Chapter 203: I Have Bad News (2)
Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding.
When the plane landed, Kang Chan went down the ramp and found Ethan looking like a raccoon, not a giraffe.
“Thank you for coming. Let’s head to the site,” Ethan greeted, the dark circles under his eyes becoming even more noticeable. He pointed to the helicopter on one side of the runway.
Whoosh. Du-du-du-du-du.
The helicopter ascended into the dark skies of the night as soon as they got on it. After correcting its direction, it went full speed.
“The roads are in such a mess that we would’ve had trouble if we took a car there,” Ethan explained through the headset.
“Ethan! If the Blackhead instantly loses energy, how do we disable the machine?” Kang Chan asked.
“Do you have a way to do that?” Ethan quickly turned toward Kang Chan.
“I’ll find one. The question is can you disable the machine if I make it happen?”
Amid the dark world below the helicopter, Kang Chan saw big, fallen trees every now and then.
“We should be able to accomplish that if we remove the nine auxiliary cables connected to the main engine…” Ethan trailed off for a moment but continued when Kang Chan looked at him. “They think the Blackhead will explode if even one of the nine energies becomes unstable. That’s why we can’t just recklessly turn it off! The earthquake earlier happened because we couldn’t stabilize cetinium’s energy!”
“Does that mean we can remove the cables if we can balance out the energy?” Kang Chan asked.
“I heard the Blackhead will stop glowing if that happens!”
Kang Chan cocked his head. “The energies should’ve destabilized when you connected the cables to the main engine!”
“Our studies showed that the cetinium and denadite could prevent that! On another note, can you explain how you got one of the Blackhead’s energies?” Ethan asked, his greed blatantly showing in his eyes. Kang Chan was still in the middle of helping him out of this crisis, yet he was already targeting his possessions.
I’m going to kill this fucker!
Noticing Kang Chan’s glare, Ethan quickly turned to the window.
About fifteen minutes into their flight, Kang Chan felt the Blackhead’s energy connect to him. In the distance, he saw the lights from the research institute.
Remembering that he brought the goggles with him, he put them on and examined the buildings below.
‘What’s that?’
Thin energies were spreading in all directions from the round cement structure.
When the helicopter landed, the researchers and the two agents waiting for them quickly walked over.
“The building has cracks all over it,” one of them warned.
Kang Chan quickly went into the building with a meeting room.
“The Ambassador contacted us earlier.” The French researcher looked nervous. “The energy is leaving the structure right now, and the main engine has gone completely out of control.”
Kang Chan didn’t notice it before, but the floor was shaking a little.
“Timing is important! According to our calculations, we might be able to buy some time, but we don’t know exactly how long or if it’ll even work!” Kang Chan explained.
“Are you going to wear the energy-blocking suit?” a researcher asked.
Kang Chan shook his head. Even if the Blackhead’s energy could be temporarily suspended, he doubted he could move quickly while wearing such a cumbersome outfit.
He took off his jacket.
“Please take a look at this!” One of the researchers took out a large floor plan, pointed to where the main engine was, and then showed the location of the cables. “Two researchers and five agents will go in there with you to help disconnect the auxiliary devices.”
“Aren’t there nine cables?”
“We’re short on manpower right now.”
It seemed some of them had already run away in hopes of avoiding this disaster.
“At least order the English agents over there to come!” Kang Chan exclaimed.
“We’re lacking hands out here as well. We only have enough people to shut down the electricity and operate the equipment!”
Five people wearing thick gloves put on their work uniforms and helmets. They then stood behind Kang Chan.
Kang Chan didn’t like this situation one bit, but being hard-headed now wouldn’t accomplish anything.
“Let’s go, then!” Kang Chan said.
The nervous researcher nodded.
Ethan watched from outside the area where the French agents and the researchers were standing.
Still wearing the goggles, Kang Chan looked at all the thin lines coming into the building. He felt as if he was watching a monster struggling to enter.
Huff. Huff.
Kang Chan controlled his breathing as he looked at the entrance door to the main engine.
