Chapter 201: Is It Smithen or Sharlan, That Is The Question (2)

The edges of Andrei’s lips slightly curved upward, making it seem as if he was aiming for this all along.

This was no different from the first time Kang Chan went to Africa as a mercenary and someone tried walking over him just because he was Asian. Those jealous of him acted exactly like Andrei as well when he became the captain.

Andrei’s posture?

Just tell me to go fuck myself instead.

During times like this, the right type of look in one’s eyes could give them a headstart. That was why Andrei couldn't rashly reach out and attack Kang Chan even though he was already standing.

Another similarity that this situation and his life back in Africa shared was that the people around them just watched instead of stopping them from fighting. They would wait for the results and act accordingly.

If Kang Chan got beaten up and lost, his opponent would become even more arrogant. If he won, then they would start acting as if they were only following him because of his rank.

Sons of bitches. I’m busy feeling like shit over here!

Kang Chan didn’t lose another recruit, but he did lose to a rock.

In the middle of their intense staredown, someone knocked on the door.

“Come in,” Kang Chan said, and an employee opened the door. He quickly scanned the room and put the tea they ordered on the table that they had dragged over to the middle of the room. They probably noticed the heavy atmosphere, but they remained calm.

Jiang Kanglin quickly looked at Kang Chan and Andrei…

“Ugh,” Andrei groaned. Sitting down, he cracked his neck. Back in Africa, fights only ended once there was a clear winner.

Kang Chan sat down as well.

Pouring himself a cup of tea, Fredric commented, “They told us to pick a leader.”

This fucker’s accent is shitty as well.

“Then give the position to whoever wants to be the leader.”

“I’ll be the leader,” Andrei interjected as soon as Kang Chan answered.

Kang Chan wasn’t interested in becoming the leader, so instead of responding, he just poured tea into the cup in front of him.

“Does anyone object to me being the leader?” Andrei asked and looked every person around him in the eye. Kang Chan couldn’t understand why he was so greedy for the position.

Sure dude, you do it.

Nobody said anything.

I just met these fuckers, but they’re already tiring to deal with.

“Hey, you brat!” Andrei called Kang Chan as the latter put down his cup.

Whish! Bam!

Kang Chan thrust his thumb, and Andrei punched it away.

Pow! Pow-pow! Pow-pow-pow!

Crunch!

Before Andrei could block Kang Chan’s hand, which was coming for his eyes and neck, he sprang to his feet, knocking over the table. Greifelt held onto it tightly.

Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow-pow!

How dare this son of a bitch blabber off?

Bam!

Amid their rapid exchange of blows, Kang Chan jabbed Andrei’s side with the middle knuckle of his middle finger.

Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow!

He’s not even as good as Dayeru, yet he’s acting out in front of me!

Andrei bent forward, having been punched in his neck, side, armpit, and stomach.

Whish!

Exploiting that momentary weakness, Kang Chan kneed Andrei’s face, causing his head to jerk backward.

Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!

Without missing a beat, Kang Chan landed multiple blows on his opponent’s face.

Thud!

With glinting eyes, Kang Chan glared at Jiang Kanglin. Seemingly frozen in place, the man could only flinch.

“You all better start showing me some respect. You are to refer to me only as Monsieur Kang from now on. Only those I consider a friend can call me by my name,” Kang Chan ordered.

Leon and Graifelt looked at Kang Chan with intrigue.

“Then our leader…” Fredric stopped for a moment when he noticed Kang Chan’s gaze. “... should be Monsieur Kang.”

“Oui,” Leon answered. Graifelt agreed as well.

Kang Chan glanced away from them and back at Jiang Kanglin, causing the latter’s cheek to twitch. Not long after, he answered, “oui.”

For an Asian, Jiang Kanglin had an extremely firm build. It made Kang Chan wonder if he had caucasian ancestry.

“Argh,” Andrei groaned as he sat up and wiped the blood between his nose and mouth with the back of his hand. His nose and left cheekbone had been caved in, though, so the bleeding didn’t stop.

Kang Chan turned his attention to Andrei.

For as long as Andrei hadn’t dropped his eyes in submission, then he was still ready to go for another round. The same principle applied to lions, tigers, wolves, and even sons of bitches.

Andrei stood up and looked at Kang Chan. Twisting his head, he said, “I acknowledge you as our leader, br—”

Crunch!

Fredric frowned as Kang Chan punched Andrei in the face again.

Thud!

Andrei fell on his butt wheezing.

“Andrei,” Kang Chan called.

“What, you br—”

Bam!

“Ugh!” Andrei cried. Kang Chan’s kick would have killed him if he hadn’t twisted his upper body and let it hit the pit of his stomach.

Truth be told, Kang Chan really considered killing him. If he turned rebellious fuckers like him into his subordinate. they could later backstab him or shoot him in the head while he’s not looking.

For almost ten years, Kang Chan lived a life that made him accustomed to things like this. Considering they were all from different special forces, the best he could do right now was put a confident finish to this fight.

“Andrei,” Kang Chan called again. If the man continued to defy him, he would kill Andrei.

Unfortunately for the poor Russian, Dayeru wasn’t here to take a hit for him.

