Chapter 327: Revenge for the Ivanov Incident

I was getting ready to head to the Kremlin Palace to meet with Putin.

A neat knock echoed, and Manager Ma entered my bedroom.

"Boss, it's a call from Administrative Chief Medvedev. What shall we do?"

"Medvedev? Connect me, please."

I picked up the phone. Medvedev's calm voice came through the receiver.

― Mr. Kim Mu-hyeok.

"Chief Medvedev. I'll be seeing you at the Kremlin Palace soon, but thanks for the call."

― That's exactly why I called. It's about Putin; he wants to meet elsewhere. Apparently, the Kremlin Palace isn't a suitable place for our discussion.

The Kremlin Palace isn't suitable, huh? It seems he wants to discuss something discreetly.

"Oh, really? Then where should we go?"

― Thank you for your understanding. Our people will arrive shortly. Just follow them.

Before hanging up, Medvedev added in a hushed tone.

― Please bring only one attendant.

"Only one?"

― Yes.

"Understood."

― I'll see you shortly then.

I set down the receiver and turned to Manager Ma who was standing in front of me.

"Manager, please call Igor."

"Yes, understood."

It wasn't long before Igor, who had been summoned, entered my room.

"Igor, tell all the mercenaries to take the day off."

"What? What about your security, Boss?"

"They're sending someone from the Kremlin Palace. I was told to bring only one attendant. Manager Ma and I will go together."

Igor looked taken aback at the idea of not bringing security.

However, upon hearing it was a request from the Kremlin Palace, he seemed to accept it easily.

As he turned to leave the bedroom, I called him back.

"Igor."

"Yes, Boss?"

"Have you made contact with the mafia bosses?"

"I'm sorry, nothing has progressed yet."

It was clear that even the Black Bear intelligence team had been mobilized, yet they hadn't made any contact.

I raised an eyebrow and asked again.

"Are they not in Moscow?"

"No. They were originally based in Moscow, but it seems they disappeared after their terror plan was exposed. I've informed our contacts. We've suggested meeting to clear up any misunderstandings."

"Really? What about Mogilevich's movements?"

"He's looking for Ivanov and Usov too."o."

Looks like the foxes are getting a little too bold in their territory.

I chuckled softly and continued issuing orders.

"Keep a close watch on Mogilevich's activities. We need to make contact first. If he shows any intention to eliminate them, offer assistance."

"······Boss, that would mean war with half of Moscow's mafia."

"I don't care. Just do it."

My firm response silenced Igor, and he no longer spoke up.

"Understood."

"But don't directly attack Mogilevich. For now, we need to verify whether he really has nuclear weapons or not."

"Yes, I will carry out the orders."

"You can go now."

With a brief wave of my hand, Igor nodded again and left the bedroom.

I sat on the bed and took off my suit jacket, placing it beside me.

"Manager, do you believe an individual can possess nuclear weapons? It sounds absurd when I think about it. If it fell into the hands of a terrorist organization like Al-Qaeda, it would surely lead to catastrophe."

"Isn't it just a rumor, Boss?"

The impact of the word 'nuclear weapon' was far more significant than I expected. I sighed deeply and shook my head slowly.

"Igor knows the situation of the Soviet army back then better than we do. If he judged it to be true, the probability is certainly higher."

"Even so, how could they manage nuclear weapons so recklessly?"

Under normal circumstances, it shouldn't be possible for them to be stolen. However, amidst the chaos of the Soviet collapse, it was entirely plausible.

"When the Soviet Union fell, various military arms were indeed released into the black market. Sneaking out a few nuclear weapons wouldn't have been that difficult."

"I've contacted the Black Bear headquarters. I told them to gather detailed information on this matter."

"Sounds good. For now, let's proceed under the assumption that Mogilevich does possess nuclear weapons."

While discussing Manager Ma and Mogilevich, the people sent from the Kremlin Palace arrived.

"We will escort you now."

The person who opened the door was the deputy chief of the security bureau responsible for protecting President Putin.

With a welcoming smile, he extended his hand first.

"You've come in person, Deputy Chief?"

"Yes. The President commanded that I go in person."

After finishing the handshake, the deputy chief opened the car door for me.

Once I got in, the door closed behind me, and the deputy chief took the passenger seat.

Through the window, I could see Manager Ma speaking with the Russian agents.

"What about Manager Ma?"

"He'll take a different car."

"Okay. Understood."

"Then we will depart now."

The car carrying me began to move slowly.

Instead of heading towards my residence, it moved in the opposite direction from Moscow.

"Where are we going?"

"The President is currently at his private villa."

After about an hour's drive, distant lights began to appear.

Amidst dense forest, I spotted a faint building, glowing with lights.

"Is that it?"

"Yes, that's correct."

As we arrived, the villa's front gate slowly opened as if it had been waiting for us.

After passing through the gate, we drove along the forest path for a while until we finally reached the front of the villa.

Manager Ma, who had gotten out of another car, opened the car door for me.

"You can go in. I'll stay here."

The deputy chief accompanied me to the entrance and opened the door, saying.

"Thank you for your hard work. We'll meet again."

As soon as I entered the villa, Medvedev greeted me.

"Mr. Kim."

"Chief Medvedev."

"It's wonderful to see you again. Please come in quickly. Putin is waiting for you."

After exchanging simple pleasantries, he smiled warmly and guided me to Putin's office.

"Manager Ma will wait here. That's alright, Mr. Kim?"

Looks like they're about to have quite the confidential conversation.

Manager Ma decided to wait in front of the office while I entered with Medvedev. However, Putin was nowhere in sight.

