Chapter 1777 Who hasn’t been young once?

Xiao Peng felt like he had seen a ghost: because Usmanov really didn't lie to him, there really was a house behind him: a two-story villa with a pointed roof.

This surprised Xiao Peng, not because he lived in a villa, but because living in such a small villa here could only be described in two words: shabby!

This doesn't look like the place where the emperor of Vorkuta lives underground!

After ringing the doorbell, he heard hurried footsteps on the wooden floor. When the door opened, Xiao Peng finally saw Novuf. This time, he was surprised again: Novuf was about 1.7 meters tall, balding, and a little fat. Most importantly, he was wearing an apron and holding a spatula. "Come in, please help yourself. I have fish stewing on the stove."

After saying that, he hurried back to the kitchen, leaving Xiao Peng confused.

He looked at Usmanov, who spread his hands and said, "He's just like that. He's the only one at home. He doesn't even have a servant. Sometimes his secretary comes to help tidy up the house. Just like he said, he's fine."

After he finished speaking, he hung his clothes directly on the hanger and changed into slippers.

Xiao Peng followed suit, hung up his clothes, changed into slippers, and entered the room. There was heating in the room, but the fireplace was also burning there.

He looked around. The decor was typical Russian style, with a few hunting rifles and some stuffed animal heads hanging on the wall. It seemed that Novuf was a hunting enthusiast.

Xiao Peng observed the room and came to two conclusions: first, someone had indeed been living here. Second, this was indeed the room of a single man.

Did Novuk really live here alone as Usmanov said? Xiao Peng preferred to believe that he had borrowed someone else's house to deceive him.

Xiao Peng noticed a photo on the cabinet, which showed Novuk, a woman, and three children. Novuk was much younger then, and at least he still had hair.

Xiao Peng went over and picked up the photo, seemingly paying attention to its contents. However, as he picked up the photo, he noticed dust underneath, indicating that the photo had been there for a long time.

Does he really live here?

Usmanov said, "Those are Novov's wife and children. One of his three children died in Chechnya, one in Afghanistan, and his wife took the remaining one away, saying she couldn't bear another loss in the family. Now his wife and children are married to a tea farmer in the Krasnodar Territory, near Sochi."

"You know enough details!" Xiao Peng put the photo back to its original place.

"I served in the army, then joined the FSB," Usmanov said. "And then I ended up in this hellhole."

Xiao Peng was stunned: "You have such rich experience?"

Usmanov, as if at home, picked up the bottle on the table and poured himself a glass of wine, then poured another for Xiao Peng. "In 1989, I was serving in the Western Corps. What was happening there was finally intolerable. Officers were stealing military supplies for personal gain, and the soldiers, for that matter, couldn't even get enough to eat, let alone pay. So I wrote a detailed report to Moscow, detailing the time, place, people, events, and even the amount of stolen supplies. I failed to consider one thing: the masterminds behind all this were powerful figures in Moscow. By the time I realized what was happening, it was too late. I was thrown into a military prison, where I stayed until the Soviet Union collapsed and Russia granted amnesty. That's when I was recruited by the FSB and sent to France for a mission. Well, it was the Francis Tapplewell mission. My responsibility was to protect Sergei Smilev and eliminate Victor Ochenko."

After he finished speaking, he picked up the glass, drank it all, and poured himself another glass. "Don't worry about what's in the wine. I don't have the courage to poison you now. Besides, poisoning vodka is so un-Russian!"

Xiao Peng's focus wasn't on the "poisoning the wine," but rather on a whistle. He hadn't expected Usmanov to be such a ruthless young man!

He knew about the case of 'Francis Tappleville' he was talking about, which was considered the greatest shame in the history of French intelligence.

Francis Templeville is a French physicist and a member of the French Atomic Energy Research Center.

The French Atomic Energy Research Center! That's the heart of France's military nuclear industry, and anyone entering must undergo a strict confidentiality review! This Francis Templeville is undoubtedly a genius.

But he is also a former Soviet spy...

During his five years at the French Atomic Energy Research Center, he provided the Soviet Union with as many as 6,000 pages of confidential materials, most of which were top defense secrets, which only a few people could access.

France's nuclear technology has always been world-leading, and it was one of the first countries to develop the neutron bomb. However, all of the French neutron bomb's experimental technical reports were in the hands of the Soviet Union. It's no exaggeration to say that the Soviet Union could have used this data to jam French nuclear weapons, rendering them incapable of ignition, or even directly detonated them on French soil.

Although Templeville was eventually arrested, it was not the French intelligence agency that arrested him. Instead, it was a former KGB agent named Victor Ochinko who defected to Britain. His "letter of surrender" was a list of KGB's undercover agents in Europe, which included Templeville. Only then did Britain notify France and arrest him.

The French intelligence services knew nothing about this matter. They refused to believe that Talperville was a Soviet spy until he was arrested.

Sometimes the French are romantic, simple and cute.

The person responsible for contacting Templeville was Sergei Smilev, then Second Secretary of the Soviet Embassy in Paris. Although he had diplomatic immunity, the French were certain to pursue him, and how to cover his evacuation was a major problem. Furthermore, the KGB's "glorious tradition" of "all traitors must die" made killing Victor Ochenko a top priority.

In the end, both of these things were successful. Usmanov, who was responsible for these two tasks, is really not to be underestimated.

Seeing the change in Xiao Peng's eyes, Usmanov smiled and shook his head: "Don't look at me like this now. When I was young, I was also a motivated and capable old FSB."

Xiao Peng was puzzled when he heard this and asked, "Then why are you in a small border town like this? I think with your achievements, you should have no problem getting into the Duma or the FSB."

Usmanov took a sip of his wine and smiled bitterly, "If I told you that I ended up like this because I love this country, would you believe me?"

Xiao Peng put aside his contempt for Usmanov. He raised his glass, clinked it with his, took a sip, and said, "I'd like to hear more."