Ultimate Firepower
Chapter 333 - 317: Let Who Go Up

Chapter 333: Chapter 317: Let Who Go Up

I truly feel sorry for Freedom Wind.

From any angle, Freedom Wind was stabbed in the back by their own people. It was not betrayal, but rather a direct stab in the back.

Gao Yi was the knife, and Panetta was the one wielding it. This was the correct way to understand the relationship between Gao Yi and Panetta.

The only problem was, while Gao Yi facilitated this relationship, he had no real plan to execute the stab.

They said it was a handover in Yemen, but currently, nothing was prepared.

They said they would ambush Freedom Wind in Baghdad, that they would use twenty million to hire mercenaries, but where would Gao Yi get these mercenaries? He hadn’t even made contact with any Mercenary Group; he didn’t even know if he could find mercenaries in Baghdad.

The entire plan was a lie to draw Panetta in, and now that Panetta had taken the bait, where was the real plan?

As everyone knew, the best plan for Gao Yi was to have no plan.

Or to put it another way, having no plan was the best plan.

But there was someone who lacked essential understanding of Gao Yi, and that person could only be Joelson.

"So what exactly is the plan?"

Joelson hung up the phone, knowing his situation now held both opportunity and danger. After successfully navigating the first hurdle, he finally asked the question he shouldn’t have.

A dragon has a reverse scale, touch it and it will get angry.

A person has a shortcoming, exposing it will reveal flaws.

Gao Yi was emotionally intelligent, able to provide precise emotional value, but these traits were the foundation that allowed him to adapt and respond on the fly.

In other words, because there was no real plan, strong improvisational skills were necessary. Wasn’t that reasonable, natural, and normal?

Now Gao Yi had to utilize his ability to improvise, to complete a plan that originally didn’t exist but had just been brought up and needed to be implemented immediately.

"Uh... the detailed plan..."

Gao Yi fell into deep thought.

Fortunately, Luca was aware of Gao Yi’s details.

Although he disliked flattery and lacked the ability to consistently provide emotional value, Luca was willing to uphold Gao Yi’s image.

Luca said seriously, "The detailed plan is this: I will go to Yemen to finalize our business while simultaneously drawing out Freedom Wind. Since Freedom Wind’s target is the Sky Garden, not me, they won’t strike at me. This will expose them prematurely. So, I will go to Yemen to attract Freedom Wind’s attention, while the rest wait in Baghdad."

Gao Yi immediately shook his head, "No, that won’t work. Although Freedom Wind’s target isn’t just you, what if Freedom Wind misjudges, or what if Freedom Wind doesn’t get involved but the Dark Web takes direct action against you instead? After all, Panetta didn’t involve the Dark Web directly in this operation, so the Dark Web could do anything. Given their hatred for the Garden or their strike capability, I fear they might send someone to kill you immediately. Don’t forget, the Dark Web doesn’t need to act personally; they have too many assassins available and just need to post a task."

Luca spread his hands, "We must be exposed, and indeed we will be exposed in such a scenario. Then we’ll all be in the sights of both Freedom Wind and the Dark Web? Are you seeking death?"

"By yourself, that would indeed be seeking death. Who can protect you in Yemen? The National Intelligence Bureau, Secret Action Bureau, the CIA? No, none of them; we can only rely on ourselves."

Gao Yi and Luca inevitably argued.

Joelson watched, dumbfounded. Even though he couldn’t quite understand, he could see that Gao Yi and Luca had conflicting views.

That was a problem. Such a critical, life-threatening matter, and the boss and the financier were disputing?

Luca shook his head, "What’s important now is that we give Joelson a complete plan so he can give a clear response to Panetta, understand? Regardless of what our plan actually is, we need to first give Joelson an exact answer, alright?"

Gao Yi responded without hesitation, "Of course I understand, but what’s the use of sorting out Yemen? Baghdad is key. We need to find someone to ambush Freedom Wind, but who? Who can take on this responsibility? Only you. You go to Baghdad to recruit mercenaries. Whether the operation succeeds or not, this mercenary must be found. You’re familiar with the industry; you go to Baghdad, and I’ll go to Yemen!"

Before Luca could respond, Gao Yi naturally said, "I’ll go to Yemen for the handover, you arrange the ambush in Baghdad, that’s settled."

Luca protested in frustration, "Are you insane? Exposing yourself in Yemen at the most dangerous moment? Can you handle it alone? You can’t; you need backup. Then Berserker, Wind Vane, and Ah Gui must all accompany you. Do you know what this means? It means the main force of Sky Garden will be in Yemen, and then what? You’ll give that keyword, and then? Then Freedom Wind can strike directly at you! What need would they have to wait until Baghdad? Why wouldn’t they just kill you in Yemen?"

