When Kwon Taek Joo reached the central staircase, hurried footsteps sounded from below. At
least three or four people. It seemed like the guards were coming in to search for the intruder.
If you keep delaying, the number will increase. It's best to avoid it while quantities are small.
Kwon Taek Joo changed his original plan and went upstairs.
The 3rd floor is still quiet. He pressed himself against the wall and looked around. The
guards have been approaching ever since. Kwon Taek Joo took long strides down the
hallway. careful not to make the sound of his shoes.
Suddenly he discovered someone at the next door. It seemed like someone in the room was
approaching the door. The door handle suddenly moved. Kwon Taek Joo quickly ducked in
the opposite direction of the opened door.
The door opened soon after. The guards had reached the 3rd floor. They silently entered the
room at the same time.
"Have you checked yet?"
The voice and tone of the question were very familiar. That was the voice that Kwon Taek
Joo heard when eavesdropping on the phone call. Psych Bogdanov.
"We're still searching, but it seems like there was an intruder. Traces of intrusion from the
outside have been detected. It's very dangerous here, so please come down with us first."
The two ministers and Psych silently followed the suggestion. Half of the people who went to
the third floor to provide cover left, Thanks to that, there were only two or three guards left
on the other side of the door. All of them are armed, so dealing with them is of course not
easy.
One of the guards tried to close the open door. Kwon Taek Joo held his breath and looked
down at the door handle. When the guard grabbed it from the other side, the side where
Kwon Taek Joo was standing also moved.
He aimed for that moment and kicked the door with all his might. The guard's head tilted
back as the door suddenly opened. He just fell down with a loud noise.
"..."
Another guard was looking into the next room and poked his head out when he noticed
something suspicious. He quickly found his fallen colleague and approached with a
suspicious expression. As he bent down to examine his colleague, a figure passed through the
door. The guard quickly grabbed the gun, but the bullet flying out from the other side of the
door pierced his shoulder
"Gulp!"
Another guard heard the gunshots and ran from the other side of the hallway. As soon as he
confirmed that his comrades had been hit, he opened fire without hesitation. Kwon Taek Joo
ran to the end of the hallway to avoid bullets, but the guards noisily gathered on the stairs.
In the end. Kwon Taek Joo hid in a nearby room. This was like a mouse crawling into a
basket, but he had no other choice. First he locked the door and pulled nearby decorations to
create a barricade. The following guards quickly pounded on the door. Even though the door
didn't budge, it certainly wouldn't stay that way for long.
Kwon Taek Joo turned around and tried to escape. Suddenly he had a strange feeling of déjà
vu. It seemed like he had been in this room once before. Kwon Taek Joo recalled the
memories and quickly realized that this was the room at the end of the 3rd floor that he had
been eyeing.
Meanwhile, outside the door it became more and more noisy. It seemed that the guards who
received the contact had gathered in front of the room's door. What to do now? Kwon Taek
Joo looked out the window just in case. There were many guards gathered there, it seemed
they were discussing how to infiltrate the 3rd floor.
Kwon Taek Joo climbed on the table and touched the ceiling. If it were a thin piece of
plywood, he intended to pierce it and climb up. But the finishing material is so hard that even
a drill cannot penetrate it. He stepped down again and examined the surrounding walls. The
situation is the same.
The guards in the hallway opened fire on the now closed door. The wooden door quickly
became a honeycomb under a hail of bullets. Dilemma. What should I do?
Kwon Taek Joo stood with his back to the bookshelf then took two Colt guns from his belt
and held them with both hands. Although he seemed reckless, he had no other choice but to
attack directly. He took a deep breath, his eyes fixed on the torn door. His entire body
muscles tensed, ready to fight. His face lost all expression, his eyes were not excited but cold.
Suddenly the strong smell of cigars somewhere startled him. A familiar scent. He panicked
and was about to turn around when a hand suddenly rose from the bookshelf and attacked
Kwon Taek Joo. In the blink of an eye, his mouth was blocked and his neck was squeezed
tightly by a strong arm. When the thought that he needed to escape him appeared, Kwon Taek
Joo was overwhelmed. He was pulled inside without a chance to resist. His vision suddenly
went dark.
Immediately afterwards, the sound of the door being broken rang out. There was the sound of
footsteps from the guards entering the decorative cabinet. It all started from above Kwon
Taek Joo's head. He couldn't understand what was happening because his vision was
obstructed, but it seemed like his head was pressed firmly against the ceiling somewhere.
"No intruder seen!"
"Gone!"
"Where are you running? Outside?"
