Chapter 9: Meeting the Creator of Yandex

The place they arrived with Sasha was near a shabby container. Regular Russians would bring their cars and store them in large quantities of used steel containers on the spacious grounds. Since they had turned into thieves, they had resorted to this cunning method, which turned out to be very cost-effective. The old apartments distributed during the Soviet era might be fine, but if they were to buy a new apartment worth two hundred thousand USD, they would have to buy a separate parking lot worth 50 thousand USD with just two lines marked on the ground. "This is insane."

During the peak of the war, the situation in Russia was like that. It was truly incomprehensible why such strange things were happening in this vast land of Russia. But here... the rusty, useless containers that should have been used as parking lots were being used as homes. "Is this the right place?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"This is supposed to be a parking lot. Are they living here in the middle of winter?"

"When I saw them briefly last time, it seemed like they had some story to tell."

"There's no one without a story. Even in a mass cemetery with so many graves, there are stories behind each one."

"Okay, I get it. Let's not get fixated over something insignificant."

At that moment Nikolai and Sasha saw a car drove into the parking lot, and four strong, arrogant-looking guys got out of the car. Dressed in thick black leather coats, they quickly scanned the surroundings before approaching the rusty container. Then, they started banging on it. "Hey! Open the door! Playing deaf?"

Bang! Bang! "If you don't open it, we'll break it!"

Morons. No matter how rusty the container is, it's not going to break that easily. Nikolai thought.

"Hey, bring that thing." "One of the men ordered.

Among them, a guy who looked the dirtiest followed the arrogant one's order and took something out of the trunk. A large cutting machine? Ah... that might break it. "Cut this thing."

"Yeah."

The guy with the cutting machine started cutting the iron bar blocking the round hole. Seeing that the lock wasn't filled, there must be someone inside the container. Nikolai, who had been watching the situation from the other side of the steel container, scratched the back of his head. 'What should I do about this?'

It's too dangerous to pretend to know when it's someone else's business. But they can't just rush in without knowing the reason. They had come to get information about Sergey, the man who created Google, but they were stuck like this.

Meanwhile, they heard another thud. With just a few efforts with the cutting machine, the iron bar was easily cut like a chopstick. And the guys quickly opened the door. Click. Clunk. "Ah, damn it. He's in there and won't open. Making us use force for nothing. Pull that guy out."

The face of the guy dragged out was revealed. He looked to be in his early thirties, but his body was different from the typical Russian man. "You think you can hide in there forever? There's nowhere else to go except here. Lift your head, bastard. Not gonna lift it?"

The guy who seemed to be the leader continued to taunt, and the guy who had been kneeling with his head down slowly lifted his head. "I said I'll chase you to the end of the earth, didn't I? You can't escape from us."

"..."

Is the money ready? Oh, I asked a pointless question. If it was ready, you wouldn't have locked the door inside. So, what are you going to do now?"

In response to the leader's question, the guy clenched his lips and then shouted as if vomiting out what he had been holding in. "I've already paid back the principal and interest! Why do you keep tormenting me? Why!"

"What?"

"You took my house away, and what more do you want from me? Did you come to take this rotten container too?"

In the freezing weather, amidst the flow of hot tears, several condensed emotions carried the stories of the past. Resignation, despair, surrender, agony, and... a tiny glimmer of hope. Like a flickering flame that could easily go out when touched, this tiny glimmer of hope was the reason he hadn't given up on life despite all that happened. Nikolai was determined to protect that spark of hope at any cost.

"This jerk may have a good head, but he sucks at calculations. When I was in school, I might not have been good at math, but I was damn good at arithmetic. Listen carefully. The money you paid was only half of the principal and interest. So, half of it is still left. Got it?"

"I paid twice the principal! How can the interest double the principal in just six months?"

"Does it feel unfair? Even if you feel that way, there's nothing you can do. Our calculations have always been like this."

As Nikolai observed the situation, his hand involuntarily clenched. 'Should I turn those guys into crushed cabbage within three days?'

With the country falling apart, people's livelihoods and safety had become a mess. While local mafias were running rampant, corrupt policemen who took bribes turned a blind eye to protecting powerless residents. If the police had done their job and the law had been properly enforced, would that person have suffered like this? The reality was that fists prevailed over the law right now. 'After making my great-grandfather and stepfather close associates of the Yeltsin family, I must start this.'

A war against crime. Anyone associated with crime would be apprehended and sent to Siberia to work in the logging industry. I will turn Russia into a pure and pristine country like Lake Baikal. "It seems there's no more money coming out of this hole. Where did you hide your son?"

