Spy-x-War Showdown
Chapter 439 - 427: Don’t Forget Your Identity

Chapter 439: Chapter 427: Don’t Forget Your Identity

No matter whether he was called a double-crosser, an undercover agent, or a mole, betraying Jethro made Yang Yi feel very uncomfortable in his heart.

The key issue was that Jethro himself wasn’t a hateful person. Although both Yang Yi and Kate had held grudges against Deyo Mather, and Jethro worked for Deyo, the feeling of betrayal was still extremely unpleasant.

After fiddling with his cellphone for a long time, Yang Yi finally sent a message to Justin.

"Me, Robot, pay up."

It didn’t take long for Justin to send a message back.

"First, let’s see the goods."

As Yang Yi was about to send the file, his hand hesitated slightly on the phone, but ultimately, he sent the file out anyway.

After a while, once Justin had received the file not long after, he sent a message back.

"Not bad, fifty grand."

"Fifty grand doesn’t cover the costs, half a million could."

"At most one hundred grand, really the most, it can’t be more."

Yang Yi thought for a moment and then agreed to Justin’s offer.

"Pay up."

"Good job."

Looking at the message Justin had sent back, Yang Yi gave a wry smile, then he started to delete the messages. After he was done, he turned off his cellphone.

"Passing messages is too simple these days; go back a few decades, and a message like this might have required a life exchange to send out. Now, all it takes is a flick of the finger."

Zhang Yong seemed quite emotional as he shook his head and said, "You have to admire how far technology has advanced—it’s really leaping by the day."

Yang Yi looked at Zhang Yong and said, "Don’t you have anything else to say?"

"Like what?"

"Use your talent for changing the subject, just say something off-topic."

"Oh, are you feeling uncomfortable about betraying someone?"

Yang Yi was on the verge of a breakdown, expressing his helplessness, "So when I ask you to change the subject, you can’t switch topics anymore, can you?"

Zhang Yong replied earnestly, "This is self-inflicted trouble, you know? To be blunt, it’s because you have a conscience."

"Fuck! What does this have to do with being righteous?"

"What’s your job? You’re an undercover agent, right? This is exactly what you do. So what, now you’ve got a guilty conscience? Isn’t this self-inflicted trouble? If you really can’t stand it, you might as well change careers early on. I think you have a promising future in the mercenary business. Why not just be a mercenary with me, honestly and sincerely."

Yang Yi said with frustration, "Talking to you is really boring."

Zhang Yong sighed and said, "Being a mercenary is great. You get paid to fight, and it doesn’t matter who you take down. No need to cozy up to anyone with fake sentiments, no need to gain anyone’s trust. Straightforward action is so much better. But no, you have to be a spy. Humans are emotional creatures. If you can’t overcome your own feelings, then what kind of spy are you?"

Yang Yi let out a deep sigh.

Zhang Yong laughed and said, "You’re already feeling this way and you’re not even that close to Jethro yet. What will you do if you spend more time with him?"

Yang Yi had nothing to say, but Zhang Yong continued, "This Jethro, you definitely can’t say he’s a good guy, but he’s certainly charming and capable, a leader who commands respect. He wouldn’t have gotten to where he is today without some skills in dealing with people. So if you’re going to work with him, you’ll definitely get closer and closer, and then you’ll become more and more miserable. So I’ll tell you straight. If you can’t get over this emotional hurdle, we should just pull out sooner rather than later to avoid harming both ourselves and others. I just want to remind you, don’t forget who you are."

Yang Yi was silent for a long time before finally saying, "I know who I am, don’t worry."

Zhang Yong said carelessly, "That’s good. Whether you’re a mercenary or a spy, we’re in this for the money. All these rules and restrictions aren’t worth squat. In the end, it’s all about profit. Brotherhood, friendship—all bullshit when it comes to interests. The moment someone needs to stab you in the back, they won’t hesitate. Do you think the underworld operates on honor? Pfft! Whoever believes that is a fool!"

Yang Yi nodded and muttered, "There are always exceptions, right?"

"Of course there are exceptions, but don’t take them as the norm. How much did they give you?"

"A hundred thousand."

"I don’t know much about the going rate for intelligence, but it doesn’t seem like a lot. Could you have been cheated?"

"It shouldn’t be, I think Justin is quite alright."

Zhang Yong pointed at Yang Yi and said, "Look at you, you’ve already forgotten what I just said. You believe a trafficker in intelligence? He tells you it sold for a million, but for all you know, he could’ve sold it for a billion, right? You talk about relations, but he talks only about profit. Smiles to your face and sells you out behind your back. I’ve seen so much of it that I’m tired."

Yang Yi looked worried and said, "But Justin is the only buyer we have. Even if we wanted to sell to someone else, we couldn’t."

Zhang Yong stroked his chin and said, "That’s true. The mercenary market is quite transparent—you know straightforwardly what’s more and what’s less. With intelligence, it’s different. Sometimes you make a killing, sometimes you sell treasures at the price of cabbages. There’s no choice but to bear with it for now. We’ll have to look for other intel traffickers later, just to have something to compare."

Yang Yi sighed and said, "If only Mike were still alive, he would definitely know the value of this intelligence. Sigh..."

Zhang Yong shook his head and said, "Stop talking about useless things. Let’s get through this month first. Take it slow. We have a lot of things to do now, making money is the most important."

"You’re right. Making money is the most important thing. Not to mention, I still have to repay the captain’s five million. The pressure is huge."

Zhang Yong dismissively said, "Then you shouldn’t be distributing all the money now."

Yang Yi softly said, "That’s what I planned. The money we make as mercenaries should be split among everyone. This is different. This money is earned through real hardship. If I take the lion’s share only to repay debts, how would Chris and Rodriguez feel about it? We’re asking them to risk their lives without pay. Who does that?"

Zhang Yong nodded in agreement, "You’re absolutely right. Mercenaries make quick cash. If you want people to willingly risk their lives for you, you’ve got to spend enough money. Forget all the useless stuff. Money speaks the loudest. Alright, since you’ve got it all figured out, there’s nothing more to say, except for one thing. How come after all the poker we’ve played together, I still can’t beat that damn Xiao Ran? Don’t you feel guilty?"

Yang Yi was taken aback, then he said with a bitter smile, "Come on, why are you bringing this up again?"

"Bullshit, who told me to change the subject just now? Besides, you still owe me a proper explanation. Never mind not winning at the casino, but I can’t even get the better of Xiao Ran. Doesn’t that sound unreasonable?"

Yang Yi helplessly said, "Well... I can’t blame me if you’re not smart enough. Xiao Ran is clever. How about this, next time I deal the cards, I’ll let you win a few more hands. Does that work for you?"