"Where is the President?"

"Ha ha, follow me this way."

After looking around a bit, he led me through a concealed small door inside the office.

Inside was just a small space with a sofa, a table, and a small bed.

As I entered, I found Putin sitting on the sofa, leisurely swirling a vodka glass.

"Mu-hyeok, welcome!"

Putin laughed loudly as he approached after spotting me.

"Yes, Mr. President. Long time no see."

"We're alone, so don't be so formal. Just call me Putin."

Feeling a bit guilty, I managed a small smile at Putin's excessive friendliness today.

Even if he said that, I knew I couldn't treat him casually.

"Let's sit and talk for now."

As if he understood the meaning behind my smile, Putin just patted my shoulder and guided me toward the sofa without saying much.

"Medvedev, from now on, unless there's a war, don't let anyone connect. Got it?"

"Yes. I will do that. Call me if you need anything."

Medvedev nodded slightly and left after closing the door.

"Here, let's have a drink first."

As soon as the door closed, Putin grabbed the bottle and offered it to me. I lifted the small glass in front of me as well.

We sipped the vodka, savoring its aroma.

After exchanging glasses several times, we caught up on each other's recent events.

Then, when I was somewhat tipsy, Putin brought up the events in Pyongyang.

"By the way, I apologize for what happened in Pyongyang. I truly wasn't aware. If I had known, I would never have permitted it."

"Of course, I don't believe you were aware, Putin. However, the situation was far too dangerous to just brush off with a claim of ignorance."

"I've sent all those involved into the room next to Berezovsky. So I hope you can understand."

Putin's apology made it unnecessary for me to be stubborn any further.

"What's to understand? It's not like I think Putin was trying to kill me. It's just concerning that things happened without your knowledge."

"It was a covert operation planned a long time ago by the foreign intelligence agency. They went ahead even knowing you were in Pyongyang, that's what the investigation concluded. You know the reason, right?"

"It's a retaliation for the Ivanov incident."

Putin nodded slightly, a subtle displeasure crossing his face.

"From their perspective, they thought that now that I was President, all the power belonged to them. But suddenly, Ivanov was killed, and no one could step forward. They must have been seething. Then they got the intel that you were in Pyongyang, and they picked that day as D-Day."

To them, my death would have been a windfall, but even if I survived, it didn't matter to them.

They were probably aiming to shake North Korea's foundations too.

"It's unlikely that I'll make it out of prison alive."

"That's good enough for me."

I knew Putin was never one to apologize to anyone.

So his apology implied that he considers me a true friend.

Continuing this topic wouldn't yield any benefits. I smiled gently and extended my glass first.

"Let's have one more drink."

"Sounds good."

Our glasses clinked together with a cheerful sound.

Taking another sip of vodka, Putin continued.

"So why did you meet with Mogilevich?"

"I wanted to propose a business deal."

"A business deal?"

I briefly summarized what I was about to do to Putin.

"Ha ha! This guy is really amusing. A mafia war breaking out in Japan! The Japanese government will be in quite a pickle."

Upon hearing this, a hearty laugh erupted from Putin.

"I intended to involve the Russian mafia in this too. But they refused, saying they just wanted to make a profit by selling weapons to both sides. He seemed quite clever, figuring out the best way to profit in that short time with just the little info I provided."

"If only we could weaken these pesky mafias. They control about 30% of the Russian economy. That's the reason I haven't been able to wrap up the war against the mafia effectively."

Putin rubbed his chin and shared a bit about the ongoing struggle against the mafia.

As I listened, I set down my vodka glass and asked with a serious tone.

"Putin, does Mogilevich really possess nuclear weapons? The Black Bear's Russia branch suggested that possibility might be high."

"I've heard those rumors too. That's why I ordered the FSB to look into it. So far, no evidence has emerged, but I believe it's quite plausible. A few nuclear warheads went missing when the federation collapsed."

It was no joke; it increasingly seemed likely that Mogilevich really had nuclear weapons.

Even knowing what Putin said was the truth, I couldn't help but ask again.

"You mean for real, nuclear weapons went missing?"

Putin gulped down the vodka he was holding and nodded.

A bitter look crossed his face.

"Specifically, three nuclear warheads went missing. But I have no idea where any of them are."

"No, how could that be…"

Words failed me, prompting Putin to chuckle bitterly and speak.

"It was an incredibly chaotic time. I didn't know what to do either. I only discovered this fact after becoming President. I'm telling you this because I consider you a friend. Very few people in Russia even know about it."

"·····Leaking such rumors would lead to unnecessary trouble. But isn't there any information or tips to catch their tail?"

"We mobilized all the capabilities of the FSB and SVR to track them down, but they remain elusive. One of the warheads is presumed to have entered North Korea, but that's not certain."

Hearing 'North Korea' snapped me back to focus.

"North Korea?"

"Yes. At that time, there were indications that Kim Il-sung's slush fund had fllowed into Russia. Yet, I can't be certain about it. When I asked Kim Jong-il about it last time, he claimed ignorance. But how could he not know? By that time, Kim Il-sung was essentially a ppuppet."

Putin filled up his glass with vodka while murmuring.

As I watched him, my mind was consumed only by thoughts of North Korea and the nuclear warhead.

After a long moment of contemplation, I finally managed to speak up.

"If a completed nuclear warhead is in North Korean hands, then we're in serious trouble. Developing a nuclear weapon could take years, but if they have one made by the Soviets…"

"Then Seoul will turn to ashes."

Putin's calm words echoed in my ears.