Ultimate Firepower
Chapter 420 - 401: Ruthless

Chapter 420: Chapter 401: Ruthless

The transaction was just one step away from completion.

How much Sherkin paid to KGB had nothing to do with Gao Yi; once the intelligence was handed over, it was all done.

This time, finally someone else came in.

A caucasian man who somewhat resembled Daniel Craig, not that old, probably just over thirty at most, with thin lips and sharp facial lines, exuded a formidable aura.

He was somewhat like the latest actor to play 007.

He entered the room expressionless, pulled out a chair to sit down, and then, without speaking, glanced back and forth at Sherkin and Gao Yi before gesturing with his hand for them to speak.

Silent, stern, and malevolent; this guy was just too convincing, didn’t seem like a big shot.

Sherkin spoke first.

"The deal went smoothly, but these opened documents need to be repackaged and then put back."

Sherkin placed the opened file bag in front of the man who looked like Craig.

Hmm, Craig is the codename Gao Yi gave to KGB’s guy; the only reason being he looked the part.

"Okay."

Craig finally spoke, then put the file bag aside.

Sherkin let out a sigh, "Wait, I..."

"But the price needs to go up."

Sherkin’s words got stuck in his throat.

Craig looked at Sherkin, his face calm but resolute, "We want two hundred million!"

There it was, the price hike had arrived!

But Sherkin was truly shady!

The KGB wanted a bump to two hundred million on the spot, but Sherkin was talking about four hundred and fifty million, so how much was he pocketing?

How much exactly does KGB get?

Sherkin stared at Craig with a dumbfounded expression, then his face darkened, he spoke in a low voice, "Brother, that’s impossible."

Impossible? How is it impossible? Why is it impossible?

Gao Yi really wanted to agree on Sherkin’s behalf, but remembering what Sherkin said before entering, he decided to remain silent.

Of course, even if Sherkin hadn’t given a heads-up, Gao Yi wouldn’t have been foolish enough to expose the actual transaction amount himself.

The only feeling was that if the deal failed because of Sherkin’s greed, it would be quite the injustice.

Sherkin’s anger was apparent, he raised his voice, "We had an agreement! You can’t just hike the price without notice, I don’t even have a chance to ask the buyer for more money now!"

Craig remained silent, just giving Sherkin a cold look.

Sherkin’s voice grew softer as he spoke, then he exhaled sharply, bitterly saying, "You want a price increase, fine, but don’t overdo it, two hundred million dollars... the total deal isn’t even worth that much!"

Craig turned to Gao Yi, suddenly saying, "Forget the middleman, let’s trade directly."

Gao Yi was taken aback, then he said rather helplessly, "But I’ve already paid him."

Craig asked coldly, "How much did you pay?"

Gao Yi was somewhat at a loss for words.

Sherkin with a gloomy face said, "Don’t overstep the mark!"

"How much did you pay?"

Craig seemed a bit outdated, be it his plan to bypass the middleman, a double-cross, or what Gao Yi had always been worried about, a double play; in any case, Craig’s current approach was at least outdated.

If he really intended to betray, shouldn’t he have acted sooner?

Do Russians not understand the nuances of trading, or do they completely disregard credibility?

Or perhaps they’re just used to being bullish, thinking they can be unruly on their own turf?

How should one respond?

After thinking, Gao Yi decided not to answer.

Since this matter had nothing to do with him, he shouldn’t chime in; that was the principle, the bottom line, and the rule.

Gao Yi shook his head, his tone calm but serious, "I liaise with him, I don’t know you, so I won’t reveal any transaction amounts to anyone."

Craig glanced at Gao Yi expressionlessly, then turned back to Sherkin, "Two hundred million."

Sherkin was gnashing his teeth, clearly struggling, and finally, he said fiercely, "One hundred and eighty million, and not one dollar less!"

Craig frowned again, calmly saying: "Two hundred million!"

Sherkin stepped forward, looking directly at Craig, his tone resolute: "You could kill me! Or kill him, you could wipe us all out and then try to see if you can take the money from my account!"

So resolute, Sherkin?

Wait a second.

Gao Yi suddenly realized something.

For Russians to feel that they got a good deal rather than a loss in this negotiation, that’s the secret to maintaining a long-term cooperation with them.

Sherkin wasn’t short on twenty million; he was providing emotional value for the KGB.

Craig pondered for a moment, then spoke in a low voice: "You can recover your losses from him. I believe he has made definitely more than fifty million."

Craig pointed at Gao Yi.

Gao Yi was shocked and then, spreading his hands in extreme anger, he said: "Do you even understand the rules? Last-minute price hikes and taking my money? Falke! I only made fifty million, and I have to share it with many others, not to mention I risk selling information worth a hundred million, and now you want me to pay more?"

