What Preparation Have You Made?

Yang Yi was still waiting to meet John after more than two hours. He was told he would only have to wait for an hour.

It started raining outside while he was waiting. The rain grew torrential as every second passed. Rainstorms were common in London. Yang Yi bought another cup of coffee; he took a sip while watching the store's main entrance.

A man wearing a trench coat and a Western-style hat pushed open the door and entered the store. He took a glance around the store and spotted Yang Yi. He walked over and whispered, "Is it you?"

"It is me."

The rain outside was not lessening. The man took off the hat he was wearing and hung his coat on the coat stand beside him. He waved his hand at Yang Yi who had stood up and said, "I am John Jones."

"I am Yang Yi."

John's hair was already white. He looked to be in his sixties. Despite his age, his hair was well kept and he was dressed respectably. He was so well groomed he gave Yang Yi a very comfortable feeling.

John gave a gentle smile with an apologetic expression on his face. He sat on the opposite side of the table and said, "I am sorry I have kept you waiting. The weather is really bad tonight."

"Yeah. Thanks for meeting me even though the weather is bad."

John's smile solidified after Yang Yi spoke. He spread his hands apart and said, "Your dad was not someone people could easily befriend. He was also not someone people could speak to with ease. I didn't want to meet you, but I came since your dad told you to meet me. It is best that I meet you at least once. Otherwise, I might have to pay a price I cannot afford. That is why I am here."

Yang Yi's expression hardened. He was not sure how to respond to John's statement.

John ordered a cup of coffee from the waitress. Once he was done he said to Yang Yi, "I am here now, you can say whatever it is you have to say."

Yang Yi did not have any idea where to start. He froze for a moment and thought about it before replying, "I might need your help."

John nodded, "I anticipated that. Please continue."

"I…"

Yang Yi felt like he had no control over the flow of the meeting. He was like a tender infant compared to a veteran spy like John. Any attempt by him to control the meeting's flow would only end in disgrace.

He did not have the ability to control the flow or conceal anything. He could only be straightforward. There were no other alternatives.

Yang Yi spread out his hands and softly said, "The matter is not complicated. Eleven years ago, both of my parents passed away. I recently found out the truth regarding their deaths. I want to avenge them, but to execute my revenge I need to become a spy. I am looking for someone to guide me. That is why I called. The only person I have found is you."

John inhaled and said, "Revenge? Not only is your decision terrible, but it is also pointless. It will put the people around you in unnecessary danger. I am not sure how I could help you at all. To be frank, if you are looking for someone to help you seek revenge, you have found the wrong person. I will definitely not assist you in any way."

Yang Yi replied, "I am not asking you to assist me in my revenge. I just want to learn about the espionage profession and enter the spy world.

John stared at Yang Yi. He thought for a moment before asking, "Who are you seeking revenge against?"

"I do not know. I only know my dad was poisoned and died. It was later covered up as a car accident. My mom was also poisoned. Her death was disguised as a mere heart attack. I am sorry, but I have no idea who the culprit is."

John shook his head, "Young man, you should at least be honest when you are asking for help."

"I truly do not know."

"No, you are lying. You know. Please do not test my patience or my perception. I can understand if you do not want to reveal the whole truth given your current position, but I would like to know the truth regarding at least this. You are asking for my help, but I can choose not to help you. So, you should tell me the truth."

Yang Yi felt like he was being controlled. Then again it was not like he had a choice. He also did not have the ability to hide anything. He could not even lie in front of the other party because he would be found out.

"Fine. It is probably Men in Grey. It is only a possibility since I do not know anything other than their name."

John's expression was doubtful. He asked, "Men in grey… what is that? Or is it a who?"

Was it possible for John to not know of the Men in Grey?

Yang Yi, who felt even more hesitant now, said, "I am not sure as I only know the name. It could be an organization or a person. The truth is I only know this much."

John stared at Yang Yi before replying, "Fine. I believe you only know this much. I do not know who the men in grey are and I do not want to find out. Therefore, I will not be involved in your revenge. We should discuss what you want now."

Yang Yi coughed softly, "I just want to be a spy. I want to be an independent spy, not a spy that serves a country. I am not sure what the term for that kind of spy is within the profession, but I would like to become that kind of spy."

