Chapter 2659 - 2633: Don’t Overthink It

Gray Cloak Man, Rule Keeper—just hearing these names reveals the profound meaning they possess.

Grey, between black and white, implies someone who is neither black nor white or perhaps both; it’s someone who deals with both sides. At least, that’s what Gao Yang thinks.

Yarebin mused, "Grey Cloak Man? Rule Keeper, Guardian. There’s something intriguing about these names."

Glewatov made a gesture and said gravely, "Grey Cloak Man is a colloquial term, commonly used within this organization. As for the name of the organization, well, it’s called the Kingdom, surely a shortened form, but that’s all I know."

Yarebin looked at Glewatov and said, "I didn’t know that. How did you find out?"

Glewatov seemed a bit embarrassed and hesitant, but soon he spoke apologetically, "Uh, it was 1986, the sixth day after the Chernobyl nuclear incident. I remember clearly; I had orders to investigate a high-ranking official suspected of leaking secrets abroad, an official of the intelligence system."

Yarebin pondered for a long time before exclaiming in surprise, "I wasn’t aware of this."

Glewatov appeared even more embarrassed and whispered, "I was ordered to investigate, uh, it was an order from Number One."

Yarebin was exceedingly astonished, "Number One? At the time, it was Victor Cheburikov!"

Glewatov nodded, "Yes, Victor secretly ordered me to begin the investigation alone. The target was Pavel Sav."

Yarebin said with a distant look, "I remember him, the secretary of the Director of Foreign Intelligence, Vladimir Kryuchkov?"

Glewatov said solemnly, "Your memory is excellent. Yes, it was him."

Yarebin nodded, "Not a high position nor powerful, but extremely important, capable of accessing many top-secret pieces of intelligence. Continue, what were you investigating about him? How did you investigate?"

Glewatov spoke softly, "There were suspicions that Pavel was a mole for the West, and the KGB had some evidence. But for some reason, the interrogation took place in secret, and I was the only one carrying it out, right in Pavel’s home. I was authorized to take all necessary measures, so I proceeded accordingly."

Yarebin smiled, "You were skilled in interrogation. I think indeed only you could have done such work at the time, continue."

Glewatov sighed and spoke seriously, "I went to his home, controlled Pavel’s wife and son. At first, Pavel was tight-lipped, but I didn’t take direct action against him. I believed he loved his wife and son very much, so I decided to break through by focusing on his son.

It was a straightforward method. I cut off his son’s fingers in front of Pavel, and when I got to the third one, Pavel began to break down. He screamed that he hadn’t betrayed the Grey Cloak Man. I was very interested in this claim, so I stopped to ask him who the Grey Cloak Man was. I forgot to mention, I didn’t reveal my identity when entering Pavel’s home."

Yarebin asked with interest, "What did he say?"

Glewatov shook his head and said, "Upon hearing my question, Pavel was extremely shocked, his broken spirit recovered, and he started rambling nonsense. It wasn’t until I cut off the seventh finger of his son that Pavel broke down again.

He said the Grey Cloak Man was the Rule Keeper, similar to the role of an Executioner, responsible for eliminating traitors and defectors. I asked which defectors, and Pavel said those of the Kingdom. At the time, I didn’t understand these terms, so I wanted to inquire about the matter in detail.

Pavel began to recount his actions of selling national intelligence. In 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, when Pavel had just entered the KGB, someone approached him, offered him a large sum of money, and used secrets he couldn’t reveal to coerce him, recruiting him to serve the Kingdom, asking him to provide all relevant intelligence on the Cuban Missile Crisis. I thought the Kingdom was some code name devised by Americans and didn’t pay particular attention."

Yarebin twirled his fingers and said, "Forget the details; focus on the essentials."

Glewatov paused for a moment, then finally spoke sternly, "Captain, at the critical stage of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, a mysterious organization proactively contacted the KGB we had in Western Europe, claiming they could provide America’s bottom line during the Cuban Missile Crisis and their expected reactions, with an asking price of ten million dollars. Eventually, the intelligence was sold at six million dollars, which proved accurate. You remember this incident, right?"

Yarebin was stunned for a moment and said, "I know and remember, it was classified. I understand now, Grey Cloak Man was them! Grey Cloak Man was the one who sold us the intelligence!"

Glewatov nodded, "Yes, exactly that. Pavel joined precisely this organization, but his status wasn’t high, merely a controlled mole. Pavel provided them with highly interesting real-world intelligence four times. Each transaction was settled in cash, the largest amount being fifty thousand dollars, the smallest five thousand."

Yarebin slowly nodded, "This isn’t the style we’re familiar with; the CIA wouldn’t only be interested in real-time intelligence. An undercover double agent in the KGB would mean Americans wanted more than simple things, and this isn’t how a mole would be protected."

Glewatov said gravely, "After Pavel became the secretary to the Director of Foreign Intelligence, his status rose, and his contact revealed more information to him, telling him that the Kingdom is a transnational organization that serves no country. At the same time, the Kingdom holds capabilities of assassination, erasing evidence, and even resolving issues by force."

Yarebin laughed, "They controlled a high-level secretary in the KGB, neither intending to break our spy network nor planning to implant more spies, only seeking real-time intelligence. So, everything is about money. What happened next?"

Glewatov spoke softly, "The interrogation was ongoing when I suddenly received orders to stop. In the end, I handed over Pavel and his family to the person sent by Number One and was strictly ordered never to disclose this, including to you. Since then, I’ve never met Pavel and his family."

After finishing, Glewatov spoke apologetically, "At the time, I thought this was just a minor issue, not necessary to defy Number One’s orders, and you weren’t in the country then either, so I didn’t report it. I’m truly sorry, Captain."

Yarebin started laughing and said, "No need to apologize, it really was just a minor matter."

Casually adding, Yarebin looked at Gao Yang and laughed, "You heard it. If you’re not foolish, then you should understand that an organization trading with both the KGB and CIA—even if it no longer exists, even if the Cleaners are a separate branch of this organization—my advice remains, don’t overthink, just honestly make deals with them."