Ultimate Firepower
Chapter 486 - 465: Wavering

Chapter 486: Chapter 465: Wavering

Abdulla meant well, but he clearly did a disservice with his good intentions.

Explaining to Abdulla would break the tacit understanding they had been painstakingly maintaining, but without an explanation, this dinner simply could not continue.

But, Abdulla indeed had a point!

Loyalty, if not absolute, is absolutely disloyalty, but how could this absolute loyalty be demonstrated?

Now, Abdulla is doing very well, he perfectly interpreted absolute loyalty.

No matter if you are a superpower, no matter if it concerns the overall situation, as long as Gao Yi is a favored brother of Shaman, Abdulla would do everything to hold him in high regard.

In any case, face must be given to Gao Yi regardless of where it is, and nobody else could take his place; as for the potential influence on bilateral relations, or potential destruction of the big picture, Abdulla never considered that.

He had only one thought: Gao Yi had been kind to him, so he had to stand up for him.

As for whether it was a case of good intentions gone wrong, if Abdulla could ever figure that out, he wouldn’t have caused such a huge problem for Shaman.

So now, the one in trouble was Gao Yi, and the one suffering was Huang Haisheng.

How should they resolve this?

Gao Yi was somewhat confused, he was thinking, but couldn’t come up with any good solution for the moment.

Feng Biao was also brainstorming, but this was not about flattering, so he couldn’t think of any good solution right away.

At this moment, an unexpected person stood up.

Teacher Mu casually said to Abdulla, "I feel it is necessary to introduce, this is our Director of External Affairs, quite similar to the chief of your National Intelligence Bureau."

Teacher Mu saw things clearly, then, he promoted Huang Haisheng several ranks privately because he wasn’t sure of the exact position of Huang Haisheng; he just exaggerated it.

One move solved it.

What’s there to explain? No need for explanations, you just need a way to deal with muddled people. Since Abdulla wanted to give face to Gao Yi, just give him face.

Indeed, Abdulla’s eyes widened immediately.

Abdulla stared blankly at Huang Haisheng, who smiled and said, "Keep it low-key, low-key, this is a private gathering among our own people, let’s not talk about positions."

Abdulla had also been a deputy director of the Saudi National Intelligence Agency, he was not inexperienced, and had some interactions with Northeastern University, though it was his first time visiting in person.

So, Abdulla cautiously said, "I’ve never heard of this before."

Huang Haisheng did not speak, Teacher Mu seriously said, "It’s confidential, not known to the outside."

Abdulla was still somewhat skeptical, he looked towards Gao Yi, and Gao Yi nodded seriously, whispering, "Yes."

Since Gao Yi acknowledged it, then there really was no problem.

Abdulla was shocked and incredibly startled because if that was the case, it wasn’t about not giving Gao Yi face, but giving him too much face.

Abdulla whispered, "Did I... mess up again?"

Why did he add an "again"?

"It’s okay, we are all our own people, we know what you mean, no worries at all."

Gao Yi quickly started to appease Abdulla, and then, he gave Teacher Mu a grateful look.

Truly a man of culture, full of good ideas.

Abdulla stood up full of apologies, he held his drink but didn’t know what to say since he wasn’t really good at formulaic diplomatic phrasing, especially since he had never had a chance to use those in such settings before.

He nodded to Huang Haisheng, and after a moment of hesitation, Abdulla whispered, "Gao Yi is our His Highness’s spokesman, uh... thank you."

He spoke in haste just to express his apologies and then casually elevated Gao Yi’s status a bit.

The banquet continued.

Gao Yi’s original intention was for Harold to meet Abdulla, not expecting to discuss any significant matters at this meal, but after Abdulla’s interruption, it felt necessary to say something.

Gao Yi casually said, "You just mentioned preparing one hundred billion?"

"Yes."

Abdulla hesitated for a moment, then he whispered, "We just signed a purchase contract with the United States exceeding one hundred billion dollars, but the full execution of the contract will take about twelve years."

This was public information, there was no need for Abdulla to mention it, it was already thoroughly reported in the news.

To gain support from the United States, Shaman had no choice but to make a large financial commitment, purchasing a vast amount of military equipment which essentially served as protection fees. While the one hundred billion US Dollars wouldn’t be paid out all at once, it would be disbursed according to the delivery schedule of the weapons, spreading it out to a maximum of several billion US Dollars per year, with some years requiring more due to major project deliveries concentrated in those years; but theoretically, a maximum of just over twenty billion US Dollars per year.

For Saudi’s military procurement capability, this amount of money is not a big deal and entirely affordable.

Abdulla continued: "But out of this ten billion dollars, you are in charge of the procurement."

At this point, Abdulla looked at Huang Haisheng and politely said: "I’m only responsible for giving him the money. What to purchase and how to purchase it, all is decided by Mr. Gao. His Highness does not intervene."

