Ultimate Firepower
Chapter 328 - 312 Very Troublesome

Chapter 328: Chapter 312 Very Troublesome

"Three cobblers with their wits combined equal Zhuge Liang."

Although Gao Yi had never been one to win with his brains, he was better at beating the smarts out of others, but, today, hadn’t he also pulled off a genius-like scheme?

Joelson had his flaws, and Guerra wasn’t unrivaled in strategic thinking, and then there was Gao Yi, who liked to charge forward recklessly. Somehow they had strung together a few casually spoken words into a net and ended up trapping Crawford.

Although there wasn’t a complete plan in advance, the ability to adapt to circumstances and respond to challenges on the fly was so strong that Gao Yi was extremely satisfied with his own performance.

If it weren’t for the fact that there were still people waiting for him, Gao Yi would definitely take the opportunity to showcase his abilities, but for now, Joelson and Guerra had left first, and there were two more who needed to discuss serious matters.

It wasn’t about meeting alone per se, just that a private one-on-one was needed, and with the opportunity for a private meeting, Emily wouldn’t be so courteous.

"Why have you been ignoring me all this time?"

Emily couldn’t wait to ask the question that troubled her the most.

"I’ve been seeking refuge recently, you understand what that means, right? I’ve completely cut off all contact with the outside world."

"But you also ignored me after you left Libya, and yet you’ve been in touch with Marina many times. Do you only like older women?"

Gao Yi was at a loss, while Emily paused, puffing out her chest, and said, "Even just as friends, is it so hard to send a message back?"

Gao Yi said very seriously, "It’s business. Everything I discussed with Marina was business, and I need to avoid any non-essential contact that could lead to exposure. Look, the French truck guns have already been shipped. That’s the result of my contact with Marina."

In fact, Gao Yi didn’t dislike Emily; of course, he didn’t dislike Marina either. It had nothing to do with age or status; it was simply because Gao Yi was currently in a sweet exploratory phase with Lucy and really didn’t have the time to entangle himself with other women.

And then, Gao Yi wasn’t that heartless either; he didn’t have the capacity to like several people at the same time.

So Gao Yi wanted to reject Emily’s affections, but the problem was, while an ordinary person might at worst be accused of having no taste for turning down the advances of a lovesick young girl, Gao Yi didn’t dare do the same with a colleague in the intelligence line.

Better to offend a gentleman than a villain, better offend a villain than a woman, and it’s better to offend a woman than a young girl.

What Gao Yi lacked now was an emotional mentor to give him counsel; but since no one was around to tell him what to do, he had to follow his own logic.

That was to soothe while maintaining a distance.

Gao Yi said very seriously, "Emily, we’re good friends and comrades who have gone through dangers together. You should understand my situation. Given my profession, and the crisis I’m facing now, I really can’t keep in close touch with the outside world, I..."

Gao Yi was using a lot of words to explain something that could be said in one, but before he could finish, Emily said with resignation, "All right, I know it’s difficult for you now."

Emily waved her hand and said, "Iron Fist George has appeared in Berlin, and he shouldn’t be in Berlin by all accounts. Moreover, his trail was exposed too coincidentally. Marina says that Iron Fist George may be colluding with Freedom Wind, and they’re looking to join forces to lure you out and kill you."

Gao Yi nodded.

Emily continued, "The CIA knows about your relationship with the French External Security Bureau. We’ve been under a lot of pressure from the CIA, so much so that Marina was even forced to take a leave of absence. But recently, the situation has improved."

Gao Yi still nodded.

"Marina says this is due to a split within the CIA. Until this meeting, we could tell that the infighting within the CIA was intense. So Marina asked me to tell you that if you could establish contact with Panetta, that would be best. It would be significant for us... for all of France."

Emily finally got to the most important part, then spoke in a lower voice, "Marina hopes you can help facilitate a cooperative relationship with Panetta. We are willing to support you fully. If Panetta’s main goal is Freedom Wind, then we can lend a hand. Do you understand?"

Worried that Gao Yi hadn’t understood, Emily lowered her voice again, "We’re willing to provide manpower, and you’ll need a home field advantage, so you can set the trap for Freedom Wind in France. It will be a lot more convenient."

Freedom Wind was Gao Yi’s biggest threat, Panetta’s nuisance.

Now, because of Panetta, both Saudi Arabia and France were willing to take a risk, not for their friendship with Gao Yi, but to gain Panetta’s favor.

So the key was Panetta, not Gao Yi. As a strategist, he had to understand the priorities.

Gao Yi nodded and said, "I understand. Right now, we plan to set a trap in Baghdad. Whether we’ll succeed is unknown, but if necessary, I will set the trap in France. After all, with my relationship with France, it wouldn’t be unusual for me to seek refuge there."

Emily nodded; she had conveyed all the messages from Marina.

