Ultimate Firepower
Chapter 183 - 171: Highly Intelligent and Bordering on the Supernatural

Chapter 183: Chapter 171: Highly Intelligent and Bordering on the Supernatural

The first step in the rescue operation was to leave the airplane.

Gao Yi was still on the plane, at a height of at least five or six meters from the airplane door, and the boarding stairs vehicle had already driven away. If it were someone else, they really wouldn’t have been able to get off the plane.

But who was Gao Yi? He had been practicing martial arts since he was a child. Although he couldn’t fly around, he certainly had the ability to jump high and dart low; this height of five or six meters really wasn’t a problem for him.

It was just the height of two floors, no big deal.

"After I leave, get the plane to take off immediately. Fly anywhere, it will definitely be safer than staying here."

Gao Yi glanced at his watch and continued, "I’m heading off now."

Gao Yi turned around to jump off the plane, but Mu Tianwen grabbed him and said in a low voice, "Brother! Don’t rush off. Things have come to this, there is no need to be overly anxious. Even if the CIA has captured Abdulla and starts interrogating him immediately, they won’t get any results in such a short time. Due to the limited time, any confession they obtain won’t be credible; at most it can only be used as a reference."

"Huh, what?"

Gao Yi looked at Mu Tianwen with surprise. He had always thought of Mu Tianwen as a prince of idioms; how could he have such insight into interrogation tactics?

Could it be that Mu Tianwen also understood these matters?

"How do you know this?"

Mu Tianwen glanced at his father and then said in a low voice, "In royal family households, though we have long lived in peace, we must always keep one string in our hearts taut. My teacher told me that those without foresight will find trouble close at hand. Our family’s situation is like a child walking with gold in the bustling market: without thinking of ways to protect oneself, trouble will find us sooner or later."

Wait, this wasn’t right. Which Chinese teacher would teach these things?

Gao Yi looked at Mu Tianwen with astonishment, but Mu Tianwen continued, "According to the original timetable my teacher set for me, I was supposed to enter the military in ten years and serve for a few years, then join a powerful department. Starting from last year, I began to pay attention to these matters."

"Huh?"

"Given my family background, if I want to learn something, I will have the best teachers. My father hired a home tutor for me; he is a technical officer from the Technical Support Department of the National Security Bureau’s Intelligence Bureau. From him, I’ve gained a lot of knowledge in this area."

Mu Tianwen spread his hands and said earnestly, "I specifically learned about some of the darker aspects of these matters, such as... how long it might take for someone from my family to be captured by the Intelligence Bureau and tell everything they shouldn’t."

"Hiss... go on."

Gao Yi and Mu Tianwen spoke in Chinese the whole time, leaving Harold beside them feeling completely confused.

Mu Tianwen said in a low voice, "I imagined the butler being captured; to the enemy... no, some people would use him as a breakthrough point to get information disadvantageous to my family. But what I didn’t expect is that they would directly capture my father, skipping over the step of finding incriminating evidence. This is essentially being determined to accuse someone of a crime—when the knife is in someone else’s hand, it doesn’t matter how many mouths you have."

"Hmm, then?"

Mu Tianwen sighed softly and said, "But looking at it now, replacing our butler with Abdulla fits the situation. According to my understanding, after the CIA captures someone, they first confirm the identity, which is a quick process. Including the time in transit, it should take no more than half an hour, and then they would interrogate overnight."

"Hmm, then?"

"Confessions are categorized as effective and ineffective. To truly gather intelligence, it’s not about the kind that can be immediately verified; they must consider the authenticity of the confessions. So, anything the person being interrogated says will be recorded at first but not directly trusted. In other words, no matter whether Abdulla talks or not, and regardless of what he says, it’s useless. The CIA will definitely torment him."

Gao Yi didn’t really know these things. As a somewhat unconventional assassin, where would he find out about such matters?

"So, no matter whether they talk or not, they have to be beaten?"

"Yes!"

Mu Tianwen said with a grave face, "Regardless of whether they are willing to talk or what they say, they must be beaten. And ’beaten’ is just an adjective; the actual methods are a hundred times, no, ten thousand times more terrible than beating. It’s truly a situation where they can neither live nor die."

Gao Yi nodded, "Continue."

Mu Tianwen thought for a while and said, "This situation only seeks confessions, which means the interrogation target doesn’t have any value for coercion, only for information. So during interrogation, this person will be pushed to a complete breakdown. But Abdulla is different; it’s clear that Abdulla has significant utility value."

Listening to a young man speak of a living person having utility value was quite an education in the ways of the nobility.

Mu Tianwen said gravely, "Getting Abdulla to betray Shaman and personally attest to what wrongdoings Shaman has done would clearly align more with the interests of my father and his faction. Therefore, Abdulla can’t die; he can’t collapse; he can’t become a mentally broken invalid. An Abdulla with a clear mind is most valuable."

"Yes," Gao Yi said.

