Chapter 328: Would You Like To Eliminate Them? (1)

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

As the airplane took off and gained altitude, Kang Chan received a call from Kim Hyung-Jung.

“Manager Kim.”

- Mr. Kang Chan, I’ve finally gotten in touch with our agents in Egypt. According to their report, all of them have been shot and injured, and are currently in a compound near Al Fayoum.

“How hurt are they?”

Seok Kang-Ho’s eyes glinted as he whipped around to Kang Chan. He had called Kim Hyung-Jung twice from the barracks earlier.

- They say one is heavily wounded, but I think he’ll be okay. I’ve sent the agents in Sudan to reinforce them, so you can rest assured for now.

Out of respect, Kang Chan couldn’t ask if it was Um Ji-Hwan. All the agents who were shot were special and noble, so how could he ask about a specific person?

- Agent Um Ji-Hwan was wounded in the back and leg, but I heard it wasn’t serious.

Fortunately, Kim Hyung-Jung was considerate and seemingly understood Kang Chan’s feelings.

Kang Chan covered the receiver with his hand and quietly told Seok Kang-Ho, “He’s all right.”

He then asked, “Have you heard anything about the coordinates?”

- The coordinates came from an Egyptian intelligence officer who died in the field. He said he didn’t know the exact details and was trying to verify the information before reporting back, but all we know is that it was important information for Korea.

“Can we trust the officer?”

Kim Hyung-Jung paused for a moment. He seemed to be flipping through a monitor or a report.

- Normally, we would only accept information from verified personnel. Even then, we would check the intel’s authenticity first. An agent in Egypt connected us to him, and we were about to hand over three hundred thousand US dollars in exchange for it. His schooling, military experiences, and everything else about him were solid, but strangely, he was from Greece.

“Greece?”

Why did everything have to be complicated in some way?

- He’s a senior intelligence officer in the Navy, so it must be something related to ships or submarines.

“I checked the satellites earlier. There were no Russian or Chinese ships or submarines that passed by the area.”

- I see. We’ll try to look into it as well.

“Manager Kim.”

- Yes?

“Have you found out who attacked our agents in Egypt?”

Kim Hyung-Jung told him in a low, dark voice that they hadn’t.

“I see. Take care.”

After hanging up, Kang Chan relayed the message to Seok Kang-Ho and Gérard.

“How come he’s not picking up his phone?” Seok Kang-Ho asked as he glared at the phone in his hand.

“Captain, Sergei is a Greek name,” Gérard suddenly said. “I’m pretty sure my adoptive father told me that. He said that although they’re often used in Russia, the names Sergey and Dmitri originated from Greece.”

“Sergei? You mean Sergey Gee?” Kang Chan asked.

“Yes.”

What was this now? It sounded like a bit of a stretch.

“There are family names in Korea that came from China too. That’s probably just a coincidence.”

“Even so, it’s worth checking, isn’t it?”

Well, they didn’t have any better option. Kang Chan immediately picked up the phone and called Woo Hee-Seung.

“Put me the Russian agent on the phone.”

He heard Woo Hee-Seung hurrying around. After a few moments, a familiar voice came from the other end of the call.

- Allo?

“This is Kang Chan. Have you ever heard of the Russian names Sergey and Dmitri coming from Greece?”

- I believe I have. Would you like me to confirm?

“Yes.”

After hanging up, Kang Chan looked at Gérard.

‘Don’t get your hopes up too much.’

‘I know, sir.’

Seok Kang-Ho was looking at Kang Chan in confusion again as if to ask what was going on. Before the latter could answer, the phone rang.

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

“Allo?”

- You were right, sir. Sergei and Dmitri are of Greek origin, but some people with those names were born in Russia. Hence, it’s hard to say that they have a connection.

See?

It was a stretch to find a connection just because one’s ancestors came to Russia from Greece.

Kang Chan decided to stick to the facts for now—the coordinates the Egyptian intelligence officer gave him. Their agents had risked their lives to deliver this information.

