I manufacture weapons in the Middle East and am wanted globally?

Chen Zheng sat in the car, a cigarette between his fingers, his arm resting on the car window frame.

The cigarette ash burned a bit, was blown away by the wind, and landed on the car door. The grayish-white fragments rolled a couple of times and fell into the gap and disappeared.

The middle-aged man was standing outside the car window. Chen Zheng took a cigarette from his pack and handed it to him. The man accepted it with both hands, saying, "Thank you, boss!"

Just then, the phone rang.

The middle-aged man quickly put the phone to his ear, listened for a few seconds, hummed twice, then closed the cover and put it back in his pocket.

With a smile on his face, he leaned against the window and said, "Sir, it's all cleaned up. You can check your account now."

Running a business isn't easy; you have to keep smiling!

But as that saying goes...

If you don't do it, plenty of others will!

Beirut has no shortage of "financial brokers".

Good service is essential.

Chen Zheng glanced at his watch. "Pretty fast."

Then I called the bank.

The automated voice system at the Lebanese Credit Bank prompts you to enter your password and then announce your balance.

158400! The numbers match.

He looked up at the middle-aged man outside the car window.

"Received it, it's very good."

The middle-aged man took out a business card from his pocket.

"Sir, please trust my professionalism. If you need anything in the future, please feel free to call me anytime."

Chen Zheng took the business card, glanced at it, took out his wallet from his pocket, and inserted the business card into it.

"There will be opportunities for cooperation."

Chen Zheng rolled up the car window and leaned back in his seat.

"drive."

"Brother Chen," Li Yang said, his hands gripping the steering wheel, eyes fixed on the road ahead, his voice tinged with barely suppressed curiosity, "Where are we going now?"

Chen Zheng looked at Khalid.

Which hotel in Beirut is the best?

"The Phoenician Hotel is right by the sea, one of Beirut's oldest and most prestigious hotels. It stayed open even during the civil war. Journalists, spies, arms dealers, and diplomats would all crowd into the lobby drinking whiskey. Israel didn't dare bomb it!"

"Let's go there."

"Hold on tight, Brother Chen!"

Half an hour later, when Li Yang drove to the entrance of the Phoenician Hotel, he was visibly nervous.

The cars parked at the entrance were all shinier than the last—a black Mercedes-Benz S-Class, a silver Porsche Cayenne, a white Lexus LX, and a sports car that Chen Zheng couldn't name, flat and resembling a silver beetle lying on the ground.

Anyone who didn't know better would think his penis had fallen to the ground.

Several uniformed doormen stood at the door, wearing white shirts, black vests, and neatly tied bow ties.

He lowered his voice, "Are we really staying here? I've never been here before."

Chen Zheng pushed open the car door.

"If you don't spend the money you earn, what's the point of earning it?"

He stood with one foot on the ground, turned to look at Li Yang, and said, "Waiting for inflation to turn your money into worthless paper?"

He got out of the car and straightened the collar of his jacket.

The doorman approached. "Welcome to the Phoenician Hotel, sir. Do you have a reservation?"

"No, open it now."

"This way, sir."

The lobby is even bigger than it appears from the outside.

The dome is very high, painted with antique-style murals, some scene from Greek mythology, with a group of half-naked men and women floating in the clouds.

"Damn it, how can these nude photos of a slut appear here? Doesn't your God care?" Li Yang asked Khalid in a low voice.

Khalid raised an eyebrow. "God doesn't print money!"

The young woman at the front desk was wearing a well-tailored navy blue suit, with a small silk scarf around her neck and her hair tied up in a bun.

"Sir, what kind of room would you like?"

"Three rooms. The best ones you have here."

"We have three adjacent ocean-view suites on the 17th floor, directly facing Pigeon Rock, $650 per suite per night, including breakfast and access to the executive lounge. Interested?"

"Open for three nights first."

The young girl took the credit card, swiped it skillfully, and handed it back along with the room key, holding it with both hands and bowing slightly.

