Tehran Grocery Store: My Intelligence is Priced Clearly

Zhang Jian held up his phone and froze for two seconds.

He even wondered if he had misheard.

"They ran away?"

"General, you're not joking with me, are you?"

A heavy breathing came from the other end of the phone, the voice revealing undisguised frustration and exhaustion.

"Don't even mention it."

"A bunch of good-for-nothings."

Ahrid did not want to dwell on the topic any further.

But after being rebuked by Zhang Jian, he felt a little embarrassed and could only bite the bullet and explain a couple of times.

"I know that Reza went to you to buy intelligence, and I have made targeted preparations accordingly."

"However, I don't know who fired the first shot, but the person from the Rafi family who was making contact was instantly killed by a sniper rifle."

"That's what caused the scene to become a complete mess."

"The 'Black Snake' escaped during the chaos."

The more Aiharid spoke, the angrier he became, and the last few sentences were almost squeezed out through gritted teeth.

"Tahar is a piece of trash too!"

"We brought people to stake out the area, but we didn't even know someone had infiltrated inside!"

Zhang Jian leaned back in his rocking chair, listening to the complaints on the phone, barely suppressing the urge to roll his eyes.

He sent Suleiman and his men to fire the first shot in order to muddy the waters.

Let the Rafiki family, the CIA, and the military fight like dogs.

But he never expected that the Iranian military could be so incompetent.

I'm not just feeding them; I'm stuffing them directly into their stomachs, and they still manage to vomit it all up.

It's unbelievable that someone could escape in this situation.

"That's really a shame."

Zhang Jian suppressed the urge to curse, forcing himself to keep his tone calm, with no discernible emotional fluctuations.

"The intelligence worth half a million US dollars ended up being a complete waste of time and effort."

"General, this deal you're making isn't worthwhile."

Aiharid was speechless for a moment.

After a long while, he finally spoke, his voice low and tinged with doubt.

"Zhang, the one who shot and killed the contact wasn't one of yours, was he?"

Zhang Jian's heart skipped a beat.

That old guy is pretty sharp.

However, he would never admit to this, even if you beat him to death.

"General, you think too highly of me."

"What good would it do me to kill that contact?"

"Disrupt your plans? Hinder your capture of a senior CIA operations officer?"

"Do I have that much free time?"

"You know, my name is on the CIA's blacklist now! We're in this together."

Ahrid thought about it and agreed.

He was just testing the waters; from his perspective, Zhang Jian had absolutely no motive for doing so.

Could it have been done by the Puer Muhammad family?

But how did the intelligence get leaked out?

He couldn't understand it.

"Zhang, let's not talk about this for now."

I called you to ask you something.

"Can you find out where 'Black Snake' is currently hiding?"

Ahrid paused, seemingly weighing the options.

"Name your price if you can find him."

Zhang Jian tapped his fingers lightly on the wooden armrest of the rocking chair, making a rhythmic tapping sound.

Find someone?

With the system at your fingertips, as long as you spend money, you can find out exactly who Little Trump slept in today, let alone find a CIA agent.

But we can't agree to that now.

time is too short.

"General, this is not a good matter."

Zhang Jian slowly took a sip of tea.

"Tehran is so big, with a population of over 20 million."

"The leak of information about 'Black Serpent' must have activated the deepest safe house."

"Trying to find the person under these circumstances is like looking for a needle in a haystack."

"I can only say that I will try my best to investigate, but I can't guarantee when I will have the results."

Ahrid sighed heavily on the other end of the phone.

He also knew how difficult it was to uncover an agent of this caliber once he went into hiding.

"Hurry up."

"If these people stay in Tehran for even one more day, neither of us will have a peaceful life."

"Besides, I already have enough troubles already."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jian immediately recalled the bolded and highlighted headlines he had just seen on the news website.

"Is it because of the situation outside?"

Zhang Jian asked tentatively.

There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone.

A moment later, Ahrid's hoarse voice came again.

Less guarded, more tired.

"Did you see the news?"

"Just saw it."

Zhang Jian said.

"Israel is clamoring for a week of continuous bombing, and the USS Ford is almost at the Persian Gulf."

"General, it seems you're in big trouble."

"It's more than just big."

Aiharid gave a cold laugh.

"Ever since we detained that pilot, the Israeli side has completely gone mad."

"In the past two days, they have not only bombed several outposts in Lebanon, but have also frequently moved armored forces near the border."

"Not to mention the US side, the USS Ford carrier strike group came directly over, clearly to support us."

Ahrid's tone grew increasingly heavy.

"External pressure is one aspect, but internal turmoil is also brewing."

"There are people at the Supreme Council clamoring for the release of the pilot, saying that the whole country should not be dragged into a full-scale war for the sake of one pilot."

"But they don't even consider that weakness can bring peace!"

Zhang Jian listened quietly, his mind racing.

The failed attempt to capture "Black Snake" put Ahrid in a very awkward position.

The "Black Serpent" was originally intended as an advantage, allowing them to be more at ease at the highest meeting.

As a result, they've lost a major asset.

Externally, it faces military blackmail from the US and Israel, while internally it must contend with pressure from conservatives.

If the situation continues to deteriorate like this, and the conservatives gain power, Ahmed, as a representative of the hardliners, will inevitably be the first to be targeted.

And what about yourself?

It's hard to say whether he won't be pushed out by conservatives to take the blame.

What if the US offers some incentives and lifts sanctions against Iran...?

While one's skin color and nationality may offer some protection, who can guarantee that?

The conservatives will not sacrifice their friendship with China for the sake of so-called peace.

Such things are not uncommon in history.

If that's the case, Ahrid will probably have to make some more investments.

He needs a big win to stabilize his position.

And he himself needed Aiharid to act as his talisman.

There's a business opportunity here.

Zhang Jian sat up straight in the rocking chair and placed the teacup in his hand on the table next to him.

"General."

Zhang Jian's tone suddenly became unusually serious as he spoke into the phone.

"Catching a 'black snake' might cause the CIA some trouble for a few days, but it won't change the overall situation."

"The US aircraft carriers will still come, and Israel will still bomb."

Ahrid on the other end of the phone paused, his breath catching in his throat.

Zhang Jian's words were all painful, yet they were all true.

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

Aiharid's voice turned somber.

Zhang Jian grabbed a tissue and wiped the few drops of tea that had spilled on his hands.

"General, since the situation has deteriorated to this extent, minor skirmishes will not solve the problem at all."

"Want to go all in?"