“Lock the satellite to the coordinates I had given you earlier. Watch for any ships within a hundred nautical miles of the area or any submarines that have set a course in that direction. Call me immediately if you see anything unusual.”

- Oui, Monsieur Kang.

Kang Chan could be sure that the dispatched agent wouldn’t falsely report to him after what Vasili told him earlier.

“What is it? What’s happening?” Seok Kang-Ho asked.

Kang Chan explained everything to Seok Kang-Ho.

“Oh. You had me thinking it was something bigger! Anyway, are we not going to eat?”

Kang Chan looked at Seok Kang-Ho in disbelief.

“What? If you don’t want rice, we have cup noodles too,” Seok Kang-Ho said.

Chuckling, he moved to where the in-flight meals were. It seemed like his appetite had been revived after finally hearing news about Um Ji-Hwan.

***

Kim Hyung-Jung rubbed his temples with his fingers.

The ashtray in front of him was full of cigarette butts, and he had drunk more than ten mugs of coffee already.

The entire team of agents in Egypt had been shot and were scrambling to relay information back to command.

It wasn’t just them.

The entire agency was chaotically running around trying to find the organization or country that ordered the terrorist attack on Hwang Ki-Hyun and Song Chang-Wook.

Ring, ring.

“Hello? Yeah.”

Kim Hyung-Jung’s ears perked and looked forward to the response on the phone.

“Yeah? I see. Good work.”

However, the agents who visited Hwang Ki-Hyun and Song Chang-Wook’s homes couldn’t find anything either.

This left them with only one clue.

“Why did he erase it?”

Kim Hyung-Jung looked through the phone numbers again. There had to be a reason.

The National Intelligence Service’s contacts would never be released to the public no matter the reason—not even if it was to carry out the law or to investigate him.

None of this made sense. After all, they had a whole team in Samseong-Dong with the ability to delete the entire record if they wanted to. Hwang Ki-Hyun didn’t have to delete a single call himself.

“Director, please tell me,” Kim Hyung-Jung muttered as if the monitor was Hwang Ki-Hyun. “Why did you erase it?”

Kim Hyung-Jung had run out of ideas. Although he wanted to figure it out, he didn’t know how.

He reached into his crushed cigarette pack and looked inside. It was already empty.

He normally only smoked about a pack per week, so he didn’t even have any extras.

“

Whew

.”

Kim Hyung-Jung stared at the phone numbers again.

As expected of the NIS director, Hwang Ki-Hyung didn’t have a significant call history. That was why Kim Hyung-Jung immediately noticed any missing information.

He slowly scrolled through the numbers again. By now, he had practically memorized all of them.

He started at the beginning and slowly worked his way down to the last call. Then, he glared at the number that was in the middle of the last page.

010-3751-1270.

It was a random number.

It didn’t show up on the former pages, and since it was the last page, this was the last record of it.

‘Who is it?”

Kim Hyung-Jung picked up his phone, punched the numbers in, then pressed the call button.

- Hello?

It was an older woman’s voice.

“Hello. I’m calling because the director has informed me that he has something to give you.”

- Director? What do you mean?

“You don’t know Director Hwang?”

- Director Hwang? I don’t know who you’re talking about. I’m sorry, but who is this?

“Oh my, I must have called the wrong number.”

Kim Hyung-Jung quickly hung up and picked up the extension.

“Yeah. Write down the number.”

He repeated the phone number that he thought was suspicious.

“Log a month’s worth of calls from this number and identify the caller. As soon as possible.”

Kim Hyung-Jung glared at the number and reached his hand down.

Oh.

He had run out of cigarettes earlier.

***

It was quite late at night when they landed at the airport in China.

Like Vasili, Yang Bum himself came out to the tarmac to greet Kang Chan.

“How are you?”

After exchanging pleasantries with Kang Chan, Yang Bum heartily greeted Seok Kang-Ho, Choi Jong-Il, and then Gérard.

“Please, get in.”

Darkness still permeated the military airport.

Kang Chan could see two sedans and three military trucks in the distance, presumably for Yang Bum’s security.

