As a city built and controlled by Umbrella, the nights here were unexpectedly quiet. Quiet to an almost eerie degree. Not only was there a lack of man-made noise, but even the sounds of nature had fallen silent. It was as if something terrifying was lurking here.
Besides Zhou Yi, Natasha also noticed this strange situation. She knocked on Zhou Yi's door and walked in uninvited.
"The situation here seems a bit off. I feel like it's even scarier than a battlefield."
"Nature always foresees the coming of danger. She gives us omens before we can react, and this is one of them. It seems the rumors online aren't groundless after all. Some things in Raccoon City have already exceeded Umbrella's control."
Shaking the wine glass in his hand, Zhou Yi explained this to Natasha. However, he quickly became troubled by another question.
"Did you come to me so late just to talk about this? You know there are many people outside watching us."
"Isn't it the best option for them to see me come in? If there's nothing between us, that would be the most suspicious thing to them," Natasha said, hugging her chest, highlighting her beautiful figure as she explained. "So, tonight I'll sleep here, in the same bed!"
After saying that, she barely gave Zhou Yi a chance to refuse. She walked into the bathroom on her own. Zhou Yi could only accept it with a wry smile. His playboy identity was a good cover sometimes, but at this moment, it made him feel awkward.
He wanted to refuse, but he couldn't. Because he clearly sensed many people watching them from around. Just as Natasha said, if there was no strange relationship between them, it would arouse more suspicion. And as an Agent, she would obviously prioritize her work, even if it meant sacrificing some things.
The sounds of bathing, full of suggestive possibilities, came from the bathroom. Zhou Yi used to look forward to these sounds. But after so much, he felt tired. He had been tossed and turned by emotional matters, and now he had lost the passion he once had.
He no longer wanted to get involved in such distressing matters, but they kept clinging to him. This made him feel troubled. However, the trouble didn't last too long, because the sounds from the bathroom gradually began to subside.
Soon, Natasha, dressed in a bathrobe, came out. She first frowned and glanced around, clearly sensing the surveillance. But soon, she shifted her gaze to Zhou Yi.
"If you want to go to bed tonight, you'd best take a shower first. I don't like sleeping next to someone who smells strange."
"Hey, this is my bed, and I don't think I smell strange!" Zhou Yi complained, but Natasha rebutted him.
"If I say so, then it is so. I'm a woman. I have privileges in this regard." Natasha directly asserted a woman's right to be unreasonable. At her insistence, Zhou Yi had no choice but to go into the bathroom.
The sound of Water in the bathroom started again, and soon disappeared again. Zhou Yi, wrapped in a bathrobe, walked out. He sat on the edge of the bed and said with a hint of helplessness.
"Are you sure you really need to go to this extent? Honestly, I don't think it's necessary."
With a charming smile, Natasha pulled him onto the bed. Then she lay directly on his chest. The indoor lights were also turned off, and Zhou Yi could even feel her breath on his neck.
At this moment, her voice also sounded in his ear, though very faint, it was clear enough for him to hear.
"If we can eliminate some of the enemy's suspicions with this method, then it is necessary. What's more, I'm the one being taken advantage of, and I haven't said anything, so what do you have to hesitate about?"
At this moment, Natasha clearly sensed Zhou Yi's wry smile. At the same time, his voice sounded in her ear.
"If it were before, I would welcome a beautiful woman like you in my arms, but now… it's hard for me to feel that way anymore."
"What made you like this?" Natasha found a comfortable position on him, asking as she made some small movements. "You're a notorious playboy; our intelligence reports never mentioned anyone being able to tie down your heart. What changed you, and so much?"
"Two women, both of whom sacrificed their lives for me. However, due to some differences in position, one betrayed me, and the other is still in a coma," Zhou Yi said calmly, holding Natasha's hand, which was making small movements.
His heart was as still as Water now; no matter how beautiful a woman was, she couldn't stir any ripples in his heart. Let alone a woman with ulterior motives.
"You know, when a man is feeling down for another woman, that's actually when he's most charming," Natasha chuckled, tempting him in his ear. "If you want to do something now, I wouldn't mind."
"Sorry, I will!" Closing his eyes, Zhou Yi no longer paid attention to Natasha's temptation. "I've already acted very tired today, so they won't suspect anything like this."
"I know." Natasha replied, then stopped her movements. She lay in Zhou Yi's arms and soon began to breathe evenly.
Upon hearing this sound, Zhou Yi quietly let out a breath. He controlled himself, quickly falling into sleep.
