Spy-x-War Showdown
Chapter 426 - 414: The Spy’s Abilities

Chapter 426: Chapter 414: The Spy’s Abilities

The Level IV bulletproof plates were too heavy;, Yang Yi hefted one and felt that it must weigh nearly ten kilograms. With one on the front and one on the back, plus the extended groin guard, Yang Yi estimated that wearing the full set of heavy bulletproof vest would weigh at least twenty kilograms.

In contrast,, the Level III bulletproof plates were much lighter; one plate weighed only two to three kilograms, and a complete set of bulletproof vests weighed less than ten kilograms. Wearing it would hardly affect the team’s mobility.

"Do we really need Level IV bulletproof vests? They’re just too heavy when worn!"

Equipped with a heavy bulletproof vest, carrying a gun, a helmet, grenades, and various other items, the total load on one’s body would be at least thirty kilograms. That was just with a SCAR-L rifle, three hundred rounds of ammunition, and four grenades. If one were to carry more ammunition, or add his Alexander rifle to the mix, the load would exceed forty kilograms.

Yang Yi’s physical strength was considerable, and a forty-kilogram load wasn’t a problem for him, but his combat style favored agility, and he felt somewhat uncomfortable in such bulky gear.

Zhang Yong responded without hesitation, "It depends on the situation. If we can wear it, we should wear it. This heavy body armor can stop full-powered 7.62×54mm bullets. If the distance is great enough, it might even stop 12.7mm rounds. During indoor combat, if the two leading soldiers wear this, they’ll be like tanks charging forward."

Yang Yi exhaled, "That’s good to know; at twenty thousand a set, it’s worth it."

Zhang Yong was taken aback, then he exclaimed loudly, "How much did you say?"

"Twenty thousand."

"Damn it! That’s such a rip-off! A set of bulletproof vests should cost, at most, five thousand! Domestic bulletproof vests are cheap and effective, that’s why mercenaries prefer them. These lightweight plates should cost at most two thousand, heavy plates at most five thousand. Selling it for twenty thousand is just extortion!"

Yang Yi was momentarily stunned before picking up a low-light night-vision device and asked, "Then what’s the market price for this?"

"That, I don’t know, never seen one. Apart from bulletproof vests and guns, I’ve never seen the rest of this stuff. However, this walkie-talkie seems pretty good, with powerful features. I just don’t know how durable it is or how well it resists interference."

Fortunately, Zhang Yong had no idea about the value of the rest of the items. This ignorance was somewhat comforting to Yang Yi. If Zhang Yong knew that they were being overcharged for every item, he wouldn’t have been able to handle it.

"Alright, everyone grab your gear and change into your clothes. I’ll go and make a call first."

Yang Yi took a set of clothes and found an empty room. Changing clothes was secondary; the main purpose was to make a call.

During his training time in Finland, Yang Yi had contacted Tang Guo twice using a satellite phone. While he and his team were training, Tang Guo and Schultz were busy setting up the cyber intelligence center.

Now, the Organization of Water was about to dabble in being mercenaries, but they couldn’t neglect their intelligence-gathering capabilities. Moreover, becoming mercenaries was also about gathering intelligence, so it was time to activate the cyber intelligence center.

Waiting for Tang Guo to pick up the call, her sweet voice soon came through.

"Boss."

"It’s wonderful to hear your voice. How’s it going, is your work done over there?"

"All done. The cyber intelligence center is ready to launch, and the Bitcoin mining rigs are almost set up. We’re currently calibrating them, and we should be able to start mining in two or three days at the most."

Yang Yi was not concerned about Bitcoin, as it was just virtual currency and held little significance for him, but the completion of the Intelligence Center was indeed great news.

"Good, now that we are in Ukraine, we’re about to start a mission, and we might need the Intelligence Center at any moment. Over the next period, make sure that you or Schultz is available to take calls at any time."

"Understood, boss."

After thinking for a moment and having nothing else to instruct, Yang Yi spoke softly, "That’s it, then. Be careful usually, don’t use the Intelligence Center for unnecessary things, stay in touch, goodbye."

After hanging up the call with Tang Guo, Yang Yi then called Boer and when Boer answered, all Yang Yi could hear was chaos on the other end.

Yang Yi frowned and asked, "Where are you? It sounds really noisy there."

"I’m at the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Right now, I can only try to make money by buying some small stocks. Is there anything you need?"

Yang Yi exhaled and then whispered, "Yes, there’s something. I have a friend, he bought some stocks and funds at the New York Stock Exchange. However, since 2008 his stocks have been trapped, and his funds have suffered heavy losses. Now he’s left with about ten million US dollars in stocks and funds. I wanted to ask if you have the capability to help him make trades, since you’re a banker, not a stock operator."

Boer sounded very interested, and the background noise on his end died down a bit, then he whispered back, "Tell me about it, which stocks did he buy?"

"Uh, I don’t know, he just mentioned it offhandedly, and then I thought you might be able to help, so I just wanted to ask if there was any way to get his money unstuck. He has already lost about ten million more, but now he just wants to get the remaining money in hand."

"It doesn’t matter if you don’t know which stocks he bought. Tell me who his broker is, who manages these things for him, stocks or funds. If you don’t know, find out and tell me."

Yang Yi replied without hesitation, "One of them is named Andrew Burn, my friend gave his money to him, and that’s all I know."

"Ah ha, Andrew Burn, haha, is he the one doing private equity funds? If that’s the case, then your friend’s money is gone, he’s a scam artist!"

The "friend" Yang Yi was referring to was, of course, Alexander. Alexander’s financial strain was due to investing all the money he had saved up as a mercenary into Wall Street and then getting caught in the financial crisis that severely reduced his wealth. After that, his remaining money got firmly trapped.

When he was in Finland, Yang Yi brought this up during a casual conversation with Alexander and felt that Boer might be able to help, but he hadn’t mentioned it. Now, after leaving the training grounds, it occurred to him to just ask.

Yang Yi glanced at his watch. He didn’t have time to continue discussing this matter with Boer, so he whispered, "If I let you manage that money, could you get it back? Just to stop the losses. We’re not looking to profit. Whatever can be recovered will suffice."

Boer sounded quite indignant and said, "Are you doubting my abilities? This is too easy. I can not only get his money back but also increase it."

"But you’re in Frankfurt, how will you handle transactions on Wall Street?"

Boer fell silent; he was on the run, after all. Daring to show his face in the United States would mean a certain death.

After a moment, Boer spoke gravely, "I don’t need to show up in person, I can have agents follow my instructions. Have your friend call me. My only condition is, after I free his money and make a big profit, he should let me manage his money, and I want a thirty percent commission."

Yang Yi thought for a moment and said, "Alright, I’ll ask him. If he agrees, he’ll contact you, and the two of you can discuss the details. That’s all for now, goodbye."