Boris Boer International Airport.
A young man in a black sweater, casual pants, and a duff bag looked around the empty airport.
“What is your purpose of coming to Kane?” A middle-aged man in uniform looked up and glanced at him a few more times than usual while fidgeting with the passport in hand.
Asian face, two years ago, it would not be rare. But Veit now, any foreign face was worth the extra glance.
“Travel.” The man smiled and exposed his white teeth.
The middle-aged officer was clearly shocked as he looked at him oddly again.
“I hope you enjoy your trip.”
The passport was fine. The officer didn’t say anything as he mechanically stamped it and let him go.
“Phew.”
Walking out of the airport, Jiang Chen relaxingly stretched and scanned the unfamiliar street.
Veit’s sky was clear.
Bright sunshine, clear blue sky, clean street, as well as the towering trees.
Baroque and Byzantine Style of architecture could be seen everywhere. The colorful brick walls resembled a small town in the middle ages. Other than the modern looking street lamp and signs, the vibrancy of rich culture was everywhere in the city.
He heard that Oesk and Lugansk were currently fighting, but the flames of war obviously didn’t spread to here yet.
Even then, the streets looked empty.
Jiang Chen was disappointed to not be able to witness the “Beauty infested Kane” as rumors said.
Of course, the purpose of the trip was not to see beauties.
Not long, a personal vehicle stopped in front of him. The window rolled down, and a head with a red nose peeked out.
“Do you need a taxi?” Jiang Chen barely understood the English laced with a Russian accent.
“Of course, take me to Purimir Hotel.”
Hearing this, the driver also glanced at him a few more times.
Although Jiang Chen’s Han-accented English was hard to understand, as a local, he easily made out the words ” Primir Hotel.”
Only the wealthy could afford those five-star hotels.
Jiang Chen opened the door, sat on the front passenger seat, and strapped on the seat belt. The sturdy looking Kanian driver started the car and drove out smoothly.
He heard that to ride in Kane, the first thing was to set the price. Or he would be scammed. A ride that only cost 30 may end up costing 150 once they arrive at the destination. But Jiang Chen didn’t really mind as it was pocket change for him.
“Tell me about Veit, what’s fun here,” Jiang Chen started to chat with the driver by his side.
“Central Street and Independent Square are all not bad places. it’s great for shopping and sight seeing.” The driver was also talkative, he held the steering wheel and began telling Jiang Chen about the sightseeing places in Veit.
“If you are interested in the history and culture of the place, you could check out Golden Gate, a lot of tourists like to take pictures there. As well as the memorial museum in the right bank of the Dnieper River.” When they started to talk about the historical sights, the rigid face worn by time had a proud expression.
“Oh? Could you tell me about the memorial museum?” Jiang Chen was quite interested.
Although his destination for this trip was Oesk in the East and he probably won’t have time to explore this beautiful city, it would be cool to listen to the perspective of a local.
But for some reason, when Jiang Chen asked about the specifics of the memorial museum. A gloom seemed to cover the driver’s face.
“To remember the victory of defending the country. Darn, I remember when I was young, it was beautiful.”
“What about now? I think this place is not bad.” Jiang Chen looked out the window.
The weather was lovely, the sunshine was bright, a great place to explore.
“It’s absolutely terrible,” The driver said emotionlessly, “People with guns divided into two sides, and the innocent people are stuck in the middle. Back when Soviets ruled, this place was not like this.”
Jiang Chen looked at him but didn’t continue with the topic.
For the locals, it seemed to be a remorseful topic. The textbook he learned seemed to provide a simple black and white picture. That was the only perspective he saw about the entire event. He faintly recalled that when the Lenin Statue was pushed down, the citizens from Kane celebrated.
It was truly shocking when Veit welcomed democracy, the faces of the people were cheering.
Who actually represented them?
The silence only ensued for a brief moment before the driver spoke again, “Is this your first time in Kane?”
“That’s right.” Jiang Chen smiled.
After hesitating for a moment, the kind-hearted driver continued, “Veit’s security is actually terrible, far worse than what Poroshenko described. Every day, there are countless foreigners like you being robbed, and of course, locals included too.”
“I will be careful.” Jiang Chen noncommittally smiled.
Robbery? He didn’t think anyone in this world would be able to beat him.
