Spy-x-War Showdown
Chapter 202 - 201 - Little Thoughts

Chapter 202: Chapter 201 - Little Thoughts

It was necessary to comb through the not-so-large but somewhat intricate web of relationships again.

Mike Smith was one of the five contacts left to Yang Yi by his father.

Yang Yi first got in touch with John Jones, but John Jones died.

After the death of John Jones, without a guide, Yang Yi once tried to contact Mike Smith, only to be informed that Mike Smith had also died. So Yang Yi did not continue to try and contact Mike Smith; instead, he got in touch with David at Hong Kong, who then introduced him to Danny.

After meeting Danny, Yang Yi entered Pelican Bay Prison, where he learned of Brian’s existence. Then, Yang Yi helped Brian escape from prison.

After Brian’s escape, he recalled his two subordinates but was also pursued by the CIA.

To clarify, it was not the CIA that was after Brian to this point but a person from within the CIA leveraging the agency’s power. Regardless of who exactly the mole was, as long as they could wield the CIA’s power against Brian, he had no way to respond.

In such a predicament, Brian needed to leave the United States with Charles and Paul to lie low for a while. They couldn’t do this on their own, so they needed to seek help from others.

And Brian and Charles happened to know Mike Smith.

So, after going around in a big circle, from the United Kingdom to the United States, Yang Yi was miraculously back in contact with Mike Smith.

One has to say the spy circle is indeed small, and certainly, those long-established intelligence officers are bound to have a complex web of relationships among them.

But all that is not important.

Yang Yi had his father’s inheritance, which might have seemed no more than a phone book, but the power contained within it was immense. First, since Yang Yi’s father left the contact information of these five people, it shows he trusted them and believed that they would surely be able to handle his affairs after his death.

Therefore, the most crucial question now was that Mike Smith was supposed to be a very important link in Yang Yi’s network, but Brian was now entering the picture.

Without Brian, Yang Yi wouldn’t have found Mike Smith, but with Brian involved, would Mike Smith still be willing to help him as the previous few people Yang Yi had sought help from did?

John Jones had unhesitatingly accepted Yang Yi for the sake of Yang Yi’s father’s face.

David in Hong Kong also unhesitatingly gave Yang Yi a hand at a critical moment; although it wasn’t David who took action personally, without David’s introduction, Yang Yi wouldn’t have been able to meet Danny.

Danny was willing to unhesitatingly save Yang Yi’s life, which was also for the sake of Yang Yi’s father’s face.

Up to this point, the most important network for Yang Yi was the legacy left by his father. But now, Brian had been mixed into this network, and from the moment Brian had Yang Yi call Mike Smith, things started to taste different because Yang Yi had lied to Mike Smith.

Yang Yi didn’t know that changing the sequence of the last few numbers could get him in touch with Mike; this was something Brian told him, but Yang Yi kept this detail to himself.

No one likes being lied to.

Mike Smith admitted his identity, so now Yang Yi faced a problem: should he come clean to Mike Smith or wait for Brian or Charles to reveal their identity to Mike Smith?

Yang Yi himself said that by speaking out, he wasn’t deceiving Mike; if he had said nothing and let Charles or Brian get in touch with Mike directly, then he would have been hiding something from Mike Smith.

The human heart is a delicate thing, and the first thing that Yang Yi says next could very well affect how Mike Smith perceives him in the future.

Don’t underestimate this matter; it is actually a very, very critical choice.

Telling Mike the truth would mean Yang Yi places greater importance on the network his father left behind. If he chooses to conceal the truth, it would mean he finds Brian more important, even to the extent of not caring if he loses Mike Smith’s trust.

It is better to be sincere as a person, but Yang Yi is determined to become a spy, and if a spy is too honest, then death is not far off.

The issue isn’t a big one, but it could significantly influence how Mike and Brian feel about Yang Yi in the future, so the test now is whether Yang Yi can elegantly manage both sides without offending either. This is not a matter of intelligence, but a moment that tests emotional intelligence.

After Mike Smith admitted his identity, Yang Yi didn’t hesitate. He immediately said excitedly, "That’s great! You are indeed Mr. Smith, I’ve finally found you. Oh, there are two of your old friends with me, it’s quite coincidental. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have been able to contact you. But let’s save the details for later. Would you like to speak to your old friends on the phone right now?"

Mike Smith’s voice instantly became wary, and he said gravely, "My old friends? Who are they?"

Yang Yi could accept others thinking he’s a fool, but he absolutely couldn’t let Mike think he was fooling him.

Yang Yi said somewhat excitedly, "You can ask him yourself, hold on a moment."

Turning to look at Brian and Charles, Yang Yi said with an excited demeanor, "I think it’s better if you talk to Mr. Smith personally."

Brian gave a wry smile, while Charles just shrugged his shoulders, then reached out and said, "I’ll do it."

Taking the phone, Charles immediately said in a low voice, "Hi, Mike, it’s Charles."

"Charles? Why is it you? I get it! Brian has come back to find you!"

It had to be said that Mike was quick to react. Once he knew who his so-called old friends were, he immediately guessed the truth of the matter.

This showed that Mike understood Charles well and also that his mind was indeed quick.

In a low voice, Charles said, "Yes, I’m now with Brian, but listen to me, listen carefully, it’s not what you think! Brian wasn’t betraying us; he was framed!"

Mike was silent for a moment, then he said softly, "I don’t care much about that now."

Charles raised his voice and said loudly, "No! You do care, and I care even more! Don’t you want to know what happened?"

Mike said in a low voice, "I understand, no need to say anything else, give the phone to Yang Yi."

Charles hesitated for a second but still handed the phone to Yang Yi. Taking the phone, Yang Yi said softly, "Mr. Smith, is there a problem?"

Mike Smith said in a low voice, "There’s a bit of a problem. Listen, I’m willing to meet you, bring the people with you, and we’ll talk in person. Be sure to take note of the address."