code...name....ana...sta...sia

Prick your ears and listen

So is that guy the one who took the lead in developing 'Anastasia'? Did Morgan approach him with those assumptions and end up murdered? Although there is no specific evidence, it is clearly very suspicious.
Kwon Taek Joo was still thinking hard when Zhenya suddenly said, "I'm out of wine." Sure enough, the tray was full of empty glasses. If he were a normal waiter, he would return to the kitchen before the drinks were gone to maintain the party's professional style. But Kwon Taek Joo was so engrossed in what Zhenya had just said that he lost track of time. He turned his attention towards the kitchen hallway, the manager from before was glancing at him strangely.
"I have to go."
"Let's hear about this before that. I just saw Psych Bogdanov go upstairs. Alexei Perov and Yuri Levin also secretly followed."
Alexei Perov and Yurv Repin are Russia's Ministers of Defense and Foreign Ministers. The two and Psych Bogdanov have a secret meeting. So Kwon Taek Joo must find out what is going on.
"I'll cover you, so turn on your communicator."
Zhenya continued to demand as Kwon Taek Joo hurriedly tried to return to the kitchen. For some reason. his tone seemed light, as if something happy was about to happen. He wasn't sure if he could trust someone as shady as him. Kwon Taek Joo shook his head and crossed the hallway.
"Wait."
Although he tried to pretend not to see the manager standing in the aisle, he called Kwon Taek Joo over. He lifted the tray and covered his face.
"Did you forget the instructions? Do your work properly and move quickly."
"Yes. I remember"
"If it were me, I would take at least one more step instead of answering."
He took it upon himself to arrest others and then scold them again. Kwon Taek Joo controlled his emotions and ran through the hallway. The chef's screams still echoed in the kitchen. As soon as the waiters put down the empty trays, they were kicked out with new trays of food. Kwon Taek Joo had just stepped into the kitchen when someone took the empty tray from his hand
He quickly looked inside and noticed a corner of the kitchen where food was constantly piling up without being cleaned. While another waiter was facing the chef, Kwon Taek Joo approached the kitchen counter. The chefs of each department put a lot of effort into preparing ingredients, cooking dishes, presenting and decorating. But if a small action like pouring sauce goes wrong at the end, the dish will still be thrown in the trash mercilessly. As a result, trash piles up and spills onto the floor.
According to the mansion's diagram, there is a door leading from the material warehouse to the backyard. And waste is often disposed of in places that are not easily seen. Then there is no better place than the backyard.
Kwon Taek Joo lifted the heavy trash can. The kitchen staff are all too busy to pay attention to others. He walked around the kitchen counter and entered the ingredient warehouse. There is a side door on the opposite side. The door is locked from the inside so getting out is not a problem. What needs to be noted is the tight security outside. Sure enough, as soon as he opened the door to step out, Kwon Taek Joo was stopped by a bodyguard.
"What's up?"
"Ah, there's so much trash... If we don't take care of it right away, our chef will explode."
The bodyguard looked at Kwon Taek Joo and then looked at the trash can in his hand. Soon, eyes passed by Kwon Taek Joo and looked into the kitchen. The chef's frantic screams echoed through the open door. The guard seemed to understand the story. Kwon Taek Joo bowed and went to the landfill.
He took out the food waste while observing the entire building. If the two ministers and Psych Bogdanov were meeting secretly, then the first floor, where the party was being held, was not the ideal choice. Of course, even if the entire first floor was removed, there would still be a lot of empty rooms.
Kwon Taek Joo looked out over the entire mansion and then suddenly fixed his eyes on the room at the end of the 3rd floor. Because it was night, all the rooms had curtains drawn, but for some reason that room was the only exception. He didn't know why, but somehow he felt uncomfortable trying to ignore it. It would be better if you check it out a bit.
Kwon Taek Joo visualizes the general travel path. There are too many eyes watching inside so it's better to move from the outside. The backyard is quite quiet, the darkness of the building is also very suitable for hiding. Of course he had to clear the guards first.
Kwon Taek Joo returned to the ingredient warehouse with an empty trash can. The bodyguard from before was still observing the area. When Kwon Taek Joo approached, he turned around without question.
At that moment.
"..Gulp!"
A trash can was stacked on the bodyguard's head. When his vision was suddenly blocked, he immediately raised his gun. Kwon Taek Joo used his knee to kick that hand. The gun flew into the air and fell into Kwon Taek Joo's hand.
