Tehran Grocery Store: My Intelligence is Priced Clearly

Chapter 26 Eternal 5

"Five hundred thousand US dollars."

Zhang Jian casually quoted the price.

Karimi immediately broke down: "How much?!"

Zhang Jian held the phone a little further away, and only slowly brought it back to his ear after the noise on the other end subsided.

"Five hundred thousand, US dollars."

Karimi panicked.

"Zhang! Are you crazy?"

"Five hundred thousand US dollars! Do you know how much that is?"

"Even if we sold our entire 47th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion's ammunition depot as a package, it might not be worth this much!"

"Besides, I'm just a deputy battalion commander, earning a fixed salary every month. Where am I supposed to get you half a million US dollars?"

Zhang Jian smiled.

"Karimi, you've got the math wrong."

"What's wrong?"

"Don't just look at the 500,000; you have to see what it can buy."

Zhang Jian began to coax and persuade, his tone carrying a hint of seduction.

"A single active-duty U.S. military aircraft costs at least tens or hundreds of millions of dollars."

"You only spent 500,000 to exchange for their equipment worth tens of millions. Is that a bad deal?"

"Besides, ever since the US military started the air strikes, your air defense forces have been under constant pressure and haven't even dared to turn on their radars. You know better than I do what the public opinion environment is like in China right now."

"If you can manage to shoot down an American warplane at this critical juncture..."

"It not only dealt a blow to the arrogance of the US military, but also greatly boosted the morale of the domestic population, and allowed you to stand tall on the international stage."

"If Bakhrami knew this from beyond the grave, he would surely be pleased."

"Is $500,000 an expensive sum for something that achieves multiple benefits?"

Karimi's breathing suddenly became rapid.

Zhang Jian's promise was incredibly tempting.

If a US military aircraft could actually be shot down...

He might even get promoted further from his position as deputy battalion commander!

They might even receive a national medal, and the entire 47th Battalion would become a heroic unit!

but……

"That's too much."

Karimi looked distressed, and his voice dropped.

"Zhang, I admit you're right, but I really don't have that authority."

"Let alone 500,000, even an extra 50,000 US dollars would require me to submit more than a dozen reports for approval, and there's no guarantee it will be approved."

Zhang Jian didn't respond to his comment, but sighed with feigned regret, his tone becoming somewhat uninterested.

"Alright."

"Anyway, I have ways to get the intelligence."

"Whether you do this deal or not, whether you fight or not, is entirely up to you. You..."

"If you think it's too expensive, or you're not sure you can handle it, then forget it and pretend we never made this call today."

After saying that, Zhang Jian made a gesture as if to hang up.

"Wait! Don't hang up!"

Karimi panicked.

How can we let the delicious meat that's already in our mouths just fly away?

The air defense forces have been frustrated for so long, and they finally have a chance to turn the tide. If they miss this opportunity, they will regret it to death.

"Zhang, give me some time."

Karimi gritted his teeth.

"This is too big a matter for me to make a decision on my own."

"I'll report the situation to my superiors immediately and see what the command headquarters thinks."

"How long?" Zhang Jian asked.

"One hour...no, half an hour! Wait for my message!"

"Okay, half an hour."

Zhang Jian hung up the phone immediately.

I tossed my phone onto the wooden crate next to me and let out a long sigh of relief.

Half a million dollars.

Once this money arrives, the deficit in the system can be covered, the final payment for the weapons will be settled, and there might even be a surplus.

As for whether the air defense forces will agree?

He wasn't worried at all.

For the Iranian military, which was being suppressed, this temptation was simply irresistible.

Meanwhile, in a ward at the military hospital.

After hanging up the phone, Karimi quickly grabbed the internal secure phone on the table and dialed a number.

"Connect me to the air defense command operations room!"

Karimi said hastily.

The call connected, and a cold, hard voice came from the other end.

"This is the Air Defense Command. Please speak."

"I am Karimi, deputy battalion commander of the 47th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion! I have top-secret intelligence and request to report directly to the highest-ranking officer at headquarters!"

The duty officer was taken aback.

Strange things happen every year, but why are there so many this year?

A deputy battalion commander of an anti-aircraft artillery battalion actually dared to bypass his rank and request to speak directly with the highest-ranking officer.

"Captain Karimi, please be mindful of your rank."

"If you have any intelligence, please submit it to your direct supervisor according to the procedure..."

