After getting out of the car, Zhang Jie got Daniel's phone number and began his leisurely stroll in Marseille, just like a street loafer.
It was 10:57 AM. The entire city was waking up under the midsummer light, like a faded film being re-colored, each frame slightly sticky with the heat.
Zhang Jie stood at the street corner, sunlight cutting diagonally from the buildings on both sides, dividing the sidewalk into a mosaic of light and shadow.
At this moment, he stood on the streets of Marseille like a tourist, savoring his short vacation.
On the facade of the old ochre-colored building, cast-iron balconies were rusty, protruding like an old man's finger bones.
A blue-painted wooden window on the third floor of a certain household was open, and a cream-colored lace curtain was lifted by the cross breeze, letting out the thick French murmurs of a female radio host.
Under the faded awning of the bakery on the ground floor, three bags of flour were piled into a small mound, with a few clumps of wild oats sprouting from the cracks.
The red and blue stripes of the barber shop's spinning pole next door cast moving light spots on the glass door, overlapping with the vacant gaze of the half-price wig model in the display window.
Under the shade of a tree, a middle-aged man in a gray suit leaned against a bicycle, rubbing his temples, his briefcase resting by the flower bed, with the black title "Debt Restructuring Plan" peeking out from its pages.
Three painters in overalls squatted at the alley entrance, sharing a baguette, golden crumbs falling into the folds of their white paint-stained shoes.
A silver-haired woman in a floral dress, leaning on a four-pronged cane, stopped in front of an ice cream shop, gazing at the menu, her throat swallowing, causing a tremor in the loose skin of her neck.
A tortoiseshell cat leaped from the top of a dumpster, stepped over a solidified cream stain at the bakery entrance, its paw pads leaving plum blossom-shaped oil prints on the flagstones. Two sparrows, fighting over half a croissant, fluttered a shower of downy feathers on the air conditioner's outdoor unit.
Everything seemed so natural and peaceful that Zhang Jie felt as if the whole world had slowed down.
His gaze extended to the farthest end of the street until he saw a man wearing a trench coat and a knitted hat, with short stubble, sunglasses, and carrying a leather briefcase.
In an instant, all the tranquility before Zhang Jie's eyes was shattered, and his gaze focused on that man.
Killer!
He keenly sensed that the guy was a killer, and a highly skilled one at that.
Perhaps having seen too many top-tier experts, Zhang Jie was very sensitive to the presence of killers, but he quickly averted his gaze.
Staring for too long would attract the other party's attention.
He was here for a vacation; this matter had nothing to do with him. Even if he saw a killer, so what?
Zhang Jie walked into a nearby shop and bought an ice cream.
He wasn't interested in baguettes, let alone French cuisine; that stuff wasn't meant for humans to eat.
Licking his ice cream, Zhang Jie walked into the distance, but at the second alley entrance, he raised an eyebrow; out of the corner of his eye, he saw a person being strangled by a thin steel wire.
In the blink of an eye, that person was dragged into the adjacent alley.
Zhang Jie's footsteps paused for a moment, then he continued walking as if nothing had happened, still licking his ice cream.
Continuing forward, he heard a very familiar sound—the muffled thud of a gun being fired with a suppressor.
He hadn't expected to encounter other killers on a job while on a leisurely vacation.
However, Zhang Jie didn't pay it any mind; after all, they were both minding their own business. He continued walking, exploring the city.
As noon approached, he called Daniel. Such local fixers are the most knowledgeable about local styles, customs, and good food.
He brought Zhang Jie to a local specialty restaurant, but Zhang Jie didn't let him leave directly; instead, he invited him to have lunch together.
After eating, Zhang Jie continued to stroll through the streets of Marseille.
As he arrived at a bank entrance, he was contemplating whether to go in and withdraw some cash when a red Mercedes-Benz W124 suddenly screeched to a halt in front of the bank.
Then, two men wearing masks and carrying guns rushed into the bank. Zhang Jie's steps, which were about to enter the bank, instantly stopped, and he even took two steps back.
He then glanced left and right and saw two cars parked less than 100 meters behind the red Mercedes-Benz.
"These French police... are really amateurish..."
Zhang Jie couldn't help but complain.
Immediately afterward, he heard two gunshots from inside the bank. Not long after, two men emerged, each carrying a large bag.
Zhang Jie's eyelids twitched at the sight.
It's only in France that you can succeed so easily. Try that in America, and a bunch of police would come and turn you into a sieve.
But Zhang Jie had to admit one thing: robbing banks was indeed a quick way to make money. If he wasn't somewhat wealthy now, he might have to get into that line of work.
"Damn it, what am I even thinking? I'm a killer, and a high-level one at that. How could I think of associating with such low-class stuff?"
As soon as this thought arose, Zhang Jie almost wanted to slap himself.
As the red Mercedes-Benz made a U-turn and drove past Zhang Jie, a car that had been tailing it suddenly opened its door from behind.
Immediately afterward, a yellow Audi rushed from behind and directly smashed the suddenly opened car door. The startled driver hadn't even reacted when the car violently crashed into the red van that was about to turn in front.
Bang!
Immediately afterward, all the cars on the road seemed to be startled, crashing into each other one by one, resulting in a chain collision.
Zhang Jie was stunned. "What's going on?"
Just then, two cars escorting a sedan passed by and were also hit by out-of-control vehicles, and the scene instantly became uncontrollable.
In Zhang Jie's line of sight, at least a dozen cars had collided.
Immediately afterward, people suddenly got out of the two cars that had been tailing, then started shooting in this direction, and the two cars that had been escorting the middle car also got out, and a group of special forces personnel began to retaliate.
"What the fuck?"
Are the streets of France this chaotic?
Chain collisions at the drop of a hat, street shootouts at the drop of a hat?
To be honest, Zhang Jie was completely stunned.
After the shootout lasted for about 5 minutes, both sides seemed to have reacted.
Zhang Jie could hear one of them roaring from a distance.
"You idiots, I already told you not to make things too big. What are you trying to do?"
So, a man in a suit immediately jogged towards that person, bowing repeatedly in front of him and speaking.
"Tsk! Well, buddy, your official career is over."
Zhang Jie watched with great interest, finishing his ice cream entirely.
He hadn't expected to come to France to relax and also catch a comedy. It was truly an unexpected gain.
However, Zhang Jie's smile soon faded.
Because he saw a few other cars outside the chaos, and the people in those cars seemed to be looking in his direction.
He hoped it was just his imagination.
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