Spy-x-War Showdown
Chapter 190 - 189: Surveillance

Chapter 190: Chapter 189: Surveillance

The distance from Dallas to Los Angeles is not short, but it’s not particularly far either. Taking turns driving, plus time for rest, we basically arrived within a day and a night.

After sleeping at a motel the next day, Yang Yi and his group entered the city area of Los Angeles.

On the road, Paul had already provided detailed information about Charles.

By "profession that can’t see the light of day," it’s not referring to something unethical but to something illegal.

Charles was once a member of the CIA and also of the Pandora Squad. After he was forced to leave the CIA’s special ops team due to Brian’s involvement, he was first transferred to a retirement department within the CIA for a while. Before long, the frustrated and ostracized Charles simply withdrew from the CIA altogether.

If Charles wanted to engage in illegal yet highly profitable activities, it would be quite simple for him. He certainly had the capability, whether working alone or by joining a gang. It would be fair to say there wouldn’t be many in the world who could stop him.

However, for a former member of Pandora to thrive in the United States’ underworld was not easy because he had been with the CIA, and too many people were familiar with his background. Charles was essentially under the watchful eye of the CIA. If he did something that most people couldn’t manage, the CIA would be the first to suspect him.

Even though the CIA does not deal with domestic affairs, which are handled by the FBI, Charles still dared not recklessly use his knowledge and skills to amass wealth, unless he left the United States.

Once out of the United States, then truly the sky’s the limit, but Charles chose a path most unexpected to the majority.

Charles held resentment in his heart and wanted to vent the anger within.

Charles refused to leave the United States, mainly staying in Los Angeles, but also wandering among various cities, and then he colluded with many American gangs. Anything that could cause a headache for the US government, he was willing to do.

For example, Charles helped a politician collect dirt on an opponent, and then watched as the politician ruined their opponent’s reputation. Once the storm passed, Charles would cooperate with the politician he helped to take down, ensuring the newly victorious opponent fell from grace as well. He could make money twice from the situation, but money was never the main reason Charles did these things. He would do them happily even for a small sum.

Charles also made money as a hitman, but he was unlike ordinary hitmen. He didn’t wait for a job to come along; he chose appropriate targets, killed them, and then extorted money from those who benefited most from the target’s death. If they didn’t pay, no problem—Charles would simply take on the role of a hitman again.

Sometimes, Charles didn’t take a dime and did nothing in return. When he found a gang leader particularly distasteful, he would meticulously plan their demise and then watch the gang plunge into chaos or even disintegrate.

Charles also enjoyed leaking major scandals in the entertainment industry and at times, he really did play the role of a paparazzo, and he played it extremely well.

Because Charles was a well-known paparazzo with no public identity, not attached to any newspaper or TV station. However, many newspapers and TV stations had bought material he provided.

In short, Charles was a stubborn oddball. He might do anything at any time without reason, confounding the average person. As long as he believed he could stay undetected and not leave any evidence that could connect him, he would dare do anything. He was like a child who had been scolded, set on causing trouble for his parents as payback.

Yang Yi found such a person quite interesting. Plus, Paul and Charles had always kept in touch, at least they had each other’s contact information. Even if they hadn’t called each other for a long time, neither would change the phone number they had given the other, nor would they make themselves unfindable. This was the tacit understanding between former Pandora members, and the last bit of warmth shared between two people who sympathized with each other’s plight.

So Paul was definitely able to find Charles, but as they got closer and closer to Charles’s residence, Yang Yi couldn’t help but raise a question.

"There’s something I don’t quite understand, Mr. Brian. Although the fugitive list doesn’t mention your name at all, there’s no doubt the CIA won’t just let you escape like this."

"Hmm."

Yang Yi said with a hint of concern, "I believe Charles is well hidden, no, he never leaves evidence behind, but many things don’t require evidence to suspect someone. Charles’s address is definitely no secret to the CIA. Even with many years having passed, there is no reason for the CIA to stop monitoring him."

Brian said softly, "You can say what you’re trying to express directly."

"If the CIA knows where Charles is and can think of the bond between Pandora Squad members, especially since Mr. Paul has suddenly disappeared, wouldn’t the CIA be monitoring Charles, waiting here for you to fall into their trap?"

Brian didn’t look at Yang Yi; he simply nodded and said, "You’re right, and that’s a very likely scenario."

Yang Yi was stunned for a moment and asked, "Then why are we still coming here?"

Brian said quietly, "It’s precisely because Charles might be under surveillance that we have to come in person. At this point, making a phone call isn’t safe. The CIA can monitor Charles’s every move, so we must adopt the most traditional and safest method, which is to meet and have a talk."

The answer turned out to be so simple yet so expected. Yang Yi paused once again, then realized, "You’re confident in evading the CIA’s surveillance, but you cannot technically breach the CIA’s technical monitoring of Charles, like decrypting his phone taps."

Brian smiled and said, "Exactly."

Paul couldn’t help but turn to look at Yang Yi and remarked, "Your insight isn’t stunning, but you’re still young. For a greenhorn like you to think of these things is not bad, at least you’re willing to use your brain."

Upon finishing, Paul slowly pulled the car over to the side of the road and then asked Brian, "Where do we start?"

Brian replied in a somber voice, "I can only use the old methods now. First, tell me about the terrain around Charles’s address. We’ll choose the most likely direction and check bit by bit. It’s slow but reliable."

Paul nodded and said, "Okay, I’m familiar with the terrain here. We’ll start by screening for suspicious persons from the outskirts. The best place to keep an eye on Charles is the building right across from his apartment block. Let’s start from there."