"Sir, your room is ready. Would you like us to bring your luggage up?"

"No need, we'll do it ourselves."

The three people, carrying their bags and packages, entered the elevator.

The elevator was huge, with mirrors on three sides, so clean you could see your pores.

"Why haven't you been to a five-star hotel before?" Chen Zheng asked with a smile, seeing Li Yang's restrained demeanor.

Li Yang nodded with an awkward smile, "Brother Chen, you've been here several times before, haven't you? You seem to know it very well."

Chen Zheng waved the bank card in his hand. "Money gives a man courage. With money, whatever you do is right. With money, what are you afraid of?"

That makes sense.

The elevator stopped on the seventeenth floor, and with a ding, the doors opened.

Chen Zheng swiped his card and pushed open the door to his room.

The room is very large.

It's excessively big.

Entering through the foyer, you find a small living room with a beige sofa, a glass coffee table, and a real orchid on the table, its petals still glistening with water droplets.

The minibar cabinet was filled with liquor: whiskey, vodka, gin, red wine, and champagne, all in small bottles, neatly arranged.

The most amazing thing is the window.

The entire wall is made of glass, from floor to ceiling. The curtains are electric; with the flick of a switch, they slowly open to the sides, letting in the Beirut night without reservation.

Chen Zheng walked into the bathroom, unzipped his pants, and urinated into the toilet. The urine stream hit the ceramic inner wall, and the sound echoed in the empty bathroom.

Even urinating in a big hotel is different.

Doorbell rang.

He went to open the door. Khalid and Li Yang stood in the doorway, both of them having changed their clothes and looking much more energetic.

"Brother Chen, the nightlife is starting!"

……

the next day.

Chen was awakened by the light.

The curtains weren't fully drawn, and a ray of sunlight squeezed in through the gap, landing directly on his face, so bright and white it made his eyelids burn.

He opened his eyes.

There was a woman lying on the left, and another woman lying on the right!

Chen Zheng lay there, staring at the ceiling for three seconds.

There was a huge mirror on the ceiling, reflecting the disheveled postures of three people. The blankets were crumpled, a pillow had fallen to the ground, and the sheets were wrinkled like crumpled paper.

I was too aggressive yesterday!

He sighed and pulled himself away from their entangled bodies. The movement was gentle, but the blonde woman still woke up.

She opened her eyes; they were blue, like the waters of Beirut.

"Good morning," she said in English with a French accent.

"Good morning."

Chen Zheng reached for his wallet on the bedside table, opened it, and pulled out a wad of US dollars.

He divided the money into two piles and placed them on the bedside tables next to the two women.

The blonde woman sat up, the blanket slipping off her body. She didn't bother to cover herself, but simply picked up the stack of money, checked its thickness with her fingers, and then leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. Her lips were soft, with the residue of lip gloss she hadn't completely removed last night.

"You can call me next time you come to Beirut." She took a business card from the bedside table and put it in his hand.

The black-haired woman woke up at this moment, rubbed her eyes, saw the money on the bedside table, looked at Chen Zheng, smiled, leaned over and kissed him on the other cheek, then lifted the quilt, stepped barefoot on the carpet, and bent down to pick up the scattered clothes on the floor.

The two of them finished packing, picked up their bags, walked to the door, turned back to smile at him, waved, and then closed the door.

Chen Zheng sat on the edge of the bed, shirtless, looking down at the business card in his hand.

Below "Layla" is a phone number; there's no company name, no job title, just a name and number. The business card is light pink with a small lip print design in the corner.

He turned the business card over; there was nothing written on the back. He smiled, then threw the card into the trash can.

Stand up and go into the restroom.

He turned on the tap, and hot water gushed out, quickly filling the entire bathroom with steam.

As I came out to dry my hair, my phone vibrated on the bedside table.

He walked over, picked it up and looked at it: Li Yang.

