Ultimate Firepower
Chapter 209 - 197: What is Freedom?

Chapter 209: Chapter 197: What is Freedom?

"A good question, but the answer too many, not easy to respond,"

The Garden might be small, but it was Gao Yi’s, the National Intelligence Bureau might be big, but it belonged to someone else.

For Gao Yi, it was better to be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in the sea. Once inside the National Intelligence Bureau, freedom would be a thing of the past. Becoming someone’s white glove or black hand meant his life would no longer be his own.

Lucy was but a pawn. How could she appreciate the value of freedom? Whether serving as a pawn for the Revenge Blade or as a special agent for the National Intelligence Bureau, it made no difference to her.

So how could he explain this to Lucy?

After pondering for a moment, Gao Yi softly said, "I will borrow someone’s words: In this desert, I am a free grain of sand, in the vast ocean, I am a free wave, my homeland’s mountains and forests await me, the grasslands await me, and Ah Huang awaits me. Therefore, I cannot join the National Intelligence Bureau; once I do, I won’t have any freedom."

Lucy frowned, her voice soft, "Who is Ah Huang?"

"Ah Huang... is a generic name for a dog. You could consider it a family pet dog, generally called Ah Huang, Little Hei, or Xiao Bai."

Lucy seemed a bit more relaxed, then nodded and said, "Freedom... what is freedom?"

Gao Yi was stumped, he looked towards Luca.

Without any hesitation, Luca said, "I’m different from all of you, I can’t join the National Intelligence Bureau; in the Garden, I am the CFO. What could I possibly do at the National Intelligence Bureau? Plus, in a few years, I’ll be wealthy. Why would I want to be managed by someone at the National Intelligence Bureau?"

After saying this, Luca thought for a moment, then seriously continued, "As for freedom, freedom is... freedom is... investing my own money wherever I want and spending however I want."

Feng Biao sighed, "I too can’t join the National Intelligence Bureau. It’s not that I love freedom; it’s that I can’t lose it. Freedom is doing whatever I want, freedom is being able to say no to tasks I dislike. Well, freedom means that if I want to die, no one can stop me; if I don’t want to die, then nobody should force me to a premature end."

Li Jie indifferently said, "I have my own studio, why should I join a strictly disciplined intelligence agency like the National Intelligence Bureau? Besides, joining would mean being under someone else’s control. Why should I let a bunch of strangers I don’t like manage me? So... it’s also about freedom for me."

Lin Xianghua, without any hesitation, said, "I have my ambitions, joining the National Intelligence Bureau would mean that I couldn’t achieve them."

Lin Xianghua’s words drew collective side glances from Gao Yi and the others.

Feng Biao, surprised, said, "Ah Gui, you’re something else. I thought you’d say you’d do whatever your boss does, and if the boss doesn’t, you don’t either. I had that all set up for you, but here you are talking about ambitions? What are your ambitions?"

Li Jie was curious as well, "Yeah, what are your ambitions?"

Hesitant for a moment, Lin Xianghua said, "I don’t want to say, I can’t tell you guys."

Gao Yi, very disappointed, responded, "Pff, all secretive. We don’t even want to listen. I’ll give you another chance, are you going to say it or not?"

Seeing Lin Xianghua still struggling, Gao Yi raised the stakes, "Tell us what your ambitions are, and if they’re easy to fulfill, well, call me ’godfather’ and I’ll help you achieve them, how about that?"

Li Jie immediately followed, "Right, let me and the boss know any ideas you have, Luca and Wind Vane are also your brothers; we all can help you."

Without a word, Li Jie took advantage of the situation set by Gao Yi. If Gao Yi was Lin Xianghua’s godfather, then Li Jie would be the uncle to Lin Xianghua, as well as to Feng Biao and Luca.

It’s a typical man’s small cunning, taking a little advantage, quite normal.

Luca didn’t understand, but Feng Biao did.

