Chapter 2713: 2687: Symbol
The long-awaited news never came. By evening, Gao Yang could wait no longer and left alone. He needed to meet Baskov.
Originally, he planned to see Baskov during the day, but Baskov had things to do and couldn’t just wait for Gao Yang alone. So, Gao Yang had to wait until the evening. Fortunately, it wouldn’t delay too many things.
In the VIP waiting room of a famous high-end custom suit shop in Moscow, Gao Yang sat quietly on a sofa, his eyes staring straight ahead but unfocused; he was lost in thought.
Finally, there was a knock on the door. Gao Yang’s gaze quickly sharpened, and he looked toward the door.
The door opened, and Baskov walked in, holding a suit cover in one hand and a briefcase in the other.
Gao Yang stood up. Baskov sighed lightly, directly placing the case on the sofa beside Gao Yang, and then said in a low voice, “It’s very safe here.”
Baskov opened the suit cover, revealing a general’s uniform inside, preserved in excellent condition, as if it were new.
Looking at the uniform, Baskov said solemnly, “This is the Captain’s only set of general’s uniform. Very new, because he rarely had the chance to wear it. When the Captain left the nursing home, he took nothing with him. I went and brought this uniform home. No one knows; there’s no problem.”
Gao Yang nodded and said, “Good.”
Baskov handed the uniform to Gao Yang, then grabbed a new suit cover from the side. After placing the uniform inside together, he said in a low voice, “Don’t let anyone see this uniform.”
“Understood.”
Baskov sat down, took the briefcase, gestured for Gao Yang to sit, and opened the case.
Inside was a large cap, a pair of leather shoes, and inside the large case was a small case. Baskov took out the small case and said, “Here are the medals.”
Slowly, Baskov opened the medal case. Unable to help himself, Gao Yang said, “Is this… the Soviet Hero Gold Star Medal?”
Baskov nodded, “Yes, four of them.”
In a low voice, Gao Yang said, “Four Gold Star Medals; shouldn’t he have a full statue in his hometown?”
The Soviet Hero Gold Star Medal, made of gold, awarded for heroic deeds in establishing the Soviet Union, was the highest honor for Soviet citizens. It had to be worn above all other medals. A second Gold Star Medal came with a Lenin Medal and a half-body bronze statue in the hometown for those who received it twice.
And Yarebin had four Soviet Hero Gold Star Medals.
Baskov ignored Gao Yang’s amazement, taking out a small box. Opening it, he took out a medal with a black shield as the base, crossed golden swords, and a red star on top.
Gao Yang didn’t know what this medal was, so he asked in a low voice, “What is this?”
Baskov replied softly, “Every Black Demon receives this medal, but the Captain’s is different because it has a red star on it. Designed and awarded personally by Brezhnev, it’s the least awarded medal by the Soviet Union, only one, awarded to Yarebin.”
Gao Yang was somewhat agitated. Baskov continued, “This medal is very important, extremely important.”
Gao Yang said softly, “I understand. Let this medal accompany the teacher…”
Baskov suddenly grabbed Gao Yang by the clothes, solemnly saying, “No! Do not let this medal enter the grave! Keep it as a keepsake, carry it with you. The other medals don’t matter; only this one, only this one medal can symbolize Yarebin’s glory! This glory cannot be buried!”
After speaking, Baskov exhaled and then said softly, “When the Captain entered the nursing home, he took only this uniform and this medal, nothing else. I wanted to keep it myself, but I decided to give it to you because you are the Captain of the Black Demon. Keep this medal and carry it when sending the Captain off. This is a legacy that cannot be buried.”
Gao Yang thought for a moment, then nodded, “Okay!”
Baskov let out a long exhale, said softly, “The other medals I found in the Captain’s dormitory, found during a search. There are Lenin Medals, Red Star Medals, Order of the Red Banner, Order For Service to the Homeland. Brezhnev really liked giving people medals…”
After a moment of silence, Baskov’s expression was very strange, then he said softly, “These medals, in truth, the Captain didn’t care about, nor do I, because medals are for others to see. Let them be buried with him.”
Gao Yang asked softly, “Is there anything else to note?”
Baskov shook his head, then asked softly, “Are you sure you can do it?”
“Still working on it, it’s hard to say, but there’s hope.”
Baskov replied softly, “Alright, do your best. I’ll wait for news. If it really can’t be done, tell me.”
After speaking, Baskov gestured with his hand, saying softly, “You go, exit through the front door. A cardboard box is prepared for the case outside. I’ll leave a little later.”
Gao Yang stood up, nodded, picked up the case and clothes, and headed out, but as he reached the door, Baskov suddenly said, “Wait!”
Gao Yang turned around to look at Baskov, whose face showed conflict. He slowly stood up and, after a moment of hesitation, slowly drew a pistol from his waist.
Holding the gun by the barrel, with the grip facing outwards, Baskov said softly, “This is the Captain’s sidearm, not his primary weapon. We almost never had primary weapons, but this pistol was awarded to the Captain.”
It was a Makarov pistol, all black, very delicate, presumably a pistol worn by generals, but the one in Baskov’s hand was a bit different. The difference lay in that the five-pointed star on the grip was red, while on a standard Makarov, the star matched the grip’s color.
Gao Yang looked at Baskov with a questioning gaze. After some hesitation, Baskov said softly, “This pistol should also be yours. Initially, I didn’t want to tell you, thought to keep it to myself, but now I think you should know. But, can I have this gun? Can I keep it?”
Gao Yang, a gun lover, faced the dilemma of the fact that this was Yarebin’s only pistol.
Gao Yang had a really hard time agreeing, but seeing the pleading look in Baskov’s eyes, Gao Yang took a deep breath and finally nodded, “Then keep it as a memento, preserve it well.”
Baskov exhaled deeply, while immediately reinserting the pistol into his waist, and said solemnly, “I will definitely do so! Thank you, you can leave now.”
Gao Yang forced a smile, was about to turn to leave, when his phone rang.
“It’s safe here, answer your phone.”
Gao Yang put down the box, answered the phone, and heard Uriyangko’s urgent voice, “Come back quickly, we’re about to go see him!”
Gao Yang looked at Baskov, then said softly, “The message came through, there’s now a seventy percent chance for this thing. Goodbye, wait for my news.”