Spellcasting Gods

The old man clearly understood who he was dealing with, and made no attempt to hide anything, openly explaining his background.

After all, most people who understand geopolitics and the world situation know that, given that the former Soviet Union's interim leader, Kryuchkov, ordered the KGB to monitor all high-level telephone calls in Moscow on August 8.19, Yeltsin ordered Stepashin to begin a terrible purge that would last for several years as soon as he came to power.

Leveraging its dominance in public opinion, this once massive intelligence organization, which had kept the Western world on edge, experienced some of the most disastrous years in its history.

It can be said that apart from preserving the last, almost transparent list of agents, almost everything else was stripped bare.

Countless people who made enormous sacrifices for the country not only failed to receive the rewards they deserved, but instead became complete villains, being cursed and condemned by their own countrymen, and some were even executed or imprisoned. The darkest side of political struggle was completely exposed.

In order to protect themselves, some agents began to use their authority to fake their deaths and escape, while others directly defected to their former enemies, such as the CIA in the United States and the SIS in the United Kingdom, using the intelligence they had to exchange for favorable conditions.

Before President Putin, a former KGB officer, came to power, Russia and Eastern Europe were in a state of extreme chaos, with the outflow of top talent from various fields being alarmingly severe.

The collapse of the Soviet Union can be considered the greatest geopolitical disaster of the 20th century, and its fall indirectly contributed to the rapid rise of neighboring countries in the field of science and technology.

The Soviets demonstrated through their actions how ignorant and foolish the majority of ordinary people were, preferring to believe the lies of their enemies rather than give their national elites any more time for reform.

However, none of this had much to do with Zhang Cheng. He was using his psychic abilities to probe the old man's brain activity, and after several minutes, he smiled and asked, "Can you tell me about what you're doing right now? Information trading, sounds interesting."

"Interesting? Hahahaha! No, no, no, it has absolutely nothing to do with being interesting. In fact, this job is extremely dangerous, and it requires a great deal of expertise and keen insight. To avoid being noticed by the intelligence agencies of those powerful countries, we mostly have to exchange money for information about the movements of the police and military, which is provided to gangs and drug dealers. Moreover, with the rapid development of electronic technology, the cost of intelligence gathering is becoming increasingly expensive. We need a lot of money to buy advanced equipment; otherwise, do you think I would risk my life to contact you?"

As he said these words, a bitter smile appeared on Leonid's aged face.

Having experienced the near-self-castration-like purge following the collapse of the Soviet Union, he was deeply disgusted to once again become someone else's subordinate.

The problem is, when you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head.

No intelligence organization in the world can be truly self-sufficient. If it doesn't want to be eliminated by the times, it must have a financial backer providing a continuous stream of funding.

Chapter 647 Intelligence (Part 2)

"So you came to me wanting me to provide you with sufficient funds, but you don't want to completely obey my orders; instead, you're trying to find a way to cooperate..."

Zhang Cheng was clearly not a fool; he immediately saw through the other party's ulterior motive of "using someone else's resources to make money."

It's important to understand that special organizations like intelligence agencies can easily run into numerous problems if they aren't thoroughly controlled. For example, they can become too powerful to manage, or they can be easily infiltrated and controlled by other intelligence agencies.

Although his initial intention in establishing the intelligence organization was not to steal intelligence secrets between major powers or important technologies, but merely to investigate various ancient ruins and artifacts, and to obtain national-level hydrological and marine exploration data for the corresponding sea areas, etc.

After all, while the intelligence system in the underworld may be convenient, its secrecy has never been very good, and it is inevitable that some people with ulterior motives will find out about it, thus causing some unnecessary trouble.

Therefore, at this time, if there is an intelligence organization that obeys your orders, the relevant information will not be detected by the higher-ups in the underworld.

Because in their eyes, the greatest benefit of maintaining contact with the ordinary world is to avoid being exposed to the public eye.

