Since they weren't staying long, they didn't take out all their luggage, and there wasn't much to pack away, Tim managed to organize everything on his own, while Shiller began searching for houses on Airbnb.
Most of the houses required advance booking, and the popular ones sometimes had no availability even months in advance. Now, finding a place with both a good location and layout was very difficult.
It wasn't long before Shiller told them he had found a new place. The two of them didn't suspect anything and grabbed their luggage to find a car.
Since only Shiller knew the address, he drove this time. The car went back onto Highway 10, but this journey was unexpectedly long.
They set off early in the morning and stopped at a gas station for breakfast around 10 a.m. They continued driving until 2 p.m., had lunch, and then drove again until past 5 p.m.
Tim suspected that Shiller wanted to drive all the way to Mexico, but he had no evidence.
The first part of the journey was still on the main road, but later it became a series of twists and turns, passing through mountains and by the seaside, naturally slowing down the speed of the car. They finally stopped at a desolate beach.
Pamela got out of the car and started vomiting; she wasn't car sick, but the prolonged smell of the car's leather had upset her stomach.
After getting out of the car, Tim checked his phone and, sure enough, they were on the southwest side of San Diego, nearly at Mexico.
More precisely, they were now at the border of California State in America and Lower California in Mexico, on the border line between America and Mexico.
But that wasn't the end. Once they got out, they walked along the desolate coastline, up and down a hill along a narrow path, past a wind-eroded bay, and then they saw a solitary house facing the sea and backed by mountains.
The choice of this accommodation could hardly be described as luxurious and comfortable; it was audaciously artistic.
Tim checked his phone again and, sure enough, they were currently on one of the most popular smuggling routes into America.
It was well-known that every year countless people tried to enter their dream destination, the "Divine Country," using less-than-legal methods.
As Canada, the country on top of America, is also developed and has strict visa policies, the only option left is to go through the countries beneath America. Mexico is the most popular among them.
Not to mention foreigners, Mexicans themselves also try all sorts of ways to sneak into America.
Although the border between America and Mexico is long, not every part is crossable. Leaving aside the patrolling border police, some areas are too open and visible from a distance, with flat terrain suitable for building walls and fences, and certainly not the first choice for crossing.
Moreover, some states are quite strict about immigration. Being caught could mean deportation at the very least, but relatively speaking, California has a stronger immigration atmosphere and less strict immigration laws. Some people can even get a green card after living there for a few years.
To enter California, one essentially has to go through Lower California, and the first stop after entering America is the infamous sanctum of San Diego.
The high crime rate in San Diego is closely linked to its large transient population. Many illegal immigrants, extorted along the way, naturally seek ways to recover their costs and enjoy the benefits of a capitalist nation upon their arrival, regardless of the legality.
Now, Shiller and his companions were at a beach not far from this route.
This route had been in use for many years, surrounded by well-developed infrastructure, yet this particular beach remained very quiet.
Tim wondered why those traveling the route had to stick to the old paths and endure extortion when they could just take a slight detour to pass this way, as they had done?
Tim thought back—the car ride was long, and it took more than an hour to walk after getting out of the car, but people who traversed half of the Americas on these routes probably wouldn't mind an extra hour, would they?
Soon, he realized his thoughts were too naive, as while following Shiller up the path, he spotted a camouflage backpack in the jungle.
Out of curiosity, he took a closer look and found a body under the backpack, apparently dead for over a month.
Tim quickly averted his gaze and continued forward, only to see a tree with a crossbow arrow stuck in it. It didn't look professional, more like something made by poacher traffickers. Tim peered into the bushes again. This time he saw no people, but he saw two jackets with blood on them.
Without a doubt, those two had met with some sort of accident.
The upward path took just over ten minutes, but with his keen observation skills, Tim spotted at least five crime scenes.
Now he understood why everyone avoided this area—you might only lose money on the usual route, but trying a new route could cost you your life.
"This too is a smuggling route," Shiller seemed to notice what Tim was thinking and explained, "But it's not for ordinary people; it's chosen by desperados with missions."
Tim nodded, having also realized that the path wasn't particularly difficult; therein lay the issue—a route that was easy to traverse and could provide a more efficient means of entry was never left for the common folk.
Then Tim reacted and said, "But why are we here?! We aren't stowaways!"
"This place can help me solve most of my problems," Shiller said. "Near the city, they just need to hire a few idlers to harass me anytime, but to get here, they'd at least need to hire a mercenary."
