Ultimate Firepower
Chapter 546 - 525: Never Forget Old Friends

Chapter 546: Chapter 525: Never Forget Old Friends

Big brother has made it, brothers, gather quickly.

Right now, Gao Yi is more or less in this frame of mind.

As for Martin, he’s just a little errand boy for the Red and Blue Group, whose main business operates on the Dark Web. Gao Yi is frankly not worried about contacting Martin attracting attention from the Dark Web or exposing information to it.

It’s not about trusting Martin’s personality; it’s about trusting his intelligence.

Even Grasse was introduced by Martin, and look at the state Grasse is in now—while Martin has barely moved forward.

But now, hasn’t the opportunity arrived?

"Bro, I’m in the United States. I’ve got something where I need your help, mainly requiring action from the police department. Are you available?"

When Martin heard these words, he almost jumped out of his chair.

Previously, Martin was just running errands; when someone needed fake documents, he was the one delivering them personally. After earning a bit of money following Gao Yi, he no longer had to hustle for those petty profits. But to be honest, he still hadn’t risen far enough to have his own independent office.

"Brother, whatever you need, just let me know."

He accidentally spoke his inner thoughts aloud. But instructions? Sure, bring them on. It’s important to know your place.

In front of the Number One Master money guy, what’s the harm in kneeling? Martin wasn’t some naïve rookie anymore; pointless pride meant nothing to him.

Besides, showing respect to the Number One Master is just basic courtesy, isn’t it?

Gao Yi spoke softly, "Let’s discuss it face-to-face; I’ll probably arrive tonight."

"I’ll pick you up from the airport."

"No need, just call Christopher and Richard for a meeting. This concerns them as well; I can explain everything properly to everyone."

Martin felt a tinge of disappointment at first since Gao Yi didn’t want to meet him alone. However, that disappointment was fleeting. Gao Yi asking him to gather people indicated this was a major operation, and Gao Yi thinking of him first for a big action hinted at the importance of his standing in Gao Yi’s mind.

"Okay, I’ll reach out to them; they should be available."

After hanging up, Gao Yi let out a sigh and said, "Let’s see if he has any reaction. This guy is still dependable."

Yuri shook his head, slightly dissatisfied, and said, "Nobody is completely reliable, especially someone you only contact once in a long while. Necessary precautions must not be skipped."

Yes, Gao Yi had already arrived in Los Angeles, not far from Martin.

Martin was already someone within the inner circle, even if his position was relatively low. Being in the circle made many things easier, though Yuri held differing opinions. He insisted Gao Yi do some testing first before deciding if Martin could be trusted.

It was an old-school approach, but also a cautious one. Yuri might seem like the reckless type who acted boldly, but he was far from impulsive—he was meticulous and careful.

There was still plenty of time left, and Gao Yi felt like visiting his house in Los Angeles.

The house had been left vacant for a while, with little time spent living there. However, Gao Yi wasn’t thinking of the house itself; he wanted to retrieve his Golden Gourd Hammer from it.

The spare hammer. His frequently used hammer was in France, along with his gun. When returning home, carrying the gun was inconvenient, so he left it under Marina’s care.

The gun was rarely needed, but Gao Yi always felt incomplete without a hammer by his side.

"I’m heading back to check on things and grab my hammer."

Yuri gave Gao Yi a helpless look and said, "A hammer is simple enough to buy anywhere, and honestly, I don’t see any scenario where you’d need it for this. But your house—your property—might already be under surveillance. Just because it wasn’t before doesn’t mean it isn’t now. With Wei Feng starting to counter Panetta, it’s impossible for their ally, Andic Group, to stay idle. You feel things are calm and safe, but how can you be sure it’s not just a trap, designed to lull you into complacency?"

Alright, Gao Yi could never treat safety as seriously as a true operative or assassin constantly would.

"Fine, I won’t go. So, what are we doing? Checking how Dani’s progress is?"

Dani had arrived earlier, already keeping an eye on Rana Gadot’s home.

Gao Yi thought that if there was nothing else to do, he might as well join Dani on-site.

"No, don’t interfere with Dani’s work."

Yuri appeared anxious. He turned to Gao Yi and said, "You’re the boss; you’re the commander of everyone in this. The skill you lack most is reconnaissance or discreet infiltration work. So, you being there would contribute nothing and might even jeopardize the mission. Why can’t you just focus on your own responsibilities and stay in the hotel waiting for updates?"

