The General is coming.
Those who frequently conduct business in Suakoko knew all too well what it meant when they heard that the General was coming—it meant it was time for you to leave.
A group of people all donned masks of pain and suffering. Although no one dared say anything, the expressions on their faces betrayed how they felt.
Gao Yi was in even greater pain.
The target had made his appearance, but he had come too early, too suddenly.
Gao Yi couldn't make his move. First of all, there were too many people around—seven Chinese people at that. If he took action, not a single one would be able to escape.
Another problem was that Gao Yi wasn't prepared yet; he hadn't had the chance to notify Luca. Even if he succeeded, he wouldn't be able to leave Suakoko.
Old Lin was already getting ready to go. He didn't show any sign of dissatisfaction, but rather a gesture of helplessness, "Since the General is coming, we should leave first."
"No."
The very robust black man chuckled, "Let's wait a bit longer before leaving."
While they were talking, the sound of a car engine approached.
With the roaring of the engine coming to a halt, the subsequent sound that followed was the clattering of boots on the ground. Soon, four black soldiers appeared, all carrying guns as they entered the restaurant.
Though dressed in camouflage like the men who had entered first, these four soldiers wore helmets instead of berets and donned bullet-proof vests.
The most troubling aspect was the fact that these four soldiers all had their guns raised as they entered, and they immediately aimed them at the people inside the restaurant, ready to fire at the slightest provocation.
Gao Yi, who harbored a psychological shadow, couldn't help feeling somewhat panicked, with the barrel of a gun pointed at him, he felt as if he might have been exposed.
Unable to help himself, he glanced at the other patrons and found that they didn't seem particularly nervous. They acted as if this was nothing out of the ordinary. Upon closer inspection, it was clear that the four guns were mainly aimed at two people: Gao Yi and Lin Xianghua.
Wouldn't it just be my luck to be dragged down by this idiot?
Gao Yi didn't have to wait long before two more people entered from the doorway. To his surprise, the new arrivals were a black man and a white man.
There was something off about the black man, but Gao Yi immediately felt he wasn't a local. The newcomer carried a scent of perfume, and from his posture, demeanor, and body language, there was an air of condescension.
The white man, in his forties, didn't seem particularly remarkable, but he was holding something tablet-like in his hand.
It looked like a tablet, but it was several times thicker.
The first black man to enter pointed first at Lin Xianghua, then at Gao Yi, and said, "He's new here."
The white man then lifted the tablet and pointed it at Gao Yi.
Gao Yi didn't know what the tablet was for, but instinctively he felt uneasy. Fortunately, the only confusion he showed on the surface was simply that of befuddlement—as for the nervousness, wouldn't anyone in this situation be anxious?
Could it be facial recognition? Or something else?
The white man held the tablet towards Gao Yi for not very long, then lowered it, staring intently at the screen while the black man leaned in and whispered, "Any match?"
"No."
So they really were conducting facial recognition. Gao Yi's heart raced; he now feared that images captured of him in Tachileik could be his undoing.
But soon enough, the white man set the tablet down, "No problem."
The very robust black man started laughing, "Great, thank you."
The white man just nodded, his tone nonchalant, "No problem, goodbye."
With those words, he turned and left, followed by the four armed soldiers as they lowered their weapons and walked out.
Waiting for his companions to leave, the robust black man blew a soft whistle. Then he smiled at Gao Yi, "You're a chef?"
Gao Yi was still somewhat uncertain. He didn't know whether he should pretend to speak English or not, but pretending to be fluent when he wasn't would be difficult, and it would be even harder to pretend ignorance of the language if he was fluent.
Nodding, Gao Yi, with his heavily accented English, said, "Yes, I'm a chef."
The black man chuckled, offering his hand, which Gao Yi hastily reached out to shake.
"My name is Sangbanda, I'm the escort captain for General Horace. You can call me Major."
"Major Sir, nice to meet you."
Still appearing nervous, Gao Yi responded, but Sangbanda politely said, "Welcome to Suakoko to open a restaurant. We really welcome you. Is this your signature dish?"
"Oh, no, this is just… a part of it. The main dish is still in the pot out back."
"May I try it?"
"Of course, of course, please wait a moment."
Gao Yi hurriedly went to the backyard with a tense look, while Sangbanda was already familiar with a few others. He chuckled, "Looks good and smells good too. I have to try this."
Sangbanda didn't know how to use chopsticks, nor did he reach for a spoon; instead, he directly picked a piece of stir-fried chicken from the pot and tasted it. After taking a few bites, his eyes suddenly bulged, "Good!"
Old Lin, noticing the opportunity, handed him a spoon, saying, "Please…"
The others watched, agitated internally, yet not daring to show any peculiar behavior.