When the bodyguard threw the trash can off his head, Kwon Taek Joo hit him straight in the face. He groaned heavily and fell down holding his nose. It looked like his nose was broken from being punched straight in the face. Kwon Taek Joo frowned as if he was in pain, then attacked his opponent's weak point and defeated him. Then he pulled him close to the outside wall, where he was hidden in the darkness of the building. He looked around but no one seemed to feel anything suspicious..
Now all that's left is to climb the building. There are two ways. Descend from the roof with a rope or climb up from below.I don't know if it's luck or not, but thanks to the grand appearance of the building, there are quite a few places to set foot. While the front had to spend a lot of effort to ensure security, the back was extremely negligent. How lucky.
Then let's climb up. Kwon Taek Joo rolled up his shirt sleeve and took his watch out of his sleeve. He pointed the front of the watch toward the roof and pressed the button on the side. A nylon rope bounced across the space and shot up high. He pulled hard on the rope to check. The entire rope became tense as if it was clamped somewhere.
Kwon Taek Joo pressed the side button again. Immediately after that, the motor inside the watch starts and the wire is wound to a certain length. He began to climb the outside wall like he was climbing a mountain, putting all his weight on his left arm. Even though I slipped a few times because the shoe sole was slippery, it wasn't a big problem. On the contrary, the increasing gravity as he climbed higher was what made him uncomfortable. The watch exerted strong pressure on his wrist. It wouldn't be strange if his left wrist suddenly fell off.
It's a nylon line commonly used to catch large bluefin tuna, so it won't break easily. Of course, there are always exceptions. Even if the rope is strong, its strength cannot be guaranteed if it is repeatedly rubbed by sharp gold ornaments. And this is the moment.
Suddenly a sound like a broken bowstring entered his ears. At the same time, Kwon Taek Joo's left arm, which had been stretched painfully, suddenly became loose.
"...!"
Falling. He closed his eyes tightly, waiting for the shock to come. Suddenly his vision was blocked. His entire body reflexively shivered and all his senses were tense. The hair on his head also stood up. But a while has passed and Kwon Taek Joo still doesn't feel the pain as expected.
He slowly opened his eyes. Kwon Taek Joo's body floated in the air. As soon as the rope broke. he grabbed the third-floor window frame to avoid falling. The nylon rope supporting his body fell helplessly to the ground.
Kwon Taek Joo breathed a sigh of relief. It's dangerous. Anyway, compared to before, there was a time when he almost fell from a skyscraper nearly 110 meters high. He waited until his temporarily tense muscles and nerves gradually stabilized before climbing up to the window frame himself. After that, Kwon Taek Joo held his breath and looked around the room. "...Ha."
He couldn't hide his disappointment as soon as he got there, because the room at the end of the third floor was completely empty. There was no trace that anyone had been here.
Kwon Taek Joo turned his head to look at the other rooms. Given the scale of the mansion, each room is also very large, so moving between them is not easy even when they are on the same floor. Can you find Psych Bogdanov and the two ministers within the scheduled time? As Kwon Taek Joo was trying to concentrate, a clicking sound rang in his ears.
-This. Where are you?
It's Zhenya's voice. Only then did he remember the existence of the communication device. Kwon Taek Joo sat and rested on the windowsill for a while and sighed.
"I'm just wasting my time."
-If you've had fun playing around, now prick up your ears and listen.
What is he saying? Kwon Taek Joo was about to ask again when suddenly there seemed to be the sound of the door opening. The sound of the door closing was also heard clearly. Although he didn't know what was going on, Kwon Taek Joo instinctively lowered his breathing and focused on the signs he could feel. In addition to the sound of doors opening and closing, there seemed to be whispers of conversation.
There were definitely 3 people talking, each of them had a different tone of voice. But the voice transmitted through the communication device is different from the real voice. So it's difficult to confirm whether Psych Bogdanov is there or not. Kwon Taek Joo decided to listen to their private conversation a little more.
-How is the progress of SS-29?
-Waiting for news from Sonchev. They said they were looking for experts to solve SS-29's errors. It seems he's quite busy, especially since he didn't attend the party today. Sonchev said he would contact me soon, so let's wait and see.
-What does North Korea say about this error?
-They said this was an unexpected incident. There were no such errors during the experimental study.
A satisfied smile appeared on Kwon Taek Joo's lips. In Russia, the designation 'SS number' is mainly used to refer to intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs for short. For example, the official name of 'Satan', said to be the most powerful ICBM of the former Soviet era, is 'SS-18'. