Spy-x-War Showdown
Chapter 178 - 177: You Don’t Understand This Kind of Feeling

Chapter 178: Chapter 177: You Don’t Understand This Kind of Feeling

Yang Yi and the others returned to their respective hotels and then gathered in his room.

"Take out all the money,"

Yang Yi took out the money he had brought back, and Hank, Chris, and Gweil also placed the money they had on the bed, one after another.

After taking out all his money, Chris emptied his pockets and lifted his shirt to show that he wasn’t hiding anything.

Yang Yi didn’t say a word. He separated the US Dollars from the Mexican pesos, placed the bundled stacks to one side, and then said, "Let’s count it together and see exactly how much we have."

The money was quickly tallied. There were a total of sixty-three thousand two hundred and some US Dollars, with a few loose bills that had been taken from corpses. As for the Mexican pesos, there were over two hundred and ten thousand, about half of which were in one-thousand peso bills, the rest in five hundred and one hundred denominations.

One US Dollar was roughly equivalent to eighteen pesos, so these two hundred and ten thousand plus pesos amounted to over ten thousand US Dollars.

With the money counted, Yang Yi looked at the others and said seriously, "We have many places to spend money, we’ll buy phones and clothes tomorrow, and more importantly, we have to resolve your identity issues. All of this will cost money, a lot of money, but I know you’ve been in prison for a long time and must be eager to go out and have a good time."

Hank and Chris nodded vehemently, and even Gweil couldn’t help saying, "We haven’t eaten tonight, drink some liquor, and maybe find a woman..."

Yang Yi nodded and said, "I’m not a very strict boss, you can go out and have some fun now, but remember, if anyone dares to talk about tonight’s events, you should be clear about the consequences."

Chris laughed, "Come on, do you think we are idiots?"

Yang Yi shook his head and said, "I know you’re not idiots, but I’m worried you won’t be able to control your mouths after drinking, since there’s no booze in prison, so I don’t know your tolerance. Now listen to me closely, you can drink, but if anyone dares to drink too much, don’t blame me for being unkind."

All three nodded, and Yang Yi then took out three stacks of bills and said, "Ten thousand pesos each, should be enough for tonight. Remember, all of you come back by nine o’clock tomorrow morning."

After picking up their respective shares of the money, Hank suddenly asked Yang Yi, "Boss, have I passed the test?"

What had been done wasn’t any sort of test, Yang Yi paused for a moment, but then he said, "Yes, you’ve passed the test."

Hank smiled happily, took the money, and asked Chris and Gweil, "Shall we go together or split up?"

Chris laughed, "If we go together, we might blabber, so let’s go separately. Have a good time tonight, gentlemen. Boss, aren’t you going?"

Yang Yi gestured with his hand, "You guys go ahead, I’ve got things to do."

After waiting for the three to leave, Yang Yi exhaled and then said to Brian, "Aren’t you going? After twenty years in prison, don’t you have an urgent need to take care of some physiological needs?"

Brian shook his head and counter-asked, "What about you? Aren’t you going?"

"I’m not going. Uh, but I’m going out to eat, to find an authentic Huaxia restaurant! I’m almost going crazy! I’m definitely going to have a good meal tonight!"

Brian took a breath and said, "There are some things I want to talk to you about. Now that they’ve left, it’s the right time."

"Okay, go ahead."

After pondering for a moment, Brian then said to Yang Yi, "What exactly do you want to do? Or let me rephrase the question, what are you pursuing?"

Yang Yi hesitated, then he seriously said to Brian, "Revenge. I don’t know how to take revenge right now, but I think destroying the Grey-cloaked People is a good way."

Brian said in a deep voice, "So you plan to rely on these people?"

Yang Yi shook his head, "No, they follow me, not because they share common goals with me or have a deep affection for me. They just can’t leave me right now."

Brian exhaled softly and said, "Good, you have a clear understanding of your own subordinates. Indeed, you’re gathered together only for interests now. If you encounter any difficulties, they might all leave you, and if there is a major crisis, they will definitely abandon you without hesitation."

Yang Yi said with a bitter smile, "I’m aware of that."

Brian said softly, "Do you know where the problem lies? It’s because the emotions between you haven’t been forged through life and death experiences. You’re just prison mates, not even that. There are four forces in this world that can unite people: one is interest, two is religious belief, three is affection, and four is a common, firm goal—a goal for which a group aspires and strives. Having a common goal can even form a belief that is not religious yet more firm than any faith! Each of these forces that bind hearts together gets more difficult as you go along. Which one do you possess?"

Yang Yi said solemnly, "I will find more people in the future. I can offer them benefits. With enough money, I’ll be able to find more people."

Brian shook his head, "If you want to make money, to be rich, then you can rely on benefits to command many people, and together you make money. But this method is the least reliable. It can’t stand the test of time. You can’t use the power of religious belief, so discard that. The strongest you can use is emotion. What kind of emotion is the most solid? It’s not love, nor friendship, but the camaraderie that comes from fighting side by side."

Taking a deep breath, Brian said in a serious tone, "What is a real comrade? It’s someone to whom you can trust your back, someone for whom you would take a bullet without a second thought. It’s not about being willing to die for a brother, it’s about not even thinking when you have to die for a brother—that kind of feeling."

Yang Yi said helplessly, "I’m not a soldier, and I haven’t been to war. What I need to do is not to fight wars but to do some unspeakable things in the darkness. Under these circumstances, how can I cultivate the kind of camaraderie where everyone is for me, and I’m for everyone?"

Brian said softly, "That’s your problem."

Yang Yi said with a smile, "Maybe I should try to find people with a common goal. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right?"

Brian said expressionlessly, "Good idea, but how do you know the enemies of an enemy that’s hidden in plain sight?"

Yang Yi sighed, "I was just saying, just saying. I’ve only just started to form the basic foundation of my team. Let’s take it slow."

Brian said in a serious tone, "The most pressing issue you face right now is dealing with the Destroyer. I will help you, but just the two of us isn’t enough. Relying on your few minions won’t work either; they’re not up for the task. We need to find people who can truly help."

"Good idea, but where do we find them?"

Brian laughed, then confidently said, "Perhaps I can find a few. Although I’ve been gone for too long, the feelings between us won’t fade with time. It’s a kind of affection you don’t understand, but you’ll see."