Fatal Strike: Paladins Mercenary Road

Chapter 178: Pursuing Clues
Shanying didn't care what Sergei said because the symbolic meaning of the pistol and bullets was much greater than their practical significance.

Sergei's backup gun is also CZ75, but the one he uses is 9mm caliber, which is different from the 10mm caliber that Shanying is used to.

But this is not important, what is important is the attitude!

Giving them pistol bullets would mean that they were Shanying's accomplices. Once Shanying shot and killed someone, they would have to bear the responsibility of dealing with official investigations.

Only when both parties can assume responsibilities to each other can they cooperate sincerely!
Shanying put away the gun and bullets without hesitation, then said with a smile: "This firepower is not enough. If I provide some useful clues, can you give me some decent weapons?"

Sergei was stunned for a moment, shook his head awkwardly and said, "We have no way to apply for extra spears."

Sergei looked at Shanying and said curiously, "You are a mercenary who came to Moscow to work. Not long after arriving at the hotel, you got a pistol. Can't you get a rifle?"

Shanying spread his hands and said, "Of course I can, but won't that cost me my own money?
And buying guns in front of two big Russian agents and moving around in Moscow, I'm worried that this behavior is somewhat disrespectful to you?"

Sergei was stunned for a moment. He knew that what Shanying said was bullshit, but he was actually quite moved...

Then he thought for a moment and said, "If you think it might be useful in our cooperation, then you should need it..."

Sergey's words were not fluent, but his meaning was very clear...

If you feel the need, you can go buy a gun, but you cannot do anything with the gun after buying it. You can only use it when we are with you.

This is the state of people in the system when their bottom line is breached...

Once there is a first time, there will be a second time, and it will definitely be more in-depth!

If one fails to make good use of social skills and repeatedly breaks the bottom line of people within the system, it will cause boredom and vigilance.

But if used well, you can form a solid alliance of interests with people within the system!

Two rookies who were marginalized in a relatively simple system like that of Great Russia could never beat Shanying, a veteran who had made it in the system.

Their personalities were understood in no time, and then they were led by the Mountain Eagle again and again to do things that were not in keeping with their status.

But Russia has its own national conditions!

Doing something out of the ordinary in Russia is nothing, especially for the Russian intelligence agencies.

Shanying stayed in St. Petersburg for a long time, and he could clearly realize that the political situation in Great Russia was a typical state of "you can't do things well without corruption."

It is a bit of an exaggeration to say that officials at all levels are accepting bribes, but when it comes to non-core issues, it is true that corruption does not lead to any work, and it is the norm.

Even the common people in Russia have gotten used to it. It's similar to the years when my hometown was developing the fastest. It seems that it's abnormal for officials not to ask for money...

Many people even say, "We are not afraid of your greed, but we are afraid of your inaction."

This sounds reasonable, but in fact, without the dividends of the development of the times, corruption will be a deadly poison that slows down development.

The Western world has done a good job in combating corruption at the grassroots level. Although its efficiency is not high, the lack of corruption and extortion will make most people who just want to live a reasonable and legal life feel comfortable.

Therefore, the West has become the ideal country for many people, and has attracted many technical elites to immigrate there.

But in fact, when this group of people reach their development ceiling, they will find that the Western world, because of its completely different operating model, has created the most powerful corruption group in the world.

It's just that these corrupt groups exist legally in the form of capital groups combined with the revolving door of politics and business. They can easily influence national policies and introduce bills...

The political cash and invitations to speak that are displayed in the open are only the most superficial legal corruption. Officials from functional departments become corporate consultants after retiring, and receiving high salaries and even shares is only part of the revolving door between politics and business.

The real beneficiaries are those who use their power to influence the direction of the national budget!
For example, in the United States, from time to time someone would jump out, waving a report compiled by a guy with good writing skills, and vigorously advocating a certain threat theory, and then soon a special budget worth hundreds of millions would be approved.

This is how America's military-industrial complex was grown, and it has even become an existence that is difficult to get rid of.

Long-term legal corruption among senior elites will devour a country's hard power at a faster rate.

Otherwise, considering America's performance in several wars in Iraq, its military spending of $8000 billion a year, and its astronomical special budget, how could it be stuck in a miserable place like Afghanistan?

If you convert the money they claim to have spent into coins and sprinkle it into Aqung Khan, the Taliban will be drowned.

Anyone who has done business in Russia knows that Russia sucks and is getting worse!

