Chapter 202: I Have Bad News (1)

Kang Chan picked up his phone and saw Lanok’s name in the caller ID.

“It’s Kang Chan, Mr. Ambassador,” Kang Chan greeted.

- Mr. Kang Chan. I heard you called earlier.

Kang Chan had been waiting for Lanok’s call for a while now. Finally getting the chance to talk to him, he told him everything on his mind for the past few days.

- Mr. Kang Chan.

Lanok sounded quite taken aback.

- France was definitely managing the large Hadron collider back then. I remember seeing it when I was looking at your mercenary records.

“You said the Hadron collider was operated in French territory and that it’s not connected to the earthquakes.”

- It’s also true that we released energy into the Earth’s crust during that time. It was part of the research on the Hadron collider’s transformation.

“Was it released near Africa, by any chance?” Kang Chan asked.

- That’s right. Other continents had a higher chance of discovering the source of the energy, so we aimed it toward Africa.

Kang Chan felt as if he caught a lead.

“Mr. Ambassador. Could you activate the Hadron collider one more time?” Kang Chan asked.

Lanok sighed and groaned in frustration.

- Are you planning to break the balance of the Blackhead once more with the Hadron collider?

“Yes. It’s the reason behind my reincarnation. Considering the energy of the Blackhead is with me, I believe it’s worth a try,” Kang Chan replied. When Lanok didn’t say anything, he continued, “If this doesn’t work, Europe will be destroyed either way, Mr. Ambassador. I’d rather try this than let the energy be forcefully taken from me.”

- Let me discuss this with the researchers first. I’ll give you my decision shortly.

Kang Chan sighed in relief, thinking he was finally on the track to counterattack in his fight against a rock.

- On another note, Mr. Kang Chan, I have bad news.

Was this the reason he had been feeling so uncomfortable?

Kang Chan felt his heart drop.

- The South Korean prosecution is preparing to arrest you. Huh Ha-Soo’s close associates have started to take action, and if they fail to find you within a few days, they may arrest your father first. I can’t provide any assistance because it can potentially be seen as political interference.

Kang Chan felt more worried about Yoo Hye-Sook than his father, the one who could actually be arrested.

“I’ll make a call to Korea,” Kang Chan said.

- I will confirm the activation of the Hadron collider and whether or not Sharlan has the remaining energy source. Don’t lose your spirit.

“Thank you, Mr. Ambassador.” Kang Chan bid him goodbye, then put his phone down on the table and looked at his reflection in the window. He had gotten so used to his face now that he could barely remember how he looked before his reincarnation.

𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

He could say the same for this life, which constantly brought and weaved new experiences into his past. Perhaps the Blackhead would serve as the catalyst to wrap up his previous life.

Kang Chan picked up the cigarette he had left on the table. He felt as if the living room window was keeping an eye on every little thing in his life.

Click.

“Hoo,” Kang Chan exhaled. He stood up from his seat, picked up the landline phone on one side of his room, and dialed a number.

- Oui, puis-je vous aider?

“Un café s`il vous plaît,” Kang Chan said.

- Parfait.

Kang Chan sat back down at the table. Not long after finishing his cigarette, an employee knocked on the door and brought him a pot of coffee. He poured himself a cup before picking up his phone and calling someone.

- Kim Hyung-Jung speaking, Mr. Kang Chan.

“Manager Kim, I heard the prosecution is trying to arrest my father. Are you aware of this?” Kang Chan asked.

Kim Hyung-Jung couldn’t answer immediately.

“They’re probably trying to connect him to Oh Gwang-Taek and Joo Chul-Bum,” Kang Chan mused.

- We could not blatantly block the prosecution’s execution of the law. I apologize for not informing you sooner. I was searching for a solution.

Kang Chan took a sip of his coffee before setting the cup back down.

“Were you able to find one?” Kang Chan asked.

- We believe this is a retaliatory investigation following the arrest of Chairperson Huh Ha-Soo. The National Intelligence Service has gone into a fierce internal debate about whether to arrest Prosector-General Kim Seong-Woong based on evidence of his meeting with Chairperson Huh Ha-Soo. The opposing party argues that it could be seen as a political maneuver by the NIS.

