Spy-x-War Showdown
Chapter 286 - 285: Pretend, Pretend Hard.

Chapter 286: Chapter 285: Pretend, Pretend Hard.

After flipping out the window again, Brian this time managed not to blunder, and as the three of them crept back to the ground, Brian couldn’t help but whisper, "What are you doing? Something so simple had to be made this complicated."

Yang Yi whispered back, "Can’t you see? I didn’t want to use Schultz just once and then let him go—I want him to work for us long term, Brian, we need a hacker."

Paul also whispered, "Boss, you’re indeed too impatient right now. I think you need to adjust your mental state. The you right now is a bit..."

Brian looked at Paul and asked, "What?"

Paul shrugged and said, "Your eagerness is making you less wise, boss. That’s not like you. We understand how you’re feeling, but please don’t let your longing for Kate cloud your judgment."

Brian fell silent for a moment, then he nodded and said, "You’re right. You should have told me this sooner. Alright then, what do we do?"

Yang Yi smiled and said, "We’ll talk in the car."

Back in the car, Yang Yi said in a low voice, "We have a lot to do now. First, we have to dress really formal. Then we need to find a luxury car. No, one is not enough—we need three, three of the same model. And we have to make ourselves look like... government agents?"

Xiao Ran asked curiously, "What for?"

"To win over a hacker’s heart, to make him follow us willingly, no, devotedly."

Zhang Yong said, "Easy to do, just a matter of money, we’ll have three cars ready by tomorrow, and the suits will be sorted with a few purchases."

Brian said in a low voice, "We must show up here by eight o’clock. We’re short on time, so we’ll need to resort to some special measures. Hm, let’s go steal."

Xiao Ran said with a helpless face, "I feel like I haven’t joined a spy organization but stepped into a den of thieves..."

Complaints aside, if they needed to steal, they would steal—who could blame the Organization of Water for being strapped for cash?

Yang Yi broke into a high-end clothing store, and the five of them managed to get their hands on some really decent suits. However, luxury cars were a bit tricky because they’re not easy to steal, especially three identical ones.

The solution was to rent three Mercedes-Benz S65 AMGs in a hurry from a car rental shop at seven o’clock in the morning.

Actually, Yang Yi wanted something even more upscale, but the wallet was thin, and time was tight, so they had to settle for a little less.

But regardless, under Yang Yi’s leadership, the Organization of Water was well prepared to welcome Schultz Steinmeyer.

The three cars dashed to Schultz’s doorstep and stopped at fifty-nine minutes past seven.

When the three cars came to a halt, Yang Yi and Brian stepped out. Brian adjusted his clothes and said in a low voice, "We’re a bit short on people, not imposing enough."

Yang Yi whispered back, "No other choice, we’ll have to make do."

Paul got out of the car too and then stood next to Brian, whispering, "Let’s go in."

Xiao Ran stood next to Yang Yi, and after a quick touch-up of her hair, she said, "I’m ready."

Zhang Yong stood by the rear door of the middle car. He stretched out his thumb, signaling that he too was ready.

Brian gestured with his hand and strode towards Schultz’s front door, and then pressed the doorbell.

The door soon opened, and a tall and muscular youth appeared at the threshold. He looked at Brian’s serious face, puzzled, and asked, "What do you want?"

Brian gave a slight bow and then said in clear German, "May I ask if Mr. Schultz Steinmeyer is at home?"

The young man was taken aback once again and promptly turned his head, shouting angrily back into the house, "Shorty! What trouble have you caused now! Damn it! I’ll have to teach you a lesson!"

A tall middle-aged man also appeared at the door, his face expressing vigilance, "What’s it now? Is Schultz causing trouble again?"

Brian’s voice was icy, "If Mr. Steinmeyer is home, please have him come out."

Schultz’s voice rang out, sounding quite surprised, "Who’s looking for me? I haven’t caused any trouble, really."

Schultz’s tone sounded particularly fake, and soon he shouted loudly, "Let go of me, you’re hurting me..."

Brian’s expression darkened. He stepped forward, shoved the middle-aged man aside, and entered the house.

"Hey, what are you doing? I didn’t invite you in..."

Ignoring the middle-aged man’s shouts, Brian looked at Schultz, who was being carried out under the brawny man’s arm, furrowed his brows, and said in a stern voice, "Hello, may I ask if you are Mr. Steinmeyer?"

Schultz was set down, and then he couldn’t help but say with a smile on his face, "I am, may I ask who you are?"

The acting was terrible. Although Yang Yi couldn’t understand German, he could tell that Schultz was fighting back laughter.

Brian leaned forward slightly, then said with a stern face, "Hello, I am from the German Federal Intelligence Service, and now I would like to talk to you alone about some matters."

