Spy-x-War Showdown
Chapter 173 - 172: The Antique

Chapter 173: Chapter 172: The Antique

"Is there something very important?"

"Now that we have left the prison, it’s time to talk about what you really want."

Brian leaned slightly forward, then he said seriously to Yang Yi, "I’ve said it before, I’ve prayed to God countless times to let me leave prison, until your arrival, so I’m willing to do anything for you. Now tell me, what do you need me to help you resolve?"

Without hesitation, Yang Yi replied, "I have many things I want to accomplish, first, have you heard of the Grey-cloaked People?"

"The Grey-cloaked People?"

"An intelligence organization without borders."

"Never heard of them, never heard of them at all."

Yang Yi was somewhat disappointed because he thought that since Brian was once an important figure in the CIA, he might know something about the Grey-cloaked People, but evidently, this was not the case.

"All right, let’s not talk about the Grey-cloaked People then. Um, the most urgent problem I’m facing is an Assassin Organization called Destroyer. I need to take down this Assassin Organization."

With interest, Brian asked, "Tell me about it."

Then, Yang Yi started to recount in detail his grudge with Destroyer. After Yang Yi had explained the situation, Brian’s expression became very solemn. "I was a spy; do you know what we spies hate the most? It’s these mysterious assassin organizations. I specialized in counter-espionage, but dealing with these kinds of assassins is even harder than dealing with the KGB."

Yang Yi said in surprise, "Really? Can a mere Assassin Organization be more formidable than the KGB?"

Brian shook his head, "The behavior of a spy can be predicted. If a secret or a very important matter is likely to draw a spy’s attention, then the spy will definitely come. This is the confrontation between nations, and spies are the embodiment of a nation’s will. We know what the spy wants, but the Assassin Organization is different. They don’t have a specific target; they will lie dormant if they don’t receive a contract to kill. It’s too hard to find a dormant Assassin Organization, and it’s even harder if you want to completely destroy it."

Pointing at Yang Yi, Brian said gravely, "So right now, Destroyer’s surveillance of Kate and their strong desire to kill you and Kate actually works to your advantage. You know what they want, which allows you to flush them out. Therefore, you can’t act rashly. When you strike, you must be sure to get it right in one go."

Yang Yi spoke in a low voice, "I also want to return to the United Kingdom as soon as possible to drag out the assassin who’s watching Kate, and through him, to locate and eradicate the core forces of Destroyer."

"That’s not realistic. Destroyer won’t give you that chance. The person they sent to watch Kate is most likely an insignificant small fry. Capturing or killing them wouldn’t mean much."

Waving his hand, Brian then said confidently, "Do you know how to deal with an assassin? An assassin’s specialty is to strike from behind; they’re not good at direct confrontations. So, you must absolutely not confront an assassin in the way they are skilled at, nor battle them in the shadows they favor. The most important thing in dealing with an assassin is to find them, then use the simplest method to finish them off directly, never giving them a chance to escape. An assassin who has escaped and gone into hiding is everyone’s nightmare!"

"Yes, it’s best to finish it in one go, leaving no loose ends."

"It’s not about what’s best, it’s necessary to do it in one go. I will help you find and destroy Destroyer, but just the two of us is far from enough, and adding Kate still wouldn’t be enough. We need more hands."

"We need a lot of people for this, where can we find so many helpers?"

After pondering for a moment, Brian said in a heavy tone, "What’s the date today?"

"September 4th."

"That year."

"2013."

Brian took a long breath and said, "I know this year is 2013. I was locked up in 1987, a full 26 years. I spent all 26 years in prison, alone, without anyone telling me about the outside world. It wasn’t until seven years after the fact that I even learned about the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Do you know what that means? It means that I am completely disconnected from the outside world."

Brian stretched out his hand and pointed to the TV, giving a bitter smile. "I didn’t even know televisions are like this now, looking at the cars on the streets, everyone holding a mobile handheld communication terminal talking, and some even taking photos. It took me a long time to figure out what that was."

"Uh, actually, that’s called a cellphone, a smartphone."

Brian spread his hands and said, "Do you know how much self-control I have to have not to ask questions like some country bumpkin who doesn’t understand anything?"

Yang Yi said softly, "I’ve never thought about this problem, but now I can really understand how you feel."

Brian sighed and said, "I need to adapt to this entirely new world and learn a lot of completely new knowledge, but I don’t want people to see that I’m an antiquated relic from the last century. That’s why I’m sneaking over now to ask you, tell me, what is available now that wasn’t in my time?"

Yang Yi was stunned by the question, then hesitated a long time before answering, "Now, now is the era of the internet. Almost no secrets can be kept, and also, it’s an era of extremely convenient communication. Everyone has a cellphone. Speaking of which, I should buy you a cellphone. Maybe you could understand what it’s like now through it."

Brian nodded, then suddenly said, "Right now, the most important thing is to find someone, to start looking now, to look immediately. It’s going to be difficult. Can you tell me if there is a good way to do it?"

Yang Yi said cautiously, "You want to find... her?"

"Yes, of course, that’s right, I want to find her."

Yang Yi nodded and said, "I can help you look. Actually, it’s much easier to find someone now than in the past. But, let me think about where to start."

Brian waved his hands and said, "No, no, that won’t work. I’m not ready yet. Let’s wait until we’ve both rested. No, just tell me how to start looking."

Yang Yi took out his cellphone and said, "We can start from here. Cellphones are updated very quickly these days, but my phone is certainly not too outdated, at least for going online. I’ll help you look right now."

Brian looked as if he had discovered a new world, watching Yang Yi take out his cellphone in astonishment and said, "This can do it?"

"Of course, this phone is probably more powerful than the computers from your time. The person you are looking for is called Kate, right?"

Brian suddenly became a bit panicked. He stood up, staring blankly at Yang Yi for a while, then suddenly sat down again and said urgently, "But she is from the Soviet Union! And she’s a member of the KGB. Can we still find her like this?"

Yang Yi gave a wry smile and said, "Please, let’s just give it a try. I don’t believe we can find her that easily, but we can start somewhere."

Brian shook his head repeatedly and said, "Never mind then, don’t look for her, I mean, don’t search on your cellphone. It feels like a joke. I... need to rest. We should both get some good rest. After a sleep, you can teach me how to use this thing."