John replied with a smile, "There is no special term because there is no distinction between spies. Also, nobody will care who employs you. Of course, spy is just a general term. There are obviously differences between spies. For example, I am a corporate spy while your dad was an information broker. He acquired and sold information. Strictly speaking, he would not be considered a spy, but the profession could not function without information brokers."

Yang Yi nodded in acknowledgment. John continued, "How did your dad describe me? Did he tell you about me in his last moments or was it some other time? Either way, I want to know what he said."

"He only said you could be trusted. He left me your name and number, but he did not say anything else."

"Were they his last words?"

"It was part of a cryptogram he left behind. There were only a few words, names, and numbers after it was deciphered."

John took a deep breath and said helplessly, "I do not know if being selected by your dad can be considered a blessing or not."

Yang Yi was smart enough not to respond. John continued his voice growing more helpless, "Please forgive me for being direct, but your dad was not a person that was easy to get along with. He was ruthless. I would definitely have never refused any of his requests if he were alive. Now that he has been dead for so many years, I have to consider carefully what to do since you have appeared and requested my help."

"That is understandable."

Yang Yi looked very calm while John seemed like he was in agony.

John said after a period of time passed, "Your dad knew a lot of people. He was very powerful when he was alive. At the time, I was just a small, trivial and insignificant character in front of him."

John described the difference in his status and Yang Yi's dad. He then continued miserably, "But your dad actually left you my contact information. God, I really hope he did not value me that much. I am just a small corporate spy."

Yang Yi did not speak when John stopped talking. Young people usually were overconfident and did not know their limits. Yang Yi, fortunately, knew his own limits and felt that it was best for him to remain silent. He was not the type to easily disclose his opinion.

John shook his head, "Your dad was a demon. He had the ability to read people and saw right through me. He knew how I would act in this situation. I really do not want to have any contact with you, but I cannot ignore you and not help. Not only did your dad help me out once, he even saved my life."

John was obviously reluctant. He waved his hand and helplessly said, "Your dad knew that I would repay my debt to him. That is why he arranged for me to be part of his contingency plans for you before he died, right?"

Yang Yi replied hesitantly, "Yes."

John took a deep breath and said, "Fine, I did owe your dad a favor. I can only repay his son in this situation. It is extremely foolish for the son of an information broker to think about revenge. You should not even have such thoughts. My advice to you is to give up."

Yang Yi replied without hesitation, "I have waited eleven years for an opportunity. I will never give up."

John waved his hand, "You said you would like to become a spy. So, tell me what skills do you have?"

Yang Yi thought for a moment before cautiously asking, "Does a good memory count?"

"It does not count. Having a good memory is a talent, not a skill. What I meant to ask is what are you good at?"

Yang Yi replied cautiously again, "Driving. My driving skill is very good."

"Well, what else?"

"There is nothing else…"

What Yang Yi said was inconceivable to John. He looked at Yang Yi in confusion, "I... am lost. You told me that you have waited eleven years to seek revenge. You also want to be a spy, but you told me you only have one skill. What have you done for the past eleven years? Have you only thought about what you want to do? Young man, revenge is not something you can achieve by just thinking about it."

Yang Yi said solemnly, "I only found out the cause of my parents' deaths a few days ago. For the past eleven years, I only suspected their deaths were abnormal. I did not make seeking revenge my life goal since it was only a suspicion. What could I learn when I didn't even know what I should learn?"

John smiled wryly, "So, you are a complete rookie who is clueless about the field of espionage. Despite that, you still came running to me saying you want to be a spy. All this to seek revenge on an enemy whom you cannot even identify."

Yang Yi was not willing to admit it, but he nodded nonetheless, "That is the case. On a positive note, I am a fast learner. I have the ability to learn anything very quickly. I want to learn everything that you can teach me. My desire for revenge is strong, but I am not in a hurry. I have no intention to commit suicide and my mind is not clouded by hatred."

John nodded in acknowledgment, "Well, you are smart for a rather young man. I was worried about you simply being an idiot who just wanted to seek revenge without actually knowing anything. It is great that you are not an idiot."