Feng Biao immediately said, "That’s right, whatever ambitions you and Brother Jie have, I have got to help you realize them. After all, we as elders can’t help but support you."

Lin Xianghua looked distressed, "My ambitions can no longer be achieved. Ah, and what do they have to do with you? Thank you for the kind offer, but you can’t help, let’s just drop it, I won’t say more."

Feng Biao was taken aback, "That’s not right, you’re not going to fight back at all?"

Since Lin Xianghua wasn’t keen to claim any advantage in words, then it seemed he wasn’t willing to disclose his ambitions.

Truly dull.

Gao Yi looked towards Lucy, "What about you then, what do you want to do?"

"You’re my master, so naturally, whatever you want to do, I’ll do it," Lucy said earnestly, but her words made the several listeners uncomfortable.

Li Jie rubbed his arm, lowering his voice, "I can’t quite stand hearing that; it feels like a frustrating lack of struggle. In this world... there really are people... content with self-degradation!"

To avoid offending Lucy, Li Jie spoke in Chinese.

Gao Yi whispered, "I also feel it’s inappropriate, but her mindset will certainly need a lot of time to adjust back."

Feng Biao laughed, "Inappropriate? I don’t think so, you seem to enjoy it."

Just then, someone knocked on the door.

Lin Xianghua stood up to open it.

To everyone’s surprise, it was Abdulla.

For a moment, the atmosphere inside and outside the room became somewhat grave.

Abdulla looked haggard, yet not a single person was with him.

Abdulla coming alone signified many things, most notably that since he could act on his own, Shaman had not restricted his freedom.

Not restricting Abdulla’s freedom meant that he had gained Shaman’s trust and esteem.

Gao Yi stood up, nodded at Abdulla standing in the doorway, and after a brief hesitation, he smiled and said, "Hello."

Abdulla’s face was somewhat embarrassed.

Thinking about it, he should indeed feel embarrassed.

Abdulla ended up mistreated by the CIA because Gao Yi had first knocked him out and taken him hostage.

If it weren’t for Gao Yi, none of this trouble would have happened.

But on the flip side, while it’s true that Abdulla got captured by the CIA, suffered greatly, and caused trouble for Shaman, he also proved his loyalty—an opportunity that was rare and precious.

Seeking revenge seemed unlikely, hence coming to express gratitude also seemed improbable.

Gao Yi took the initiative to greet him, making Abdulla’s expression even more awkward.

Entering the room, Abdulla signaled to Xianghua to close the door behind them. He walked a few steps forward and stopped several meters away from Gao Yi. After a moment of hesitation, he finally said, "I’ve come to thank you. His Highness said you all made great efforts to rescue me."

"It’s what we should do..." Gao Yi wasn’t quite sure what to say, so he just said that and then got stuck.

At this time, Feng Biao finally made a move.

Unable to stand, Feng Biao sat in his wheelchair, looked at Abdulla with a solemn face, slowly raised his arms, and then suddenly clapped them down.

There was a crisp snap that took everyone by surprise, and then they all looked at Feng Biao.

Feng Biao raised his hands again and clapped, producing a second crisp sound.

Then Feng Biao raised his hands once more and started clapping fast.

It was then that Gao Yi realized that Feng Biao was actually applauding.

And it wasn’t just regular applause; he took the initiative with a serious demeanor that seemed very solemn.

Feng knew how to play this game well.

Gao Yi began to clap along, starting from slow to fast.

Then came Luca, and Li Jie and Xianghua, and finally, even the ornamental Lucy joined in with serious applause.

"Welcome home, hero!"

Feng Biao finally spoke.

From confusion to irritation, and then to gratitude when Feng Biao exclaimed "hero Home," all of Abdulla’s anger and grievances at the bottom of his heart vanished instantly.

Abdulla felt at a loss.

Feng Biao initiated the clapping, took the lead, and then strategically faded into the background.

It was Gao Yi’s turn to take over; one should not steal the thunder from the boss, nor take his lines.

