Chapter 552: Let’s All Survive and Drink Vodka

I spent a considerable amount of time drinking and chatting with Yoon Chang-ho.

We discussed how the South Korean government would respond, considering both success and failure.

We decided to keep it from the U.S. after all—who knows what tricks they might pull?

Yoon Chang-ho and I were in agreement that we could reveal everything after the job was done.

It was quite late by the time I left the Blue House.

"Did you have a good conversation?"

"Yes. Cancel the Russia schedule. We've agreed to wait together at the Blue House on the day of the operation."

"Understood. I'll prepare accordingly."

The car that picked me up drove away from the Blue House.

It sped down the open road, heading straight for Pyeongchang-dong.

* * *

"Brother-in-law."

"Yes, Comrade Chairman."

"It feels great to finally be out of Pyongyang for a while."

"Really?"

As darkness settled on the seaside, Kim Jong-il and Jang Seong-taek cast their fishing lines while sipping drinks.

Guards wielding machine guns kept a vigilant watch around them.

"Leaving the chaos of Pyongyang feels like a weight off my shoulders."

"That's true. Sometimes it's nice to relax without any thoughts bothering you."

"Busy, huh? Always meeting this person and that person. Aren't you?"

His tone lacked inflection, but Jang Seong-taek felt unnervingly intense.

It was as if he were saying he was watching him closely.

Of course, he knew that every single thing he did was reported to Kim Jong-il.

Yet, hearing it directly felt different.

"But tell me, why is your work taking so long, Manager Ma? Do you still need more time?"

"It involves wiping out army generals and purging them. I'm secretly recruiting military personnel, so it's taking longer than expected."

Doubt began to surface in Kim Jong-il's eyes.

"Are you sure? Can I trust you on this?"

"Yes. We'll have everyone apprehended soon enough."

At that moment, Kim Jong-il's fishing rod jerked violently. He leapt up, gripping the rod.

"Here we go! This is it! Doesn't it feel great to fish like this? Hahaha!"

His rod bent dangerously before plunging into the water.

It seemed he was really feeling it, as he laughed boisterously while giving it all his effort.

After a while, despite his enthusiasm, a small fish surfaced.

"What's this? A tiny fry?"

Disappointment flashed across Kim Jong-il's face.

Holding the fish caught on the hook, he turned to Jang Seong-taek.

"I'm not interested in little fry like these."

With that, he tossed the fish back into the sea and baited the hook again.

As he cast the rod out again, he settled back into his chair, casually saying,

"Manager Ma, I'll be keeping an eye on you. Let's see if you just catch little fry or manage to reel in something big."

Kim Jong-il's gaze never left the rod.

However, Jang Seong-taek instinctively understood that he was being scrutinized regarding his actions against dissidents.

"It's time to clean house and start afresh."

"Understood, Comrade Chairman."

"Here we go, here we go!"

Settling back into his chair, Kim Jong-il lit a cigarette.

"Do you know why I'm doing this?"

"Aren't you trying to purify all the dissidents at once?"

"You're mistaken. The generals you're trying to purge aren't all dissidents."

"....."

"And that's why you're still clumsy, brother-in-law."

A cold smile crept across Kim Jong-il's face.

Jang Seong-taek knew better than anyone how Kim Jong-il seized power.

A string of purges. He had spilled countless blood to sit on the throne.

He had solidified his power, even while Kim Il-sung was alive.

At the same time, he had exiled Kim Pyong-il, whom Kim Il-sung favored, and brought Oh Jin-woo, who was Kim Pyong-il's supporter, onto his side.

Even after Kim Il-sung's death, the purges did not halt.

It was no wonder that even he, the brother-in-law, had been forced to work on a collective farm twice.

"Do you realize how much support I've given the military so far? Yet those bastards think that power belongs to them and do whatever they want?"

"....."

"I need to reduce the military's power this time around."

Kim Jong-il was extremely fearful that external factors would weaken his power.

In the end, he chose to regain the power he had distributed and eliminate any threats to himself.

The carrot and the stick. No one used them better than Kim Jong-il.

"You're the only one I trust, brother-in-law. Once this is over, a great reward awaits you."

"I will serve with utmost loyalty."

Kim Jong-il nodded and turned his gaze towards the distant sea.

A chilly winter breeze brushed his cheeks, but he remained silent, simply staring into the distance.

* * *

Igor and the mercenaries wrapped up their preparations and boarded the cargo train heading for North Korea.

The train they boarded soon passed the Russian border into North Korea, continuing without stopping.

Eventually, they disembarked in Kim Chaek City and began moving towards the operational area—Yeoho-ri Villa—via the mountain road.

Trying to evade people's gaze, they split into two squads.

"Sergei, you must not fail. Do you understand?"

"Yes. I will succeed without fail."

"Once you retrieve it according to the operation plan…"

Igor traced a finger over one side of the map as he spoke.

"A submarine sent from Russia is waiting nearby. The rendezvous is set for two days later at 12:10 AM. We must arrive before then, understood?"

"Yes, I understand."

Igor nodded in response to Sergei's salute.

After splitting into two squads, Igor trekked through the mountain path for a few more days.

During the day, he dug tunnels and took naps inside, while at night, he crossed the winter mountains.

Finally, they reached close to the operational area.

A day before the promised date, Yeoho-ri Villa came into view.

