Ultimate Firepower
Chapter 554 - 533: Fans

Chapter 554: Chapter 533: Fans

Call Martin over, then continue to have Christopher put on the appearance of a full-scale search across the city.

The question now is, how can I succinctly convey the concept of "smoke and mirrors" to Martin and Christopher?

Wei Feng has laid out a master plan: first, a diversionary move to stir things up, and then, by letting the enemy expose themselves, we achieve the effect of creating confusion and shifting attention.

"The people we captured are all CIA spies. They secretly infiltrated back in. As of now, we’ve been dragged into the CIA’s internal power struggle. If we succeed, everyone benefits; if we fail, it doesn’t have much to do with us anyway."

After giving Martin and Christopher some reassurance, Gao Yi subtly said, "Martin, just interrogate them through normal FBI protocols and then file the report accordingly. This way, the CIA director will personally handle the case. Do you understand?"

Martin understood immediately and said in a low voice, "The director personally handling it? That’s a big deal."

"Christopher, you continue searching for the person in Los Angeles as per our original plan. Just don’t let it affect you too much, but put in your full effort to find him."

Gao Yi decided to be honest with Christopher, so he lowered his voice and said, "Although it’s now more likely the target is at Lanli headquarters, I can’t explain everything to you. But we need to keep up the act here to make the target feel secure enough to make their move over there."

Christopher pondered for a moment before speaking softly, "Then we can’t just try our best to find the target—we must find them, no matter the cost."

Afterward, Christopher added in a quiet tone, "Even if we fail, I don’t care—I could just retire. But if the enemy succeeds, retirement will no longer be an option. Getting involved in something like this leaves no room for regrets."

Christopher was always a pragmatist. He clearly understood that in this situation, it was either a step to glory or a complete downfall. There is no middle ground, no third outcome.

"Alright, you handle things on this end. I’ll head to Lanli right away. Don’t touch Rana for now—just keep her here. There’s no rush."

Gao Yi trusted Martin and the others to handle things effectively.

Rana would remain here. At this point, she had no further role to play.

Panetta was on his way over, and Gao Yi needed to move quickly.

Commercial flights would take more time, but with a private plane directly departing from the airport, some time could be saved.

Then came a phone call—from Panetta.

"Find the fastest private jet available, a Bombardier Global 8000. At full speed, it’ll only take four hours to reach Washington. Head to Burbank Airport; the plane is being prepped, and it should be ready by the time you get there."

Panetta was meticulous to the point of being tiresome. He detailed, in a low voice, "The plane has a satellite phone onboard—stay in contact. Once you arrive, someone will meet you at the airport to escort you to headquarters. You can completely trust him."

"Copy that."

Gao Yi stood up, nodded at Xinfeng, who had accompanied him, and the two immediately changed out of their uniforms. They gathered a couple of mobile operatives waiting outside and headed straight for the airport.

The flight from Los Angeles to Washington typically takes five hours. However, with the fastest jet, the travel time could be cut to four hours. While that one hour might not seem like a big difference, who could tell? Sometimes, a few minutes could change everything.

Just as they were boarding the plane at the airport, Martin called.

"I’ve already reported the case to my superior. He’s furious and doesn’t want to get tangled in this, but our director is thrilled. The case has now been officially reported to the White House and notified to the CIA. The CIA will send people to help with the investigation."

That was fast—less than half an hour, and Martin had already managed to create havoc.

The small FBI field office chief didn’t want to get involved in such a high-stakes affair, but once Martin acted, it was impossible for him to suppress the case.

The FBI director, however, relished such cases—it brought massive opportunities for career advancement.

After all, it had been years since the FBI had handled a major espionage case like this.

Meanwhile, Panetta had to delay his departure a bit longer. The performance needed to be convincing.

Anyhow, everyone except for Gao Yi seemed clear on what they needed to do.

Gao Yi felt helpless and lost—he genuinely had no idea what he was supposed to do once he arrived in Lanli. Nor did he have a clue about how to proceed.

"Why is it always me who takes on the toughest jobs?"

For a moment, Gao Yi grumbled lightly before turning to Yuri and asking, "Do you have any ideas?"

Yuri gave a cautious shake of his head. "Nothing so far."

Gao Yi looked at Dani. Dani pulled out a short double-barreled shotgun from behind his waist and holstered it in the chest strap he wore. Then, he said nonchalantly, "I just hope I won’t need to use this."

Using firearms at CIA headquarters? The thought itself was quite bold.

In the KGB’s forest strongholds, they moved as freely as in their own backyard. Yet nobody could predict the reception they’d face at CIA headquarters. Still, at least no guns were fired in the forest.

