Ultimate Firepower
Chapter 261 - 248 Knowing Yet Jumping

Chapter 261: Chapter 248 Knowing Yet Jumping

London, Imperial War Museum.

When they set out, it was afternoon, yet they did not take the faster public transport. After first crossing half of France and passing through the undersea tunnel, they had reached London by evening.

It was too late to make a move primarily because everyone had already left work; there was no opportunity to block the door and start trouble.

Thus, Gao Yi and his team stayed overnight. The next morning, at daybreak, they leisurely had breakfast, planned the escape routes, and prepared the getaway vehicles—we were set to act.

The headquarters of the Military Intelligence Sixth Department was located near the Imperial War Museum to the southwest, approximately two kilometers away, quite nearby indeed.

"Now that it is working hours, we can block the door of the Military Intelligence Sixth Department during office hours, and whenever we see someone we don’t like, I’ll strike, and then we’ll pull out."

Sowa patiently explained his plan, and after checking his watch, he said, "It’s eight fifty now, work starts at nine, and we’ll go over at nine thirty."

Gao Yi interjected, "Wait, why wait until nine thirty if work starts at nine?"

"Because only the clerical staff are punctual to work, while the agents, especially those on field duty, won’t be on time. They have flexible schedules, but since they work at the headquarters, or need to report there, or have other official duties, they are bound to be around during office hours. The senior officers have fixed working hours at the headquarters, usually from nine thirty to eleven—it’s a good time to waste."

Patiently explaining this to Gao Yi, Sowa continued, "So if we go there at nine thirty, we just wait to see that unfortunate field agent trying to go in, and then we jump him, break his leg, and run."

"We all run, but how do we draw Iron Fist George out?"

"We’re not leaving London, but Iron Fist George knows I am here. He will have to find me to take revenge by breaking my leg. All I need to do is show myself briefly, let them find me, while you wait in ambush. When he shows up, the rest is up to you."

The plan was simple and particularly to Gao Yi’s liking.

"Alright, let’s do as you say."

Sowa nodded, quickly finished his sandwich, took a sip of coffee, wiped his hands with a napkin, and said, "If we move fast, we can finish this today. Later..."

Emily pointed at Sowa’s clothing. Looking down, Sowa saw some sauce on his collar and wiped it off with a napkin, "Once we’ve achieved our goal, we’ll pull out. I reckon escaping by car won’t be feasible, a boat is already prepared, and we’ll leave by boat."

Emily spoke softly, "You got your collar dirty, do you want to go back and change?"

After a moment’s thought, Sowa said, "No need, right now I’m more worried about Iron Fist George not being able to find me than him finding me."

Sowa was dressed in a common jacket with a shirt underneath. While eating his sandwich, he had dropped some egg yolk sauce on his chest. It wasn’t especially noticeable, but both Emily and Sowa were quite concerned about the small stain.

Gao Yi couldn’t help but ask, "You pay this much attention to details?"

"Of course, such details can reveal a lot of information."

Sowa shrugged and explained, "A stain on the shirt, a minor thing, but now I’m going to a serious event. If my clothes are stained, it means two things: first, I am being impolite, second, I didn’t have time to change. It might not be a problem under normal circumstances, but if wearing a dirty shirt causes someone to scrutinize me, it could jeopardize the operation. Therefore, unless it’s a very special disguise, clothes must be neat—it’s a spy’s rule."

Emily added softly, "Of course, the likelihood is very small, one in ten thousand, even one in a hundred thousand, but any seemingly absurd regulation, any seemingly ludicrous rule, is a lesson learned from life."

Sowa treated it as small talk, and so did Emily, but Gao Yi listened thoughtfully.

Well, professionals are just different, truly distinct.

After finishing their meal, it was time to go.

This kind of act, barging into someone’s place and slapping them in the face, was something Gao Yi relished.

Again, it was three people in one car, but this time they took a taxi.

"You’ve fought and met Iron Fist George, don’t you need some disguise?"

Gao Yi now wore makeup every time he went out, but realized Sowa had no disguise, hence the query.

"I’m afraid they won’t recognize me."

Sowa said confidently, then added helplessly, "I am the bait..."

Poor Sowa, destined to be pursued and killed.

They talked freely in the taxi, simply because the driver was one of their own.

"We’ll drop you off at Voxwal Bridge, you’ll pose as tourists and take some photos near the Military Intelligence Six Headquarters. We’ll observe the surroundings and will notify you if it’s inconvenient to proceed."

The taxi’s back seat held a box, containing very small earpieces that could fit inside the ear, and a small walkie-talkie disguised as a cigarette pack, which could even extract a few cigarettes.

