Chapter 62

Chapter 62

The day Yi-hyeon departed on his business trip(?) to China.

Yi-hyeon and Lee Seung-uk would first fly to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific. After spending a day there, they would continue to Xi'an. Branch President Lee Jung-ho had planned the entire itinerary.

In the trade(?), this was known as shaking off the dust before moving. It meant using deception to lose any tails that might have attached themselves to an operative before a mission.

"Since certain forces in China and America are already trying to abduct you, Representative, you need to travel under a false identity and cut off anyone following you. But if you do it too mechanically, they'll notice. That's why deception is essential."

Yi-hyeon looked at Lee Jung-ho and gave a rueful laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"It's just absurd. Thinking back to how I used to crawl around in the field during my military service, I realize I was nothing more than a pawn on a chessboard."

He was referring to his former habit of charging into action with little thought beyond the immediate situation. But Lee Jung-ho grew serious.

"Not at all. No operations officer can draw up a viable plan if he doubts the abilities of his field operatives. I know your military capabilities better than anyone, Representative. A man like you is worth more than a hundred mediocre operatives. The reason you're personally taking action now is that your capabilities are overwhelmingly superior. Thanks to that, the operations I devise have become much easier."

At last, Yi-hyeon's expression relaxed into a smile.

"I was called an ace plenty of times in the military, but hearing that from you feels different, President."

"Haha. That's an unusually modest thing to say for the finest specialist in the history of the 707th."

Once his conversation with Yi-hyeon ended, Lee Jung-ho separately summoned Lee Seung-uk, who would be accompanying him.

"Your role is absolutely critical. Nobody knows how large our organization will eventually become, but at this stage, the representative's safety matters above everything else. I'll say it again. Your primary duty isn't 'following the representative's orders.' It's 'protecting the representative.' Understood?"

"Yes, sir!"

Lee Seung-uk answered with shining eyes. He, too, was filled with determination.

"If anything happens, contact me before anyone else··· And if a situation turns dangerous, you will die before the representative does. Don't expect any compensation for it, either."

Hearing Lee Jung-ho's quiet but unmistakably firm voice, Lee Seung-uk answered with a trembling voice.

"I will. Without fail."

Lee Jung-ho studied Lee Seung-uk's eyes, nodded expressionlessly, and added,

"If something happens to you··· I'll remember you, and so will the representative. Isn't that enough for a man?"

His voice dropped still lower. The last words were barely more than an inward murmur, but Lee Seung-uk heard them perfectly.

Instead of answering, Lee Seung-uk snapped to attention.

And so the two men departed under assumed identities. Lee Myeong-hun's Nonhyeon-dong team deliberately remained in Seoul. This was another form of deception: the team would continue operating exactly as usual, creating the impression that Yi-hyeon was still in the city.

Meanwhile, at the NIS, Yu Min-seon was seething. She was reporting on Yi-hyeon's movements to Director Lee Gyu-seong.

"Argh! Damn it! I should be going with him."

She practically stamped her feet as she looked at Director Lee Gyu-seong, but he didn't budge.

"You just want to go over there and drink baijiu, don't you? There's plenty of work for you here. Keep a close eye on that Burgundy team or whatever they're called. And make sure you're watching those agency bastards who sided with Burgundy at Incheon Airport."

He was referring to the NIS 'contamination' incident, the investigation aimed at rooting out a fifth column. But Yu Min-seon was beside herself with frustration. Following Yi-hyeon would undoubtedly lead to one exciting incident after another. Instead, she was stuck in Korea, carrying out mind-numbingly tedious surveillance and analysis.

* * *

Xi'an.

Today, it is the capital of China's Shaanxi Province, but in ancient times it was known as Chang'an. It was particularly famous as the capital of the Tang dynasty, when it served as a center where cultures and goods from across the world converged. Northeast of central Xi'an lie the renowned Terracotta Army pits near the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang. Travel a little farther northeast, and one reaches the city of Weinan.

Somewhere near that boundary stood an old estate.

Above its main gate hung a sign reading Shanxi Xingyi School. The wooden board had been painted white and inscribed with black characters, but the colors had faded so badly that it looked thoroughly shabby.

Xingyiquan, or Xingyi Fist, is classified among the representative internal martial arts practiced in modern China. Xingyiquan, Tai Chi, and Baguazhang are generally grouped together as internal martial arts.

Judging by the inclusion of the geographical name Shanxi, this was probably a branch school descended from the original Xingyi tradition. People certainly loved giving things names.

