Mercenary’s War

If things come to an impasse, then something’s fishy. Gao Yang is just reluctant to speak too readily. After all, it’s not like they are going to start fighting. Even Sergei probably wouldn’t dare put him under house arrest. So even if it’s a deadlock, what of it?

At that moment, it was Lebyazhef who broke the stalemate.

Lebyazhef looked seriously at Sergei, then at Gao Yang, who was smiling slightly. Then Lebyazhef spoke softly, "Captain, may I say something? May I speak a few words?"

Sergei’s eyes almost bulged out. He looked at Gao Yang, then at the stern-faced Lebyazhef, and blurted out, "Is he really the captain? He’s your captain!"

Gao Yang replied blandly, "You are permitted to speak."

It seemed that Gao Yang still respected Lebyazhef, but their statuses were quite clear. Sergei clenched his teeth immediately, looking very shocked, with an air of defiance about Gao Yang’s higher position over Lebyazhef.

Lebyazhef murmured, "Sergei was once my trainee. I had a high opinion of him, which is why he made a deep impression on me. The main thing is that I once personally instructed him, so he is not an outsider to me. Personally, I think he’s still trustworthy."

Gao Yang sighed and frowned at Lebyazhef, speaking quietly, "You’re an old intelligence officer, and you shouldn’t make such simple mistakes."

Sergei looked angry, but Lebyazhef’s expression was pleading. He spoke quietly, "Captain, this matter is actually simple. We’re all serving the country. If we don’t cooperate just because we’re in different departments, it can only harm national interests. Captain, a simple introduction to clear up any misunderstandings wouldn’t cause any problems. I trust Sergei and I’m willing to vouch for him."

Gao Yang sighed, shook his head helplessly, and said with a bitter smile, "If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t compromise, but for you... fine, just provide a brief introduction."

Gao Yang looked at Sergei, pursing his lips in thought for a moment, then suddenly said, "You’ve probably already guessed why we’re here. Yes, it’s to divert Saudi Arabia’s attention and open up the situation for us in Syria, creating a favorable scenario. It already seems to be yielding the expected results; the pressure on us in Syria has greatly diminished."

Sergei immediately said, "I must admit, you’ve done quite a good job."

Gao Yang said, "As for the rest, I don’t have much to say. We are individuals without nationality; we don’t work for Russia. We do whatever we want. If it happens that what we do benefits Russia, well, that’s purely a coincidence, nothing more. We say this to the Houthis and the Iranians, and we’re saying it to you too."

Sergei said solemnly, "At this point, you still can’t give even the slightest hint about your origins? Not even a subtle clue?"

Gao Yang frowned and asked, "Is it necessary?"

"Absolutely necessary."

Gao Yang looked at Sergei and then pondered deeply. Finally, he said, "I can’t say because it’s classified. Your security clearance doesn’t entitle you to know our identities. This is for your own good, buddy. Trust me, unless you wish to be confined to an office and never go on a field mission again. This is a warning and it’s the truth. Are you sure you insist on knowing my identity?"

Lebyazhef suddenly said, "He didn’t lie, nor is he threatening you."

Their tandem approach somewhat intimidated Sergei. After a moment of hesitation, he reluctantly said, "But if I just give up investigating you, it will be hard to explain to my superiors. This..."

Gao Yang raised his hand to stop Sergei from speaking further. Then he looked at Lebyazhef, who almost pleaded, "Captain, he really was my student. Can’t you give him a little hint, please?"

Gao Yang sighed and said, "Alright, alright, but you know what to do, right?"

Lebyazhef immediately looked at Sergei and sternly said, "You can’t speak of anything here to anyone. You can’t mention the conversation here to anyone, including your superiors. You must report directly to the director, and also, is there any video or audio recording here?"

Sergei hesitated, then gently nodded.

Lebyazhef sternly asked, "Is there a real-time connection?"

"No..."

"Take it out!"

After some hesitation, Sergei produced four miniature recording devices from around the room.

Lebyazhef took the four miniature devices from Sergei and said to Gao Yang, "Captain, he’s shown sincere intent; please help him. Otherwise, he really can’t report back. You should understand."

Gao Yang exhaled and said to Sergei, "You’re with GRU, so do you currently report to GRU or the Foreign Intelligence Service?"

"GRU."

"Call your director and say you’re in Yemen. Have him call this number. He knows whose number it is, and he can inquire about our identities from this person."

Sergei hesitated, causing Lebyazhef to be quite unhappy but still concisely said, "Have you forgotten the confidentiality principles you were taught? Make the call now, here, immediately!"

Sergei immediately pulled out a cellphone, walked a few steps back, and turned his back to Gao Yang and the others while making a call, whispering a few words before hanging up.

Sergei seemed very nervous because contacting the highest leader by overstepping ranks is taboo. Yet, he had no choice but to make the call, having no courage or reason to refuse in front of Lebyazhef.

Soon the phone rang again. Sergei eagerly answered the call, and his expression turned quite interesting. After hanging up, he solemnly bowed to Gao Yang and said, "Sorry, sir, for the trouble."

Gao Yang waved his hand with a smile, "It’s fine, it’s fine, buddy. We’re all the same, just here on missions. It’s just that my mission has a higher security clearance causing some trouble, but now that it’s resolved, no need to be too polite. Like I said, we’re individuals without nationality; how could I be your superior?"

Sergei nodded, then he solemnly addressed Gao Yang, "Mr. Peter Ram, I won’t say much else, but I hope you can provide some assistance so that it will be more convenient for us to conduct operations in Yemen in the future. Once again, I emphasize that your work is exceptional, and many people back home now see the benefit of keeping Saudi Arabia’s focus on Yemen. Besides verifying your identity, another significant task for my visit is to continue everything you’ve done in Yemen, at least to avoid ruining the scenario you’ve created. So earlier, even if you said nothing, I wouldn’t really pose any threat to you. I apologize once again."

Gao Yang replied solemnly, "With that said, then we ought to have a good conversation. But first, I need to confirm your identity, Mr. Sergei Leonov!"

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