Seeing Jiang Chen’s unbothered expression, the driver didn’t say anything. He already did his part in alerting him.
“Also, some police may give you trouble due to your passport. In these situations, the easiest way is to pay him 100 USD, or just insist you haven’t heard about this law, and demand that you contact your embassy before paying the fine.”
“Mhmm, I’ll be careful.” For the kind-hearted alert of the driver, Jiang Chen happily accepted.
The car arrived at its destination.
When he got off the car, Jiang Chen left 100 USD on the seat and signaled there was no need for change.
The driver didn’t refuse, but he looked grateful by the gesture.
The days were getting harder and harder, 100 USD for Jiang Chen may be nothing, but for him, it was a sizable amount of money.
Jiang Chen hauled his duffel bag into the hotel, and Jiang Chen showed the reception at the front desk his confirmation before he took the key.
The Primir Hotel was luxuriously decorated. The square and upright giant structure demonstrated the philosophy of Russian architecture and the European decor and lighting had a vibe of beauty originating from its detailing.
His hotel room was on the top floor, the most expensive presidential suite. But it was much cheaper compared to the Sheraton in Sanya as a night only cost him 2200 RMB.
The hotel had a complete set of amenities with a casino, bar, sauna, outdoor pool, gym, indoor pool, and spa. But because the purpose of the trip was not a vacation, he would not have the time to enjoy those things.
He carried the bag into the elevator, went to the top floor, and walked to the room that belonged to him.
Needless to say, Jiang Chen looked out of place standing there. Most of the people living here were all men in suits. His casual wear on the top floor filled with presidential suites did look odd.
But who cared? Being able to live here proved his financial ability.
The moment Jiang Chen took out a key, a blonde, blue-eyed, gorgeous figured beauty walked up with a cheerful smile.
“Do you need service?”
Surprisingly, although she stuttered a little, she spoke Han.
But after giving it a thought, Jiang Chen cursed in his mind.
How many fellow citizens did she “service” to be able to speak Han this well.
“No, thank you,” Jiang Chen smiled courteously and rejected the offer.
If he were on vacation, Jiang Chen without standards wouldn’t mind having some intimate affairs with the foreign beauty. But since he had business to take care of, he must resist the temptation.
She looked at Jiang Chen in surprise. In her memory, rarely would millionaires coming from Han refuse to have an intimate affair with her. But she didn’t say much more. She smiled and left in elegant steps.
Jiang Chen touched his slightly hot nose as he pushed open the door.
He turned on the lights. Jiang Chen threw the bag on the bed and walked straight to the window as he cautiously closed the blinds.
He took out a clock-sized device from his bag and placed it on the nightstand.
He thought that it was too dumb to use an EMP every time he needed to counter monitor, so Jiang Chen discussed with Yao Yao, and she used recycled electronic parts to create an anti-monitor device.
Once opened, any cameras within a radius of 20m would be affected. The screen would be locked to a picture of the instant the machine started. Including communication, any communication attempted outside the whitelist would be blocked.
Although it may be redundant, it was better to be safe.
He took out his phone. Jiang Chen called Ayesha who left first.
“How’s your side doing?”
“Arrived at Oesk rural area.”
Under the plan, the two head to Kane separately. Not only do they take different flights, but Ayesha will also arrive a day ahead in Oesk rural area controlled by the government force.
Although Jiang Chen was still worried, Ayesha reassured him. Within the virtual reality training system, she received an A on sniper training.
With the help of the genetic vaccine and sophisticated weapons that far exceeded the current era, there was no need to worry.
Perhaps just like what Ayesha said, sometimes Jiang Chen could be a little overprotective.
“Mhmm. I will meet Nick tomorrow and then head to Oesk. I’ll send you my itinerary. Be safe.” Then, Jiang Chen hung up the phone.
He peeked at the small bright sky. Jiang Chen stretched, and then took out the laptop from his bag. Connected it to the wifi, and opened up his email.
<Sender: Robert>
Information: Markanov, male, 36. Government force official, ranked Colonel, brigadier of the 92nd mechanized infantry.
Note: Confidant of the current president. Corrupt.
He stared at the word “Corrupt,” as a dubious smile appeared on Jiang Chen’s face.