Ultimate Firepower
Chapter 250 - 237 Sincere Invitation

Chapter 250: Chapter 237 Sincere Invitation

The President’s Guard provided security, a luxury that Gao Yi could only attribute to having money.

Of course, it was just a temporary refuge in the Elysee Palace, not an invitation to be guests, so there were no welcome ceremonies expected.

After the surgery, he went into an ambulance and, under the protection of a long motorcade, headed to the Elysee Palace with a presence that was impactful yet discreet.

Tonight, the Elysee Palace was bustling because the President was giving a speech.

The need for a speech? It was due to a major terrorist attack France was supposed to face but, thanks to the bravery of a few policemen, the timely support of many colleagues, and the wise command of the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Lemerre, the terrorists—desperate to rescue their captured comrades—ruthlessly attacking the police station were completely annihilated.

As one of the three heroes of this incident, George and his colleagues naturally had to appear and accept cheers.

The three policemen attended a press conference in the front hall, while Gao Yi and others were quietly settled inside an unassuming auxiliary building in the Elysee Palace.

It was just a large room with several beds and not even an air conditioner.

The most annoying part was that the beds were made of cardboard.

"The French are quite stingy, these conditions are just passable; thankfully, you won’t be here too long," Abdullah tried to console Gao Yi.

Abdullah also came with people; he brought four agents from the National Security Bureau to provide close protection for Gao Yi and his group. The most important matter now was Saudi’s attitude to ensure their protection to the end; the actual security measures, in reality, weren’t that crucial anymore.

Not long after Gao Yi and his group had been settled, the French official truly responsible for the matter came to visit.

The door knocked, Abdullah’s men opened it, and a woman in her forties with her head held high walked into their temporary resting room.

Upon entering, she frowned, glanced at the room’s conditions, and a look of dissatisfaction appeared on the short-haired woman’s face.

"Marina Ata, Director of Intelligence at the Counterintelligence Department of the French External Security General Bureau."

She introduced herself quickly and clearly, then carried an aura of efficiency and capability.

After introducing herself, Marina nodded slightly and said in a grave tone, "I apologize on behalf of those incompetent bureaucrats for the foolish actions they took. This matter shouldn’t have been so complicated, but since it has occurred, we will do our best to remedy it."

Introduction followed by an apology, this French woman was very straightforward, completely reluctant to beat around the bush.

Abdulla, evidently having dealt with Marina before, had a slightly complex expression and murmured quietly, "Alright."

"The safety of you all is my responsibility. Let me briefly introduce the situation. We are very alert to the movements of the CIA, but so far, we have not detected any actions from the CIA, which is unusual."

No beating around the bush, she directly addressed the topic, having mentioned the CIA’s lack of activity, Marina didn’t allow anyone else to speak and continued, "There are two possibilities, one is that the CIA has not been authorized, and the other is that the CIA has not had time to act yet, I personally lean towards the latter."

Abdulla seemed conflicted, "Could it be that the CIA is temporarily unable to take any action?"

Marina immediately asked, "Do you have any intelligence that I am not aware of?"

To be honest, it wasn’t quite appropriate, but withholding the truth would not be beneficial for what was to come.

Abdulla hesitated for a moment and said, "What happened tonight was orchestrated by the CIA, they might really not have the capability to initiate anything anew."

"That’s impossible, the CIA has far more people in Paris than those you eliminated. I respect your combat strength and am curious about how you managed it, but unfortunately, Paris is a major international metropolis and the intelligence center of Europe; the CIA’s strength in Paris is stronger than you imagine."

Confident and politely refuting Abdulla’s naive idea.

Marina continued, "You must move, staying in France is the root of danger. To undermine the cooperation, eliminating you is obviously the most direct way. His Highness said that your safety is directly related to whether the cooperation can continue, but this gives the Americans the most direct target."

Abdulla didn’t know what to say; he was not the kind of intelligence officer who thrived on wisdom.

Gao Yi asked, "Then where should we go?"

According to Marina’s implication, it was just about not staying in France, then anywhere else would do.

Marina calmly said, "First rest, wait until the injured have passed the critical period, then wherever you say you want to go, I will arrange to send you there. You can initially stay at the ’Swimming Pool’."

"Swimming Pool?" Gao Yi asked, puzzled.

"’Swimming Pool’ is a code name for the Foreign Intelligence Service of Russia."

After explaining her terminology, Marina continued, "In the ’Swimming Pool’, I can absolutely guarantee your safety. The French and Saudi intelligence community has been heavily infiltrated by the Americans, it’s like a sieve; this is an unavoidable fact, but I can assure you, at least within my jurisdiction, that I can absolutely prevent any leaks and ensure absolute safety."

Too confident.

Gao Yi didn’t like people who spoke with absolute certainty; from his experience, those who spoke absolutely were often boasting strong, and unreliable when it really mattered.

But Marina was different, perhaps it was her overall image that was appealing and won people over.

"Alright."

Gao Yi agreed promptly.