Each person had a pack of cigarettes, an earpiece, and a lighter. However, the lighter was just a lighter with no additional features.

Although there was only one walkie-talkie, Gao Yi was still delighted as he finally encountered spy gadgets disguised as everyday items, and he quite enjoyed that.

"I’ll help you..."

Emily picked up an earpiece, intending to help Gao Yi put it on, but he said, "No need, I can do it myself."

In fact, Gao Yi also liked it when beautiful women looked at him with admiration, when he had little admirers. But the thing was, it had to be the right time and place.

Anyway, now was not the right time. It was better to keep a distance.

He put the earphones in his ears, turned on the device, and tested the sound; everything worked fine.

There was nothing else to say; the two-kilometer journey passed in a flash. By the time Gao Yi had adjusted the volume on his headphones, the taxi had already reached the bridge.

The headquarters of the Military Intelligence Six was located on the banks of the Thames River, right next to the Voxwal Bridge, and this headquarters had even become a landmark in London, often attracting tourists who would come specifically to pose like in a 007 movie and take photos with the headquarters in the background.

"In 1995, in the 007 movie ’GoldenEye’, the headquarters of Military Intelligence Six first appeared on the screen, and then featured in every James Bond film thereafter, enduring various bombings and attacks."

Emily took on the role of a tour guide. As she walked beside Gao Yi, she said excitedly, "Would you like me to take a photo for you?"

"Are you joking? In our line of work, we can’t just take photos wherever."

"Then will you take one for me?"

Emily pulled out her phone, her face full of anticipation, "Take a photo for me, it’s my first mission, I’m really excited."

"Ask Sowa to take it, I’m not good at photography."

Gao Yi casually refused, but just then Sowa suddenly said, "There are two undercover agents from Military Intelligence Six at the east end of the bridge, and agents disguised as tourists and ordinary pedestrians at the main and side doors."

As Sowa suddenly brought up serious matters, Gao Yi and the others had to shift their attention to him.

Sowa stopped in his tracks, "I might be recognized, so I can’t continue forward. You two go ahead. To avoid exposure, you could pose as a couple... no, as siblings?"

Sowa initially said "couple", but after Emily glared at him with dissatisfaction, he quickly changed it to "siblings."

Gao Yi helplessly said, "Look at our skin colors, does it really make sense to say we’re siblings?"

Sowa helplessly gestured with his hand, "Anyway, you two go ahead, I’ll wait here for a bit. Go quickly."

"Hey, that wasn’t the plan! If we go and you stay, what if the right target shows up, how will you act?"

Gao Yi was a bit anxious, but Sowa replied, "You’re right. I’ll go first, and you two follow at a distance of fifty meters, not too far or too close, just like that."

After saying that, Sowa moved forward with large strides, and Gao Yi was dragged behind by Emily grabbing his sleeve.

Just for a photo? Or to create a space for just the two of them? But they were on a mission, could they really be so careless?

Gao Yi thought the Directorate-General for External Security of France was also unreliable, too lax.

"There’s been a slight change; Military Intelligence Six usually doesn’t put agents undercover outside. They’re probably waiting for us."

Gao Yi paused for a moment, and then he finally said, "Did you block my communications?"

If there had been new developments, clearly only Sowa and Emily had received the message, while Gao Yi had heard nothing.

Emily looked sheepish, "We have another communication channel, it’s not that we don’t trust you, it’s just... you don’t understand French."

It meant that the three of them had one set of communication channels, while Emily and Sowa had another.

Gao Yi had nothing to say; he certainly couldn’t lash out at Emily.

"Fine, whatever."

"Will you take a photo for me now?"

It was really hard to refuse this time. Gao Yi took the phone from her, and as Emily went to the edge of the bridge and found a good spot, she smiled and asked, "Does it look good?"

"It looks good."

With the distant view of Military Intelligence Six headquarters serving as the background, Gao Yi took several photos of Emily.

Following Gao Yi’s usual practice of taking multiple shots when photographing—to make up for lack of skill with quantity—at least a few of them would turn out well.

Sowa continued walking forward. Gao Yi and Emily were slightly delayed by the photography, and by the time the photos were done, the distance was just about the fifty meters that Sowa had mentioned.

Gao Yi returned the phone to Emily, and then he watched as Sowa reached the end of the bridge. Emily suddenly exclaimed, "Be careful, Sowa is about to make a move."

As she spoke, Emily raised her phone.

"Is it starting now?"

"Since Military Intelligence Six has set an ambush, there’s no need to look for another target anymore."

Gao Yi was stunned, "Do you mean, knowing it’s a trap, we’re still going to walk right into it?"

Emily turned to look at Gao Yi, very serious and fervent, "Isn’t that why you are here?"