Chapter 23: Words Worth Hundreds of Millions

"You Chinese are truly the most hardworking people I've ever seen in the world. You wouldn't believe it, but there's a Chinese market near my house. My goodness, I can't believe how you manage to stay up so late and get up so early! Recently, the weather there was so cold that even polar bears would stay in their dens licking their paws, but you guys keep going tirelessly every day. It's incredible!" 

The enthusiastic Soviet driver chattered endlessly about what he knew about the Chinese, his words filled with praise and admiration. This made Zhou Ming and Kalleina happy because, no matter how poor their country might be, at least their compatriots hadn't lost face abroad.

This driver was the one they chose from the black cabs at the airport exit. They were now heading to the North Russian Republic's parliamentary building, commonly known as the North Russian White House. Kalleina had negotiated the fare, and although the driver was a black cab, it was customary to follow local practices.

Hearing such compliments about his fellow countrymen abroad made Zhou Ming happy, but his focus wasn't on that at the moment. He asked the driver, "This Volga car you have is known as a pride of your country's automotive industry. Though I'm not familiar with the specifics here, I'd assume that being able to afford this car means you must have some wealth, right?"

"Of course, I used to be a senior engineer at the electric power company!" 

The Soviet driver answered proudly, but his pride lasted only a moment before he sighed and said, "But life is tough now!"

Not waiting for Zhou Ming to prompt, Kalleina naturally asked why. The Soviet driver replied, "What can I say? Things keep getting more expensive, but wages are not coming out. Now, what we could afford before on the streets, we can't buy anymore. Sometimes, I even want to buy a doll for my daughter but can't manage it. Otherwise, I wouldn't be out here so late, hoping that people like you would give a bit more tip!"

"But your country is reforming now, isn't it? Hasn't there been any change at all?" Zhou Ming asked.

The Soviet driver shook his head as soon as he heard "reform." "Reform is ongoing. Since the president came into power, there have been reforms, but it seems things haven't improved at all. In fact, they've gotten worse. At least before, I could have meat at every meal, now it's just black bread three times a day! Sometimes, coming home late at night, I find the vodka bottle is empty, and I wish they hadn't even started the reforms!"

Zhou Ming nodded silently. Sometimes, failed reforms indeed make things worse.

Eventually, Zhou Ming glanced out the window and steered the conversation back to the current situation, asking, "Earlier, you seemed unwilling to go near the White House. Is the situation there really bad?"

The Soviet driver fell silent at this question. Zhou Ming took out a dollar bill and handed it to him. The driver, smiling wryly, declined, "You misunderstand. That's not what I meant. I just don't know how to describe it. A group of criminals has seized power from the central government and put our president under house arrest. Mr. Nikolayevich only spoke a few words for the president, and now they've mobilized the military to blockade the White House. What are they trying to do? Create panic and maintain their dictatorship? This is a crime against all Soviet people!"

The driver became increasingly agitated as he spoke, eventually shouting. It took Kalleina a few words to calm him down.

"Now at the White House, all of Mr. Nikolayevich's supporters are in a standoff with the military. Dozens of tanks have been deployed, and machine guns have been set up, waiting for a final assault. The situation is very dangerous, and we North Russians don't want to go near it," the driver said. "Coup d'états are the concern of big shots. We just want to live our own lives."

"The situation is indeed very bad, but hasn't Mr. Nikolayevich made a public statement against the coup?" Zhou Ming asked again.

"You mean the press conference held at the White House before? Yes, Mr. Nikolayevich condemned those high-ranking officials as criminals against all Soviet people and a betrayal of the revolution," the driver said. "The press conference was very inspiring, but unfortunately, after that, Mr. Nikolayevich and the White House were completely surrounded by the military, and there has been no news since."

Zhou Ming nodded and asked some more questions about the overall situation in Krisk. The driver answered them one by one.

While chatting with the driver, they soon arrived at Gorky Street. The driver parked the car by the roadside and pointed to a white high-rise building ahead, saying to Zhou Ming, "That's where the White House is. But you can see the roadblocks and tanks ahead. I don't want to risk going any further, so I can only drop you here. If you decide to go on foot, I advise against it."