Yi-hyeon and Lee Seung-uk were eating beef noodles at a restaurant near the Xingyi School's estate. Summer was approaching, but the wind was strong here, and the weather remained chilly.

"Ugh, this damned dust."

Lee Seung-uk grumbled softly as he lifted his bowl and ate the noodles. The dust really was unusually bad around here. There were even forests nearby, yet yellow dust kept blowing through the air.

"Hmm. The broth is good, but this beef is terribly tough."

Lee Seung-uk agreed with Yi-hyeon's complaint.

"Right? Beef tastes best when it's Korean beef grilled over charcoal."

They had sought out the restaurant because it was supposedly the oldest and most famous noodle shop in the area, but the beef in the broth was tough. Shaanxi Province naturally received little rainfall and had mountainous terrain, so rice paddies were scarce. Wheat and corn were produced in abundance instead. Naturally, noodle dishes made from wheat had become a prominent part of the regional cuisine.

The two men were dressed as tourists. Both were young with short hair, so anyone seeing them would probably assume they were university students on a backpacking trip. Their backpacks really did contain passports, a little cash in dollars and yuan, and plenty of tourist brochures for nearby attractions.

Neither man was carrying a firearm.

The advance team sent by Lee Jung-ho had somehow already secured a substantial supply of weapons, but Yi-hyeon and Lee Seung-uk were completely 'clean.' This was a precaution against the possibility of being stopped and searched.

Their passports were Singaporean, too. Following Lee Jung-ho's arrangements, the pair had disappeared again after reaching Hong Kong, assumed the identities of Singaporean travelers, and made their way here. It was disguise layered upon disguise.

Lee Jung-ho had gone to such lengths because he knew what Yi-hyeon intended to do here. There was absolutely no chance of the operation ending quietly.

After some time, a group of three tourists entered the restaurant and sat nearby. One was Asian, while the other two were Westerners. They laughed and chatted loudly in English, then placed their orders with the owner in clumsy Chinese. While the other customers' attention was drawn toward them, the Westerner sitting beside Yi-hyeon spoke quietly without even looking in his direction.

"Boss, there's nothing unusual around the estate. We haven't spotted anyone conducting surveillance nearby, either. Tonight would be a good time to strike."

These three were the advance team Lee Jung-ho had dispatched to conduct reconnaissance and acquire weapons.

"Is Chen Guoliang inside?"

Yi-hyeon asked without turning his head.

Chen Guoliang was the name he'd extracted from Song Mei during her interrogation. He was supposedly connected to the MSS.

The Westerner nodded slightly before answering.

"We confirmed that he entered the estate two days ago, and nobody has seen him leave since. We believe he's still inside."

"It would be nice if the bastard would come outside."

That would make things much easier. They could simply seize him somewhere convenient. Unfortunately, the man had apparently shut himself inside the estate two days earlier and hadn't emerged since.

Surely he hadn't sensed something suspicious?

Yi-hyeon and Lee Seung-uk visited several nearby tourist attractions, bought souvenirs, and took photographs. Of course, their appearances were completely different from their real ones.

Yi-hyeon had hesitated a little while still in Seoul, but eventually he'd revealed his ability to alter his appearance to Lee Jung-ho.

"Oh! Remarkable. When we first met, I could tell you'd accumulated considerable internal energy, but I never imagined you were capable of this···."

Rather than making a great fuss, Lee Jung-ho's eyes had lit up as he immediately began considering the possibilities.

"With an ability like this, Representative, we'll have an enormous advantage in covert operations. If we prepare appropriate passports and identities, the chances of your true identity being discovered will be almost nonexistent. All we need to do is establish a convincing alibi for you in Seoul."

He was referring to the double he'd mentioned before. And as he spoke, he grinned broadly.

* * *

That night, at the Shanxi Xingyi School.

Yi-hyeon and Lee Seung-uk stood quietly against the estate wall. This was a secluded section backed by a hillside, where no pedestrians passed.

Yi-hyeon listened for a moment before speaking briefly to Lee Seung-uk.

"Let's go in."

He stepped away from the wall, walked backward several paces, then sprang forward.

Whoosh!

Yi-hyeon caught the top of the wall, which stood just under three meters high, with one hand and vaulted over it smoothly.

Watching him, Lee Seung-uk also ran forward, caught the top of the wall, and quickly climbed over. He didn't even bother worrying whether someone was waiting inside. His experiences with Yi-hyeon in America had taught him better.

As expected, there was nobody in the direction Yi-hyeon chose. Then again, what could a rural martial arts school like this possibly possess that was valuable enough to warrant guards?

