Chapter 77 Cheka (Revised)

He Changyi hadn't expected that this was something she would understand as soon as she met the person.

The police station's detention area smelled bad and was filthy everywhere, as if it hadn't been cleaned since it was built, with prisoners allowed to urinate and defecate anywhere.

There were many prisoners in the prison area, all of them strangely shaped, with bruises and swelling on their faces, but among the group, He Changyi spotted his target at first glance.

He was stripped of his uniform and sat dejectedly in the corner, head down, rubbing his face repeatedly with his hands. Without a hat to conceal it, his bald head was particularly conspicuous.

What's even more striking is his expression, like a plucked bald chicken, his huge hooked nose collapsing dejectedly, crookedly lying across his face.

He Changyi asked, "Is it him?"

Before Andrei could answer, she nodded firmly: "It's him."

It's not surprising that this guy tried to blackmail her from the beginning using her passport as an excuse; many Oros police officers would have done the same thing, but none of them were as persistent as him.

Perhaps it was because her colleague, who had also patrolled the train station, had been promoted so quickly that she was treated differently by this colleague.

Unable to retaliate against his colleague, and unwilling to do so, he turned his attention to her.

As the saying goes, people don't hate a king from afar, but they hate that the neighbor's hen has laid an extra egg.

Andrei stood behind He Changyi, looking at his former colleague with a blank expression.

He Changyi asked, "On what charge was this guy arrested?"

Andrei said, "There are many charges."

His tone was like someone picking out cabbages at a market: "You can choose one you like."

He Changyi was uninterested. "Forget it, I have no interest in kicking someone when they're down."

A helpless lamb to the slaughter? That sounds utterly boring.

Moreover, she doesn't need to do anything; Andrei won't let her have an easy time.

He reported the wrong person.

He Changyi took one last look at the hooked nose and left the enclosed space with its terrible smell first.

Besides the hook-nosed policeman, Andrei also took her to meet another person, the owner of the gift.

"Hey, hello, it's a pleasure to meet you. You're much more impressive in person than in the photos. You truly deserve to be one of Moscow's top businessmen. So, are you satisfied with my gift?"

A brown-haired youth with an unremarkable face, almost indistinct, whose appearance and attire are unremarkable, looks like any other Eurasian you might encounter on the street. No matter how skilled a painter is, they could not create a distinctive portrait of him.

Although he was of average appearance, he was a very witty person, which was quite rare in a land like Oros where everyone had a somber face. He probably used up the entire annual laughter quota of many Oros people in a single day.

He Changyi was quite surprised and asked him with a smile, "You've seen my photo? Apart from customs, I don't remember having any photos taken anywhere else in Oslo. So, where did you see it?"

The brown-haired youth's eyes darted around nimbly. "It's not surprising that a beautiful and wealthy lady like you would have admirers who want to keep your photos."

He even asked Andrei, "You agree, right, Andryusha?"

Andreusa? That's a very affectionate nickname.

He Changyi went to see Andrei, who showed no expression and simply introduced him: "Mikhail, he used to work for the National Security Committee."

National Security Council?

It was an awkward and unfamiliar term. At least He Changyi had never heard of this organization since arriving in Oros, nor had he ever dealt with it.

The brown-haired youth chimed in enthusiastically, "That is, the KGB! As you can see, I am an unemployed Cheka."

He Changyi: ...This is truly an eye-opening experience. She had never imagined that she would meet such a warm and cheerful KGB officer.

The brown-haired youth, Mikhail, is a former low-level civil servant in the Union. His position on the National Security Committee was abolished, leaving him unemployed. Now, in order to make a living, he has no choice but to look for job opportunities in society.

For example, working as a security guard for a wealthy Korean businessman who is not yet accustomed to the life of the rich.

After the National Security Council was completely disbanded, some KGB agents joined the newly established Foreign Intelligence Service and Federal Security Service, while others were forced to resign.

What can laid-off secret agents do?

A professional assassin? Found a private security company? Or perhaps, if this place doesn't want me, there are plenty of other places that will, so I can defect to the enemy country, transform myself into James Bond, and enjoy beautiful women and luxury cars.

However, foreign intelligence agencies had little interest in Mikhail, a young KGB officer under the age of 35 with limited experience. The salary they offered was not generous enough to justify his treason.

If you're going to get someone to betray their country, you have to pay them enough. You can't let down the ambitious young people who are willing to serve the Party and the country just for Commissioner Smith's money.

That's his beloved motherland—he needs to pay more!

But it's different if the employer is a wealthy Chinese businessman.

First, she pays a lot of money; second, the job has a low risk factor; and third, she really pays a lot of money.

Mikhail said solicitously, "I used to work in the Fifth Directorate. Whatever you want to do, I can get it done for you."

The Fifth Bureau, also known as the Alliance's secret police department, was founded by Belial and is the most notorious intelligence agency in the history of the Alliance.

He Changyi tapped the table slowly with his fingers.

"It's a little embarrassing to say, but I've already hired ten bodyguards. To be honest, I can't think of any other place where I would need to hire a former KGB officer."

It seems the employer himself is not very keen on issuing this offer.

Mikhail became even more attentive.

Do you have any business competitors?

He Changyi said, "Of course."

That's ridiculous. No matter how capable she is, she can't monopolize the reseller business.

Mikhail smiled. "Do you have any enemies? They covet your wealth, stealing, robbing, framing, and murdering you, seriously threatening your life and property."

