Ultimate Firepower
Chapter 276 - 263: Land of Right and Wrong

Chapter 276: Chapter 263: Land of Right and Wrong

Emergency diplomatic visits are common occurrences when a major crisis arises or when two countries face a diplomatic emergency—it’s all standard procedure.

Emily didn’t even know how she got on the plane, only in a daze under the watchful eyes of countless people, she boarded the British diplomatic jet and arrived at the Paris airport in less than an hour.

Since it was an urgent visit, there had to be a reason, and this reason was too easy to find—a meeting between the two countries’ intelligence systems over a major discovery was enough.

The information leaked by KGB was false, and both the UK and France denied it, sweeping this mess under the rug.

As for why Gao Yi was completely confident in his safety both before and after boarding the plane, the reason was simple—the British had a hundred thousand ways to kill him, but should he die, everything that had happened today would have come to light, leaving the British to consider only the hundred-thousand-and-first option.

Hold your nose and send Gao Yi back: problem solved. Yes, the Military Intelligence Sixth Department was at fault initially, but the Directorate-General for External Security regained its dignity, and in the future, they could join forces to hunt down Iron Fist George—problem solved.

There was just one issue.

The French should have quietly allowed this storm to pass, but they surprisingly organized a welcome ceremony.

The UK hadn’t left the EU yet, so there wasn’t much fuss over a Secretary of Foreign Affairs’ visit within the EU framework, especially since it wasn’t a prime minister or head of state visiting, so what was the need for a welcoming ceremony?

But the French went ahead with it anyway.

France’s Foreign Affairs department wasn’t that oblivious—after all, they had to interact regularly, and it would not be conducive to future diplomatic engagements to humiliate a neighboring major country like this.

However, the French President’s Office was extremely tactless by not giving any regard to protocol during such diplomatic visits, and to top it off, they even rolled out a red carpet and arranged a guard of honor—what was this about?

Such a major country blatantly disregarding diplomatic etiquette—what were the French really trying to do?

The Secretary of Foreign Affairs had roared in his heart countless times, but as the plane’s gangway was set up and Gao Yi and Emily disembarked in turn, without forcing him to disembark first, the secretary finally understood the French intentions.

This red-carpet and music ceremony wasn’t for their welcome at all.

Gao Yi did not let the big four British leaders leave the plane; this was his last decency left for them.

It wasn’t that Gao Yi wanted to spare the British; rather, after vigorous persuasion by some in France, the Elysee Palace reluctantly gave up on making the four British ministers disembark, forsaking this rare opportunity to parade the big shots.

So, it really wasn’t about Gao Yi being kind-hearted, but rather the French taking the long view.

But having forgone the chance to finally humiliate the British, there had to be some recognition for the returning hero.

The result was that the Elysee Palace arranged for a red carpet, music, and a guard of honor to welcome the victorious Warrior.

No national anthem was played, but horse-mounted honor guards awaited at the airport.

Gao Yi got off the plane and upon seeing this spectacle, it was impossible not to feel proud and impossible not to feel happy.

But Gao Yi still had to think carefully about what to say next.

He couldn’t just blurt out that he had been acting blindly—telling the truth would damage his image. He had to proclaim that everything was under control, all planned and premeditated.

The British plane didn’t wait for Gao Yi and the others to completely disembark before turning around and flying straight back to the UK.

Then Gao Yi and Emily got into a luxury car escorted by motorcycles and police cars ahead, with a long procession following behind, returning to the swimming pool in a manner that reflected French glory to the utmost.

They didn’t go to the Elysee Palace—perhaps out of French considerations, maybe thinking such an act could provoke the UK into declaring war.

Upon arriving back at the Directorate-General for External Security, there were red carpets and a collective lineup to greet them; Marina personally came forward to open the car door. The Director-General of the Directorate-General for External Security was there to shake hands with Emily, expressing relief and praising her brilliant performance. Then, they could finally thank the real hero of this operation.

"Thank you!"

The Director-General of the Directorate-General for External Security was a man nearing sixty, with a rather large nose. Gao Yi hadn’t seen him before because the director generally didn’t manage the specifics of operations.

But now it was different; this welcome ceremony was ordered by the President.

If the President couldn’t appear in person, couldn’t he, as a director?

"Thank you, thank you; I appreciate your contribution."

The director grasped Gao Yi’s hand and shook it vigorously before turning and gesturing invitingly with a broad, cheerful expression, "Please, come in."

Marina merely wrapped Emily in a comforting hug and then looked at Gao Yi as if she had become twenty years younger.

"I’m sorry, I couldn’t complete the main task."

The main task—what was it? To break Iron Fist George’s legs.

