“Life is complicated. I... I never thought I'd live like this.”
Ilyena:
“No?”
Niko:
“When the war came, I did bad things. And after the war, I thought nothing of doing bad things. I killed people, smuggled people, sold people.”
Ilyena:
“And you don't worry about your soul?”
Niko:
“After you walk into a village, and you see fifty children, all sitting neatly in a row against the church wall, each with their throats cut and their hands chopped off, you realize that the creature that could do this doesn't have a soul.”
Niko rings the doorbell at Mikhail's house. His wife Ilyena answers the door and invites him inside for tea. She serves the beverage from a samovar (a rustic-looking tea dispenser), saying that Mikhail detests it because he thinks it makes the family look like "barbarians".
Ilyena tells Niko that Mikhail did not use to be short-fused. When they were young and still living in Russia, Mikhail was beautiful, happy, and he made her happy. But something changed years ago and she never quite understood what it was. She wondered how she did not see it in him, and thinks that she might have changed him. Niko recounts his life during the war. He claims to have done bad things during the war and thought nothing about it afterwards. He killed, smuggled and sold people. Ilyena asks Niko if he is concerned about his soul, and Niko vents that he entered a village and saw fifty innocent children sitting on the church wall all with their throats cut and their hands chopped off; he realized that the soldier who did it didn't have a soul (perhaps alluding to Niko not believing in souls).
Mikhail and his associate Dimitri Rascalov enter. Mikhail throws the tea dispenser to the side in a fit of rage and yells at his wife for ignoring him, causing her to cry and run off. Mikhail tells Niko that he wants people to be taught lessons, but Dimitri wants to get his money instead. Dimitri wants Mikhail to calm down so that they won't be in more trouble with Kenny Petrovic. Mikhail is angered by Dimitri's insistence that Mikhail is wrong and orders him to get out. Mikhail wants Niko to pick up a truck parked on Montauk Avenue in Schottler.
Walkthrough[]
Once Niko enters the truck he will call Faustin, who reveals that the truck is rigged with a bomb, packed solid with high-yield very sensitive explosives. Niko must drive the truck to a garage in Chase Point, Bohan without colliding much, otherwise the bomb will detonate. There is a light on the back of the truck that indicates when the explosive is becoming unstable, followed by a speeding-up beep.
After reaching the destination, Niko arms the bomb, then makes a run for it. A cutscene ensues showing the explosion. After that, Niko flees the scene before the police arrive.
Niko calls Mikhail saying that he will not do something like this again. Mikhail thought Niko is tougher than this and insults Niko that he is as weak as Dimitri (also mocking him as he is the "ice-cold killer"). From this point on, Niko refuses to do any more work for Mikhail.
"An explosion has occurred at a garage on Guantanamo Ave and Windmill Street in South Bohan. Investigators on the scene have found traces of ammonium nitrate and nitromethane as well as the remains of a large truck. These are common ingredients in explosive devices. It doesn't take a genius to connect the dots and blame terrorists here in Liberty City for the horrific destruction wrought at the garage. Luckily, no employees were present at the time of detonation. The garage is located on a busy street where people walk to go to work and do their shopping. We got lucky this time."
"Again, Liberty City shakes with the sound of a large explosion. In response, our liberal Mayor, Julio Ochoa, has raised the terror threat level to Black 8. Residents of South Bohan would have been better off with a warning yesterday, Mr. Mayor. A Russian immigrant, Kenny Petrovic, owns the garage. Mr. Petrovic was unable to comment as we went to press. Why terrorists chose to target this business, we know not. But this does illustrate the point that no one is safe. The enemy can just as easily attack a privately-owned business as a national institution."
"All Americans citizens and residents are terrorists targets and they will stop at nothing before our livelihoods, our freedoms and our very lives are stripped from us. Something like this only serves to remind us of how valuable the sacrifices being made by our sons and daughters in conflict zones around the world really are."
Weazel News Radio[]
"An explosion in Bohan has citizens scared and our ratings up! Eric House is on the scene."
Eric House: "Reporters are rioting on the scene of an explosion at a garage in South Bohan on the corner of Guantanamo and Windmill."
Pedestrian: "I just heard this big boom and then I saw these flames everywhere and smoke and stuff! It's gotta be terrorists! I said they was coming!"
Eric House: "A foreign looking man was seen leaving the site only moments before the explosion. He is wanted for questioning. In South Bohan, I'm Eric House, Weazel News."
Niko sits at the table. Ilyena pours out a cup of tea from a samovar.
Ilyena:
Mikhail doesn't let me use this anymore, says it makes us look like barbarians. Uncivilized. Like immigrants.
Niko:
Oh yeah?
Ilyena:
I know what you're thinking, it is a bit funny coming from him!
Niko quietly laughs as they take a drink.
Ilyena:
He did not used to be like this. When we were young, at home, he was beautiful. He was happy... he made me happy. But um... then something changed... years ago. I never quite knew what it was. So many years I wondered what it was. Or what was wrong with me, that I did not see it in him, or... I changed him.
Niko:
Life is complicated. I... I never thought I'd live like this.
Ilyena:
No?
Niko:
When the war came, I did bad things. And after the war, I thought nothing of doing bad things. I killed people, smuggled people, sold people.
Ilyena:
And you don't worry about your soul?
