Ultimate Firepower
Chapter 494 - 473 Subcontracting

Chapter 494: Chapter 473 Subcontracting

The customary meeting place was a café, closely situated near a forest.

The forest is a colloquial term for the KGB Headquarters.

Meeting in a café near the headquarters implies that this café serves as a public venue for private dealings.

Nearly every intelligence agency has such a place nearby—a café or a restaurant, providing a convenient semi-official meeting spot for those inside to come out and discuss matters.

Once again, Gao Yi met Alexander, who couldn’t quite be described as either handsome or unattractive—oh no, it was Alexander.

Seeing Gao Yi and Sherkin enter the café, Alexander, who was sitting alone, stood up. He shook hands with Sherkin expressionlessly, followed by shaking hands with Gao Yi, then he gestured for them to sit before sitting down himself.

Raising his hand to call the waiter over, Alexander then held up three fingers: "Three cups of Raf Coffee."

Raf Coffee is a type favored by Russians, there’s nothing much to say about that, but Alexander didn’t ask for Gao Yi or Sherkin’s preferences and ordered three cups himself, indicating that he’s the kind of person who likes to make decisions for others.

Or perhaps he holds very little regard for Gao Yi and Sherkin, but considering they had a successful and highly profitable deal before, it’s unlikely that Alexander looks down on them.

As a spy, Alexander could hardly make such an elementary mistake, so if it’s not an unintentional error, it must be deliberate.

Alexander’s intention was to wrap up their discussion quickly, finish the business, and then leave; he was busy and had no interest in idle chitchat.

Ordering the coffee on their behalf, essentially carried the same message.

Conveying his intentions and attitude through a small act is a basic tactic.

Alexander didn’t introduce himself, make any small talk, or say or do anything related to the business; he just sat quietly, not uttering a single word.

Sherkin also kept silent.

With neither of them speaking, this left Gao Yi, who wasn’t familiar with these tactics, all the more perplexed, waiting dryly to see what their intentions were.

For a full five minutes, all three sat in silence, making Gao Yi wonder if the two were engaging in some sort of peculiar ritual.

Finally, the coffee was served.

"Please, the coffee here..."

Alexander might have wanted to say that the coffee here was quite good, but he stopped mid-sentence, perhaps feeling too lazy to complete it. He and Sherkin were regulars at this café, the only first-timer being Gao Yi, so, at the least, Alexander might have mentioned that the coffee was fine.

Indeed, Alexander took a sip of his coffee and then set down his cup, saying, "Did you bring the money? How will you pay?"

"Transfer."

Gao Yi didn’t respond; it was Sherkin who spoke.

Alexander nodded, then whispered, "Alright."

After speaking, Alexander took a USB drive from his pocket, placed it on the table, pushed it towards Sherkin, and said, "There’s no original, just this. It’s in self-destruct mode. Make sure to prepare for screen recording before viewing it. If you agree to the deal, go ahead and make the transfer."

Sherkin took the USB drive, looking at Gao Yi, who nodded.

They didn’t necessarily need the original; as long as they could verify the data was authentic, they were willing to transfer the money.

Gao Yi nodded, and Sherkin immediately took out his phone, sent a message, then said, "The money has been transferred to your account, check it."

Last time, Sherkin and Alexander had a long bargaining session, but this time there was no discussion—they obviously had agreed on the price beforehand.

Alexander nodded again, then took out his phone, checked it briefly, then set it aside and continued drinking his coffee without speaking.

Speaking of drinking coffee, he really only took a few sips.

Frankly speaking, the coffee here was indeed quite good.

Shortly thereafter, Alexander’s phone dinged. He picked it up again, looked at it with a surprised expression, and said to Sherkin, "Thank you."

Wondering what Alexander was thanking him for, Gao Yi heard Sherkin whisper, "This time, on top of the agreed amount, I’ve paid an extra twenty percent, knowing that you’re about to retire. The timing is right. It’s been a pleasure working with you, consider this money a retirement gift from me."

Alexander paused for a moment, then nodded again, lifted his coffee cup towards them, and whispered, "Take your time, I need to leave."

Sherkin paid directly, then Gao Yi paid him, and eventually handed the USB drive to Huang Haisheng, receiving four million.

This was the procedure, and the money Gao Yi prepaid was a risk he had to assume as the middleman.

The deal was completed just like that; although Alexander dragged it on for several days, the actual transaction only took a few minutes.

It was apparent that he had obtained the information long ago but had stubbornly refused to hand it over.

Alexander was about to leave when Sherkin suddenly said, "Don’t rush off; there’s a business deal, a big one."

