Spy-x-War Showdown
Chapter 214 - 213: Breaking Free

Chapter 214: Chapter 213: Breaking Free

Yang Yi dashed into the crowd, his frenzied run startling many. The sight of the gun in his hand set off a commotion, and everyone he encountered on the road scrambled to the sides to avoid him.

At that moment, the phone Yang Yi had put into his pocket rang again.

Events had unfolded in a rapid succession of life-and-death struggles, beginning and ending quickly; it had only been two or three short minutes since the abrupt end of the call with Xiao Ran, who was very likely calling back.

But right now, Yang Yi definitely had no time to answer the phone.

Yang Yi heard sharp screeching of brakes behind him, followed by the roaring sound of an accelerator pressed to the floor.

Pursuers were driving after him, or at the very least, someone in a car was chasing him down.

Yang Yi continued to sprint forward and then he saw a Chinese restaurant.

He couldn’t keep running on the streets; Yang Yi burst through a glass door and into the restaurant that was still open for business.

There weren’t many customers yet, but the commotion caused by Yang Yi brandishing his handgun was too great. Almost everyone turned to look at him, and among the patrons, those with sharp eyes who noticed the gun in his hand immediately screamed, "He’s got a gun!"

Instant chaos ensued in the restaurant.

Americans, all too familiar with the ordeal of gun violence, knew how to react to a shooting; no shouting was needed, as everyone immediately ducked down or crawled under the tables.

Meanwhile, Yang Yi had already dashed through the lobby, and he rushed into the kitchen along the service passage.

Once inside the kitchen, the clinking and clattering noises quickly died down as everyone turned to stare in surprise at Yang Yi, who had barged in suddenly.

Yang Yi aimed his empty gun at a chef. Even though his weapon was devoid of bullets, he had disengaged the empty chamber indicator, making it impossible for others to tell.

"Where’s the back door!"

Yang Yi asked only one question, and the person he was pointing the gun at immediately gestured towards a row of shelves.

"Thank you, I’m sorry."

Leaving behind a quick apology, Yang Yi ran towards the shelves. He circled around and spotted the dishwashing sink.

The sink was filled with water and piled high with dirty dishes awaiting cleaning.

Yang Yi hesitated for a moment, then, wasting two precious seconds, he wiped the empty gun on his clothes a few times before casually tossing it into the sink filled with soapy water.

Wiping it was enough to obliterate any fingerprints, and any residues would quickly disperse in soapy water.

Yang Yi thought differently than others. In the current situation, where most would only focus on fleeing for their lives, Yang Yi was concerned with concealing his identity, putting secrecy above survival.

Having tossed the gun into the sink, Yang Yi took several quick steps and pushed open a door, dashing out the kitchen’s, and therefore the restaurant’s, back door.

The back door of the restaurant led to a small alley filled with garbage. After making it through the alley, Yang Yi slid his knife back behind the buckle of his belt.

Yang Yi’s knife had no sheath. He temporarily made do with an unfinished sheath at Charles’s house, which he clipped behind the buckle of his belt, slanted toward his right hand for a normal grip; a draw with his left would require a reverse grip.

Without the knife and gun in hand, he would at least not cause panic everywhere he went.

Glancing left and right, no cars seemed to be approaching, nor had any pursuers caught up.

Not far away was the subway station, and there were still many cars on the street.

Yang Yi now had three options, take the subway at the station, hold up a car at gunpoint, or keep walking.

Looking around, Yang Yi saw a Starbucks.

The moment before he pushed open the glass door, Yang Yi suddenly realized he was wearing a mask as he saw his reflection on the glass.

It seemed unnecessary for anyone who had seen his face before to chase after him now...

With a wry smile in his heart, Yang Yi pushed the door open and entered Starbucks, then headed straight for the bathroom.

Inside the bathroom, he closed the door, took off his backpack, and began to strip off his clothes. He stuffed the old clothes into his backpack and took out new ones to change into, then tilted a hat on his head and hung a shiny, large necklace around his neck, topping it off with a pair of sunglasses.

He needed to change his shoes as well, but Yang Yi didn’t have spare ones since his bag was not big enough to fit another pair.

Now, Yang Yi was wearing ripped jeans below, a baggy sports jacket above, a hat on his head along with a big necklace; the outfit was rather mismatched, but it looked like he was a completely different person compared to before.

After stuffing the clothes he took off into his bag, Yang Yi then took out a bucket bag and after a shake, he shoved his backpack into it and tucked the handgun into his waistband.

Having completed his disguise, Yang Yi, with the bucket bag slung diagonally behind him, left the bathroom. He checked himself in the mirror above the sink and then walked out, approaching the counter.

"A venti iced mocha to go, thank you."

After standing at the counter for a moment, Yang Yi paid, picked up his venti iced mocha, and slowly walked out of the Starbucks.

In Los Angeles, there were many Asian-Americans, which was good news since Yang Yi would not stand out because of his ethnicity.

Yang Yi noticed a car driving slowly past the Starbucks entrance. Two people in the car were looking around, they saw Yang Yi, but after a brief glance at him holding his coffee and walking out, they quickly shifted their gaze away.

Yang Yi had no idea why he was being watched or why he would be watched, but he felt that those looking for him didn’t actually know what he looked like.

The fact that those first two people had tried to ascertain Yang Yi’s identity rather than confirming it right away gave him a clue.

But why was he being followed in the first place? Yang Yi was puzzled.

Slowly, he arrived at the entrance of the subway station and hastened down with his coffee.

Yang Yi was very nervous; he couldn’t control his emotions, but he could control his facial expressions, so although he felt extremely tense, he appeared quite relaxed.

Moreover, Yang Yi didn’t notice anyone unusual following him as he entered the subway station.

Yang Yi bought a ticket, arrived on the platform, and stood behind a few people waiting for the subway. Soon, several passengers lined up behind him.

Just then, Yang Yi’s phone rang again. He took it out, answered, and heard Xiao Ran say, "Why did the call drop? And no one answered when I called back. I thought something had happened to you."

Yang Yi smiled and said, "Bad signal, I’m in the subway."

Just as the subway arrived, Yang Yi whispered, "I have to hang up now, I’ll call you back later, bye."

Yang Yi hung up and boarded the subway. It wasn’t rush hour, so there were barely any people inside the train. After finding a seat and sitting down, Yang Yi let out a long sigh of relief, feeling that he might have finally shaken off his pursuers.