God of Blackfield

- Hello? To whom do I owe this pleasure?

“President Kim, Vasili and Yang Bum are traveling to the base with about two hundred and one hundred fifty people respectively. Please cooperate with them,” Kang Chan requested.

Hearing Vasili’s name, Romain quickly looked up.

Despite the ridiculousness of the early morning call, Kim Tae-Jin replied that he understood without any hesitation.

- We already received general reports about it, and Kim Hyung-Jung is keeping me informed of the situation. We’ll cooperate as much as we can, so don’t worry too much.

“Thank you. Are my parents doing well?”

- They are both in such good health now that you’ll be surprised when you see them.

“That’s good to hear. I’ll be in touch with you later.”

- Got it.

Kang Chan hung up the phone. Soon, they arrived at the embassy.

As Kang Chan and Romain got out of the SUV, soldiers from the 606 rushed toward them from the entrance and surrounded them protectively.

“Follow the 606’s instructions for now,” Kang Chan said.

“I was planning on asking the DGSE for security.”

Romain’s tone and expression seemed to be asking for permission, so Kang Chan nodded.

Their relationship was so awkward that Kang Chan couldn’t even offer to have breakfast together before parting ways. He didn’t know how they could, considering being with each other was as uncomfortable as sand being stuck in his eye.

It wasn’t that Kang Chan was being unfair, but he kept getting the feeling that there was something dishonest in Romain’s eyes.

They both knew that Romain had to speak first, though. Otherwise, Kang Chan would simply look into it during a discussion with Lanok.

Leaving the embassy, Kang Chan made his way to his office just before rush hour so he wouldn’t have traffic completely blocking the road.

When he reached his destination, he briefly washed up and then had breakfast with his men.

Kang Chan sat right in front of the window, basking in the morning rays that the sun was lazily sending through the pane.

“Coffee,” Seok Kang-Ho said as he set a mug down in front of Kang Chan.

“Where’s Gérard?”

“He’s gone off to analyze satellite images.”

Seok Kang-Ho walked over and sat across from Kang Chan, facing the window.

It had been a while. Kang Chan was pleased to have some downtime to drink coffee and stare out the window.

“Daye, the men are tired.”

Seok Kang-Ho followed Kang Chan’s gaze, finding Choi Jong-Il, Woo Hee-Seung, and Lee Doo-Hee sitting at their desks.

“It’s not just them. I’m sure the boys on guard duty below feel the same. We’re only going to have you, me, Gérard, and a minimum of people on the move when we go after Jibril—or whatever his name is—and that yellow-eyed bastard from Luxembourg. So let them rest, and you get some sleep while you can.”

“Okay. What about you?”

“I’ll get some shuteye too.”

Kang Chan downed the last of his coffee and stood up.

“Choi Jong-Il, I don’t have anything else to do except stop by the hospital in the afternoon, so take turns getting some rest. Daye and I will be getting some sleep.”

“Understood.”

Kang Chan moved toward the reception room.

If he had known it was going to be like this, he would have put a bed here instead of a couch.

He was living like a soldier in the middle of a battlefield. Hence, he had to get some sleep whenever he could.

Why do I feel so uncomfortable, though?

Kang Chan lay down on the sofa in his pants and shirt. He then shook off his thoughts.

For now, he just needed to get some sleep.

***

Kim Tae-Jin felt like he was going to go crazy.

As soon as Vasili and his two hundred subordinates burst in, they announced that the first thing they were going to do was install a missile—and not just a small one used in skirmishes. The missile they brought was so huge that half of its body would stick out of a large container truck.

That wasn’t all.

Amid all the noise from installing and unloading the truck’s lodging-use containers, Yang Bum and about one hundred fifty armed soldiers rushed in. A silver lining was that Yang Bum spoke fluent Korean and that he was polite and unassuming for an intelligence officer of a major country.

Most of all, Kim Tae-Jin was grateful that this huge group of people could take care of their own lodging and food.

The nonstop arrival of containers was quickly followed by the creation of another similarly sized base.

Yang Bum and Kim Tae-Jin headed over to the container where Vasili was staying.

Creak.

Ridiculous.

That was how Kim Tae-Jin felt when he saw the interior, which was decorated like it was some fancy hotel room or a hospital suite.

Was this the power of a major country? Or was this simply Vasili’s abilities?

From the bed inside, a sharp, cold-eyed Vasili arrogantly looked at Kim Tae-Jin and Yang Bum.

“Vasili, meet Kim Tae-Jin, the Korean overseer of this base,” Yang Bum said in fluent French and then Korean.

Leaning back on the bed, Vasili extended his hand and gestured to a chair.

“As I’m sure Monsieur Kang informed you, I’ll be staying in your territory for a while,” he said.

“We will provide our cooperation for anything you need,” Kim Tae-Jin replied.

Vasili looked at Kim Tae-Jin with a piercing stare, but it didn’t deter Kim Tae-Jin.

After five seconds of silence, Vasili spoke again.

“What I want is the alcohol called soju…? Yes, soju.”

