13

The moment Yuri became friends with him, I learned just how influential Lipovsky could be. Maksim knows everyone and is friends with the whole army. Yuri, on the other hand, has never felt at ease, except in Maksim’s company and, now, with the newcomer. After a certain incident a few years ago, he had to have reparative surgery and drew further into himself. Until Maksim took it upon himself to get him out of his funk. Unknowingly, Lipovsky has been helping with that, too. And Yuri is an influential strategist in my arsenal. So whenever he’s in a good mood, I can count on getting the best results from him. “He’s useful,” I tell Viktor. He looks at me as if I’m the fruit of Satan and an unruly hooker, not bothering to hide the map of disgust covering his face. “He’s a fucking weakling who spends twice as much time to do the same activities the others do.” “It’s one point five now. Not twice.” “Still more than needed.” “You weren’t born a mountain, Viktor. Improvement takes time.” He nar