"Yo-you bastards!" the man shouted

"Now, they're getting defensive, putting up a fight." one of the men chimed in.

"These people are worse than animals..."

Crack! Crunch! The boss' fists landed on the man's face, followed by a deep punch to his stomach. With just one blow, his mouth burst open, and blood started flowing down his chin. "You've been running your mouth, but can't handle a little punch. Wake up and cooperate a bit, will you?"

These lowlifes were nothing more than fleas. It couldn't go on like this. No matter how manly I might act, after witnessing the scene, I couldn't just stand by and watch anymore. Nikolai took a deep breath. Then he clenched his teeth and tightened his grip with both hands. And... he shoved Sasha forward. "Huh, huh?"

This time, you handle it. Sasha's and the thugs' gazes locked as they were forced to reveal their faces in the middle of the confrontation. A brief silence ensued. Sasha, with a bewildered expression, looked back, and Nikolai slowly revealed himself. "Who are you guys?"

The men, who were just about to beat the man, turned their bodies completely towards Nikolai. He looked at them calmly and said, "Just a passerby... No, I came here to park my car and ended up witnessing something I shouldn't have seen."

"If you're done parking, shouldn't you just go your way?"

"But if you beat up people like this, what do you think I should do?"

First, violence must be prevented. Nikolai sent Sasha a gesture, indicating that he would handle it, and spoke to the boss again. "I heard from him that this man has already paid off all his debt. If that's true, can't you settle this with words?"

"Your sentence doesn't make any sense."

"..."

"Listen, stop talking nonsense and just go your way. We'll handle it just fine." one of the punk men said.

"I can't do that. Please let him go." Nikolai calmly ordered."If not, I'll call the police."

"Police? Oh wow, we have another hero here."

Sasha, who stands over 190cm tall, and Nikolai, who was over 180cm, have a pretty intimidating presence. Although they may fall short in headcount, their appearance alone is quite enough to discourage troublemakers from picking a fight... "Get out of here."

Nope. The three of them kept walking towards us. Even if Sasha takes on two of them, what about me? I should be dealing with one of them, but honestly, it's overwhelming. So Nikolai chose a different approach. "Wait!"

The approaching three thugs unknowingly stopped in their tracks. "Why?"

"Do you guys know Boss Anton?"

"...?"

"Do you know him or not?"

"We don't"

"How about boss Andrei, do you know him?"

"I don't know."

"What about boss Gregory?"

"Doesn't ring a bell. We don't know any boss Gregory?"

"No. One. Knows? Is everyone crazy here?"

"Hey! What are you doing? Deal with this quickly!" the leader said, prompting the man to start moving again.

They shouldn't have said they don't know. Now things are getting a bit complicated. Sasha prepared himself for the impending situation. But the questioning wasn't over yet. "Wait a second! Listen to me. Let me finish!"."

Even so, the three continued to approach. "Wait a little! Oh, why in such a hurry! Not very mafia-like of you. Don't you guys have plenty of time?"

"No!" they grunted.

Nikolai quickly rolled his eyes and continued, "Then what about boss Maxim?"

In an instant, the leader's eyes widened, showing interest. "Boss Maxim? What's your relationship with boss Maxim,?"

Phew, that's a relief. Finally got one. Nikolai listed all those common names, but luckily, he caught one on the last try. "Maxim" is a name often used by the most prominent bosses in the Russian criminal underworld. It's such a famous name that many ordinary bosses use it to sound more powerful. Young American seem to really like the name 'Maxim.' Not the coffee, something else.

"Maxim and I are friends. We went to the sauna and drank vodka all night! We even grilled shashlik!"

"When?" the leader asked.

"Last month," Nikolai lied.

When the leader heard the name Maxim and realized it referred to a well-known figure in Moscow, his face noticeably twisted with surprise. He seemed to have taken the bait perfectly. Seeing his expression, the three subordinates took a step back in surprise. Okay, we've passed the dangerous moment for now. Once we get him to the hospital, we can find out what happened. The leader cleared his throat and opened his mouth heavily, looking at Nikolai. "Maxim died after getting shot in August last year, didn't he?"

"Huh?"

"You said you were with someone who's already dead, going to the sauna and drinking vodka and grilling shashlik last month?"

Crap. "Come over here for a moment. What was that name you said earlier?"

I didn't mention the name, geez. Oh no, I got caught. Now I have no choice but to leave everything to Sasha. "Sasha, you handle this."

"Ugh, again?"

