Ultimate Firepower
Chapter 531 - 510: I Really Am an Assassin

Chapter 531: Chapter 510: I Really Am an Assassin

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.

But in practice, going straight often doesn’t work. Taking a detour, going around a bend—these approaches make things easier and achievable.

Now Gao Yi has roughly grasped Yuri’s pulse.

Great deceit resembles loyalty, great loyalty resembles deceit—this is Yuri.

It seems that everything he does is for profit, but in reality, it’s driven by an unwavering ideal deep in his heart.

Yuri is an honest man. He doesn’t really hide his goals, but his goals are so lofty and grand that they are inherently unbelievable to the average people of this world.

Therefore, to Russia, Yuri has always been a massive traitor.

To the vast majority of ordinary people, Yuri is a lunatic—a dangerous one, at that.

To Gao Yi, Yuri is a dreamer he cannot comprehend.

But Gao Yi’s strength lies in understanding that the world is full of things that can’t be understood, and there’s no need to understand them—respect suffices.

On the foundation of respect, each takes what they need.

Never underestimate the power of an attitude of respecting something you don’t understand.

To put it bluntly, at Gao Yi’s level of status and capability, virtually no one remains humble.

And those who are humble and know how to respect others rarely possess Gao Yi’s power.

This is because Gao Yi has risen so quickly that his arrogance and temperament haven’t yet caught up with his strength, allowing him to maintain this strong yet humble attitude.

If Gao Yi had lingered at this level of power for a few more years, if someone dared to say "no" to him, he might easily get angered.

Currently, Gao Yi is modest and low-key, not even fully aware of the terrifying power he wields, making him Yuri’s ideal collaborator.

Only a leader with enough tolerance can attract a crew of overconfident, yet undeniably extraordinary subordinates.

After all, the world often changes in unexpected ways by groups of people who initially don’t even realize what they’re capable of. Many years later, looking back, they discover they’ve accomplished something monumental.

Just like Gao Yi now. He knows what he’s doing seems somewhat significant, but he has no comprehension of just how extraordinary it is.

Influencing the selection of the KGB director—this kind of thing isn’t just rare; it’s something few would even dare imagine.

Yet Gao Yi simply feels that everything is so natural, so effortless.

"So, what do you think we should do to play our role as external support well?"

The humble and low-key Gao Yi earnestly seeks more guidance from Yuri.

Though Yuri doesn’t have the tendency to play the role of a teacher, he truly can’t refuse inquiries from his boss.

"It’s simple: provide funds, deliver achievements, strike down opponents. When all the better options have been eliminated, the person you’ve chosen naturally becomes the director."

"Wouldn’t that approach be too obvious, leading to suspicion or aversion from those above, causing them to deliberately refuse to choose him?"

Yuri chuckled, then murmured, "Then make it less obvious."

"But as long as we’re here and doing these things, uh, it can’t be hidden..."

Gao Yi thought that someone as capable as Qin Pu certainly wouldn’t overlook attempts to influence the KGB director selection.

However, Yuri disagreed. In a weighted tone, he said, "Decision-makers make choices. Those below provide the options. Understand?"

"Not really..."

"It’s like a multiple-choice question: ABCD—pick one. But who provides these four answers, ABCD?"

Gao Yi mulled over it for a long while before finally coming to a realization.

Yuri, in his usual calm manner, spoke with a seemingly sarcastic undertone and continued in a low voice, "No one is omniscient or omnipotent. Someone sitting in an office cannot possibly grasp everyone’s situation. It’s enough to make them see only what you want them to see. Decisions are made by people, not gods."

No need to dwell further—the message from Yuri this time was clear and straightforward.

"Understood. Who should we choose?"

Yuri smiled but didn’t answer.

Gao Yi quietly said, "I don’t know anything about them. If you don’t give me names, I won’t even know who they are. So you must tell me who’s the best fit."

Yuri replied coolly, "Let Alexander choose."

"Let him choose?"

Yuri replied in a low voice, "You can provide the options, but let Alexander decide the final pick. After all, he’s the one who’ll be dealing with the new director in the future. If you think you can manipulate Alexander—make the choice for him and handle everything on his behalf—then once he has enough power, the first thing he’ll do is turn against you."

It’s not a profoundly deep principle, but applying it in practice proves the value of Yuri’s words.

Gao Yi could understand everything Yuri was saying, yet without Yuri’s prompts, he wouldn’t have known how to proceed.

This guy wasn’t uncanny—he simply excelled at executing what seemed insignificant yet was critical.

After deep contemplation, Gao Yi nodded, saying, "I understand. Right now, I seem to be approaching the issue from the mindset of Alexander’s manipulator. That’s not right, and it’s not good."

Yuri smiled, saying, "It’s rare that you can understand this point. Well, Alexander is familiar with the KGB’s workings. He knows every individual. Now that he’s at the critical point of making a choice, we should neither control nor influence him. Let him think and decide independently."

"What if his decision is wrong?"

"I’ve already exerted some influence. There are three individuals he definitely won’t pick. Among the rest, as long as he isn’t blind or foolish, of course, he’ll know who to choose."

Gao Yi took a deep breath and said, "Impressive—long-term foresight indeed."

"Basic operation."

"What if the person he picks truly isn’t suitable?"

"Influence him, but don’t control him. Offer suggestions, don’t make the choice. Let him adjust his thinking."

Driven by a thirst for deeper understanding, Gao Yi pressed further, "What if he insists on sticking to his erroneous idea?"

"Typically, when this happens, it means our initial choice was wrong. At that point, it’s time to switch to someone else."

Pick someone, let them select their own team to carry out a task. If they can’t even assemble the right team, that’s a sign the person chosen was a mistake to begin with.

Gao Yi couldn’t help but laugh, saying, "The solution is that simple?"

"Yes, it’s inherently simple."

Yuri replied leisurely, "Alexander is still observing. He hasn’t reached the most critical moment yet. When he feels like time can no longer be delayed, has no choice left, and starts actively making choices and taking action—then he’ll come to us for help."

"If he succeeds, it’s his choice—it’s his victory. If he fails, then it doesn’t cost us anything regardless."

Once Gao Yi finished speaking, he sighed and said to Yuri, "Your mind doesn’t seem Russian, truly—you’re too cunning."

"Nobody likes being a puppet."

Yuri responded with a seemingly irrelevant remark before looking at Gao Yi and adding, "Someone with both capability and ambition especially detests being a puppet. Alexander is a person worth investing in and collaborating with long-term, so from the very beginning, we must take care of his sentiments."

"Have I been doing alright so far?"

Yuri thought for a moment before saying, "You’ve always called yourself an assassin. Honestly, I can’t tell whether this is merely a disguise or whether you genuinely view yourself as just an assassin. However, I believe Alexander thinks you really are an assassin."

Gao Yi murmured, "I truly am an assassin..."

Yuri replied lightly, "It seems genuine, but acting is acting. Because anyone with a functioning mind ought to recognize their true role by now."

After speaking, Yuri gestured to his head with his finger, drawing two circles, then said sternly, "This is a matter of common sense, not acting skills. Therefore, I admire your performance but despise your script—it’s too stupid, an insult to intelligence."

Gao Yi replied helplessly, "I really am just an assassin. I’ve only ever seen myself this way. I haven’t thought about anything beyond that—really! At least I was like that before. At least until today."