Chapter 18 He Died

The Singer was the codename for John Jones, as well as the name for the team he led. As the brain of the team, John Jones had the greatest power and responsibility.

Of course, only John Jones could distribute the fruits of victory.

"This operation ended unexpectedly soon, and it was a perfect conclusion."

John Jones seemed very pleased as he smiled and said, "So, we've got ourselves 2.1 million British Pounds."

Cheers erupted, Wells exclaimed buoyantly, "Finally, we have money again."

John Jones, still smiling, took out one of the several cards piled on the table in front of him, pushed it towards Wells, and chuckled, "Your three hundred thousand British Pounds."

Wells, unable to wait, picked up the bank card, then kissed it and laughed, "Thank you."

John Jones picked up the second bank card and handed it to Ryan, smiling, "Your three hundred thousand."

Ryan took the card and nodded.

The third card went to Daniel, and John Jones smiled, "Three hundred thousand to you, what do you plan to do with it this time?"

Daniel shook his head and said softly, "Haven't decided yet."

John Jones picked up the fourth card, handed it to Jenny, and then smiled, "One hundred thousand British Pounds."

Jenny took the card expressionlessly and put it in her bag.

The Indian, Kadipur, received fifty thousand British Pounds, followed by Kate, who also got fifty thousand.

When she got her bank card, Kate was extremely excited, and her eagerness indicated she had already decided what to do with the money.

"Hey, gentlemen, can anybody tell me if there's anything that makes money faster than this? Work, I don't make fifty thousand British Pounds in a year."

John Jones chuckled, then he gave the last card to Yang Yi, smiling, "You get one hundred thousand British Pounds."

Kate's smile vanished.

John Jones sighed and said, "Ross is participating in an operation for the first time, but he held off Mr. Rushford, so he received an extra reward. Alright, ladies and gentlemen, you all have your share; the distribution is over."

Out of the total of 2.1 million British Pounds, John Jones had given away 1.2 million, which meant he himself kept a neat sum of nine hundred thousand British Pounds, even though it seemed like he did nothing.

Yang Yi didn't have any objections to John Jones' distribution method; if nobody had any issue with this clear arrangement, then the proportion must be reasonable or at least an accepted convention.

Yang Yi was pondering how he himself could become the brain of a team just like John Jones.

The money had been divided and John Jones blandly stated, "This operation went perfectly, Ryan and Wells were not exposed, and all traces have been cleared. Egertoni Company will not realize for some time that their commercial secrets have been leaked. So, Ryan, Wells, you'll need to keep working there for a while and then find a suitable opportunity to leave."

"Understood, Mr. Jones."

"Yes, Mr. Jones."

John Jones then turned to Yang Yi, pondered for a moment, and said solemnly, "The excuse you crafted will be too difficult to turn into reality to dispel Mr. Rushford's suspicions, so we won't have any follow-up actions to cover for your lie. Just avoid appearing before Mr. Rushford from now on."

Yang Yi nodded, "Yes, Mr. Jones."

John Jones raised his glass and said with a smile, "Then let's toast to our victory."

Those who'd come for the money left quickly after receiving it, as swiftly as they arrived, and they would only get together again when there was another mission. That could be a day, a month, or even a year from now.

After everyone had left, John Jones turned to Yang Yi and said, "The mission is over, so you can't continue living here. You have a week to sort out your living arrangements, then you'll start working at the accounting firm, with an annual salary of twenty thousand British Pounds."

An annual salary of twenty thousand British Pounds was the norm for someone new to the job market; now Yang Yi was beginning to understand why Kate was so determined to become a corporate spy—earning twenty thousand British Pounds a year compared to fifty thousand in thirteen days, tax-free at that. A rational person would likely choose the latter.

John Jones then looked at Kate and spoke gently, "You will also work at the accounting firm. I will teach you what to do. Your annual salary will be twenty-two thousand British Pounds, and you will have your office."

Kate shot a smug look at Yang Yi, but John Jones promptly said, "However, first, you need to help Ross find his apartment. Go with him tomorrow. The sooner he's settled, the quieter things will be for us."

Kate immediately said, "No, I want to move out as well, I can rent my own place now that I have money."

John Jones shook his head and said, "No, you must stay at home, with me, that's non-negotiable."

Kate took a deep breath and then said with a disgruntled face, "I'm an adult now and besides, I'm not going to help him find any apartment!"

John Jones smiled and said, "So you're suggesting I should do those things for him? I've said before, if you leave, you don't have to listen to everything I say; I'll respect your rights as an adult."

Kate had nothing more to say, and John Jones smiled, "I need to step out for a while, that's it then, goodbye."

It was already nine in the evening; going to bed was a bit early, but Yang Yi and Kate didn't want to face each other. Thus, they had fallen into the routine of the past several days, returning to their respective rooms and doing their own things—mainly not having to see each other's face.