A researcher took out a satellite phone and pressed a button. “Starting the countdown!”
They were louder than usual, perhaps because of the tension.
“One second! What are you guys doing right now?” Ethan walked toward Kang Chan and the researcher.
Does he not know what the plan is?
Ethan’s gaze alternated between Kang Chan and the researcher.
“Five minutes before we activate the machine!”
Du-du-du-du-du.
At that moment, the floor shook profusely, causing everyone inside the building to violently sway with it.
“Mr. Kang Chan! What are you doing right now?” Ethan asked.
“Ask Ambassador Lanok for details later! Go! Now!”
“I asked what you’re doing!”
The researchers and the agents who were supposed to go in with Kang Chan stiffened.
“Four minutes before we begin!” one of the researchers yelled.
Kang Chan turned toward Ethan and brought his face right up against his. “Ethan, if you want me to leave, then I’ll go. Otherwise, be fucking quiet and stay the hell out of my way. You’re making me feel so damn mad that I don’t even want to do this anymore.”
Kang Chan wasn’t kidding. If Ethan tried to block his way again, Kang Chan would immediately go back to South Korea. After all, to him, Kang Dae-Kyung being arrested was as horrible as Europe being wiped out.
Gritting his teeth, Ethan stepped back.
Behind them, Kang Chan heard someone announce, “Three minutes!”
Bam! Pow!
Two of the lights on the ceiling exploded.
Kang Chan realized for the first time just how long five minutes were.
Thin red lines stuck to Kang Chan and then went away, seemingly out of desperation. He didn’t feel his energy draining out of him yet, though.
“One minute!” a researcher yelled.
Du-du-du-du-du-du. Screech! Screech!
The vibrations grew louder as they heard something being twisted.
“Thirty, twenty-nine, twenty-eight, twenty-seven…”
Please hurry! Time is so fucking slow!
“Five, four, three, two, one—activating the machine!” a researcher exclaimed.
Kang Chan and everyone around him quickly exchanged glances.
BANG!
A heavy sound echoed from the bowels of the earth.
Did it work? Is it successful?
A horrifying silence filled the room.
Du-du-du-du-du!
The building shook once more.
Bam! Pow! Whish! Whish!
All of the lights exploded, allowing darkness to spread into Kang Chan’s surroundings.
Brr. Brr. Brr. Brr.
An emergency light faintly illuminated Kang Chan.
“Is there an emergency light inside as well?” he asked.
“Yes!”
Kang Chan looked at the building. The vibrations had subsided, and he no longer saw any red energy.
“We have to go right now!” Kang Chan shouted. He then ran out of the building, the agents and researchers following behind him.
Kang Chan headed to the hazy outline of the enormous cement building.
Screech!
The engine didn’t make that sound before.
Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. Clunk.
Kang Chan quickly made his way to the location the researcher pointed to earlier.
Huff. Huff. Huff.
The energy is suspended right now! We just have to take out the cables!
In this huge space, the hideous machine facility was standing while relying on the auxiliary light.
Is it over? Did all of the energy spill out somewhere?
The silence felt as scary as the earthquakes.
Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. Clunk.
The researchers and the agents stood close to the main engine. Simultaneously, Kang Chan stopped in front of a cable.
“Remove the cetinium first!” Kang Chan yelled.
Clank! Chkk!
“The denadite as well!”
Clank! Chkk!
It worked!
“What’s next?!” Kang Chan asked.
One of the researchers gestured to a cable, and an agent pulled it.
Clank! Chkk!
Clank! Chkk!
Kang Chan removed the cable in front of him.
Clank! Chkk!
Only four cables left to pull!
Brrr!
At that moment, the building began to shake once more as the main engine emitted a red light.
They didn’t need orders anymore.
Clank! Chkk!
Clank! Chkk!
Just two more cables!
Kang Chan reached out to one of the last cables.
Whoosh!
Before he could get to it, however, a red light strong enough to make his eyes hurt spewed out.
Brrr! Du-du-du-du-du!