Alexander, with an expressionless face, said, "Discuss it with someone else. My appointment will be issued soon, I’ll be leaving in a couple of days."

Sherkin, seemingly dissatisfied, said, "Then you should introduce your successor to me. My matter is urgent; I can’t wait forever."

Alexander shook his head; he seemed no longer interested in talking further with Sherkin and again made a move to get up.

Sherkin, feeling compelled, said, "Your attitude could lead to trouble, young man, I advise you to do your job well as long as you are still in your position. Delaying our business might not matter, but delaying the boss’s opportunity to make money will make him very angry."

Alexander probably wasn’t very receptive to this tactic, but Sherkin had made his point clear. If he insisted on leaving, it wouldn’t be just a matter of showing disrespect to Sherkin, but to the big boss behind him.

Step by step, pushing Alexander to the cliff’s edge, he could only jump onto Gao Yi’s boat; if not onto the boat, then into the water.

"What big business?"

Since he had decided to rekindle the old coals, he must be well-prepared, and cooperation from Sherkin was indispensable, and now Sherkin had already brought up the topic, next it should be Gao Yi’s stage.

Gao Yi, with a cold expression, said, "I need to kill a few people, the KGB has resources, you don’t need to act, but you need to provide intelligence and cooperation. Twenty million for each target."

After finishing, Gao Yi waved his hand, "Can you do it?"

Overwhelmed by pressure, looking curious at Gao Yi, frowned, and asked, "Kill whom?"

Gao Yi shook his head, "First say whether you can do it or not."

At this moment, Sherkin whispered, "This person is the Gardener."

Alexander looked at Gao Yi with a very surprised expression.

Gao Yi spread his hands and said, "Assassination is my main business; everything else is secondary."

Alexander, clearly having heard of Gao Yi before, took a breath and said, "I didn’t expect it’s you. So, are you working for Prince Shaman?"

"I don’t work for anyone; I work for money. If you pay enough, I can work for you too."

Gao Yi, smiling, said, "Since we are all in the same industry, there’s no need for me to hide anything. Prince Shaman is seeking revenge against Constantinople, and I am the executor, so you can understand how big the business opportunity is."

Alexander regained his composure and indifferently said, "Why do you need KGB’s help?"

"Do you even need to ask?"

It’s better to not answer difficult questions, just question back, making the asker doubt their own intelligence and then let them figure out the answer themselves.

Indeed, Alexander sighed, "The KGB indeed has a long-standing targeted deployment against Constantinople’s intelligence system; you are right to seek the KGB."

Gao Yi, without any hesitation, said, "That’s the matter; can you do it?"

Alexander obviously couldn’t decide on his own; he naturally couldn’t give Gao Yi an answer.

After a moment of thought, Alexander sighed, "I will give you an answer later. If, suppose, I mean if, we help you eliminate the targets, how much for each?"

Gao Yi meant to take it slow, not in a rush, even if he had to reignite the old flame, he couldn’t just blaze it up high all at once.

But unexpectedly, Alexander brought up a question that Gao Yi didn’t foresee, and just in a moment of thought, Gao Yi suddenly realized the potential value of this question.

"Twenty million to thirty million varies, but I don’t need your help!"

Gao Yi smiled and said, "I have the best team in the world and the strongest assassins. Frankly speaking, the KGB... forget it, I don’t need help even for the simplest step."

Alexander did not ask what was wrong with the KGB.

Gao Yi knew what Alexander was thinking at the moment, he could guarantee it.

At a time when either a transfer or a cleanse was imminent, suddenly a big deal appeared, worth at least tens of millions or even hundreds of millions. If handled well, Alexander could entirely use this opportunity to escape.

Dealing with cunning people wasn’t Gao Yi’s forte, but dealing with Russians was different, Gao Yi’s cunning was more than enough.

Alexander sighed, "Fifteen million each, we take it all, how about that?"

Gao Yi shook his head, whispered, "I believe your intelligence on Constantinople is detailed enough, but as for the action part, sorry, your style is too rough. I don’t mind spending an extra five million on each target, but I don’t want to mess things up. Besides, I’m curious, aren’t you worried about involving the KGB in this and the serious consequences that might follow?"

After finishing, Gao Yi spread his hands, "Of course, I don’t mind whether the KGB gets involved or not, I’m just curious, so you don’t have to answer."

Alexander coldly said, "Of course we are confident in doing it very discreetly; that you don’t have to worry about. Now I only ask, fifteen million per target, package deal, do you agree?"