In fact, Yang Yi wasn't so petty. Although his pride was wounded, after all, he had his fill of eye candy. Moreover, as a man, it's a bit too petty to always be bickering with a girl.

But the problem was that Kate had no intention of easing the tension. She was genuinely annoyed with Yang Yi, and Yang Yi, of course, couldn't offer a friendly face to Kate while he was being cold-shouldered all the time.

In fact, Yang Yi was also looking forward to moving out as soon as possible. So the next morning, he set out to continue the search for a suitable house to rent. With John Jones's orders, Kate, although very reluctant, still had to drive out with Yang Yi to house hunt.

Housing prices in London are super expensive, as are the rents, but now Yang Yi had an estate worth two hundred thousand British Pounds. In the United Kingdom, that was definitely a substantial amount. Although it didn't make him a tycoon, it was enough for a very comfortable life.

It was just that in his search for a house, Yang Yi faced some unexpected resistance.

"Will the two of you be living together?"

"No."

"Of course not!"

Kate seemed rather angry, dissatisfied that the real estate agent thought she would live with Yang Yi. Then, with a look of disgust, she said, "Would this guy even have a girlfriend? A pretty girlfriend like me? You must be joking. He'll live on his own!"

The real estate agent smiled and then asked Yang Yi, "So sir, what kind of house are you looking for?"

"It needs to be spacious and clean."

"What about this one? It's a one-bedroom with a living room, a private bathroom, and a kitchen for a weekly rent of three hundred British Pounds."

One month would be twelve hundred British Pounds. Yang Yi did a quick conversion in his head and figured that the house he wanted to rent was equivalent to a one-bedroom apartment just outside the second ring road in Beijing, costing three thousand Yuan per week, which came to twelve thousand a month.

The price was a bit high, but Yang Yi didn't mind. After all, he had more than two hundred thousand British Pounds, and just by taking on another spy mission, he'd at least make tens of thousands of British Pounds in income.

"Great, can we take a look at the house?"

"No, wait!"

Kate, visibly annoyed, grabbed hold of Yang Yi and said impatiently, "Follow me."

Yang Yi followed Kate aside, and then Kate said angrily, "Your annual salary is only twenty thousand British Pounds. Now you're looking at renting a place with a weekly rent of three hundred British Pounds. Do you think that's appropriate?"

"What's wrong with that?"

"You can't afford it on your income! Idiot. Your legal income is an annual salary of twenty thousand British Pounds, one year's rent would need fourteen thousand four hundred British Pounds."

"I was just working that out! Shut up! Who asked you to speak! Alright, most of your income would go towards rent. Then what? What about your car? How will you eat? Pay for transportation?"

Yang Yi, annoyed, said, "You're just looking for faults, aren't you? Listen, you know how much money I have, and you know how much I can make. I earn more than you, at least, so don't worry about my rent."

Kate gave him a look like she was staring at an idiot and said, "You're going to live in London, where you need to establish an open and reasonable identity to cover up your own, primarily a legal identity. So, are you planning to explain your extra income to the police? Let me tell you, I couldn't care less how stupid you are, but you can't drag others down with you!"

Yang Yi strongly suspected Kate was using a reasonable excuse to prevent him from having a better life out of personal spite, but what Kate said made sense, so he had to concede.

However, the houses Yang Yi saw next were not really to his liking, so the first day was wasted just looking for houses. In the end, as a compromise, Yang Yi rented a two hundred British Pounds per week house with a private bathroom and kitchen, but no living room.

Having found a house and completed the paperwork, it was almost time for dinner, and Yang Yi still had to make another trip back with Kate since his belongings were still at John Jones's house.

Kate had the keys, and she opened the door. Both she and Yang Yi entered, to see a glass of wine on the coffee table in front of John Jones, who was leaning back on the sofa, seemingly asleep.

"Dad, are you asleep? Wake up, what do you want for dinner?"

Kate spoke carelessly while changing her shoes. However, Yang Yi suddenly grabbed her arm.

Kate glared at Yang Yi, but Yang Yi's face had turned pale, and he rushed towards John Jones on the sofa, reaching straight for his neck.

"What are you doing? Dad! What's wrong with you!"

Kate was confused, while Yang Yi pulled his hand away from John Jones's neck, shock written all over his face as he said in a low voice, "He's dead."

Kate was completely stunned. She covered her mouth, then immediately rushed to John Jones's side. Trembling, she took out her phone and said with a sob, "Call an ambulance! Call an ambulance..."

Yang Yi quickly covered Kate's mouth, but Kate reacted even faster, knocking his hand away. As she was about to say something in anger, Yang Yi quickly said in a low voice, "He's been murdered!"