Gao Yi stopped clapping, and immediately all applause ceased, as though they had rehearsed it beforehand.

Gao Yi looked at Abdulla seriously and said, "I’m glad to see you again; you are a hero. This is how we welcome a hero."

Abdulla opened his mouth and said in a low voice, "I’m not a hero; I am a captive... a hostage."

"There are many kinds of heroes. You are the kind who refuses to say a single word, the toughest kind. Moreover, you are a loyal warrior."

Abdulla lowered his head, and by the time he raised it again, tears had already slid down his cheeks, leaving two faint trails.

"I... I..."

His voice wobbled, and Abdulla struggled not to let others see his tears, but he failed.

Abdulla turned his head away, and he had to use his hand to wipe away the tear marks, then he turned to face Gao Yi and said, "I hate you, but I am also grateful to you."

Gao Yi remained sternly silent.

Sometimes silence speaks louder than words, and expressions are more powerful than dialogue.

"The Prince told me that you made a lot of effort and paid a high price to rescue me, but I know you weren’t saving me, you were just making up for your own mistakes, saving yourself. So I won’t thank you."

Abdulla was not a fool; he clearly understood why Gao Yi had rescued him.

But now, Abdulla found that he couldn’t hate Gao Yi anymore.

"Yet I don’t hate you now. The Prince said you told him I was a warrior, you told him I was a loyal warrior, so I have the chance to stand here today. You told the Prince I’m a warrior, and now you still tell me I’m a warrior, so I must thank you."

Abdulla was a bit incoherent because he hadn’t prepared these words beforehand; they were heartfelt and spontaneous.

Unscripted, so his speech was a mess.

Abdulla took a deep breath and then said with a sigh, "You harmed me, but you also saved me. I am grateful that you spoke for me. You are a true gentleman."

Gao Yi smiled, took a few steps forward, and embraced Abdulla with open arms.

After the hug, Gao Yi said to Abdulla with a light laugh, "Congratulations, Mr. Director."

Abdulla gave a slight smile and replied quietly, "Not yet, but it’s close. Calling me Director might be a bit early, but it’s okay."

After that, Abdulla remembered his purpose for coming.

Taking a step back, Abdulla exhaled and said, "I came for two reasons: to thank you and to follow His Highness’ orders, to discuss how to get you all safely out of here. Hmm, the situation isn’t great, and there’s really no need for you to rush to leave."

Gao Yi immediately said, "Director, I have a question. The Prince is eager to begin a great purge, but after that, will he have the manpower available? Or, do you have the right people to help with the work of the National Intelligence Bureau?"

Abdulla was conflicted. Though loyal, he was limited in his abilities and sincerely had no idea how to handle the situation.

Gao Yi said in a low voice, "I do have an idea. Could you go find the ’Consumables’ from the Assassins or the ’Cannon fodder’ from the mercenaries to use as a transition? Now is the time when manpower is needed, and taking people with no background, no foundation who only need a bit of money might be a good idea. What do you think?"

Abdulla took a deep breath and said, "That method..."

Now, loyalty was more important than ability. Temporarily finding cannon fodder and consumables might not guarantee loyalty, but there was no fear of them colluding or having any CIA or KGB backgrounds. Though not the best choice, they were the most suitable for the present.

After thinking for a moment, Abdulla nodded emphatically, "Feasible!"

Gao Yi smiled.

And Abdulla continued, "Not a bad idea; you can propose it to the Prince."

Gao Yi spoke softly, "How could that be my idea? It must be your idea, Mr. Director."

Abdulla once again showed a surprised expression.

Gao Yi smiled and said, "Of course, as professional Assassins, we know this industry very well. If the Director has such needs, we can certainly act as intermediaries to help you contact the people you’re interested in. There is one condition, though; we will need to add a reasonable commission."

Abdulla thought for a moment and said seriously, "Of course, the commission must be included. This matter is urgent, so wait for me; I’ll go report it to the Prince. We can talk about it more later."