Giving away a few billion US Dollars a year, yet Abdulla came this time with a special fund of ten billion dollars. His intention to change affiliations was quite evident. Logically speaking, this represents a major shift in foreign relations direction for the next several decades, yet Shaman wanted Gao Yi to play a role in this too.

Giving ten billion, if Gao Yi makes nine billion profit, he buys one billion’s worth of goods; if Gao Yi makes one billion profit, he buys nine billion’s worth of goods. Shaman would never inquire about it.

This is a direct transfer of money, akin to smashing untold riches straight onto Gao Yi’s head—it’s impossible not to catch it, because refusing it isn’t an option.

Was it a decision made for national strategies, or was it made due to personal ties with Gao Yi?

Now, not only is Abdulla confused, everyone else is puzzled as well, for Shaman has muddled state affairs with personal matters.

Only these princes from the Middle East could do such a thing; they truly act on a whim, making decisions based purely on personal likes and dislikes, completely disregarding any strategies or tactics.

Huang Haisheng’s mind buzzed.

Gao Yi’s value lies in his close relationships with the upper echelons of the CIA, similarly intimate relations with the UK and France, and certain connections with Russia; adding Saudi into the mix isn’t surprising—all this was already known to Huang Haisheng.

The problem is, knowledge is one thing, but Shaman’s overt support for Gao Yi was truly unexpected.

If it were just business, even if it were a deal worth tens of billions, it wouldn’t be something particularly notable to Huang Haisheng, as he’s not responsible for managing trade, and the nation isn’t lacking that amount of money now.

But this time, it’s about pulling Shaman over to our side, and this has nothing to do with money.

What does this mean? It means that Northeastern University is currently undermining strategic influence, aiming to completely sway Shaman, a fence-sitter, to our side.

This is not about how much money it involves; it represents the concept of a regional strategic pillar, a vital step from a major country to a supermajor country.

A person with significant personal influence over Shaman, such a person could hold the position of Deputy Secretary of State in the United States.

Abdulla, believing in the words of Teacher Mu, has even more faith in Gao Yi; hence he disclosed his statements meant for formal occasions preemptively during the meal, pushing Huang Haisheng to promote Gao Yi to a higher rank.

Not having Gao Yi take sides was a rule, but due to Abdulla’s statements, this principle began to waver—a strategic role seems insufficient now.

Teacher Mu had long realized the seriousness of the issue, but he was unable to interject now. It wasn’t a problem to tell a little white lie to extricate themselves from the situation before, but now, when no one knows the next step to take, it’s better to be prudent and cautious.

At this time, Xinfeng finally stepped forward again.

Dani and Sith didn’t see the long-term implications, but Xinfeng was different.

Although Xinfeng was not a subordinate of Panetta and had no allegiance to the CIA, he knew that binding himself with Gao Yi was most beneficial for him.

He couldn’t let Gao Yi completely take sides with Northeastern University; that would make his own status very awkward.

This time Xinfeng didn’t smile; he spoke very seriously to Gao Yi: "I personally advise, you should retaliate against Constantinople as soon as possible, this is very important for His Highness."

A few people then looked towards Xinfeng.

Xinfeng continued seriously: "The United States merely showing verbal support isn’t enough, we need to take real action. Prince Shaman’s one hundred billion can’t be spent in vain, and what the U.S. can do is to let the CIA cooperate, helping His Highness to launch retaliation against Constantinople. As a representative of the CIA, I can undertake this role and receive CIA support over the upcoming period, so it’s beneficial for both of us at this time if I, as CIA’s representative, collaborate with you in your actions."

Abdulla blinked, then he looked confused and asked: "Who is this?"

"Well, this person is from the CIA, he was previously a member of Freedom Wind."

The advantage of mutual elevation is that everyone can enhance their value through others.

Abdulla was greatly surprised.

Others might not understand the significance of the term ’Freedom Wind’, but Abdulla knew it well; he also knew that Gao Yi was previously an arch-enemy of Freedom Wind, while his own National Intelligence Bureau could not help at all.

Now, a member of Freedom Wind sitting with Gao Yi, appeared at Northeastern University, and at a dinner hosted by Gao Yi?

Abdulla looked at Gao Yi, then he was very surprised and asked: "What’s going on?"

"Well, this is Xinfeng, now he is one of our own."

It used to be top-secret, now, it’s just casually mentioned at the dinner table.

This statement didn’t reduce Xinfeng’s value, simply because this dinner table was graced by the powerhouses of the Underworld.

Abdulla gasped and thought for a moment, then muttered: "So... uh."

The situation was too complex, surpassing Abdulla’s capability once again. He wanted to say something, but given that every statement he made today only complicated the situation further, Abdulla decided to keep silent.