Editing Hans Naumann (section)

==== The Naumann Affair ====
In August of 2024, the criminal organisation known as the [[Big Four]] requested the services of the German smuggler because they were embargoed by the [[Yakuza]], who were gaining influence in the city. Hans signed one of his most lucrative contracts with the Big Four getting 5% of the earnings that the Big Four made with exports after lying to the Big Four that it was his first time in Los Santos and that he needed the higher cut to afford offshore property. After arriving in Los Santos, Hans bought a safe house in Del Perro and temporarily settled there until his contract was finished with his Pussycat magazines.

Approximately two weeks after Hans Naumann began operating as the Big Four’s primary smuggler during the Yakuza embargo, the Yakuza became aware that an outside contractor was responsible for bypassing their economic pressure. Acting on this intelligence, a Yakuza cell launched a night-time raid on one of Hans’ safehouses in Los Santos. During the break-in, they stole a [[USB stick]] containing sensitive operational data related to Hans smuggling network, as well as his rare Pussycat magazine collection, the latter seemingly taken either as provocation or coincidence.

At the time of the raid, Hans was outside the safehouse, smoking a cigarette beside his Übermacht Revolter. Upon noticing masked individuals fleeing the location with stolen property, Hans immediately pursued them, initiating a high-speed chase through the city. Though the Yakuza operatives ultimately escaped, Hans was able to track the USB stick’s signal, identifying its destination as the Yakuza’s base of operations—the Facility at the Land Act Reservoir.

Despite the seriousness of the data breach, Hans dismissed the issue when confronted by [[Jim]] who scolded him for losing sensitive information that could compromise the syndicates, Hans brushed off the incident, stating that the loss was “not a big deal” and expressing confidence that the situation would resolve itself.

Several days later, Hans was informed that [[Billy McBardigael]] independently located the Land Act Reservoir facility and launched a solo assault, eliminating the Yakuza presence in San Andreas entirely. During the operation, Billy recovered the stolen USB stick, effectively bringing the Yakuza Crisis to an abrupt end and lifting the embargo on the Big Four.

The USB was later returned to Hans by [[Edward McHaggis]]. Unbeknownst to him at the time, [[Alexa Morrison]] had already copied the data contained on the device. The files revealed extensive details about Hans’ criminal dealings across multiple continents. Among the data was confirmation of Hans’ direct involvement in the contract that led to the kidnapping and death of Jim’s wife, information that had remained concealed for years. On the USB stick was also heavy encrypted data which even the best hacker could not solve.
The following day, Hans received a call from Jim, requesting a meeting at the Galileo Observatory under the pretense of concluding outstanding business. Hans, wanted to concluded business quick went earlier to the Observatory to wait for Jim. When Jim arrived, he did not greet Hans with a smile, instead Jim pointed a a gold-plated action revolver at Hans and confronted him about his role in the death of his wife. Hans, as a fanatical weapon collector recognised the weapon as the Armstrong ancestral weapon.

Caught off guard, Hans reverted to psychological tactics ingrained during his upbringing in the Wiking-Jugend, deliberately presenting himself as a victim of circumstance. He claimed the operation had been “just a contract,” asserted that parts of the file were fabricated or vague, and reframed the situation as an unavoidable outcome of the criminal world. Hans then posed a dilemma to Jim: let him live, or “kill another family”, warning that vengeance would only continue the cycle of loss.
The manipulation succeeded. Jim ultimately chose not to pull the trigger, sparing Hans on the explicit condition that he would never return to San Andreas. Hans did not challenge the decision. Recognizing the narrowness of his escape, he immediately packed his belongings, abandoned the compromised safehouse, and left the state without delay.
In the period following the USB incident and his forced departure from San Andreas, Hans Naumann remained highly active on the international stage, exerting influence well beyond the events tied to the Big Four and the Yakuza.

Shortly after leaving the United States, Hans accepted a lucrative Russian contract that placed him directly within a high-risk geopolitical operation. Acting as both pilot and logistical coordinator, Hans personally extracted [[wikipedia:Bashar al-Assad|Bashar al-Assad]] and members of his immediate family, flying them out of the collapsing Syrian theatre and delivering them safely to Russia, where they were granted asylum. Though never officially acknowledged, it is widely rumoured within intelligence and criminal circles that this operation granted Hans direct contacts within the Kremlin, significantly elevating his standing and protection within Eastern European power structures.

In parallel with his political work, Hans continued to support high-value criminal operations across Europe. He was later linked to the theft of the [[wikipedia:Helmet of Coțofenești|Helmet of Coțofenești]], stolen from the Drents Museum during a targeted art crime. While Hans did not participate directly in the theft itself, he is believed to have assisted the perpetrators with logistical planning, transport coordination, and post-theft asset movement, ensuring the artifact was quickly removed from standard recovery routes.