Chapter 153: The Finale of the Agents' Battle
Carl looked at Ron with complete admiration. Today's scene would forever remain in his mind, becoming one of the most treasured memories of his life.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that today's events reshaped his entire worldview.
Of course, Ron's assertive performance immediately prompted the principal to issue a new ruling: the group of children who had initiated the incident were suspended for a day of reflection. For elementary school students, this punishment was already quite severe.
Most importantly, Carl even received an apology.
"Thank you, Boss!" Little Carl's freckles, flushed with excitement, became even more prominent.
"I've told you a hundred times to call me Ron!" Ron patted Carl on the back of the head and tossed his keys to him. "Get back to the car. I need to talk to someone."
He then caught up with Tucker and his son, having spotted the woman being pursued by the two incompetent agents arriving at the school gates and apparently speaking to Tucker.
Tucker hugged his son. "This is my good friend Lauren."
"I thought your only friend was Uncle Jimmy."
"Who's Jimmy?" Lauren asked curiously.
"Uh, that's a buddy from work, and Lauren is my new friend." Tucker avoided the question, but Lauren's expression grew serious, which made him feel uneasy.
"Can we talk? Privately. Or we can drop your son off at your ex-wife's place first."
Ron, who was eavesdropping from behind a parked car, felt his pulse quicken. Was this the confrontation? He remembered the plot. It seemed that when this woman was about to have her showdown, she was kidnapped by Heinrich, and then...
The story ended there.
Ron, who had been planning to approach Tucker for a conversation, turned back to his car, not forgetting to attach a tracking device to the underside of Tucker's vehicle. "Carl, I'm going to take you home now, and then I have some business to handle..."
"Are you planning a heist? Or maybe some kind of takedown, Boss?" Carl said excitedly. "Can I come with you? I promise I'll behave."
"Alright, but this is classified. Don't tell anyone when you get back. Got it? Not even Fiona."
If Carl were an ordinary kid, Ron would definitely refuse his request. But was Carl ordinary? A guy who was cheered by all the inmates upon his release from juvie, even in his current form, was definitely not normal.
What ordinary kid could single-handedly take down several bigger kids?
"Listen, I'll drive, you navigate." Ron handed the tracking device receiver to Carl. "I heard you want to be an agent someday, so I'll give you some field experience today."
"Yes, Boss!"
Ron sighed, no longer bothering to correct Carl's form of address.
Surveillance sounds exciting, but it's actually quite tedious. You have to constantly follow your target without knowing their destination. The most frustrating part is trying to avoid detection.
"Boss, why do we have to stay so far behind them?" Carl looked up. The target vehicle was long gone, just a blinking dot on the tracker.
Tucker's car had already turned right at the previous intersection, and despite Carl's warning, Ron chose to continue straight.
"Remember this first lesson, rookie—in surveillance: pre-mission intelligence gathering can give you an advantage equivalent to precognition." Ron had just begun his lecture when Carl pulled out his small notebook, the one labeled "Ron's Wisdom."
"For example, the road they just took is a one-way street, and there's only one upscale restaurant on that strip. In that case, it's almost certain their destination is right there, so there's no need to tail them directly."
"Especially when they have extensive counter-surveillance experience."
"Got it, Boss," Carl quickly scribbled notes. If Carl could channel his enthusiasm for this subject into his schoolwork, his future achievements would be extraordinary.
This kid was a natural talent who just needed the right direction.
Just as Ron had predicted, Tucker drove to the restaurant. Shortly after he entered, another car pulled up. Clearly, Ron wasn't the only one tracking Tucker—it was Roosevelt who got out.
"Of course, I shouldn't have had even a shred of faith in these two morons!" Ron facepalmed. He'd taught them basic surveillance techniques, but look at their execution. They weren't even as professional as Carl!
Their talents were clearly better suited for direct action.
"See? They're perfect examples of what not to do. I heard Fiona say you want to be an agent when you grow up. If you ever make it, don't copy these two idiots. They've completely embarrassed the profession."
"Got it, Boss. What do we do now? Wait for them to come out?" Carl was eager for action.
"Waiting is a crucial part of intelligence work, but before they emerge, we can mess with those two amateurs."
Ron got out of the car and walked over to their vehicle like a casual pedestrian. He stomped his foot, and a sharp blade extended from the tip of his boot. Ron punctured the tires of both cars without hesitation and returned to his vehicle.
Although Heinrich was indeed eliminated by the two agents in the original timeline, there are always variables, and Ron wanted absolute certainty.
A short while later, three black Escalades drove onto the street and positioned themselves around the corner. As Lauren stormed out of the restaurant, two large men sprinted from the vehicles and grabbed her.
"Whoa! Boss, it's a kidnapping! I know all about this. My brothers taught me that when our family was broke, they'd take me along on jobs like this! Are we going to jack them now?"
Carl shouted excitedly.
"Shut up!" Ron was appalled by Carl's moral compass. "Don't forget! We're the good guys here. Let's move!"
Ron floored the accelerator and followed.
A red Ford F-150 jumped out of the alley and pursued closely.
This time he wasn't worried about being spotted, because he intended to eliminate all of them.
"Carl, can you drive?"
Carl said apologetically, "No problem, Lip taught me, but I'm too short—if I reach the pedals I can't see over the dashboard."
"No problem, as long as you can steer steady, I'll guide you. Take over now." Ron placed Carl's hands on the steering wheel, folded down his seat and rolled into the back row, dragging a case out from under the seat.
The case barely moved before Ron directly pulled an RPG from his equipment cache, shouldered it, and leaned out the window.
"Not bad, kid, you're doing great. Just keep driving straight like this."
(End of chapter)
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