Gao Yi turned to Xinfeng.

Xinfeng shrugged. "Honestly, I’ve never thought about something like this. To be frank, I didn’t dare. Now that you’re asking me what to do, I obviously have no idea."

Finally, Gao Yi turned to Lucy. Though he wasn’t sure what use Lucy had coming along—surely it wasn’t to dual-wield guns and shoot down everyone at CIA headquarters, right?

Still, since Gao Yi was looking at her, she had to say something.

"Anyone hungry? They have snacks here."

The private jet offered luxurious and ridiculously expensive snacks. Lucy picked up a bag of nuts, opened it, and handed it to Gao Yi. "Have some."

Gao Yi picked out a few chocolate-covered nuts, then waved his hand. "Sleep!"

If they couldn’t think of a plan, they might as well rest. Who knew what would happen once they arrived?

At this moment, Yuri unzipped a small bag he’d brought along. From it, he pulled out a hammer.

It was Gao Yi’s hammer—the Golden Gourd Hammer he often used.

"Do you want me to keep holding onto this, or would you prefer to carry it yourself?"

Everyone stared at Yuri in surprise.

Yuri replied solemnly, "I just thought we might need it. So I took some time to study this Warhammer. Truth be told, it’s perfect in every way—length, weight, size, easily concealed yet powerful."

Gao Yi was baffled. "Why are you carrying my hammer?"

"I just think you should keep your weapon with you, so I brought it along. Personally, I believe weapons should always be on hand."

Yuri waved his hand dismissively. "Using this hammer allows you to fight at your peak ability. Why compromise with any other weapon?"

"Wait a minute. First of all, I don’t think we’ll need the hammer. Second, why are you so obsessed with my choice of weapon?"

Gao Yi felt a sneaking suspicion that Yuri had his eye on the hammer and might secretly want to make off with it.

Yuri solemnly admitted, "I’ll confess—I’m a fan of yours. Now that we finally have another chance to take someone out, I hope you’ll use the hammer. Picture it: at the CIA’s Lanli headquarters, swinging your hammer to smash in the skull of a legendary spy. It’ll be epic! As your fan, I’d love to witness that."

"Huh?"

The expression on Gao Yi’s face was as if he were meeting Yuri for the first time. Yuri nodded again earnestly. "I admit, I want to see you smashing heads with that hammer. Just imagine."

Wielding Gao Yi’s hammer, Yuri made a casual swing in the air. Then he approached Gao Yi and handed him the hammer.

Gao Yi took the hammer, lost in thought. "And what about my gun?"

"Gun? What do you need a gun for?"

Completely at a loss, Gao Yi had the feeling Yuri didn’t take him seriously. Yet Yuri had just spent ages praising him, so what exactly did Yuri mean?

"I...I... What...what do you even want?"

Yuri pondered deeply for a long time and then finally declared, "I have to admit, I’m your fan. If there’s even the slightest chance of taking action, I hope you’ll use the hammer. Think of the spectacle—wielding the Warhammer inside the CIA’s Lanli headquarters...it would be legendary!"

Reluctantly, Gao Yi slipped the hammer onto his belt. However, sitting down with a hammer hanging from his waist was obviously uncomfortable.

Yielding to the earnest expectations of a fan, Gao Yi couldn’t bring himself to let Yuri down.

But such a request felt oddly out of place and a little inappropriate.

Yuri pulled a PB pistol out of his bag, slid it into his waistband, and said to everyone, "Our feelings may differ. Some of you might be used to frequent visits to the CIA headquarters. But for me, sneaking into CIA HQ is a rare, thrilling opportunity for someone from the KGB. Infiltrating the place, locating a target, and eliminating them—it’s something no other KGB operative has pulled off. As a KGB agent, this excites me and fills me with anticipation. Surely, that’s understandable?"

"Yeah, yeah, it’s understandable."

"It’s your first time—being a little excited makes sense."

Lucy picked up a bag and offered it to Yuri. "Want some candy? It’s really good."

Yuri waved her off, about to say something, when Xinfeng hesitantly spoke up, "What else do you have in your bag? No bombs, I hope? Why do I get the feeling you’re itching to blow up CIA headquarters? Is that my imagination?"

Yuri stayed silent.

Gao Yi froze for a moment, then said in shock, "You’re not seriously planning that, are you?"

"Just prepared, not actually planning to bomb CIA HQ."

Yuri sighed lightly. "After all, we’re now working with the CIA. It’s a pity, though—a rare opportunity wasted, despite its lack of purpose."