easily this time?

There was a catch!

"Who are you trying to arrest this time?" Chris asked warily.

"How can you slander an innocent man out of nowhere?" Zhou Yi widened his eyes. "Why would I be arresting people again? Is that all I do in your eyes?"

"..." Chris fell silent for a moment. "Isn't it?"

"Hmm..." Zhou Yi thought for a moment. "Seems like it really is. Fine, then. I do want to arrest two people."

"I knew it wouldn't be that simple!" Chris analyzed. "When you were going to raid CIA headquarters, you only gave me a heads-up over the phone. This time, you're actually offering driving lessons as payment. Tell me, are you planning to raid the White House or the Pentagon this time?"

Zhou Yi rolled his eyes speechlessly. "When did I raid CIA headquarters? Please don't slander me, all right? And don't make me sound like some terrorist. I'm clearly an office worker with a legitimate profession!"

"Yes, yes, you're right," Chris agreed perfunctorily. Then, he subconsciously lowered his voice and asked, "I forgot to ask earlier—how did it go?"

Only now did Chris realize that he apparently had not asked about the results of Zhou Yi's trip to CIA headquarters!

"Not bad..." Zhou Yi said. "Since the CIA people kept stalling for time, I never stated my purpose before my partner succeeded."

"..." Chris fell silent.

So he had really succeeded?

The CIA's complete list of agents had just been taken away like that?

After silently mourning for the CIA personnel for half a second, Chris quickly put it out of his mind and asked, "So? What did you say afterward?"

As for what Zhou Yi planned to do with that list, Chris could not be bothered to ask.

That thing was a hot potato. It offered Chris no benefits whatsoever, so he would rather not "know" where the list had gone.

Besides, he had already provided Zhou Yi with help. Could he possibly not trust him?

"So, on your behalf, I reached a preliminary cooperation agreement with CIA Director Brown. The IRS and CIA will conduct a friendly, comprehensive exchange," Zhou Yi listed. "Including equipment, technology, and so on... You should understand these things better than I do, right?"

"Something that good exists?" Chris was stunned.

Chris naturally understood what this kind of "friendly exchange" really meant.

In reality, it was simply a large-scale transaction involving an exchange of interests, with both sides benefiting.

But this time, Zhou Yi had even stolen the other side's agent list!

It was like one person had ransacked another person's home, yet the victim knew nothing about it, and the two were still slinging arms around each other's shoulders, calling each other brothers, all smiles and harmony!

PS: I want to revise the draft a bit, so the second update will be later. I'll post it in the morning instead~

This chapter got deleted again! Damn it, I'm going to report this to the editor! Edits are one thing, but not even sending a notification is just infuriating!