Ultimate Firepower
Chapter 535 - 514 Huaxinfeng

Chapter 535: Chapter 514 Huaxinfeng

Plevenov pondered for a long time, then sighed softly and finally stood up. He looked at Yuri and said, "Stay in touch."

Leaving those words behind, Plevenov left the café. As he walked away, his footsteps still seemed heavy but resolute, not like someone being coerced.

Gao Yi glanced at Yuri beside him and said in a low voice, "Care to explain?"

"Explain what? I think it’s already obvious — no need to explain."

"Does this mean he agreed, or that he didn’t agree?"

"Hmm, he half-agreed. He’ll try to protect Alexander like we suggested, but he can’t promise he’ll succeed. In other words, he’s just trying it out, taking it step by step."

Gao Yi picked up a cup of untouched coffee and said, "You mentioned influencing but not deciding — is it really okay to pressure a Deputy Security Director, the future Security Director, this way?"

"It’s not coercion; it’s collaboration. We’re not asking him to do anything; it’s something he has to do. We simply discovered and leveraged the opportunity."

Gao Yi took a sip of coffee and said, "I don’t understand."

To know what you know and admit what you don’t — Gao Yi was gifted in certain areas, but some required careful explanation.

Yuri thought for a moment and spoke using what he believed were the simplest terms: "Actually, the moment Plevenov agreed to meet, I knew he must be dealing with some trouble, something big enough to force him to come out."

"Oh?"

"Plevenov really doesn’t have ambitions for the Director position. Sure, he’d like it, but he thinks the timing is wrong, the opportunity lacking. So, he’s just a bystander this time. But the setup against Ludelins is a game-changing twist. When someone resorts to any means to seize the Director’s position, Ludelins, who has been attacked and framed, has no choice but to fight back equally ruthlessly."

Exhaling deeply, Yuri spoke steadily, "When someone decides to flip the table, making sure no one enjoys what’s on it, everyone sitting around that table risks getting doused in oil. As for Plevenov, he could’ve stayed away, but the fact that he chose to meet us means he knows he can’t avoid it."

Gao Yi appeared somewhat understanding and said, "I think I get it now. Plevenov has a weakness and fears being implicated by Ludelins and Yelinsay. Do you know what his weakness is?"

"Before coming, I didn’t know. Now I do."

Yuri glanced at Gao Yi and said, "Deep in his heart, he harbors fear. He worries his secret has been discovered and could be used as a weapon against him. The issue is, he magnified his own fear, allowing us to actually uncover it."

Confused, Gao Yi asked, "This part baffles me. As the Security Director, shouldn’t Plevenov have strong psychological resilience? How could he succumb to his own fear? Is it possible his weakness is already known to many, except for us?"

Yuri shook his head and said softly, "That’s precisely the issue. He thinks that way too. But often, people scare themselves."

"Scare themselves? You mean no one knows Plevenov’s secret at all?"

"I can’t guarantee it, and neither can Plevenov. That’s why he came forward and agreed to work with us."

"Can you stop beating around the bush? Be more direct."

"I’m already being straightforward. The simplest way to put it is: Plevenov scared himself. When we called him, his first instinct was that we’d discovered his secret and wanted to blackmail him. That’s it, plain and simple."

Gao Yi exhaled and said, "Okay, we almost revealed that we knew nothing at all. Next time, for matters like this, you’d better brief me ahead of time."

"Your acting was excellent. Although slightly exaggerated, in Plevenov’s paranoid mind, your exaggeration seemed like sarcasm, further convincing him that we knew his secret. That’s why he didn’t even bother maintaining his final facade."

After finishing, Yuri smiled at Gao Yi and asked, "What did you learn from this?"

"Not to scare myself."

"Exactly — don’t let your own fears defeat you. Until the final moment, until the evidence is thrown in your face, never admit to something you shouldn’t!"

Gao Yi chuckled and said, "So now, do you know what Plevenov did?"

Yuri shook his head and said, "Still don’t know. But it doesn’t matter. We’ve grasped the key point. The rest can be investigated. Call Alexander and ask him."

Gao Yi picked up his phone and dialed Alexander. Once the call connected, he said softly, "He agreed. Did you know Plevenov once had a woman by his side?"

"A woman? Hmm, I don’t recall... He doesn’t have a mistress or anything improper. Let me think. He had interactions with an actress a few times, but she hasn’t been to Russia since. A celebrity, quite famous. Her name is Rana Gadot—oh, the one from ’Fast & Furious’ and ’Wonder Woman.’"

Gao Yi froze for a moment. How were these things even connected?

Yuri also seemed momentarily stunned. He muttered under his breath, "Damn it! Everyone knows he met this actress, but it was in public venues!"

Gao Yi thought about Plevenov’s appearance.

Six-foot tall, well-built, nearing his fifties but looking youthful. Not overwhelmingly handsome, but radiating masculinity.

Ignoring status and rank, purely based on looks, Plevenov indeed seemed capable of captivating many women.

But merely meeting a famous actress a few times shouldn’t have been enough to ignite Plevenov’s deepest fear!

Gazing at Yuri, Gao Yi asked, puzzled, "Could it be her?"

"Why not? Damn it! Damn it! She’s too famous, which leads everyone to overlook the possibility that she could be a spy! Think clearly!"

Yuri’s face grew grave. He said softly to Gao Yi, "Things may not be as straightforward as we imagined. Precisely because of her fame, Plevenov must have said or done something to her in secrecy, something shameful. And now, he can’t eliminate her, so it has become his greatest fear!"

Suddenly, a person came to Gao Yi’s mind.

Though it felt unlikely, sometimes the world had a way of being astonishingly small.

Gao Yi’s nostrils flared slightly, his eyebrows unconsciously twitched, and his eyes briefly lost focus.

Yuri gestured for Gao Yi to end the call. Only after waving his hand twice did Gao Yi take notice.

Letting out a long sigh, Gao Yi held the phone and said to Alexander, "Alright, Plevenov is onboard. Think again if he’s had any other women. That’s all for now."

Gao Yi hung up the phone, and Yuri immediately asked, "What were you thinking about? You zoned out."

"I suddenly thought of someone."

"Who?"

Gao Yi inhaled deeply and said softly, "Xinfeng."