At the same time, the vibrations grew stronger.
Thud! Pow! Crash!
Kang Chan tightly held onto a cable and clung onto it. The light was bright enough to prevent him from looking up, so he turned his head to the side instead and pulled the cable’s connecting lever.
Clank! Chkk!
Brrr! Du-du-du-du-du!
The vibration was so strong that an agent holding onto the railing had to hold onto a researcher.
Whoosh! Bang!
The sound coming from the main engine changed. The red light rushed toward Kang Chan.
“Urgh!” Kang Chan screamed. Pain coursed through him, making him feel as if his heart was being stabbed and something was burrowing into his side.
BANG! Du-du-du-du-du!
Kang Chan fell to the ground. The pain had reached his spine—like a long knife piercing through it.
He didn’t lose strength this time, but agony seemed to devour him.
Son of a bitch! This was within my expectations, though!
A portion of the seven energies that spewed out had gone into his body.
The Blackhead was red, and so was Kang Chan.
Some went back into the Blackhead, and the rest seeped into Kang Chan!
They had to take from each other in this battle, but Kang Chan had no idea how to steal anything from the machine!
Bam!
Kang Chan grabbed onto a handrail and tried to stand up.
Du-du-du-du-du!
The researchers and the agents just held on for dear life.
“You son of a bitch!” Kang Chan yelled as he turned to the side.
BANG! Bang! Crack! Crack! Du-du-du-du-du!
The earthquake worsened enough for large cement pieces to start falling from the ceiling.
Clunk! Clunk!
“If I fall here—!” Kang Chan yelled when the rail he was depending on fell forward. Gritting his teeth, he used the momentum to tightly grab onto the last cable. The tips of his toes remained on the handrail, but the rest of his body dangled on the handrail. If he removed the valve, he would certainly fall to the bottom.
An agent rushed and tightly grabbed onto Kang Chan’s foot.
Clank! Chkk!
Whoosh!
An enormous group of lights surged toward Kang Chan.
‘Father…!’
The world turned black. Kang Chan lost consciousness.
***
Kim Seong-Woong sat on the sofa of a safety house in Hannam-dong. His eyes and expression clearly showed his displeasure. He reluctantly stood up when Hwang Ki-Hyun came inside the room.
“I’m Hwang Ki-Hyun, the Director of the National Intelligence Service.”
For formality’s sake, Kim Seong-Woong shook Hwang Ki-Hyun’s hand
“Have a seat,” Hwang Ki-Hyun offered.
An awkward silence filled the room as tea was served.
“Would you like a cup?”
“Mr. Director, if we’re here to talk about the investigation, then I’m letting you know now that whatever you say could be used for it later,” Kim Seong-Woong said.
“I see. Please have some tea.” Hwang Ki-Hyun pointed to the teacup. “I asked for a meeting with you in hopes that you’ll stop investigating Mr. Kang Chan, Prosecutor-General.”
Kim Seong-Woong tightly gritted his teeth as Hwang Ki-Hyun added, “An average of fifteen remarkable agents lose their lives every year in just Europe alone, and all we can do for them is engrave a star on the wall at the headquarters for their deaths. Even so, to this day, the agents still run to certain death without hesitation if that was what they had to do.”
“Even if you say something like that right now…”
“I asked Kang Chan to do everything for the development of South Korea. It’s true that I asked him to help us stand tall as a key member of the international community and as a truly powerful country now that the Eurasian Rail is connected.”
“Even if so, the crimes that he committed don’t just disappear,” Kim Seong-Woong argued.
“You have a fair point, but are you sure you’re persecuting the right person for those crimes?”
“Are you saying that you don’t trust South Korea’s prosecution?” Kim Seong-Woong asked.
Hwang Ki-Hyun exhaled softly. “The National Intelligence Service has finished investigating you and the prosecutors assigned to this case.”
His eyes became sharper, befitting a man of his title, as he continued, “All this time, believed I had to walk on the right path. It’s different now, though. No matter what the President says, I’m willing to face all the repercussions of my actions. Now, what do you think I should do in this situation? We have a North Korean agent in downtown Seoul right now. Their agents murdered the best commander of South Korea’s special forces.”
