Tehran Grocery Store: My Intelligence is Priced Clearly

Zhang Jian glanced at the calendar on the wall.

"Number 15, what's wrong?"

Bakhtiar rubbed his hands together, glanced back at Fahad, then turned away and coughed twice.

"Boss, we've been working for you for exactly one month now."

Zhang Jian was taken aback at first, then his mind raced for a moment before he suddenly realized what was happening.

So these burly men, lined up early in the morning, were waiting for me to get paid!

For the past month, he's been busy processing intelligence, and money has been flowing through his hands, so he's completely forgotten about getting paid.

Looking at the group of men who had been through piles of corpses and were now eagerly looking at him for their wages, Zhang Jian couldn't help but laugh.

"Alright, alright, stop playing the victim. Getting things done with me makes you seem like a heartless boss who exploits migrant workers."

He smiled and shook his head, then reached into his pocket, pulled out a bank card he had opened in Iran, and casually tossed it to Fahad.

Farhad reacted quickly and caught it.

"Farhad, there's money in the card, the PIN is on the back."

Zhang Jian walked to the counter and poured himself a glass of water.

"Go to the nearby bank and withdraw some cash. Remember to get US dollars, don't get a bunch of rials. You need a whole stack of those to buy a fried dough stick."

At this point, Zhang Jian paused, looked at the expectant expressions on everyone's faces, and added with a smile.

"In addition, everyone performed well this month, so let's give each of you an extra thousand in bonuses."

"Double the pay for those on missions."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall's eyes lit up.

One thousand dollars!

In Iran today, this is definitely not a small sum!

That's enough for the whole family to live comfortably for two months!

Not to mention, that initial ten thousand US dollars is real hard currency that can be saved up!

Bakhtiar was so excited that his hands were red from rubbing them together.

"The boss is so generous! May God bless you with great wealth!"

The other security personnel also grinned and thanked them repeatedly.

Zhang Jian waved his hand.

"Alright, stop flattering me."

"Farhad, after you withdraw the money, go to the market and buy some good meat and vegetables."

"In the blink of an eye, you've been following me for a month."

"Let's have a barbecue party at noon and have some fun."

"Understood, boss."

"I'm going too!"

Bakhtiar pulled Haishan along and excitedly followed Fahad out the door.

About an hour later.

The three returned to the grocery store.

Farhad was holding a black bag, and Haisan was leisurely standing beside him.

Bakhtiar followed behind the two.

He was carrying two large black plastic bags in each hand, filled with fresh produce he had bought from the market, and a large piece of lamb chop with blood still visible sticking out.

Farhad walked straight to the counter and put the bag down.

"Boss, the money is back."

Zhang Jian stuffed the last bit of naan into his mouth, patted the sesame residue off his hands, and reached out to untie the plastic bag.

The hall fell silent instantly.

All eyes were focused on the black bag.

Zhang Jian reached in and pulled out two square blocks tightly bound with kraft paper, slamming them heavily onto the counter.

Two hundred thousand US dollars.

The first wave of security personnel following Zhang Jian consisted of ten people, with a basic salary of 100,000.

Farhad was meticulous in his work, and in case Zhang Jian needed something at the last minute, he took out an extra 100,000 yuan for backup.

Two large stacks of bright green Franklin were laid out in front of them. Although they weren't exactly piled up like a mountain, the visual impact was definitely shocking for these Iranian men struggling under sanctions.

Zhang Jian slowly picked up the scissors from the drawer and cut the cable tie holding the US dollars with a "snip".

Stacks of brand-new 100-yuan bills were scattered on the table.

Zhang Jian could even clearly hear the sudden heavy breathing of the group of people in front of the counter.

Bakhtiar's eyes were practically gleaming with greed as he stared at the counter.

Even Ali, who is usually the most composed, couldn't help but lean forward slightly.

Although Suleiman and his group weren't involved this time, getting paid is always a happy thing.

This move has dispelled their last remaining concerns.

Seeing their expressions, Zhang Jian couldn't help but laugh.

This scene is just like when I received my first cash salary after graduating from university.

Even if these people are tough guys who have been through countless deaths, they are no different from ordinary people when it comes to real money.

"Alright, stop drooling, line up, one at a time."

Zhang Jian picked up a wad of cash, weighed it in his hand, and was just about to call for help when his phone, which was on the counter, suddenly vibrated.

Zhang Jian glanced at the screen.

On the screen, my mother's image, wearing a red scarf in the square, was flashing wildly.

Holy crap.

Zhang Jian's heart skipped a beat.

These past few days I've been so busy exchanging intelligence with Aiharid that my mind is full of missiles and aircraft carriers, I've completely forgotten about the video blind date my mom kept reminding me about a couple of days ago!

He pursed his lips, feeling a bit of sweat on his back.

If we anger the Americans, we can simply hide in Tehran and not go out.

If I anger my mother who lives far away in China, I'll suffer a transnational psychological blow!

But the video has already been sent, so I can't just ignore it.

