Battlefield Priest's Diary

Chapter 11 Pretending to be sick
Two days later, the dilapidated Volga pickup truck came along again, kicking up dust. Donikov jumped out before the truck had even come to a complete stop and ran into the hotel.

The Russian was filthy; his clothes and trousers looked like they were just casually put on, and the strong smell of tobacco almost knocked Qin Hao over.

"Hey buddy, are you alright? You said on the phone that you didn't want to work anymore and wanted to take a break, what do you mean by that?!" Donikov stood in front of him and asked with some concern.

The Russian, who had been so rude, was now filled with concern. His travel-worn appearance touched Qin Hao's heart, and for a moment he even considered telling him everything that had happened to him.

But the next second he shook his head.

"Damn it! You still..." Donikov walked over angrily, but Qin Hao reached out and pulled out a prepared medical examination form, blocking his way.

"I've fallen seriously ill and need to rest and receive treatment, so I don't have the energy to continue running the business," Qin Hao told the lie he had prepared beforehand.

"Seriously ill!" Donikov hurriedly grabbed the form, held it close to the light to examine it closely, and then his face fell.

"Hemophilia B has an incidence rate of about one in 30,000. Although it's not incurable, it's very troublesome. I'm just unlucky..." Qin Hao chuckled self-deprecatingly, softly deceiving his companion in front of him.

Donikov had been to that church with him and seen those things; rather than facing endless questions and doubts in the future, it was better to make up a plausible excuse in advance.

When you're feeling down after getting sick, staying away from society and resting quietly seems like a good option.

Qin Hao, being in this kind of industry, always gets to know all sorts of shady characters. This time, he contacted one of his classmates in the United States, who is said to be running an illegal medical practice in California.

He asked the other party for a medical record that wouldn't kill him immediately but would be very troublesome. As a result, the other party prepared a diagnosis report for hemophilia and sent it to him by fax.

This report would be exposed immediately if examined by a professional institution, but it's enough to deal with Donikov, this rough and unrefined man. Right now, this thick-skinned Russian is looking at Qin Hao with eyes full of sympathy.

"Buddy, we've been partners for so long, why have you never mentioned this before? Besides, isn't hemophilia a royal disease?" Donikov still had some doubts.

"I didn't see any symptoms when I was little, so I never knew. I only found out about it when I went to the hospital about six months ago because I wasn't feeling well. Also, the idea that it's a royal disease is a misconception. The average person has about a one in 30,000 chance of getting it," Qin Hao said calmly.

Of course, in Donikov's eyes, his current expression was merely a forced attempt to remain calm.

"Buddy, don't worry, with today's advanced technology, there's a chance to cure any disease..." Donikov carefully comforted his companion, then hesitated before saying, "I... is there anything I can do to help you..."

"Of course." Qin Hao nodded and then said, "Buddy, I need money for medical treatment."

Donikov was taken aback, not expecting Qin Hao to be so direct, but the next second he started rummaging through his credit card.

"No problem. The painting from last time sold, and I haven't been to bars much lately, so I'm quite well-off right now. You'll at least get your share..."

“Buddy, you’ve misunderstood me. I’m not asking you for money.” Qin Hao interrupted him directly, then stared at him and made a subtle gesture. “Buddy, I want to make some quick money.” Donikov’s expression immediately turned serious.

"Quick money" is a slang term unique to their industry, meaning counterfeiting.

Making modern imitations look like antiques through special means, selling them to specific groups, and then immediately withdrawing from the business is a short-sighted approach for antique dealers, but it can undeniably generate huge profits in a short period of time.

Donikov hesitated for a moment before asking, "What do you want to imitate? Do you already have a buyer? What can I do to help you?"

These three consecutive questions clearly demonstrated his stance: the Russian had decided to side with his own people regardless of right or wrong. Furthermore, he didn't see anything wrong with using minor tactics to raise money for medical treatment.

Seeing Donikov agree to help without hesitation, Qin Hao felt a little guilty.

However, he then added, "I plan to replicate a batch of personal items from World War I and sell them to custom buyers in China."

"Those from World War I are easy to find; there are some pretty good replicas in the glass cases of museums..."

“Wait a minute, I haven’t finished yet,” Qin Hao added. “The other party hopes that the owner of these items is a non-combatant, but someone with a high status and respect in the military, preferably of Asian descent.”

"WTF?! How could there be a buyer with such a strange request?!" Donikov blurted out a British swear word.

"How many strange buyers have there been over the years? Luckily, he promised a lot of money." Qin Hao casually brushed off the other party's question and continued, "I plan to fabricate the personal belongings of an Asian war priest and sell them."

"A battlefield priest?" Donikov rubbed his head and pondered for a moment. "That is indeed a good idea."

"As far as I know, battlefield priests are a very old profession, dating back to ancient Rome, and they still exist today. Their main task is to provide spiritual comfort to soldiers with religious beliefs on the battlefield, and they also serve as battlefield funeral officers if there are any fallen soldiers."

Qin Hao then picked up where his partner left off: "During World War I, battlefield priests had many more responsibilities. They were responsible for boosting morale, providing battlefield medical care, and tallying casualties. Moreover, due to the special nature of their position, there were even instances where they took over command and led the fighting when their commanders were killed in action."

"Russia only had battlefield priests during World War I. This profession was completely replaced after the establishment of the Soviet Union, so very few items have survived. Theoretically speaking, if such people really had any items that survived, they could indeed fetch a lot of money."

However, Donikov quickly thought of a question: "Aren't battlefield priests usually specially trained monks? Are there any Asians among them?"

"That's why I came to see you." Qin Hao turned to face Donikov. "You have connections at the museum, could you check if there's anyone like that?"

“Well…” The Russian hesitated for a moment before continuing, “The so-called identities of historical figures are all given by archives and artifacts. We can search the database and maybe find such a person. Of course, if we really can’t find him, I also have a way to conjure him up.”

"There's a big flea market in Sochi right now. I'm going to get some things there, I'll be right back."

(End of this chapter)