The burly man looked surprised and said, "Federal Intelligence Service? Damn it, what have you done now!"

The burly man knocked on Schultz’s head, then an even larger young man came out from inside, shouting, "What’s going on? Lothar, what happened, dad?"

Just then, Paul suddenly charged forward, took down the sturdy man who was hitting Schultz, and twisted his arms behind his back.

The middle-aged man panicked and shouted, "What are you doing? Let go of my son!"

Schultz coughed lightly and said, "Hmm, what do you need from me?"

Brian’s face changed again as he looked coldly at the middle-aged man and said, "Mr. Steinmeier, it would be best if we talked in private."

"No, talk here, what do you want with me?"

Brian immediately said, "We are from the Federal Intelligence Service and at the request of these two gentlemen, I am here on behalf of the German government to invite you to join us. We are a joint organization secretly established by various nations, with the function of uniting to eliminate cybercrime. As Germany’s finest computer expert, I am honored to issue a personal invitation to you."

Brian nodded again in greeting. Schultz wore a smile that was more like a grimace, clearly struggling to maintain composure.

"But I still need to go to school..."

Brian spoke gravely, "You may choose any prestigious university in the world, any university in Germany, Oxford, Cambridge, Yale, Harvard, Tsinghua, and Peking. Our joint team is formed by some of the finest computer experts from Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Huaxia, among other nations. The governments of these countries will unconditionally fulfill any of your academic needs and provide a full scholarship."

All three were dumbfounded, and the young man still pinned to the ground said incredulously, "That’s impossible, it’s crazy..."

"Shut up!"

Paul suddenly bellowed, then exerted more force in his grip, causing Lothar to cry out in pain.

The middle-aged man exclaimed urgently, "What are you doing? Let go of my son, I’m going to call the police, I will... let him go first!"

Brian spoke gravely, "Mr. Steinmeier?"

Schultz coughed lightly and waved his hand, "Let him go."

Paul immediately released his hold, and Lothar cried out twice. He glared at his brother, who was stunned silly, and said indignantly, "You people..., I don’t believe it, you must be lying!"

Actually, Lothar had it right, but Paul coldly pulled out a deep blue ID with Germany’s national emblem on it and quickly flashed it, saying, "Quiet, no one asked you, nor does anyone care whether you believe it or not!"

The middle-aged man said, "May I see your ID?"

Paul looked grimly at the middle-aged man, Ismail, and said coldly, "My true identity is a national secret, are you sure you want to see my ID? According to our rules you may look, but be aware, you are responsible for the consequences."

Ismail sheepishly withdrew his hand and said, "Maybe it’s better if I don’t."

Brian turned to Schultz and asked, "How about it? Have you considered?"

Schultz twisted his neck slightly and said, "I haven’t given it much thought yet, um, could you explain my job more clearly?"

Brian gestured toward Yang Yi and said, "I am not from the cyber division, let Mr. M, the head of the cyber division, answer you."

Yang Yi came forward, smiled, and said in English, "Hello, you can call me M. This is my colleague; you can refer to her as X. Schultz, can I call you that? It’s like this, we are a cyber intelligence department formed by several nations, acting jointly. We hope you can join us. You will join as the liaison representative and the lead expert from Germany, as you are the designated candidate by the German government."

Xiao Ran picked up a briefcase, opened it, and took out a stack of documents, smiling, "You can have a look. This is the structure of our organization and a detailed description of our activities. Be reminded, if you don’t wish to join, then don’t read it. These documents are also the highest secret for your country; revealing them could lead to a minimum penalty of life imprisonment."

Schultz sighed and said, "I haven’t decided yet."

Yang Yi really wanted to say, "That’s enough, let’s not push our luck," but he maintained a serious face and pleaded, "Schultz, I’m asking you, we need you, Germany needs you, the world needs you!"

Brian was also very serious as he said, "Indeed, I am requesting on behalf of the German government that you join us."

Schultz finally took the documents from Xiao Ran’s hand, but he immediately looked at Ismail, hesitant, and said, "Can I do this?"

Ismail slowly said, "So will there be a stipend?"

Brian coughed lightly and said, "I said it would be better to speak privately, it was your choice to discuss it here. I am sorry, but if you do not agree, in order to prevent leaking information..."

Paul swiftly drew his handgun and pointed it straight at Ismail’s forehead. After Ismail and his two sons turned pale with fright, Brian waved his hand and said, "That’s not it, at most they would be detained for a couple of years but not killed. This operation isn’t of the highest secrecy, put away the gun."

Paul holstered his weapon, and Ismail pushed Schultz, shouting, "Go with them! Go now!"