Kim Tae-Jin looked at the bandages wrapped around Vasili’s upper body. “Right now?”

Vasili then nodded in response.

“I’ll bring you some, then.”

Kim Tae-Jin stood up and left, and Yang Bum sat down in the seat he vacated.

“Mr. Kang Chan must be quite stressed,” Yang Bum said in French.

“We’re probably being targeted because their plan to provoke war and use rebels and terrorists failed. Now that it has come to this…” Vasili turned to look outside the container’s window. “Monsieur Kang will naturally be their final target.”

With a stoic expression, Vasili looked at the sky reflected in the glass pane, then immediately turned his head toward Yang Bum.

“When did you scrape together all those retired soldiers from the White Wolves?”

“The Black Wolves have always been around. I disliked how they kept selling themselves to the Triad, so I helped them out in the past. However, I never had any intention to manage the organization.”

“Hmph!” Vasili exclaimed in amusement. “So even in our business, people come first?”

“I believe that is Mr. Kang Chan’s greatest charm and strength.”

Vasili frowned. “Do you believe that he’s destined to be our hero?”

“Well, there are times when I’m surprised by him.”

“Our protagonist is too sentimental, simple, and ignorant.”

“That’s why you and the rational High Commissioner Lanok are guarding his back, isn’t it?”

“That’s a misunderstanding. I’m always looking forward to hearing the news that our simple protagonist and Lanok have passed away.”

Yang Bum looked at Vasili’s mysterious smile.

Despite being so bandaged up that he seemed to be wearing them as clothes, Vasili had rushed to the South Korean base in Mongolia. With his control over the KGB, the missile in front of the base, and the power to take out Alexei, he could easily become the Russian president right now if he wanted to. Instead, he was here with his missile, risking death all for…

Noticing Yang Bum’s smile, Vasili asked, “Do you think I’m here because of Monsieur Kang?”

“It does seem like it.”

Vasili took a deep breath, his expression becoming scarier.

“Damn it! I got hit in the same place I got hit five years ago, and the worst part about this wound is that I can’t even go to the bathroom to relieve myself.”

Yang Bum chuckled, and Vasili followed suit, laughing like he was cracking up at a joke that someone else had made.

“When Lanok, that dreadful man, put Monsieur Kang in the position of Deputy Director-General, we were all prepared for death. We thought he wouldn’t be able to destroy the Star of David, but he could at least incapacitate them for a hundred years.”

“What is it they really want?” Yang Bum asked.

He hadn’t been at the helm of intelligence for long yet. However, he had quite a serious temperament. Paired with his respect for Lanok and Vasili, he was able to ask the question without hesitation.

“We don’t know everything the Star of David has planned either. However, we do know that they think there are too many people on Earth and that they believe they need to clean up the human race.”

“That’s absurd.”

“If Lanok hadn’t built the Hadron Collider, we wouldn’t even have had this chance.”

Vasili had never spoken of this before, so Yang Bum looked at him expectantly, wanting more explanation.

“It’s simple. In the past, Blackheads were nothing more than expensive jewelry. However, we eventually realized that they had energy in them. That seems to be where the Star of David got the idea to wipe out continents. They were thinking of wiping out China and India, reducing the world’s population by 30%.”

Yang Bum’s eyes sunk deep, focusing on Vasili’s words.

“We think they plan to make Africa uninhabitable through anthrax and envisioned ridding the world of humans little by little. Their plans have even Brazil covered.”

“Is that possible?”

“China and India falling apart and Africa becoming a wasteland will force a nuclear war between us and the United States.”

“Wouldn’t they be in danger too?”

Vasili shook his head. “I believe they’ve been targeting the ‘cleansed’ Africa and Brazil and developed Bali and Bintan for that reason.”

“What about Europe?”

“Don’t mistake the Star of David’s mission being a world where only they can live. Their goal is for the superior European race to live long and prosper in a pleasant and clean Earth.”

Yang Bum looked puzzled.

“You must be wondering why the intelligence services of the United States and Europe are unable to stop such an outrageous plan. Well, you’ll be able to understand if you look at me, Lanok, and yourself.”

Vasili sharply glared at his bandaged upper body.

“We are bound to be sensitive to our national interests in dealing with them, and the only one who has been able to coordinate us is Lanok, who created the European Intelligence Committee.”

“Hmm.”

“After all, he went to South Korea as an ambassador to escape attacks and the attention of the enemies. But there, he met a bumbling, ignorant, and simple-minded hero. Monsieur Kang stopped the drug run of Gong Te Automobile, which could have led to Lanok’s downfall. If it wasn’t for that…”

Yang Bum exhaled heavily as he sat upright.

“That explains a little of what’s been going on.”

“A hundred years—that was all the peace we wanted. But Monsieur Kang’s grasp on the next-generation energy source made it possible to stretch that dream to over five hundred years.”

“What are you going to do now?”

“We’re just fucking supporting characters, so all we can do is polish our missiles until the main character tells us what to do.”

Just as Vasili finished speaking, a man in a suit with a rifle slung over his shoulder entered the room. He looked down at Vasili’s sharp gaze and whispered something in his ear.