"There's someone over there," Pamela suddenly said, obviously getting the information from the plants. She stood cautiously behind a tree and said, "They've spotted us, should we take care of them?"
"Is anyone paying you?"
"Uh…"
Shiller turned and said, "You're not a mercenary, no one's paying your bills, so don't waste your energy. Let's go."
"Hard to imagine how you found such a place on a rental app," Tim said, looking up at the small house nearby.
"Who told you I found it on a rental app?"
"Weren't you looking at Airbnb this morning?"
"I did, but there were no suitable houses, so I checked the public reports on missing cases in California State and found the San Diego City Government warning citizens not to vacation at this beach. In the photos they posted, I spotted this house, and from its exterior, I determined it must have at least three rooms."
"So you also don't know if there's anyone in this house right now?"
"Yes, but I guess, no matter what, they wouldn't be legal residents, and since it's all illegal, we might as well stay too."
"What kind of people do you think we'll encounter?"
Shiller shook his head, saying nothing.
Throughout their conversation, Pamela had been keeping an eye on the group she'd noticed before. They had seen them but hadn't come up, continuously hiding in the bushes below.
They soon reached a clearing, with the house right before them. Oddly, there were no defensive structures around, and the house seemed utterly silent, giving the impression it was uninhabited.
Shiller walked over nonchalantly. He waved his hand, signaling Tim to pick the lock. Tim went over, saw that the lock was simple, and unlocked it in a matter of seconds.
Upon opening the door, some dust stirred up, but inside, to Tim's surprise, the house was actually quite nice.
The house was built on a small cliff with the door facing the mountain road they came from, and the windows naturally facing the sea. The living room was much larger than the previous cabin, with dark brown wooden floors and walls painted white and blue. There were several wooden support beams with fishing nets and lifebuoys hanging on them, embodying the style of a fisherman's cottage.
There was one bedroom downstairs and two upstairs, exactly three rooms. The kitchen and bathroom were fully equipped, and there was even a motorboat in the backyard. Ignoring the location of the house, it was a perfect vacation home.
Tim grew increasingly puzzled. Why would there be such a house in this place? Why was it currently unoccupied? Why didn't the menacing people on the mountain road come to stay in this house?
Suddenly, a noise came from outside the door.
Tim immediately became alert, and Pamela turned around as well. The two people who opened the door were startled, but first looked up at Shiller, who was coming down the stairs.
The leading woman was about to say something when the man behind her pulled her aside and said, "Alright, let's go somewhere else."
The two turned and left.
Tim squinted at their retreating figures, then his gaze returned to Shiller. He asked, "They obviously recognized you; what's really going on here?"
"What kind of people do you think come to America with a mission?"
"Mercenaries? Assassins? Terrorists?"
"Do you know the organization that has the most mercenaries, assassins, and terrorists on Earth?"
"Uh... The Federal Bureau of Investigation?"
"No, it's different here; this organization is called Hydra."
Tim's eyes widened as he looked at Shiller, who was leaning by the window, watching the waves crash against the cliffs below.
"Are you with Hydra?"
Shiller nodded with a smile.
"I'm really surprised," Pamela said with an eye roll as she walked over and sat on the couch. "I take back my earlier judgment, Nick making me slap you with a cabbage isn't underhanded at all."
"Don't hurry to take that back, Hydra is not just me."
Pamela suddenly seemed to catch the implication in Shiller's words. Her eyes widened as she looked at Shiller and said, "You mean Nick also... but wait, isn't he the S.H.I.E.L.D. Director?"
"He is."
"Then how could he also be with Hydra?"
"Why not?"
Tim and Pamela were both bewildered. Shiller walked into the kitchen to boil water, pressing the kettle and while doing so, he said, "Without Hydra, where would S.H.I.E.L.D. come from?"
Tim felt his brain turn to mush, but duty-bound, he pondered for a moment and said, "Keeping the enemy closer? By letting Hydra inside America, S.H.I.E.L.D. keeps itself busy, and can significantly increase its importance."
"That era is long gone," Shiller said. "You can think of Nick as even more underhanded."
Tim was confused.
"As I said, without Hydra, there would be no S.H.I.E.L.D."
"So, S.H.I.E.L.D. is..."
"What I mean is, S.H.I.E.L.D. is made up of Hydra, without Hydra, how could there be a S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
Tim's brain completely halted.