novelsite Chapter 80 Cleaning Team
Chapter 80 Cleaning Team
"Someone is helping them." Wolf turned around, his eyes sharp. "Someone killed Zhang Yiqiang, stole the weapons, and perhaps... even rescued Andrei. Or at least, they're trying to curry favor with Andrei."
He walked to his desk and pressed the intercom button: "Let everyone in."
A few minutes later, the office door opened again, and six men filed in. They were all low-level bosses from various districts of the Iron Hand gang, each with a fierce look in their eyes and scars from street fights on their bodies.
"From today onwards, everyone put aside what you're doing and focus all your efforts on capturing Andrei Sokolov." Wolf's voice echoed in the office, each word carrying unquestionable authority. "The bounty is increased to 100,000 euros—for capture alive. 50,000 for death."
A slight commotion arose in the room. One hundred thousand euros was no small sum; even within the Iron Hand gang, it was an exceptionally large bounty.
"Boss, is this necessary?" a bald, burly man asked. "Andrei is like a stray dog now; we'll catch him sooner or later..."
"Sooner or later?" Wolf interrupted him, his eyes icy. "He's already cost us three warehouses, five bosses, and millions of euros worth of goods! Now he might have allied with another force! I don't want 'sooner or later,' I want it now! Immediately! Right now!"
He scanned the entire room, and everyone whose gaze fell upon him instinctively lowered their heads.
"Use all resources. Search the dock area, the Kreuzberg district, the Neukölln district... search every place Andrei might be hiding. Contact our informant in the police station and get all the surveillance footage. Bribe our informants and offer a reward for information. I don't care how much money it costs or what methods I use—I want Andrei Sokolov to appear before me."
"Yes, boss!" everyone responded in unison.
"Also," Wolfe added, "find out who was behind the actions at the docks tonight. If it's a newly emerged force... I need to know their background."
Everyone left the office one by one, leaving only Marcus.
“Boss, there’s one more thing,” Marcus said. “Andrei’s daughter, Natasha. We found out she had contact with an Asian man in the supermarket parking lot, and then she disappeared. Should we continue investigating along that line?”
Wolf's eyes flickered.
Natasha Sokolov. That blonde, blue-eyed Ukrainian girl.
Six months ago, during his pursuit of Andrei, Wolf accidentally saw her photograph. At that moment, a deep-seated desire was awakened—not lust, but a more twisted possessiveness. He wanted to possess the girl, like a precious trophy. He wanted to see Andrei's expression when he discovered his daughter was in his hands; that would certainly be… very interesting.
"Find her," Wolf said. "But remember—I want her alive and well."
"clear."
After Marcus left, Wolf went back to the window and looked out at Berlin.
Andrei Sokolov... how much longer can you hide?
No matter what kind of allies you find, no matter what kind of evidence you hold...
In Berlin, the Iron Hand is king.
At the same time, in Rotterdam, on the banks of the Meuse River, in a luxury villa.
Only a desk lamp was lit in the study, its dim light illuminating the profile of a middle-aged man. He was wearing a silk bathrobe, sitting behind a mahogany desk, holding an encrypted satellite phone in his hand.
A younger voice came through the phone, respectful but tense: "Mr. Zhou, something's happened in Berlin. Zhang Yiqiang is dead, the warehouse has been emptied, and that shipment... is gone."
The man referred to as Mr. Zhou did not speak, but listened quietly.
"The scene was very clean, and the police initially determined it to be a gang shootout. But according to our informant at the dock, things weren't that simple. Zhang Yiqiang and his men died very professionally, all killed with a single shot. The goods in the warehouse were completely removed, not even a single bullet was left. This doesn't seem like something an ordinary gang would do."
"When was the cargo discovered?" Mr. Zhou finally spoke, his voice calm and devoid of emotion.
"Around 11:30 tonight. Zhang Yiqiang originally planned to stage a fake conflict in the eastern part of the dock to attract the attention of the police and the Iron Hand Gang, thus covering up the arms deal in the western part. But gunshots suddenly rang out in the eastern part. By the time our people arrived, Zhang Yiqiang was already dead, and the goods were gone too."
