3. The Nuclear Man #7
“Yeah. You’re a hundred percent Russian, a privileged one at that. I just don’t get why you’re helping me—or helping our cause.”
The question had been bugging Taekjoo from the start.
Zhenya was a Russian. Not just any Russian, but one with power enough to be immune to the police authority.
He was not some regular agent moving according to command like Taekjoo.
And Taekjoo simply couldn’t understand why the Russian was cooperating in this mission.
He probably wouldn’t understand unless Zhenya had a very specific reason.
Zhenya shrugged.
“Money comes before my country. I’m a businessman before I’m a Russian.”
Taekjoo looked even more confused. The sentence itself wasn’t hard to understand. But it wasn’t enough to convince him.
So, basically, Zhenya jumped into this chaos just to make some profit? He’d betray his own country for such a trivial reason?
“So you’re committing treason?”
“No better business than that.”
Taekjoo was baffled. He didn’t expect anything great, and it wasn’t like Taekjoo was a great patriot. He did this simply because it was his job, and he wasn’t about to sacrifice his life for it. But it was an entirely different topic to commit treason for personal gain.
“You. Do you even know the objective of this mission?”
“Of course. Confirm the existence of this mysterious weapon that is keeping South Korea and the US in a chokehold. And if it does, in fact, exist, then eliminate it. If it doesn’t exist, at least bring back its blueprint. Am I wrong?”
He was correct. Then he should also understand the impact it would have on international politics if the mission succeeded—and how it could cripple his own country.
“And what do you gain from all this?”
“It doesn’t matter to me whether the weapon was developed and produced successfully. What matters is that the blueprint of Anastasia exists somewhere in this country. If your goal is to simply locate it, then it’s different from my goal. Because what I’m interested in is the blueprint,
not Anastasia itself. If I clear this mission, I get to own it.”
“What?”
“Doesn’t sound like a bad deal, even to a layman like you, right? If the reward isn’t worth it, who would want to be a part of something like this? Think. Anastasia is feared not for its firepower but for its existence per se. To possess Anastasia is to wield a power just as formidable.
Once the blueprint is in my hands, I’m gonna build Anastasia. Whether it functions as a weapon or not doesn’t matter. What’s certain is this—the blueprint alone is excellent enough to serve as the basis for a weapon beyond anyone’s imagination.
I’m gonna develop new weapons based on it and sell it to special clients.”
“Special clients?”
Zhenya didn’t respond but simply smiled.
If a second Anastasia came into existence, then the demand would come from those who knew what the weapon was capable of.
For example, the Republic of Korea, or the United States of America.
Taekjoo was finally getting a grasp of what Zhenya was after in this mission.
A significant part of his curiosity was resolved, but emotionally, he couldn’t feel more distant from Zhenya.
Taekjoo could now see why the man had a knack for showing up in the most unexpected places and times. His broad access to sensitive information explained why he had been partnered with Taekjoo in the first place. Headquarters wouldn’t be taking the risk for nothing.
Taekjoo now understood everything, but something still bugged him. He didn’t remove the suspicion in his gaze, and Zhenya made fun of him for keeping his guard up.
“Are you gonna keep doubting me just because of a bad first impression?”
“I haven’t decided yet,” Taekjoo responded.
“Don’t hate me too much, will you?”
Zhenya laughed out loud at his own words. Taekjoo shook his head as though sick of the exchange. He pulled something out of his pocket and threw it at Zhenya, who caught it with ease. It was a voice recorder. It contained the conversation between Bogdanov and the man from Sonchev.
“I’m sure you’re aware of it, but there seems to be a new state-of-the-art weapon being developed with Bogdanov commanding at the center. Based on the name, it’s very likely to be an ICBM, but we’d still have to make sure. There’s no guarantee it’s Anastasia,
but given the involvement of the Russian Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense, along with North Korea, it seems highly likely.”
Zhenya nodded without any response before looking at Taekjoo, gesturing at him to continue.
“I’m gonna get a copy of Bogdanov’s voice using that conversation file and use it to lure the Sonchev man out. Once I meet the man, then we’ll know who the North Korean engineer is and where his final destination is.”
Zhenya listened in silence for a moment, then rubbed his brow. For the first time, he seemed to be hesitating.
“All members of the mafia have a tattoo on their bodies. Do you know what it means?”
“That’s not important right now.”
