Tehran Grocery Store: My Intelligence is Priced Clearly

Farhad's voice continued over the walkie-talkie.

"Captain, the radar has completely gone black."

"All frequency bands are suppressed. We are blind now, completely blind."

Karimi suddenly grabbed the walkie-talkie.

"Falhard! Tell the deputy battalion commander that no matter what the higher-ups say, evacuate everyone to the backup cover first!"

"If the ammunition truck can't be moved, just abandon it! People are more important than equipment!"

"But the deputy battalion commander said..."

"Sizzle".

Before he could finish speaking, the channel beeped twice and then the sound cut off.

The communication was lost again.

Karimi gripped the walkie-talkie tightly, his eyes bloodshot.

He suddenly turned his head and looked at Zhang Jian.

His face was covered in blood, but his eyes were filled with desperate hope.

"open."

Karimi's voice was hoarse.

"Do you know anyone at the Chinese Embassy? I have a walkie-talkie, can we get in touch?"

"You Chinese have satellites and intelligence, could you help me find out when the American plane will arrive and from which direction?"

"If I can get there five minutes earlier, my men can hide."

Zhang Jian opened his mouth.

embassy?

He doesn't know anything about embassies.

The last time I went to the embassy, ​​it was to renew my passport, and I sat on a cold bench for an hour.

But Karimi's anxious and desperate expression made him feel a little sorry for him.

He has known Karimi for three years.

When he first opened the shop, he didn't even understand how to obtain a business license.

It was Karimi who intervened and vouched for him as a military officer, which got the paperwork done.

Later, when thugs from the next street came to collect protection money, Karimi helped resolve the situation.

Whenever I need help, this guy always tries his best to lend a hand.

Over the course of three years, this Iranian soldier who would visit him every week became his most reliable friend in Tehran.

But now...

Zhang Jian looked down at his own body.

He glanced again at Karimi, whose face was full of anticipation.

In the end, he sighed.

"Karimi".

Do you have any money on you?

Karimi paused for a moment.

"US dollars, euros, and yuan are all acceptable."

Zhang Jian added a sentence.

"Zhang, you're asking me for money now?"

Karimi's expression was somewhat complicated.

First, he was confused, then his face showed disbelief.

Zhang Jian pursed his lips and organized his thoughts.

"I have a channel."

He lowered his voice and leaned close to Karimi's ear.

"We can get America's operational plans through black market channels in the Middle East."

Karimi's pupils suddenly dilated.

"What?"

"An airstrike plan, the precise kind."

Zhang Jian held up one finger.

"The exact time and location of the attack, the type of missile used, and the direction from which it comes—everything is provided."

Karimi stared at him, his face full of suspicion.

"Zhang, are you kidding me?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

Zhang Jian pointed to his blood-covered face.

"I just crawled out of the rubble, do you think I'm in the mood to joke with you?"

"It's only because it's you; if it were anyone else, don't even think about getting a single word out of me!"

Karimi swallowed hard.

"How could someone like you, who runs a general store, possibly possess this level of intelligence..."

"You think I've only been selling groceries in Tehran for the past three years?"

Zhang Jian told a lie without changing his expression.

"People who run foreign trade have all sorts of connections."

"You see all sorts of people in Dubai: arms dealers, intelligence brokers, middlemen..."

"Some things, you can buy if you can afford the price."

Karimi frowned, clearly hesitant.

That sounds outrageous.

Even Mossad informants might not be able to obtain the US military's precision air strike plans, but a grocery store owner claimed to have access to them.

Karimi was skeptical, but looking at his old friend's confident expression, he couldn't completely disbelieve him.

Over the years, he has witnessed too many incredible things.

In the Middle East, information trading has always been an ancient business.

During the Gulf War, some of the US military's operational plans were leaked to the black market by insiders.

This is not without precedent.

And, most importantly...

He has no other choice now.

The radar was suppressed, and the fate of hundreds of brothers on the position was unknown.

At this point, he had to try even if there was only the slightest hope!

"How much?"

How much do you have on you?

Karimi reached with difficulty with his right hand towards the inside pocket of his uniform.

There's a hidden pocket in that spot.

He rummaged around for a while and finally pulled out a stack of banknotes.

Dollar.

Zhang Jian took it and quickly counted it.

Four hundred-dollar bills, three fifty-dollar bills, and a few twenty-dollar bills.

The total is six hundred and thirty US dollars.

Add to the 150 he had left in his pocket.

780.

He quickly did the math in his head.

The rule on the panel is one dollar for one intelligence point.

Seven hundred and eighty US dollars can be exchanged for seven hundred and eighty points. Adding the two hundred points he already had, he had a total of nine hundred and eighty points.

You can buy air raid information for the air defense area with 500 points and still have a lot left over.

That's enough.

Zhang Jian clutched the money in his hand, preparing to get up.

Karimi grabbed him.

"open."

"Um?"

"If you're lying to me..."

"We're about to die, what's the point of me lying to you?"

Zhang Jian retorted irritably.

Karimi was amused by this remark and gave a wry smile.

"That's true."

He nodded.

I believe you.

Zhang Jian combined his money with his own.

The total is seven hundred and eighty US dollars.

I took my phone out of my pocket and glanced at it; the signal was still completely lost.

However, to do things properly, one must still put on a show.

"You wait here, I'm going out for a bit."

After saying that, he dragged his right leg and turned to head towards the entrance.

Karimi watched the departing figure slowly walk away, and couldn't help but murmur a few lines of scripture as he prayed.

Zhang Jian walked all the way to the subway entrance.

At the entrance, the subway station has been largely collapsed due to the impact of the missile shockwave.

At the entrance, only a small opening remained.

He checked his pocket; the cigarettes were still there.

Pulling it out of my pocket, the cigarette pack was already flattened.

The cigarette inside was mostly crushed.

I pulled one out, straightened it, and tried to make it as straight as possible.

"Snapped!"

He lit the lighter and tilted his head to take a deep breath.

A whiff of nicotine slowly spread.

Wait until the cigarette is finished.

Zhang Jian then faced the wall, turned slightly to the side, and clutched the money in his right hand.

Silently recite it in your mind.

"Exchange. Exchange all for intelligence points."

A slight warmth spread through my palm.

The banknotes began to fade from the edges into tiny specks of light, disappearing silently.

Two or three seconds later, his hands were empty.

The numbers in the upper right corner of the panel are changing.

[Current Intelligence Points: 980]

"Inquire about air raid information in the western Tehran air defense area."

The panel flashed, and a confirmation message appeared.

[Confirmed consumption of 500 intelligence points. Inquire about airstrike information for air defense positions around Tehran?]

【whether】

"Yes."