Tehran Grocery Store: My Intelligence is Priced Clearly

Alvis's words echoed in the small room.

One million US dollars.

Safe passage.

These two words, like thorny vines, tightly bound Reza's heart.

The excruciating pain in his thigh was still shooting up to his head, and fresh blood was dripping down his trouser leg onto the cement floor.

Reza was panting heavily, his eyes fixed on Yalvis.

Do you think I'd believe you?

Reza gritted his teeth, his voice trembling.

"You CIA people are more adept at kicking someone when they've served their purpose than anyone else."

"I'll tell you this one minute, and you'll shoot me the next."

Alvis smiled.

He casually stuck the bloodstained dagger into the wooden table next to him, making a muffled "bang".

"Major, get your facts straight."

Yalvis pointed to Reza's bleeding leg.

"If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it outside just now."

"We're keeping you because you have value."

"And that's exactly the kind of value I need."

He pulled a black satellite phone from a lining of his tactical vest and tossed it to Reza.

"Swiss bank, bearer account."

"The account and password are all in the memo, which contains half a million US dollars."

"This is the deposit."

Reza looked down at the satellite phone in her arms and swallowed hard.

Five hundred thousand!

That's exactly the amount Zhang Jian swindled from him!

That old bastard Al-Khalid is stingy; let him fill this hole himself.

Now, the money to fill the hole is right in front of us.

There's even an additional 500,000 yuan in outstanding payments.

Reza's breathing became much more rapid, but he did not immediately relent.

Having worked in the intelligence department for so many years, he knew all too well how to bargain.

"You think you can buy my life for 500,000?"

Reza suddenly raised his head.

"The military has surrounded the entire southern district like an iron barrel. Even if you knew who betrayed you, you couldn't get out!"

"That's my business."

Alvis leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees.

"You just need to tell me where the intelligence came from."

"I will transfer the remaining 500,000 to the same account once the news is confirmed."

Reza gave a cold laugh.

"Stop kidding me, it's questionable whether you'll even get out of here alive."

"If you die in the street, am I supposed to ask the ghost for that 500,000?"

"Besides, if I open my mouth and the military investigates, I'll still be dead!"

Yalvis squinted.

"So what do you want?"

"Two million!"

Reza's face had turned pale, but he still endured the pain in his thigh and blurted it out.

"Two million US dollars, not a penny less!"

"And you must transfer all the money into this account right now!"

"Then, send me out!"

"Anywhere is fine, as long as it's not in the Middle East!"

The room was so quiet that only Reza's heavy breathing could be heard.

Ilvis stared at Reza for a full ten seconds.

Suddenly, he pulled out a dagger from the table.

Reza was so startled that he shrank back, almost tipping over along with his chair.

"What are you doing!"

Without saying a word, Yalvis walked up to Reza and swiftly brought down the knife.

"Whoosh!"

The tactical cable ties binding Reza's right wrist were cut.

Reza was stunned.

Yalvis picked up the satellite phone and, in front of Reza, quickly typed in a series of commands.

"bite."

The screen lights up, displaying the account balance.

Two million US dollars.

no more, no less.

Javier shoved the phone into Reza's freed right hand.

"Here's the money."

"I have a passage too."

"We have a support ship disguised as a cargo ship in the Persian Gulf. Once we reach the shore, no one can stop us."

Alvis looked down at Reza, his voice extremely low.

"Now, the money is in your hands."

"Tell me, who betrayed us?"

Reza held the satellite phone, his hands trembling like a leaf.

Two million!

Two million US dollars!

With this money, he could be a rich man anywhere.

Why should I put up with that old codger's humiliation in the Revolutionary Guard?

Why would we need to give money to that Chinese bloodsucker?

Zhang Jian!

Just thinking about that name made Reza's anger rise.

If it weren't for that damned Chinese man, how could I have ended up in this situation?

Twice, a full two times!

The intelligence bought for $500,000 yielded no credit whatsoever, and I even had to pay out of pocket for half a year's expenses!

Why should I?!

"OK!"

"I'll tell you."

Reza gritted his teeth, a fierce glint in his eyes.

"But you must promise to get me onto that ship!"

"make a deal."

Alvis answered crisply and decisively.

Reza took a deep breath, enduring the excruciating pain in his leg, and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"He is a Chinese."

Alvis's brow furrowed sharply.

"Another Chinese person?"

"When did your military intelligence agency start relying on Chinese people for intelligence?"

"He's not a member of the military."

Reza spat fiercely.

"He's just a general store owner who sells junk on the surface, but he's actually an information broker."

"I spent half a million dollars to buy all the information about your login tonight from him."

"He knows everything: the number of people, their equipment, the time, the location, even that you brought a list of people to be eliminated!"

Alvis's expression changed.

The purge list was top secret by the CIA; not only he himself knew about it, but even the Sandstorm mercenaries accompanying him were unaware of it.

How could a Chinese man who runs a grocery store know so much detail?

"What's his name?"

Ilvis grabbed Reza by the collar.

"Zhang Jian!"

Reza, struggling to breathe, quickly spoke.

Everyone calls him Mr. Zhang.

"His grocery store is located in an alley in the Naft neighborhood of the North End!"

Yalvis released his grip, straightened up, and paced back and forth in the room.

Zhang Jian?

This name sounds so familiar!

He quickly pulled out the list of people to be cleaned from his pocket.

This name was prominently listed!

It was him!

That makes sense.

Yalvis narrowed his eyes.

This Chinese man has ruined their plans many times.

Deputy Chief Langley died because of him!

If it weren't for him, he wouldn't have been transferred to this godforsaken place, Tehran!

Even more surprisingly, when he first arrived in Tehran, he was given a hard time!

They actually treated themselves, a senior operations officer at the CIA, like a commodity to be sold for money!

If he swallows this insult, he'll never be able to make a living again.

More importantly, Zhang Jian knows far too much.

If he can find the login time and the list of people to be cleaned out, then his other arrangements in Tehran must have been exposed long ago as well.

If that's the case, how can I carry out my work?

Alvis quietly moved his ranking on the purge list up a little more.

This person must die!

Yalvis stopped and turned to look at Reza.

"How far is his run-down shop from here?"

Reza was taken aback.

"It's a bit far."

Reza suddenly realized what was happening, and his face turned deathly pale.

"Are you crazy?"

Are you going to find him now?