Surprise was evident in the voice of each guard. They pushed all the books from the shelves
to the floor and then lifted all the furniture and curtains to look for the intruder. Meanwhile,
Kwon Taek Joo continues to be dragged somewhere. Now the tension and vigilance are much
reduced.
Only through the characteristic scent could he recognize who the subject was. Although I
don't understand how he got here.
The two walked through a long, unlit road. It is a secret passage that resembles an anthill
built between rooms and between floors. The narrow passage is only enough for one person
to pass through, but it spreads out and connects in all directions
Zhenya walked ahead for a while then suddenly stopped walking. He scanned around the
ceiling as if trying to pinpoint a specific location. Soon, a thick stone tile from the ceiling
began to vibrate in his hand. Kwon Taek Joo, who was staring blankly at him, suddenly woke
up and hugged the Colt tightly.
Through a small gap raised in the floor, someone's feet could be seen walking back and forth
in the room. Kwon Taek Joo and Zhenya's eyes met for a moment. Kwon Taek Joo gently
gestured and waved his hand to lower the floor.Zhenya obediently followed instructions. His
hand was still in contact with the ceiling. The guard who was meticulously checking every
corner of the room gradually approached.
When Kwon Taek Joo signaled again, Zhenya pushed hard on the floor tile on the ceiling.
The guard passing by momentarily lost his balance and fell down. Kwon Taek Joo quickly
took that opportunity and stepped up. The bodyguard quickly pulled the trigger on the
intruders who suddenly appeared in front of him.
The sound of gunfire ripped through the air. Zhenya tilted his head slightly to the side to
avoid the incoming bullet. Another bullet grazed his earlobe. Red blood shot out immediately
and flowed down the neck. Zhenya touched the wound on his earlobe with the back of his
hand and suddenly burst into laughter.
Right after that, a bullet from Kwon Taek Joo hit the bodyguard's right hand. He shouted and
clenched his torn hand.
But the tragedy did not end there. Before he knew it, Zhenya had approached. Kwon Taek
Joo's intuition predicted that misfortune would come to that poor man. Of course there's no
need to go that far and he doesn't have any free time.
He wasn't in the mood to mess things up any further. But he had no chance to stop it, and a
tragedy happened.
"..Gulp!"
Zhenya forced the guard's mouth open wide and stuffed both hands in. His jaw opened wider
than necessary. Zhenya without hesitation added a little force to his hands.
"Ugh... Ugh... Zzzzz... Argh.."
The bodyguard was held tightly and struggled. He tried to turn his body to somehow knock
Zhenya's hand away. But Zhenya ignored that desperate will to survive and tore his mouth
out immediately.
Kwon Taek Joo quickly turned his head away but could not ignore that special sound. It's not
like just a dislocated jaw. It was the sound of the jaw joint breaking and the lower jaw being
completely separated. The bodyguard trembled and fainted. He frowned and took a step back,
feeling like he was witnessing the carnage of a hungry bloodthirsty animal, not human. That's
absolutely not something a human would do. especially while smiling like that.
Zhenya raised his bloody hand and looked around. Immediately, his eyes fixed on Kwon
Taek Joo. To be more precise, he was looking at Kwon Taek Joo's shirt. He took a step back
and shook his head firmly.
"Impossible."
Whether he liked it or not, Zhenya immediately approached him. Kwon Taek Joo stepped
back to avoid it but it was useless, the distance quickly shortened.
He frowned and tried to refuse again, but Zhenya stretched out his long arm and grabbed his
shirt before he could dodge.
Kwon Taek Joo quietly looked down at the shirt with Zhenya's hand printed on it. His jaws
clenched tightly. The eyes staring at Zhenya were filled with murderous intent and shone
brightly. Zhenya didn't seem to care at all, only the corner of his mouth drew a half arc. There
was no sign of apology at all.
Kwon Taek Joo angrily unbuttoned his shirt and threw the bloody shirt in his face with a
curse.Zhenya did not care and continued to wipe the blood and body fluids from his hands
onto his shirt.
"Why don't you bring a handkerchief?"
"Why does it bother you so much?"
If necessary, just take off someone else's shirt. Seems like that's what he wanted to say.
"This direction!"
Meanwhile, other guards scattered and ran following the sound of gunfire. Should he return
to the hallway and hide, or should he attack directly? Kwon Taek Joo was still hesitating
between the walkway and the door when Zhenya approached and grabbed his collar and
pulled him to the window. Kwon Taek Joo looked outside, it seemed that this room was in the
front of the mansion, not the back.
Zhenya opened the window without hesitation. Outside, cars were rushing out of the mansion
due to the sudden chaos. Zhenya looked at the scene and then pulled Kwon Taek Joo closer to
the window. With the terrible strength of his hand, he was forced to climb onto the door
frame.