“Ignorance causes premature death.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Their tattoos show where they belong. Strip an old mafioso naked, and you’ll see the history of his life inked on his body—which organizations he’s been with, to whom he’s sworn his loyalty. So, if you harm someone from Sonchev,
then anyone who has the same tattoo as the one he has will be your enemy. Doesn’t it bother you?”
“Not even a little.”
“I wonder what makes you that confident.”
“I got nothing. Just…”
“Just?” Zhenya asked.
Taekjoo pulled his right hand from the ice bucket. He turned his wrist, flexing it left and right, before finishing his sentence.
“...I ran into a monster recently—and turns out, he’s surprisingly handy.”
Zhenya knew that he was the monster in question. Taekjoo wasn’t flattering him that much. It wasn’t a great compliment, and he wasn’t being a suck-up. But Zhenya couldn’t deny that it made him feel good.
“Well, it’s your choice.”
Zhenya’s tone remained indifferent, but his shoulders squared and his chin lifted, ever so slightly. Taekjoo knew that praise went a long way, but he didn’t expect it to work on a crocodile as well.
He didn’t pop the bubble Zhenya was in. Instead, Taekjoo decided to take advantage of his lightened mood and manipulate him. Taekjoo smiled, handing his phone to Zhenya. The words that came with the gesture were disarmingly kind.
“Doesn’t sound so bad, right? Then, make a call for me.”
***
Several sedans were parked, and only one was standing guard, likely the one with the lowest rank in the mafia. The others who had arrived in the same car seemed to have already gone inside. The old garage behind the cars was the meeting location today.
Taekjoo and Zhenya had long arrived, waiting in the vicinity. They were keeping an eye out, figuring out the right time to head in. They waited a moment longer, in case anything went wrong. But there weren’t any latecomers or backups coming to ambush them.
Taekjoo checked his Colt for bullets, and Zhenya also dropped the cigar he’d been smoking. Once the cigar stopped rolling, both of them stepped forward.
He took big strides while pulling the trigger.
Two bullets flew from his Colt, which had a silencer.
However, the vehicles had bulletproof windows, so the glass didn’t break right away.
The front window just had a crack in the shape of a spider web.
The lone guard quickly put out his cigarette and pulled out his rifle.
The rifle was already trained on Taekjoo—then it happened.
The car shook with a loud noise. It seemed that something like a boulder had fallen above the car.
Before the guard could figure out what was happening, something broke the cracked window and rushed in.
In one swift motion, the guard was dragged out by the collar.
Taekjoo looked away as soon as he confirmed that Zhenya had laid his hands on the mafia guy.
He was going to have nightmares if he kept watching.
It didn’t take long for Zhenya to walk back to Taekjoo. Taekjoo pulled out a handkerchief and chucked it at his partner, who wiped his hands clean on the cloth. The white fabric quickly turned red.
In the meantime, Taekjoo scanned the old garage. Inside was the Sonchev man. Taekjoo had no proof that the weapon under development was indeed Anastasia. But he was determined to find out—by beating the crap out of the man, if necessary.
Taekjoo took a quick glance at Zhenya, and their eyes locked. Taekjoo nodded, a gesture to enter the facility. Zhenya smiled quietly.
He opened the door and stepped inside. A flurry of dust clouded his vision.
Taekjoo had to wave his hands around to get better visuals.
Office supplies and construction materials were lying around everywhere.
The walls, built with bricks, were chipped away here and there. A big hole was gaping in the ceiling.
And in the middle of all this chaos, a middle-aged Russian man was sitting.
Taekjoo knew immediately that the man was Boris, an important figure within Sonchev.
Behind him, six jacked men were standing like a fortress.
They were simply facing each other only briefly, but the air was already thick with tension.
What was unexpected was Boris’s reaction. He didn’t seem taken back at all that the one who had summoned him here was not Bogdanov. Rather, he had a look of curiosity in his eyes, which was quickly replaced by an entertained smile.
“A bit late, aren’t we?”
Boris started the conversation.
“I heard about the mess last night at the Bogdanov residence. I heard rumors it was you, but I couldn’t believe them. Well, it seems that the rumors were true.”
Boris looked straight at Zhenya. He must have been told of what happened last night. Zhenya neither denied nor acknowledged the accusation. He simply smirked and shrugged. This was not their first time meeting, which was understandable, seeing how both were big names in the underworld.
Boris looked at Taekjoo, scanning him from head to toe. Then, he put on a questioning look. He moved his eyes back to Zhenya, as if he was seeking an explanation.
“Why are you doing this?”
“A great deal of fun for me.”