Chapter 717 - 658: Barrett's Hot Bath

The dwarf didn't know why Song Heping suddenly turned against the CIA.

But one thing he was clear about was that falling out with them was to his advantage.

Initially, it was the CIA that controlled the drug circles in Lao Mo's territory, causing the dwarf to be obstructed and his interests to be harmed, which led him to join several major families in rebellion.

Unexpectedly, Song Heping got involved and, with a series of maneuvers, forced those families and himself into a position where they had no choice but to submit.

Now that Song Heping decided to take the lead in fighting against the CIA, the dwarf was happy to see it happen.

After all, killing an undercover CIA agent wasn't a particularly difficult task—it had long been a tradition in the drug circles of Lao Mo.

The dwarf had his own plans.

Observing from a distance, waiting for the right time to strike.

He had learned this trick from Song Heping.

It was the same tactic that Song Heping had used against him and the other major families.

After hanging up the phone, the dwarf called over his confidant.

Then, in his study, he gave a low-voiced explanation.

His confidant understood immediately and left right away.

The dwarf stood in the study for a moment, then turned and returned to his desk. He opened the cigar box and took out a new limited edition Habanos cigar from this year's production. He skillfully used a cigar cutter to trim it, lit it with a snap, and took a deep inhale, allowing the smoke to swirl repeatedly in his mouth, savoring the enchanting aroma and the pleasure that the cigar's tobacco leaves brought to his oral mucous membrane.

After weighing the whole situation back and forth, he revealed a triumphant smile, turned, and left the house, heading towards the spacious backyard.

By the poolside, bikini-clad beauties waved at him and shouted, "Baby, come on down."

The dwarf walked over to the pool laughing, knelt down to kiss one of his favorite girls by the pool, then stood up and shouted to his subordinates by the pool, "Let's party! Tonight, everyone should have a great time! Let's drink our fill!"

Barrett has been quite busy and tired lately.

As an undercover agent, what exhausted him was not only physically but also psychologically.

This afternoon, another batch of goods was arranged to leave from San German tonight, hidden in a cargo ship disguised as a "Saint" bulker, heading towards the southern coast near Coppas Christi, the United States.

Before entering territorial waters, yachts would come to rendezvous, and drug dealers disguised as anglers would distribute the goods into different yachts and then transport them back to the port.

Song Heping has not been in Mexico for a while now.

It seems like he went back to Z Eastern.

And then everything here seems to have been left to Barrett's management.

At first, Barrett worried whether he could keep his undercover identity from Song Heping.

But now he can finally breathe easy.

After all, entrusting him with the majority of Lao Mo's transport network was definitely a sign of trust.

Compared to many drug dealers, Barrett was still quite disciplined.

Apart from unavoidable social engagements, Barrett generally went back to his home on the outskirts of Monterrey after handling business at the transport company, then spent the time alone quietly until dawn.

The Lexus SUV stopped in the yard, and Barrett pressed the remote control through the car window.

The garage door slowly rose.

He carefully drove in, then lowered the garage door.

The security in this area was quite good.

His public identity was that of a big transport company boss.

To avoid attracting too much attention, Barrett always kept a low profile.

Today, as per his routine, he planned to go upstairs and fill the bathtub with hot water for a comfortable soak, lying in the bathtub to relax.

He liked that bathtub, and he had never used the swimming pool in the yard.

Perhaps it was the habit of being undercover.

He always felt it wasn't safe to expose himself in an outdoor bathtub, always feeling as if someone was watching him from somewhere not too far away.

Entering the living room from the garage, the only companion in the house, a black cat named Gaffi, ran over and rubbed furiously against his feet, making strange meowing noises.

He sighed.

The cat was a stray that he had adopted in Mexico.

The purpose was to keep him company.

Sometimes cats are more reliable than people.

Walking into the kitchen, he took out the cat food and the bowl and poured half a bowl of cat food for Gaffi.

But Gaffi didn't seem very interested, continuing to rub against his legs instead.

Lately, Gaffi seemed to be in heat.

It was a female cat.