In the meantime, Gao Yi came back carrying an iron pot, which he placed on another table, removing the damp cloth used as a pot holder, and deftly lifted the lid. As the steam dispersed slightly, he immediately addressed Sangbanda, "Major, please."
Sangbanda appeared surprised, having never encountered such a way of eating, especially when he saw the ring of pancakes stuck around the edge of the pot, piquing his curiosity even more.
Sangbanda was tasting the food on behalf of the General, possibly also testing for poison. He took the spoon from Old Lin's hand and scooped out a piece of chicken, putting it into his mouth.
Then Sangbanda burned his mouth.
Yet after Sangbanda swallowed the chicken, he said with an unexpected tone, "Good, really good!"
Nervous, Gao Yi relaxed a bit upon hearing the praise and immediately offered, "Would you like to try this?"
Using a small shovel, he scooped up a piece of cassava pancake. Gao Yi himself had never tasted such pancakes; he didn't even know if they were any good. Besides, the pancakes were slightly burnt due to the chicken delaying its cooking time.
Sangbanda tentatively bit a piece of pancake, then showed a look of surprise. Then, with delight, he finished off the small pancake in a few bites.
Gao Yi served Sangbanda a sugar-added pancake with a flattering smile, "Try this."
"Very, very, very good!"
Sangbanda began to gorge himself while Gao Yi stood by, attending to him.
Sangbanda's arms were thicker than Gao Yi's legs. The girth of his neck matched that of his head, signaling that he was certainly a hearty eater. By the end, he had finished off an entire chicken and twelve attached pancakes.
Satisfied after his meal, Sangbanda said seriously to Gao Yi, "Delicious! A fantastic treat!"
"Thank you."
"The General will come to eat at ten o'clock tomorrow morning—be prepared beforehand."
"Yes, of course, it's my honor."
Sangbanda stood up, burped contentedly, and said, "See you tomorrow."
Without any further conversation, Sangbanda, ignoring everyone else, wobbled out of the restaurant.
Tomorrow at ten in the morning, it was all set.
Gao Yi inwardly rejoiced, but when looking at the other restaurant owners, he feigned confusion, "What's… what's going on here?"
Old Lin responded with a helpless smile, "That's business around here for you."
Gao Yi, genuinely baffled, "Were those two taking our pictures earlier?"
"No, those were Americans, tasked with… protecting the General."
"Americans?"
"Liberia was founded by freed slaves sent back by the United States. Later, some locals seized power and then civil wars ensued. The General is backed by the United States. After he lost in the civil war, he took over this place, and the Americans even dispatched people to protect him."
Boss Wang wanted to clarify this for Gao Yi, but Old Lin, looking a touch nervous, whispered, "Let's drop the topic; knowing this much is enough."
But Boss Wang wasn't interested in yielding, as he was quite upset, and continued, "Those two are from the CIA, this isn't just our guess—Sangbanda told us."
The CIA involved as well? But it made sense. No wonder previous assassins had failed. Gray Horace did indeed have skilled protectors around him, unlike other warlords.
Old Lin spoke with a hint of regret, "No more of that; the chicken in the pot has gotten cold."
"Luckily, there's still soup."
"Let's make another pot! We have to enjoy ourselves today, because once the General arrives tomorrow, everything is sure to be locked down."
Listening to the conversation, Gao Yi said in astonishment, "A lockdown just for a meal?"
Old Lin replied with a wry smile, "Just this year alone, two assassination attempts on the General have been thwarted. Do you think it's unwarranted? Thankfully, we are all Chinese, and Chinese people are considered safe. So they're more relaxed and the checks are simple. If it were a black person or a white person, they'd delve into three generations back in a heartbeat. Let's not talk about this anymore. Let's cook!"
Gao Yi gave Lin Xianghua another look.
Lin Xianghua had arrived even earlier and must have been checked, but since everything seemed fine up to now, it ought to be alright.
Yet Gao Yi also felt identified by the CIA, and nothing had come of it. Lin might as well have had "assassin" written on his face, but then again Gao Yi considered a real assassin wouldn't be this foolish, so it was all very conflicting.
Could it be possible that Lin Xianghua was also new to the game and therefore wasn't in the CIA's database, hence nothing was dug up on him?
Moreover, the General would be coming tomorrow, and Lin Xianghua had also heard.
If Lin Xianghua was indeed from the same profession, might he beat him to the punch?
Thankfully, General Horace was cautious enough. As long as Gao Yi kept quiet and didn't allow Lin Xianghua to mingle in, even if Gray showed up to eat, Lin Xianghua wouldn't be able to get close.
The more he thought, the more troublesome it seemed, so Gao Yi decided to stop thinking about it.
Contact Luca and have Luca come to back him up tomorrow.
If there was an opportunity tomorrow, act; if not, leave directly. Because if no opportunity arose tomorrow, it would mean there wouldn't be any more chances in the future.
So, a swift battle it will be.