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

Chen Zheng drove back to the tribe, his headlights cutting two beams of light in the twilight, illuminating the bumpy dirt road outside the tent area.

He drove the pickup truck directly to a secluded corner of the tent, where the aroma of roasted whole lamb wafted over first.

In the middle of the open space, a simple grill was built with stones, with several iron skewers crossed on it, and a whole sheep was skewered on it. The sheepskin was roasted until it was golden brown and crispy, and glistening with oil.

Li Yang squatted next to the grill, holding a brush in his hand, brushing seasoning onto the lamb. His movements were unhurried, like a seasoned barbecue master who had been doing it for many years.

Khalid and Gao Fei sat on a blanket next to each other, with several bottles of wine in front of them.

Sheikh and Adnan were also sitting nearby.

The latter, however, seemed to be in a somewhat low mood.

Upon hearing the car, the group of people all turned around.

Adnan's smile resembled a blooming sunflower.

"Hey! Bruce!"

He stood up, spread his arms wide, his belly sticking out in front of him, and said, "I've missed you so much, it's been days!"

Give him a big hug!

I miss you too, my friend!

Chen Zheng was taken aback and smiled, but he felt something was off. Why was he being so enthusiastic?

If someone suddenly becomes very enthusiastic towards you, it's either because they like you as a person or they're after your money!

After the two separated, Chen Zheng turned around and greeted the old man, "Sheikh, good evening."

The old man smiled and nodded.

Chen sat down on the blanket, crossed his legs, and took a glass of whiskey from Li Yang. He took a sip. The whiskey didn't taste very good; it burned his throat, but it was strong enough that it burned from his throat to his stomach.

The Russians love to drink it.

"Adnan, have you been in the Beka Valley lately?" Chen Zheng asked with a smile.

Adnan took the cigarette, put it in his mouth, and lit it with a lighter. The flame flickered across his face, illuminating a smiling face. But Chen Zheng noticed that the other person paused when he heard him speak.

"From now on," Adnan took a drag of his cigarette, smoke billowing from his nose, "I'll be in charge of the business in the Zahle area."

Chen Zheng suddenly realized why he was in such a low mood!

Damn it... I've been exiled!

"Come on, Bruce, let's drink!"

Chen Zheng raised his glass and clinked it with his, and the two of them downed half of their drinks.

The liquor burned as it slid down my throat, making my face contort.

Chen Zheng put down his wine glass, turned his head and called out towards the grill, "A-Yang! Is the lamb ready yet?"

"Alright, alright, alright!"

Li Yang peeked out from behind the grill, his face red from the smoke of the charcoal fire and his forehead covered in sweat. He grinned and said, "Brother Chen, just two more minutes, then brush on the sauce one last time."

"Be careful, don't burn the hood."

Several people burst into laughter upon hearing this.

A few minutes later, Li Yang came back carrying a large plate and called out, "It's ready!"

A whole roasted lamb, skewered on iron skewers, is placed on a long wooden platter, accompanied by dishes of dipping sauces—cumin powder, chili powder, garlic sauce, and a dish of some kind of white sauce that I couldn't identify, possibly a mixture of yogurt and mint.

The mutton's skin is roasted until it's golden brown and crispy. When you cut into it with a knife, you can hear a crisp "crunch" sound, revealing tender, pinkish-white meat inside. Steam bursts out from the cut, and the aroma explodes, spreading in the night breeze.

Li Yang used a knife to cut the mutton into pieces, arranged them on a plate, and served them to Chen Zheng first.

"Give it to Sheikh first, he's the oldest here, we should respect the elderly and care for the young," Chen Zheng said with a smile, speaking in Arabic.

If you speak Chinese, how will people know you respect them?

"This lamb is good!" Wang Lei said, holding the plate and grabbing a lamb chop with his hand, gnawing on it until his mouth was covered in oil.

"This is an Awasi fat-tailed lamb, how could it not be good?" Khalid chimed in from the side, taking a swig of beer.

"Next time we have the chance, let's eat roasted camel."

Several people sat around a blanket, each holding a plate of mutton, their hands covered in oil as they ate.

Chen Zheng chewed on a piece of lamb leg. The lamb was roasted until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, fatty but not greasy. The flavors of cumin and chili powder had seeped into the meat's texture, making it more and more fragrant with each chew.

After several rounds of drinks...

Adnan's face was already red; the alcohol had caused his capillaries to dilate, turning his face red from the base of his neck all the way to his forehead.

He started talking more, using more gestures, and laughing louder.

"Bruce, I need to tell you something."

coming.

A man who's three-tenths drunk can drive you crazy!

