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The partner went from being the KGB to two people running a private operation, which was a serious downgrade for the collaborators.

But downgrade or not, it was indeed harmless and beneficial to Gao Guang, for a simple reason: the KGB was an overwhelming entity that Gao Guang dared not provoke, but two people from within the KGB running a private op were something Gao Guang could handle.

Most crucially, after the money was spent, Baslov and Leaf's demeanour would have to change.

Now Baslov couldn't regard Gao Guang as a collaborative partner who might default on payment at any time. Gao Guang was the client who had paid out of his own pocket to pre-finance the operation and even provided an advance for settling in.