When she was told to stay outside and provide cover, Xiao Ran’s expression instantly turned cold.
"The two of you go in, and I cover by myself outside?"
Xiao Ran looked quite dissatisfied, and Yang Yi spread his hands and said, "There are only three of us who can act, otherwise, who do you think would be better suited to stay outside and provide cover?"
Xiao Ran turned her head away, emotionlessly saying, "Then I wish you a smooth operation."
Even a blind man could tell Xiao Ran was still unhappy, but fortunately, while she was displeased, she definitely wouldn’t do anything to impede the mission.
Kate, however, was quite indifferent. She didn’t choose to provoke Xiao Ran at this moment but instead asked quietly, "Should we go to the Home Office first, or should we complete the work at Imperial College first?"
Yang Yi didn’t hesitate at all, "Imperial College. Let’s deal with Martin Howard first. After we’ve confirmed that we can use the supercomputer at Imperial College, we’ll go to the Home Office to place the data processor. If we can’t secure the supercomputer at Imperial College first, then there’s no point in going to the Home Office."
After sighing, Yang Yi said in a deep voice, "So, I have to go to the Home Office myself to deal with placing the data processor. Kate, you go to Imperial College to protect Schultz and Tang Guo."
Kate’s face changed, "You’re going by yourself? That’s too risky."
Yang Yi shook his head, "There’s no risk. There are only five of us right now, and there’s no other way to arrange this. The priority is to handle Martin Howard, but both Schultz and Tang Guo lack any combat capability. If anything goes wrong at Imperial College, we can only rely on you to protect them."
Not using Brian and the others meant they were suddenly short on manpower, but Yang Yi felt that the task of placing the processor at the Home Office actually didn’t require many people. Having more people was pointless; he might as well do it alone.
Xiao Ran became serious, "Why don’t we wait for Zhang Yong to come back before we act?"
Yang Yi sighed, "I just contacted Zhang Yong. It’s still uncertain when he can return. They’re working on a fake passport, and the timing is yet to be confirmed. I think we shouldn’t wait, this mission isn’t a combat operation. If either of our sides is discovered, it means complete failure of the mission. But even if the mission fails, we absolutely cannot engage in combat, let alone fire any shots."
If they were discovered, they should quickly flee. Engaging in combat was out of the question. This was happening at the Home Office and Imperial College. If they dared to shoot, it would be strange if they didn’t attract the attention of the UK government. Therefore, whether Zhang Yong participated in the operation was, in fact, not critical.
Just then, Tang Guo, who had been staring at his computer, suddenly said, "I’ve found a suitable candidate, an employee of the Home Office. Identity has been confirmed, IP address too."
Schultz said urgently, "Wait for me. I’m trying to get into the Home Office system, it might be faster this way."
Yang Yi stopped talking with Xiao Ran and the others and focused his attention on Schultz.
Both Schultz and Tang Guo seemed tense and busy, Yang Yi asked quietly, "Sorry to interrupt, will it take a long time?"
Tang Guo’s fingers kept tapping on the keyboard, "It’s uncertain, could be quick or slow, depending on whether the ’zombie’ computers we control have value."
Yang Yi nodded, "Keep at it. If you find any valuable footage, make sure to preserve it. We’re going to step out for a bit, call us if anything comes up."
After speaking, Yang Yi said to Kate and Xiao Ran, "Let’s not idle around either, let’s observe Martin Howard and by the way, swap Charles back."
Xiao Ran stood up, excitedly saying, "Let’s go; I’ve been stifled these past few days."
But Kate asked, "Should we wear makeup?"
Yang Yi said, "No need for makeup, just make sure to disguise ourselves a bit. It’s not hard to get into Imperial College, and there’s no need to hide at the moment. I’ll give Charles a call to ask for his location, and then we’ll head out."
Over the past couple of days, Charles had made some progress; he and Paul had been keeping tabs on Martin Howard. Finding Charles meant finding Martin Howard.
Where Yang Yi and the others were staying was very close to Imperial College, just like neighbors. The trio set off immediately, drove a car, and before long they arrived on the campus of Imperial College.
The main gate of Imperial College was easy to get through, and the three of them, Yang Yi included, looked like college students anyway. They entered the campus effortlessly, facing no obstacles whatsoever.
Charles, dressed like a professor from the school, was sitting on a bench diagonally across from the supercomputer center entrance, looking leisurely.
Yang Yi sat down right next to Charles, then he whispered, "Hi."
Still with his head down, Charles whispered back, "Why have you guys suddenly taken over the surveillance of Martin Howard."
"Mike thought we were too young, and it was time for us to get some experience, so this time he let us handle the mission on our own with you guys in support. If I mess up, you’ll step in to save the day."
Charles was silent for a moment before whispering, "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"There are no guards at the entrance of the supercomputer center building. You can enter the administrative area without any credentials, and non-sensitive areas don’t require any. However, sensitive areas require credentials for entry. The supercomputer is on the fourth floor of the center building, with a special passageway, guarded by two guards at the door, who are unarmed. Only authorized personnel can enter."
After finishing, Charles took out an ID from his pocket and handed it to Yang Yi. Whispering lowly, he said, "With this ID you can enter the sensitive areas, but many places require fingerprint and password dual authentication. Martin Howard’s office is inside, and it’s impossible to get close."
Yang Yi pocketed the ID, "Okay, got it."
Charles continued, "Yesterday afternoon at five-thirty, Martin Howard left his office and returned home not far from the campus. At six, he began walking his dog, a black and white Border Collie named Cody. At six-thirty, Martin Howard went back home and did not go out again.
This morning at six-thirty, Martin Howard left the house, walked the dog for half an hour, then returned. At seven-ten, he left for the school cafeteria for breakfast and entered the supercomputer center building at eight sharp. These are all the details obtained since we started tracking Martin Howard from yesterday at five-thirty. I was planning to conduct a further investigation tonight, but since you’re taking over, you can complete the rest of the work. Any other questions?"
Yang Yi whispered, "That’s all, thank you."
Charles stood up, "Great, then I’ll be going. Goodbye and good luck."