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“Mr. President, please!” the assistant director of the NIS pleaded with a pale expression.
They were currently connected on a call, so Kim Hyung-Jung also heard the assistant director’s plea.
“Mr. Kim, are you absolutely certain that he said this battle will end in our victory?” Moon Jae-Hyun asked.
- I am, Mr. President! I heard him say those words loud and clear.
“To confirm, he also told you that he wants to display just how powerful South Korea truly is?” Moon Jae-Hyun asked again.
-Yes, that is correct, Mr. President!
Moon Jae-Hyun turned his head and looked at Hwang Ki-Hyun, who had been silent all this time.
“Mr. President, we’re already on a running tiger. There’s no stopping now,” Hwang Ki-Hyun spoke up for the first time. Moon Jae-Hyun smiled back wryly.
“Mr. Kim, do we have men to mobilize right now?” Moon Jae-Hyun asked.
-The 606 is on standby in Songpa, sir.
“I see. Give them the order, then,” Moon Jae-Hyun directed with a slightly resigned tone.
-Thank you, Mr. President!
As soon as the call ended, Moon Jae-Hyun turned away from the conference mic and leaned back to rest in his chair.
Moon Jae-Hyun sighed deeply, then asked the assistant director, “Do you think this is reckless?”
“Mr. President, our country cannot survive antagonizing both the United States and China. They have such a powerful influence that if the U.S. raises their interest rates by just two percent, over ten countries in Latin America and Africa will inevitably suffer. If they raise the interest rates by three percent, then even we will find it impossible to keep our heads above the water,” the assistant director said in an attempt to change Moon Jae-Hyun’s mind.
Moon Jae-Hyun nodded at him and sighed deeply.
“We have to cooperate with at least either China or the United States, but we have turned our backs on both countries at the same time instead. Mr. President! We are in hostile relations with all the countries that surround us. If Russia, France, and Germany turn away from us as well
” the assistant director trailed off after seeing Moon Jae-Hyun’s expression. He calmed his turbulent emotions down.
“I’m sorry, Mr. President,” he said, then quieted down. Everyone here was already aware of the dire possibilities that he was talking about. There was no need to say them out loud.
“He’s just a high school student, huh?” Moon Jae-Hyun said as he looked at every face in the room. “Well, you’re right. As hard as it may be to believe, Mr. Kang Chan is certainly still in his senior year of high school.”
Hwang Ki-Hyun quietly sighed in response, then looked down.
“However, that high school student gave South Korea the opportunity to be connected to the Eurasian Rail. He also displayed diplomatic excellence by providing assistance in getting the announcement for the railway system held in our country,” Moon Jae-Hyun continued. “It doesn’t stop there. He also rescued me and the founder of the Eurasian Rail when a terrorist attack hit the conference hall where its announcement event was being held, safely brought back our agents from Mongolia, and, during the operation in France, helped our special forces make their greatest accomplishment in the entire history of the unit’s existence.”
He paused halfway through to pick up the cigarette that was in front of him.
“We have always lost talents like him to the United States or China or nipped them in the bud with our own hands because other countries would not just sit still and allow such talent to grow in our nation. As the assistant director said, our people will have to suffer if we want to protect such a man with potential. I cannot imagine the costs that they will have to pay.”
Click.
The smoke of his cigarette spun up to the ceiling fan, then was blown out of the room.
“If we lose Mr. Kang Chan, this man you label simply a high schooler, we will also lose the Unicorn project. We have no influence or connections in that matter. We have put an extremely heavy burden on that young student’s shoulders, men. I, the prime minister, the director of the NIS, and even General Choi Seong-Geon have forced that child to carry that back-breaking load.”
Moon Jae-Hyun inhaled once, then extinguished the cigarette in the ashtray in front of him.
“If we lose Mr. Kang Chan, I have no idea if we’ll ever be able to find a genius like him ever again. That young man is putting himself through all kinds of hardships just to complete the task we have left in his hands. As the president, for as long as he is still moving forward, I refuse to surrender and yield just because of an immediate threat. We can no longer turn a blind eye to China’s acts of terror and the United States’ thefts that they so blatantly execute within our country. I will put my life on the line for him. I believe this is the best thing I can do during my regime.”
The expressions of all the people at the conference stiffened. However, the tension they felt now was different from the one they felt before.
***
As soon as they reached the Chinese embassy, Kang Chan stepped out of the car and turned toward Choi Jong-Il.
“As soon as the 606 arrive, order them to wait on standby at the front,” Kang Chan instructed.
“There are too many watchful eyes here, sir. I will have them wait inside the cars,” Choi Jong-Il politely suggested.
“Choi Jong-Il. This is a battle against China. Don’t be timid or worry about what others will think. The special forces will fight as they rightfully should,” Kang Chan stated firmly.
“Understood, sir,” Choi Jong-Il replied.
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As soon as Kang Chan was done giving orders, an employee of the embassy—someone who seemed to be an agent—approached him.