Igor scanned Yeoho-ri Villa with binoculars.

"It's bigger than I expected."

"Indeed. I heard that North Korea is poorer than Russia, yet they have such a luxurious villa."

"Don't be naive. The ones who suffer and die are the powerless and the poor. People like them live lavishly. The same goes for the Soviet Union, and it's the same anywhere. Stop talking nonsense and bring the map here."

The subordinate, scolded by Igor, pulled out a large map from his bag and spread it out.

As Igor pointed at the map with his finger, he began to speak.

"Here, here, here, and here. Finally, we have to secure five sniper points. Whether we can secure them will determine the success of our operation."

"Yes."

"Squad 5, move out immediately."

Among a hundred personnel, the mercenaries designated as snipers began to gear up in response to Igor's orders.

Ten men slipped away.

"They said support would take about an hour to arrive, so we need to handle this before then."

"There seem to be more guards than we expected."

Igor nodded at his subordinate's words. The guards surrounding the villa were heavily armed.

Just by looking, there were easily over two hundred personnel.

"I anticipated this. Although Jang Seong-taek promised to delay the outer troops… We can't fully rely on that. We need to secure Kim Jong-il's personal safety within an hour of starting the operation."

Though there were more guards than anticipated, backing down was not an option now.

There wouldn't be another chance if they didn't act today.

— I believe in Igor. Therefore, you must succeed no matter what.

The Boss said he believed in him. He, the discarded pawn of the nation, was told that the Boss had faith in him.

— And please don't die. Let's meet again alive. That's an order.

These were Kim Mu-hyeok's last instructions before he boarded the train.

After raising the training intensity for months, Igor had fully regained his former instinct.

He tore his gaze from the map and looked once more towards Yeoho-ri Villa, his eyes gleaming.

The sun was rising beyond the horizon.

"Tell everyone to get some rest. Once the sun sets and night deepens, we'll begin the operation."

Igor entered the tunnel he'd dug, settled into his sleeping bag, and began simulating the operation in his mind before dozing off.

"Commander."

At the sound calling him, Igor jolted awake.

"It's time to rise."

The other mercenaries were already up, organizing their gear.

Igor tidied up his sleeping bag and glanced around.

Taking in the sight of the mercenaries, he shed his clothing and got dressed in the armored vest, changing into new attire.

With combat boots laced up and a helmet on, Igor addressed the mercenaries.

"Everyone, check your gear for any issues and make sure you have enough live ammo."

"Yes."

After giving orders, Igor began gathering his own equipment.

He loaded the magazine for his rifle, secured pistol magazines, several grenades, and a knife onto his uniform before finally attaching a radio to his chest.

"Where's Squad 5?"

"They are already waiting."

Igor nodded at his subordinate's reply and picked up the radio.

"Alpha here, 5 Squad respond."

A moment later, a familiar voice came through the radio.

— "Speak."

"At the moment we engage in combat, open fire. Take out the heads of anyone who appears to be the commander. Stay vigilant in your surroundings."

— "Understood."

Putting the radio back against his chest, Igor spoke to his subordinate.

"Squads 1 and 2 will be under my command. Squads 3 and 4 will be under your command, Ivan."

"Yes!"

The subordinate called Ivan saluted and turned around.

"Squads 3 and 4 to this side."

Ivan separated squads 3 and 4. Seeing this, Igor stepped forward.

"I will explain the operation plan."

Igor stood in front of everyone and spoke.

"Squads 1 and 2 will move with me. Our goal is to capture Kim Jong-il alive. If capturing him proves difficult, killing him is permitted."

"Yes!"

"Squad 3 will infiltrate via the underground tunnel at the back of the villa and blow it up. Block any support from the East Sea Fleet Command. Ivan will lead this directly."

"Yes, Commander."

The underground tunnel connected at the back of the villa was the key to the success of this operation.

The 4.5-kilometer dual-lane road laid out in the underground tunnel was an escape route Kim Jong-il could use in emergencies to reach the East Sea Fleet Command.

In other words, it would be the only way for Kim Jong-il to escape once the battle started.

Unless that was blown up, this operation was destined for failure.

Igor patted Ivan on the shoulder and continued speaking.

"Squad 4 will ensure the guards in Building 2 do not come out."

Building 1 was where Kim Jong-il's family stayed, and Building 2 was where the guards of the Guard Headquarters waited.

"Once we subdue the guards, stay alert and prevent any unforeseen variables from occurring."

After giving all his orders, Igor slung the AK-74 rifle resting next to him over his shoulder and turned around.

"Let's all survive and drink vodka."

Igor and the mercenaries began to move slowly.

As they subdued the guard posts along the way, Igor and the mercenaries finally reached 500 meters in front of Yeoho-ri Villa.

"Ivan, take squads 3 and 4 to the back of the villa."

In accordance with Igor's instructions, Ivan and nearly half the mercenaries left their formation.

Once they went down this hill, there was nothing but an open field until the villa.

Excluding guard posts, there were no buildings within a 500-meter radius of the villa.

How long had they waited?

— "Alpha. This is Beta, we're ready."

"Stand by."

Igor continued to speak.

"Squad 5."

— "We're also ready."

All preparations were complete.

Igor checked his watch and ordered,

"For now… let's blast one rocket to kick things off."