Chapter 46

Jonathan: "Can't we find them without evidence? I don't believe that the [Terrifying Shadow] and the Office of Super Natural Disaster Countermeasures can't figure it out if they work together."

Gordon: "The other side is the Soviet headquarters; they won't leave us any clues. Besides, it's more practical to guard against the Soviet bastards turning on us. If anything happens to the Paradise Island delegation, they will definitely blame the China branch for failing to do its job and leaking confidential information, which would lead to the negotiations being sabotaged by the Illuminati."

Lei Xiaogu: "That's right. If the mission fails, they will really do it. When that happens, you, Gordon, who is responsible for this task, will be the first to suffer. Then it will be 08 and 09, who are in charge of the foreign affairs department, followed by me, who is responsible for the spy war with the Illuminati. This way, they will eliminate all of us, and in the next Supreme Committee, there won't be any top-tier talents from the China branch, and the position of General Secretary will fall into the hands of the Soviet headquarters. (There is an unwritten rule in the organization that the same region cannot produce two consecutive General Secretaries to prevent the organization from falling into the hands of a single family and becoming their private property.)" —— hinting with his eyes

Gordon: "..." —— pretending not to hear, acting as if he didn't see

Lei Xiaogu: "..." —— couldn't help but urge, "Hey, snap out of it, what are you daydreaming about?"

Gordon: "I'm not daydreaming. Instead, you, stop dreaming. I won't beg for your help." —— firmly, pouting

Lei Xiaogu: "At this point, are you still being stubborn? We've worked together before. It's just a matter of saying, 'For the sake of the party and the country, help your brother out.' Can't you say it to me?" —— sulking

I (voiceover): "Hahaha, two old stubborn ones meeting each other, interesting, interesting."

Jonathan: "..." —— seeing this wasn't working, he went to beg Lea

Lea: "No problem. For the common good of the China branch, we naturally won't refuse." —— immediately agreeing

Gordon and Lei Xiaogu: "Who asked you to beg her / agree to it?" —— in unison

Jonathan: "Director Gao..."

Lea: "Father..."

Gordon and Lei Xiaogu: "Hmph!" —— in perfect sync

Finally, under the persuasion and mediation of Jonathan and Lea, the two old stubborn ones agreed to work together and overcome the difficulties (both knew that not cooperating was not an option).

Gordon: "Since we have to cooperate, let's talk about our plans. We need to coordinate to avoid conflicts and misunderstandings, which would lead to unnecessary internal friction. Lei Xiaogu, you go first, so I don't have to waste my brain cells guessing later." —— impatiently

Lei Xiaogu: "Why should I go first? You just got the relevant information from me and haven't made any plans yet, so you're just thinking on the spot, right?" —— sarcastically

Gordon: "Hmph, I can come up with several plans in a few minutes. I'm just being considerate and letting you go first so I can complement and fill in the gaps for you. Otherwise, I'm afraid that if I propose several plans at once, you won't be able to keep up and cooperate with me." —— retaliating

Lei Xiaogu: "You're just being stubborn. One day, you'll suffer for it."

Gordon: "One day? Ha, you know very well that day might never come." —— self-deprecatingly

Lei Xiaogu: "Pfft, pfft, pfft~ Really bad luck. I won't argue with you. I'll go first, I'll go first. My plan is simple, just two steps: lure the snake out of the hole and then close the door to beat the dog."

I (voiceover): "Lure the snake out of the hole and then close the door to beat the dog? Isn't the plan to arrange security for the Amazonian princess and her entourage? The old scholar is thinking of using the entire delegation as bait and setting traps around it to attract the enemy?"

Gordon: "So you're planning to take the initiative and set a trap."

Jonathan: "Take the initiative? Isn't it about strengthening security and waiting for the enemy?"

Gordon: "Lei Xiaogu's character is like a wolf—always taking the initiative rather than waiting to be attacked. His proactivity seems innate. Taking the initiative is his first survival philosophy. Passive defense and waiting to be attacked is not something he would do."

Lei Xiaogu: "As expected of an old rival, you really understand me. You're right, I never thought about strengthening the security of the hotel where the delegation is staying. The security there is already very tight, and strengthening it further would be redundant. Besides, the enemy is the Illuminati's superpowered agents. Putting all our forces in the open and concentrating them in the hotel is not a wise move; it would only lead to them being wiped out in one go."

Gordon: "Indeed, no matter how many traps and ambushes are set in the hotel, what use are they if the enemy can gather their forces and collapse the entire hotel from a distance? All the traps and ambushes would be useless, and we would just be creating a giant target."

Lei Xiaogu: "Exactly, so I hope you can explain the current situation to the Amazonian princess, let her know that these two have come to Gotham City, and ask her to play the role of the bait. We will protect her in secret and help her get rid of these two old enemies."

Gordon: "That's a good plan. These two are thorns in Dali's side, and she will definitely help us get rid of them." —— with a wicked smile

Lei Xiaogu: "And for them, Princess Dali is one of their two greatest enemies. If we use Dali as bait and create a weakness, they might not be able to resist attacking, which would disrupt the Illuminati's original plan and put us in control."

Jonathan: "Wait a moment, Princess Dali is the head of the delegation and has ambassadorial status. Using her as bait... what if something happens?" —— worried

I (voiceover): "Yes, if Dali is assassinated, everything will fail. Or do the old scholar and Gordon have absolute confidence in their plan?"

Gordon: "I know what you're worried about. Indeed, even if Lei Xiaogu and I work together, we can't guarantee the success of the plan, given that the enemy is the Illuminati. But this bait is different; it's Princess Dali of Paradise Island, the witch. You've only read about her abilities in the secret files of the [Pigeon Operation] and don't know her full capabilities. Let me tell you one thing: you don't need to worry about her safety because she will take action herself in a crisis."

Jonathan: "Oh, so Princess Dali can continue her scheduled tour of Gotham City tomorrow." —— intentionally letting it slip

Lei Xiaogu: "Scheduled tour? What plan? Did you get intelligence beforehand? Are you calculating against me?" —— suspicious

I (voiceover): "This Jonathan, you don't need to pass intelligence like that. It just causes mutual suspicion. What about your telepathic abilities? Or is it that Lei Xiaogu is wary of you and doesn't dare to reveal his mental defenses, like an a.t.field, for fear of being mentally controlled or having his thoughts read?"

Page break for AD

Page break for AD end