Muttering, Sasha untied his jacket and adjusted his sneakers. With a determined expression, he faced the men and said, "Get lost!"

"Yeah, get lost, what? What did you say?"

"I said get lost!"

"Nikolai, there's no way I can take on four guys alone. Even if I can win, I just don't want to fight these guys. Let's back off for now and come back later." Sasha whispered.

The two looked at each other for a second and then started darting away. Fortunately, the sound of a whistle came continuously from somewhere. Beep! Beep! Beep~! The guys chasing them stopped right there. Then, they got into a car and quickly drove away in the opposite direction of the sound. Still, the police must have scared them off somehow. Or maybe they just found it bothersome to deal with the police. Despite running away, those guys didn't forget to leave one last threat, "You, until tomorrow. If you don't have the money by tomorrow's lunchtime, you'll really be dead. Otherwise, hand over your son!"

Once the guys disappeared, a child who looked about seven years old peeked his head out from the corner of the container. He had a small whistle in his mouth. 'Is that child his son?'

Indeed, the child was the hope that the man wanted to protect even if it meant sacrificing his own life. He was the reason the man couldn't give up on life. The kid, with teary eyes, approached his father, who was bleeding and lying on the ground. The kid tried to lift his father with his small hands, but it was too much for him. The kid's gaze turned toward us. "Help us!" he called out.

Approaching the man, Nikolai carefully lifted him up. "Get yourself together."

"Ugh." the man groaned.

"Is there any water inside?" Nikolai asked.

"I'll get some." the kid said. He rushed inside the container and came back with a water jug. As Nikolai slowly poured some water into the man's mouth, the man opened his eyes. And then, he regained consciousness and hugged his son tightly. The man began to weep.

It was a mixture of various emotions in his sobbing. No, it was closer to wailing. The child also cried together with his father. After a while, the lucky man, who had cried his heart out on the floor, slowly got up. "Thank you for helping me."

"No need to thank me. Your kid blew the whistle in time, and those guys ran away. And we shouldn't be standing here like this; let's go inside and talk."

It's too cold outside. Regardless of the cold, the injured father and child need to avoid the chill. As they entered, the man promptly closed the iron door and turned on a bright orange lamp, filling the interior with a warm glow. Although the outside was freezing and it was just a rusty container, to them, it was a haven filled with love. "You were here two days ago."

Sasha nodded slowly in response to the man's words and handed him a paper that had been wedged between the pages of a book. "Phone number, address, email, and other related information about that person. I wrote down most of it."

"Thank you."

Sasha received the paper and immediately passed it to Nikolai. He wanted to give the man some money, but the man shook his head. "I won't take the money."

"Well, you'll have to take the money eventually since it's the money you owe. Take it and do as you please."

"..."

"By the way, if it's okay, can you tell me what happened?"

Nikolai was curious about this man's story. "You heard it earlier. Those guys lent us money, and because of the absurd interest, they took our house, so we had to live here."

"How long have you been living here?"

"It's been about three months."

They came here when Moscow was at its coldest. The child and the man living alone in a place like this for three months, Nikolai couldn't help but feel sorry for the father. But the child seemed to have inherited completely different DNA from his father. The man's child was so adorable and pretty. When he grows up, he'll be a heartthrob for many women. "You must have gone through a lot. What do you do for a living?"

"I used to work in the International Information Processing Department under the KGB. It no longer exists now."

So, this person has a connection with the KGB. That's why they were able to easily access such confidential information. "By the way, if you don't mind me asking, how much money do you owe?"

"There's no need to keep it a secret since you've already seen everything. It's 30,000 rubles."

For an average household, living costs are usually around 3,000 rubles per month, so 30,000 rubles would be equivalent to about ten months of living expenses. It might not be a huge amount if one has a job, but for someone unemployed during these difficult times, it's definitely a significant sum. Perhaps they couldn't pay the interest, which led to more interest accumulating, resulting in a total of 30,000 rubles.

"So, after leaving your job, did you continue working in computer-related fields to make a living?"

"I was working on developing a program."

"A program, you say?"

"Yes, it was something I had been preparing during my government employment, and I fully committed to it after leaving. That's why I borrowed some money... "

Ah, come to think of it, I've heard that during the Soviet era, there were many highly skilled professionals in computer-related fields. I think I saw something about it on the Internet. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, most of those experts went abroad.

"Can you show it to me? The program you mentioned."

After taking another sip of water, the man opened a folder on what seemed to be his number one asset, a computer, and showed me what he had been working on. "Huh? Yandex?"

