Spy-x-War Showdown
Chapter 1270 - 1275 Gratitude

Chapter 1270: Chapter 1275 Gratitude

Yang Yi was willing to believe that Azar was grateful to him, because ever since he stopped Wahid from going to meet Baghdadi with them, Azar had been very cooperative.

Azar had brought two people, and Yang Yi also brought two, but behind them, Brian was leading the Magic Box Squadron. Azar was aware of Pandora Box’s existence, but he said nothing, showing no sign of objection.

The road from Baghdad to Mosul was very dangerous. Although there were many checkpoints set up by the Iraqi National Defence along the way, these checkpoints posed little threat to Yang Yi’s group. However, those scattered armed groups might pose a threat.

However, within Iraq, the road was fairly peaceful; the real test was at the Iraq-Syria border.

Iraq had very strict defenses against wars from neighboring countries. Near the border, large armies were stationed for defense, and one had to go through numerous inspections to cross the border.

In recent years, ISIS had grown strong, and many places within Iraq had fallen under ISIS control. To enter the territory controlled by ISIS, one must go through Iraqi checks and obtain permission.

The meeting with Baghdadi must be extremely confidential, so Yang Yi and Azar could not reveal their identities. Although Yang Yi did not care much about exposure, he couldn’t pass through checkpoints by revealing his identity.

How to pass through one checkpoint and post after another? The simplest way was bribery.

Azar proactively took on the responsibility of leading Yang Yi through the checkpoints. He probably had this route ready for a long time and managed it well, so everything went smoothly.

It wasn’t until they approached the border that Yang Yi’s group faced the real test.

Azar slowed down ahead of them, then drove directly onto the roadside desert. Yang Yi, who was driving himself, followed him down. Once he parked, Azar walked over from his vehicle.

Yang Yi lowered the car window, and Azar said in a low voice by the window, "To avoid trouble, we’ll have to bypass through the desert."

"How much farther?"

"We’ve got about ten kilometers to the border. If we go around, it’ll take thirty kilometers more, but it’s safe. I’ve taken this route several times, no problem."

After he finished speaking, Azar pointed at Yang Yi’s tires and said, "It’s best to lower the tire pressure a bit to avoid getting stuck in the desert."

Yang Yi opened the car door, and holding a walkie-talkie, said, "We’re bypassing through the desert. Get ready, everyone."

Yang Yi went with the flow, allowing Azar to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Will there be someone to meet us over there?"

Azar nodded and said, "Yes, someone will meet us. Otherwise, we might face an attack. We just need to arrive at the rendezvous point before two tonight; there will be people waiting for us there."

Yang Yi looked up at the sky and said, "There shouldn’t be drones monitoring and scouting this airspace nearby, right?"

"There are drones, but I’ve passed through here before without issues."

Yang Yi thought for a moment and said, "I think it’s better to check. Just wait a moment; I need to make a call."

The ground problem was solved, but Yang Yi truly feared that there might be an armed drone in the sky that would discover their mysterious convoy and the operator might whimsically drop bombs on them. Though the probability of this was small, it wasn’t impossible.

Yang Yi took out the satellite phone and dialed Aaron. Waiting for Aaron to connect, he spoke in a low voice, "Sir, we’re about to cross the Syria-Iraq border. I want to know if there are drones overhead now, especially ones ready to drop bombs."

Aaron smiled and said, "Don’t worry, you won’t be attacked."

"Okay, sir, thank you, sir."

The call with Aaron was more of a formality; mainly to inform him that they were crossing the border. As for worrying about drone attacks, that was for Azar to hear.

Anton had already deflated the four tires, and Brian’s team finished as well. Yang Yi said to Azar, "Now we can set off. If you don’t mind, how about riding in our car?"

Azar hesitated slightly but then nodded, "Sure, I can sit in your car."

Mutual distrust and vigilance were only normal. Azar boarded Yang Yi’s car, while Anton silently got into Azar’s car.

Reggie took over driving. Sitting in the back seat with Azar, Yang Yi said, "Traveling this route must be exhausting, huh?"

Azar gave a wry smile and said, "Actually, it’s not that tiring. As for danger, it’s not very dangerous either; you just need to be careful."

Azar’s smile was so bitter, implying untold difficulties, and Yang Yi knew what was troubling Azar.

A bit of danger and hardship were tolerable, but having a superior who knew nothing and only flaunted authority was truly painful.

Azar seemed unwilling to talk further, but Yang Yi indeed wanted to learn more from Azar, so he said nonchalantly, "Can you talk about Barham? I’ve never met him. What kind of person is he?"

Azar pondered for a moment, then nodded, "He’s a charming person, or else he wouldn’t have so many followers, but..."

Shrugging his hands, Azar smiled, "Let’s not talk about him; I’m not really at liberty to discuss him."

"Alright then."

Offering a courteous smile, Yang Yi shrugged and said, "I know with our relation, there are things we shouldn’t discuss, but, well, I really sympathize with you, buddy, truly."

Azar sighed deeply, looking at Yang Yi, "Friend, I really don’t want to discuss these."

It’s not that he didn’t want to, but he couldn’t and dared not to.

Yang Yi laughed, "Well, I want to know if there’s anything to note once we get there?"

Azar sighed deeply, "There’s nothing particularly noteworthy, except you should beware of the Russians’ aircraft. They’ve long entered the region and conduct frequent bombings. Though the likelihood of encountering bombings near the border is low, it’s indeed a risk that needs attention. As for... drones, you actually don’t need to worry."

"Okay."

"Regarding other aspects, there’s not much to say. As long as we’re met, security issues shouldn’t be too worrisome. By the way, do you fancy collecting antiques?"

"What?"

"Middle Eastern antiques, are you interested?"

"Uh, not particularly interested, but if something intriguing comes up, I’d certainly be interested."

Azar nodded and said, "Well, if anything catches your interest, you can let me know. They’ve looted many museums, and some antiques have high value. If you’re interested, I can show you."

After speaking, Azar hesitated but ultimately said, "Consider it my gratitude to you."