Spy-x-War Showdown
Chapter 192 - 191: Open the door, check the gas.

Chapter 192: Chapter 191: Open the door, check the gas.

Yang Yi confidently said to Brian, "I firmly believe the warden will conceal my real information."

After thinking for a moment, Brian shook his head and said, "Everything you’ve done has been devastating to the warden, and he’s been dismissed. You’ve destroyed everything for him. At this point, why do you think he has any reason to cover for you? Besides, there are so many prisoners at Pelican Bay Prison, and a lot of them know you."

Yang Yi asserted firmly, "The warden can’t tell the truth. It’s true his future is ruined, but he’s not dead! And he doesn’t want to die, at least he’s not at the point where he’d rather die than have me brought back."

"Why would he die?"

Yang Yi chuckled and replied, "It’s simple logic. Wealthy people, who commit crimes that aren’t too serious and don’t attract much attention, have already formed a grey industry chain using substitutes to serve their prison time. And it’s not just Pelican Bay Prison; many prisons have this, with a large vested interest group involved."

"And what can the interest group do?"

"The warden’s career may be over, but he hasn’t committed a crime, so right now he’s just lost all his positions. However, if he dares to reveal what I’ve done, then what happens to the former warden? What about Owen? If the warden dares to spill the beans, there’ll be too many people who will want to kill him for ruining their livelihoods, and besides, just for self-preservation, this vested interest group can’t let the warden talk recklessly."

After pondering for a moment, Brian nodded and said, "That makes sense."

Yang Yi stated in a deep voice, "The warden has a family, and he’s also very wealthy. Unless the warden wants to die, he will absolutely keep my matter hidden. The same goes for the other prison guards; they’re all in the same boat. Having the warden take the fall alone is enough."

Brian spread his hands and asked, "What about the prisoners?"

"Prisoners? They’re even simpler. After the prison submits the list and information of the escaped prisoners, will the CIA go one by one to the inmates in prison to verify the accuracy of the information they received? Is it necessary? Besides, even if they did verify, it’s not the CIA’s job. So the CIA might get Benjamin’s photo, but definitely not mine."

Brian looked at Paul, then he said in a low voice, "Some truth to that."

Paul nodded and replied, "I think we can let him give it a try. The question is whether he’s up to the job."

Brian looked at Yang Yi, hesitated for a moment, then, speaking in a grave tone, said, "Then it’s you who will go. Have you thought about how to proceed? This is your operation, so I’d like to hear your thoughts."

Yang Yi glanced around, then said in a somber voice, "I was thinking of pretending to be a delivery man, but then I realized it would be hard to check all four rooms together because I can’t always say I got the wrong place. So, I need a profession where everyone must open the door for me, and right now, checking for gas leaks seems like the right choice."

Paul immediately said, "That’ll work. Pretend to be checking for a gas leak, but you’re on your own, so if something really happens, you’ll have to handle it by yourself. We won’t be able to assist you in the short term."

Yang Yi replied in a deep voice, "I understand."

Brian snapped his fingers and said promptly, "Then let’s get moving. How do we need to assist you?"

"Hold on, I need to check something."

Pulling out his phone, Yang Yi searched online and said happily after a while, "Got it. The building that needs to be checked is under the California Gas Company’s jurisdiction. Just need to get a set of clothes from the California Gas Company service station."

Brian immediately replied, "You’ll also need a work ID. Most people will want to see some identification before allowing an inspection, but that’s not tough. Just flash an ID card and make a small modification by pasting his photo on it, so get moving and take a photo for the ID now."

Paul laughed and said, "No need for that. It’s not the era where cameras are necessary for taking pictures anymore. I’ll handle the clothes and ID."

Paul started the car and quickly found a California Gas Company service station following the navigation.

Paul got out of the car and entered the service station on his own, while Brian went to prepare other things.

An hour later, the three men gathered again, this time in a motel room.

Paul laid out a bright orange work uniform on the bed along with a toolbox, then he took out an ID encased in a black frame and said, "Here are the security officer’s ID, uniform, and tools. I stole them without alerting anyone."

Brian nodded, took the ID, removed the black frame, and carefully split the laminated ID down the middle with a razor blade. He gently lifted the laminate and used tweezers to overlay Yang Yi’s photo on top.

Having prepared the photo, he stuck it onto the ID, then carefully re-laminated it with an iron purchased for this purpose.

Examining the new ID, Brian said with satisfaction, "It’s not perfect, but as long as it’s not inspected closely in hand, it won’t be noticed."

He placed the ID back into the black frame and tossed it to Yang Yi, saying, "You can move now. Let’s go, and remember, you will have no backup."

They left in the car and stopped at a distance from the target building,

Yang Yi changed into the uniform in the car, then he got out and walked toward the building he needed to check.

The building from which to surveil Charles’ home was an apartment block in the city’s downtown area. The apartments in the area were more high-end with larger layouts and better security, but after all, rich people wouldn’t live in apartments, so "high-end" was only relative compared to other downtown apartment buildings.

Clutching a clipboard and carrying a portable toolbox, Yang Yi entered the apartment building.

"Hello, California Gas Company, safety inspection."

After speaking to the apartment manager with an indifferent, businesslike demeanor, Yang Yi took out his ID from his clothing and said, "Here’s my ID."

The manager hardly looked at the ID Yang Yi presented, just glanced at it before saying, "Go on, but there aren’t many residents home during the day. You should come back in the evening."

"Someone else will come in the evening."

Answering offhandedly, Yang Yi, carrying the toolbox, went to the first door on the ground floor, knocked, and loudly said, "Gas company, safety inspection, anyone home?"

Starting from the first floor, Yang Yi knocked on door after door. Whenever someone was home, he would enter and conduct a thorough check before leaving, without any pretense, just as though he truly was a safety officer from the gas company.