Barrett felt that maybe he should find her a mate, or find a place to have her spayed.

Finally managing to get away from Gaffi's entanglement, Barrett climbed the stairs to the second floor, threw his clothes on the bed, then went to the bathroom to turn on the hot water tap.

He walked to the wardrobe, opened the cabinet door, retrieved the laptop from a hidden compartment at the bottom, then went back to the desk, connected the power supply, and booted up the computer.

Soon, a familiar login interface appeared.

He quickly entered the password, called up the log files, and began typing in today's shipping origins and destinations, cargo volumes, item names, as well as the specifics of dispatching and receiving parties, and even the flow of financial transactions.

This was the evidence he had been gathering.

From the beginning, he meticulously recorded every transaction he handled daily.

These were Kelly's instructions.

Especially the intelligence involving Song Heping, which he documented most meticulously.

Details such as which company the final profits flowed to, which channel they went through, which bank handled the transactions, were all precisely noted.

Barrett was adept at this task and finished it quickly.

Looking at the dense logs and records, he suddenly felt that the time to bring down Song Heping might soon be upon them.

These records were sufficient to have Song Heping listed as a fugitive and put at the top of the DEA's wanted list.

Suddenly, the phone on the desk began to vibrate.

Barrett picked it up and saw it was Kelly's number.

He immediately entered the encryption code.

This phone was also provided by the CIA and had anti-surveillance capabilities.

The drug traffickers' equipment was quite advanced as well, so it couldn't be ruled out that he was under surveillance.

After entering the code, the phone switched to another hidden system.

Barrett moved to the curtain and cautiously peered outside through a small gap.

This was his consistent habit.

After making sure there was no one outside, Kelly's voice came through the phone.

"Barrett, compile the latest intelligence of this month and send it back," she said.

"Isn't it not the end of the month yet?"

Barrett was somewhat puzzled.

As per agreement, at the end of each month, he would organize all intelligence and then create a spreadsheet to send back to the CIA.

It was only mid-month; why was Kelly suddenly calling to request the intelligence to be sent?

"Is it time to make a move on Song Heping?"

A thought suddenly crossed Barrett's mind.

"Correct, we are preparing to take him out. What's the situation on your end?"

"The situation is good; they all trust me."

"That's good to hear. If Song Heping is eliminated, do you have what it takes to take over everything?"

"Currently, over 70% of the transport network is under the control of my organization. With your cooperation, we should be able to exert immense pressure on the dwarfs and others."

"Have you made contact with the Colombian government side?"

"Not on that side," Barrett said. "Song Heping has not yet allowed me to engage with the Colombian anti-government armed forces."

"It doesn't matter..."

Kelly paused momentarily on the phone then spoke, "As long as you control the transportation network and can create short-term pressure to prevent them from shipping goods out, combined with the pressure from the Mexican government, you will have a chance."

"Hearing you say that actually makes me quite happy; undercover life is really not easy."

"Don't worry, you will soon return to the role you once played in Mexico, continuing the mission of those days."

"That would be best," Barrett said. "Song Heping is ambitious and too clever; he cannot be left alive."

"I've known for a while," Kelly seemed very pleased with the call: "Get the task done as I've instructed and then wait for my good news."

The phone call was disconnected.

Barrett stood by the window, holding the phone and staring blankly for a while, as the sound of water spilling over the bathtub edge came from the bathroom.

He put down the phone, walked into the bathroom, stripped clean, and then submerged himself in the bathtub.

"Comfortable…"

Barrett picked up a towel that had been soaked in the hot water and draped it over his face, relaxing, and enjoying the pleasant hot bath.

Suddenly, he heard a faint noise.

Barrett, on alert, attempted to remove the towel from his face, while his other hand subconsciously reached for the Glock pistol laid on the small table beside the bathtub.

Just then, a rope was suddenly looped around his neck, and his legs were forcefully held down...

"Mmmph—"

The unexpected situation caused Barrett to panic.

He struggled desperately, like a fat pig pinned on a chopping board, waiting to be slaughtered.