Ultimate Firepower
Chapter 121 - 111 Hello

Chapter 121: Chapter 111 Hello

"Call your boss and just... just tell him the real situation," Gao Yi initially thought about making up some lies, but then he considered it and realized there was no need for deception, so he decided to save even the time it would take to fabricate a story.

The driver was still somewhat disbelieving, afraid to take out his phone or make the call.

Gao Yi could only use a look to signal Peter, who understood his intention and delivered a hefty kick to the driver’s leg, causing the driver to howl and take out his phone.

When the call was made, no one knew what the driver was saying, as he spoke in Arabic.

Do you need a translation?

On second thought, it seemed unnecessary.

While the driver was on the phone, Gao Yi looked back and said, "We’ll arrange a place to meet in a bit, um, get a weapon."

Peter was taken aback before he murmured softly, "Go back for the guns?"

"No need, guns won’t be of any use. I’ll find a hammer instead."

Peter’s eyes widened in shock as he stared at Gao Yi, completely failing to understand the connection between getting a weapon and finding a hammer.

Gao Yi went to the back of the off-road vehicle, opened the trunk, and lifted the cover inside, only to find that there was indeed no hammer.

However, there was an L-shaped socket wrench which was quite handy—it was the kind used for changing car tires, of the appropriate length and weight, and well-sized, its only flaw being a bit slippery.

The driver finished his call, looking distressed as he talked on and on, likely explaining his situation in great detail, given the time he had taken.

"How did it go?" Gao Yi asked the driver.

"Our boss said... the stuff can be returned to you, and the damaged car won’t be pursued. Let’s just leave it at that."

Sure enough, the local tyrant also knew that certain dragons from across the river were not to be trifled with. For the sake of a bag that wasn’t very valuable, provoking a powerful opponent with US Army backing was not worth it.

But how could Gao Yi let it go so easily?

Gao Yi instantly said, "Just leave it at that? He wishes. Tell him, unless I get a satisfactory response, I will definitely go to his Green Zone home today to find him. Tell him now, right now."

The driver, with a woebegone face, said something in a flurry and then turned to Gao Yi, "What on earth do you want to do?"

Gao Yi took a deep breath and replied, "Apologies, compensation, and hand over that driver Ali for me to deal with."

The driver relayed the message over the phone and then started showing an expression of difficulty. He looked toward Gao Yi, but dared not speak.

Gao Yi said gently, "He swore at me, didn’t he?"

"No, no, our boss didn’t curse you..."

After his stammering response, the driver hesitated, then finally said, "He said, don’t be too arrogant. He wanted me to tell you that if you... then he’ll be... um... not polite anymore."

Gao Yi raised an eyebrow and responded, "Oh?"

Peter raised his hand, ready to strike, but Gao Yi stopped him with a gesture, "Tell your boss, if he still wants to get by in Baghdad, he’d better negotiate nicely with me. If we are satisfied, we can let this go. If not, I’ll wipe out his family and show him that Baghdad isn’t just for Iraqis to claim."

Though direct dialogue was possible, Gao Yi chose to have the driver act as his mouthpiece.

The driver felt on the verge of exploding. He hesitated for a long while but finally decided to soften the translation of Gao Yi’s words.

"Our boss, he says he wants to meet and negotiate."

The driver had left out much of the content, gambling that no one in Gao Yi’s party understood Arabic. Yet, he felt the exchanged words were too brief, so after quick thinking, he continued, "I think it’s best to talk with him. These people seem very vicious. But they are unarmed. They only took a gun off me."

Having conveyed the message, the driver achieved the effect Gao Yi wanted.

A moment later, the driver said, "Our boss agrees to the meeting. Where?"

"How about... a restaurant?"

Gao Yi waved his hand, "Have him pick a restaurant. There are a lot of us, and we might as well eat. Tell him to hurry."

After a few words, the driver eventually said, "Our boss says let’s meet now. I’ll lead the way."

This was also a means of self-preservation; if he was to lead the way, he couldn’t be killed.

Gao Yi nodded and smiled, "Good, get in, let’s go."

Peter was anxious, looking at Lin Xianghua and the others as they hoisted the driver into the vehicle. He couldn’t help but say to Gao Yi, "Boss, aren’t we taking too much of a risk? We can’t place our safety in their hands, hoping they won’t dare to act. We should at least have a strong show of force to deter them, so... let’s get the guns first."

Gao Yi shook his head, "No, if we get the guns, Alavi might not be willing to negotiate. If we wait too long, Alavi might flee or find some strong support to plead on his behalf. In the end, we are but foxes..."

He meant to say they were ’crying wolf,’ but decided it was too much of a hassle to explain and instead said, "We need a quick decision. Alavi won’t likely have many guards, and even if he does, I trust you can handle it."

Peter wanted to say they couldn’t handle it, but seeing Gao Yi’s carefree face, he couldn’t bring himself to object.

They got in the car and left. The damaged car didn’t affect driving.

The driver was obviously taking a circuitous route, but Gao Yi didn’t bother calling him out - after all, they had to give Alavi some time to prepare.

Gao Yi was so fearlessly bold, simply because this negotiation could very well be a real one.

If Alavi truly had strength, then there was no need to bother him – it would be safe.

If Alavi wasn’t strong enough and was easy to handle, they could just take action directly – still safe.

Either way, there was no danger, so what was there to worry about? Of course he acted without constraint.