Kang Chan felt as if Kim Hyung-Jung was telling him the answer.

“How much time do we have?”

- They don’t know you’ve left the country, so if our estimations are right, then they’ll serve the arrest warrant in about three days.

“I see.”

- Mr. Kang Chan.

Kim Hyung-Jung sounded different.

- The NIS is facing great obstacles right now. We don’t have an organization like France’s DGSE, so there are limits to our operations. I apologize.

“If so, then I won’t speak of this issue any further. However, I just hope my innocent father and mother won’t be unjustly wronged.”

Kang Chan let out a low sigh. He wasn’t doing this for any recognition or reward. He just liked the people enough to accept the favors they asked for. That was the reason he came here in the first place.

The innocent Kang Dae-Kyung being arrested would change that, however.

“Are you sure that we have about three days?” Kang Chan confirmed.

- Yes.

“And the Prosecutor-General’s name is Kim Seong-Woong?”

- That is correct.

“Then please let me know of any developments,” Kang Chan said.

- Understood.

After hanging up, Kang Chan immediately looked for and called another number.

- Mr. Kang Chan. To what do I owe this call?

“Mr. Ambassador, it seems we have about three days until my father’s arrest. There is evidence that Prosecutor-General Kim Seong-Woong and Huh Ha-Soo met, but the NIS cannot take any action because it could be interpreted as political maneuvering.”

- How can I help?

“I have to return to Korea,” Kang Chan firmly said.

There was a moment of silence before Lanok spoke again.

- This side of you is what moves people’s emotions, strangely. It also relieves me because it feels like you will protect Anne this way as well. I will inform Pierre. It will take about… an hour to prepare a plane.

“Thank you, Mr. Ambassador,” Kang Chan replied.

- Mr. Kang Chan.

They weren’t speaking face to face, so Kang Chan clearly noticed the slight change in Lanok’s tone.

- Let me share a rule of France’s DGSE with you. If the goal is clear, the means and people’s opinions do not matter. All the intelligence bureaus in the United States and Europe follow that rule as well. For South Korea to stand tall in the international community, it needs such an organization.

“I understand,” Kang Chan replied, keeping his answer short and brief since he planned on taking this road anyway.

After hanging up, he took a shower and prepared some clothes and a gun.

Knock, knock, knock.

Soon after, Pierre entered Kang Chan’s room.

“I just spoke to the ambassador. It will take some time to prepare the goggles you require. I apologize for the delay, but preparations for your departure will be done in approximately fifty minutes,” Pierre politely said.

Goggles?

Kang Chan suddenly recalled Seok Kang-Ho and Smithen. Since he was going to South Korea anyway, the DGSE probably thought this would be a good chance to confirm if either of the two possessed the Blackhead’s missing energy sources.

“I can wait,” Kang Chan replied.

He didn’t have to come all the way here himself to tell me that.

When Pierre left, Kang Chan searched for Yang Bum’s telephone number. It had been a while since they had last spoken.

- Mr. Kang Chan.

Yang Bum easily and comfortably spoke in Korean.

“Are you available to speak right now?”

- Of course.

“I need evidence related to Huh Sang-Soo’s defection and espionage. If it’s related to Huh Ha-Soo, then even better,” Kang Chan replied.

- That’s unexpected. I thought you would ask me about the agent we sent to the training, Jiang Kanglin.

“He seemed to find me a bit uncomfortable,” Kang Chan remarked.

- I’m sure it’s because of his pride as a member of the special forces. If there’s ever a moment when you clash, please go a little easy on him for me.

It sounded as if Yang Bum was aware of what happened with Andrei.

“Will do,” Kang Chan replied without any hesitation. If the guy didn’t come at him, there would be no need to beat him to a pulp anyway.

- Where should I send the documents? Ah! If it’s alright with you, I can have Jiang Kanglin bring it to you.

“Is that possible?” Kang Chan asked.

- He has a laptop and a portable printer with him. You’ll get the documents in a few moments. You’ll visit China soon, I hope?