Marina glanced at her watch and then said very calmly, "The press conference is about to end, I have to clean up the mess, prepare the fabricated script with sufficient evidence; do you have any requests, you can tell me."

Gao Yi couldn’t help but ask, "Those three policemen, they... are heroes, right?"

"Yes, the nation needs them, they must be heroes, not hostages held by you."

It seemed Marina knew everything, but it didn’t matter, as there was no hope of keeping it a secret anyway.

Gao Yi was not the kind of person to neglect consequences, he whispered, "Then will there be any benefits for them?"

Marina thought for a bit and said, "This is arranged by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, not my department, but I can offer my personal opinion. The nation needs heroes, and since we have created heroes, as long as they don’t make any major mistakes, their remaining lives should undoubtedly be quite wonderful."

Gao Yi glanced at Abdulla, who understood and said, "Can we give them money?"

Marina frowned, and Gao Yi quickly added, "I promised them money because they really helped us out, but I don’t want to because of giving them money, any unwanted consequences might arise."

Marina sighed and said, "Two retired policemen and a young policeman, for those retiring, money is indeed important. I can promise that the Directorate-General for External Security will not monitor their financial situation, but I can’t control other departments."

After finishing, Marina spread her hands and said, "Speaking personally, I do despise their actions, but I understand."

Suddenly, Abdulla said, "We can provide the money, but you distribute it, how about that?"

Marina, without hesitation, said, "This is a matter for the Ministry of Internal Affairs. I can coordinate but can’t promise."

Abdulla said, "Then think of a way, we must do what we promised."

Abdulla didn’t understand why Gao Yi still asked about the three policemen. In his view, just giving them the money was enough; worst-case scenario, send someone to deliver one million euros in cash to each household.

This task was merely about giving an order; Abdul didn’t have to handle it himself.

But since Gao Yi brought it up, he now had to try to find a solution right there, forcing the Directorate-General for External Security to give an answer.

Yet Gao Yi followed up with, "Can their safety be ensured? Given the complexity of this situation, I worry they might face retaliation."

Money was secondary; Gao Yi’s fear was the CIA or the Andic Group trying to kill George and the others out of spite.

Marina said, "I’ll coordinate with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, convey your stance, and hopefully, the Ministry could offer them more substantial benefits, not just honors. As for their safety, you needn’t worry. I believe no one would risk angering France to harm three worthless policemen who became national heroes by sheer luck."

Marina then looked at Gao Yi with a serious tone, "I learned about what happened from them, the actual events, and I questioned the scenario they described because, in their story, you are like a superhuman. Simply put, my visit is not just for a casual chat, but to verify my doubts."

So, Marina was attracted here by Gao Yi.

After a pause, Marina finally said, "You don’t look like a superhuman."

"I’m not superhuman."

Gao Yi liked to show off, but he would never do it in front of a counterintelligence head.

Marina continued in a low voice, "Seeing you reminds me of someone."

"Oh?"

"The assassin who killed Ditzel, along with her, I’m pretty sure now."

Marina pointed to Lucy lying unconscious on the bed, then said solemnly, "Meaning, you have no secrets from me now."

Gao Yi listened, his heart pounding.

Marina continued, "I know a thing or two about the Dark Web. I think you and the person who killed Ditzel are very similar, so I looked into it and discovered an interesting fact."

Gao Yi, now genuinely scared, whispered, "What?"

"The assassination of Ditzel was done by the Garden, and you are the Garden’s assassin, and also the Sky Garden; these are public clues. Anyone familiar with the Dark Web can connect these clues and conclude that you, codenamed Busan on the Dark Web, are also the Gardener."

After finishing, Marina spread her hands and said, "After the Garden, the Sky Garden, after the Gardener died, the new Gardener, am I right?"

Gao Yi kept his expression unchanged and said, "I don’t know what you are talking about."

"If you want to play dumb, we can’t talk. I could share my findings on the Dark Web, you know, intelligence agencies from different nations operate there."

Gao Yi couldn’t help saying, "You’re threatening me."

"It’s not a threat."

Though saying it wasn’t a threat, Marina still stepped back, then staring into Gao Yi’s eyes, she said, "It’s just an invitation. We have no conflict of interest with the Garden, only potential for cooperation. If you’d go to the swimming pool and show me why you’re a superhuman, I’ll keep your secret."

After finishing, Marina smiled and said, "I sincerely invite you, Mr. Gardener."

Was there a possibility to refuse? It seemed not. Since it couldn’t be helped, why not agree.

Gao Yi whispered, "When?"

"Tomorrow. I’ll come to pick you up. So, see you tomorrow."

Waving her hand, Marina then turned and left.

She came alone, spoke some terrifying words, and left hastily. This woman was very decisive, whether it was threats or temptations, she spoke and acted directly, unlike those French men who dithered.

Watching Marina close the door and leave, Gao Yi couldn’t help saying, "You’re right, men like women, and women like men."

Abdulla sighed and said, "Marina Ata, she is quite famous, recognized in the industry. If the French External Intelligence Service lets her manage, that’s trouble."