Kang Chan stepped into the sedan that Yang Bum had pointed to.

“You must be tired.”

“It’s bearable.”

Amid their small talk, they reached a single-story cement building attached to the outside of the airport.

The word “welcome center” was carved into the old wood in Chinese characters.

“That building used to be for Communist Party directors. Outsiders aren’t allowed inside now, so it’s perfect for meetings like this.”

Once inside, the first thing Kang Chan noticed was the intense red color. The floor, walls, and every inch of the room were painted red.

“I’ve prepared a table for the three of you.”

Yang Bum pointed to his right.

A long round table was set deeper in the room, which was sectioned off by a curtain. A steaming, hearty meal was waiting for them on top of it.

“Would you mind stepping outside with me for a bit, Mr. Kang Chan?”

Kang Chan wasn’t here to eat sweet and sour pork or seafood and vegetables anyway. He willingly followed Yang Bum out the back door of the welcome center.

“This is nice.”

A table and chairs had been set up in a gazebo facing the runway.

“Come on!”

Yang Bum gestured toward the seats in an exaggerated manner that was straight out of a Chinese movie.

When they sat down facing each other, a staff member quickly served them tea, ashtrays, cigarettes, and lighters before heading back inside.

“I received a call from Monsieur Vasili,” Yang Bum said as he gestured at the tea. He seemed to enjoy motioning with his hands.

Kang Chan opened the lid of the teapot and had some tea. Yang Bum also offered him a cigarette. Moments like this were business as usual to Kang Chan now.

Click.

After the two lit their cigarettes, they began their conversation.

“To be honest, I initially didn’t like this plan,” Yang Bum admitted, then turned away to exhale the smoke. “I only learned about the Eurasian Intelligence Council after taking over the intelligence bureau. Part of me thought that Ambassador Lanok, Vasili, and you intentionally put me in this position after eliminating Huh Geuk.”

“That never occurred to me.”

“I assumed as much.”

Yang Bum chuckled goodnaturedly.

“If such an operation was planned, I would probably still be wondering if my hunches were true even now. Besides, someone as straightforward as you would never take part in such a scheme.”

Kang Chan grinned. It sounded like Yang Bum was calling him simple.

“Some of the reason behind my cooperation with you was influenced by Ambassador Lanok.”

So that was why he did everything for me so easily.

Kang Chan inwardly nodded in agreement.

“When I found out that the Ambassador would be heading to the basements of Loriam, I decided to just go with the flow. I didn’t think I could ever match up to him, and I wanted to stop the war,” Yang Bum added with a firm expression. “However, from now on, I’ll actively cooperate with you.”

“I’m already very grateful for your help so far.”

Yang Bum grinned in response. He then added, “We’ve been thoroughly searching for Josh and Romain on the European side. However, Monsieur Vasili and I are searching for the Fleche.”

“The Fleche?”

“It’s slang for a lost warhead.”

Kang Chan nodded. “I see.”

“We think the Fleche is inside a submarine. However, we don’t know which submarine it is or where it might be moving.”

“So you’re saying there’s a chance it could actually be fired?”

Yang Bum nodded with a heavy expression.

“Our intelligence bureau has been running hypothetical scenarios, and we’ve concluded that there is no other reason the Star of David would want to start a war on the Korean peninsula. If so, then what do you think would be the worst-case scenario?”

Meeting Kang Chan’s gaze, Yang Bum immediately continued, “The world will be plunged into war.”

Kang Chan sighed quietly as he took out another cigarette.

He was exhausted from the long flight and had spent the whole day focusing on coordinates. Moreover, he kept finding surprise after surprise that he couldn’t help but constantly reach for cigarettes.

Click

.

At least it was already evening. The breeze was cool enough to keep him awake.

“If a nuke falls on Seoul, the entire Korean peninsula will turn into a hellhole. You’ve got Japan, Russia, and China fighting over vested interests. If the US and the UK join in as well, it will definitely turn into a world war.”