“I will,” Kang Chan replied. He then hung up. He had drank half of his coffee when someone knocked on his door.

Jiang Kanglin entered with a couple of files. “The Director asked me to give you these documents.”

Kang Chan took them and let out a quiet sigh. It was all written in Chinese, so he had no idea what any of it meant.

“Is something wrong?” Jiang Kanglin asked.

Why is this guy still here? And why is he being so friendly?

Jiang Kanglin even helped himself to some of the cooled coffee.

Knock, knock, knock.

Before Kang Chan could reply, Pierre came inside.

“Monsieur Kang, you can come down in twenty minutes,” Pierre said.

Jiang Kanglin looked at Pierre and Kang Chan as he took a sip of his coffee.

“You going somewhere?” Jiang Kanglin asked.

“I’ll be away for about three days,” Kang Chan admitted. He found no reason to tell him he was heading back to Korea, so he just gave him a simple response as he scanned the documents.

“Can I go with you?”

Kang Chan slowly turned his head to look at Jiang Kanglin.

“Based on the contents of the documents, it seems like you’re going to Korea. I’ve always wanted to visit their special forces’ training grounds,” Jiang Kanglin added.

Seeing Kang Chan’s gaze, Jiang Kanglin shook his head. “Don’t misunderstand. The dissatisfaction I showed on the first day was the least I could do to show respect for my dead comrades.”

He swirled the coffee pot and poured himself a little more.

“Let’s just make it clear that Director Yang Bum, who I admire and respect, acknowledges you. I’ll call you Monsieur Kang if that’s what you want even though I find it uncomfortable if it means we can get along on more informal terms. To be honest, I’ve been wanting to meet the special forces team that went to the recent operation in North Korea.”

“I don’t think this is a good time for that, but I’m sure you’ll get the chance to soon enough,” Kang Chan responded.

Jiang Kanglin shrugged and left the room with regret on his face. Kang Chan just had to wait for about fifteen minutes now. However, before he could depart for South Korea…

Du du du du du.

The table, cup, phone, coffee pot, and everything else in his room began to shake.

Surprised and at a loss for what to do, Kang Chan froze in place.

He heard that an earthquake would soon render all of Europe uninhabitable, but this was the first time it occurred to him that he would be so powerless once it actually happened. Perhaps he felt this way because he had never experienced an earthquake before.

Du du du du du.

He glanced around him when everything began to shake once again.

Thud! Crash!

The cup fell to the carpet.

Bam!

He could hear heavy objects fall to the ground from the higher floors as well.

Is this how I die?

In that short moment, Kang Chan thought of Yoo Hye-Sook, Kang Dae-Kyung, and Seok Kang-Ho. He felt relieved that they were all in South Korea.

The tremors lasted for about thirty seconds before finally stopping.

Buzz, buzz, buzz. Buzz, buzz, buzz. Buzz, buzz, buzz.

Kang Chan quickly picked up the phone.

“Hello?” he answered.

- Mr. Kang Chan. Get to South Korea as quickly as you can!

He had never heard Lanok sound so flustered.

- They say the subterranean shock device has gone completely out of control!

“Mr. Ambassador! What about the others? I heard Anne is in France.”

- I’ll have her out of there as quickly as possible, so just focus on getting yourself out of there.

“Mr. Ambassador, what about the activation of the Hadron Collider?” Kang Chan quickly asked.

-It’s too late, Mr. Kang Chan! Just leave!

Damn it!

Kang Chan gritted his teeth.

Lanok wanted him to escape even though he knew Anne would die?

“Mr. Ambassador, please activate the Hadron Collider! I’ll head straight to England.”

There was no response.

“Mr. Ambassador!” Kang Chan urged.

- Mr. Kang Chan, that isn’t…

Du du du du du du. Boom! Thud! Whack! Clunk!

-Was that an earthquake?

“Yes! It’s a bit worse this time!” Kang Chan shouted so he could be heard over the noise. “Please let me use the Hadron Collider! I’ll head straight to England. Should I tell Pierre or will you give him the command?

- Tell Pierre! I’ll have it prepared so the Hadron Collider can be activated before you arrive.