After expressing his utter shock, Gao Yi turned to Sherkin and shouted: "What the hell have you done! You assured me there would be no problems!"

Sherkin was helpless, glaring at Craig, he ground his teeth and said: "One hundred and ninety million! Leave my friend out of this! I only want ten million for my troubles! Pay up in Baghdad! Otherwise, there’s no deal! I absolutely! Absolutely! Absolutely! will not make a loss-making deal! A ten million profit is my bottom line! My bottom line! Do you understand?"

Craig’s expression was unmoved as he idly tapped on the table, then picked up the file bag on the table, speaking calmly: "Selling this is one hundred million dollars, sending it back is another one hundred million dollars, so please understand, I’m not raising the price at the last minute, it’s just because these are two separate deals, so you have two choices: pay one hundred million, leave, then I start investigating this case and making arrests, or pay two hundred million, this thing goes back to where it belonged, and no one will find out, nothing will happen."

After placing the opened file bag back down, Craig looked at Sherkin: "I know you make at least half in this deal, that’s your style, but since it’s two transactions, you’ll have to pay the other half, that’s fair, now, make a choice."

Sherkin was in shock, his lips moved several times, but in the end, he could only say powerlessly: "You’re too ruthless... too ruthless! If you do this, who would want to do business with you in the future?"

Craig glanced at Gao Yi and casually pointed: "Him!"

Gao Yi wanted to say no, but he felt it wasn’t the right moment to do so.

Sherkin was still unwilling to budge, he whispered: "Him? You might as well negotiate directly with Northeastern University."

"Negotiating with Northeastern University would be treason, dealing with him is just business, there’s a difference." replied Craig.

What difference, Gao Yi didn’t feel there was any.

Craig smiled again and said: "Two deals, two prices, I negotiate with you, you negotiate with him, but my price here is two hundred million!"

Sherkin helplessly looked at Gao Yi.

Gao Yi’s expression was grim, hesitating for a long time, he finally said in a low voice: "I can only take ten million myself, risking my life to come here to deal with you, risking information worth a hundred million, and now I don’t make a dime? Are you joking with me?"

Sherkin whispered: "Actually... he’s right, these are two deals, when the buyer asked to return the item, you should have refused, you shouldn’t have agreed so hastily! Now you’ve created this situation, do you expect me to bear the loss? I was meant to make one hundred million! But now I’m not making any money!"

After finishing speaking, Sherkin furiously stood in front of Gao Yi, venting his anger: "You caused all this! You need to take responsibility!"

"Then we don’t put the things back!"

Gao Yi blurted out something foolish in his anger, and Sherkin immediately pointed his hands at Craig, saying: "Ask him if he agrees!"

Gao Yi was angry, helpless, regretful, and frustrated.

Gao Yi felt his acting at this moment deserved an Oscar statuette.

Finally, Gao Yi sighed deeply and said in a low voice: "I should never have come! I haven’t made a single cent, I’ve lost out, don’t contact me in the future!"

He gave in, agreed, Gao Yi had consented to compensate Sherkin’s losses.

Sherkin hatefully said to Craig: "You’ve won! Two hundred million! But I hope you understand, with this approach, there won’t be a next time."

Craig finally smiled, his viciousness vanished instantly, then he spoke amiably: "Why won’t there be a next time? Next time we’ll just make you more money, remember one thing, you need to understand your identity and role, making a reasonable profit is fine, but wanting to take the lion’s share, that’s impossible!"

After speaking, Craig relaxed and said: "We still have many opportunities for cooperation. Next time I have something, I’ll contact you directly, I know you won’t give up, hahaha..."

After a hearty laugh, Craig suddenly extended his hand to Gao Yi, saying: "The item."

Gao Yi kept a straight face as he took out a USB stick, not placing it in Craig’s hand, but on the table instead.

Craig was not angry; he collected the USB, stood up, and extended his hand to Gao Yi with a smile: "Pleasure doing business."

Gao Yi hesitated, yet eventually reached out and shook hands with Craig.

Craig’s handshake was forceful, his tone confident and calm: "Don’t be like this, you’ve made at least twenty million. For a middleman, that amount should suffice, look forward to cooperating again."

With a triumphant smile, Craig packed up the USB, tidied the file bag on the table, and took it with him, speaking indifferently: "I’ll handle these properly. After receiving the payment, the job will definitely be done well, please transfer it quickly. Oh, and there’s no need to hurry away; the drinks outside are on me, I’m treating, goodbye."

Craig left with the file bag, not bothering to close the door behind him.

Gao Yi and Sherkin were left behind, exchanging looks.

Both their faces wore expressions of anger and helplessness, as if they had really taken a loss.

Assessment of each other: This son of a bitch really knows how to pretend.

The highest realm, utterly without a trace of performance.