The moment the wing tilted, the Mississippi River, like a bronze chain mottled with rust, snaked and coiled at the junction of the dark green swamp and the gray-blue Gulf of Mexico.
As the cabin's hum faded, the silhouette of "Orleans" suddenly emerged through a rift in the clouds; the entire city lay below sea level, with levees like giant spines embracing the fragile neighborhoods, and the red-tiled roofs of the French Quarter bled a wine-dark crimson in the setting sun.
The fuselage continued its descent, the porthole sweeping past the long white wakes of cargo ships on the river, startling a flock of egrets that scattered like torn paper.
The instant the landing gear touched down, the tremor of tires rubbing the runway, mixed with humid, hot steam, seeped into the cabin, as if the earth were exhaling the salty breath of the Gulf of Mexico.
Glass curtain walls carved the twilight of Louisiana, and the curved dome reflected the moving clouds, like a tamed tributary of the Mississippi River.
On either side of the exit corridor, saxophone and brass sculptures emerged from the corners, their brass surfaces etched with musical notes like tadpole patterns; intermittent broadcasts flowed with improvised piano melodies, and a Black cleaner swayed his cart to the rhythm, the rustle of rubber wheels on floor tiles becoming the most fitting syncopation.
The cold air and the outside humidity clashed briefly at the automatic door, condensing into sliding water droplets.
The moment the door opened, a warm breeze, carrying the scent of humus and gardenias, struck his cheek.
Outside the airport, an MVP was already waiting; Marvin hailed everyone into the car, and it immediately set off.
This time, returning to the United States, everyone was using fake identities, so they weren't worried about being exposed.
As for Johnny, he didn't care; he wasn't wanted and wasn't an agent.
At this moment, he was sitting in the passenger seat, watching the scenery outside flash by, and in the rearview mirror, the dome of the airport terminal gradually shrunk into a cold speck of light.
The feeling of being back in New York again gave him a sense of unreality, as if a lifetime had passed; the old men in the back started chatting again, and Johnny naturally had no interest in joining in.
He was contemplating another question: the Vice President was attending a dinner, so what was the security like around him?
However, he quickly dismissed the question; he was just an assassin, and compared to the "Sunset Red" special agent team in the back, he was still too green.
These issues were certainly part of the old pros' contingency plans, so he didn't need to worry about anything; he just needed to be a reckless damage dealer, and of course, handle some necessary on-the-spot adaptations.
And at this time, there were less than 27 hours until the banquet began.
Upon arriving at the safe house in Orleans, everyone immediately sprang into action.
In less than half an hour, Lao Qiao had already obtained the blueprints of the venue where the banquet was to be held; his efficiency was astonishing.
Ivan, through his connections, had a clear understanding of the distribution of internal personnel.
Victoria and Lao Qiao began selecting weapons; since they had to blend in, they couldn't choose overly conspicuous weapons, so they could only select Pistols.
Marvin chose some larger caliber rifles for backup; Johnny only noticed the M2HB heavy machine gun placed there.
The last time he saw that thing was during the rescue mission in Libya, where Caesar and Christmas used it to wreak havoc.
"Oh my goodness, we actually need to use this thing?"
Seeing Johnny's somewhat dumbfounded expression, Marvin grinned, "The President's motorcade consists of bulletproof cars; we need to be prepared for anything."
Faced with Marvin's explanation, Johnny could only say, "Do as you please."
Soon, the weapons, equipment, and attack routes were largely planned; next was to quietly wait for the opportune moment.
Soon, the time arrived, one hour before the banquet began, and everyone started to move, whether it was Frank, Lao Qiao, Marvin, Ivan, or Victoria.
They were all dressed very formally, either in suits or evening gowns, which left Johnny dumbfounded.
These old guys looked quite good in their suits, but Johnny noticed that they were all wearing bulletproof suits.
Johnny naturally couldn't be outdone; he also dressed up, a dashing young man.
And so, the group swaggered into the banquet, blending in with the crowd of attendees.
However, during this process, Marvin suddenly disappeared; no one knew what he went to do. But they all seemed unconcerned, continuing to act according to their own plans.
Johnny could only follow Frank, but Frank simply told him, "Free to move."
Well, since the boss said so, there was nothing for me to fuss about, so Johnny began to wander among the crowd.
Victoria and Ivan walked into the main hall, where a large stage had been set up; the Vice President was speaking on the stage, delivering an impassioned speech, and the people below listened with great interest.
As the Vice President's address concluded, melodious music filled the central hall, and people began to pair up and dance.
Victoria and Ivan were no exception, holding hands and dancing gracefully to the music.
Johnny, with his arms crossed, leaned against the doorframe, watching from a distance.
Just then, a white woman walked up to him; after a brief glance, she asked, "Handsome young man, do you need a dance partner?"
To such an inquiry, Johnny directly waved his hand, "Oh, I'm very sorry, I don't dance. If I absolutely had to dance, I think I'd step all over your white high heels until they were completely black."
Faced with Johnny's subtle refusal and humorous tone, the white woman chuckled, but she didn't make things difficult for Johnny and wisely walked away.
As the music in the hall slowly ended, Ivan somewhat reluctantly released Victoria's hand, and Victoria merely gave him an amused glance.
Then the two parted ways; Victoria walked in another direction, while Ivan quietly took out a can of special spray from his pocket and began spraying as he walked.
Victoria, on the other hand, exited through another door in the hall, then went down the elevator, where a security guard was stationed at the very bottom.
Seeing Victoria, dressed in a white evening gown, slowly descending the escalator, he politely said, "I'm very sorry, madam, this area is off-limits."
Faced with the security guard's friendly reminder, Victoria didn't answer; instead, she waited until the escalator reached the bottom before standing in front of the security guard.
"Oh, is that so? That's truly a shame,"
As she spoke, she suddenly swung the white handbag in her hand at the security guard's jaw; the handbag contained a Pistol, and such a heavy blow directly knocked the security guard unconscious.
"Have a good dream."
As she spoke, Victoria stepped over his body and walked towards the door behind him. Opening that door led to the underground parking lot.
Marvin was already waiting outside.
Seeing Victoria emerge, Marvin bowed slightly, then took out a pair of special combat boots from a box behind him.
Victoria smiled faintly, then took off her high heels and put on the special combat boots, so as not to hinder her upcoming actions.
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