Ultimate Firepower
Chapter 195 - 183: Delaying the troops, strategizing, waiting for the opportunity.

Chapter 195: Chapter 183: Delaying the troops, strategizing, waiting for the opportunity.

The Young Prince needed to eat, who would have the audacity to refuse?

Even if it’s just inviting a prince to a meal, could you really just hand him a few pastries and call it done, or let the Young Prince squat somewhere like a servant and hurriedly finish his food?

That certainly wouldn’t do. People of this stature have particular standards for their clothing, food, housing, and transportation.

A man in a robe hesitated briefly, then nodded, "It’s already very late, and everybody must be hungry by now. Let’s all have something to eat together."

Arabs don’t usually have a habit of eating late-night snacks, but they have Ramadan. During Ramadan, they can only eat after sunset and must stop eating before sunrise, so there is no issue with asking their chefs to prepare a sumptuous feast in the middle of the night.

After giving the order for a banquet to be prepared, the robed host glanced at Gao Yi and suddenly asked, "Is this the man who rescued your father from Shaman’s grasp?"

Harold’s successful escape was no longer a secret.

For those who had faced the same predicament as Harold, his escape was seen as a particularly inspiring success story.

It’s also because of Harold’s escape that these people dared to continue opposing Shaman, buoyed by the illusion that Shaman might not be all that formidable.

But how many would have guessed that Gao Yi hadn’t taken any money and had purely acted out of a sentiment not understood by ordinary people? Not to mention guessing it, even if you told them, no one would believe it.

So, the situation looked like anyone with the guts could achieve it.

Mu Tianwen knew these people’s intentions, or rather, their illusions, but he had no way to explain.

The advantage of youth is that one’s words carry greater credibility.

"Did you employ a professional team, or was it a secret force your father had hidden, or perhaps... China?"

Because of Gao Yi’s appearance, and compounded by Mu Tianwen’s educational background, someone connected him with China.

Mu Tianwen wanted to consult with Gao Yi before responding.

Ultimately, the boldness of youth prevailed; technically, whether to eat or not should have been up to Gao Yi. If Gao Yi felt it was safe to act, they would eat; if not, they would leave. But Mu Tianwen was curious to see what a ’Restaurant War God’ looked like; uncontrollably, as if possessed by a spirit, he blurted out that he was hungry.

Now, people had begun to inquire about Gao Yi’s origins, whereas Gao Yi himself didn’t understand their language. After hesitating briefly, Mu Tianwen still shook his head and said, "No, none of those..."

"Not the Sky Garden?"

That’s when someone from the CIA suddenly spoke up.

The CIA agent could understand Arabic, but he chose to speak in English.

I can speak your language, but I won’t; to communicate with me, you must learn my language, which is a form of arrogance rooted in power.

The CIA agent gestured and also looked towards Gao Yi, saying, "Your father hired Sky Garden to kill your uncle, and then it was Sky Garden again that rescued your father from Shaman’s hands."

This time, Gao Yi understood.

When he heard the name Sky Garden, his heart first skipped a beat and then was filled with joy.

Sky Garden had really made a name for itself.

Now, the CIA agent was unaware that Harold had already sided with Shaman, but Abdulla had been handed over by Harold, only to be snatched up by the CIA, so they shouldn’t think that Sky Garden was now serving Shaman.

But, as events unfolded, these people would eventually realize that Harold had indeed turned to Shaman, and when that happened, Sky Garden would end up on their blacklist and become a target of the CIA.

The development was likely to lead to this outcome, but at the moment, these princes looked at Gao Yi with an uncomplicated gaze—they wanted to enlist him for their own use.

The CIA agent surely aimed to prevent this from happening, which was why he had interrupted.

Of course, the CIA would prefer if these princes turned to them for help in times of need, rather than resolving matters by throwing some money at an assassin group called Sky Garden.

That was what Gao Yi surmised inwardly, and the CIA agent’s words confirmed his speculation.

"Can you tell me why your father returned Abdulla to Shaman? He had already escaped from Riyadh, you were both already aboard the plane, so why release Abdulla in Baghdad?"

Clearly, it was a rhetorical question.

Any insider who could accurately report Abdulla’s situation and his release in Baghdad surely knew that Shaman had been coerced into releasing Harold.

Gao Yi felt it was time to speak up and articulate Sky Garden’s stance and values.

"Sir, releasing Abdulla was my decision because I needed to exchange him for my brother."

Gao Yi expressed it frankly, smiling as he said, "As a professional assassin organization, we are committed to solving all our clients’ problems, but when our client’s secondary interests conflict with our own lives, we choose to protect ourselves."

He continued to clarify calmly, "The primary interest of our client is their safety. Our mission was to rescue the employer, which we did, even at the cost of leaving behind a comrade. But once the employer’s safety was secured, we had to consider our own lives."

