Of course, this level of trust had been built on the many successful missions Morin had completed for Chris in the past.
If an ordinary agent suddenly walked into Chris's office and said he wanted to infiltrate CIA headquarters to steal a list of agents-and needed cooperation-would Chris just kick him out?
Getting kicked out would be the mild outcome.
Chris might even fire him the next day for stepping into the office with his left foot first.
To gain enough trust and support, ability and experience came first.
Morin just happened to have both.
"Since that's settled, everything on my side is basically done," Morin thought. "The rest depends on Ethan."
"If everything goes smoothly, those ten million will be converted into experience points. I can unlock the next world. When I come back, I'll just jump directly to the major time nodes and harvest a huge amount of experience..."
(The author has set the timelines of these movies based on their release dates.)
Returning to other worlds required experience points. For example, going back to the Fast and Furious world would cost ten points.
But it also came with benefits.
He could choose any known time node.
Morin had already confirmed that these so-called known time nodes were actually the release dates of the movies he had watched in his previous life. For instance, he could jump to any time between Fast & Furious 6 and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.
If he were currently in the Fast and Furious world, this wouldn't be possible.
But from the spy world, he could jump back to Fast and Furious at a specific time node, skip straight to the big events, and earn massive experience.
In simple terms, it was like having multiple games, each with numerous checkpoints.
If he stayed in one game, time only moved forward.
But if he switched games, he could choose which checkpoint to load into and dive straight into the main content.
Aside from being unable to load a save he had already played-meaning he couldn't return to a time he personally experienced-everything else was perfect.
Of course, the system wouldn't explain where Morin was during the periods he "disappeared."
After thinking about it, Morin concluded he'd probably be "living in seclusion in the mountains and forests" quite often in the future.
That was fine.
Given how he operated, he didn't get deeply entangled with people anyway.
And if necessary, he could even return to the time node he had just left. For example, if he ran into a life-or-death situation in one world, he could instantly leave, grow stronger elsewhere, and then come back.
"So after this, I can unlock the next world and a new profession. I'm actually looking forward to it..."
Morin paused.
"...The more I think about it, the more I sound like a robber."
Morin put on his headphones and continued monitoring Ethan's movements.
Ethan had indeed taken the bug Morin planted.
But Morin had never said he planted only one.
That bug had merely been removed so Morin could explain how he knew about the IMF's internal mission details, making his story sound more credible.
As for the other side-
Ethan removed Claire's coat. Claire was Jim's wife, the team leader's spouse, and a team member herself. He patted her down, then pushed her onto the bed.
As for why the CIA allowed two married agents to remain in the same team, Morin, listening from afar, still couldn't understand it.
But he could ignore that for now.
It didn't matter.
And Ethan's movements just now, so smooth and practiced-
Ethan: "Of course I'm checking whether Claire is carrying any weapons, to prevent her from hurting me."
Straight face.
In the original plot, Ethan was probably thinking exactly that.
But now, after Morin had spoken with him and shared some intelligence, Ethan already had a few suspects.
That suspicion peaked when Claire returned to the rendezvous point at four in the morning.
Exactly as Morin had predicted.
In Ethan's mind, Claire was almost certainly the mole-or at least one of them.
If Claire was the mole, then what role did Jim play?
Her husband. Missing. Team leader.
At the time, Ethan had been trapped in the emotional shock of his team being wiped out due to leaked intelligence. He hadn't been thinking clearly.
Morin's appearance had forced him to reexamine the situation and handed him new information.
And once Ethan started thinking again, the suspicious details piled up quickly.
Each one pointed more clearly at Jim.
Ethan didn't want to believe it.
But he had to admit it.
The person he respected most. The one who guided him onto the path of an agent.
Jim was the most suspicious of all.
All Ethan needed now was decisive evidence.
That, however, was something for later.
For now, Ethan used this opportunity to vent his frustration and anger in a controlled way.
He also knew where to draw the line.
After confirming Claire wasn't carrying any weapons-straight face-Ethan pinned her to the bed and aggressively interrogated her about who sent her.
"Tsk, tsk," Morin muttered as he removed his headphones. "Looks like Ethan isn't as upright as he pretends."
Morin knew Ethan's actions had little to do with him.
The phone Morin gave him could indeed be used for contact, but it was just one method. Ethan would naturally remain cautious and withhold some information.
But Morin didn't need Ethan's intelligence to proceed.
In terms of information channels, personal strength, and the resources he could mobilize, Morin was far ahead of Ethan.
"It's time."
Morin began packing.
Soon, everything was ready.
He sent a message to the phone he had given Ethan, picked up his luggage, and left Prague, boarding a flight back to the United States.
Langley.
The city where CIA headquarters stood.
He was going there to prepare in advance-and make sure everything unfolded smoothly.