Chapter 777 Helpless
Xiao Peng couldn't help but grumble at the photo Khedira had sent him. What's with these Turks? Barbados is already mostly black, and the few white people here are already noticeable. And the people they sent all had beards: Are they afraid they won't know they're Turkish?
Contrary to popular belief, plastic surgery clinics in Turkey are quite common and booming, but their clients are men, not women. The most common procedure performed there is a beard transplant, which involves transplanting hair follicles from the back of a man's head and neck to his chin. If a man is bald, that's not a problem; hair follicles from his chest, shoulders, arms, or legs can be transplanted to his chin to create a beard.
The procedure typically takes five hours to complete, and patients can expect to see a full beard two weeks later. However, while this simple procedure comes with a hefty price tag, starting at at least $5,000 USD in Turkey! Istanbul alone boasts over 250 beard transplant surgeons, and patients from all over the Middle East fly to Istanbul specifically for the procedure. Upon landing, they receive a designated shuttle service and even offer free accommodation. They also partner with travel agencies to allow patients to explore Turkey after their procedure.
In Turkey, being beardless is even more terrifying than being hairless! There are two local proverbs about beards: "Grow long hair like your mother and a beard like your father," and the other, even more damning, "A man without a beard is like a cat without a tail." Turkish men are so embarrassed to go out without a beard that barbershops in Turkey specialize in beard care and maintenance.
In fact, Turkish men's preference for beards has also undergone repeated changes.
During the Ottoman Empire, it goes without saying that Turkish men were crazy about beards. Just look at the portraits of the sultans, and you will find that every one of them has a big beard - even if you don't have much beard, you still have to have a big beard in your portrait!
After the Ottoman Empire collapsed, Turkey, under the leadership of its founding president, Kemal Ataturk, launched a vigorous "beard removal campaign." At the time, beards were prohibited, even in the Turkish military. Anyone sporting a beard was considered "old-fashioned, backward, and conservative." Bearded Turks are becoming increasingly rare; ten years ago, only about a third of Turkish men still sported a beard.
But what about now? The Turkish preference for beards has returned again - didn't you see that even President Erdogan has a mustache?
As the saying goes, what goes up comes down. Turkey has recently launched a massive "beard-growing movement," with everyone from government officials to sports and film stars sporting beards. The movement has even seen Turkey abolish a decades-old ban on beards in the military.
While it's not true that all men with beards are Turks, roughly 95% of adult men in Turkey now have beards. Combined with the Bayraktar MINI drone we just discovered, who else could this be but Turks?
Ivan had reminded Xiao Peng to be careful of the Turks' dirty tricks, but nothing happened. Xiao Peng thought the Turks couldn't care less about him, but he was wrong?
Walter, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke: "Boss, we are in big trouble this time!"
"What do you mean?" Xiao Peng asked.
Walter said, "Boss, if the Turks are really here, they wouldn't have failed to do even the simplest intelligence work. They couldn't have been unaware of our identities, and they certainly knew your marksmanship and skills. But even so, they must have been thoroughly prepared to come. I'm sure they'll be coming in large numbers, and they'll be well-equipped. They shouldn't be easily dealt with right now."
Xiao Peng nodded after hearing this.
Kasin asked, "Boss, can't we get some 'hard stuff' here?"
After saying that, he made a gesture as if pulling the trigger.
Xiao Peng waved his hand and said, "Forget it. This is Barbados. It's too difficult to get 'hard goods' here!"
Barbados' gun control was not very strict. After all, it was once a British colony. After independence, all laws and regulations were formulated in accordance with the British system, including mandatory control.
However, in recent years, the intensity of compulsory control has been increased, and the reason for this is related to the "Shandong Queen" Rihanna.
On Christmas Day 2017, Rihanna and her family returned to Barbados for the holiday. The day before, they happily enjoyed a Christmas dinner. The next day, her cousin was shot and killed while walking down the street. He was only 21 years old! Even more amazing is that to this day, the case remains unsolved and the murderer is still at large.
It's not surprising that this case couldn't be solved. The entire 'Royal Barbados Police' in Barbados, including civilian staff and the police band, has no more than a hundred members, and they even have holidays during festivals - real holidays, the kind where the police stations are closed.
This isn't surprising in Barbados. The military is on par with the police here, and the entire nation's navy, army, and air force, including civilians and ceremonial personnel, total fewer than 500 people. And they usually get off work on time and have weekends off...
Barbadians are very confident about this, saying, "There are no robbers or thieves in Barbados. If there are, they are all from cruise ships." Then, a shooting occurred, and the victim was the cousin of "Barbadian National Treasure" Rihanna.
This is so embarrassing.
It doesn't matter if the case goes unsolved; it's always better to mend the fence after the sheep have been lost. That's why Barbados has increased its enforcement efforts in recent years. Want to get the "hard stuff" you need to use against someone here? That's not easy.
Several people looked at each other, all with helpless expressions.
Xiao Peng tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table, but he couldn't think of a solution no matter how hard he tried.
He looked down at the drone and suddenly became curious: "Khedira, how did this guy get it down?"
Khedira explained: "This ship has the British AUDS system on board, so taking it down is a piece of cake!"
"What AUDS system?" Xiao Peng asked, "Speak to me in a way that normal people can understand!"
Khedira pointed at the drone on the ground and said, "It's an anti-drone system developed by the British. It was jointly developed by Bright Surveillance Systems, Chase Dynamics, and Enterprise Control Systems. It's specifically designed to deal with drones. Using it against this thing? It's a waste of talent!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