"Brother Chen!" Li Yang's voice came through the receiver, brimming with excitement, "Are you up yet? Come down for dinner! The restaurant is on the second floor, it's buffet style, they have everything!"

"They're here."

After changing his clothes, Chen Zheng left the room, closed the door, and walked down the corridor toward the elevator.

The restaurant is on the second floor. Pushing open the door, the space inside is much larger than I imagined, with a high dome and several huge crystal chandeliers hanging from it.

Chen Zheng took a white ceramic plate and walked around the dining table, but he couldn't eat much. He was too tired, and his stomach was churning.

He carried the plate around and found Li Yang and Khalid at a table further inside.

The plates in front of Li Yang were piled up like a small mountain.

Fried eggs, bacon, sausage, scones, hummus, fava fauna, cheese—he was stuffing hummus and fava fauna wrapped in scones into his mouth, his cheeks bulging like a hamster's, chewing with grease dripping from his mouth.

Khalid was much more restrained; his plate contained only a few things—a small portion of hummus, two scones, a small dish of olives, and a cup of dark black tea with hints of cardamom and mint.

Li Yang swallowed what was in his mouth, took a big gulp of orange juice, wiped his mouth, and then grinned at Chen Zheng, the smile lines at the corners of his eyes almost reaching his temples.

He gave a thumbs up, "Brother Chen, those two foreign beauties last night were awesome! Five or six times in one night, right? You're amazing!"

Chen Zheng took a bite of the flatbread, chewed it twice, and glanced at him.

"Didn't you bring one yesterday too?"

Li Yang chuckled. "It only happened once. The girl spoke English. She said she was a student at a Lebanese university, studying tourism management. She attended classes during the day and worked part-time at night. She also told me she wanted to work in Dubai because the pay was higher there."

"You're going to make her your mistress??"

"I'm not that stupid. Who can believe what's said in bed? She even said I was amazing."

Khalid sat up straight. "Very moisturizing!"

Chen Zheng smiled.

"Hurry up and leave after you finish eating, we need to pick someone up from the airport later."

The three of them cleaned up the plate, and Chen Zheng poured himself a cup of black tea, drank it standing up, and put the cup on the recycling table.

As I stepped out of the hotel, the Beirut sun suddenly shone down, blindingly white and so bright it was hard to open my eyes.

Li Yang drove the car out of the parking lot. It was a silver-gray Alphard, a rental car provided by the hotel for $200 a day. The car was in excellent condition, with white leather seats that felt like sitting on a cloud.

"Let's go downtown first," Chen Zheng said, "to buy some gifts."

...

3 PM.

Rafik Hariri International Airport.

The airport is small, the terminal building is white, and the traffic at the entrance is very dense, with taxis, private cars and minibuses squeezed together, and horns blaring all around.

Several uniformed police officers stood at the entrance, holding rifles, their faces expressionless, their eyes scanning back and forth among the passing vehicles and pedestrians.

Li Yang parked his car at the entrance of the international arrivals hall. An airport security guard wearing an orange vest walked over, bent down, and knocked on the driver's side window.

"Sir, you can't park here for an extended period of time."

"Pick them up, we're leaving right away," Li Yang said in accented English.

The security guard looked at the car, then at the people inside, hesitated for a moment, and after Li Yang handed him 300 Syrian pounds, he nodded and stepped aside.

Li Yang took out the printed A4 paper from his pocket, folded it in half, and held it up to his chest.

Two large characters were written on the paper in black marker: "Soar High".

After waiting for about ten minutes, the automatic glass door opened again.

A group of people emerged, men and women, young and old, of all skin colors and in all kinds of clothing.

Chen Zheng spotted Gao Fei at a glance.

He stepped out of the glass door, wearing a dark gray T-shirt with the collar slightly loose, revealing his collarbone and a small section of his chest. The hem of the T-shirt was tucked into a pair of faded jeans, and a black leather belt with a plain, square silver buckle was tied around his waist.

Three people followed behind him.