As heavy silence filled the room, Kang Chan smirked.

So you’ve chosen death, huh?

“Oui, Monsieur Kang,” Andrei answered just before Kang Chan could kick him.

If Andrei died here, then only Russia would be left out of the training, right? All because he died in an unjustified fight.

“Sit down and have some tea,” Kang Chan said.

Andrei stood up and sat at the table. Blood was still dripping down from his nose like a faucet left partly open.

Andrei took a sip from his cup, then stood up and left.

Kang Chan was now forced to have the carpet in his room changed.

“Any of you smoke?” Kang Chan asked.

“Go inside and get some cigarettes and an ashtray,” one of the men said.

Did these sons of bitches just tell me to bring over cigarettes? I didn’t even let anyone order me to make them coffee when I was still a new recruit.

Graifelt glared at Kang Chan for a moment, but he soon sighed and walked inside.

Kang Chan felt as if his life was becoming increasingly difficult as time passed.

He didn’t expect this training to be completely peaceful, but he didn’t expect to be the ‘captain’ of a team of special forces soldiers just because he won a fight either.

Click!

Graifelt put an ashtray and cigarettes on the table. Seemingly dying for a smoke, everyone swiftly took a cigarette.

“What the hell? So everyone wanted to smoke?” Graifelt grumbled. He seemed at a loss for words, but it didn’t really make anyone feel bad.

“I don’t like long names. From now on, I’m going to call you Felt, Deric, and Janga,” Kang Chan said.

Except for Leon—whose name was already short—they all looked speechless.

“I heard the training starts after lunch. You’re all from different special forces, so feel free to fight each other as much as you want if you have disagreements. But if we’re together, none of you are allowed to stab the others in the back. Break this rule, and I’m going to kill you all myself,” Kang Chan warned.

After extinguishing their cigarettes, the four looked at Kang Chan seriously. He had already experienced this before as well.

Kang Chan fully understood now why Pierre didn’t show up at all.

Andrei only returned to the room after Kang Chan had lunch with the others and was enjoying coffee and cigarettes with them. The white mask he was wearing only left his mouth, eyes, and area below his nose uncovered, making him look like a character from some horror movie.

This son of a bitch still has no plans of backing down.

Killing this fucker would certainly be for the best. No one was as reckless as someone who thought he was carrying the honor of his unit on his shoulders.

When Kang Chan’s eyes glinted, the atmosphere instantly changed.

***

Raphael came into the office and approached Lanok’s desk.

“I’ve received word that Monsieur Kang has beaten up Andrei. He needed emergency surgery because the fight caved in his nasal bones and cheekbone, but he refused to be brought home,” Raphael said.

“He was a wolf pouncing on a lion, so they should consider themselves fortunate that he’s still alive. Anyway, this doesn’t seem like a good time to call him. What about Anne?”

“She’s been assigned to Unit 1 of the DGSE.”

Lanok gave Raphael a cold look. “Does that mean my expectations were right?”

“I only follow your judgments.”

Lanok pressed his lips together and glared at the clock. “Securing talented individuals isn’t easy—it’s not something that can be accomplished with greed. They’re making things needlessly complicated. What about the researchers’ report?”

“They haven’t given us a new report yet.”

Lanok nodded, then looked up.

“Raphael,” Lanok called.

“Yes, Mr. Ambassador?”

“My decisions will certainly bring development to France. I don’t know how it’ll turn out, but I’m at least sure Monsieur Kang will protect me and our homeland.”

“I see. Should I prepare tea and cigars?”

“I’d like that.”

Raphel bowed and left the room.

“Monsieur Kang.” Lanok sat up from his desk, turned his chair around, and stared at the French flag hanging behind him. “Please look after France.”

Lanok’s desperate wish filled the room.

***

Kim Seong-Woong glared at the South Korean flag and the Ministry of Justice’s flag.

“We have conclusive evidence. We don’t even need testimonies to prove Kang Chan is guilty at the trial,” Lee Seung-Yeol reported. The prosecutors sitting with him seemed to agree.

“What about Oh Gwang-Taek?” Kim Seong-Woong asked.

“Identifying the person funding the crime rings is proving difficult.”

“Did his money trail not lead to a suspect?”

“For a gangster, his source of income is clean.”

“Do we have evidence proving he instigated murder, at least?”

“If we can’t tie Oh Gwang-Taek to a crime ring, then we can’t prove his relationship with Kang Chan either.”

Kim Seong-Woong groaned as he lowered his greasy forehead.

“There’s circumstantial evidence that the National Intelligence Service has interfered on multiple occasions,” Lee Seung-Yeol said. “Some also point to the special forces’ involvement.”

“What the hell are you talking about right now?!” Kim Seong-Woong suddenly yelled, causing Lee Seung-Yeol’s gaze to drop to the table.

“Don’t cloud the issue! This case is an investigation about Kang Chan using the Eurasian Rail as an excuse to murder, intimidate, threaten, and steal for his personal gains!”

“Understood.”

“Hmm.” Kim Seong-Woong looked at the prosecutor across from Lee Seung-Yeol.