"Don't move!"
The guards did not know when they broke into the room and demanded surrender. It feels
like there is an overwhelming force against Kwon Taek Joo. Perhaps everywhere from his
head, back, and even his arms and legs were within range.
Even when surrounded like that, Zhenya's momentum did not decrease. He just continued to
look straight ahead and whisper incomprehensible words.
"Get ready."
"What?"
" Now."
Before Kwon Taek Joo could realize the sound of "Jumping", his body flew into the air. Just
like that, he was mercilessly dragged away by Zhenya. The two people helplessly fell into a
sedan that was leaving the mansion. The car was shocked and rushed in all directions. As a
result, Kwon Taek Joo's body was thrown high and rolled off the ceiling of the car. If he
hadn't quickly put his finger into the slot of the rear trunk lid, he probably would have fallen
out of the car.
Meanwhile, Zhenya kept his balance by twisting half of his body and then punched the
driver's side window hard. The glass window cracked slightly and then shattered after
receiving a few punches from him. Zhenya reached inside and quickly pulled the driver out
of the car. Even the seat belt could not protect him from that sudden attack.
When the driver was pulled out, the person sitting in the passenger seat awkwardly took the
wheel. Zhenya kicked him with both feet and squeezed inside. He quickly sat in the driver's
seat and without hesitation stepped on the accelerator.
That's why Kwon Taek Joo's body was helplessly thrown up. A moment later, Zhenya
remembered his presence and opened the backseat door. Kwon Taek Joo finally struggled to
crawl inside a car running at over 100 km/h. He almost got stuck in the shaky door but was
lucky to escape danger.
Although there was no time to breathe, Kwon Taek Joo immediately aimed the gun at the car
owner sitting in the back seat. He had no intention of killing him. As soon as Zhenya and
Kwon Taek Joo approached this car, the barrage of bullets from the security team stopped.
That means that even Bogdanov cannot cause trouble with the owner of this car.
There seems to be no better shield than that.
But that optimism did not last long, because the bullets that had stopped for a while
continued to fly out. This time it's a rifle. Kwon Taek Joo quickly looked back at the mansion
in the distance. Vladimir Bogdanov was sticking his upper body out the open window with a
rifle, shooting at the car without hesitation. Luckily, the distance was so great that the fierce
attack didn't even reach the back of the car. The sedan carrying the two people and the
hostage quickly left the mansion.
There is still one more obstacle: the main gate is completely closed. Even after seeing the
tightly closed iron door, Zhenya still did not slow down, but on the contrary, he stepped on
the gas pedal even harder, pushing the speed to the maximum.
Are life and death really that comfortable? Why the hell is he so domineering? Are crazy
people usually that cool?
"Aaaahhhh!"
The car owner screamed like he was about to die when he saw the iron gate getting closer and
closer. He screamed so loudly that his entire throat could be seen. Anyway, in this situation,
collision is unavoidable. Even if I Step on the brake, it's too late. Even the security team
posted in front of the main gate hastily spread out to avoid the reckless sedan approaching.
Arrived. Kwon Taek Joo reflexively raised his hand to cover his head.
A moment later, the closed iron gate opened. The car crashed into the half-open iron door and
sped out. The security team watched the scene bewilderedly and then fired shots late but
could not stop the fleeing sedan.
"Aaaahhhh!"
The moment of despair was over, but the car's owner continued to scream. It was so loud that
Kwon Taek Joo wondered if he should knock him out for a while.
A shot rang out. Kwon Taek Joo's screams that seemed to tear his eardrums stopped. In a split
second, the car owner's forehead was pierced and his head tilted back. His eyes and mouth
were wide open.
Kwon Taek Joo was covered in blood and glared angrily at the driver's seat. If he could blow
Zhenya's head off right now, he would be very comfortable. But as if unaware of the anger
directed towards him, Zhenya muttered calmly as if he had just killed a mosquito.
"...Noisy."
Water from the shower pours down and accumulates in the drain pipe. The man hummed and
sang while reaching out to untie his tight tie. Clothes were taken off and fell to the floor.
Soon, a strong, muscular body that had been hidden under a layer of clothing was revealed.
He gently shook his damp hair then stepped into the shower.
Wet ivory hair becomes darker. The water flowing along the chin stopped at the straight
collarbone and then flowed down to the strong chest muscles. The wet chest area makes the
tattoo appear more clearly. The mass of toned muscles writhed, soaking in the warmth of the
hot water flowing down. His fingers were both long and soft, stroking his wet hair.