Yet, a visit there resulted in the Military Intelligence Sixth Department making multiple tumultuous entries and exits, and despite all the chaos, they never got to see Iron Fist George.

Of course, Gao Yi was just being modest; asking him again to break Iron Fist George’s legs was absolutely out of the question.

There was a welcome banquet—regardless of what time it was in the evening, after a day’s tiring return, wasn’t a grand welcome ceremony appropriate? Wouldn’t it be proper to let the hero have a good feast?

"If the worst comes to the worst, a dinner party can always be turned into a celebration, or even a victory celebration; that’d be no issue at all."

In this case, it was understandable that the severely injured Lin Xianghua and Feng Biao couldn’t attend, and even Lucy and Luca, who could move around, were not present.

The main reason was that the gathering was too mixed, which made it inconvenient.

This was an extremely small-scale but highly formal semi-official victory meeting. If it hadn’t been for someone strongly advising against it, the President might even have attended in person.

It wasn’t to give face to Gao Yi specifically—it was mainly because of a deep sense of relief. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say a century-old national humiliation had vanished overnight. The release of frustrations that had been pent up for centuries was incredibly satisfying, and celebrating was compulsory.

From the time of Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo until today, the French had finally achieved a significant victory with the help of a foreigner.

A victory kept secret was still a victory, just as a failure kept hidden was still a failure.

"Congratulations, thank you."

Gao Yi held a glass of red wine; it was still half full after an entire evening.

However, when Marina came up with a wine glass to toast him, Gao Yi couldn’t keep the wine in his glass any longer.

He clinked glasses with Marina, then Gao Yi drank up the red wine in his glass.

"Tonight, you can make any request, and I will fulfill it."

Marina’s eyes were seductive, and at her age of forty-something, her maturity became an appeal. She was like an apple that had ripened on the tree, not one picked too early and transported long distances to be handed to guests.

Unfortunately, Gao Yi hadn’t drunk enough wine.

"Really, any request?"

"Really."

"Good, this time I have seriously offended the UK. Could you find a way to get us to a safe place and let us safely get through the difficult times ahead?"

Gao Yi let out a disappointed sigh as if he was deflating.

This was already a settled matter, already in progress, where France provided a safe haven for Gao Yi’s refuge, yet Gao Yi didn’t understand why he was making such an obviously unnecessary request.

Marina took a light breath and smiled, "Okay."

Adults need not speak too plainly. Marina had given clear hints, but Gao Yi chose to decline her gracious invitation indirectly. There was nothing more to say—didn’t Marina have any self-respect?

But Gao Yi still seriously said, "You may not have understood my meaning. Given what has happened in the UK, they’d want to kill me to calm their anger. Now, hiding in France is not enough; we need to leave France."

At this point, Marina began to think that perhaps Gao Yi was overthinking, but she didn’t reject her kindness.

"I don’t think it’s necessary. France is safe enough. No matter what the British plan to do, they shouldn’t be able to harm you."

Gao Yi believed Marina was telling the truth, but he had his concerns.

"But what about later? We’ll be here for at least a few months, and that’s enough time for the British to dig up our details. We can’t hide here forever. Once we leave, we’ll face the fiercest retaliation from the UK."

Marina sipped her red wine, thought for a moment, then asked, "So, you think we should leave now?"

"Yes, my request is to leave immediately, as soon as possible, but it has to be under safe conditions."

Without long-term concerns, one must worry about the near future. Being carefree while recovering is manageable, but the future potential retaliation from the UK was concerning.

Since it was not possible to serve France, it was better to leave cleanly and earlier than originally planned.

But where to send them was indeed a problem.

Marina thought deeply for a moment and asked, "Do you have a preferred destination?"

"If possible, I would like to go to the United States."

Marina grinned, a smile Gao Yi could only return sheepishly as Marina jokingly said, "Have you forgotten why you fled to France? Now, at this time, you still think you can take a few wounded and hide in the US? Stop dreaming. Now, you only have two options: a country that can protect you or a country that neither the CIA nor the Military Intelligence Sixth Department will pay attention to. Otherwise, wherever you go, you’ll be exposed."

Well, it seemed the French still lacked capability.

Gao Yi fell into deep thought.

And suddenly, Marina said, "Actually, you really could stay in France. You know, the doors of France are always open to you."

But Gao Yi didn’t want to stay in France, nor did he want to join the Directorate-General for External Security. If it really came down to it, he’d rather stay in Saudi, where he had a higher status.

So, Gao Yi didn’t pick up Marina’s cue, instead asking abruptly, "Which countries are not under scrutiny?"

Marina appeared somewhat disappointed. She sighed softly and said, "Africa, Mali, Niger, or Central Africa. It’s your choice if you can tolerate the conditions there. Now, I just hope you think it through."