Tehran Grocery Store: My Intelligence is Priced Clearly

The southern edge of Tehran.

An unassuming bread truck slowly pulled up in an alley two blocks away.

The car door opened, and Suleiman, along with Hassan and the others, quietly jumped out.

Kamran carried a long, rectangular canvas bag and walked straight to an abandoned four-story tenement building on the street corner.

Three minutes later.

Kamran's deep voice came through the headset.

"Shadow One in position, clear view."

"The target is in the room on the left. He seems somewhat agitated. No other armed personnel were found."

Suleiman, pressed against the wall, made a tactical hand gesture.

The four quickly crossed the street and made their way to the backyard of the secluded shop.

Hassan pulled a thin wire from his tactical vest and stuck it into the keyhole of the back door of the yard.

Click.

A slight metallic clanging sound was heard.

The door opened.

Suleiman, carrying an assault rifle fitted with a silencer, was the first to slip inside.

The four of them moved very quietly and quickly made their way to the back door of the house.

The back door was ajar and not locked.

You can still faintly hear the sound of a woman pacing impatiently inside.

"This idiot, why isn't he replying to my messages yet..."

Nashid picked up her phone and glanced at it; the screen was completely black.

She felt a vague unease.

Tariq has been gone all morning.

Given that guy's skills, he shouldn't have failed to capture someone.

Even if they didn't succeed, they should at least send some news.

Does this mean he hasn't found the exact location of that Asian man yet?

Or perhaps, no one came out of that guy's house?

She took a deep breath, preparing to send another text message.

Just as she unlocked the phone and was about to type...

boom!

The half-closed wooden door was kicked open with tremendous force.

A dark, cylindrical object bounced twice on the ground and rolled to her feet.

Nashid's pupils suddenly contracted.

boom!

A blinding white light, accompanied by a deafening explosion, burst open in the small room.

She felt a buzzing in her head.

Suddenly everything went white, and my ears were filled with a sharp ringing.

She screamed, covered her eyes, and backed away, but tripped over a chair and fell heavily to the ground.

Immediately afterwards, two dark figures pounced on them like ferocious beasts.

A rough, large hand pressed down hard on the back of her neck, shoving her face against the floor.

The nylon cable ties quickly wrapped around her hands and were pulled hard.

"Don't move!"

Hassan gave a low shout, grabbed a black cloth bag from the side, and put it directly over Nashid's head.

He then delivered a swift chop to the back of her neck.

Nashid's vision went black, and she fainted.

The entire process took less than ten seconds.

Suleiman entered the room with a gun in his hand, and after confirming it was safe, he pressed the button on his earpiece.

"Target acquired, retreat."

Yasin hoisted the unconscious Nashid onto his shoulder, and the four of them quickly returned the way they came, disappearing at the end of the alley.

The basement of the grocery store.

When Nashid slowly regained consciousness, the light finally returned to her eyes.

The hood had already been ripped off, and the glaring light made her squint.

As her gaze gradually focused, she was able to see her surroundings clearly.

This was a windowless basement, and the air was filled with a damp, musty smell.

Several heavily armed men stood in the shadows, guns in their hands, staring at her.

And less than two meters away from her.

A man was tied up in a chair, his head drooping.

Nashid looked closely, and her expression changed instantly.

Tarik!

This guy, who claimed to have been a special forces instructor in Colombia, was tied up like a dead dog, with a noticeable bruise on his face.

"Tarik, you useless piece of trash!"

Nashid's fear instantly turned into anger, and she cursed at Taric.

"You took my money and can't even handle this simple task?"

"Didn't you brag about how amazing you were? How come you're tied up here like a pig now!"

She struggled to stand up, only to find that, like him, her hands and feet were strapped to the chair.

"Shut up, you bitch."

Taric looked up, his eyes filled with venom as he gazed at Nashid.

"You fucking want to die, don't drag me down with you!"

"The information you gave me is utter garbage! You have no idea who you've messed with!"

Tarik was breathing heavily, his chest heaving.

"They know exactly how much extra money you gave me, and they know everything about you!"

"You still want to blackmail them? Take a good look at yourself in the mirror; do you even have the ability?"

Nashid was stunned.

How is that possible!

When she and Tariq were negotiating the price, there were clearly only the two of them!

Just then.

crunch.

The basement door was pushed open.

Zhang Jian walked in slowly, his hands in his pockets.

Farhad followed behind him, holding a freshly brewed cup of hot black tea.

Zhang Jian walked to the folding table, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

Farhad placed the black tea in front of him and then stood aside.

Zhang Jian picked up his teacup and blew away the foam.

He took a small sip, then raised his eyelids to look at Nashid, who was also tied to a chair.

"I'm sorry, Miss Nashid."

"To invite you here in such an unfriendly manner on our first meeting."

Zhang Jian put down his teacup, his tone extremely calm.

"But, I heard..."

"You want to kidnap my people? And then use them to negotiate with me?"

"Miss Nashid, your behavior is making me quite unhappy."

Nashid stared intently at the young, yellow-skinned man in front of her.

I originally thought he was just an Asian businessman with some connections who made a living in Tehran.

But now, looking at those heavily armed, well-trained burly men around him...

She finally realized that she had kicked a really tough nut to crack!

But she wasn't too flustered; she still had some cards to play.

Nashid forced herself to calm down.

He straightened his back, trying to make himself look less disheveled.

"Now that you've captured me, let's speak frankly."

"You're hiding someone you shouldn't be in your shop, aren't you?"

Zhang Jian didn't say anything, he just looked at her quietly.

Nashid thought she had hit a nerve, and her courage grew.

"That four or five-year-old girl, the last bloodline of the Mui family, is with you, isn't she?"

"If those powerful families find out that the remnants of the Mui family are hiding here with you..."

"Guess what they'll do?"

She sneered and glanced at Suleiman and the others standing around her.

"Your men are indeed very capable."

"But you must know what kind of power those big families wield in Tehran."

"They have hundreds, even thousands, of armed men under their command. If a fight really breaks out, can you and your few men withstand their attack?"

Farhad, who was standing slightly behind Zhang Jian, immediately darkened his expression upon hearing this.

This woman, even on the verge of death, still dares to threaten them.

He was about to step forward and teach her a lesson when Zhang Jian stopped him with a raised hand.

Zhang Jian leaned back in his chair and looked at Nashid with great interest.

"So? What are you trying to say?"

Nashid breathed a slight sigh of relief when she saw that Zhang Jian did not immediately turn hostile.

"It's very simple."

Nashid raised her chin, her tone now tinged with arrogance.

"Give me five million US dollars."

"As long as the money arrives..."

"I promise that no third person will ever know anything about that little girl."

"Five million to buy all of your lives, that's a very good deal."