The tremors stopped almost at the same time Lanok finished his sentence. Kang Chan never thought that lands and buildings could be so quiet and scary when they weren’t shaking.

Kang Chan immediately stood up and left his room, finding the five foreign agents standing in front of their rooms with surprised faces. Unfortunately, he didn’t have time to give them an explanation.

When he got to the elevator, he decided to use the stairs next to it instead.

Tat tat tat tat. Tat tat tat tat.

At this rate, there was a chance he would fail to prevent Kang Dae-Kyung’s arrest. Yoo Hye-Sook wouldn’t be able to take it.

Going down the stairs, Kang Chan couldn’t help but think that what he was doing could be pointless.

Even so, how would I be able to live with myself if I escaped to Korea alone?

Anne’s life felt equally as heavy as the great number of other people who would die.

When he got to the ground floor, he bolted to the entrance. An employee greeted him outside and opened a car door for him.

Oblivious to the severity of the situation, the people in the area just looked as if they weren’t expecting to experience earthquakes in France.

The car hit the road as soon as Kang Chan got into the backseat.

Buzz, buzz, buzz. Buzz, buzz, buzz.

“Hello?” Kang Chan answered.

- Mr. Kang Chan, a powerful earthquake has apparently damaged the structure surrounding the subterranean shock device. The Hadron Collider will be ready by the time you arrive in England. Once you’re there, call us when you need us to activate it.

“Understood.”

Kang Chan ended the call and turned his gaze outside the window.

Before his eyes was a peaceful vier. However, as they said, all of this could disappear in an instant.

He couldn’t estimate the extent of the damage, but if Europe sank into the ocean, he doubted Asia, Africa, or the Americas would emerge unscathed.

This terrifying catastrophe was the result of a mere rock manifesting people’s greed. It was not even the famine-stricken Africa but the prosperous England that caused all this.

When Kang Chan arrived at the airport and boarded the plane prepared for him, Lanok called him again.

- England has just been hit by the strongest earthquake they’ve ever had. All of Europe is now somewhat aware of their plan.

“What about Anne?” Kang Chan asked.

Lanok laughed wryly.

- Having Anne leave right now would be no different from publicly announcing an emergency decree to all of Europe.

It was scary how cold-blooded Lanok could be during times like these. Knowing how much to hide and how much to scrutinize others seemed like a lot of work.

“Shouldn’t we at least inform and save as many people as possible?” Kang Chan asked.

- Mr. Kang Chan. The leaders and influential figures of other countries have already left for the safe zones.

“What about their citizens?”

- There is no way or place for the entire Europe to escape, and revealing the danger to them could just lead to further panic and more difficulties securing any kind of buffer. In the worst-case scenario, we could even face a shortage of personnel to operate the Hadron Collider.

Kang Chan had nothing to counterargue with.

- On another note, we have started an investigation into Prosecutor-General Kim Seong-Woong and his close associates.

“Thank you, Mr. Ambassador,” Kang Chan replied.

- I should be the one thanking you. I’m sure Ethan will be desperately waiting for you at the airport trying to spot the plane in the distance until his neck is as long as a giraffe's.

After hanging up, Kang Chan drank tea to pass the time. Korea was in the late hours of the night, so they would probably find out what was happening in Europe through the news in about five hours.

Damn it!

Kang Chan was certain that either Sharlan or Smithen had one of the missing Blackhead energies, but he ended up having to fight alone anyway.

Mulling over his thoughts, he began to wonder about what would happen if the particle accelerator targeted not Africa but the Blackhead’s exact location. Would he lose the energy he possessed just like the energy left the Blackhead? If he did, would he simply lose the ability to quickly recover from injuries or would he outright lose his life? There was no way to tell.

Kang Chan clenched his teeth.

He was worried about Kang Dae-Kyung and Yoo Hye-Sook. All of this was happening because he failed to tie up loose ends before leaving South Korea. At that moment, he realized that he had recently left multiple other events in his life unfinished.

Korea needed an organization similar to France’s DGSE. Kang Chan decided to prioritize taking care of that after resolving this whole Blackhead issue.