The four people stood at the entrance of the arrival hall and looked around.

Gao Fei's gaze swept from left to right, and when he saw Chen Zheng, a smile slowly spread across his face.

He strode over quickly, opened his arms, and hugged him tightly.

"Ah Zheng!"

"Hahaha, Ah Fei!!!"

Chen Zheng also opened his arms, and the two hugged each other. Chen Zheng patted Gao Fei's back a few times, and could feel that the muscles in his back were very hard.

Chen Zheng looked at Gao Fei, sizing him up from head to toe.

"You've lost weight," he said.

"You look more energetic now that you've lost weight." Gao Fei grinned, wiping the corner of his eye with the back of his hand. "But you've gained weight; your belly's showing."

"Those are abs, touch them."

"roll."

The two of them laughed at the same time.

Chen Zheng turned around and pointed to Khalid next to him.

"Gao Fei, this is Khalid, my partner, the local tyrant of Dela City."

Khalid extended his hand and said in English, "Welcome to Beirut."

Gao Fei shook hands with him, a firm and moderate grip, neither too loose nor too tight.

Chen Zheng then pointed to Li Yang, who was standing next to the car door.

"This is Li Yang, one of our own, a skilled driver, he can even drive a 100-ton truck."

Li Yang walked over, smiled, and called out "Brother Fei," extending his hand. Gao Fei shook his hand and nodded.

Chen Zheng turned to the three people behind Gao Fei.

Gao Fei turned to the side and pointed first at the man with dark skin and shoulders as broad as a wall.

"Wang Lei, from Zhoukou, is my comrade-in-arms, from the same squad. He ranks third in the entire brigade in light weapons shooting, and his precision shooting at 400 meters is impeccable, hitting exactly where he points."

Wang Lei took a step forward, nodded slightly to Chen Zheng, and looked at him with a straight gaze.

"Brother Chen," Wang Lei called out, his voice low and deep, like a drum being struck.

"Just call me A-Zheng, we're brothers! Hahaha."

Gao Fei pointed to the young man with a round face and small but bright eyes.

"Zhao Meng, from Cangzhou, comes from a family with a hereditary Chuo Tui (a type of leg kick) technique. He's from Cangzhou, a famous martial arts town. He can take down two people with his bare hands, and his physical fitness is amazing. He can run 10 kilometers while carrying 20 kilograms of weight. He's among the top 20 in the entire brigade in free fighting!"

Zhao Meng grinned, revealing a set of neat white teeth, extended his hand, and greeted him with a cheerful "Hello, Brother Chen!"

Gao Fei pointed to the last one wearing glasses.

"Liu Yang, from Northeast China, has worked in communications for eight years. He's knowledgeable in radio, satellite phones, and encrypted communications. His English is also good; he's communicated with foreign militaries."

Liu Yang pushed up his glasses and walked over.

"Brother Chen."

Chen Zheng shook hands with each of them one by one, then turned around and took the paper bag out of the back seat.

The paper bag was white with the Rolex crown logo printed on it in green, making it particularly eye-catching in the sunlight.

He took out four dark green boxes and handed them out one by one, holding them with both hands and presenting them to each person.

Gao Fei took it, opened it, and inside lay a watch on a black velvet cloth.

The bezel is fixed and marked with 24-hour scales. The crystal is sapphire, which reflects a pale blue light in the sunlight.

Li Yang stood to the side, looking at the watches. His eyes lit up, and he smiled, saying, "Rolex Explorer II. Brother Chen searched for a long time to find these. He collected four from three shops in Beirut."

Gao Fei took a deep breath, gripped the watch in his hand, and looked up at Chen Zheng.

"Ah Zheng, this..." His voice was a little hoarse.

Chen Zheng waved his hand, interrupting him.

"Stop with the nonsense, just put it on."

"Once we come to the Middle East, we're brothers. How could I possibly mistreat you!"

"We're here to pray for wealth!"

"I didn't come here to be an ascetic!"

……