Charging into action with a hammer was Gao Yi’s personality. Sitting back and strategizing revealed his inadequacy.

Gao Yi was a frontline warrior, not a think tank managing things from the rear.

Staying back in reserve was agony for Gao Yi.

But Yuri made a lot of sense—helping Dani might inadvertently hinder him.

Gao Yi sighed and said, "Fine, then I’ll wait at the hotel until the meeting with Martin tonight."

Yuri addressed Gao Yi seriously, saying, "You’re the heart of the Garden. Without you, it falls apart instantly. Your value isn’t based on how capable you are or how well you fight—it’s your unique connections. Your paramount duty is to stay alive. The type of work that requires you to personally wield a hammer is rare and should be rarer still. You’ve recruited so many talents; no way you need to do everything yourself."

True—higher status and greater importance meant less opportunity for direct, hands-on work with a hammer.

Gao Yi decided to take things one step at a time.

Since there was nothing else to do and with an entire day left, he chose to spend time enjoying himself with Lucy in the hotel room.

Time passed rather quickly. As dusk approached, Gao Yi finally reached the time to meet Martin.

At this point, Dani finally reported back.

"The target returned home, alone. After two days of observation, I haven’t noticed anything unusual. We can proceed tonight."

Dani had surveilled Rana for two days—tonight was the perfect time to act.

Force wouldn’t be needed—Rana wasn’t an individual requiring brute strength to handle.

Lucy wouldn’t be coming along, but Xinfeng had to; running into Wei Feng was always possible. Xinfeng had seen Wei Feng before—if luck allowed them to cross paths here, it’d be an opportunity to deal with Wei Feng simultaneously.

Gao Yi left for his meeting with Martin and the others, accompanied by Xinfeng.

The meeting location was at a restaurant.

Martin and the others arrived first; Christopher and Richard were also present.

Though they hadn’t been meeting much lately, the Los Angeles circle still held together. Back in the day, teaming up with Martin and Christopher brought in around US$ 800,000, which seemed like a huge sum. But in retrospect, it felt trivial now.

Tonight’s request for help with the Rana affair wasn’t a major deal, but Gao Yi deemed it necessary to sweeten the pot.

Promotion where due, wealth where deserved. Making sure each of them gained something ensured Los Angeles became Gao Yi’s most solid base.

The three people waiting in the restaurant grew a little restless, but as soon as Gao Yi arrived punctually with his companion, their unease evaporated.

They stood up with smiles, greeted Gao Yi warmly, shook hands briefly, and chatted lightly before Gao Yi confidently took a seat first. Casually, he said, "Order something to eat."

"This place was chosen mostly for its security. As for the cuisine, it’s special but not expensive."

Martin explained nervously, knowing the restaurant wasn’t fancy enough—it was your cheap, everyday Texas steakhouse—and worried Gao Yi might not like it.

"As long as it’s tasty."

After ordering a few steaks, while waiting for the food, Gao Yi lowered his voice and said, "Tonight, I plan to visit Rana Gadot’s home in Beverly Hills to meet her. I could sneak in directly, but that might lead to serious repercussions, so I want to enter in an official capacity."

Christopher, being a cop, didn’t mind taking private gigs, even ones bending the rules. Still, he’d never consider targeting celebrities or public figures.

"You mean the actress?"

"Yes."

Christopher immediately hesitated. "This... Sorry, but this is tricky; I can’t... Um, the stakes are way too high."

"Don’t worry. She’s a spy, and her greatest fear is exposure. I’m going there to unmask her—not having you along might mean I’d have to kill her outright or end up in a shootout at her house. With you involved, all she can do is negotiate. She won’t even dare try to escape. Also, I’d need FBI’s help digging into her history."

Then Gao Yi spoke softly, "I’m doing this as a favor for the Pentagon and CIA. Yet, I feel it’s more convenient to ask for your support. Christopher, one million dollars, all for responding promptly when there’s an alert or call."

Christopher exhaled deeply and said, "So, not targeting Rana Gadot but protecting her, right? No problem; I can handle that."

Martin often found tasks out of his reach due to his low rank. To make future assignments easier, Gao Yi needed to elevate his position.

Turning to Martin, Gao Yi asked, "Who’s the local district chief here? What kind of background do they have? Could you oust them and take their spot?"