The grounds were more dilapidated than they'd appeared from outside. Weeds grew thickly in corners of the courtyard, and the lamps mounted on iron poles were unlit, leaving the area dark. Still, as befitted a Chinese estate, the grounds were expansive.

After wandering around for some time, Yi-hyeon muttered,

"We need to find someone who can tell us where Chen Guoliang is. Ah, someone's coming."

Lee Seung-uk, who had been following silently behind Yi-hyeon, tensed. Sure enough, a moment later, someone rounded the corner of a building and approached.

"Go grab him."

Yi-hyeon glanced at Lee Seung-uk as he spoke, and Seung-uk immediately rushed forward without a word.

"Huh? Who are···?"

The approaching man was startled to see Lee Seung-uk charging straight at him. He opened his mouth to speak, but Seung-uk's hand closed around his throat before he could finish.

Dragging the man into the shade of a tree where Yi-hyeon waited, Lee Seung-uk forced him down and questioned him. Naturally, he used the few Chinese phrases he'd learned specifically for this situation.

"Where's Chen Guoliang?"

"Uh···."

Seeing the terrified man stammering, Lee Seung-uk twisted his face into a menacing scowl.

"I asked where Chen Guoliang is."

"Over···."

Finally understanding what he was being asked, the man muttered something and pointed behind him. Presumably, he was indicating the direction of Chen Guoliang's quarters. Come to think of it, this damned estate was unnecessarily large and had far too many buildings.

When Lee Seung-uk looked back in frustration, Yi-hyeon stepped forward.

"Let's go."

Yi-hyeon grabbed the man by the scruff of his neck and pulled him upright.

"Which way?"

"Uh···."

The man stumbled along beside them. He wasn't entirely sure what was happening, but he had the unmistakable feeling that these men would kill him on the spot if he refused to obey.

The three walked quietly between the buildings. Most were dark, but eventually they reached a two-story structure with lights shining inside.

"Chen Guoliang is in there?"

At Yi-hyeon's question, the man nodded vigorously. He wasn't entirely certain himself, but since they were looking for Chen Guoliang, he'd brought them to the man's quarters.

Tap.

Yi-hyeon pressed the back of the man's neck, putting him to sleep, while Lee Seung-uk quietly approached the building.

At the same time, two more men entered from the eastern side of the building. Their companions had arrived according to their earlier instructions. All were professionals, and they made virtually no noise.

Lee Seung-uk sent his location through his phone.

This was one of the inconvenient aspects of civilian operations. They couldn't freely use satellite communication devices as they had in the military. Lee Jung-ho had said he would devise an alternative, so they would have to wait.

Yi-hyeon sensed several people inside the building. Three on the first floor and one on the second. Was that last person asleep?

Lee Seung-uk moved beside the front entrance. Then he quietly pulled the door open.

Inside, exactly as Yi-hyeon had sensed, three men were seated around a table. They had spread food across it and were eating.

"Huh? Who are you?"

One of the three rose and pointed at Lee Seung-uk while questioning him. Naturally, he spoke Chinese, but Lee Seung-uk had no reason to answer.

Whoosh!

Lee Seung-uk swept toward the table like the wind and casually extended his hand toward the man who had just stood up.

Thud!

"Urgh."

Struck near the jaw, the man toppled backward along with his chair, making a considerable noise.

"Damn it."

Lee Seung-uk clicked his tongue, but the disturbance had already become somewhat loud.

Yi-hyeon moved as well. The remaining two men were rising from their seats. Their movements, however, were far from ordinary.

Crash!

As they stood, they kicked their wooden chairs backward and assumed fighting stances.

"Is that Xingyi Fist?"

Yi-hyeon asked quietly. Since he'd asked in Korean, nobody there could answer him, and he had no particular intention of hearing a reply anyway.

Swish!

Yi-hyeon sank low and slid forward, bringing both men within his striking range in an instant.

"Hah!"

"Hiyah!"

With subdued shouts, the two men attacked his head and abdomen respectively. Their techniques were rough but carried considerable force.

"I'd like to see a little more of your techniques···."

Yi-hyeon murmured as he stepped closer and extended his left hand. It had already intercepted the hand striking toward his face.

"But I'm out of time."

As he finished speaking, he snapped his foot upward toward the fist aimed at his abdomen.

Thud!

Although he struck both men simultaneously, it sounded almost as though he'd delivered only one blow. Both collapsed together with muffled cries.

"Khup!"

"Ugh!"

The first floor fell silent.

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