A woman's three-tenths drunkenness can make you cry!

Chen Zheng swallowed the mutton in his mouth and said, "Go on."

Adnan shook his head: "Damn! I used to be in charge of cross-border business between Syria and Lebanon. I built up the channels on both sides myself. From Daraa to Damascus, from Beirut to Tripoli, I knew every road, every person who could feed them, and every checkpoint and their shift change time."

"But the sudden civil war in the Middle East caused our company's sales to drop far too much, and the higher-ups wanted to find someone to take the blame."

"Sales have dropped by almost 70% compared to last month, seventy percent!"

He held up a finger and waved it in front of Chen Zheng. "I'm a salesman, and my clients got blown up. How can you blame me? I didn't kill them!"

He became more and more excited as he spoke, his voice suddenly rising several pitches, and spittle sprayed from the corners of his mouth.

Chen Zheng waited for Adnan to finish venting his emotions, his eyes flickering slightly.

A disillusioned person?

Moreover... these are people who are experts in Middle Eastern issues such as Lebanon and Syria!

Boss Chen likes it!

What's most important in the 21st century? Talent!!

If you can connect all the roads and geographical boundaries (power bases) in any of the major cities of Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou, you too can be considered a talent.

Adnan took a few deep breaths, his chest heaving.

"They told me to stay in Zahle for a while until things calmed down. Zahle? What big business can you get in Zahle? It's just some small local business. When I, Adnan, was doing business in Beirut, Damascus, and Baghdad, those people were still playing with their dicks in kindergarten."

He picked up his glass, found it was empty, put it down, and reached for the bottle.

Chen Zheng picked up the wine bottle first and poured him a glass.

Adnan glanced at him, picked up his glass, and took a big gulp.

"Fuck the motherfucker!!!"

Chen Zheng nodded vigorously beside him, then chimed in, "Yeah, fuck it!"

Li Yang nodded in agreement, "Me too!"

Adnan chuckled, his eyes glazed over, then raised his glass and continued drinking.

After he had worked for another three or four ounces, Chen Zheng, like a wolf in sheep's clothing tempting a little girl, said, "If you're not happy with what you're doing, then stop."

"Not doing it? Who's going to pay me then, hiccup~"

"I bought a beachfront property in Jumeirah Beach, Dubai for $70. I can't afford to pay the mortgage if I don't work."

Ok…

Even those involved in illicit businesses have mortgages to pay.

Who can outdo a banker?

Arms sellers are never as fast as loan sharks.

Of course, except in India, where... how many apps have suffered a Waterloo?

"Then come work for me?! How about I offer you an annual salary? A guaranteed $35 USD plus performance-based bonuses!"

We can't let go of a talent who is familiar with the Middle East.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh..."

Adnan had actually fallen asleep!

Khalid sidled up to him like a lackey, "Boss, let's write a contract and have him stamp it. By the time he wakes up tomorrow, it'll be too late to back out."

Holy crap~

Playing this dirty?

Chen Zheng shook his head, "Forced relationships are never sweet."

"Let's film nude sex then!" Li Yang muttered from the side.

Boss Chen glared at him, then raised a middle finger and said, "Get lost!"

They don't use their brains at all. If men's naked sex were useful, there wouldn't be so many naked loan companies going bankrupt!

Chen Zheng helped Adnan into the tent, then placed him on a blanket, covered him with the quilt, and went outside.

After he left, Adnan slowly opened his eyes, sighed, and then closed them again.

A qualified businessman…

How can I get drunk so easily?

He just felt...

Bruce has no future...

There are 6.700 underground gun and ammunition manufacturing workshops throughout the Middle East, with more than 100 in Syria alone. Every alley in Aleppo hides a bomb workshop, and the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon is the most rampant, with 50 to 60 private workshops operating day and night.

The more powerful private individuals are supplying Iranian-backed armed groups with underground rocket assembly equipment.

This does not include legitimate factories.

Do you think you can beat them?

Adnan didn't think highly of Bruce. The reason he talked to him so much was simply because he wanted to get some goods from him.

Or, if we receive an order, we can bring it here for processing.

"The overall economic environment is not good!"

If business is bad, attribute it to the overall economic environment...

That makes sense, there are fewer streetwalkers these days.

……

the next day.

When Chen Zheng woke up, it was already noon. He sat up, rubbed his temples, and stepped out of the tent.

Outside in the open space, Gao Fei and a few others were sitting on an old blanket eating lunch.

Several people looked up at the same time when they saw Chen Zheng come out.

"Brother Chen!"

Li Yang called out first, his mouth still full of food, his words muffled, "The pancake is still warm."