The Russian search engine service was released a year ahead of Google. Even the independent countries that emerged after the dissolution of the Soviet Union mostly use Yandex.

Google has conquered almost every country's search market, but one of the four countries it hasn't been able to conquer is Russia, where Yandex holds its ground. The other three countries are Baidu in China, Yahoo! Japan in Japan, and Naver in South Korea. At a glance, Nikolai understood the contents on the screen. 'It's just the names that are different; Yandex's interface looks almost identical to Google's. Even the search method is the same.' Nikolai was familiar with Yandex. Whenever he needed Russian sources, he occasionally used Yandex to find information. The corners of his mouth slightly turned up. While the man was engrossed in his story, Sasha noticed the change in Nikolai's expression and narrowed his eyes. 'What is he trying to scheme now?' However, Nikolai, being an art school graduate, was too preoccupied with envisioning the future to care about Sasha's suspicions. "Ensuring the acquisition of Slave 2. 'Hm, calling it 'Slave' feels a bit off. So, let's promote it and appoint it as 'Permanent Regular Employee Number 2' following Sasha."

Without realizing it, Sasha and the man had been recruited as 'Permanent Regular Employees.' With his lips generously coated in saliva, Nikolai calmed his excited heart and slowly opened his mouth. "Staying here any longer will be difficult. They'll come back tomorrow, you see."

"..."

"So, what I mean is, how about living in my place for a while?"

The man looked at him perplexed.

"Oh, it's nothing special. I just don't feel comfortable, especially after seeing the child."There's something behind it. "Anyway, I was actually looking for an expert in this field. Ah, what is your name...?"

"Ilya Segalovich."

"Just call me Nikolai."

"You can call me Sasha."

At that moment, the child suddenly chimed in, proudly declaring that she also had a pretty name. "I'm Sonya. My mom in heaven gave it to me."

"Sonya?"

"Yeah, Sonya."

'Hmm? But why does the name...'

Sasha also sensed something odd, staring at the child before shifting his gaze to Ilya, like Nikolai. "Ah, Sonya is..."

"She's a girl. I cut her hair short to make her look like a boy."

Nikolai and Sasha were too stunned to speak for a second.

"As life got tougher, I was afraid something bad might happen, so I changed her appearance to look like a boy, just like a son of a wealthy family. So, you thought Sonya was my son. But even though those guys believed she was my son..."

They were planning to abduct and sell her. They were scumbags who deserved to be thrown into a cesspool and left to rot. 'I've decided. After roasting the yellowfin sole, these are the guys I'll catch first.' Nikolai thought.

Nikolai thought it was fate that they met like this. "For the sake of the child, come with me. I'll take care of everything."

"I appreciate it, but I have my dignity..."

"Don't worry about that. I need your help, that's why I asked you to come with me." Nikolai explained.

"Are you sure about this?"

"I am. There's no problem. Sasha, right? No problem, right?"

"Huh? Oh, right. No problem." Sasha agreed.

With the idea of driving a wedge here, Nikolai brought up their family's affairs. "You know about the Unicorn Group, right?"

"Yes, the business owned by the Yusupov family...?"

"Yes, the Unicorn Group is our grandfather's company. Our father handles almost everything. I have two older brothers and one younger sister, so... "

After pausing for a moment, the man's gaze was fixed on Nikolai. Sasha gave him a look that said, "What strange thing are you going to say now?"

"I'm like the 'youngest son of a royal family.."

Ilya's mouth went agape.

"Well, that's how it is. So, will you trust me and come with me?"

The transaction went smoothly without a hitch. Nikolai provided the four scumbags with promissory notes endorsed by Nikolai of the Yusupov family. The repayment period was one year, with an additional 35% to be paid on top of the owed amount. They readily agreed, probably because they saw the guarantee from a member of the Yusupov family as trustworthy. The percentage didn't really matter in the end. They would end up being dragged off to Siberia to work as loggers through their grandfather or stepfather. By around December, the currency would become worthless scraps, so when Nikolai repaid the money, they would incur significant losses.

The parents, having heard their story, welcomed the two as if they were family. The house was large and spacious but felt empty, and there were plenty of rooms to spare. It seemed they were even more delighted to have them. The mother liked them, but the father especially so. He simply surrendered to the adorable antics of little Sonya. Even the strict disciplinarian couldn't resist her charm. And then, after a month and a half had passed, a foreboding atmosphere was enveloping all of Russia. However, that foreboding atmosphere served as a signal flare for the Yusupov family and Nikolai... to prepare for an emergency.