Spy-x-War Showdown
Chapter 529 - 517 Rejection

Chapter 529: Chapter 517 Rejection

Xiao Ran was very surprised.

Yang Yi had gone to negotiate with Terry and had returned with a complete change in attitude. A moment ago he had been a seamless partner; now there was an unmistakable undercurrent of hostility. Although it wasn’t yet openly confrontational, his enmity towards the cleaner was clearly evident.

Xiao Ran looked at Yang Yi with a puzzled expression.

In theory, Xiao Ran’s identity had always been delicate. She was the one chosen by the cleaner to approach Yang Yi, but now she had become part of the Organization of Water. Therefore, Xiao Ran had always been the liaison between Yang Yi and the cleaner, but she could also be seen as a spy that the cleaner had planted within the Organization of Water.

In matters concerning the cleaner, Xiao Ran definitely had a say.

Yang Yi smiled, then walked over to Xiao Ran and whispered so faintly that it was barely audible, "Terry is playing word games with us, so both Brian and I feel... Terry isn’t particularly trustworthy. Nothing has happened yet, but it’s still better to be cautious."

Xiao Ran looked surprised. She paused for a moment before saying incredulously, "Word games?"

"Yes, resolving the issue in the United Kingdom went from one hundred thousand US dollars to one hundred million dollars. Brian doesn’t think it’s worth it, but I’m actually quite tempted."

Yang Yi chuckled bitterly and said in a low voice, "Wait for me a bit, I’ll go and reject Terry’s proposal now."

Xiao Ran reached out her hand, stopping Yang Yi, and said seriously, "Wait! You talk about Terry playing word games; tell me what’s going on."

Yang Yi didn’t want to discuss matters concerning the cleaner there, so he had substituted Terry for the cleaner. However, Xiao Ran surely understood the situation, as Terry was now representing the cleaner.

With nothing to hide, Yang Yi quietly repeated briefly what Terry had told him.

Xiao Ran seemed calm; after listening to what Yang Yi had said, she took a moment to think and then spoke softly, "You’re right, you should reject Terry. Go now, don’t keep him waiting."

Yang Yi left the room and once again found Terry.

Terry asked with a calm face, "How’s your consideration?"

Yang Yi shook his head, sighed, and said with a look of resignation, "I regret to say that I am very interested in your solution, but our financial resources are insufficient to support this solution, so..."

Terry frowned and then said with a puzzled face, "As far as I’m aware, you should have enough financial resources."

Yang Yi shrugged and said, "There are just too many other places where the money is needed."

Terry’s face took on a complicated expression; after pondering for a while, he suddenly suggested, "But this is the best solution. If your funds are insufficient, perhaps we could consider installment payments, like paying everything in two installments?"

Yang Yi shook his head and said, "Let’s forget it, Mr. Terry, but I’ve decided to pass, although it’s a pity. Thank you, though."

Terry did not say anything more. After a moment’s thought, he nodded at Yang Yi and said in a low voice, "So you choose to give up this opportunity to resolve the issue, is that correct?"

"Yes, our business here is now finished. Can you tell me how you’ll arrange our withdrawal? I hope to leave Italy as soon as possible."

Terry smiled and nodded, "Please rest here temporarily for a day or two. We will inform you as soon as we have everything arranged."

"Do we have a place to rest then?"

Terry looked apologetic as he said, "I’m afraid you’ll have to put up with some discomfort. We have a limited number of rooms here, so..."

Yang Yi nodded and replied, "I understand. It’s fine as long as the injured can receive proper care; there are no other issues."

Shaking hands with Terry, Yang Yi turned and left the room.

Upon returning, Yang Yi gestured to everyone and said, "We will need to stay here a bit longer before we can leave. Let’s rest up and lay low for now."

After that, Yang Yi made a gesture, not one that implied immediate conflict but a sign for everyone to be on alert.

Yang Yi sat down on the chair, then started to ponder what Terry’s true intentions might be.

Terry’s offer to allow installment payments struck Yang Yi as odd; such a proposal didn’t seem to fit the style of the cleaner.

After a moment’s thought, Xiao Ran whispered to Yang Yi, "Come here, I’ve got something to tell you."

Yang Yi walked over to Xiao Ran, pulled up a chair, and then asked warmly, "What is it?"

Xiao Ran spoke softly, "The cleaner would never engage in word games like this. No matter the issue, they always state all of the terms very clearly and then follow the agreement to the letter. If they say they’ll solve a problem for you, they will do exactly that. If they say they’ll take one hundred thousand, they won’t take a penny more. This means that everything going on right now is abnormal."

"But..." Yang Yi began in a low voice.

"No buts!" Xiao Ran interrupted emphatically. "Reputation is the foundation of the cleaner’s existence. If the cleaner were an organization that played word games, they wouldn’t have survived until now. So..."

Xiao Ran lowered her voice and whispered in Yang Yi’s ear, "Call Elvin."

Elvin was a high-ranking member of the cleaner. It was Xiao Ran who had saved Yang Yi when he was in danger in the United States, and it was through her that he met Patrick and then Elvin, which eventually led to the basis for his cooperation with the cleaner. However, at the time, Yang Yi was just a nobody with nothing to offer, and while the cleaner was interested in cooperating, they had no real need to, so Elvin never gave him any way to contact him.

"But I don’t have a phone number."

"No, you do."

After saying this in a low voice, Xiao Ran whispered even more quietly, "You are now a client of the cleaner, right?"

"Yes, I have a phone number and an identification code."

"Make the call, provide the identification code, and then tell the person answering that you need to find Elvin. Say it directly. The person will tell you they don’t know who Elvin is, but in fact, they’ll report it, and if all goes well, you should soon receive a call from Elvin."

After speaking, Xiao Ran moved her ear away from Yang Yi’s and nodded to him.

Yang Yi had just received the cleaner’s service number from Terry, and now it was time to put it to use.

After thinking for a moment, Yang Yi said a bit louder, "Alright everyone, I need to make a call. Soon you’ll be getting your portion of the money."

There was no one else around, no outsiders, but Yang Yi still played a little trick to disguise the destination of his call. Of course, the cleaner might not be eavesdropping on their conversation, so what Yang Yi was saying might just be meaningless blather.

However, if Yang Yi’s call was intercepted and he was unable to contact the outside world, then the situation would be serious, very serious.