Spy-x-War Showdown
Chapter 1189 - 1194: Paradox

Chapter 1189: Chapter 1194: Paradox

When Yang Yi returned to the car, his face darkened as he said to Anton, "Aaron’s attitude is making me a little worried."

"Why? What’s wrong?"

"He was too polite, too casual, completely unlike how a superior should treat a subordinate. I gave him the photo, delivered the planned rhetoric, but I only shared about one-tenth of the content."

Anton frowned immediately and said, "Trust without a reason doesn’t exist. Even unconditional trust needs to be cultivated over time, and clearly, you and Aaron don’t have that kind of relationship. Which means that he doesn’t actually believe a single word you’ve said."

Yang Yi sighed softly, "I know Aaron’s a tough opponent, and I know he’s incredibly skilled. But now, I have no idea how to continue the facade in front of him, because the feeling he gives me is..."

After a brief moment of contemplation, Yang Yi spoke in a low voice, "The feeling is like an adult watching a child perform. The adult sees through everything but still allows a mischievous child to act out in front of them."

Anton shrugged and said, "That premise would only be true if Aaron knows your real identity, knows everything you’ve done, and knows your motives—but that’s impossible."

"Why is it impossible?"

"Why? If Aaron really knew all of that, he would treat you in a more normal manner, as though he actually knew nothing at all. Whether he wanted to eliminate you or extract more information from you, he would have to keep you stabilized. But now? Aaron’s attitude toward you clearly shows that he doesn’t trust you at all. He doesn’t trust you, yet gives you the greatest degree of freedom. This doesn’t make sense!"

Yang Yi found this incredibly frustrating because Aaron’s attitude towards him seemed to be a paradox.

To trust Yang Yi—well, that option can already be ruled out, because it’s impossible.

To not trust Yang Yi—then Aaron ought to adopt a more conventional strategy, like asking detailed questions about how Yang Yi discovered Tyler, why he suspects Tyler as being one of Satan’s members, what evidence exists, and how the evidence was obtained. But none of that happened.

Aaron’s excessive trust in Yang Yi feels wrong; he can’t actually trust Yang Yi to such a degree. It’s like an overacted scene, making the falsehood obvious at a glance. But such a thing couldn’t possibly happen with Aaron—absolutely impossible.

The most trusting approach toward Yang Yi, used to highlight Aaron’s actual distrust—what behavior could be more paradoxical than this?

At least until Yang Yi gets an answer, he will feel trapped by this inexplicable paradox.

"I don’t know how to keep acting in front of Aaron. He’s giving me a sense of defeat."

Anton glanced at the helpless expression on Yang Yi’s face and said, "It’s perfectly normal. Aaron is the deputy director of the CIA, an experienced intelligence officer. He lived through the most chaotic periods of the Cold War. He’s dealt with the toughest opponents. He was once a KGB mole and still managed to live peacefully till now, even climbing to the highest ranks within the CIA. Against such an opponent, can you hope he’s an idiot? Would you dare?"

Yang Yi rubbed his forehead and said weakly, "I only feel defeated; I haven’t been beaten to the point of retreating. So, let’s continue?"

Anton replied without hesitation, "We have no choice but to continue—let’s figure out what exactly Aaron is planning."

Yang Yi leaned back into his seat and stayed silent for a long time. Then, he suddenly asked, "Did I slip up somewhere?"

Anton pondered for a long time as well before saying seriously, "If there’s no traitor among our people, if there’s no mole within the cleaners, then you wouldn’t have been exposed."

After another lengthy silence, Yang Yi spoke softly, "Could it be that my acting was too poor?"

This time, Anton responded without hesitation, "Don’t doubt yourself! Absolutely don’t. Your acting has been excellent—consistently excellent."

Yang Yi carefully recalled every interaction he had with Aaron and found nothing wrong.

As for whether Aaron’s men had been trailing him or monitoring him, to the point of knowing every move of the Organization of Water—those things were beyond Yang Yi’s control.

Yang Yi had done his utmost, ensured he wasn’t being followed, ensured he wasn’t under surveillance. This wasn’t just about effort; it was a matter of technical capability. If, after taking precautions, he still failed to detect monitoring, then he truly deserved to be exposed by Aaron.

Fortunately, the major plan Yang Yi was conducting ensured he didn’t have to worry about Aaron discovering him just yet.

So naturally, the facade had to continue.

"We’ll immediately start investigating Tyler. First stop: the Air Force Operations Command."

The U.S. Air Force has ten commands, but the main one—the Air Force Operations Command—is located at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia. However, the Air Force Combat Control Team is part of the Air Force Special Operations Command, which is situated at Hurlburt Field in Florida.

Yang Yi knew Tyler needed to be investigated, but he had to pretend he didn’t know that, so he had no choice but to first head to the Air Force Operations Command and then to Florida’s Special Operations Command.

At least two days would be wasted on the road—but a full show requires full commitment, and travel was part of the routine.

They rushed to Langley Air Force Base, presented their CIA agent credentials, met with officials from the Air Force External Affairs Office, and requested access to records of retired members of the Air Force Combat Control Team. They were told that the Air Force Operations Command didn’t have the documents Yang Yi wanted. If he wanted to investigate Combat Control Team members, he’d have to take a trip to Florida.

So, after obtaining authorization from the Air Force Command, Yang Yi immediately flew to Florida without delay.

Investigating something when the answers were already known was not the kind of thing that stirred anyone’s interest.

Arriving in Florida that evening, Yang Yi casually found a place to stay for the night. Early the next day, he wasted not a single moment and headed straight to the Air Force Special Operations Command.

He presented his credentials and the written order from the Air Force Command—essentially an authorization for cooperation from the Special Operations Command—and smoothly gained access to personnel records of Special Forces members who had retired in the past three years.

The Air Force Combat Control Team was extremely difficult to get into, and those who succeeded were the elite among elites. This wasn’t just a matter of combat skills—they also needed expertise in guiding airstrikes, air drop operations, and numerous other technical tasks. As a result, very few people retired from this unit.

So after browsing through the files of just over twenty individuals, Yang Yi confidently declared, "This is the one. Please provide all of his detailed records!"

Following an elaborate series of checks and incredibly tedious procedures, Yang Yi obtained Tyler’s complete military service record, learned about Tyler’s background, and acquired a clear photograph of him.

Next up was the investigation into Tyler—and the unfolding of the next act in the grand play.