Starting from South America, speeding through the world

Chapter 75 Mental Patient
"Early this morning, a military garrison in Kherson was attacked by unidentified armed men. Three officers were killed, and their bodies were disposed of and displayed in a high-profile manner."

"Given the extremely serious nature of the incident, the National Security Bureau will intervene in the investigation."

"At the same time, the municipal government issued a notice urging citizens to remain calm and avoid going to the relevant areas."

"Law enforcement agencies are working with the military to identify the attackers."

"Some members of the National Parliament have requested an emergency meeting to discuss the situation."

Igor leaned back in his chair, a cup of coffee in his hand, looking relaxed to the point of enjoyment.

“Truly wonderful,” he commented, his words brimming with undisguised admiration: “It’s simply art.”

On the sofa opposite, Alexei was wrapped in a blanket, his face pale and his eyes dark, still recovering from the fear of the night before.

"Please...please stop watching? I'm begging you." His voice trembled involuntarily.

Igor glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

"This is disgusting," Alexei said in a low voice, looking away.

Igor shook his head helplessly, turned the volume down a bit, and then placed the coffee on the coffee table.

"Alright, tell me your firsthand experience. What happened last night?"

"It sounds like you're having a good time with that guy named Farhad."

"Please, I beg you, I won't tell you." Alexei's eyes were somewhat unfocused. "I really don't want to remember."

“Don’t say that, Lyosha,” Igor teased, using his childhood nickname. “This is your first time.”

Alexei closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again, only to find that Igor still showed no sign of giving up. He could only sigh and steel himself to begin his story:

"He cut off Kovalenko's head while he was still not quite dead."

"Then, he stuffed the thing into his bag and even used the man's shirt to wipe the knife."

At this point, he couldn't help but ask in return:

"Where did you find this guy? Yuri isn't usually like this. He's practically a lunatic."

Igor did not deny it; instead, he smiled as if he had heard some kind of unique compliment.

"The whole story is actually quite interesting, but you have to continue first."

Seeing that he couldn't avoid it, Alexei's face turned ashen, and he barely managed to catch his breath:

"Didn't you ask me to find the documents?"

"I was looking for it when he suddenly tore the map off the office wall."

"A map?" Igor asked with great interest.

"Yes, and then they asked me if I had a pen."

Alexei paused for a few seconds before speaking again: "He wrote a sentence on it."

"What did you write?"

“When you want everything, you get nothing,” Alexei repeated mechanically.

"Russian?"

"No, it's Ukrainian, but his spelling is terrible. He asked me several words."

“Hmm,” Igor narrowed his eyes, falling into a brief moment of thought, “Interesting.”

“What do you mean?” Alexei said irritably. “He’s a madman, QED.”

“Quite the opposite.” Igor suddenly became interested and explained to Alexei, “This shows that he is not only quick to act, but also thoughtful.”

"what?"

"He didn't know who I was, nor did he know Kovalenko, but he was able to piece together a deduction that was very close to the truth by considering the choice of mission objectives and the requirements of the operation."

“For example, he guessed what kind of grudge Kovalenko was involved in, so he decided to leave a signature.” “A signature?” Alexei smirked sarcastically. “That wasn’t a signature, that was fucking intimidation!”

“These two things are not in conflict,” Igor said casually.

Alexei stopped talking, looked away, and leaned back on the sofa, no longer responding.

Igor, however, showed no intention of ending the conversation.

"What did he do after that?" he asked again.

Alexei looked extremely distressed, and his words became even more vehement:
"I gathered all the documents, and then he came out with me."

"Then, out of nowhere, they pulled out a damn telescopic hook. Then, they took the two heads from their mother's backpack and hung them directly on that damn flagpole in front of the building."

"Then, he took out that piece of paper again, and with a snap, slammed it into Kovalenko's face!"

"Yes, you heard right! He actually carries a stapler with him everywhere he goes!"

Alexei took a deep breath as he said this: "You know what, he was still in the mood to joke with me! Joking!"

At that moment, Igor clapped his hands sharply and forcefully, startling Alexei so much that his shoulders trembled.

“A perfect masterpiece,” he said. “This is the symbolic means, you know? Shocking, precise, powerful.”

Alexei remained silent, as if he were about to faint.

Igor stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly sighed.

"My sister really spoils you."

“You have been frail and sickly since childhood, you should have been sent to the army to train earlier.”

"My mother would never have guessed that one day I would be hanging out with a mental patient."

Alexei's voice was muffled.

"You don't like him?"

"He's not a normal person."

"I think you're afraid of him."

“Nonsense!” Alexei became agitated again. “You saw what he did with your own eyes, aren’t you afraid? He chopped off someone’s head without batting an eye, and then told me, ‘It’s time to go!’ Damn it!”

Igor wasn't affected by his emotions. "You really think there's something wrong with him?"

"Please, can we not talk about him?"

"Why? I'm very interested in him."

“But you already have so many good people, from the 9th Independent Brigade, retired Alpha, and those from Vettel’s side.”

“That’s different.” Igor stood up, walked over to Alexei, and patted him on the shoulder. “He’s a rare smart man.”

"These days, smart people are a scarce resource."

Upon hearing this, Alexei completely gave up on refuting it.

He could sense that he couldn't persuade Igor, who was completely engrossed, so he turned and asked:
"So, you're going to see him today? To offer him a good job?"

However, Igor shook his head again.

"Recently, there have been a few more important things to do."

Alexei frowned: "What?"

Igor didn't answer immediately, but looked out the window for a moment before saying:
"During this period, I haven't said or done anything. I'm watching to see who can keep up the act in this new government and who can't hold on."

"Now, those who are willing to continue pretending are still in their positions, while those who can no longer pretend have mostly jumped out."

"It's time to go to Kyiv."

(End of this chapter)