Chapter:32 Unknown Shipment

Amina quickly continued, her eyes had a worried look on them.

"Yeah, they're unloading them right now. I questioned the guys, but they said that you were the one who ordered them. But the guys at the wharf said that they weren't expecting any delivery today."

Anastasia's mind raced. The system did stop magically summoning people and instead made them reach this city on their own, maybe the weapons ordered were the same. But still, the situation was starting to sound like a setup. She quickly stood up, the chair scraping against the floor as she pushed it back.

"No, Amina, I haven't ordered anything like that. But there is a possibility that those crates are the courtesy of a friend. Let's go, check those containers out immediately."

Her voice didn't betray her inner curiosity, instead, it was masked with a questioning and worried tone. They both hurriedly made their way to the wharf, wondering what surprise awaited them.

As their car approached, Anastasia saw two plain red cargo containers with no emblem or serial numbers on them. From the equipment being used to move them, they were quite heavy too. She signaled for both Amina and Natalya to stay cautious as they approached the warehouse which was the center of the hustle and bustle.

"What's going on here?"

Anastasia demanded, her tone sharp and authoritative.

One of the workers, a burly man with a sweat-stained shirt, looked up nervously.

"We got a delivery for you, Boss. The delivery crew said these containers were ordered by the head of the Vorovich Cartel."

Anastasia's eyes narrowed.

Supposedly these containers were from the system. Would the shipment's trail lead to the system's origin? Or will it be a false one? Or will it be to some fake puppet company At least she was sure that it wasn't dangerous.

Anastasia motioned for the two women behind her to inspect the containers, ensuring they weren't rigged with any surprises.

The duo warily approached the containers, weapons at ready and aimed at the containers. From the way they moved, it was clear that Amina was leading the way.

She stopped some steps away from the container and began inspecting it for any booby on its outer layer but found none. She ran her finger on its wall, the containers seemed to be sturdy and unrigged, without any visible alarm or bobby trap.

Amina turned to Natalya and gave her a hand signal that must have meant 'all clear' because she moved towards the gate and opened it's gate. Behind her, Amina was ready for a firefight but found none and moved in followed by Natalya.

As the duo checked the inside of the containers, Anastasia turned to question the workers at the wharf, trying to gather more information.

"Who dropped off these crates? Do they give you any paperwork?"

The workers exchanged uneasy glances, clearly uncomfortable with the situation. One of them finally spoke up.

"Some guy in a suit came by half an hour ago and said he had the proper authorization and paperwork. Seemed official, so we didn't question it much."

He nervously handed a notepad to her which she promptly looked through. Anastasia's expression darkened as she recognized that all the information that these papers gave her was that the crates were shipped from a shipping company based in Hong Kong. Also, these crates carried fragile goods. 

"Amina, Natalya. You guys done yet?"

The two of them walked out of the first container, their weapons holstered and a shocked look on their faces.

"You won't believe what's in there Boss..."

Before she could finish her exclamation, Anastasia interrupted her,

"Is it safe to enter that container?"

She was a bit surprised by the sudden interruption but answered her question anyway,

"Yeah, I searched the whole tin can but there's no booby trap in there, only a shit ton of crates piled in."

She stopped for a moment to point inside,

"But you won't believe what's..."

Again she was interrupted,

"Yes, I know full well what these containers contain. Just do a quick check on the other one too."

She turned to Evgeny who had come running to the place when he heard that Anastasia was here,

"Once these two are done, move the containers to warehouse-01."

The burly man nodded and was about to start ordering the dockworkers,

"No snooping around and no words to anyone."

He nodded before turning to his men again.

As the dock workers moved hurriedly to transport the checked container to the designated warehouse, Amina and Natalya continued their inspection of the second one. Anastasia joined the two women by the entrance of the second container, her curiosity piqued by their expressions. Amina, ever direct, spoke first.

"Boss, you need to see this."

The trio entered the container, and Anastasia was greeted by a beautiful sight. The inside of the second container was filled with crates of various shapes and sizes with a whole wall of them stacked against the back of the container while the rest were stacked to the sides.

All these plywood and plastic crates had no markings on them. No symbol, no serial number, no nothing that might hint at a background. Heck, even the crates were made from common beech wood.

Anastasia frowned, there goes her hopes of finding some intel into the system's background. But it wasn't all bad, at least these containers were completely off the radar of anyone in the world. Not even the companies that made the damned weapons.

Natalya pulled her hand, pointing at a black plastic crate. It also had no marking on it.

"Can I open them?"

Her voice... was strange. As if a child was asking her parents to be allowed to open a present. Amina, standing by their side raised an eyebrow in interest.

"Sure. But make sure no one sees the goods inside."

She excitedly hopped over to the box and opened it.

The shitty system didn't arrange any locks for the weapons crates either.

Natalya squealed like a little girl upon seeing the inside of the box. There, right in front of her, was a fully disassembled PSG1. Stored in some sort of foam wrap, the weapon gleamed in the slightest bit of light that managed to penetrate the container.

Amina whistled,

"Boss, it looks like your arms dealer friend is in pretty deep. This isn't just a used black market piece, it's a newly manufactured weapon directly from the factories. Not to mention it doesn't even have a serial number on it."

Anastasia was feeling surprisingly satisfied at the sight of the high-quality weapon, neatly dismantled and packed inside the crate. Evidently, her 'friend', the system, had connections that reached deep into the heart of the weapons manufacturing business.

At least the lack of serial numbers on the PSG1 meant she couldn't locate the origin of these guns. A surprisingly high level of discretion and secrecy indicates that the system was fully prepared to conceal its origin. 

Natalya was staring at the disassembled precision rifle with awe and excitement, she couldn't contain her enthusiasm and nearly screamed,

"Boss, this baby is a work of art! Whoever your friends are, they seriously know their business. And they don't even have a serial number on them! These babies are untraceable! And they are fresh off the lines!"

Heck, even Amina was muttering away under her breath.

"Hammer-forged cold hammer forged chrome-lined steel barrel! Forged aircraft aluminum alloy body with integral trigger pack! It's a dream come true..."

Yep, they lost it.

Anastasia stared at them for a moment before sighing.

It was not as though she didn't appreciate the strategic value of these weapons, quite the opposite in fact. But her mind was simply too fixated on their origin. She sighed even louder and turned to Amina and Natalya, her voice snapping the two of them out of their stupor, 

"Keep this under wraps for now. Natalya, you are following me back to the office. And yes, you can bring your new toy with you. As for you, Amina, ensure these containers are transported to warehouse-01 safely and discreetly"

Amina nodded, her focus now shifted to the task at hand as Anastasia and Natalya made their way back to the office, leaving her to coordinate the transport of the containers.

As they walked, Natalya showed a slight spring to her steps and her eyes had an excited gleam in them. It was as if she was a kid who had just received the best present of her life. 

"Boss, you've got some seriously well-connected friends. I've never seen one of these in such fine conditions. This is top-notch stuff."

Anastasia smirked,

"Course I do."

And she patted the tall woman on her back.

Not at all appropriate for the situation or her response, but she couldn't reach her head and had to compromise.

Back at the office, Anastasia directed Natalya to secure the PSG1 and keep it hidden. She then turned her attention to the system interface.

[Transaction Successful]

- Delivered Two Cargo Containers: $114,000

[Notifications]

- None

She sighed yet again.

It was quite clear that no matter what she did, the system would always be a thousand steps ahead of her in terms of discretion. Might as well enjoy its benefits rather than worrying about some unknown consequences in the far future.