But the eyes staring at the steamy mirror were extremely violent. That was the look of a
crocodile that had just tasted blood. It's comfortable but brutal. The stiff mouth quietly drew a
long curve.
Kwon Taek Joo poured all the ice into the bucket along with cheap vodka. The contents of
the bucket seemed like they could spill out in an instant. He didn't hesitate to dip his right
hand inside. Vodka spilled out, a few ice cubes also fell on the table.
Only then did the burning sensation in his wrist subside a little. An old injury where the joint
was dislocated seems to be causing trouble. This is the result of constant exhaustion and
ignoring the doctor's advice to continue wearing a cast during this time.
Kwon Taek Joo sighed and leaned his head back, The dust on the old sofa gently flew up.
He ignored it and just closed his eyes. A painful feeling spread throughout his body, causing
his black eyebrows to furrow. The sound of running water continued to echo in the bathroom
without a bathtub. Zhenya is taking a bath. Even without permission, he arbitrarily
appropriated someone else's bathroom.
Kwon Taek Joo has just escaped from the Bogdanov mansion and returned to the old
boarding house where he was staying. The innkeeper was away, so the two of them could
easily return here, but that didn't mean he could stay here for long. Kwon Taek Joo paid for
the room with Zhenya's card, so it was only a matter of time before the location was revealed.
It's not wrong because it's very noisy outside the window. Surveillance checks were
conducted across the roads and barriers were erected at each entrance. Dozens of patrol cars
drove through the city center constantly ringing warning bells. None of this is surprising
because a deadly shooting just happened at a gathering place for Russia's leading figures.
Security will continue to be tightened during this time, it is better for Kwon Taek Joo to wait
until surveillance is relaxed rather than act hastily. But the situation seems unfavorable.
Soon, the sound of running water stopped. It seemed like Zegna had finally finished bathing.
Kwon Taek Joo turned his head when he heard the door open, Zhenya was walking out from
inside. But what surprised Kwon Taek Joo was that he was fully dressed from head to toe.
If a person is wet, won't their clothes stick to it and be very inconvenient? There were no
robes or anything like that here because the conditions were poor, but they were both men so
just covering their lower parts was enough. It's funny how a guy, even though it's not unusual
for him to walk around naked, pretends to be discreet like that.
Zhenya is wondering why Kwon Taek Joo is looking at him so blatantly. He didn't mind but
looked at him more attentively.
"You. What is your identity?"
Zhenya took a sip of vodka when he heard an unexpected question. He made an expression as
if he didn't understand why he was being asked that question.
"No matter how you look at it, you don't look like an agent like me. Just looking at what
happened at the Bogdanov mansion is clear. You had an official invitation from that party. At
the party, you easily got along." joined them without any effort, and it certainly wasn't an act
or a blindside. Is that all? He knew every detail from the mansion's internal structure to the
emergency exits. Actually, partners have to know where each other is and what they're doing,
but I've never been able to know those things from you. You always suddenly appear, but
other than that, I don't know where you are or what you're planning to do.
"What do you do? You've never voluntarily shared information with me. From what I've seen,
it seems like you have different goals than me, right?"
"It seems like your superior hasn't told you everything yet?"
"I know almost nothing. So tell me everything, don't leave anything out."
"Is this an interrogation?"
"Let's call it a self-introduction. You still haven't introduced yourself properly."
Kwon Taek Joo tapped lightly on the table as if to let Zhenya know he shouldn't think about
escaping. Zhenya was not confused by the unexpected question, but rather he just smiled and
guessed what Kwon Taek Joo was thinking.
"No matter how I look at it, I'm clearly Russian, with an accent and pronunciation consistent
with someone born and raised here, as well as the ability to use a personal helicopter without
hassle and even participating in a noisy conflict in the city center without being wanted. Is it
because of those things that you are constantly searching for my identity?"
"Okay. I don't understand why you, a 100% Russian and from the privileged class of this
country, are helping our work."
That question has been lingering in Kwon Taek Joo's mind all this time. Zhenya is Russian.
And he is not influenced by the direction of his superiors like Kwon Taek Joo himself, which
is enough to neutralize part of public power. He couldn't understand why he cooperated in
this operation. It must be a very special and extremely important situation otherwise I cannot
understand.
Zhenya shrugged nonchalantly.
"In addition to being a Russian citizen, I am also a businessman."
Kwon Taek Joo's expression became even more confusing. Those words were not too
difficult to understand, but he could not easily accept them.
So, he risked his life in this game regardless of life or death just for profit? Isn't he doing
things equivalent to being a traitor for his own personal gain?
"Are you selling water for fame?"
"There is no business deal more profitable than that."
