Spy-x-War Showdown
Chapter 1218 - 1223: Open Conspiracy, Open Conspiracy.

Chapter 1218: Chapter 1223: Open Conspiracy, Open Conspiracy.

There can’t be an insider, so Yang Yi won’t suspect being betrayed.

Both Yang Yi and Brian came out of Pelican Bay Prison, so even if it’s just speculation or a reasonable assumption, Aaron can associate Yang Yi with Brian.

Therefore, Yang Yi didn’t mention Brian before because he had to keep it hidden. Now that he’s mentioning Brian, it’s because he no longer needs to keep it hidden.

Looking at Aaron, Yang Yi was silent for a while, then he whispered, "It’s an issue that eventually needs to be resolved. Originally, my goal was to take you down, so Brian’s existence wasn’t a problem. But now... Brian is a big problem."

Aaron laughed and said, "So, how do you plan on solving this problem?"

Yang Yi took a deep breath and said, "I haven’t figured it out yet."

Aaron spread his hands and said, "Oh, when you decided to defect from the Cleaners and launch revenge against them, didn’t you think about how to deal with this significant problem the Organization of Water is facing? Don’t tell me you forgot about Brian’s existence and how much he hates me."

Yang Yi sighed and said, "Of course, I thought of it. But I knew there would surely be a solution. To be honest, at that time, I didn’t care about these things at all."

Aaron laughed and said, "That’s not the behavior of a mature leader."

Yang Yi was silent for a moment, then he stated firmly, "From what I know about you, or rather after being around the Cleaners and Grey-cloaked People for a long time, I believe you would have a solution. That’s why when I decided to betray the Cleaners, I also decided to leave this problem to you to solve."

Aaron was stunned for a moment and said, "I really didn’t expect you to answer like that."

Yang Yi smiled and said, "That’s how it is. The common opinion between me and the Cleaners is that once you discover the value in me, even if you know or sense that I’m a Cleaner, you wouldn’t immediately take me out. Instead, you’d try to find out ways to understand the Cleaners through me. Or, knowing I’m a Cleaner, you’d keep me alive, and while I’m probing you and trying to assassinate you, you’d see what the Cleaners behind me intend to do, how powerful they are, and what methods they would use."

Aaron nodded and said, "Indeed, I really couldn’t bear to kill someone the Cleaners sent to approach me, even if it’s just to pass some false information to you. It’s reason enough to keep you."

"So I didn’t carefully hide myself."

"Yes, you revealed so many flaws that I was curious why the Cleaners would send someone as reckless as you to approach me. After thinking a bit, it became clear this was reverse psychology."

"It’s an open strategy."

"That’s right, open strategies are easier to implement than conspiracies."

Yang Yi nodded and said, "Exactly, that’s why I’m not afraid of you connecting me to Brian, nor am I afraid of you uncovering my identity. Once you see through it, it only affords me more freedom and power, instead of immediately killing me."

Aaron smiled and said, "That’s contrary to conventional tactics and something ordinary spies can’t imagine. Because this is a struggle between the Grey-cloaked People and the Cleaners, not between nations. We all know what the other wants, and we know the secrets the other needs most to protect. Everything else isn’t a secret."

Yang Yi exhaled and said, "The unexpected was Xiao Ran’s injury. If she hadn’t been paralyzed, I would never have chosen to defect because my interests were too closely tied with the Cleaners. The cost of defecting was too high, but Xiao Ran is my everything. She is my..."

Yang Yi shook his head, and Aaron smiled, saying, "It’s not very gentlemanly to say such words in front of another woman who loves you."

Yang Yi sighed heavily and said, "The unexpected happened, and I found I wasn’t calm enough. The Cleaners impose many restrictions on me and share many mutual interests, especially with the hatred brought on by my parent’s death. They assumed I wouldn’t defect, but when I was really blinded by anger, neither interests nor hatred mattered to me. I just want to make the Cleaners pay the price!"

Unable to resist waving his hand, which aggravated the wound on his neck causing him to shiver in pain, Yang Yi then said sternly, "Of course, you understand that saying this is meaningless, because it could all be a conspiracy devised by me and the Cleaners. So, just saying I’m defecting to the Grey-cloaked People isn’t enough. I need to prove my worth, sincerity, and the cost the Cleaners can’t pay to prove this wasn’t a false image created in collusion with them. Now, you’ve seen the result."

Aaron looked at Yang Yi with a mysterious smile.

Yang Yi suddenly felt something was off.

Sure enough, Aaron sighed lightly and said, "The problem is, even if the Cleaners paid a massive price, even at the cost of many lives and the loss of the network in several cities, it would all be worth it. To achieve the greatest result, a large enough price must be paid. There’s a Huaxia saying, ’Reluctant to let the child go, can’t catch the wolf.’ You should understand this saying well."

Yang Yi felt a chill in his heart.

Aaron smiled and spread his hands, saying, "So, discovering the core secrets of the Castle Hermitage would be worth losing all the peripheral members of the Cleaners and all their hard-earned accumulation over decades."

How could Aaron see it so clearly?

Yang Yi tried to seize the initiative. Looking impatient, he said, "Easy for you to say, would you pay such a huge price?"

"Of course, without hesitation, without delay."

Yang Yi exhaled and said, "So you don’t trust me at all, and from beginning to end, it was all an act with me? Then what are you waiting for, go ahead and take action. Get someone or do it yourself, arrest me now."

Aaron shook his hand and said, "I’m only saying it’s a possibility, not a certainty that you are colluding with the Cleaners to deceive me. A possibility and a certainty are two different things. I might never discover the truth because the Cleaners won’t tell me the truth."

Yang Yi felt his mouth start to taste bitter.

At that moment, Aaron still said calmly, "I trust you; do you know why? Because even if everything you’ve done so far is a conspiracy, a plot to gain my trust and infiltrate the Castle Hermitage, I don’t care. Because I’m confident, I’m sure you’ll truly come to understand us, appreciate us, and eventually join us. So, why should I worry about it being a conspiracy? Even if it is one, weakening the Cleaners through you, why wouldn’t I take advantage of it?"

Aaron saw too clearly. Yang Yi used an open strategy, but Aaron countered with a way to deal with open strategies, seeing everything and standing in an unbeatable position.

So now there’s only one question left, where does Aaron’s confidence come from?