This country, where oligarchs prevail, has a very single economic model, and relies on corruption from top to bottom to promote the development of its industries.

Otherwise, if Russia has top hackers and programmers, why can't it produce top Internet companies?
Russia has the best system engineers in the world, so why doesn't its heavy industry have anything to show for it? If managing a country is likened to farming, then corruption directly drains nutrients from the soil, leading to reduced or even no food production.

Under such national conditions, Sergei, whose bottom line had been breached time and again, did not feel particularly uncomfortable physically.

The Eagle, who had gradually reached the limit of Sergei's endurance, was in a very good mood...

He smiled at Sergei and Selina, then walked into the room and took out the AK-105 and VSS sniper rifle from the Master Chief system...

The buttstock of the AK-105 was folded up and put into a quick-convertible tactical backpack along with several magazines, and the VSS was placed into a gun box along with several special magazines.

Then Shanying took the two bags out of the room, sat back on the sofa and placed the bags directly at his feet.

Seeing Sergei's surprised look, Shanying said with a smile: "You should have heard of the 'Weapons Bank'. I am their customer..."

When Selina was about to ask a question, Shanying took out his phone and checked the tattoo on the inside of the female thief's arm. He also took out a room card and said, "This is what the female thief had...

When I went in, the woman was already dead, but she left these clues behind.”

Selina picked up Shanying's phone, enlarged the photo and looked at it carefully, then frowned and handed the phone to Sergei, saying, "This tattoo is in Hebrew, and the words are not related. I have seen something similar in the archives..."

Shanying listened and said with interest: "What on earth is this? The female thief was about to die, but she still showed me this tattoo, which means this tattoo is very important."

Selina thought for a moment and said, "Before the collapse of the Soviet Union, KGB spies were active in Western Europe for a long time. In order to conceal their identities, some of them would hand over some important items to an underground bank opened by the Haredi people for safekeeping, so there are records in the archives.

The Hebrew on this tattoo is several unrelated words...

Woman, eagle, desert, loneliness.

If my guess is true, then this should be a secret code, corresponding to which there should be a set of digital passwords and a key.

That's how you get into a Haredi-run underground bank and open a safe."

Selina looked at Shanying with a strange expression and said, "If what I guess is true, then where are the password and key?
Why would this woman want to show you something so important?

This room card is not from the Four Seasons Hotel, but from another hotel nearby. It should be able to open the door of a hotel room. What's in there?"

Shanying shook his head and said, "How should I know?

Maybe she thinks I'm a good person with a sense of justice, so she wants me to do justice for her.

I think if what you said is true, then the other half of the password and key should be in the possession of the male thief.

The two thieves stored the stolen items in a safe, and then kept the secret code, password, and key separately, which is in line with the tone of this kind of people. "

Shanying looked at Sergei and said, "Where is the body of the guy who died at the airport?
If this room card is the safe house they set up in advance, it might contain clues about the person who hired them.

If we follow the clues of these two thieves, we may be able to find our target."

After hearing this, Sergei immediately picked up his phone and made a call...

A minute later, Sergei looked at Shanying and said, "The body has been sent for autopsy. I'll drive..."

Shanying was invited to see the body, but he said with little interest: "You are responsible for checking the body to see if there is any code tattoo on it..."

Shanying looked at Selina and said with a smile, "Let's go to the hotel on the room card. I believe there should be something that interests us there.

Oh, I haven't had the chance to ask you yet, how did you get knocked unconscious, are you okay with driving?"

Selina stood up with a stiff expression and said, "I was just careless. There is no problem driving."

Selina looked at Shanying's obviously expensive suit and said with a complicated expression, "Since we are cooperating, you should not act on your own initiative. You should communicate with us if you have any problems."

Shanying looked at Selina, who was obviously more proud or hypocritical than Sergei, and said considerately, "Don't worry, as long as it is necessary for work, I will try my best not to leave your sight."

Shanying stood up and took a look at Selina's dirty skirt. Just as he was about to suggest that she change her clothes, an explosion occurred inside an apartment building a few blocks away from the Four Seasons Hotel...

Shanying and the others vaguely heard an explosion, and then rushed to the balcony of the room to look over...

A column of smoke rose a few blocks away, and then sirens sounded on the street!
Shanying glanced at Sergei and said, "Let's go and ask what happened on the way.
It is unlikely that the explosion occurred during this period of time by coincidence!"

(End of this chapter)