Zhou Ming thanked the driver with a smile and handed him five dollars. The driver was very surprised, saying, "Friend, what's this for? I don't need so much money."

"This is for the car, and the rest is a tip. Didn't you say you wanted to buy a doll for your daughter? Now you have the money for it. We Chinese are always generous, and we appreciate the advice you gave me earlier," Zhou Ming said.

The driver accepted the money, saying, "Thank you, sir. I hope you have good luck in Krisk!"

After the driver left, Kalleina said to Zhou Ming, "You're really generous. It seems wealthy people are different from ordinary people."

"Having money makes one capricious, but the tip was deserved. He not only answered my questions perfectly but also provided me with information that might lead to making hundreds of millions or more," Zhou Ming said.

"What? You mean the things he said just now are worth hundreds of millions of dollars?" 

Kalleina was astonished, her eyes filled with disbelief. If she didn't know Zhou Ming's identity and that he was a wealthy Chinese with tens of millions in assets, she might have thought he was a delusional lunatic. How could what he said be worth hundreds of millions? Was he joking?

Before Zhou Ming could respond, a shout came from nearby: "Hey! Who are those people over there? Go home quickly, it's an emergency. Don't wander around at night!"

Looking in the direction of the voice, they saw a green jeep approaching with several Soviet soldiers, all armed and with unfriendly looks, especially as they saw Kalleina. Her beauty made their eyes light up.

The soldiers raised their guns and said to Zhou Ming and Kalleina, "Beautiful lady, are these two Chinese trying to harm you? You can tell us, and we'll make sure to teach them a lesson. If they resist, we'll blow their heads off."

Their tone was cold, and they looked ready to jump out of the vehicle and perform a heroic rescue if Kalleina nodded. It was understandable; after all, Kalleina was very beautiful. Even though she had changed into a coat in Krisk, hiding her perfect figure and long legs, her beauty still made hearts flutter even under the dim streetlights.

But things were destined to disappoint them. Kalleina quickly said, "No, you misunderstand. We just arrived from the plane and are coming here by car. We don't know what's happening. They are my friends."

Disappointed by the loss of a heroic rescue opportunity, the soldiers said, "I see. That's a shame. Krisk is under emergency status now. You can't roam the streets at this hour. We have the authority to deal with you directly."

"I understand. We'll find a hotel to stay in immediately. Thank you," Kalleina said, leading Zhou Ming to the nearest hotel.

Behind them, the soldiers watched Kalleina's swaying hips, salivating.

Meanwhile, Kalleina translated the soldiers' words for Zhou Ming, as she hadn't had time to translate earlier due to the urgent situation.

Zhou Ming only nodded silently. "Staying at a hotel for the night is fine. It's already so late."

They checked into the closest hotel to the North Russian White House. Kalleina booked a suite with three separate bedrooms to facilitate their communication and comings and goings.

"Let's stay here tonight. It's already very late, so we should rest. Tomorrow we'll find a car to bring our luggage over..." 

Kalleina started to say, but Zhou Ming interrupted, "Let's not worry about the luggage for now. It's at the airport, and we can pick it up anytime. The urgent matter is the situation at the White House."

Kalleina responded with an "Oh" and asked, puzzled, "Mr. Zhou Ming, aren't you a businessman? Your purpose in coming here is also for Mr. Mata's Dota project. Are you also interested in the coup?"

"That's right. After all, your country's political system means that wealth is mostly concentrated in the hands of the bureaucratic class. How can one seize the money without toppling those bureaucrats? It's like a peasant uprising—if we don't overthrow the landlords, how can we divide the land?" Zhou Ming said, then asked Kalleina, "Or do you not want to see those bureaucrats toppled, Miss Kalleina?"

"I do want to, I dream of overthrowing those detestable bureaucrats!" Kalleina said urgently.

Zhou Ming smiled, "That's good. But before that, we need to find a way to communicate with the White House. We need to figure out how to get inside. Do you have any good ideas, Miss Kalleina?"