The man straightened back up.

“Not only has our hero given us Josh’s head, but he’s been given the authority of the DGSE Director-General,” Vasili remarked. He looked so displeased that Yang Bum thought it was too much.

“How far does that sly Lanok’s calculations even go? It’s impossible to foresee what will happen now that the sly fox and the simpleton are causing a mess together,” he grumbled, then turned away.

“What about Yuri Shevchenko?” Vasili asked the man.

“He’s tied to the missile.”

Vasili nodded.

“We can let the centipedes eat his body, right?”

“Yes, sir. Should we bury him alive?”

“That would be perfect. Leave it so I can verify his corpse in three days.”

“Understood, sir.”

The man with the rifle turned away from Vasili with a satisfied look on his face.

***

Kang Chan woke up from a deep sleep, safe and slightly removed from the battle that was to follow.

How much time did humankind spend on sleeping? What if someone invented a pill to stop sleeping?

That would save a lot of money on electricity bills.

Grabbing a towel, Kang Chan left the reception room and headed for the drinking fountain.

It was already noon, yet everyone, including Seok Kang-Ho, Gérard, Choi Jong-Il, Woo Hee-Seung, and Lee Doo-Hee, was still stretched out asleep like rice cakes thrown out on a hot day.

Choi Jong-Il had probably stayed up all night. Kang Chan couldn’t help but grin when he saw him asleep.

Kang Chan drank from the fountain and quietly headed to the bathroom. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Gérard sleeping with one long leg dangling over the edge of a cot.

Kang Chan stepped into the shower, and the cool water hit him head-on.

He had to keep his right hand out of the water, which made him look a bit funny.

There were still many to kill.

Before, he only had to eliminate enemies to protect his people. Now, he was doing it for South Korea as well.

How dare they target the President? You think you’re untouchable? That you’ll be safe and sound for the rest of your lives?

One shouldn’t forget that if they killed others, they should be prepared to be killed themselves.

“Whew!”

Kang Chan spat out the stream of water running down his face.

Even though he was taking a cold shower, he still didn’t feel refreshed.

***

“Considering the Korean veterans didn’t go to Mongolia, the only thing you got out of this plan was Vant.”

Xairo, with eyes the color of a donkey’s, kept his mouth shut and his gaze at the table where Ziegfeld was sitting.

They were at a private villa on a beach, overlooking the Bintan Lagoon Resort on Bintan Island.

“What about the idiots who were waiting in the wings, ready to shoot down the helicopter that wasn’t coming?”

“We’ve already pulled them out, sir.”

Ziegfeld glared at Xairo with frighteningly sunken eyes.

“Why didn’t those old men take off?”

“One of their daughters died in the hospital right before leaving.”

Ziegfeld laughed in disbelief.

“I may not know South Korea very well, but do you really think the death of someone’s daughter is enough for soldiers of that caliber—men of Korean intelligence—to opt to abandon their base and stay within the country?”

“It was also probably because they knew that Vasili and Yang Bum would reinforce their base.”

Ziegfeld sighed, his eyes completely devoid of emotion.

“How do you propose to capture the Great Ant, then?”

“I plan to leak information to the Director of the National Intelligence Service. It’s nothing more than the DGSE delegating authority to Kang Chan, the promises he made to Sherman, and the missile he installed at the base.”

Ziegfeld’s expression filled with disappointment.

“Xairo.”

“Sir.”

The sun shone brightly on the land and the blue ocean in front of them.

“It seems like you’ve been taking things too easy and became flustered at the slightest fallback. You need to take a close look at what’s in front of you.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Consider that what you thought was a giant ant was actually a scorpion. I thought it was a giant ant based on what I saw and heard, but shouldn’t you, the one who has to deal with it, have realized it was a scorpion?”

“I apologize.”

Ziegfeld turned his gaze back to the sea and let another silence fall.

The wind dragged the white clouds over the sea for a long moment, scattering the heat around the two of them and the ornate building.

“I don’t have a good feeling about this.”

Soon, Ziegfeld looked at Xairo as if waking from a dream. He now looked stoic and emotionless again.

“I can understand Vasili and Yang Bum surviving, but something seems off about the South Korean veterans deciding not to fly over to Mongolia. That’s too much of a coincidence.”

Ziegfeld shook his head.

“I’m inclined to think he’s as good as a scorpion. Where’s Gabriel?” he asked.

“He’s with Kang Chan.”

“Then use Gabriel to eliminate him first.”

“Understood, sir. What do you suggest we do about leaking information to South Korea’s National Intelligence Service?”

“Proceed as planned. I want results immediately.”

“Yes, sir.”

Ziegfeld waved his hand, sending Xairo away.

The calabash-shaped cup had ice in the middle to keep Ziegfeld’s tea chilled at all times.

He took a sip of the tea and wiped his hands on a white napkin that he kept next to him.

“A scorpion…”

Ziegfeld looked back at the sea, sensing a vague unease blooming.

As he took a deep breath, the strange foreboding feeling spread from his chest through his veins.