Indeed, if they could catch everything in one fell swoop in Yemen, why wait until Baghdad?

Gao Yi finally realized the problem and had to admit that Luca was right.

Joelson’s gaze shifted back and forth between Gao Yi and Luca, feeling somewhat uncertain.

Luca looked at Joelson and said seriously, "The plan is this: I’ll go to Yemen to complete the handover. At the right opportunity, I will mention the keyword, and then I will say on the phone that our main body is in Baghdad, to draw Freedom Wind’s attention to Baghdad."

Joelson nodded, then said softly, "I think this is appropriate."

Agreeing with Joelson meant opposing Gao Yi.

Luca continued, "Time is already very tight now, we must immediately go to Baghdad to set up. Manpower is critical, whether Freedom Wind takes the bait or not, but we must be ready for the ambush. Luckily, we can adjust this step at any time. Even if you’ve already talked to Panetta, we can still change the plan and explain it."

"Yes, no plan is unchangeable, it’s normal to adapt to circumstances."

Joelson once again agreed with Luca’s opinion, then he said solemnly, "So I will respond to Panetta like this: I haven’t yet gained your full trust. I still don’t know the specific location, time, or content of the deal."

Gao Yi immediately said, "No, that would make you seem incompetent. Instead, say that the time and place are not decided yet, but you already know about our team’s composition. We need to let Panetta know that this group is formidable."

In this plan that was not a plan, Joelson’s ability to adapt was also crucial.

Joelson thought for a moment, then suddenly said, "If, if Panetta is willing to send help to ensure that we can kill Freedom Wind and also to monitor you killing Freedom Wind, what should I do?"

Without hesitation, Gao Yi said, "Let him send people, the more the better! No, you can actively request it."

Luca seemed a bit conflicted and said, "Asking might not be good. From my experience, asking for help implies insufficient capability."

"It’s okay, just ask him for help. Our capability is our business, whether Panetta is willing to help is his business. It’s about attitude, even if he ends up hindering us!"

Gao Yi grew more confident and excited as he spoke, then he said to Joelson, "You go back and tell Panetta that I insist on sending people to help. The more demands we have, the more it proves our sincerity and determination to take down Freedom Wind."

Luca shrugged and said, "Okay, you’re right."

Gao Yi turned to Luca and said, "That’s settled then, we need to go to Baghdad immediately. Dealing with Freedom Wind has become imperative, we really need to act, and if that’s the case, time is indeed very tight."

The munitions were already on board and would soon reach Yemen. If they didn’t hurry, they’d be too late.

Now that they had all met and discussed everything, when it came time to make a specific plan, naturally, everyone needed to come together to execute it.

Grasse, Abdulla, Emily, all gathered in Gao Yi’s room, not waiting overnight, the dispersed group was called back together for a meeting.

"Let me tell everyone some good news, Panetta is on board with us."

Gao Yi announced this good news with a smile, and Abdulla immediately exclaimed in surprise, "So quickly? Really? How did it happen so fast? This is indeed great news!"

Emily did not question Gao Yi; first, she was thrilled, but then her expression turned to disappointment.

If things went extremely smoothly, then they would need to get busy with the real work, and that would mean her hopes for spending private time with Gao Yi to advance their relationship would be dashed.

Grasse was very exhilarated and said softly, "Excellent! This is our only link with the CIA, and such a high profile at that, this is really good."

Gao Yi confidently said, "Of course, it’s real, but whether we can strengthen this relationship will depend on how well we perform in the next step. We are set on ambushing Freedom Wind in Baghdad, whether we succeed or fail; this step must proceed, but we still haven’t really found any manpower. Speaking of which, does anyone have suitable manpower to recommend?"

Asking to recommend manpower was essentially to see if those present could join in.

Since it was a collaboration, they couldn’t let Gao Yi and his team handle all the deadly tasks.

Emily said softly, "We don’t have available manpower in Baghdad, but we can help make connections."

Abdulla quickly added, "Let’s hire mercenaries, no matter the cost, find the best from the Burning Legion! Or if needed, let the Baghdad guerrilla squad step in, anyone is possible."

Saudi influence is still significant in Baghdad, and moreover, Abdulla explicitly expressed his willingness to pay.

At this moment, Grasse suddenly said, "How about the Russians?"

Everyone looked at Grasse, who said solemnly, "They’re completely unafraid of the CIA, have strong combat capabilities, require no payment, and will definitely fight ruthlessly. Why not bring in the KGB? What do you think?"