It's so absurd. Actually, he didn't expect anything big at all. Kwon Taek Joo's patriotism is
also quite special. He was just doing these things because it was his job and he never thought
about sacrificing his life for the country. But causing damage to the nation for personal gain
is another matter.
"You. Do you know what the purpose of this campaign is?"
"Of course. We are trying to confirm whether the weapon being developed can make both
South Korea and the United States tremble. If we find that weapon, we will destroy it." and if
the development process fails, the blueprints will be taken, right?"
Zhenya knows exactly everything. If so, then he must know if this strategy succeeds, what
effects it will have in the international community, and how disadvantageous his country will
be.
"What do you get out of this?"
"To me, whether the development of that weapon succeeds or fails is important. The
important thing is that Anastasia's blueprint still exists somewhere in this country. If your
goal is simply to find I might be a little different. What I really care about is the blueprint, not
Anastasia. If I complete the quest this time, I'll get that blueprint."
"What?"
"It doesn't sound like a bad deal, right? If there weren't such conditions, who would
participate in something like this? Think about it. Anastasia's existence is scarier than fire."
its true power. The person who possesses Anastasia will have power commensurate with that
fear. If I have the blueprint,I will create my own Anastasia. Even if I fail, it's okay. Because it
is still a masterpiece weapon. I will develop a new weapon based on that design and sell it to
special customers."
"Special customer?"
Zhenya just grinned without answering. If a second Anastasia is created, its customers will be
people who understand the power of that weapon, be it Korea or America. By this time, the
plan for this campaign was clearer in Kwon Taek Joo's mind. A large part of his doubts were
resolved, but his psychological distance from Zhenya became even greater.
Zhenya's strange actions are understandable. His outstanding information ability is also the
reason why he became Kwon Taek Joo's partner. Headquarters definitely cannot take
unnecessary risks.
Reason understands that but for some reason Kwon Taek Joo still feels uncomfortable. His
suspicious eyes were still there. Zhenya continued to be sarcastic.
"The first impression is not good so you have to be wary of me?"
"I was just thinking."
"Don't hate me too much."
Zhenya then laughed loudly as if what he just said was funny. Kwon Taek showed a
dissatisfied expression then took something out of his pocket and threw it away. Zhenya
easily caught it. It's a tape recorder. Psych Bogdanov's phone call with someone from
'Sonchev' was recorded in its entirety.
"As you probably heard, it seems that Bogdanov is developing a weapon, possibly an
intercontinental ballistic missile, but we need to check to know more precisely. I'm not sure if
it's Anastasia or not. It's just that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Defense and
North Korea are involved so 'it seems-it-is-Anastasia"
Zhenya nodded silently and then looked at Kwon Taek Joo as if he wanted him to continue
speaking.
"I will program Psych Bogdanov's voice recorded on that tape recorder into a voice
conversion device. With that we will find out the identity of the 'Sonchev' group guy he was
talking to on the phone." phone. If we meet Sonchev, we will find out who the North Korean
engineer just arrived, and where his destination is.''
Zhenya listened quietly and then raised his hand to stroke his eyebrows. For some reason he
seemed hesitant.
"Mafias all have tattoos on their bodies. Do you know what that means?"
"Is that important now?"
"Ignorance will make life shorter."
"What do you mean?"
"Mafia tattoos mean 'belonging'. If you look at an old mafia's body, you can know his life
story. Which group did he belong to, to whom did he swear allegiance? Therefore If you
harm one of the 'Sonchevs', it means you will turn everyone with tattoos like him into
enemies. Does that matter?"
"Not important."
'I want to know what you believe in to be so confident?"
"I don't believe in anything. It's just..."
"Merely?"
Kwon Taek Joo pulled his right hand out of the ice box. He gently rotated his stiff wrist and
added.
"It's just that I was partnered with a pretty useful monster."
Zhenya immediately recognized the monster as himself. Flattery is a bit ambiguous. Kwon
Taek Joo's tone was also unremarkable and his words did not sound like a compliment. But
there was something that made him feel strangely excited.
"What? If that's the case then it's fine."
The voice was quite indifferent, but unconcealed pride was clearly visible on Zhenya's face.
His shoulders widened, his chin slightly raised.
It is said that praise can make even whales dance, and Kwon Taek Joo felt embarrassed
watching a crocodile casually boast about something that wasn't even a compliment.
But it doesn't have to make him lose interest. Rather, he decided to take advantage of
Zhenya's excited mood. For the first time, Kwon Taek Joo smiled and gave him his phone
with an extremely friendly word.
"Not bad, right? Then call."
Call to lure "Sonchev" out.