Gao Yi glanced at his watch and said, "Let’s leave it at that for now; I have to speak privately with someone else."

Emily didn’t leave. She seemed lost in thought, her eyes shifting slightly before suddenly saying, "There’s still time, right? There’s a move I’ve been struggling to master, the one you taught me last time. Help me practice it a bit."

Gao Yi blinked.

Emily stepped forward, extending her arm as a signal for Gao Yi to grab hold, but seeing that Gao Yi didn’t move, she took the initiative and grasped his arm.

Seeing that Gao Yi still hadn’t moved, Emily turned around, gripping Gao Yi’s arm and attempting a back throw.

Gao Yi was lifted into the air. He thought about just letting Emily throw him but such a simple, basic move was something his body instinctively refused to allow.

So, in the instant his feet left the ground, without his brain needing to think, Gao Yi’s left arm instinctively clutched at Emily’s neck. Then, with a gentle press from his right leg, he brought Emily down to her knees.

Gao Yi stood still, and as a result, Emily was kneeling with her back to him.

The move couldn’t really be called suggestive since Emily’s back was to Gao Yi, but in the present situation, it was impossible to pretend as if nothing had happened.

With a tug, Gao Yi pulled Emily back to her feet, then gave her a hefty smack on the butt and said, "Stop messing around. We don’t have time now. When there’s time, I’ll teach you properly."

Emily yelped when she felt a smack on her butt, turned around, and glared up at Gao Yi, infuriated.

The reason for her glare wasn’t the slap but the lack of any further action from Gao Yi despite their close embrace.

Emily was angry. So she took the initiative to look up at him, but unfortunately, being too short, her options for voluntary action were limited.

Looking at Emily as she tilted her head back, Gao Yi whispered, "I do have a girlfriend..."

Emily tried to stand on tiptoe again, intent on kissing Gao Yi, but he was too quick for her. With a slight exertion of force on her shoulder, he pressed her back down.

Frustrated and fuming, Emily stamped her foot hard but remained silent, fixing her disappointed gaze on Gao Yi’s chin.

Gao Yi pecked her with a kiss and then murmured, "It seems you don’t mind, but I’m busy with important matters right now. Stop messing around. I’ll find you when there’s time."

Gao Yi was passive, yet Emily quickly brightened up, as if the rain had ceased and the clouds had cleared.

Emily didn’t make any more excessive moves; she just lowered her head and said, "Come find me after you’ve dealt with your matters."

Gao Yi released his arm, and Emily hurried toward the door. But as she was about to leave, she paused and said with a very fragile demeanor, "I’ll be waiting for you."

With that, Emily opened the door, went out, and shut it behind her.

Gao Yi felt a bit troubled.

Why had Emily become so forward after not seeing each other for a while? Could she be planning to set a honey trap?

Never mind, he thought. First things first.

Having met with outside parties, it was now time to consult with his own people.

Luca had stayed in Libya, both a hostage and an overseer, keeping an eye on Khalid while making himself visible to Khalid for reassurance.

This next big move still required Khalid’s involvement, but it wasn’t possible for Khalid to be part of such a core meeting, so that meant Luca had to come.

Once everyone that needed to be seen was seen, and everything that had to be done was done, it was, of course, time to touch base with Luca and tell him how to coordinate the operations in Libya.

Luca entered, and Gao Yi went into detail with him about the current situation and plans, finally instructing Luca on how to proceed in Libya.

"This arms deal was originally just about raising money, but now it’s turned into a very complex plan. We have to fit Crawford into it, and also try to deal with Freedom Wind. So after the arms are shipped out of Yemen, we must distribute some in Baghdad first, then reroute a portion to Libya."

Luca was in charge of the finances. Dealing arms for Khalid was just a side affair, but now, with the involvement of two hundred million dollars, it had to go through his hands.

Luca naturally had no objections. He simply said in a low voice, "That little French girl was looking for you."

"Yes."

Luca tilted his head, whispering, "Did you reject her but not completely?"

"How did you know!"

"I’ve been watching secretly. Her look of disappointment mixed with anticipation—I’m all too familiar with it."

After saying that, Luca seemed to realize he might have spoken out of turn and quickly cleared his throat twice before adding, "Emily is important, Marina is too, but you have to understand, in our line of work, specifically as assassins, one can’t get emotionally involved. You must know that cooperation built on romantic feelings is easy when feelings are present, but if the feelings disappear, everything falls apart. So you either maintain a long-term relationship with them or keep it strictly professional."

Gao Yi frowned and asked, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

Luca spoke gravely, "Either go for it decisively or keep your distance. No hesitation. Hatred borne of love is the most troublesome. We might lose France as an ally. So you had better sort it out quickly. Women can be troublesome. Just don’t let a small issue turn into an intractable problem."