Tehran Grocery Store: My Intelligence is Priced Clearly

Two days later.

Revolutionary Guard Intelligence Department.

Reza kicked over the chair in front of him with a loud bang.

The intelligence chiefs standing in the office trembled with fear, not daring to breathe.

"Two days! I gave you two whole days!"

Reza pointed at their noses and started cursing.

"Is this all the worthless paper you found for me?"

He grabbed a stack of documents from the table and slammed them hard into the face of one of the managers.

Papers were scattered all over the floor.

"There are three drug dealers in Tehran called 'Black Snake,' two smugglers, and even one selling counterfeit goods in the southern district?"

Reza was so angry that his heart, liver, lungs, and other organs ached.

"Are your brains filled with camel dung? Would a top CIA agent go and sell counterfeit alcohol?"

Several managers lowered their heads, their faces ashen.

"Sir, this code name is too ordinary."

"Moreover, there are no physical characteristics, no specific nationality, and it is not even known whether it is male or female."

A supervisor forced himself to explain.

"Tehran's underground black market has such a large transient population, two days is really..."

"Don't give me excuses!"

Reza interrupted him.

"General Al-Khalid only gave me two days!"

"If they can't find out, I'll have to go to a military court, and you won't get away with it either!"

"roll!"

"Get out of here and keep investigating! Don't come back to see me until you find out!"

The group of people felt as if they had been granted a pardon and scrambled out of the office.

Reza slumped into his chair, angrily slapping the documents in front of him to the ground.

Completely clueless.

He used all his informants, even those he rarely contacted, but still got nowhere.

Al-Khalid's words still echoed in my ears.

If he messes this up, he'll be wearing this military uniform for the rest of his life.

Reza lit a cigarette, took two deep drags, and the nicotine made him a little more clear-headed.

As he was closing the door, Taha's words suddenly popped into his mind.

Since we're going to investigate this black snake, why don't we just ask Mr. Zhang directly?

Reza paused slightly, his fingers holding the cigarette between his fingers.

Mr. Zhang, could it be Zhang Jian?

That Chinese man who runs a grocery store?

This surname belonged to someone who worked in intelligence; that was the only name left in his mind.

That guy is definitely skilled, and his intelligence network is unfathomable.

He had no dealings with General Al-Khalid since he took over.

However, the fact that he was able to leave the General Staff intact from General Al-Khalid's clutches...

Clearly, that guy had reached an agreement with the general.

And even after all this time, he remains active.

Clearly, General Al-Khalid's cooperation with this guy has exceeded initial expectations.

Should I go and beg him?

Reza gritted his teeth.

He was actually very reluctant to ask Zhang Jian for help.

That kid didn't get away with it back then.

Although he had made a contribution, he had also lost face.

But right now...

Compared to the consequences of failure, saving face seems rather insignificant.

Reza sighed.

He stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, grabbed his car keys from the table, and strode out of the office.

At 3 p.m., the Tehran sun was still quite intense.

Zhang Jian lay on a rocking chair on the first floor of the general store, leisurely sipping red tea.

The curtain outside the door was half-drawn, making the shop somewhat dimly lit.

Sahra sat behind the counter, flipping through a magazine she'd found somewhere, and was holding Lare and whispering the contents to her.

A sudden screech of brakes sounded outside the door.

Immediately afterwards, the curtain was lifted from the outside.

Reza, dressed in casual clothes, pushed open the door and walked in.

Two heavy dark circles were still hanging under his eyes, clearly indicating that he had been through a lot these past two days.

Zhang Jian looked up at Reza, a look of surprise flashing across his face. He then picked up the cup and blew on the rising steam.

"Oh, what a rare guest! What brings Major Reza here?"

"But let me make this clear first: I run a small business, so I don't offer credit."

Reza wasn't in the mood for jokes, so he walked straight to the rocking chair, pulled it over, and sat down.

"Zhang, I need your help."

Reza got straight to the point, his tone revealing a hint of weariness.

Zhang Jian pretended to put down his teacup, looking surprised.

"Major, what are you saying? I'm just a general store owner, how could I possibly help you?"

"Could it be that the intelligence department is running out of supplies?"

"I'm sorry, my order from within China hasn't arrived yet, so I can't help you right now."

Reza's lips twitched, barely suppressing the urge to curse.

"Zhang, I know that the interrogation last time made you very uncomfortable."

"But that's also my duty."

"If you're still upset, I can personally help you vent your anger."

"But I hope you can help me this time."

Reza stared intently into Zhang Jian's eyes.

Before Zhang Jian could speak, he went straight to the point.

"General Al-Khalid has asked me to investigate a man codenamed 'Black Serpent'."

"I need to know his real identity."

Zhang Jian leaned back in his rocking chair and put the cup back on the counter.

He crossed his arms over his stomach and looked at Reza with a half-smile.

"Major, with so many people in your intelligence department, why are you asking me about someone?"

"There's not enough time."

Reza confessed.

"I can tell this is urgent."

"The general might not give me any more time."

Zhang Jian gave an "oh" and dragged out the last syllable.

"Oh, I see."

"But……"

"What does this have to do with me?"

Reza took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart.

"I know that getting intelligence from you doesn't come cheap."

Name your price.

"That's right."

Zhang Jian finally became somewhat interested.

He sat up straight and held up five fingers.

"Five hundred thousand US dollars."

"What?"

Reza suddenly stood up, his pupils dilating sharply.

"Five hundred thousand?!"

"Are you crazy! The military wouldn't approve that much money to buy intelligence on a codename!"

"Buying a code name is definitely not worth it."

Zhang Jian slowly picked up his teacup.

"But what if we wanted to know the specific identity of the CIA's senior operations director in the Middle East, the detailed configuration of the accompanying armed forces, and the exact time they infiltrated Tehran?"

Reza was stunned.

He stared blankly at Zhang Jian, his mind buzzing.

His men investigated for two days and didn't find a single clue. How could this guy have obtained such detailed information?

"You...you're telling the truth?"

Reza's voice trembled slightly.

"I never sell false information."

Zhang Jian took a sip of tea.

"Five hundred thousand US dollars, not a penny less."

"You should know how to make the payment."

"You shouldn't have deleted the account I gave you last time, right?"

Reza braced his hands on the table, his eyes fixed on Zhang Jian, looking extremely conflicted.

moment.

He gritted his teeth and agreed anyway.

"Alright! As long as the information is true, I'll pay 500,000!"

"But if you dare to play me..."

Don't worry.

Zhang Jian smiled.

"I have a family to support too, don't I?"

"As long as you have money, everything is negotiable."