The two fell asleep one after another, and Umbrella's people also stopped their surveillance. After all, they were only trying to prevent Zhou Yi from discovering some of their secrets, not deliberately targeting them out of suspicion. Therefore, even if people were assigned to monitor, it was only the most superficial kind.
Just by watching, what they saw was almost enough to put their minds at ease. Zhou Yi's identity itself could make them lower their guard considerably, and what they learned today almost confirmed their identities.
No billionaire would take such risks, and no one would believe that someone like Zhou Yi would become a spy. This in itself was the biggest camouflage in the plan. Even if Umbrella had taken the most comprehensive defensive measures, they would not have thought that Zhou Yi had such an identity. And that's how the loophole was created.
The next day, Natasha woke up early. She glanced at the still sleeping Zhou Yi and shook her head. After changing her clothes, she quietly walked back to her room. Soon, she was fully dressed and left the hotel.
Umbrella's people were already waiting for her in the lobby, just as arranged yesterday. She would represent Zhou Yi to Umbrella's headquarters in Raccoon City, where she would infiltrate and obtain what they wanted.
And after she left, Zhou Yi immediately woke up.
This night was a torment for him, but at least he didn't make any major mistakes. He washed up and changed his clothes. He also began to prepare for his work.
Cooperating with Natasha, attracting attention from Umbrella. And using his current identity, it was quite difficult in some ways, but not impossible. As long as the method was chosen well.
When he, in his current identity, disappeared from Umbrella's surveillance, it would surely attract the attention of those people. And when his whereabouts frequently appeared in those dangerous areas, Raymond and the others' nerves would probably be stretched like steel wires.
They would spare no effort to find Zhou Yi and try to rescue him. Before he invested in Umbrella, Umbrella's senior management would absolutely not allow him to suffer even the slightest harm. So, even if they had to force them, they would make Raymond use all his power to find Zhou Yi.
By then, Natasha would naturally face much less surveillance. And infiltrating Umbrella should be a very easy task for her. After all, she was an elite from S.H.I.E.L.D., so dealing with Umbrella would certainly be no problem.
Opening his suitcase, Zhou Yi began to equip himself. He didn't wear a suit, but rather ordinary casual clothes. Then, he placed a short sword-like object on his lower back.
That was an adamantium spear. Perhaps it wasn't a powerful weapon when dealing with Magneto, but in this place, with his current identity, using it was perfectly suitable.
He was a well-known martial arts enthusiast and a master of cold weapons. This was never a secret in their circle, and he wasn't afraid of any exposure.
Then, he took out a gun. A purely handmade .50 caliber * * , with both its design and power, it was almost at the pinnacle of revolvers.
This was a toy Tony gave him, a limited edition craft item commemorating Stark Industries' thirtieth anniversary. It was almost never circulated on the market, and only a few people had such a collection.
Originally, Zhou Yi did not want to use firearms, which were almost useless to him, but sometimes you have to admit that when you face a group of ordinary people, firearms are far more deterrent and convincing than other things.
Having prepared everything, he began to wait. Waiting for the right moment to arrive.
Two hours later, as Natasha began her invited tour of Umbrella's internal facilities, Raymond received very bad news.
"You're telling me that a living person, a billionaire worth tens of billions, just disappeared right in front of two full teams of your elites. Are you sure today isn't April Fool's Day, or that you're not joking with me?" His gloomy voice reached the ears of the person responsible for monitoring Zhou Yi through the headset, making him tremble all over. However, despite his extreme fear, he still answered seriously.
"Yes, Officer. He disappeared. According to your orders, we stopped monitoring him after he rested yesterday, but this morning when our people went for room service, they found he was no longer there. I think he must have left when we weren't paying attention."
"Listen, I don't care how many excuses you have. Get him back to me immediately. I don't care how much force you use, but remember this: don't let him discover you."
He gritted his teeth and ordered. If the person in charge wasn't so far away from him, he would have had the urge to shoot him. But now, he had to let him live. Because relatively speaking, finding Zhou Yi was more important.
"Mr. Edward, is there a problem?" Natasha, who had been standing quietly by the side, asked at this moment. She had already guessed what had happened, but she still pretended that nothing had happened.
"I apologize, Young Miss Romanoff, something at headquarters suddenly requires my attention. I think my Deputy will continue the tour with you." Not daring to let Natasha know about their surveillance of Zhou Yi, Raymond could only make up an excuse. He was worried about Zhou Yi's safety, so he had to mobilize forces to find Zhou Yi's whereabouts.
In contrast, Natasha, who was just a toy, was not so important. An assistant was enough to deal with her.
"No problem, Mr. Edward. Please go ahead." Natasha said with a smile, and only she knew how much meaning her smile held.