Spy-x-War Showdown
Chapter 586 - 594 Alchemy Test Stone

Chapter 586: Chapter 594 Alchemy Test Stone

The matter itself was not complex, it was Deyo Marcel who wanted to use the opportunity of his son’s recent death to play the role of a deranged father, and then take the chance to get rid of Nicholas, but how exactly Deyo went about it remained unknown.

Yang Yi was eager to know the inside story, but unfortunately, as a bodyguard, he already knew too much. Now, if he asked what had happened, wouldn’t he just be asking for trouble?

Jethro’s mindset had changed as well.

He had originally thought Deyo had gone mad from his son’s death, but now it seemed he was not insane at all; he was very rational and calm. Therefore, Jethro, who had been disappointed and even resentful towards Deyo, was no longer disappointed or resentful. Despite being brought in as bait, Deyo hadn’t intended for him to die.

After clarifying these points, Jethro once again was filled with awe towards Deyo, or rather, he had renewed his loyalty.

Suddenly, Yang Yi said, "Why let Nicholas come alone? If you had let Nicholas bring many guards with him, maybe he would have come."

Yang Yi spoke with a tone of regret and incomprehension, while Jethro said indifferently, "Because we had to make Nicholas believe that Deyo just wanted him to come for his son’s revenge, that meant we had to make nearly harsh demands on Nicholas. If Deyo had told Nicholas he could come and bring as many people as he wanted, Nicholas would have known there was a trap set for him."

If Deyo wanted to get Nicholas to willingly come to his death, he had to make sure Nicholas came alone because their relationship had become a case of harboring a dangerous tiger, and they both were aware of it.

Nicholas wouldn’t come. Leaving the territory he’d managed for so many years, even with many guards, how could he compete against Deyo?

But Deyo threw out a condition Nicholas couldn’t refuse: control over Ukraine as an arms supply land. For Nicholas, who could sell arms but had no source, gaining Ukraine meant he would be well-feathered and could completely break away from Deyo.

To play the role of a father who’s lost his mind from grief, yet to remain wary of Nicholas while still needing to leverage Nicholas’ power, Deyo had to attach various restrictions to the conditions offered, such as having Nicholas and Jethro compete, with the victor gaining access to Ukraine’s arms market.

So, Deyo had to make Nicholas come alone because that would show that his intentions were solely for revenge and nothing else. If he hadn’t set any restrictions on Nicholas, it would suggest he had other plans.

In fact, Yang Yi understood this reasoning; he just wanted Jethro to think he didn’t.

"But Nicholas didn’t come, right? It’s because of the overly harsh conditions Deyo set, isn’t it? If I were Nicholas, I definitely wouldn’t have dared to come."

Yang Yi seemed somewhat unconvinced, but Jethro shook his head and said, "It’s pointless to talk about it now."

Indeed, it was pointless. Nicholas truly hadn’t come, so what was the point of Deyo’s meticulous scheming?

Yang Yi didn’t want to ask questions; he just wanted to complain a bit to encourage Jethro to say more. Unfortunately, now that Jethro’s mindset was different...

With a different mindset, Jethro became tight-lipped again. He wouldn’t say a word about things that didn’t need to be discussed, because the strategic conditions had changed. With the pressing threat of Nicholas gone, he no longer needed to tell his bodyguard everything.

Noticing the change in Jethro, Yang Yi felt it was a pity because he really wanted to know more about the inner workings. However, his primary objective had already been achieved.

By now, Anton must already know Deyo’s residence. Yang Yi was very confident about this, ever since he watched Jethro get into the taxi driven by Anton, he knew the biggest takeaway of the trip was secured.

If Deyo knew that the arrangements he made to clean up his inner circle had caused his subordinates to become wary and, in an attempt to protect themselves, led to his location being tracked, Deyo would certainly be unhappy.

If Jethro hadn’t been worried about being killed by Nicholas, then Yang Yi and his team really wouldn’t have had any chance, because Jethro wasn’t a blabbermouth, and he was quite loyal too. Although he hired some bodyguards and talked a lot, Jethro never intended to betray Deyo, not once.

Jethro was just trying to secure some benefits for himself within the rules allowed, without breaking the rules set by Deyo.

Actually, upon deeper thought, Yang Yi felt that perhaps Deyo was also taking the opportunity to test Jethro’s loyalty. If Jethro had gone against Deyo’s instructions, like making an excuse for his injury not to come, or showing up with a bunch of guards, then Jethro would probably be dead by now.

For Deyo, all he needed was a subordinate who absolutely obeyed him. No matter the reasons the subordinate had, no matter how justified those reasons were, if they went against his will, they could go to hell.

It must be so, it certainly is so, and it has to be so.

Jethro played a part in drawing Nicholas out, and wasn’t Nicholas also serving as a touchstone for Deyo, using his notorious reputation to test the other subordinates to see their choices under immense pressure?

If one were to think deeper, it seemed that Deyo’s move was quite profound. Maybe Deyo wanted to use the opportunity of his son’s death to conduct a major clean-up operation within, as it’s said: the fiercest winds reveal the strength of the grass, and turmoil reveals the true followers. The more critical the situation, the more the loyalty of his subordinates is revealed.

Yang Yi felt that the more he thought about it, the more complicated it became.

Stopping his speculation about Deyo, Yang Yi spoke in a low voice to Jethro, "Where are we going? If... I mean, are we out of trouble now?"

It was always proper to ask about one’s own situation. If Jethro was just there for show and they were now completely out of danger, then there would be no need to hire Trident for protection.

Jethro exhaled and said, "Don’t worry, we’ll wait in Nice for two days. The situation isn’t clear yet. We’ll wait and see the final outcome."

Yang Yi nodded and said, "Then we can just stay somewhere casual, right?"

Jethro hesitated. He was debating whether to tell Yang Yi more. After pondering for a moment, he decided to remain reserved, but it was time to let Yang Yi know what needed to be known.

"It’s very likely that we’ll still go to Ukraine."

After whispering this, Jethro paused for a moment and then slowly continued, "The situation is still unclear, but Deyo’s desire for revenge has not faded. So, someone definitely has to go to Ukraine. It’s just a matter of seeing who will gain greater power. For now, it seems I still have a good chance, so let’s wait a little longer."