Mr. Zhou tapped his fingers lightly on the table with a steady rhythm, as if he were thinking.
"That batch of mortars was specifically requested by the 'customer'," he said slowly. "Now that the goods are lost, the deal has to be cancelled. The 'customer' will be very unhappy."
The voice on the other end of the phone became even more tense: "Yes...yes. We've tried our best to investigate, but..."
"What did you find out?"
"For now... there are no leads. The fog is too thick, and most of the surveillance cameras at the dock were destroyed by Zhang Yiqiang himself. However... there are rumors that the Iron Hand Gang is currently on a frenzied hunt for a Ukrainian named Andrei Sokolov. The Indians who died tonight were after Andrei."
"Andrei Sokolov..." Mr. Zhou repeated the name, "The former special forces soldier who gave the Iron Hand gang a headache for half a year?"
"Yes. He is said to have evidence of Iron Hand gang crimes, and Wolf has put a 50,000 euro bounty on his head."
Mr. Zhou remained silent for a few seconds.
"Find out if Andrei is involved in tonight's events," he said. "If he did it... then this guy is very interesting. A fugitive being hunted down, daring to touch my goods, he's either insane, or..."
He paused, not finishing his sentence.
"What do you need, Mr. Zhou?"
"Or maybe he's found a new backer." Mr. Zhou stood up and walked to the French windows in his study. Outside the window was the night view of Rotterdam Harbor, with countless containers and cargo ships appearing and disappearing in the darkness, like silent behemoths.
"Continue the investigation. Use all resources in Berlin. That shipment must be recovered, and Zhang Yiqiang's death must be investigated." His voice remained calm, but carried a chilling undertone. "As for the Iron Hand Gang... avoid conflict for now. Wolf is like a mad dog; let him bite Andrei. We'll make our move when they're both weakened."
"clear."
"Also," Mr. Zhou added, "check if any new forces have emerged in Berlin recently. Anyone who dares to touch my goods can't be an unknown entity."
"Yes."
The phone hangs up.
Mr. Zhou stood by the window, gazing at the distant port, remaining silent for a long time.
Zhang Yiqiang is dead, the goods are lost... This has disrupted his plans.
The mortars were specifically requested by an "important client" in the Middle East. Now that the deal has fallen through, he will not only lose money, but it will also damage his reputation with the client.
More importantly—someone dared to defy the powerful.
In Rotterdam, and throughout the smuggling networks of Western Europe, who doesn't know the name Mr. Zhou? To touch his goods is tantamount to declaring war on him.
who can that be?
The Iron Hand Gang? Wolf may be arrogant, but he's not stupid enough to provoke both the Chinese Youth Gang and the Russian Mafia (the supplier of that batch of goods) at the same time. Besides, Wolf's mind is entirely on Andrei right now; he shouldn't have the energy to pull off something like this.
Other local gangs? Turks? Arabs? They might have the guts, but not the ability. Zhang Yiqiang had been operating at the Berlin docks for years, and his men were all elites. He could wipe them all out in one night and quietly transport away several tons of weapons... This was something no ordinary gang could do.
Could it be... someone from the government?
Mr. Zhou shook his head. If it were a police or military operation, they wouldn't be so discreet. Besides, the police are still investigating at the scene and are clearly unaware of the situation.
Then, only one possibility remains—
A new force has entered Berlin.
A powerful, professional, and... fearless force.
Mr. Zhou's lips curled into a slight smile.
interesting.
The waters of Berlin seem to be getting even muddier.
He walked back to his desk, picked up another phone, and dialed a number.
"It's me," he said. "Something's happened in Berlin, and I need you to go there. Find out who moved my goods, and then... take care of it."
A deep voice came from the other end of the phone: "Understood. When do we leave?"
"Tomorrow," Mr. Zhou said, "bring the 'cleaning team.' This time, I want to see a clean result."
"Yes."
The phone hangs up.
Mr. Zhou sat back down in his chair and closed his eyes.
Berlin……
That chaotic, dirty city, full of opportunities and dangers.
Now, another restless force has emerged.
Yeah.
Turbulent times produce heroes.
It also produces...dead people.
Outside the window, the night was deep.