Tehran Grocery Store: My Intelligence is Priced Clearly

On the other end of the phone, Akhalid's slightly tired voice came through.

"Sheikh? The sun must have risen in the west today! What brings you to call me?"

"Stop talking nonsense."

Sheikh had no interest in being polite with him.

"I'd like to consult with you personally."

"Zhang Jian, do you know him?"

Ahrid paused noticeably.

"I know him. What happened? Did he get into trouble?"

"He just contacted Karimi, the deputy battalion commander of one of my anti-aircraft artillery battalions, you should know him too."

"They claim they can provide top-secret flight parameters for US military aircraft, but the price is not low."

"Karimi said he has a business relationship with you, so I came to you to verify whether this person is reliable or not."

"Can his intelligence be trusted?"

From the General Staff side.

Ahrid was sitting behind a large desk, holding a recently delivered interrogation report.

Upon hearing Sheikh's words, Ahmed's eyelids twitched violently.

good boy.

He just left the General Staff Headquarters and he's already taking on freelance work?

His expression was strange as he held the microphone and asked a question.

"How much does he want?"

"Five hundred thousand, US dollars."

Sheikh's voice was serious.

Aiharid threw the report in his hand on the table and leaned back.

"Sheikh, I only have one sentence to say to you."

Aiharid's voice became very serious.

"What?"

"If anyone claims to have information about US military aircraft, I will send someone to arrest and execute them immediately, because they are definitely liars."

"But if it were him..."

Ahrid paused, then emphasized.

"I suggest you prepare the money immediately."

Sheikh remained silent for a full five seconds on the other end of the phone.

He had worked with Al-Khalid for many years and knew the guy's personality all too well.

Aiharid never easily vouches for anyone, let alone for matters involving military secrets and huge sums of money.

What kind of monster is this Chinese man named Zhang Jian, who can receive such high praise from senior generals of the General Staff?

Are you sure?

Sheikh confirmed it again.

"I'm absolutely sure."

Ahrid smiled.

"Sheikh, you definitely won't lose out on this deal."

"If you're short on funds, our General Staff can cover the 500,000 yuan for you first."

"No need!"

Sheikh snorted coldly.

"The Air Defense Command is not so poor that it needs your General Staff to give it to it."

After hanging up the phone, Sheikh pressed the call button on the table without any hesitation.

The adjutant immediately pushed the door open and came in.

"General!"

"Notify the finance department to immediately prepare a traceless transfer of US$500,000 to an overseas account."

Sheikh stood up and strode to the battle map on the wall.

"In addition, the 47th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion is ordered to enter a state of first-level combat readiness."

"Bring out their most advanced 'Faith-373' air defense missile system!"

The adjutant was taken aback.

"General, 'Faith-373' is one of the few remaining trump cards we have. Once it's turned on and exposed, we could very well face a devastating attack from the US military..."

"Do as I say!"

Sheikh turned his head sharply, his tone stern.

"Tell Karimi that I've approved the money."

"If he can't bring down the American plane this time, he'll lose his job as deputy battalion commander and be sent straight to a military court!"

"yes!"

The basement of the grocery store.

Zhang Jian looked at the bank's short message notification that had just popped up on his phone screen.

【您的海外帐户尾号7788于15:42汇入资金：500，000.00美元。】

Has the money arrived?

Zhang Jian raised an eyebrow.

The efficiency of these Iranian soldiers was even higher than he had imagined.

He had assumed that Karimi would simply tell him whether he wanted the intelligence in thirty minutes.

Unexpectedly, the money was wired directly to them.

It seems they were also badly bombed by the US military.

Given the chance to retaliate, they skip even the bargaining process.

Now that the money is in place, the rest is naturally up to me.

Zhang Jian summoned the system in his mind.

"System, retrieve the US military's next air strike plan targeting the area around Tehran."

"Intelligence on single aircraft and two-aircraft formations also counts."

"This includes the types of fighter jets involved, the number of formations, the penetration routes, the flight altitudes, and the communication frequencies."

A blue virtual screen instantly unfolded in the field of vision, and the data stream refreshed rapidly.

The search request has been accepted and its intelligence value is being calculated...

This intelligence is classified as a high-value tactical-level military secret, involving the U.S. military's current equipment and operational deployments.

[Required cost: US$100,000.]

Another 100,000?

Zhang Jian raised his eyebrows.

The system's asking price is really outrageous.

Therefore, the more detailed the information one requests, the higher the price will be.

If that's the case, it seems we can start producing slightly more vague intelligence in the future.

In any case, for Iran right now, extremely detailed intelligence wouldn't be of much use to them...

"Confirm payment".

[Payment successful, intelligence being generated...]

A few seconds later, an extremely detailed battle plan appeared on the screen.

He then picked up his phone and dialed Karimi's number.

It rang almost once before being answered.

"Zhang! Did you receive the money?"

Karimi's voice was excited.

"received."

Zhang Jian spoke calmly.

"The intelligence has been obtained. Here, take a piece of paper. I'll tell you what to write down."

"Okay! Go ahead!"

"At 2:30 a.m. tomorrow, the US military will launch a surprise attack."

"Target: Industrial area in southern Tehran and surrounding military facilities."

"Aircraft involved: Two F-16DJ fighter jets."

"Escort configuration: One EA-18G 'Growler' electronic warfare aircraft will provide full-band electromagnetic suppression from outside the defended area."

"At 2:45 a.m., they will cut in from the direction of the Zagros Mountains."

"To avoid terrain radar, its flight altitude will drop to around 1500 meters."

"At this altitude, your existing air defenses are perfectly capable of reaching them."

"I can't disclose the communication frequency band and specific flight path coordinates; I will send them to your encrypted email address."

"Good luck, Karimi."

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Jian leaned against the wooden crate and let out a long sigh of relief.

He did what he had to do.

Now, it's up to the Iranians themselves to decide what to do.

Three hours later.

Zhang Jian was shaken awake from his sleep.

He groggily opened his eyes, glanced at Shahra and the gloomy-faced Fahad by the bedside, and instantly became fully awake.

"What's wrong?"

He sat up abruptly.

Farhad threw the black canvas bag in his hand aside with a "bang".

"Boss, something's happened."

Zhang Jian frowned and sat up straight.

"What's wrong? Didn't you buy the weapons?"

"I got it. The first batch of C4 and a few pistols are in the bag."

Fahad opened the zipper of the canvas bag, revealing the explosive blocks wrapped in moisture-proof paper inside.

"but……"

Farhad lowered his voice, exuding a murderous aura.

"When I went to pick up the package from the dead mailbox, I discovered that I was being watched."

"They were extremely professional; they were definitely not ordinary gang members. I had to circle around half of the old town to shake them off."

Zhang Jian's expression instantly turned cold.

"Did you see who it was?" Zhang Jian asked.

Farhad shook his head, took a bloodstained metal plaque from his pocket, and handed it to Zhang Jian.

"I didn't see their faces clearly, but I managed to kill the one who was following me the closest."

"This was found on him."

Zhang Jian took the nameplate and looked down at it.

There was no name on it, only a number and a very special pattern engraved on it.

A vulture with outstretched wings.

The system in Zhang Jian's mind suddenly emitted a piercing alarm.

[WARNING! High-risk target detected!]

This insignia belongs to the CIA Special Operations Division – the "Nighthawks" commando unit!

[Danger Level: Extremely High!]

Zhang Jian's body tensed instantly.

The CIA's elite strike team has already reached our doorstep!