No one cares about the hostility, struggles, or even killing between nations and interest groups unless there is a crisis that could trigger a nuclear war. Otherwise, the council will not bother with it.

Simply put, Zhang Cheng exploited the contempt of the underworld's elite for ordinary people to cover up his own underhanded dealings.

Leonid seemed to sense something and stroked his short beard as he explained, “I understand that such a request is a bit excessive. But you have to understand that intelligence gathering requires highly specialized personnel and must be kept secret, so it is easy for laymen to get involved and cause disastrous consequences. Therefore, it must maintain relative independence. This is why the administrative agencies of most countries do not directly control their intelligence departments, but rather leave it to the military, which has relatively strong secrecy.”

Zhang Cheng chuckled and waved his hand: "No, no need to explain, I understand many of the reasons. But you've overlooked one point, which is that I'm not an ordinary person. I have many ways to solve your so-called confidentiality issues. I'm sorry, what I need is a subordinate intelligence-gathering agency that can obey orders 100%, not a partner who wants to negotiate with me."

"You mean, I now have two choices: unconditional surrender, and..."

"The other is disappearance! Disappear from this world forever, whether it's you or your men. I guarantee, wiping you out is easier for me than eating or drinking. You know that? You made a common-sense mistake, which is treating me like just a rich guy. Didn't Polman tell you that I'm one of the three people who control the most power in the North American underworld?"

Before the old man could finish speaking, Zhang Cheng asked a question with a half-smile.

Without a doubt, he would never accept such a deal. If he weren't afraid that altering memories and mind control would impair his judgment in certain areas, he would have already demanded that coercive measures be taken directly, instead of wasting his breath.

“Sir, I think it’s necessary to take Mr. Leonid on a tour of New York so that he can have a clear understanding of the underworld,” Polman offered his suggestion.

“Great idea! Then take him for a tour, and while you’re at it, show him the warehouse I use to store the cash.”

"As you wish!"

……

After bowing deeply, Polman immediately helped the old man up and disappeared into the streets and alleys of New York.

About three hours later, when the two returned to their office on the top floor of the headquarters building, the composure that Leonid had maintained on his face had disappeared, replaced by awe and fear.

There's no way I can not be afraid!

Because he had witnessed many things that he could not understand at all, especially the hundreds of undead in Jesse Livermore’s underground warehouse, and the terrible magical plague that was enough to end human civilization. Just thinking about it made his scalp tingle.

Gazing into the old man's constantly shifting eyes, Zhang Cheng gently tapped the table and chuckled, teasingly saying, "Ah, it seems you have a completely new understanding of us. That's good! After all, many tragedies begin with a lack of understanding between people. Tell me, have you changed your mind now?"

“Yes, Your Excellency! From this moment on, my men and I will be your loyal servants.” Leonid lowered his head decisively, his voice trembling slightly.

He knew that if he uttered even half a word of "no," the consequences would be far more severe than just death.

"A wise choice! Trust me, you won't regret it. I will provide you with two billion dollars annually, the most advanced weapons and equipment in the world, and a portion of magical equipment and potions. In short, you will have everything the CIA has, and you will also have what they don't. I have only one requirement: complete every mission I assign you."

Zhang Cheng stood up and looked down at the scenery outside the window, directly stating his position and requirements for intelligence agencies.

"Two...two billion US dollars?!"

When Leonid heard this number, he was completely shocked.

Keep in mind that this is just the beginning of the 2000s, and the United States has just been sucking the blood out of the corpse of the former Soviet Union. The purchasing power of the dollar is exceptionally strong.

With 2 billion yuan a year, it's not just about establishing an intelligence gathering network, it could even rival those internationally renowned intelligence organizations.

“What, are you surprised? Do you know how much tax I collect from illegal activities in New York State’s underworld every month? It’s hundreds of millions of dollars in cash alone, and the amount transferred through bearer bonds and shady bank transactions is far beyond your imagination. Half of this tax revenue has to be handed over to the legislature, while the other half is at the discretion of the legislators, so don’t doubt my financial resources.” Zhang Cheng revealed with a smile.

