svetikya Chapter 164 Sergei Kravinov
Chapter 164 Sergei Kravinov
Chapter 164 Sergei Kravinov
Moscow, Russia.
At the entrance of the State Duma building, a group of reporters caught up with State Duma deputy Sergei Kravinov, who had just finished a meeting and was leaving through the door. They swarmed around him to interview this rising political star who had returned to his homeland after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
"Mr. Sergei, there are reports that some State Duma members' statement that 'members who frequently miss meetings should be disqualified' is actually mocking your annual trip to Africa and your vacation schedule. What is your opinion on this?"
"Regarding this, as I said at the press conference before, this is not a deliberate act targeting any particular individual, but rather a relative one concerning the behavior of State Duma members who are absent from relevant meetings. I have not actually deliberately missed any meetings in violation of the prescribed procedures—thank you."
After rambling on about something completely pointless, Sergei Kravnov opened the door of his car, got in with a smile, and only after closing the door did he complain to his driver, "Good heavens, these reporters are so annoying."
"I'm sorry, I can't empathize with you, sir."
His driver, exasperated by his master's complaints, delivered a message to Craven: "Mr. Romanov is waiting for you at your home."
"Romanov, boring 'aristocrats'. Nobles have been extinct since 1917. It's been almost a hundred years and people still haven't forgotten these things. What a bunch of incredibly boring guys."
Half an hour later, at the Kravinov Estate.
"Romanov, my friend!" Sergei laughed and embraced the portly broker in front of him. This man was a lobbyist for many oligarchs and interest groups in the country, most of which could be traced back to noble families during the Tsarist era. They thus formed a potential political alliance.
Sergei Kravinov might be a member of this alliance, as his family, the Kravinovs, were high-ranking nobles during the Tsarist era, a branch of the Romanov dynasty, and retained the title of Grand Duke even at the time of the fall of Tsarist Russia. However, it's unlikely that Sergei Kravinov is a member of this alliance, as he doesn't seem particularly fond of these guys who still address each other with various noble titles in the 21st century.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Grand Prince Kravinov." Romanov, as expected, addressed himself with the noble title he disliked the most. Then, Romanov took a hunting rifle handed to him by a servant and gave it to Sergei: "This is a hunting rifle with a full crystal barrel, specially carved by a South African gem craftsman. Grand Prince Kravinov, it's just a small token of my appreciation."
"Thank you, I believe it will look beautiful hanging in the study."
Sergei didn't care about that at all, and then chatted with Romanov for quite a while. He originally thought that this broker was here to get some kind of investment for someone, such as opening a new factory in some city, but after going around in circles, Romanov suddenly asked Sergei an unexpected question.
"Do you remember your father's illegitimate son, Dmitry Snerdyakov?"
"That traitor who betrayed the country, participated in the country's super-soldier program, and then defected." Sergei frowned. "Why are you talking about him?"
"He is dead, Grand Prince Kravinov."
Sergei breathed a sigh of relief.
The death of Dmitri, and the death of his half-brother, did not surprise Craven. After the revolution, his ancestors moved to the outskirts of New York and built the Kravinov Estate. The family lived in New York for over seventy years until the collapse of the Soviet Union, when they returned to their homeland and used their family connections to re-enter politics.
Unlike Sergei, who thrived as the rightful heir to the family fortunes, his illegitimate brother Dmitry couldn't tolerate life in Russia's declining economy and longed for life in New York. Therefore, after joining the Foreign Intelligence Service, he constantly considered defecting, eventually becoming the Service's top agent, "Chameleon," after undergoing a series of surgeries inherited from the Soviet Union.
As a result, after obtaining sufficient intelligence from the Foreign Intelligence Service, he chose to defect.
Craven despised his brother's actions and had long anticipated his death. After pouring himself a glass of vodka, he asked, "Did the Foreign Intelligence Service find him and then eliminate him?"
No...no.
Romanov shook his head, then took out a document and handed it to Sergei: "This was given to me by a friend in New York. It records the true cause of Dmitry's death. Keep it if you need it."
Romanov left, leaving behind this document. Sergei sat at his desk, opened the document, and began to read it carefully. It contained almost no details about the true cause of his brother's death. Instead, it repeatedly mentioned the existence of a very strange person—Spider-Man.
This intelligence, leaked by an unknown source, describes a brand-new super soldier from the United States: his powers come from the U.S. Super Soldier Research Program, a product of the renowned Osborn Technologies. He is now a new member of the Avengers, and before that, he had clashed with Chameleon multiple times.
Finally, the chameleon died in a very fierce battle, and everything seemed clear: Spider-Man killed the chameleon.
However, there is a problem.
It was obvious someone was using him as a pawn, intending for him to kill Spider-Man. Leaving aside whether he could actually succeed, Sergei wasn't about to fall for such a scheme. After putting down the file, he stroked his beard, then got up and left the reception room.
As soon as he stepped out, his old butler, who had been taking care of him since New York, asked as usual, "Sir, are you going to South Africa for vacation again this winter?"
"South Africa... There are hardly any animals on Earth left for me to hunt. Since I received the Super Soldier Serum, there's practically no animal on Earth I can't hunt." Sergei shook his head uninterestedly, but then he realized something, went back to the reception room, looked through the document, and came out again.
"Book me a plane ticket to New York, a private vacation. I'll explain it to the party leader and the president."
"?"
"Dimitri is dead, and I don't know who killed him." Sergei handed the old butler a picture of Spider-Man from the file: "Perhaps this person can tell me who killed Dimitri."
(End of this chapter)