“We have finished preparations for a search and seizure operation on Kang Yoo Motors, Kang Yoo Foundation, and Kang Chan’s building. However, the media will definitely catch wind of the case once we proceed with it,” the prosecutor said.

“Isn’t the National Intelligence Service stopping it from reaching the news?”

“That won’t be enough to prevent all information about the operation from being leaked. They’ll likely need at least a day to contain the situation.”

“If so, then proceeding with this means we’re going to incite a full-scale war.”

“We’re thinking of taking Kang Dae-Kyung into custody for questioning.”

“What about Yoo Hye-Sook?”

“We can’t imprison her right now since she lacks criminal charges against her. Some people are also watching from outside the country, so it would be best for us to treat the investigation process for the two as separate matters.”

“I can’t believe someone without any phone call records still exists in modern-day South Korea! It’s appalling,” Kim Seong-Woong said, trying hard to ignore the fact that the National Intelligence Service cooperated with Kang Chan to make that happen. “I’ll let you know once I’ve reached a decision. For now, just be prepared to issue a warrant and conduct a search and seizure on their properties at any moment.”

“Alright.” The prosecutors’ answer strangely lacked energy.

***

The training wasn’t any different from what Kang Chan had been learning the past few days. If he was being honest, the training itself was boring, and the atmosphere was shit.

He still had trouble figuring out why this training was even necessary. From his perspective, spending six months in the DGSE would have yielded far greater results.

Kang Chan took a short break after learning the locations and functions of each country’s satellites. Suddenly feeling frustrated, he looked out the window.

‘Is someone in danger again?’

Looking out the window wouldn’t give him an answer, but the scenery at least made him feel a bit better.

Grafelt noisily poured himself a cup of coffee.

This kid drinks a lot of coffee.

Grafelt had a somewhat tenacious aura around him. It made him seem cruel.

Andrei soon entered the room, but he didn’t say anything.

That fucker was partially responsible for this shitty atmosphere.

Click.

After a while, the door opened.

Unlike in schools, they didn’t have bells to signal the start of their training. Rather, it started as soon as an instructor came inside and only ended when they left.

Two people came inside and put a globe on the table. It was bigger than any globes he had ever seen, allowing them to see all the continents at a glance.

What’s that?

Kang Chan focused on the globe. The deep gold line painted on it had to be the Eurasian Rail.

“Today, we’ll be going into detail about the economic effects, profits, and losses that we think each country will face when the Eurasian Rail is connected,” one of the instructors said.

So this is why!

Kang Chan finally understood.

This was why they were taught international economy and the locations and functions of all the satellites in orbit.

They were preparing them for the changes that the Eurasian Rail would bring to the world.

If the first generation—Lanok, Vasili, Ludwig, and Ethan—led this era, then the second generation would lead the world after the Eurasian Rail was connected.

The people here right now would be responsible for the next generation of intelligence bureaus. It was highly likely that they would eventually become their countries’ Eurasian Rail representative as well—if they were still alive by then, that was.

Why did Lanok yield this important position to Kang Chan?

He did ask Kang Chan to protect France, but it wasn’t as safe as choosing a French person instead.

Kang Chan focused on the training as best as he could. It would’ve been much better if he didn’t feel frustrated.

The others also put their entire attention on it. Through this lesson, the benefits their countries would enjoy in the future could be changed.

Kang Chan now understood why Andrei acted out in an attempt to be in the frontline.

Did Lanok already predict all this before sending me here? Rather than sending a weak French agent, did he choose to make me the leader instead so he could ask me to secure France’s benefits and find and teach someone talented enough to replace me in the future?

If it was Lanok, Kang Chan thought all of that was certainly possible.

Perhaps because this was their first day, they all ate in Kang Chan’s room after their training even though nobody ordered them to.

Andrei used a straw to eat.

He’s bullshitting in so many ways. Isn’t he embarrassed or ashamed? Maybe he’s just anxious about us scheming behind his back.

They were going to learn what kind of person Kang Chan was as time went by anyway.

“I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” Kang Chan bid them goodbye.

The five left his room. Their eyes, expressions, actions, and manner of speaking clearly displayed their determination to never lose during this training.

“Phew!” Kang Chan sighed.

Everything was always so tiring and bothersome in the beginning.

Men were quite difficult to understand, but no matter how much they tried to bullshit their way, a month together would be enough to naturally create a hierarchy between them that was unlikely to change.

Kang Chan took a chair at the table and sat beside the window.

He still felt frustrated.

Kang Dae-Kyung, Yoo Hye-Sook, Seok Kang-Ho, and Lanok were all far away from him.

Choi Seong-Geon’s death was already hard enough for me to endure, but now I might face problems with Kim Tae-Jin and Kim Hyung-Jung as well? Is that bastard Wui Min-Gook causing problems again?

It was already dark outside, so the window in the living room slightly reflected Kang Chan like a mirror.

His eyes were glinting.

What’s going on? What’s happening?

Buzz— Buzz—Buzz—. Buzz— Buzz—Buzz—. Buzz— Buzz—Buzz—.

It didn’t take long before Kang Chan’s phone began to ring.