"There is only one scenario then." Mu Tianwen became grave as he spoke with an expression that belied his age, "Once the CIA captures Abdulla, they will first set up an encounter between Abdulla and members of our Royal Family. They’ll start with blandishments, but since Abdulla’s family is in Shaman’s hands, he is not unwilling but unable to submit. Therefore, this first step will inevitably fail. And this period will be roughly two hours."

Mu Tianwen began to narrate each step of the interrogation and even provided precise timings.

Observing Gao Yi’s astonished expression, Mu Tianwen explained, "If it is arranged by the CIA, then the time allocated for persuasion and coaxing will definitely be two hours. Two hours is the critical threshold; too short a period shows a lack of sincerity, but any longer is just a waste of time. Hence it is two hours. This is the civility before the use of force."

Gao Yi exhaled and said, "Alright, and after two hours?"

"Then they strike, begin with mild, limited forms of torture. It will be a long process. Regardless of what Abdulla says, this period will be at least twenty-four hours without a break, constant in its intensity, persistent with light torture. The vast majority of people simply can’t withstand this stage and will have a mental breakdown, agreeing to cooperate."

Listening to all this made Gao Yi’s skin crawl. He nodded and in a hushed voice asked, "Hmm, do you think Abdulla can withstand it?"

"I believe Abdulla can because he is from a large family. He would be giving up not only his life and honor but also the lives of at least a dozen family members."

"People chosen for such illicit tasks are naturally those with large families, especially those who value their families. Having parents isn’t enough; it’s best if they have children..." Mu Tianwen spread his hands helplessly and said, "You should understand."

Gao Yi, in a low voice, replied, "You know quite a bit about the dark side. And then?"

"Let’s continue with Abdulla. My father and his faction can be considered the opposition. For the opposition to succeed is even harder, thus, their attempt to sway Abdulla will take even longer. Abdulla, once broken in spirit, is of no use to them. I think that the opposition will create a sense of urgent pressure on Shaman but will try to kidnap Abdulla’s family. As long as they get their hands on Abdulla’s family, especially his children, Abdulla will have to turn. Otherwise, he will dare not."

After finishing, Mu Tianwen seriously said to Gao Yi, "So, you should warn Shaman to be careful and protect Abdulla’s family closely. Moreover, I must say that within forty-eight hours, Abdulla will not turn. He may say some things detrimental to Shaman, but these won’t have a significant impact on Shaman."

Gao Yi nodded, then he suddenly asked, "Did you just come up with all this?"

"Yes, and no. Big brother, think about it – if my father were the person who had to be swayed, or if he were in Abdulla’s position, what would be the outcome?"

Mu Tianwen’s face carried a wry smile full of helplessness as he spoke softly, "According to the original rules, my father is the fourth in line to succeed, at least preceding Shaman. So when Shaman suddenly came to power, my teacher advised me to go abroad and hide."

"Your teacher... is very impressive."

Mu Tianwen sighed, "I have shouldered burdens that I shouldn’t have at my age. My father is a... is a... good father! But he really isn’t cut out to be a... nevermind."

One doesn’t speak ill of one’s father in public. Mu Tianwen couldn’t outright say his father was a naive wealthy fool.

Gao Yi asked, "Is there anything else you want to say?"

"One who knows the times is a wise man. My father failed to see the situation clearly; my mother understood even less. However, I believe that if one is to give in, one should do so thoroughly."

Mu Tianwen’s face was somber as he continued, "We won’t leave! We’ll wait right here. I will find a way to have my father act as a decoy so that he can meet with Abdulla. That way, you’ll have a chance to rescue Abdulla!"

Gao Yi mentally exclaimed curses at this revelation.

Mu Tianwen, young as he was, had the makings of a ruthless strategist, not simply a sheltered Young Prince, but a qualified entity of governance.

Gao Yi stared at Mu Tianwen, who went on, "If it hadn’t been for you, my entire family would have been doomed, big brother. I don’t ask for much – I just want to grow up healthy and happy. I am more than willing to shed the identity of a Royal Family member. I truly don’t mind losing that status, but I want to ensure that my parents also live and are happy."

After speaking, Mu Tianwen gestured with his hand, saying, "I feel it’s time I take up the responsibility of leading this family forward."

"You can do it... You’re capable..."

Mu Tianwen received such a complete education that Gao Yi had nothing to say in response.

Mu Tianwen continued, "You go and gather intelligence, assemble the team, and I’ll stay here and persuade my father to cooperate. We can’t leave. If all goes well, you’ll be able to meet with Abdulla through my father. This is known as returning from a lost path to the right one, abandoning darkness for light, striking directly at the heart of the matter, catching the thief and returning. With this gesture, not only will my family be safe, but we might even retain some of our wealth."

Gao Yi nodded. He had nothing else to do but to agree.

He wondered if Harold would consent, but Gao Yi felt Harold would agree, not out of faith in Harold but because of his confidence in Mu Tianwen.

Since Mu Tianwen was willing to use his father as bait, the mission to rescue Abdulla had turned into a true rescue.