"There's no time to go through the procedures!"

Karimi interrupted the other person directly, raising his voice even higher.

"This intelligence is crucial to whether we can shoot down the American warplane! If your delay causes a missed opportunity, can you bear the responsibility?!"

The duty officer was taken aback by the shout.

Shot down a US warplane?

How could the air defense battalion obtain such top-secret intelligence?

You must be kidding!

However, Karimi's anxious voice on the microphone didn't seem fake.

If it's true, this would be a huge, earth-shattering incident!

If he were to stop them and cause a delay in the battle, he couldn't bear the responsibility...

After hesitating for a moment, I decided to trust him.

If there's a real problem, at worst I'll get a scolding, which is much less serious than missing a crucial opportunity.

"Alright, Major Karimi, please stay online, I'll connect you to Brigadier General Sheikh immediately."

A busy signal came from the line.

Karimi's palms were sweaty as he held the microphone.

Lying on the bed, his body was ramrod straight, his whole body slightly tense, like a fully drawn bow.

Even over the phone, facing the legendary Brigadier General Sheikh, he felt an inexplicable pressure.

This was the first time he had spoken directly with a general-level officer since joining the army.

"Click".

The call was answered.

"I am Sheikh."

His voice was deep, carrying the authority of someone who had long held a high position.

"General!"

Karimi's heart skipped a beat. "I'm Karimi, the deputy battalion commander of the 47th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion!"

"Get to the point, what intelligence?"

Brigadier General Sheikh spoke in a very calm tone.

Karimi swallowed hard, forcing himself to calm down.

"Reporting to the general, I just received a message from an informant."

"He said he could provide us with detailed intelligence on the next air strike by the US warplane formation!"

"Including penetration routes, flight altitudes, escort configurations, and even their communication frequencies!"

"The other side claims that if we have this data, we can easily switch from blind firing to overt firing the moment a US warplane enters our range and shoot it down!"

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

Brigadier General Sheikh did not immediately comment.

This kind of windfall sounds too unbelievable.

The U.S. military's operational plans are always top secret, and even Iran's top intelligence agencies can't get a glimpse of them. How could an informant possibly obtain such detailed data?

"What's the background of your informant?"

Brigadier General Sheikh asked the question.

"His name is Zhang Jian. He's Chinese and runs a grocery store in Tehran," Karimi replied quickly.

"A Chinese man who runs a grocery store?"

Brigadier General Sheikh's voice carried a hint of accusation.

"Captain Karimi, are you kidding headquarters?"

"Absolutely not!"

Karimi was sweating profusely with anxiety.

"General, although Zhang Jian appears to be a commoner, he has extremely powerful connections!"

"The intelligence that allowed our battalion to tactically evade the first wave of bombing was provided by him!"

"Furthermore, he now has deep cooperation with the General Staff! General Aiharid can testify to this!"

"Akhalid?"

Sheikh suddenly had a thought, recalling the time when the General Staff suddenly ordered the withdrawal of all twelve military bases.

Later reports indicated that they had received accurate intelligence, which led to that collective avoidance.

And indeed, this has been proven true.

If they hadn't received prior intelligence, their air defense forces would have been almost completely wiped out in that incident.

So, this informant is actually from the General Staff?

This is a bit interesting.

That old fox, Aiharid, is the kind of person who won't act until he sees a clear benefit.

The person he values and partners with can't possibly be just an ordinary grocery store owner.

"What conditions does he want?"

Brigadier General Sheikh got straight to the point.

"Five hundred thousand US dollars."

Karimi reluctantly gave the number.

"Five hundred thousand dollars to buy intelligence on the next US airstrike?"

Brigadier General Sheikh sneered, "They really dare to speak up."

"General."

"He said this was not only about revenge, but also about boosting domestic morale and demonstrating our strength internationally. I think there's some truth to that..."

Karimi tried to use Zhang Jian's argument.

"Okay, I understand."

Sheikh interrupted him.

"General, then we..."

"Stay put and wait for me to verify."

"Beep—beep—beep—"

The call was abruptly disconnected.

Inside the office.

Sheikh put down the microphone, crossed his hands on the table, and tapped his fingers lightly on the back of his hands.

Five hundred thousand US dollars is not an astronomical figure for the Air Defense Command.

But the question is, is this intelligence reliable or not?

If the money is given, the US military might turn the tables on us in the end...