Spy-x-War Showdown
Chapter 1191 - 1196: Lure the Snake out of the Hole

Chapter 1191: Chapter 1196: Lure the Snake out of the Hole

Tyler opened the door. He was a tall man, and his stark white hair left a striking impression.

"Who are you?"

Anton pinched the collar of his shirt with his left hand while his right reached directly into the inner pocket of his suit. At that moment, he noticed Tyler’s vigilant expression, so he promptly pulled his jacket open, revealing that he wasn’t carrying a gun, before taking out his credentials.

Before entering, he instinctively touched his chest—where a shoulder holster for a gun would be—and checked his lower back, which was a concealed carry location. This unconscious gesture was the habit of someone who often carried a concealed weapon, regardless of whether there was a gun or not.

However, an Air Force officer would never carry a gun in the lower back position, as an officer’s sidearm would typically be holstered at the side of the waist rather than the back.

Officers don’t wear suits; they tend to carry their credentials in the breast pocket of a shirt or in the top pocket of their uniform. Therefore, when retrieving their credentials, they have an upward reach motion that is habitual and noticeable with attention to detail.

Hence, Anton’s movements instantly revealed that he wasn’t an officer. Tyler might be unfamiliar with spies, but he would surely be familiar with Air Force officers, wouldn’t he?

"Hello, I’m Haines, Air Force Colonel. I’m here to ask you a few questions."

Tyler glanced at Anton’s credentials, but he didn’t take them. He simply stepped back, smiled, and said, "Good afternoon, Colonel. Please, come in."

Anton entered Tyler’s living room. He casually looked around and then smiled, "Nice house. You’ve kept it in excellent condition."

"I just like things to be tidy. Please, have a seat. Would you like something to drink? I have cold beer and cola, oh—or perhaps coffee?"

Anton chuckled inwardly before responding casually, "Uh, cold beer will do."

Tyler was already testing Anton, but Anton wasn’t entirely sure what Tyler was doing to probe him. He wasn’t very familiar with the culture within the U.S. Air Force’s ranks, such as code words or slang terms. Still, it didn’t matter. His intent was to let Tyler realize that he wasn’t a real officer anyway.

Tyler returned with two unopened bottles of glass beer. He handed one to Anton, then twisted open his own cap with his hand. Only after taking a sip did he seem to notice that Anton’s beer was still unopened.

"Oh, sorry."

Tyler extended a hand toward Anton, but Anton waved it off, saying casually, "No need, I’ll do it myself."

Anton opened the beer cap with his hand as well, then took a sip.

Tyler smiled nonchalantly, "So, what brings you here? I don’t often have visitors from the military."

Anton swirled his beer bottle and replied, "Hmm, I do have something to ask you. Let me keep it brief—you’ve been seen in the Middle East. I need to know why you went there."

Tyler’s face remained composed as he replied, "Business. I retired. I have to make a living to support myself and my family."

"Hmm, the place you showed up in is a region occupied by ISIS."

Tyler spread his hands and said, "Of course—because that’s where my business is."

Anton pursed his lips, thinking for a moment, then spoke sternly, "You voluntarily applied for retirement claiming injury, but... according to our investigation—primarily the FBI’s—you injured yourself. At the time, you were on the battlefield in Afghanistan. Why did you self-harm? Was it just to expedite retirement, or was there another reason?"

Tyler was silent for a while before shaking his head. "I don’t want to fight anymore. I’m just weary of war."

"You’re lying."

Tyler exhaled and then spoke calmly, "Can you understand what I’m trying to say? Afghans—like a pack of wolves—only have teeth and claws. But they are wolves. As for people in the Middle East... they’re like a flock of sheep with guns."

Anton smiled faintly, "That’s an interesting perspective. So, you were fleeing?"

"No, I just..."

Tyler shook his head, took a deep breath, and said, "I just didn’t want to stay in the military anymore. There were too many reasons. But after retiring, I found that I didn’t know how to do anything other than fight—and I’m very good at it. Then I discovered that going to the Middle East could earn me big money easily, so I went. I wasn’t actively trying to return to the battlefield; it’s just that I’m poor!"

After he finished speaking, Tyler leaned back, an expression of helplessness on his face. "Is it passion? Is it a craving for thrill? No. It’s the pressure of life. It’s poverty! Poverty!"

Anton nodded, "Alright, I can understand. For people trained in combat, war certainly comes easily. Anyway, I’m not here to investigate you specifically; I just wanted to check if you’re home. The FBI or CIA might come looking for you later, and I hope you’ll cooperate with their investigation. As long as you’re not in danger, nothing will happen to you. The military... especially our Air Force, will always be your strongest support."

Tyler replied solemnly, "Thank you, I understand."

Anton lifted his beer, took another sip, and then said to Tyler, "Don’t leave the house for the next few days. If you suddenly disappear now, it might cause some misunderstandings. It’s just a simple investigation, nothing to worry about. Alright, I need to go. Goodbye."

Anton stood, extended his hand to Tyler, shook hands, and exchanged meaningless pleasantries before leaving Tyler’s house.

Actually, not much needed to be said. The purpose of rattling the grass to startle the snake was clear enough. Regardless, the point was to startle Tyler—or if not him, then Gong Yang—or perhaps the Cleaner. Someone needed to make a move. Knowing this, Anton couldn’t be bothered to maintain his act any further.

In this drama, the Cleaner was the main player; everyone else was merely a supporting role.

Anton left in his car. Tyler returned to the living room. He didn’t do much; he simply stood behind a distant glass window and watched Anton’s car drive away. Afterward, he returned to the bedroom, took out a pair of binoculars, and began checking one room after another, scanning the surroundings.

Eventually, Tyler spotted a faint anomaly nestled in the bushes along the road in the distance.

After thinking for a while, Tyler began tidying his house, even though it was already clean and orderly.

Finally, Tyler found a small disk beneath his bedside table. Being familiar with electronic devices, he didn’t touch it immediately. Instead, he pondered deeply before taking a phone from his pocket, leaving the house, and making a call from the toolshed outside.

Yang Yi and the others couldn’t see Tyler’s every move, but they could hear sounds. Once they noticed the faint yet unmistakable noise of rummaging, Yang Yi immediately said to Xiao Ran, "Alright, he’s found the listening device."

Xiao Ran replied casually, "Great. Anyway, the Cleaner encrypted his phone, so we couldn’t eavesdrop on it. Wrap things up and let’s eat—I’m starving!"