"Brother Chen, your alcohol tolerance is terrible. You passed out after only a small amount yesterday?" Wang Lei chuckled beside him, his fingers still clicking on his prayer beads.

"That's because I was going easy on you guys."

Chen Zheng walked over, plopped down on the blanket, reached for a flatbread from the plate, tore off a piece, dipped it in hummus, and stuffed it into his mouth. "I used to be known for drinking beer like water and three or four jin of liquor."

Everyone laughed when they heard this.

Do you think you have a big appetite?

Chen Zheng chewed a couple of bites, looked around, and asked, "Where's Adnan?"

Li Yang's tone was filled with indignation: "Brother Chen, stop talking. That Middle Eastern guy is disrespectful. You tried to provoke him, but he wouldn't agree and left early this morning."

"I think he just doesn't know what's good for him."

"Alright, alright, you're all acting like complaining women."

"Forced relationships are never sweet. If someone doesn't want to come, then so be it. Let it be. You have to be more open-minded, or you'll get frustrated no matter what you do."

There are many unpleasant things in the world.

As the group was eating, Chen Zheng's cell phone vibrated in his pocket.

The vibration made my thighs go numb.

He freed his hand to take out his phone, and the name popped up on the screen—Abdullah.

"Hey! Abdullah! My friend!"

He deliberately emphasized the words "my friend," making it sound incredibly intimate.

Abdullah's voice on the other end of the phone was urgent: "Bruce, I've arrived at the tribe, where are you?"

"You've arrived already? So fast!"

"Wait a moment, I'll be right there. Wait for me at that stall, the one where we met last time, you know it."

"Okay, I'll wait for you."

"Okay, okay, I'll be right there."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Zheng stuffed his phone into his pocket.

"Ah Yang, Ah Fei."

"You two, go down into the cave right now and bring down 15 mosquitoes. Hurry up, don't keep the guests waiting."

"good!"

Li Yang responded and turned to run outside, with Gao Fei following behind him. The two walked quickly, the pickup truck's engine soon roared to life, the tires kicked up a cloud of dust, and they drove off towards the hillside.

Chen Zheng turned around and looked at Wang Lei and Zhao Meng.

"You two come with me to the stall first, don't keep the customers waiting."

As he spoke, he bent down and tidied up the things on the blanket, stuffed the few unfinished cans of Coke into a plastic bag, picked it up, and threw it aside.

"Walk."

The three of them walked along the tamped dirt road in the middle of the tent area toward the center of the tribe.

There weren't many people walking around in the open space between the tents. Most people were hiding under the canvas tents to cool off. A few old men were squatting in the shade playing chess, surrounded by a group of people watching. Every now and then someone would shout, but it was hard to tell whether they were cheering or cursing.

The gold jewelry stall is still there, and it's the same old man, sitting behind a blanket with rows of gleaming gold necklaces and bracelets in front of him, sparkling in the sunlight.

He saw Chen Zheng walking over, looked up, and nodded at him.

"Salam," Chen Zheng greeted in Arabic, pressing his palm against his chest.

"Salam," the old man returned the greeting.

This is a blessing that means "I wish you peace!"

Chen Zheng saw Abdullah from afar.

He stood at the same stall as before, his hands behind his back, pacing back and forth anxiously.

He was accompanied by a Black man.

Chen Zheng smiled and reached out his hand from afar, quickening his pace. As he walked over, the black man saw him first and nudged Abdullah with his elbow.

Abdullah turned his head and saw Chen Zheng. The tense lines on his face relaxed a little, and the corners of his mouth turned up.

"Bruce".

"Abdullah, I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting. I was eating when I got your call and came right over."

"It's okay, I just arrived too."

"The goods will arrive soon."

Chen Zheng took out a cigarette from his pocket, pulled one out and handed it to him, "I had someone go to the warehouse to get it, it'll be here in about ten minutes. Have a smoke and a cup of tea first, no rush."

Abdullah took the cigarette, put it in his mouth, and Chen Zheng lit it for him. He took a drag, exhaling smoke through his nose, and his expression relaxed somewhat.

"Bruce," Abdullah suddenly asked, "how's your mosquito production going?"

Chen Zheng paused in his cigarette-lighting motion, looking into Abdullah's eyes.

greedy!

Extremely greedy!

Chen Zheng didn't tell the truth either, "Don't worry about the production volume, it can keep up completely."

Abdullah's brow was furrowed.

He felt he hadn't been direct enough, so he said, "I want to buy all the mosquitoes you have. As long as you have them, I want them all!!!"

"I'll eat as much as you have!!!"

"I want exclusive sales rights!"

……