When Zhao Xiaohai and Kochamov arrived at the gate of the reserve warehouse, the soldiers in charge of guarding the gate had already confronted the secret police who tried to break into the warehouse directly. The railings that were usually erected high had been lowered at this time. The soldiers inside and outside the gate and on the walls on both sides of the gate all pointed their guns outwards. The scene looked quite spectacular.
When he was still some distance away from the gate, Zhao Xiaohai could see the situation in front of the gate clearly. He saw that among those people wearing blue clothes, there was a big man with a fierce face who was about thirty years old. This guy was obviously the leader of the group, and he had a red armband on his arm.
"Is that the leader?" Zhao Xiaohai slowed down and casually asked Kochamov who was following closely behind him.
"Yes, it's him, his name is Drebokoko." Kochamov replied hurriedly.
"Well," Zhao Xiaohai kept walking. "Don't say anything when you get over there. Don't get into a fight with these people because of me. That won't be good for anyone. Also, when Kuvalkin comes back, tell him for me that we must find a way to send Li Qiang and the others away. The sooner the better."
"Yes, I understand, sir," Kochamov nodded.
Nodding, Zhao Xiaohai took a last look behind him. Li Qiang did not follow him, which made Zhao Xiaohai feel a little relieved. It seemed that his younger brother had really matured.
From the moment Zhao Xiaohai and Kochamov appeared inside the door, Dreboko noticed that there were not many Chinese who dared to stay in the Far East, and those who could enter the Soviet army reserve depot openly were even rarer. Therefore, it was obvious that the tall, yellow-skinned and black-haired guy should be the target of his trip.
The secret police didn't need to produce any arrest warrants, and before each operation, the officers responsible for carrying out the arrests didn't know the identities of their targets. But this time, Drebokov was no ordinary secret police lieutenant. As the newly appointed head of the Far Eastern branch of the Security Council, he had arrived in the Far East with Yakov and was essentially Yakov's confidant.
Before embarking on this mission to "capture" Zhao Xiaohai, Drebokoko had received instructions from Yakov: to "bring" him back, not "capture" him. The difference between the two words, the hidden meaning, was to teach Drebokoko to be more cautious in his approach. It was precisely because of Yakov's instructions that Drebokoko and his group had the patience to wait outside the storage facility.
Honestly, before getting Zhao Xiaohai into the car, Drebokoko was also feeling a bit daunted by this mission. He'd always been good at arresting people, torturing them, and, of course, executing them quite a few times. In his mind, the secret police would storm into their target's hideout, and regardless of protest, they'd just knock him to the ground with the butt of their rifle, and then whatever else they wanted to do. If the person tried to resist or escape, it would be even easier, saving him the time of interrogation and extracting a confession.
But what about this time? This time, Yakov had already made it clear that he had to "bring" the person back, and that he had to be careful about his attitude. This made things difficult for Drebokov. Bring him back? What if he didn't come? What if he ran away and resisted? Would he have to order his men to rush over and carry him back by the arms and legs? That would make him, the head of the secret police, laugh to death.
Fortunately, none of Drebokoko's fears materialized. This seemingly frail Chinese man proved quite courageous. He asked nothing, said nothing, and simply got into the car, even wearing a faint smile. Drebokoko had served in the Security Council for nearly a decade, all that time as a secret police officer, and he had made countless arrests. He remembered seeing all sorts of people every time he appeared before his targets in uniform: some turned pale, some trembled like they had Parkinson's, some burst into tears, some begged desperately, and some even wet their pants out of fear. But he had never seen anyone smile, and do so with such composure and composure.
"This Chinese man is not simple." In the same car, Drebokoko sat next to Zhao Xiaohai, looking at the calm yellow face, and thought with admiration in his heart.
Perhaps it was precisely because of this admiration that Dreboko took out a pack of cigarettes, something he had never seen before, and handed one to Zhao Xiaohai, saying softly, "Mr. Zhao, how about one?"
Zhao Xiaohai turned to look at the cigarettes the lieutenant offered him. They were, surprisingly, a pack of Chinese Hongtashan cigarettes. He didn't take them. Instead, he smiled and pulled a pack of Zhonghua from his pocket. He handed it to Drebokoko and said, "You spent a lot of money on my cigarettes, and now you're giving them to me. Isn't that a bit of a loss? Forget it, just smoke mine."
Drebokoko was stunned, not understanding what Zhao Xiaohai meant. How could he know that the majority of Chinese cigarettes currently circulating on the black market in the Far East, and even throughout the Soviet Union, came from Zhao Xiaohai's hands. And a large portion of the money Drebokoko paid for this pack of cigarettes went into Zhao Xiaohai's pocket.
News of Zhao Xiaohai's arrest by the secret police quickly reached Zyuganov via phone. The military district's conference call had just concluded, and upon hearing the news, the entire camp was in turmoil. Just in the conference call, General Tretyak had implicitly expressed support for collaborating with businesspeople to resolve their own expenses. He had also mentioned Zhao Xiaohai's name, suggesting that other units should contact him as soon as possible, if circumstances permitted, and that preferential policies should be offered while resolving military funding issues. According to General Tretyak, the Ministry of Defense was also aware of the situation, and its stance was neither supportive nor opposed—in other words, tacit approval. But who knew that the news of Zhao Xiaohai's arrest would arrive just after the conference? What was going on? Wasn't the newly appointed Chairman of the Far Eastern Division of the Security Council, Yakov, one of them? Could he have changed his stance?
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