Ultimate Firepower
Chapter 513 - 492: Stepping Out

Chapter 513: Chapter 492: Stepping Out

Yuri was watching Alexander with great interest, and Alexander returned the gaze with eyes that were respectful yet devoid of flattery.

Yuri laughed. His doll-like face, which carried a perpetual smile, became exaggeratedly animated even with just a slight grin.

"You’re smarter than I imagined, and far more decisive than I anticipated. I haven’t had time for an in-depth understanding of you, so I’m puzzled. With your abilities, why would you choose to be the Black Gloves for Nikolai, who is frankly unimpressive?"

Alexander remained silent for a long time before finally speaking: "I had no choice."

Yuri laughed again and spun his chair around quickly, at a speed that would seem abnormal for anyone else. Once his chair faced his computer, leaving Alexander behind him, he said, "Take a look at the summary report I wrote. You’ll be able to make your decision."

Alexander approached Yuri and leaned over his shoulder to look at the email displayed on the screen. As soon as he glanced at it, his expression changed sharply, as if struck by lightning.

"Ludelins was framed at my suggestion, executed by Alexander, who acted as a middleman. The organization responsible is named Garden, with no involvement from Yelinsay."

The email was only one sentence long, but its content sent chills down Alexander’s spine. Stammering, he said: "You... you want to take us down?"

Yuri scrolled the mouse and opened another email.

"Ludelins was framed, and the video evidence is fabricated. The executor is Yelinsay. However, Ludelins’s weaknesses were fully exposed. He can only be entrusted with limited operational responsibilities and does not possess the capability to lead the KGB."

Swallowing hard, Alexander asked nervously: "You have... such immense influence?"

Yuri replied calmly: "Guess which one I’m planning to send."

Alexander muttered in a low voice, "I guess... you won’t send either. Since you’ve shown them to me, you must have an alternative in mind."

"Correct."

Yuri spun back around, his sudden proximity to Alexander unsettlingly close.

Alexander instinctively stepped back by two strides.

Yuri remarked calmly, "Let’s see if Ludelins can save himself. He may lack morals, but incompetence is unacceptable. If he can prove he was framed while using this opportunity to strike against Yelinsay, allowing him to continue as Deputy Director—or even promoting him to Director—would not be unthinkable."

"That’s not your idea; it’s the President’s, isn’t it?"

"Correct."

Yuri smiled faintly: "The President’s intentions are easy to discern. If Ludelins triumphs, you all are done for. I’ll send the first email. If Yelinsay wins, I’ll send the second one. But now, I want your opinion to help me decide what to send."

"There are two options right now: one is to support Ludelins’s rise, as he has been trying to win me over. The other is to proceed with the original plan and select a suitable candidate for promotion."

Alexander paused momentarily, then said in a low voice, "I personally lean toward the latter. I believe Ludelins has his own inner circle, which means even if I help him rise to power, I can’t become his trusted aide. Once his position stabilizes, he will surely find an opportunity to remove me. Since I have too much dirt in my past, he has countless ways to completely eliminate me."

Yuri nodded subtly and said, "That’s true."

"But the Gardener offered me an option. We could help Ludelins ascend and simply eliminate his inner circle. Only, I don’t want to go that route because I think Ludelins is too capable. Even if we could remove his henchmen, it wouldn’t make much difference."

"Wait, the Gardener suggested that?"

Yuri appeared genuinely surprised. In disbelief, he said, "In that case, the Gardener is quite audacious with his ideas."

Alexander continued, "My thought remains the same: to choose a suitable candidate, someone lacking foundational support, with no particularly strong abilities, who sees the position of KGB Director merely as a stepping stone. Someone without competence or ambition, but someone who in turn could promote me to Deputy Director during their tenure—that would suffice."

Yuri looked at Alexander with admiration and said, "You have great ambition."

"Indeed. Without ambition, I wouldn’t be serving as the Black Gloves to someone so ineffectual."

Yuri shook his head and said, "Given your experience acting as someone else’s Black Gloves, reaching the level of Deputy Director will be your ceiling. You won’t rise to Director."

Alexander responded calmly, "Not necessarily. What if I become the Black Gloves for the President?"

For the first time, Yuri’s expression betrayed outright shock. Astounded, he said, "You... you aspire for that?"

"I became Nikolai’s Black Gloves because I had no other choice. Or rather, given my circumstances at the time, serving as his Black Gloves was the optimal decision. Now, I don’t qualify to serve the President directly. But what if I become Deputy Director first?"

"Indeed. In that case, you’d qualify."

