Chapter 933 The End of an Idealist
Everyone went home, and Jack arranged for Reacher to live upstairs in the office of the wanted criminal team, with the room opposite him.
“This place is very private and safe. The outside world has always regarded this place as an insurance office.” There are not many things in the guest room, but it is usually cleaned, so you can check in at any time with your bags.
Rachel took out his only luggage, a toothbrush, from his pocket and placed it on the sink in the bathroom, with a slightly confused expression.
"You are still engaged in intelligence work? Why are you so cautious."
"No, just think of it as my quirk." Jack briefly talked about his house that was bombed into the sky, and then elaborated on his safety philosophy on the importance of protecting those around him.
“Whether it is drug lords or terrorists, I am not afraid to speculate on their actions with the greatest malice. Even the industrial zone in Margrave Town has now set up a factory protection team, just to prevent those South American drug traffickers. Comeback."
Hearing a familiar place, Lei Che opened his mouth subconsciously, but didn't know how to answer.
"You haven't gone back to see it, have you? Roscoe is still single now." Jack teased, taking out two bottles of beer from the refrigerator, which were the stocks of Clay and Jubal.
Rachel took the beer and chose to remain silent. Jack smiled and did not continue the topic. The big guy's personality was actually quite awkward. He was obviously a person who valued love and justice, but he chose to wander around the world alone.
"Who died in the car accident?" After a long silence, Reacher suddenly asked.
"Probably the oldest one among you, Larry, died in a car accident in Montana two years ago. The military really hurt you so deeply that it completely cut you off from all relationships. The contact with colleagues in the army before?" Jack asked curiously.
"Of course not. I just got tired of the army's rules and regulations and wanted to enjoy a completely free journey. I just didn't expect that they didn't notify me." Lei Che unscrewed the bottle cap with his hand and gave it to me. I took a sip of cold beer.
"Without an address or a phone number, do you think everyone is as good at finding people as we are at the FBI?" Jack's tone was slightly sarcastic.
"Do you know any gangs nearby? I need a gun." Reacher took the initiative to change the topic.
"I don't think you have any intention of spending money to get an unnumbered pistol." Jack curled his lips and waved for him to follow him.
The two came to the garage downstairs. A part of this place had been converted into a small indoor shooting range by Jack. It was also the "arsenal" of the wanted criminal team.
“These guns have no serial numbers, and the ballistic data does not exist in any database. They can be used with confidence.” Jack stuffed a brand new Glock 20, two spare magazines and a box of 10mm AUTO bullets into Reacher.
"I like this gun." Reacher grinned, picked up the gun and inspected it briefly, then raised his hand and pointed at the target in the distance and shot it, hitting the bullseye.
Having guessed that he would do this, Jack hurriedly put on the soundproof earmuffs while handing him the gun, and shook his head speechlessly when he saw this scene.
When Reacher was satisfied and put the gun in his back, the two returned to the first floor. Jack opened the back door, each with a bottle of beer and a cigar. They sat on the rocking chairs under the porch and stared at the small vegetable garden in the back.
After a long while, Jack broke the silence, "It seems that you are still enjoying your life now."
"It's good to be free enough. I don't need to work now. Dealing with superiors, you know, those companies are no different from the army, it's like putting people in a cage." Reacher looked calm.
Jack shrugged, "It seems that each of us has a different definition of freedom. I think I am quite free now.
It has been several years, and I am surprised that this You haven’t gotten tired of living a homeless life yet. You should have traveled all over the country, right? It’s a pity that Greyhound doesn’t have the mileage accumulation business like airlines.”
Reacher smiled and said, "Arkansas is my last stop in the southern states. If you hadn't come to see me, I might have jumped on the train to the north by now."
"You still do it? "Bos?" Jack was a little surprised, he learned this word from a railway policeman (Chapter 416).
“Yes, it was very frequent for a while, until one day a freight train I was riding on accidentally derailed, and I gradually gave up this unsafe way of traveling, and switched to hitchhiking and continuing to take gray rides. Dog Bus." Speaking of this, Reacher still had a look of luck on his face.
"It sounds more unsafe." Jack muttered, "I mean for those drivers, aren't they afraid of a big guy like you?" "Actually, sometimes they are quite interesting. , and even share food with me," Reacher grinned.
"That can only mean that you are lucky." Jack said with a bad smile. There are too many guys with unique tastes in the United States now, and it is not just beautiful girls who are in danger when hitchhiking.
However, this guy has reached the highest level of "poor travel". Most people can't live such a cool life.
Jack also talked about his experience in the past two years. The various cases he has taken on include those that were satisfying and gratifying, those that made people feel very relieved, and those that were uncomfortable and unpleasant tragedies.
While he was telling the story, he observed the big man's expression. Although Reacher just listened quietly most of the time, he could occasionally catch a trace of yearning and longing from his eyes, but it quickly disappeared. It makes people suspect that it seems to be just an illusion.
An idea flashed in Jack's mind, and a smile appeared on his face. "If you travel all over the country one day, would you be interested in visiting other countries?"
Reacher raised his eyebrows, seeming to be very interested in his proposal, "What do you want to say?"
"For example, Ma Da in the north, or Mexico in the south, or those American countries further south. , it can also include Europe, Africa and even Asia in the future."
Reicher looked at him slightly suspiciously, "What do you want me to do for you?"
"Purchase some small properties. That's it. For example, if you buy a small house in a big city in some countries and hire someone to maintain it regularly, it won't waste too much of your time. Later, it will be managed by several companies, and you only need to be responsible for some of the early work. ”
This was something that Jack had planned to leave to Anna to do, but based on the principle that eggs cannot be put in one basket, he planned to leave it to different people.
"I hate wearing a suit and dressing up as a business person to deal with people."
Jack was surprised and surprised by Reacher's words. The big man didn't refuse immediately.
"You just have to be responsible for waving checks and signing contracts with people. You don't need to wear a suit. I need to build some safe houses in case of emergencies, like here, for me and my guys to perform tasks outside.
And you don’t need to report to me all the time. You can go wherever you want. Just give me a call when you pass by some big cities. "
"If I want to go abroad one day, I will consider your suggestion." Lei Che didn't say anything.
"OK, think about it and tell me. I know you advocate a minimalist life, but there is no need to treat yourself as a homeless person. At least when you can't find a motel, you can consider an ordinary hotel instead of sleeping in a motel." On an unattended boat at the dock. "
Jack really admires the big guy. Such a "free" life usually only appears in novels. It sounds very romantic, but whoever lives it knows.
The two people who had not seen each other for a long time chatted until late at night. Jack also asked about the causes and consequences of the disbandment of the 110 Special Investigation Team.
It’s quite an old story. It was roughly that they investigated a case in which someone in the military used a transport plane to smuggle drugs into the country. The special investigators discovered the clues by calculating the fuel loss of the transport plane and found that someone He hid the drug in the spare tire of the Hummer.
Just when they were about to close the net, they encountered obstruction from the top. A colonel who was about to be promoted to general and transferred to a Korean base to enjoy life did not want the case to be too involved, so he directly ordered Reacher to close the case to cover up the case. scandal.
Reacher and his men chose to disobey the order. As a result, the case was solved, the scandal was published in the newspapers, and the 110 Special Investigation Team was disbanded on the spot for disobeying the orders of their superiors. Everyone, including Reacher, was forced to retire.
"How did you gather yourself such a group of idealists in this era?" Jack was a little curious.
"I personally selected and trained them." When talking about his old subordinates, Reacher's expression was a bit rich, the most of which was guilt, but he had no regrets.
(End of this chapter)