Qi Yun nodded, knowing that ultimately it's the ordinary people who suffer in such turmoil.

Instead of staying in Russia for a few more days to survey the market, after what just happened, he's a bit shaken and just wants to return home quickly.

So he immediately voiced his thoughts and discussed it with several others.

"Let's finish the remaining tasks today and return tomorrow."

Mendeleyev was reluctant, but given the situation, he couldn't persuade him to stay.

"Rest assured, once you return, we'll proceed with establishing the trade company, and you'll receive the goods soon." Qi Yun patted his shoulder as he spoke.

Mendeleyev nodded: "I'm certainly confident in your handling things. I'll keep an eye on the fertilizer issues, and once the transaction is complete, I'll transfer the money to your account."

"Alright."

Over these few days, their relationship had grown closer, and Qi Yun felt he could trust him on this.

After the meal, Qi Yun went back to the car to call Zhao Qing and inform her he was safe, and let her know he'd be returning tomorrow.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Qing was overjoyed, asked about the flight time, and planned to pick him up at the airport.

After hanging up, Qi Yun lit a cigarette, brought up the system panel, and started checking today's intelligence content.

[Current Intelligence Points: 2]

[Today's Intelligence 1 (Blue): Sixty kilometers north of the city, in Kovado Town, there's an abandoned Orthodox church. Under the third step of the church, there's a buried Orthodox Golden Holy Image from the Tsarist Russia era]

"Orthodox Golden Holy Image?" Qi Yun was puzzled.

He knew little about the history of Tsarist Russia and initially thought this object was a golden statue. After some searching on his phone, he realized he was mistaken.

This Orthodox Golden Holy Image is actually a painting created using a special technique on wooden or plaster boards.

But since it carries the word 'golden,' there's definitely some gold involved, even though it's minimal, with just a bit of gold leaf for decoration.

Despite this, such works hold significant value, considered antiques with a history spanning over a thousand years.

There was once an Orthodox Golden Holy Image sold at a London auction for thirty thousand British Pounds.

[Today's Intelligence 2 (Red): Four soldiers from the second faction are hiding in a forest thirty kilometers west of the capital, planning to attack two oil depots in the Tuva capital's suburbs today]

...

If only I had seen this sooner, I wouldn't have been so frightened earlier.

[Today's Intelligence 3 (Red): Nokovic personally killed a reporter from Tuva Daily last night. The reporter possessed substantial evidence of the other party's illegal activities, all stored in a mini USB hidden under the late wife's tombstone]

"Hiss!"

Seeing this piece of information, Qi Yun's heart tightened. Nokovic really is ruthless.

Dealing with such people is dangerous, relationships are based solely on benefits, not friendships.

Even though Mendeleyev has boarded that ship, if something unexpected happens, he might be thrown into the river without hesitation.

Qi Yun took a deep drag from his cigarette, thought for a moment, then called Mendeleyev into the car to give him some advice.

Peng watched curiously from outside the car window, unsure what the two were secretly plotting, only noticing Mendeleyev's expression becoming increasingly serious...

After escorting the injured Peng back to the hotel, Mendeleyev took Qi Yun to visit some local merchants to understand market demands.

By the afternoon, Qi Yun said he had things to handle, then quietly left the city with Chen Wei.

...

Over an hour later, they drove and appeared outside Kovado Town.

Qi Yun thought he could easily retrieve the item from the abandoned church, only to be blocked by a few soldiers in uniform upon arriving at the town.

He tried communicating with them but discovered they only understood the word 'China.'

Once they realized Qi Yun and his party were Chinese, the soldiers remained friendly and didn't intentionally make things difficult, using gestures to indicate that passage was prohibited.

Qi Yun, having come all this way, felt reluctant to turn back.

He opened the car door, got out, and discreetly slipped five hundred USD into one soldier's hand, then translated via his phone: "I'm a tourist from China, wanting to visit the church in the nearby town."

The soldier glanced down at the green USD in his hand, a hint of hesitation on his face.

But that hesitation didn't last long, disappearing in an instant.

In the next moment, he quickly pocketed the money, glanced around ensuring no other team members noticed, then lowered his voice and translated on the phone: "This area is sealed off, we're hunting the second faction soldiers. I can't let you through today, come back tomorrow."

After finishing, he gestured again for Qi Yun and his group to leave.

Upon hearing this, Qi Yun frowned, knowing he wouldn't be able to come back tomorrow as he'd be leaving.

He looked at the soldier, held up one finger, and dropped his voice: "One thousand!"

The soldier shook his head, not tempted by the money: "Sorry, tomorrow."

Qi Yun gave him a glare, thinking, why did you take my money but refuse to let me through?

Unwilling to give up, he returned to the car, contemplated for a moment, then dialed the number for the iron-fisted killer—Nokovic.

"Mr. Qi Yun, glad to receive your call. Is there something I can help you with?" Nokovic's voice sounded quite warm.

But Qi Yun knew well that this guy was definitely a smiling facade.

"Mr. Nokovic, you're too kind. I do indeed have a favor to ask." Qi Yun replied.

Nokovic laughed cheerfully: "Mr. Qi Yun, just tell me, as long as it's something I can do, I'll certainly help you with it."

Qi Yun, seeing this, didn't beat around the bush: "Haha, here's the matter, my friend and I want to visit the church in Kovado Town, but the soldiers on duty here aren't letting us through. Can you help make an exception?"

Nokovic paused on the other end of the phone, not responding immediately, quickly weighing the pros and cons internally.

The order to seal a sixty-kilometer radius came from the military, and as a government official, he technically lacked the authority to intervene.

But politics is like the marketplace; who doesn't have a few friends? As long as he made a call, this wouldn't be too big a deal.

What he was weighing was whether helping Qi Yun with this favor would pose a risk.

After all, the military set up the blockade to capture those second faction soldiers, and if his intervention let them escape, he'd definitely be in trouble.

Although only two oil depots got bombed in the morning, with no casualties reported, an attack on Russian soil reportedly even alarmed the Kremlin, so he had to be cautious.

After thinking it over, he responded: "Mr. Qi Yun, you aren't traveling with anyone from the second faction, are you?"

"Of course not," Qi Yun replied without hesitation, "it's just my bodyguard and me."

"Then it's no problem, I'll make some calls for you, although your vehicle still needs to be inspected to proceed."

Nokovic ultimately decided to help Qi Yun because he believed Qi Yun had significant influence, which might provide strong assistance in the future.

So even if this posed some risk, he wanted to lend his help.

"Certainly, we will cooperate with inspections. Thank you for your assistance, Mr. Nokovic." Qi Yun responded with a smile.

"Haha, we are friends, Mr. Qi Yun, no need for formalities."

After the call ended, Qi Yun parked the car by the roadside and sat quietly inside, waiting.

A few minutes passed, and the soldier from earlier ran towards them.

Upon reaching them, he stood straight-legged, saluted, then handed back the five hundred dollars with a fawning smile through the car window.

"Sorry sir~"

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