“Would they be interested in a country that had already been nuked? Moreover, since everyone would already know the situation by then, wouldn’t they think twice about taking action?”

Yang Bum shook his head. “If we don’t intervene, North Korea will either go after Japan or move to Manchuria. At the very least, they’ll need a place to avoid the nukes. One more thing.”

Kang Chan was sick of it.

Damn it! There’s always one more thing!

“If a nuke is dropped on Seoul, Mount Paektu’s eruption becomes a hundred and seventy times more likely than they are now.”

“That’s quite high.”

“Exactly. It wouldn’t be wrong to assume that it would definitely erupt.”

Yang Bum looked sharply at Kang Chan, who was putting out his cigarette.

Kang Chan met his gaze. He didn’t know why the previously friendly was suddenly looking at him with these eyes, but he had never avoided such a challenging gaze before.

“Will you prevent war on the Korean peninsula and eliminate the Star of David, an organization that isn’t afraid of the consequences of their actions?”

Kang Chan smirked.

How many times did that devious Lanok have to hear the same answer before he was relieved?

“I will.”

Yang Bum grinned slyly. Kang Chan smirked again.

***

Kim Hyung-Jung tilted his head as he looked at the records.

The call from Hwang Ki-Hyun’s phone to the strange number was only a second long. That meant that he hung up as soon as the call connected.

Furthermore, the owner of the number was an ordinary woman in her sixties, living in an apartment in Bucheon with her retired husband.

“

Whew

!”

Kim Hyung-Jung stood up from his seat, wetting his lips.

He needed a cigarette.

A quick trip outside for some fresh air while he was getting a cigarette and a strong cup of coffee to start from the beginning again would make him feel much better.

Kim Hyung-Jung left the office and pressed the elevator button.

Ding.

However, Kim Hyung-Jung didn’t get on the elevator. He just stared at the number “5” above the elevator entrance.

Woosh!

He hurriedly spun around and quickly slapped his ID card against the panel.

Clunk! Thud!

He opened the door so frantically that two employees came running out with wide eyes.

Kim Hyung-Jung gripped the extension phone.

- Yes, Manager Kim.

“Write this number down! 0-1-0, 3-7-5-1, 1-2-7-0!”

- Please confirm. 010-3751-1270.

“That’s right. Think of the number as a password and try to match it with satellite coordinates, a location on a map, an address, a specific zip code, anything to find an important building or something special!”

- Do we have any other clues?

“No. Do me a favor. Find it at all costs. This may be a code from the director.”

- I understand.

After his firm reply, the employee hung up the phone. Kim Hyung-Jung put the phone down, stared at the monitor again, and then turned his head away.

The two employees who had rushed out were carefully walking back.

“Got some cigarettes?”

“Huh?”

“If you do, let me bum one. I’ll buy you some in a minute.”

Kim Hyung-Jung looked like he was going to pull the trigger on them if they said they didn’t have any.

The employee quickly approached him and held out a pack of cigarettes.

Click.

“

Hoo

. You can take back the rest,” Kim Hyung-Jung said.

“I have extras.”

“You do? Then I’ll get back to you in a minute and—”

𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Ring, ring.

Click.

“Hello?

Ow

!”

Kim Hyung-Jung had picked up the extension in such a hurry that he accidentally burned himself with the cigarette.

- What’s going on?

“It’s nothing. Did you find anything?”

Kim Hyung-Jung brushed the back of his hand off with his other hand, and the employee quickly extinguished the fallen cigarette.

- As a satellite coordinate, it points to the International Building, the largest building in Korea. Moreover...

“What did you just say?”

- We checked starting from the closest place. Thirty-seven point fifty-one, twelve point seventy is the coordinates of Samseong-Dong’s International Building. And...

“Wait! That’s fine. Can you print out all the places in the country with those coordinates?”

- Yes, sir.

After hanging up, Kim Hyung-Jung looked blankly at the monitor.

“Oh! The assistant director! I have to tell him!”

“Huh?”

The employee next to him looked at him in surprise, but Kim Hyung-Jung was already dialing Kang Chan’s number.