“Please come with me, sir.” The agent unexpectedly spoke in Korean. The agent gave Seok Kang-Ho, who was following after Kang Chan, a second look, but he didn’t stop him from heading inside. Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho followed the employee past the entrance of the first floor and down a hallway to the left.
Beep.
The agent pressed a button, and a pair of heavy iron doors opened as a blue light turned on. Inside it was another set of doors.
Suddenly, Kang Chan’s heart loudly thumped.
Before Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho were just doors. Normal entrances. And they were standing in a space that was about three meters in size.
Nevertheless, Kang Chan’s heart was warning him to get out of this place. Thick cement walls, and a three-meter space that seemed pointless?
Kang Chan quickly turned to Seok Kang-Ho and signaled at the doors that they had just entered. Seok Kang-Ho dashed forward to grab the door and put his foot in the doorway so they wouldn’t close.
“Call Choi Jong-Il over,” Kang Chan firmly ordered.
The embassy employee looked sharply at Kang Chan. Unfortunately for him, Kang Chan had never been the type to avoid such a glare.
“Don’t make things unnecessarily complicated and just open the doors,” Kang Chan spoke commandingly toward the employee.
Beep.
In the end, the employee opened the doors with a stiff expression. As he did, Seok Kang-Ho walked over to Kang Chan. Choi Jong-Il was now standing guard at the first set of doors.
The employee had evident hesitation on his face.
Kang Chan glowered at the agent.
Choose. Make your decision. Whatever it is, I’m ready for it.
The corner of the employee’s mouth twitched as he guided them further in.
Kang Chan swiftly glanced at Seok Kang-Ho.
‘Have the 606 positioned in this location.’
‘Got it, Cap.’
Others would have wondered how they communicated. However, Kang Chan’s sharp eyes and a wide grin from Seok Kang-Ho, who had deliciously gulped down his nervousness, were enough for them to read each other.
As they walked past the open doors, they were met with another.
Just how careful could these bastards be?
Beep.
The third set of doors opened. Kang Chan grinned as soon as he walked inside, having found Lanok leisurely sitting on a sofa with a cup of tea in front of him.
‘Are you all right, sir?’
‘We should get out of here as soon as we can.’
As they exchanged a series of looks with each other, someone suddenly spoke up.
“Are you the God of Blackfield?”
“I believe I am free to escort Ambassador Lanok out of this place now,” Kang Chan replied.
Behind the sofa, over ten Chinese agents were on standby, perfectly prepared to attack at any given moment.
“Is it because you’re a teenager that you’re immature?” the man asked, making Kang Chan face him.
“It would be in your best interest to choose your next words carefully,” Kang Chan warned.
The look in the man’s eyes was as menacing as Kang Chan’s.
“I’ll be taking the ambassador out of here first. If you have anything to say, then do it some other time and somewhere else,” Kang Chan announced.
They could hear people shuffling outside.
“Did you bring soldiers inside the embassy?” the man asked.
“The 606,” Kang Chan replied.
“Are you aware of how unbelievable your actions are? You just tossed your soldiers into Chinese territory, young man,” the man said with a scoff.
“And you think it’s any better to kidnap a French ambassador inside South Korean land?” Kang Chan snarked back.
The man sighed, seemingly trying to relieve some stress. He then turned to Lanok.
“Lanok, I hope everything moving forward proceeds smoothly,” the Chinese man said.
Lanok nodded briefly and stood up from his seat. Afterward, he said, “Suo Ke, what about my agents?”
“Just let me know which hospital to send them to, and I’ll have them rushed over,” Suo Ke replied.
Lanok walked over to Kang Chan and stood next to him. When Kang Chan turned around to leave, the employee who guided him into the room opened the doors.
Click! Click!
Soldiers of the 606 waited for them right outside, their rifles aimed in the air and their faces perfectly covered with bandanas and helmets.
“I didn’t know South Korea was this powerful,” the man said in a sarcastic tone.
Kang Chan glanced back at his disrespectful manner of speaking, but Lanok called out to him before he could do or say anything.
“Let’s go, Mr. Kang Chan,” Lanok said.
Kang Chan didn’t know what the world of intelligence was like yet. Letting Lanok take care of the rest, he walked out of the room.
Click! Click!
Witnessing the 606 soldiers covering them gave Kang Chan a sense of pride and protection.
Seok Kang-Ho quickly started the engine of his car, and Choi Jong-Il gave commands to the soldiers. Stepping outside of the embassy’s lobby, Lanok took in a deep breath and faced Kang Chan.
“Monsieur Kang,” Lanok started.
“Let’s head to the embassy first, sir. Anne is very worried about you,” Kang Chan said, sounding quite concerned.
“Ah, that would be wise. From this moment forward, I will show you exactly how I wrap up incidents like these,” Lanok said. He smiled from ear to ear, making it seem as if he was wearing a mask that hid his true expression.