Chapter 219: Dancing with the Bear (Part 1) - Seeking Subscriptions

Should one really say that this is what is expected of a political strongman known as a "dictator"!

Facing such coercion from Sun Cheng, the sheer courage of his split-second decision-making could not help but earn him a measure of admiration.

Vladimir quickly displayed the methods of an iron-fisted president to the fullest; once the decision was made, the expression on his face immediately returned to its usual cold indifference.

"Everyone, listen to my order. Lower your weapons, cease fire..."

After shouting loudly to the soldiers outside who were attempting to charge in, he turned to Sun Cheng and said, "Mr. Frenzy, I need a little time to handle some trivial matters here. Would you mind waiting for me for half an hour with your subordinates?"

"Very well!"

Sun Cheng's eyes flickered slightly; he was not worried that Vladimir would go back on his word and take the opportunity to mobilize troops to eliminate him.

For this meeting, he had rehearsed it countless times in his mind over the past half-month, having long since considered every possible scenario he might encounter.

The Optical Stealth Net was only one of his many trump cards; the Space Bridge technology he had deliberately exposed was the biggest tiger skin he had pulled out to confuse outsiders.

At that moment, he waved his hand again with great confidence.

Behind him, the four Combat Robots immediately retracted their muzzles and, just as suddenly as they had appeared, vanished once more before Vladimir and his men.

They had, of course, been retracted by Sun Cheng back into the Spherical Space!

However, he himself was the only one who knew the trick behind it.

But the others present did not know this; the sudden disappearance of the four large and conspicuous Combat Robots, just like their sudden appearance, immediately caused a collective gasp of cold air to echo through the Presidential Residence.

Even Vladimir, who was struggling to maintain a cold expression, saw the corner of his eye twitch imperceptibly.

Humans are just such creatures, harboring immense fear toward things that are unknown and temporarily beyond their understanding.

After showing off this hand, Sun Cheng then looked at Vladimir and said in a flat tone, "I can wait here, or I can wait elsewhere. Mr. President, please do as you wish."

Vladimir nodded slightly, waved over a bodyguard, and instructed him in front of Sun Cheng: "Take Mr. Frenzy to the West Garden for a temporary rest; I will be there shortly!"

"Yes!"

The so-called West Garden was not the name of a garden, but a building within the Kremlin that was not open to the outside world. It was said that the place was originally the garden of the Tsar's royal family, which had been bombed during the Great Patriotic War due to German air raids. After the war ended, the Soviet Union government did not rebuild the garden, but instead constructed a villa-style building similar to a sanatorium on its original site.

Sun Cheng nodded, and after the bodyguard walked toward him with some trepidation, he followed him out.

Only after confirming that he had completely walked away did Vladimir's facial muscles twitch slightly, feeling that the tension that had been stifling his chest for so long had finally eased.

"Mr. President, what should we do..."

The head of the Presidential Residence's guard unit appeared before him only at this moment. Seeing him fully armed, it was clear that after receiving the intrusion alarm earlier, he had immediately gathered the armed forces within the residence to rush over and protect him.

Vladimir frowned as he looked at him; everything that had happened in the Presidential Residence today clearly left him filled with suppressed anger.

But he himself was also clear that, judging by the unfathomable nature Sun Cheng had displayed, even if an entire army came, they would not dare to say they could gain the upper hand.

He had no choice but to suppress the displeasure in his heart, let out a light snort, and ordered: "Send a team to guard the perimeter of the West Garden; no one is allowed to approach without my order. In addition, call a few people to invite the Defense Minister, the Security Bureau Director, the First Deputy Prime Minister, and General Girokoyev..."

"As for here..."

His gaze could not help but shift to the wall not far away that had just been breached by Sun Cheng, and the several squads of soldiers neatly lined up outside the wall; his brows could not help but furrow tightly.

"The sound of gunfire just now must have already been noticed by others. Tell the soldiers to stay inside the Presidential Palace and not to go out. You arrange for others to go over, close the Kremlin in advance, and at the same time notify the Guard Division to have them dispatch a regiment to temporarily blockade the Kremlin!"

"... Yes, I will go do it right away!"

Because the Russian Federation Presidential Palace and the Federal Government Building were both within the Kremlin, and a considerable area of the Kremlin was open to the public, tourists were allowed to enter for sightseeing during the day.

Therefore, just as Vladimir had guessed, when the sound of gunfire and alarms spread from the direction of the Presidential Residence, the entire Kremlin was immediately in a state of panic.

However, this also made it easier for Vladimir to contact the outside world.

When the summons from the Presidential Residence were sent out, the main members of the Vladimir Group took only ten minutes to gather at the Presidential Residence.

In a hidden office within the Presidential Palace.

Vladimir drank a glass of domestically produced Russian red wine before looking at the main members of his small group who had all arrived.

The people he had urgently summoned were few: Defense Minister Konashenkov, Federal Security Service Director Poladanovich, First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitri, and Moscow Military District Commander General Girokoyev.

Seeing that everyone's eyes were focused on him, Vladimir's face was very serious.

"I believe you all know about the gunfight that occurred in the Presidential Residence earlier!"

Everyone's hearts sank upon hearing this, but no one denied it, and they all nodded in tacit agreement.

Security Bureau Director Poladanovich was somewhat restless; he was one of Vladimir's absolute confidants. When Vladimir stepped down as Security Bureau Director to become Prime Minister, it was he who had been promoted to the position of Security Bureau Director.

Since the formation of the new Russian cabinet, even the Prime Minister had been replaced twice. Since the middle of this year, there had been rumors that Vladimir was increasingly dissatisfied with the current Prime Minister Mikhail, and there was news that he might be preparing to replace him with a new Prime Minister.

Even though there might be three Prime Ministers during Vladimir's tenure, he had remained in the position of Security Bureau Director for seven or eight years, which showed the President's trust in him.

Because of this, now that an intrusion and even a gunfight had occurred at the Presidential Residence, Poladanovich was undoubtedly the most restless of those present.

He bit the bullet and spoke first: "Mr. President, the Security Bureau has been monitoring the Chechen Armed Forces and foreign intelligence agencies' spies in Russia, but we failed to discover the hidden situation in time. This is my serious dereliction of duty. I request to resign as Security Bureau Director; please approve it!"

PS:

1. Thanks to readers 'BookFriend20170111185222775', 'Zihongzhiyi', and 'Renxiqushuidongliu' for their tips and support.

2. I came back a bit late today, but the two-chapter update remains the same; there will be another chapter in a while.