He could only scratch his head, take a deep breath, and press the answer button.

The screen flashed, and my mom's face was instantly right in front of the camera.

"Son, are you ready? The girl will be here soon!"

However, before he could finish speaking, Zhang Jian could feel his mother's anger rising rapidly, even through the screen.

"Zhang Jian! You're ignoring what I said, aren't you?"

My mother's eyes narrowed, and her voice suddenly rose several decibels, her voice filled with anger.

"What did I tell you last time? Why are you still looking so slovenly?"

"He doesn't shave, his hair is a complete mess like a bird's nest, and what's that on his clothes?"

"Sesame seeds? Do you even care about this?!"

"Mom, I just finished working..."

"Busy, busy, busy! All you ever do is keep busy!"

Zhang Jian smiled wryly and reached up to wipe the stubble from his chin.

"Mom, I've been really busy at the shop lately."

"Besides, I'm abroad, thousands of miles away, going on blind dates? That's ridiculous."

"Can't we wait until I go back to China to meet?"

Don't give me that!

My mother's tone was extremely firm.

"Who knows if you're lying to me when you say you'll be back in two years?"

"Besides, I'm not forcing you to get married."

"Let's just meet in person first, and if it goes well, we can talk more. Chatting online won't interfere with your schedule!"

Just then, a crisp knocking sound came from the screen.

Mom's expression instantly brightened.

His previous angry demeanor vanished without a trace, and he cheerfully shouted, "Coming, coming!"

The phone was casually tossed on the coffee table, the camera pointed at the ceiling light.

Immediately afterwards, I heard my mother open the door, followed by a burst of overly enthusiastic greetings that gave me goosebumps.

"Hey, Lao Zhang, come in, come in!"

"This must be Xiaoxi, she's so pretty."

Hello, Auntie.

A gentle girl's voice came over.

"Oh, okay, okay!"

"Please have a seat, Auntie will go wash some fruit for you!"

Holding his phone, Zhang Jian listened to the sounds on the other end and felt a chill run down his spine.

It seems there's no way to avoid this today.

A short while later, the phone was picked up again.

Three faces appeared on the screen.

My mother was all smiles. Next to her sat Aunt Zhang, who had a full head of small curls, and a pretty girl in a white dress, who was waving awkwardly at the camera.

"Xiao Xi, this is my son, Zhang Jian."

My mother introduced it with a proud look on her face.

"Don't let his current life abroad fool you; he's incredibly ambitious and hardworking."

Xiao hope smiled politely.

"Hello there."

Hello, hello.

Zhang Jian forced a smile, feeling his facial muscles stiffen.

The mother seemed dissatisfied with Zhang Jian's reaction, feeling that her son hadn't shown his abilities, and immediately raised her voice.

"Son, turn the camera around so Aunt Zhang and Xiao hope can see your shop too!"

"Huh? I don't think that's necessary..."

Zhang Jian instinctively wanted to refuse.

"What do you mean, 'not needed'! Turn around!"

Mom glared at her, then turned to Aunt Zhang and Xiao hope to show off.

"Let me tell you, my son's business is quite large now."

"Just a couple of days ago, they told me that business was so good they couldn't keep up, and they had to hire several more people!"

Aunt Zhang exclaimed in surprise.

"Wow, you're a big boss abroad now?"

"That's really impressive. You must manage quite a few people, right?"

Zhang Jian held his phone, looked at the three women on the screen with expectant eyes, then slowly raised his head and looked towards the hall.

in the hall.

Bakhtiar, a bald, burly man who was 1.9 meters tall, was grinning widely, his bull-like eyes fixed on the money on the counter.

Hai Shan stood to the side, and the scar on her face made her look like a bad person.

Ali leaned against the doorpost, habitually clutching the long, rectangular canvas bag that held his sniper rifle, his eyes sharp.

The rest of the people were all big and burly.

On the counter, two hundred thousand US dollars in cash were scattered and piled up into a small mountain.

This scene is worthy of being described as a form of torture.

It looked exactly like a scene from a transnational armed crime syndicate, who had just pulled off a big heist and were dividing up the spoils in their secret hideout.

Zhang Jian swallowed hard, his finger hovering over the screen for a long time.

"What are you dawdling for! Turn around and let everyone see!"

My mom was urging me on the other end of the phone.

Zhang Jian sighed.

Just die.

He reached out his finger and tapped the screen to switch to the rear camera.

The camera instantly focused on the group of menacing Middle Eastern men in front of the counter, and the glaring pile of US dollars on the table.

The people in the hall saw Zhang Jian pointing his phone at them and their eyes followed.

The images of everyone instantly appeared on the screen, along with the US dollars on the table...

This scene instantly silenced the mother who had been gloating.

Aunt Zhang, who was just about to offer some words of praise, suddenly froze with a smile.

Xiao hope, her blind date, suddenly widened her eyes, her face turned deathly pale, and she instinctively shrank back.

My mother's mouth was agape and her eyes were wide open.

The air froze completely at that moment.