Nikolskaya Hotel is a five-story square building with luxurious and bright interior and exterior decorations, combining classical and modern styles. Its biggest feature is that you can see the Lubyanka Square next door from the rooftop of the hotel.
Yes, the KGB has offices next door to this hotel. It's less than a kilometer from the Kremlin on Red Square.
After Zhou Qingfeng moved in, he inevitably went to the roof to have a look.
Number 11 on the square is the KGB headquarters. It is a more square, earth-yellow building with a steady and majestic appearance. There was originally a bronze statue of Dzerzhinsky, the founder of Cheka, in the square.
However, just last month, the bronze statue was demolished by angry citizens. It is extremely ironic that a super intelligence agency that can stop children from crying at night has ended up in such a miserable end.
It was already evening when we checked in. Under the setting sun, there were few people and cars in the streets around the hotel. Occasionally, military and police convoys would pass by, and the atmosphere was inexplicably tense.
The virtual book charm Sophia took the invisible goblin and floated from the air to the KGB headquarters. They carefully circled the square building for a long time, used various methods to detect it, and finally slipped in quietly.
Two hours later, Sophia led the team back. The little goblin reported in a loud voice: "There are many rooms inside, and the corridors are very complicated. There are still people stationed there, and they are very alert.
We found many closed secret rooms, as well as deep underground passages and pipe networks. They lead to every corner of the city, and we almost got lost in them.
As for the secret things, we plan to take a look at them tomorrow."
Zhou Qingfeng once said what the KGB was for. The little goblins were as excited and scared as if they were exploring a secret nest of horrors. After they came back, they would chatter in his head.
Sophia's gains were greater. She went through walls and found multiple confidential archives hidden underground in the KGB headquarters. She used the 'Scholar's Touch' to collect a large amount of information, and it would take some time to complete the interpretation.
After nightfall, Deputy Minister Chuikov came over on his own initiative.
Compared with before, this gray-haired old Slavic man walked vigorously and looked at others like a wolf. He gave others the impression that he was full of courage, strength and vigor.
Zhou Qingfeng booked the hotel's 'Malevich' conference hall, a small meeting place. He only brought Irene with him, while Chuikov brought six or seven of his men, including two tall and capable bodyguards.
The two met, laughed, hugged, and greeted each other.
"Your Excellency Minister, I was just going to visit your office in person."
"Ah..., you can't find me when you go to the office. There are only a few left-behind personnel in the ministry, and the public officials are either hiding at home or escaping to villas on the outskirts of the city."
"How's the situation lately?"
"Frankly speaking, it's terrible. The bureaucracy has become ineffective and many units are working independently, trying to wait and see until the situation stabilizes.
But waiting and watching is not the best solution because there is no money. Winter is coming soon, and many institutions have no money to even maintain basic heating.
I'm afraid you still don't know how terrible the winter in Moscow is. When the cold wind comes, it doesn't matter which faction you belong to or what doctrine you believe in. Without heating, you will die.
Civil servants also need to survive, so they either join one party or they have to find a way on their own."
Chuikov sat down with a smile, and added in a very frank but neither soft nor hard tone, "Your visiting negotiation team has been very active recently. Although they have funded a lot of heating expenses, they have also caused us a lot of trouble.
I hope they can stop it and at least report certain behaviors to me. Otherwise I can't guarantee their safety."
Zhou Qingfeng smiled and nodded, and glanced at the people brought by Cuikov. The other party's bodyguard took out electronic listening equipment as if there was no one around, and searched all over the dozens of square meters of the conference hall.
Tables, chairs, carpets, curtains and wall paintings were all taken care of every time. They also intentionally or unintentionally exposed the standard firearms under their ribs or waists, which was full of intimidation.
There is also a young hairy girl in military uniform sitting across the conference table, raising her head and chest, and smiling at Zhou Qingfeng in conjunction with Chuikov. In front of Irene, who has a more delicate appearance, the other party's charm has no effect.
But the hairy girl in military uniform still stared at Zhou Qingfeng with a look of great interest and refused to give up. It must be said that the uneven uniform was so attractive that it forced Zhou Qingfeng to turn his eyes and stare at him.
Just a glance...
The hairy girl in military uniform felt that her vision went dark, she was blind, and her hearing also disappeared. Half a minute later, her senses were restored again. Zhou Qingfeng and Cuikov were still talking and laughing, but she was the only one who looked pale.
Sophia disappeared and floated in the air, whispering: "Master, Chuikov's collection of curses has reached such an extreme level that his soul has turned black."
In the arcane vision, Chuikov's soul appears flamboyant and powerful, no weaker than Zhou Qingfeng. This means that his will is firm and tenacious, and he possesses spiritual power that is difficult for ordinary people to match.
The seven goblins were frightened by the oppressive curse power and hid behind their master, whispering: "This man has become so scary now. But he will not live for more than a year if he overdraws his life like this."
Not only Chuikov was affected by the "cursed coin", but also the people around him, including the hairy girls in military uniforms, to varying degrees. This is a corrupted group, but it is quite cohesive.
"It's enough for him to live for one year. Living too long will be a problem."
Zhou Qingfeng secretly responded to the maids, and at the same time smiled at Vice Minister Chuikov: "Of course we respect the wishes of your Excellency the Minister, and we are willing to support you all the time."
Using the portable alchemy workshop in the demiplane, Zhou Qingfeng carried all the 'cursed coins' with him. Irene took out a prepared suitcase and pushed it onto the conference table.
Chuikov's eyes were bright, as were everyone around him. A bodyguard took the suitcase, opened it on the spot, counted it, and reported the number to the deputy minister.
The Vice Minister kept his body tense and his face serious. It was not until he confirmed the gold in the suitcase that he slowly relaxed, leaned down on the seat, and even slowed down his tone, whispering...
"Zhou, you are really a good friend. You are generous, generous and irresistible. At this time, I just need your support, which is good for both of us."
As he spoke, Chuikov's voice suddenly became low.
"You know? The situation in Moscow is very bad now. They..., they asked us to stop our activities, ruled that we were an illegal organization, and confiscated all our property.
Buildings, offices, businesses, banks, even sanatoriums were confiscated. Everything was gone, everything was gone. They drove us out into the streets like dogs and disgraced us.
Newspapers and TV slander us every day, reducing heroes to criminals and ennobling enemies. The army has defected, the KGB has defected, and they want to arrest us, liquidate us, and send us to prison.
Many people are fleeing, constantly fleeing. All key departments have been purged, and we have lost all power. Now the building in Lubyanka is full of their people."
Chuikov raised his hand excitedly and pointed out the window of the hotel conference hall. Outside was the headquarters of the KGB, which would soon be renamed the 'Federal Security Service'.
Zhou Qingfeng clasped his hands, supported the table, and said in a deep voice: "Your Excellency, Minister, I feel for your experience and am very concerned about it. If you need anything, please tell me. I will definitely help."
This promise made Chuikov's angry face turn ferocious, and his skin seemed to glow with a black light. He gritted his teeth and growled: "Those despicable guys are happy too early.
We have been rooted in this country for decades, and our personnel are spread across every corner of this vast country. We are the true masters of the country.
What do those guys on stage know? They are just puppets promoted by the media. They can't do anything without us. Our power is the real power, and our strength is the real power.
Zhou, what do you want? Just ask and I can give you a price."
Cuikov's momentum swelled like black flames, arrogant. A word popped up in Zhou Qingfeng's mind - oligarch.