Yuri exhaled deeply and fixed his gaze on Alexander: "I knew you were ambitious, but I didn’t fathom just how ambitious. Becoming KGB Director isn’t your limit."

"Ambition grows step by step. I only look to the future based on what I can achieve in the present."

"I understand why you served as Nikolai’s Black Gloves. I just want to give you a piece of advice: The President isn’t what you imagine him to be. Your position doesn’t afford you any direct dealings with him, so your understanding of him is insufficient. If you think you can become his Black Gloves, you’re mistaken."

Yuri seriously issued a reminder to Alexander, which was both advice and a warning.

Alexander, however, had decided it was time to reveal everything because the timing was critical. Missing this opportunity could mean losing far more than just a chance—it could mean losing his own life.

"Being the Black Gloves isn’t confined to a singular definition; it’s a role, a stance!"

Alexander slightly bowed his head and said, "Does that make sense to you?"

There wasn’t a need for explicit clarity in this conversation between these two individuals. As long as the other party understood, it was enough to communicate efficiently.

Yuri took another deep breath, and he stood up, facing Alexander, saying, "I underestimated you in the past. My lack of understanding about you was my oversight."

Yuri extended his hand, and Alexander shook it briefly. Their handshake lasted only two shakes before they let go.

Yuri sat down again and remarked to Alexander, "I believe you will become the Director of the KGB. However, your limits will extend far beyond being merely a Director. Do you have any long-term plans at present?"

"My goal is to become Deputy Director within four years."

"You can achieve that. Right now, the priority is finding a suitable candidate for the Director position."

Yuri pondered briefly and said, "I don’t have a comprehensive grasp of external developments; I only receive the most basic information. Currently, I can’t definitively predict Ludelins’s fate. But I am certain Yelinsay is finished."

"I released Ludelins’s assistant. He can rally Ludelins’s loyalists to launch a counterattack. I’m unsure how far they can go, but Yelinsay has undoubtedly lost his shot."

Yuri reflected for a moment before shaking his head: "No, I can’t stay here any longer. If I continue staying here—I’m trapped in an echo chamber where external information flowing to me is fundamentally flawed."

Alexander remained silent, but Yuri looked to him and said, "Someone like you shouldn’t remain buried until now."

Alexander replied in a low voice, "I’m not a talent; I simply have a clear grasp of myself and the courage to do whatever needs to be done."

"What are your thoughts on the Gardener? On Garden?"

Alexander’s face revealed uncertainty as he spread his hands and said, "I can’t figure them out."

"You can’t figure them out? What do you mean? Your insight impresses me—why can’t you grasp a young man like him?"

Alexander smiled bitterly, "Sometimes, I think the Gardener is just a lucky fool. Sometimes, I think he’s survived solely through leveraging his connections and background. Other times, I think his instincts are terrifyingly sharp. And his audacity is unmatched. But none of that matters. What matters is, I don’t understand what gives him his edge—on what basis..."

Alexander trailed off.

Yuri frowned and pushed, "On what basis...? On what basis?"

"Yes, on what basis. Just this time, he forged a fake video. He mobilized the Military Intelligence Sixth Department and Northeastern University to build props. The CIA coordinated dissemination efforts while the French External Security Bureau chipped in. It doesn’t feel like he was cooperating with them—it feels like he was directing them. On what basis? What gives him that authority?"

Yuri thought deeply for a long time before saying in a low voice, "That’s organizational power. The CIA takes into account the Military Intelligence Sixth Department, the French External, the KGB, and Northeastern University. The Military Intelligence Sixth Department weighs the CIA, the KGB, the French External, and Northeastern University. It’s the same for everyone. And now it’s our turn to want to be part of this. On what basis? Isn’t this enough basis?"

"How he weaved this web is beyond my comprehension."

"No need to understand it. Simply respect it, then decide whether or not to join. Clearly, no one can resist."

Yuri turned back to his computer, deleted both earlier emails, and began drafting a new one with a single line.

"I’m heading out."

One line. Sent. Then Yuri stood for a second time.

Yuri addressed Alexander: "Alright. Stay here and keep observing. Don’t worry too much about Yelinsay. Your attention should be on Korimov. That man has deep calculations and won’t miss this opportunity. For the others—just observe. See how they tussle. Regardless of how their battles unfold, the opportunity is ripe for you."

Alexander nodded but then, looking astonished, asked, "What do you mean?"

Yuri replied calmly, "I’m heading out. I need to see what’s behind this Gardener phenomenon. I used to find him interesting, but now, I must see for myself."

"You’re just leaving like that? I mean, you’re just... No, how do you plan to leave?"

Yuri answered nonchalantly, "Walk out."