The implication was that if Harold were dying, Sky Garden would spare no manpower to save him. But if Harold wanted to use Abdulla to gain an advantage, and this led to Sky Garden losing lives, then Sky Garden would refuse decisively.

Finally, Gao Yi said seriously, "Sky Garden’s stance is to have no stance; if there must be one, it’s money!"

During the English conversation, an interpreter suddenly appeared beside the crowd of white-robed dignitaries. When the interpreter finished relaying Gao Yi’s words, a smile quickly spread across the faces of the dignitaries.

"How do you charge?"

Getting paid to do a job is the best, especially when it’s done so quickly and effectively. So someone immediately asked for the price.

As soon as the translator had finished speaking, Gao Yi immediately said, "Starting price is twenty million dollars."

"How much did Harold offer you?"

"Confidential."

"I’ll pay fifty million dollars, just as a deposit. You rescue my brother from the hotel, and after a successful mission, I’ll pay you another fifty million!"

It was not only an inquiry about the price but also an immediate order, and a massive one at that.

But to go find Shaman again, to deceive him once more, to threaten him again?

Forget about it, Gao Yi didn’t have another Feng Biao at his disposal, and even if Feng Biao stabbed his other leg, he couldn’t do it again.

Therefore, Gao Yi said indifferently, "Sorry, we’re currently under a commission. Until the assignment is completely over, we can’t take new orders."

Mu Tianwen cleared his throat and said with displeasure, "Now he serves my father!"

Several people laughed, but the CIA agent frowned and said, "Is your man safe now?"

Gao Yi nodded and said, "Yes, by the time I released Abdulla, our people already met up with the companion responsible for controlling Shaman and accomplished the hostage exchange."

It sounded logical.

The CIA agent looked at Mu Tianwen, pointed at Gao Yi, and asked, "So, your father released Abdulla because of him?"

Mu Tianwen hesitated for a moment and then nodded.

"Good. In that case, is your father willing to accept Abdulla?"

Mu Tianwen nodded and said, "Willing."

"Excellent. So do you still want to decide how Abdulla is dealt with?"

Gao Yi could have stayed silent, but after thinking for a moment, he shook his head and said, "Our companion is safe, Abdulla has nothing to do with us anymore, these decisions are up to you."

"Problem solved. What’s your father’s next move? You’re his representative; you should be able to answer that question."

The CIA man’s attitude was tough and aggressive.

Mu Tianwen looked troubled.

If Abdulla could just be handed over to Mu Tianwen to take away, then everything would be over, and Gao Yi wouldn’t have to wield a hammer, and these people wouldn’t have to die.

But it likely wouldn’t be that simple.

Gao Yi inwardly sighed; Harold was in trouble now, about to be grilled over the flames.

Sure enough, before Mu Tianwen could speak, the CIA agent continued, "Your father could become a banner in opposition to Shaman, just by making a clear statement publicly opposing Shaman, and you can take Abdulla. But if your father only wants to seek asylum abroad and dares not oppose Shaman anymore, then you can leave now."

Gao Yi saw through it.

The CIA wanted to lead the endeavor to overthrow Shaman. Because of tonight’s rescue operation, the CIA was furious, perhaps originally wanting to stay behind the scenes, but now they wanted to take the lead.

The rest of the robed men didn’t wish to be the scapegoats, they didn’t want to be the CIA’s knife against Shaman.

They all wanted to hide in the background, no one wanted to stand on the frontline.

Mu Tianwen said quietly, "I need to discuss this with my father."

The CIA man said sternly, "Then make it quick. If your father agrees, I’ll immediately arrange a press conference. He makes a statement, and we’ll provide protection."

They pressured Harold to make a stance on the spot, but that was impossible.

So, Abdulla wouldn’t be taken away.

Mu Tianwen once again fell into contemplation, and the CIA man continued, "If you can’t decide, call your father."

"I..."

Mu Tianwen looked at Gao Yi, who whispered, "Stall for time, plan thoroughly, wait for the opportunity."

A stalling tactic, buying time to plan before making a move, waiting for the right moment to act.

Not sure whether the CIA man could understand Mandarin, so Gao Yi didn’t dare to speak too clearly, but even if he could understand common Mandarin phrases, that didn’t mean he would comprehend proverbs.

Even if he could understand proverbs, he might not get half-phrases, so Gao Yi used six words to convey a great deal of information to Mu Tianwen.

Mu Tianwen, a proverb master, of course, understood Gao Yi’s meaning.

The CIA man looked annoyed, because he indeed didn’t understand.

Mu Tianwen now felt assured and feigned deep thought before finally nodding, "Give me a quiet room. I’ll call my father. But what did Abdulla say, what’s the use in having him?"

At that moment, one of the robed men suddenly said, "Dinner is ready. Let’s go to the dining room and talk over the meal."