Take It Or Else...

"How the hell did you do that?" Ethan asked Jack, amazed by his ability to dodge the bullet without looking at Jim, who had just fallen to the ground.

Jack's impressive move had a profound impact on Ethan's worldview.

"Well, it's simple, really," Jack replied with a grin. "I just predicted the bullet's trajectory and rotated the wrench. Want to see some magic?"

"Uh, sure," Ethan said, taken aback.

Jack put his hands together, then opened them, and the wrench in his hand vanished into thin air. "Ta-da!" he said with a flourish. "Okay, enough of that. Where's the thing I came for?"

"What do you want?" Claire finally found an opportunity to interject.

"Money, Agent Claire. Remember? I'm an IRS agent. I'm here for the cash." Jack spread his hands.

Claire looked at Ethan, sensing that something was amiss. How had Ethan come into contact with this IRS agent? When had they negotiated this deal? Why hadn't he told her anything?

It seemed that things were not as simple as she had thought.

"Here," Ethan said, ignoring Claire's questioning look. He bent down, retrieved an envelope from Jim's chest bag, and handed it to Jack. "Five billion dollars in US Treasury cash coupons, including interest. It can be cashed at any time."

"Very good. Our cooperation is basically completed now," Jack said, nodding in satisfaction as he opened the envelope and inspected the contents. He tucked the envelope into the lining of his clothes, which doubled as his storage space. "Your parents are currently on vacation in Hawaii. I've given them enough money and sent special personnel to protect them. Don't worry."

"As for your innocence," Jack continued, "the IRS is about to have a friendly exchange with the CIA. Our actions here are just the beginning of this exchange. IRS and CIA agents have jointly captured the CIA traitor, and everything has ended satisfactorily. How does that sound?"

"Sounds good," Ethan nodded, eyeing Jim, unconscious on the ground. "But honestly, I don't want to go back. My superiors will never let me off the hook."

"Running away won't solve anything," Jack said, patting Ethan on the shoulder. "You need to learn how to face your problems. And right now, there's someone you need to deal with immediately. What role do you want Agent Claire to play in this operation, Ethan?"

Ethan pondered momentarily before replying, "I want her to be my partner. I can't do this alone."

"Smart choice," Jack said with a grin. "You two make a good team. Now go get 'em, tiger!"

▪▪▪▪

Jack Yi sauntered out of the luggage room, slamming the door behind him. He had a new mission on his mind.

He made his way over to Max's side, knowing that even without Luthor's interference, she couldn't transmit the list. Jack had placed a powerful jammer in his backpack, which he had activated while in the luggage room. All signals were blocked within a 20-meter radius, leaving Max with no chance of success unless she planned to send her men out on a wild goose chase to find the signal.

Max's team was utterly clueless and assumed that there was an issue with their signal generator. They had no idea that Jack was the mastermind behind this.

With Jack's intervention, Ethan didn't have to reach out to the IMF to have Eugene come and arrest him, as in the original movie. Instead, Jack took matters into his own hands and decided to apprehend Max himself.

It was a smart move, considering that his deal for the 5 billion with Ethan was not with Max. The arrest would not impact the conversion of the 5 billion into experience points.

Jack had been waiting for this moment for quite some time, and he was overjoyed that his plan was finally coming to fruition.

As for the 5 billion that hadn't yet been counted towards his experience points, Jack knew that the transaction would only be completed when Ethan's parents were returned to him safely. However, he wasn't in a rush. After all, the money was already in his possession, so the experience points weren't going anywhere.

Jack walked over to Max's seat, grabbed his bag, and sat across from her. Max looked up from her work, startled to see a stranger sitting before her.

"Can I help you with something?" Max asked, eyeing him warily.

Jack smiled, "Don't be alarmed. I just want to show you something." He opened his bag and pulled out a small black device.

Max raised an eyebrow, "What is that?"

"After I delve into the origin and function of this product, I think you'll be willing to pay a high price for it," Jack spoke calmly, which caught Max's attention.

Max couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, a slight smirk on her lips. She could easily throw tens of millions at anything that caught her fancy. "What do you mean by 'high price'?" she asked, amusement lacing her tone.

Jack's next words shocked Max, almost spilling the coffee in her hand. 5 billion dollars, that was too much even for her. Her organization has forked out a large amount to get the agents list and advanced technologies from Ethan. And now they are a bit short on cash.

The man behind Max, who had been operating a computer, suddenly stopped and reached for his waist. % billion dollars doesn't it seem too coincidental. Max also raised her guard. She was no fool and immediately knew something was up.

But Jack seemed unfazed, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Well, let me introduce the function of my product first," he said, clapping the instrument in his hand.

"This is a new generation of signal shielding developed by the IRS Equipment Department. It can isolate all signals within a radius of 20 meters. It has powerful performance, is easy to carry, and can work continuously for ten hours."

"Is that all?" Max said, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, sure, it sounds cool, but 5 billion dollars? That's a bit steep, don't you think?"

Jack chuckled, his eyes glinting with amusement. "Well, it's not just about the product, is it?" he said, leaning in slightly.

"It's about the power it can give you. This little device could prevent a direct trip to the IRS interrogation room. Take it or else..."