Tracking

"We have an operation tonight. We need you to drive."

That afternoon, as Simon arrived at the supermarket for work, Casey approached him.

Hearing there was an operation, Simon's eyes lit up. "How much this time?"

"It's just surveillance. You only need to drive, so it's just 200 bucks," Casey said.

Even a little money was still money. If all he had to do was drive and make 200 dollars, Simon was more than happy to do it.

"Good, meet at the back entrance at 9 PM," Casey instructed.

"Got it."

At 8:40 PM, after his shift, Simon drove his car to a nearby parking lot.

After parking, he walked over to the supermarket's back entrance.

Glancing around, Simon approached a black seven-seater Chevrolet SUV and knocked on the window.

The window slowly rolled down, revealing Casey's cold, robotic expression.

"Get in," Casey said, nodding toward the driver's seat.

Simon nodded and climbed into the driver's seat.

As soon as he got in, he saw Casey pulling out twenty dollars and handing it to Sarah.

"What's going on?" Simon asked, confused.

Sarah chuckled. "Casey and I made a bet on whether you'd figure out which car we were in. Looks like he lost."

"Tell me, how did you know we were in this car?" Casey asked.

Simon shrugged. "Since it's surveillance, a small car wouldn't work. So you'd only be in either a van or a large SUV."

Then he continued, "But since you needed me to drive, it means this isn't a stationary surveillance op. That rules out a van because it's too conspicuous."

"And, you government types love Chevrolets—especially black ones. So I guessed you were here," Simon concluded.

"Smart," Sarah gave him a thumbs-up.

"Whatever. Just drive," Casey ordered.

"Where to?" Simon asked as he started the engine.

"To pick up Chuck."

Without asking further, Simon drove onto the road.

Before long, under Simon's skillful driving, they arrived outside Chuck's house.

Sarah made a quick call, and soon, Chuck approached the car.

When Chuck got in and saw Simon, he was visibly surprised.

"Simon is working for us now—handling non-dangerous tasks. He's not one of us, so if you don't want to get him involved, keep your mouth shut," Sarah reminded him, both a warning and an explanation.

Chuck was confused. "Why are you bringing him in?"

"Because he's capable—whether it's intelligence, combat, or other skills," Casey said flatly.

"More importantly, he knows who we are, and he's your friend. That makes him useful as cover for our operations," Casey added.

"Relax, Chuck. They didn't force me into this—I volunteered," Simon spoke up.

Chuck still seemed unsure. "Why?"

"Because I need money. You know, college tuition isn't cheap," Simon stated plainly.

"Alright, but I still don't think this is the best choice," Chuck sighed.

With the conversation over, Simon followed Casey's directions and drove to the Chinese restaurant where they had eaten the night before.

Seeing the location, Simon had a hunch—Casey and the team were targeting that female spy.

Even though he figured out their target, Simon didn't show any reaction.

Instead, he started thinking about how he could warn that spy that she was being watched.

"I'm going out for a bit."

After waiting for a long time with no action, Chuck got restless.

"Don't go too far," Casey cautioned, thinking Chuck was just going to the restroom.

"I won't be long."

Chuck stepped out and walked off.

A short while later, he returned to the car.

Simon and the others didn't think much of it and continued watching the restaurant.

Suddenly, Simon spotted a stranger—a white man—approaching their car in the rearview mirror.

"Something's up. Stay alert," Simon warned.

At his words, Casey and Sarah instinctively reached for their guns.

Simon, on the other hand, gripped his tranquilizer gun, loaded with non-lethal rounds.

"Excuse me, sorry to bother you—did someone order fried shrimp?" The man glanced at the takeout bag and continued, "For a Mr. Carmel?"

"Yeah, I did," Chuck said, pulling out some cash, handing it over, and taking the bag. "Keep the change."

"Thanks!" The man took the money and left.

Watching this unfold, Simon was dumbfounded. "Casey, next time you have an assignment like this, don't call me if Chuck is involved. I'm too young to die this early, okay?"

"Hey, that's hurtful, Simon," Chuck protested.

"Idiot, you just completely blew our cover!" Casey was visibly furious.

"Uh," Chuck hesitated, "That's why I used a fake name."

Simon shook his head in disbelief and continued observing the restaurant.

"Guys, someone's here."

Right after Simon spoke, a long black limousine pulled up outside the restaurant.

Moments later, a wheelchair-bound elderly man was carried into the vehicle by several men in black suits.

"It's him!"

Through his binoculars, Simon immediately recognized the man.

"Who?" Chuck asked.

"Jero Pan. He controls half of Chinatown," Simon explained.

When Simon had trained at a martial arts school in Chinatown, he'd heard about him.

There were three major factions in Chinatown: one was the Sanhehui, led by Jero Pan. The second was the Johnny Chen Family. The last was a Triad group from Hong Kong.

After Simon's explanation, the target—Mei Ling—finally appeared.

She donned a helmet and hopped on a motorcycle, tailing the limousine.

"It's our turn now," Casey said, fastening his seatbelt.

Simon also buckled up but didn't start the engine immediately.

As Mei Ling rode farther away, Chuck became anxious. "We're going to lose her! Step on it!"

"We won't. You need to keep a 30-yard distance while tailing a target so they don't notice," Sarah explained.

Chuck, trying to sound smart, said, "So, if we're the 'hunter,' does that mean we should stay 60 yards behind to avoid being the 'hunted'? Or is there another tracking rule—"

Fed up with Chuck's nonsense, Casey shoved him back into his seat and ordered, "Just drive!"

Simon smirked slightly and finally started the car, smoothly following the target.

On the way, Chuck—still curious—asked, "Simon, how do you know about tracking rules?"

Simon casually replied, "Simple—because my ex-girlfriend was a detective."