“Something like that happened?”
“I would have believed that you didn’t know about it if we didn’t have complete evidence that North Korean agents met with Chairperson Huh Ha-Soo, and that you met up with him twice as well. If I decided to, I could have the Prosecutor-General of South Korea arrested immediately for treason and harming South Korea’s military personnel and interests.”
Kim Seong-Woong tightly gritted his teeth.
“I know you find this unfair, but it doesn’t matter. For the sake of South Korea’s development, I’d be willing to accuse the Prosecutor-General of South Korea of committing a crime he didn’t even do,” Hwang Ki-Hyun continued.
“The other prosecutors won’t just take this lying down.”
“Don’t be too conceited. It seems you truly have no idea what the National Intelligence Service is capable of. The moment I decide to fight dirty, I can have the prosecution, the police, the administration, the military, the media, and every other organization out there completely under my control, all while pulling wool over the President’s eyes.”
Kim Seong-Woong gulped, his eyes showing his surprise. He couldn’t help but wonder if Hwang Ki-Hyun was really this powerful.
“Why did you ask to see me instead of doing that, then?”
“To give you a chance to play nice.”
‘So you’re planning on comforting me right after you slapped me?’
Kim Seong-Woong looked as if his pride was hurt.
“You won’t be able to stop Mr. Kang Chan if he gets angry. To make things worse, we’ll have to hand over such a man of talent to France as well. After all, I doubt he’d want to live in a country that gives his parents trouble. Unfortunately, that would also mean we’ll have to give up on our dream of connecting South Korea to the Eurasian Rail, which is what Japan, China, and the United States want,” Hwang Ki-Hyun said.
“If the National Intelligence Service can accuse me of treason, why not do that instead?”
An uncomfortable moment of silence passed as Hwang Ki-Hyun sharply looked at Kim Seong-Woong. “Mr. Kang Chan said that he’ll turn himself in. Please don’t mess with his parents until then. I’m sure you know that they’re innocent.”
“Is he really that important?” Kim Seong-Woong asked. The look that flashed in Hwang Ky-Hyun’s eyes surprised him.
“He connected South Korea to the Eurasian Rail and saved the President and Ambassador Lanok at the Presentation hall. I can’t tell you about the rest of what he’s done since then because it’s classified government information, but he has produced South Korea’s most brilliant accomplishments in the past fifty years,” Hwang Ki-Hyun answered.
Kim Seong-Woong grew curious.
“If Mr. Kang Chan is arrested, then a portion of the National Intelligence Service’s elite agents and a candidate to become a special forces commander will resign or apply to be transferred to the reserves. Lastly, the representatives of the Intelligence Bureaus of North Korea, Russia, Japan, and the United States will pray for your safety for the rest of their lives,” Hwang Ki-Hyun added.
He’s telling the truth!
Through clenched jaws, Kim Seong-Woong said, “Please release Chairperson Huh Ha-Soo.”
“Prosecutor-General, we only announced a few of the criminal charges on the opposition party because the President had to take South Korea’s dignity into consideration. If we publicize all of it, then the entire opposition party will be deemed amoral and dishonorable.”
“If so, then you leave me no choice but to handle Kang Chan and his father in accordance with the law.”
Hwang Ki-Hyun sighed. “Mr. Kang Chan will prove too much for you.”
“You’re looking down on the prosecution too much.” Kim Seong-Woon glared at Hwang Ki-Hyun, showing no intention to back down.
“Prosecutor-General, I support the President’s way of running the country. However, if you show keep pursuing your ulterior motives, then even the matters relating to Chairperson Huh Ha-Soo will disgrace even the Prosecution’s chief executives.” Hwang Ki-Hyun warned, ending the one-sided conversation. “I’ll be taking my leave now. I look forward to your wise judgment.”
Kim Seong-Woong glared at the door the NIS director walked out of.
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