For him, problems that can be solved with money are not problems. Even if the tax revenue is insufficient, he can still use alchemy to create some rare metals, such as gold and platinum, to exchange for money.

Recovering from his shock, Leonid instinctively clenched his fists and excitedly asked, "So what about the advanced weaponry you mentioned earlier? Could you show me a few samples?"

"No problem! Follow me! In fact, I've prepared everything for you."

As the last word was uttered, Zhang Cheng suddenly grabbed the other person's wrist and activated a teleportation spell, disappearing from the spot.

next second...

The two instantly appeared in a huge, empty underground bunker, surrounded by various equipment including firearms, vehicles, and electronic devices.

The most outrageous thing is that there are several high-tech-looking airplanes parked in the middle, the largest of which is as big as a Boeing 747!

Chapter 648 Intelligence (Part 2)

Zhang Cheng completely ignored the almost frozen expression on the old man's face and casually pressed the power start button.

moment!

The once-silent base suddenly came to life, with all kinds of lighting facilities and advanced electronic equipment starting up.

In particular, the 3D projection technology from the Marvel Universe and the artificial intelligence designed by Iron Man himself almost made Leonid jump out of his skin.

"Good afternoon, sir. It is an honor to serve you." The artificial intelligence appeared in the lobby as a blurry projection.

"Good afternoon, X. Let me introduce you. This gentleman next to me is Leonid. From today onwards, he is the second person besides me you will need to obey 100%, and you will be responsible for providing remote support and advice to him and his men." Zhang Cheng gave the order directly.

After all, he wasn't one of those kids who liked to jump around in surprises, and he wouldn't treat artificial intelligence as a real human being. So there was no need to consider unnecessary things like so-called "feelings"; he could just give orders directly.

"Understood! Facial recognition import! Iris recognition import! Fingerprint recognition import! Level 2 permissions have been entered. Hello, Mr. Leonid, I am X, and it is a pleasure to work with you." The AI ​​proactively gave a brief self-introduction.

"My God! You...you are artificial intelligence?! How is this possible?!" The old man's eyes widened, his expression filled with disbelief.

As an intelligence operative, he simply couldn't believe that with the current technological capabilities of the world, anyone could create such a realistic artificial intelligence with logical thinking abilities.

What shocked him even more was that this secret base was incredibly large. The weapons and equipment piled up in one corner were enough to arm a regular army of more than 30,000 people. Next door, there was even a series of production lines for bullets, shells, guns and explosives, which could be produced continuously as long as there were raw materials.

“Yes, sir, please don’t doubt it, I am an AI-assisted program.” X clearly lacked the ability to lie and gave an affirmative answer without hesitation.

Leonid stood there, forcing himself to calm down for a few minutes. He quickly looked up and asked in an extremely eager tone, "How did you obtain these things? I swear, even the most advanced research institutions in the United States could never reach such a level of sophistication. Without a doubt, you possess technology that is more than twenty years ahead of the entire world. Also, where is this base located? Is it in danger of being exposed?"

"I'm sorry, I can't explain the origin of these devices, but I can tell you the location of the base. It's located beneath an uninhabited island in the South Pacific, with no sea or air routes passing through it, and no US military bases or radar stations nearby. At the bottom, there are several permanent teleportation portals that can transport you and your people to any corner of the world. As for the aircraft, they are all vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, each with both radar and visual stealth capabilities. In other words, you can fly them into the airspace of any country without worrying about being detected. Most importantly, there's a very advanced lie detector here that can help you distinguish 100% who can be trusted and who is a traitor. How about that, are you satisfied?"

Clearly, Zhang Cheng had placed everything he obtained from Hydra, as well as everything he had traded with S.H.I.E.L.D., here.

