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Lanok lifted the teapot and poured Kang Chan and himself some tea, the beverage audibly dribbling into the cups.
“It would be in your best interest to decide exactly what it is that you want first, Mr. Kang Chan.”
What I want?
“I want to eliminate Huh Ha-Soo, Huh Sang-Soo, and all the bastards who are working for them. I also want to protect the current president,” Kang Chan stated with firm determination.
Lanok set the teapot back down with a light click.
“That won’t be an easy battle,” Lanok replied. “Mr. Kang Chan, already-established structures of vested interests can’t be easily toppled down. The fight against Yang Jin-Woo was only possible because nobody tried to protect him, and you took him on when he was alone and abandoned. However, fights against men with vested interests will not be so easy. They will never yield. Rather, they will present a united front and attack you all at once.”
Just how many men were under Huh Ha-Soo for Lanok to give him this warning?
“If you look at it another way, you will essentially be fighting against all the influences in South Korea. These people have the foundation to replace the president, and just as how you seek me, they have connections to the United States, Britain, Japan, China, and various other countries. Initiating the fight may be simple, but it will have a devastating process and results,” Lanok continued.
Kang Chan drank a sip of his tea to organize his thoughts. Lanok was basically telling Kang Chan that he shouldn’t underestimate the difficulty of his decision and that he should just turn a blind eye instead if he wasn’t willing to go all the way through with it. As he picked up a cigarette and lit it, he wondered about which path he really wanted to take.
“Mr. Ambassador. Is this a fight I can win?” Kang Chan asked solemnly.
“All this time, you have never fought a winning battle, Mr. Kang Chan. That is precisely why the outcomes were all the more astonishing. You turned those impossible operations into your perfect victories,” Lanok complimented him.
Kang Chan thought to himself that getting praised by a sly snake didn’t feel all too bad.
A fight against men in power…
“Can you help me?” Kang Chan carefully asked.
Lanok gazed back at him with a look that seemed to ask why Kang Chan even bothered asking the question.
‘Are you really going to try?’
‘Yes. I can’t just sit still and watch things fall apart.’
There definitely were times when one could understand another without having to speak.
“Then you’ll have to find a way to stop Huh Ha-Soo first,” Lanok said so casually that Kang Chan chuckled faintly. “The correct way to take care of these types of fights is to win first, and then look back on the battle. The process and methods taken will all be forgotten and buried beneath the results anyway. Now, shall we begin?”
Lanok looked to the side and checked the clock on the table. Kang Chan thought it was just for decoration, but apparently, it told the correct time too.
“This is a technique that Huh Ha-Soo enjoyed using in the past. I’m sure it will be quite effective, and it happens to be the appropriate time for it as well,” Lanok declared.
It was currently twenty past ten in the morning.
Lanok walked over to his desk and picked up the phone.
“Raphael, please bring in the guest,” he ordered.
A guest?
While Kang Chan looked on in confusion, Lanok sat back down at the table. The door soon opened.
What the hell?
The “guest” who followed Raphael into the office was none other than Yang Bum.
“Mr. Kang Chan,” Yang Bum greeted as he shook hands with Kang Chan. He then sat down. “I would like North Korea to launch a missile, and I require the soldiers at the Yellow Sea and the DMZ to be provoked. The bigger in scale, the better, of course.”
Launch a what to where? And he needs what?
“It’s going to be quite costly, Mr. Ambassador,” Yang Bum told Lanok.
“Mr. Kang Chan will take care of that,” Lanok replied.
What the hell are they talking about?
“Understood. I will make the call now, then,” Yang Bum informed them.
Yang Bum pulled out his phone and pressed a few buttons, then began to speak over the line in Chinese.
Kang Chan laughed in disbelief.
What would’ve happened if Lanok was his enemy? Kang Chan would probably have had to bide his time waiting for the perfect time to kill him if he wanted to defeat the ambassador. The moment he missed his window of opportunity, he definitely wouldn’t get a second chance.
“Mr. Kang Chan, Russia is preparing an announcement to declare their collaboration with South Korea for the development of their oil field. To make it advantageous to us, the explanation given for it should be that Prime Minister Go Gun-Woo was secretly working on this assignment under the orders of President Moon Jae-Hyun. At the same time, Russia will express their concern and regret regarding Prime Minister Go Gun-Woo’s resignation,” Lanok announced.
Is there anything this man can’t do?
Kang Chan took another sip of his tea while listening to Lanok.
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“They said they would contact me again once they have decided on a time, Mr. Ambassador,” Yang Bum chimed in as he finished his phone call.
“How is this cooperation with North Korea possible when their special forces team is infiltrating South Korea right now?” Kang Chan asked, unable to keep his curiosity to himself.
