American Scandal King

Chapter 231 Interview with the Negotiation Team
Three full hours passed.

Ian came out of the box in a happy mood.

I looked downstairs and saw that the negotiation team was still there, and a group of people were talking to Balayev.

He went straight downstairs, walked to the big stage, pulled over a sofa with a swagger, and sat between the negotiation team and Balayev.

Barayev looked straight at Ian: "Ian Karl, you turned a sacred and serious action into a lewd meeting!"

He regrets it now.

You can't do this!

Ian laughed, "Don't mind it, everyone needs to relax, you're all too nervous."

As he said this, he looked at the negotiation team and said, "By the way, haven't you introduced them yet?"

There are three people in the negotiation team this time.

The Russian woman in the lead smiled and said, "Politkovskaya, a Russian journalist."

She spoke fluent English and needed no translator.

Ah!
I know you, you came after all.

The white-haired old man on the left said: “Romanov, consultant of the Russian Security Service, I have retired because this matter has come up again. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ian Carr, you have opened my eyes.”

Ian laughed and said, "You didn't see anything."

Romanov: “…”

Are we saying the same thing?

The middle-aged man on the right said, "Vasily, Deputy Director of the Liaison Office."

Ian nodded: "How was the conversation?"

Politkovskaya smiled wryly. "There's been no progress. The only thing Barayev can give up is the ransom, and the only thing we can accept is the ransom."

Come on, are you kidding me about 100 billion US dollars?

Even the United States can't afford this price.

If kidnapping can make so much money, I'll do it too.

Ian then waved to Vincent, signaling him to hand over the camera: "Ms. Politkovskaya, can I ask you a few questions?"

Politkovskaya was stunned.

You still want to interview me?

As an excellent war correspondent, this lady is undoubtedly extremely courageous and is used to interviewing everything, but she is still a little uncomfortable with this situation.

She shook her head slightly: "We are not suitable for interviews."

Ian chuckled. "There are only inappropriate questions, not inappropriate interviews. Don't worry, it's not a live broadcast, it can be edited. Natasha, you translate for Mr. Barayev. If he feels the questions are inappropriate, he can stop them."

Natasha came over and stood next to Barayev, exchanging a glance with the Romanov.

So Ian asked, "Ms. Politkovskaya, do you still hope for a peaceful resolution to this incident?"

Politkovskaya didn't expect Ian to ask such a pointed question right away. She was slightly stunned, then said, "Of course, I still hope this matter can be resolved peacefully."

"But there's no point in just hoping, right?" Ian laughed. "If the negotiations don't work out, will you just force your way in?"

The three of them were silent at the same time.

Natasha hesitated.

Ian looked at her, and she translated the words reluctantly.

So Balayev looked at them with a gloomy and serious expression - he was very concerned about this issue!

After thinking for a moment, Politkovskaya finally said, "That's not for us to decide."

Ian immediately said, "That means it's very likely, right? Do you know what the consequences would be? Many people might die as a result."

Politkovskaya looked at him in surprise.

What do you mean?
Didn’t you agree that you would help us secretly?

On the contrary, Ekaterina and Natasha understood a little.

When not broadcasting live, Ian will appear to be helping Barayev.

He would try his best to gain Balayev's trust. Sure enough, Balayev glared at them fiercely and whispered, "You won't rescue a single hostage!"

Romanov sighed softly, "That's not our job."

Ian chuckled. "But you have an obligation to avoid this situation. Let me tell you what will happen if a peaceful solution can't be achieved. You might choose to storm in, but the people here are already fearless of life and death. They've installed a large amount of explosives and have remote detonators. It only takes a second to blow up the building, killing countless people."

Balayev was stunned. How do you know this?

But when I think about it, I don’t want to know about this kind of thing. I can guess it right just by guessing.

Ian continued: "Of course you can also choose to use anesthetic gas to anesthetize everyone."

Balayev's expression changed slightly, and Romanov and others were also shocked.

Ian seemed unaware that he had only half guessed right, and continued, "But there's a problem with anesthesia: people's physiques are different. If the anesthetic gas isn't strong enough, the Chechens might not immediately pass out and have enough time to detonate the bomb. If it's too strong, many people will die! This also means that the Russian special forces will kill most of the hostages here with their own hands! Are you sure you want to take such a risk?"

Now not only Barayev, but even the hostages were shocked.

Are we going to be killed by our own special forces?
Politkovskaya tried to calm down. "All of this is just groundless speculation on your part, Mr. Ian Carr. Are you going to stop this for the sake of your own life?"

She deliberately brought the situation to Ian's head, and it was obvious that she was a little angry about what Ian said.

He exposed the special forces' action plan, which likely meant the failure of the operation.

Ian chuckled softly, "No, I don't care about death. Do I look like someone who's afraid of death?"

Politkovskaya took a long breath. "Of course you're not."

Ian nodded. "So you see, I just suggest you play it safe. After all... I'm here!"

If we really talk about status, Ian Carr is the one with the highest status in the entire theater.

If the Russians kill him, it might cause a diplomatic storm.

The White House would be happy to use this as an excuse to attack Russia, so this is no longer just a question of Ian Carr's side. Even if Ian Carr does not stand on Russia's side, the Russians cannot let him die.

You bastard, you could have left!
Ian smiled and said, "It seems you don't like my question very much. Then let me ask something else. Mr. Romanov, what made you reappear on the stage of history after retiring?"

"The country's mission." The old man answered resolutely.

Ian's tone softened considerably in the following questions.

He had achieved his goal, so he ended the interview after asking some questions on various topics.

Leaving the rest to the negotiation team to continue negotiations with Barayev, Ian returned to the hostages.

He talked to them one by one and comforted everyone.

"Don't worry, nothing will happen, we can all leave safely." Ian held the hostages' hands one by one and spoke to them, as if he was a leader giving them comfort.

"What if the special forces really attack in the way you described?" asked an old man.

Ian laughed and said, "They might have done so, but now that I've pointed it out, Barayev is prepared, so they can't do it anymore."

Everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Although no one thought that the powerful Russia would bow its head, at least Ian had won them another chance.

This made everyone look at Ian Karl with gratitude.

Even Barayev thanked him in his heart... He had to admit that what Ian said was very likely!

A young actress from the Grand Theatre troupe came to Ian, hugged him, and sobbed, "Mr. Carl, thank you so much. My name is Stokaya. If I can come back alive from this disaster, I..."

She didn't say anything else, but just looked at Ian with her bright big eyes flashing.

Understand!
You want to taste my limits!

Ian smiled: "Of course. I promise you will survive. This is Ian Karl's promise."

As he said this, he looked back at Vincent, who gave him a thumbs up, indicating that everything was recorded.

The whole day passed in tension and fear.

The negotiation team ultimately failed to reach any agreement with Balayev and returned empty-handed, only having some food delivered.

Everyone spent the night in fear and anxiety.

Apart from the Chechen militants, only Ian Carr remained cool.

The sound of beautiful women's moans could be heard again during the night, so much so that many people wondered if this was Ian's disguise - not to doubt his composure, but to confuse his physical strength.

(End of this chapter)