"Satisfied! Of course I'm satisfied! I guarantee that with these, it won't be long before you have the most powerful intelligence agency in the world."

As he spoke these words, Leonid's eyes revealed a strong ambition and desire.

Zhang Cheng quickly noticed this and nodded in satisfaction: "Very good! Remember your promise! I'm someone who only cares about results and not the process, so you'd better keep your word. In a while, I will launch several multi-functional private satellites, at which time you will also have a communication and reconnaissance system that will never be eavesdropped on globally. Now I'm giving you your first task: obtain as much written and visual data as possible from various countries about the Atlantic region. You have about four months."

After saying that, he stuffed a simple map covered in shadows into the old man's hand.

The latter took the document, glanced at it briefly, and replied without hesitation, "No problem! Four months is enough. But before we take action, I need you to give me some time to rebuild the team. With two billion dollars a year, plus the advanced equipment in this base, no intelligence agency in the world can rival us."

"Heh! Having ambition and desire is a good thing; it's one of the driving forces behind human progress. As I mentioned before, I don't care about the process. Whether you're selling arms, smuggling drugs, trading intelligence, or directly getting involved in the mercenary industry, infiltrating and subverting the regimes of certain countries, that's your business. But one thing: don't cause too much trouble. I don't want to clean up your mess, understand?" Zhang Cheng warned meaningfully.

“Understood! If I still need your help after having all this, wouldn’t that be a bit too incompetent?” Leonid’s lips curled up slightly, revealing a confident smile.

"Oh, I almost forgot. To help you work better, I've prepared a small gift for you at the end."

The words had barely left his mouth!

Zhang Cheng suddenly extended a finger and gently tapped the other person's forehead.

In the blink of an eye, a faint magical mark slowly appeared, and then the old man's appearance began to change, transforming him from seventy years old to just over fifty.

Feeling his aging organs regain their vitality, Leonid's pupils contracted sharply. He looked up and tentatively asked in a hesitant tone, "What did you do to me?"

"It's very simple! I've given you new life force and extended your lifespan. As long as your work efficiency satisfies me, you don't need to worry about aging and dying. But if I find out that you've betrayed me one day, then this little thing left in your soul will drain all your life force."

“Magic? I see!” Leonid nodded thoughtfully, showing neither surprise nor the slightest resistance.

Because he knew that this was a way of controlling himself, and it was essentially no different from how the KGB used to control its spies and agents.

In comparison, this method of control is quite mild, and it grants an extra lifespan, even giving one the feeling of having gained something.

"Alright, let's end our conversation here for today. Regarding the use of the various facilities and equipment in this underground base, you can contact X Information directly. Don't worry about electricity and energy; the underground oil depots here store enough gasoline for you to use for twenty years, and the electricity is generated in a way you can't understand—it will never run out. Once you get back, send a contact person to New York as soon as possible. From now on, unless absolutely necessary, I won't contact you directly; I'll contact you through him or her..."

Chapter 0649 Team

January is the coldest month in the Northern Hemisphere, but for Rio de Janeiro, the capital of Brazil, located at a low latitude in the Southern Hemisphere, it is still sunny and warm, with daytime highs reaching around 30 degrees Celsius. You can see Latina beauties dressed in light clothing everywhere on the streets.

However, this South American pearl, known as the City of God, is far from being as beautiful as outsiders imagine.

In particular, the various criminal organizations entrenched in the slums are countless.

In less than ten months, Rio de Janeiro, a city of 6.5 million people, has seen more than 5,000 murders. And that only includes those where bodies have been found; the number of murders that have been covered up is likely much higher.

Even more frightening is that police officers, who are responsible for maintaining public order, cannot guarantee their own safety, with hundreds of police officers dying in the line of duty every year.

Yet it is precisely this city, filled with chaos, drugs, exposure, and death, that has become an ideal refuge for many.

The reason is simple: the constant fighting between gangs of all sizes has driven government forces out of many neighborhoods, creating large areas of lawlessness.