He Changyi said, "Yes, I have."

However, she has already dealt with all of them. They are either in the process of reincarnation or in prison cells. In short, among those who are alive and breathing, no one can threaten her for the time being.

Of course, in present-day Oros, it wouldn't be surprising if a group of thieves, robbers, or gangsters collecting protection money randomly appeared.

Mikhail's smile deepened.

"Have you ever encountered extortionate bureaucrats? They make things difficult for you with simple matters, refusing to sign or stamp documents, demanding money, but in the end they do nothing. No, they actively impose fines, waving tickets and rushing into your office."

He Changyi glanced at him, and instead of answering, asked, "What can you do?"

Mikhail's voice became higher-pitched.

“I can do anything for you! Whether it’s killing them, faking a heart attack—” He saw He Changyi’s expression and nimbly changed what he was about to say, “or spying on them, finding dirt on them, and forcing them to obey you.”

He Changyi didn't say anything, but leaned back lazily in her chair, seemingly unmoved.

Mikhail looked dejected and said hesitantly, "I can also analyze intelligence for you in the domestic and international political, economic, and military fields..."

He Changyi stopped tapping the table.

"That sounds pretty good."

Mikhail seemed encouraged, and his voice rose again: "I got the highest score in intelligence studies at school!"

He Changyi stood up, and Andrei, who had been silent until now, also stood up.

"Mr. Mikhail, let me see what you're capable of first."

She looked down at the brown-haired youth. He still had a smile on his face, but his eyes did not. They held a strange shrewdness and cunning that seemed both incongruous and not so incongruous on his young face.

Mikhail also stood up, took off his hat, and bowed to He Changyi.

He bowed slightly, looking up at him with a light, cheerful smile:

"Then so be it."

Andrei's car was already waiting at the door, still that black and shiny Volga, looking like it was on another layer in the desolate and dilapidated streets of Mosk.

Andrei sat in the driver's seat, one hand on the steering wheel, looking at He Changyi in the passenger seat.

Don't you like him?

Judging from this, if she were to say anything she didn't like, Comrade Andrei the Headhunter would immediately replace her with the next candidate, and of course, if nothing unexpected happened, it would be the Cheka.

He Changyi instead asked him, "Why do you want to introduce me to a KGB bodyguard?"

Looking at the potholed road, Andrei said, "He'll be useful."

He paused, then asked, "Do you hate him?"

He Changyi said, "I can't say I like or dislike it. Rather, it's more like having a wild wolf by my side. A dangerous one."

Andrei, who had been holding the gear lever, lightly placed his hand over He Changyi's hand, as if to comfort her.

"He is not dangerous."

He Changyi asked him half-jokingly, "Do you have some kind of leverage over Mikhail?"

As the tram passed through the intersection, Andrei stopped the tram and turned to look at He Changyi.

He didn't speak or laugh; his expression was soft and gentle, like a soft blanket enveloping you.

Even when he's wearing his uniform, he's like a sharpened sword, cold and devoid of personal emotion.

...That's simply foul!

He Changyi sighed and said helplessly, "Fine, I won't ask anymore, for your sake."

She met Andrei's questioning gaze and blurted out the answer: "I believe you."

Andrei first widened his eyes, then smiled.

He was somewhat incredulous, yet this very incredulity made him even more overjoyed.

He Changyi also paused for a moment, as if to confirm something, and then said:

"I trust you."

—It's unbelievable. When she said those things before, nine parts were joking and only one and a half parts were genuine trust.

But now, as she pondered those words, she sensed a chill run down her spine and discerned nine-tenths of genuine emotion within them.

No one spoke for the rest of the journey until the car stopped in front of a house on Dmitrov Street.

Before He Changyi could open the car door and jump out, Andrei had already quickly walked around from the driver's seat to her side and opened the car door for her.

His eyes are still smiling!

He Changyi felt inexplicably flustered, but couldn't explain why. He could only pretend to be calm. When he got off the bus, he almost bumped his head, but Andrei quickly reached out and protected him on the frame.

"careful."

He Changyi asked him, "Does your hand hurt?"

She lifted her head with considerable force when she got out of the car, and I could clearly hear the sound of his hand hitting the car; it sounded quite painful.

Andrei simply shook his head and asked in a low voice:

"When you go back to Vladimir, shall I see you off?"

Just as He Changyi was about to politely decline, someone suddenly interrupted their conversation.

"She doesn't need it."

Alexei walked down the steps, glanced at the brand-new Volga parked next to his beat-up taxi, and looked at it with an inscrutable expression.

"I will take her back."

Andrei looked at Alexei, who had transformed back into that cold sword.

However, Andrei did not say a word to Alexei, as if he had not heard what he was saying at all, showing utter contempt.

Andrei looked at He Changyi and suddenly raised his hand to straighten her collar.

"I'll pick you up tomorrow."

He Changyi had his back to Alexei, and the hairs on the back of his head stood on end!

"I may have to stay in Moscow for a while longer."

Andrei seemed not to hear what she was saying. "Okay, I'll pick you up tomorrow."

He Changyi: ...She doesn't remember having a date with Andre tomorrow!

And Alexei, stop sneering! His laughter is enough to scare away all the crows on the street!

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Author's note: The male lead is having a really hard time making a choice. How about an open ending, or an "if" storyline in the extra chapters?