Niko:
After you walk into a village, and you see fifty children, all sitting neatly in a row against the church wall, each with their throats cut and their hands chopped off, you realize that the creature that could do this doesn't have a soul.
Ilyena:
God is very complicated. You mustn't give up hope...
Mikhail grabs the samovar and throws it off the table.
Mikhail:
I tell you one thing and you ignore me! You stupid bitch!
Ilyena runs out of the kitchen, crying.
Mikhail:
Niko Bellic, baby... good to see you.
Niko:
Yeah, you too. What did you want?
Mikhail:
I want you to teach people to listen to me.
Dimitri:
You want him to get us the money.
Mikhail:
Fuck the money.
Dimitri:
Mikhail, please calm down. We're already in a lot of trouble. I don't know if I can smooth things over with Petrovic.
Mikhail:
Fuck him and fuck you. Who are you? My daddy? Get the fuck out of my house.
Dimitri:
Mikhail!
Mikhail:
Get out!
Dimitri leaves.
Niko:
So, what do you want?
Mikhail:
This prick who owes me money owns a garage in Chase Point. I want you to pick up a truck and take it to him. Call me when you get to the truck. It's in Schottler on Montauk Avenue. Go. Get out of here.
Mikhail rests his head on the kitchen table as Niko leaves.
Driving the Truck
Niko goes to Schottler and collects the truck. He then calls Mikhail.
Niko:
Mr. Faustin, I have the truck.
Mikhail:
Drive it over to the garage on the corner of Guantanamo and Windmill. Park up inside.
Niko:
Sure. What am I delivering?
Mikhail:
When it's inside, trigger the explosive. Should blow up good. Maybe you be careful on the drive over. Is pretty volatile stuff.
Niko, it's Roman. We should go and get drunk together.
Niko:
Roman, I'm nervous enough about driving a truck full of explosives around the city for Mikhail Faustin. He's out of control. Anyway, I'm sorry but if I get drunk with you and then drive this thing, I'll definitely blow myself up. I'll catch you later, cousin.
Niko parks the truck in the garage and activates the explosive. He must leave the area to continue. After a moment, someone approaches the scene and calls someone on their phone.
Garage Owner:
Kenny, Kenny, look. The garage. It's burning. Everything is gone. No, Mr. Petrovic, this was definitely not an accident. My whole fucking business...
Mission Complete
Police Dispatcher:
There's been an explosion at a garage on Chase Point. Possible terrorist act. Be careful.
Niko calls Mikhail.
Niko:
I've blown the place up, but don't pull that shit on me again. Maybe I don't want to drive around while sitting on an atom bomb.
Mikhail:
I thought you were the ice cold killer. I thought nothing scares you, man. Pussy. Hasn't anyone got any balls? You and Dimitri, you'd be nothing without me... nothing. This is how you treat me...
The fucking truck got trashed before I could get it there. I'm lucky to be alive.
Mikhail:
Are you stupid? Can you do nothing? I trust these people and they always let me down...
Gallery[]
An aerial view of the building exploding.
Video Walkthrough[]
Trivia[]
During this mission Niko will automatically get a call from Roman Bellic, who will ask Niko if he wants to go drinking. Niko explains that drinking would probably be a bad idea, given that he is driving a truckload of explosives across town, mentioning "If I go drinking with you, I will blow myself up for sure". The call serves no purpose other than as an ironic joke, similar to Little Jacob's calls in Have a Heart and I'll Take Her, Brucie Kibbutz's call in Undress to Kill and Dining Out and Roman's other call in Shadow.
Niko's famous "life is complicated" line from the debut trailer is said in the cutscene of this mission.
The mission's title can also be interpreted as a double-entendre regarding Mikhail Faustin's highly impulsive attitude, since he is always set to explode in rage over the slightest thing.
If the player goes back to the garage and hops on the Flatbed, Niko will be thrown very high into the air before plummeting to the ground, and certainly dying.
If the player sticks around after the explosion, they can see the owner of the garage call Kenny Petrovic and tell him it was "definitely not an accident". The player can kill the owner without failing the mission after he has made the call, as he starts to walk the streets like a normal pedestrian.
The player will get a 2-star wanted level for hanging around near the burning garage for too long. This is implied to be because the LCPD and the citizens of Liberty City in general are suspicious and prejudiced against foreigners because of past terrorist attacks; the player can hear the police dispatcher announce "A possible terrorist attack at Chase Point" over the radio. The fact that Niko is foreign and loitering at the scene of the explosion therefore makes him the suspect in the eyes of the populace. The wanted level will decrease to zero once the player gets out of the area just like he normally would in the mission.
Another mission called Rigged To Blow appears in Grand Theft Auto III, given to Claude by D-Ice with a similar objective, but instead of a truck, a car was used; instead of detonating the bomb, the player must disarm it.
Even though this is Mikhail's last mission, it does not give his mission progress 100%, instead the following missions given by Dimitri completes his progress.
If the player takes Roman's Taxi to the truck, the driver, Mohammed, may drive recklessly into the truck before he even gets into it, due to his reckless driving.
The bombing method in this mission is similar to the 1995Oklahoma City bombing, as both that incident and this mission involves detonating a truck that contained a bomb made from a mixture of ammonium nitrate and nitromethane.
The garage is actually located on the corner of Hollowback Street and Joliet Street. This goes against the location stated by Mikhail and Liberty Tree Newspaper.