“North Korea has no choice but to rely on China, and that is why Huh Ha-Soo is so trusting of them. However, at the right price, North Korea will be more than willing to launch a few old missiles and conduct field maneuvers at the DMZ,” Yang Bum replied for him.
Kang Chan felt as if he just entered a whole new world.
“What about their special forces team that’s entering the country to assassinate the president?” Kang Chan asked this time.
“Weimin Guo is on the move for that. We have already begun to track him, so we should get his location soon,” Yang Bum responded.
Right after, Lanok put down his teacup. “Mr. Kang Chan. Regardless of the outcome of this battle, a storm of bloodshed is bound to rain down on China as well. This is a fight that has to be won.”
Their words connected smoothly. It was as if they rehearsed this beforehand.
“What you need to do is prepare a reliable special forces team, Mr. Kang Chan. The special forces team that Weimin Guo put together is skilled in assassinations and demolition works. Weimin Guo also harbors personal hostility against you, so he most likely wants to be successful with this mission no matter the cost,” Lanok said.
Kang Chan had no idea who the man in question was. Was it because of the men who died during the Mongolian operation?
“I don’t know who he is, though,” Kang Chan said with a tilt of his head.
“Weimin Guo’s Korean name is Wui Min-Gook, Mr. Kang Chan,” Lanok replied.
Wui Min-Gook? The Neck Ghost?
Yang Bum nodded when Kang Chan turned to him for confirmation.
“He is a former North Korean special forces soldier who managed to climb to the highest position in the Chinese intelligence agency. He was famous for personally running operations on the field, but he was defeated for the first time because of you. Since then, he hasn’t been able to perform at his best. He likely holds a grudge against you.”
“Has he entered the country yet?” Kang Chan asked.
“We have not obtained that information yet. It is difficult to receive confirmation because Weimin Guo is independently handling this operation.”
What in the hell is going on?
He felt as if he was getting scammed from right under his nose.
“All right! This is everything that I’ve prepared for you on my own. Now, it’s your turn to take action with what I’ve drawn together. From the prime minister, the director of the NIS, a special forces team, and the president—it’s up to you to meet and persuade all these people for the plan,” Lanok stated calmly.
Kang Chan had already made up his mind to fight a long time ago.
The oil development rights from Russia and North Korea’s provocation… Things he never saw coming consecutively unfolded before him in the blink of an eye.
“Mr. Kang Chan.”
“Yes, Ambassador Lanok,” Kang Chan replied.
Lanok called for Kang Chan in a different tone than the one he had been using so far.
“This is your fight. I look forward to seeing the daring man who rescued me. Use all the resources at your disposal, and request for others’ cooperation. If necessary, you can contact Ludwig, Vant, and Vasili yourself. You will have to think, judge, and decide on your own,” Lanok said solemnly.
“I understand, Mr. Ambassador,” Kang Chan said.
“I’m certain Huh Ha-Soo will be taken by surprise.”
“Then I definitely shouldn’t miss this chance.”
“Brilliant judgment,” Lanok said with a grin.
There was no use in further extending this conversation. The time had come for him to begin.
Kang Chan stood up from the table.
“I will get going, then,” Kang Chan said.
After shaking Lanok and Yang Bum’s hands, Kang Chan left the office.
“Mr. Ambassador, using North Korea could lead to significant consequences,” Yang Bum said worriedly.
“That could indeed be the case,” Lanok agreed.
“There are too many variables. The political situation in China, the changes within North Korea... the list goes on. Mr. Kang Chan still seems unfamiliar with this world. Will he be okay?”
“I suppose we will get the answer to that question once this battle is over. Whether he's merely someone who can shine on the battlefield, or…” Lanok trailed off and pressed his lips together. Yang Bum glanced at the door.
***
After leaving the embassy, Kang Chan immediately pulled out his phone and called Choi Jong-Il. He didn’t think he would be able to speak comfortably inside the taxi.
About a minute later, a car driven by Lee Doo-Hee arrived.
“To Samsung-dong first,” Kang Chan commanded, then immediately called Kim Hyung-Jung.
- Mr. Kang Chan.
“Manager Kim, I just left the French embassy. I’d like to head over to where you are right now. Is that okay?”
- Yes. See you soon.
As Kim Hyung-Jung spoke, Kang Chan heard the sound of another incoming call. Things were probably extremely hectic for him.
Next, Kang Chan called Seok Kang-Ho.
- It’s me.
“Our meeting just ended. I'm heading to Samsung-dong now,” Kang Chan informed him.
- Got it.
Seok Kang-Ho answered swiftly since he was curious and frustrated about what was happening.
A fight against Huh Ha-Soo and the rest of the people in power? He couldn't gauge how difficult it would be or what kind of fight it would be.
Therefore, Kang Chan decided to keep it simple. The task at hand was simply to create an opportunity that would allow him to twist their necks.