The driver led them round and round, but after nearly an hour, they finally arrived at the place Alavi had designated.

Gao Yi wasn’t afraid of an ambush from Alavi, but Alavi was worried about Gao Yi’s potential backup, even if he was allowed to choose the meeting place. Alavi feared that Gao Yi might come with a large force in tow.

So Alavi chose an isolated building on the outskirts of the city, with no neighbors within at least two hundred meters.

Gao Yi was not one to make calculated moves only after thorough planning, yet he always managed to make his opponents move according to his needs. The reason was that as long as they acted normal in preparation for any danger, it played right into Gao Yi’s hands.

Gao Yi got out of the car, holding the socket wrench in hand, casually tossing and catching it.

His demeanor was blatantly nonchalant, which made his opponents underestimate the wrench as just a prop rather than a weapon.

In this era, who would still perceive a socket wrench as a lethal weapon?

Cliff followed Gao Yi closely, carrying a handgun. Peter really wanted to make a show of force, but guarding against bullets seemed unnecessary at this point. He simply stood by as a guard, weaponless, and therefore useless.

Gao Yi beckoned to Lin Xianghua, who pushed the driver over to him. Taking the wrench, Gao Yi swiftly struck the driver’s thigh with it.

The driver leaped up in pain, howling loudly, while Gao Yi sternly said, "Tell your boss to come out!"

The driver managed to stand, which meant Gao Yi’s hit was just a hit – more of an arrogant admonition.

The driver approached the restaurant door and pushed it open. Moments later, he stood in the doorway, his expression shifting from pitiable helplessness to wary fear. Yet, believing himself safe, he couldn’t suppress a sneer.

"Come in!"

His tone had changed.

Gao Yi snorted coldly and walked in, wrench in hand.

Upon entering, he saw two fully armed Americans behind the door with their guns raised, pointed directly at him.

Sitting behind a table in the center of the room was a man. His skin showed few wrinkles, but his face was covered in stubble, indicating older age.

He did not stand but gestured for Gao Yi to sit down.

Gao Yi strode over, while Lin Xianghua and Cliff followed. And as the two armed men extended their arms, trying to block them, Gao Yi showed no response, but Lin Xianghua glared fiercely.

Alavi gestured with his hand, allowing Lin Xianghua and Cliff to enter. Then Peter followed, his face tense, into the restaurant.

Behind Alavi were four men in Bullet-Proof Vests, armed with rifles, radios, handguns, and even Hand Grenades, and wearing helmets equipped with night vision devices even though it was daytime.

All were equipment left by the US Army when they withdrew from Iraq, originally meant for the Iraqi Defense Army but somehow ended up in Alavi’s possession.

These fully armed soldiers were the source of Alavi’s confidence.

Compared to Gao Yi’s group, which only had a handgun—with a mere seven bullets—what did Alavi have to fear?

Gao Yi sat down in front of Alavi and slammed the wrench down on the table, "Bring out the deceiving driver. I’ll just use this to break his legs; that will do."

This was a way to undermine the presence of the main weapon, keeping it in plain sight but making it seem like nothing more than a prop, not an actual weapon.

Alavi pursed his lips, then he finally said, "You..."

The moment Alavi began to speak, the wrench was upon the table, and Gao Yi swiftly scooped it up with his left hand, toppling the table to pin Alavi, who had not been expecting it. As Alavi fell backward, Gao Yi swung the wrench, striking an armed soldier behind him on the neck.

Just... too easy.

All four of their guns were pointed downward.

Moreover, Alavi and his guards were too close. Out of tension and the desire to protect himself, he needed his guards near.

But for Gao Yi, whatever helped Alavi protect himself helped him even more with his assault.

So there was no need for any further discussions, and no need to wait.

Hit to the right, then to the left, always striking the neck, two cracks and it was done. The left hand slapped Alavi’s face, while the right hand wielding the wrench came smashing down, breaking an arm of one of the guards, who couldn’t even raise his rifle. Then Gao Yi hooked the rifle with the wrench, pressing down, and with another swing, hit the guard on the ear. Less than two seconds, and the job was done, case closed.

Gao Yi looked back.

Lin Xianghua had grabbed a rifle from one of the guards and was elbowing them in the face, while Cliff had grabbed another barrel, pointing his handgun directly at another guard’s forehead. Therefore, the two guards at the door were also taken care of.

No guns were fired, nor did anyone have the chance to.

Gao Yi was pleased. Then he realized two things: first, the L-shaped wrench was surprisingly handy; and second, having comrades made things much easier than working alone.

Peter had nothing to do; he hadn’t needed to do anything since all potential threats in the room were already down, without the slightest ability to resist.

He couldn’t just stand idly by, though.

Peter turned to the driver.

The driver was dumbfounded, utterly frozen in shock.

Peter stepped forward, knocking the driver over with a kick, then lifted his hand and slapped him across the face.

At least there was something to do, a chance to assert his presence.

Out of gratitude for the driver’s existence, Peter’s slap was gentler than it might have been.

Then, looking ferociously at the stunned driver, Peter snarled, "What are you smiling at? Smile again. I dare you!"

Several slaps later, the driver, with empty eyes, shed tears once more.

Finally, Gao Yi said, "Stop hitting him; let him come over to translate."

Pinned beneath the table, Alavi lay there, coughing with difficulty, trying to say something, but ultimately he could only look at Gao Yi, bewildered, and utter what he wanted to say.

"Hello..."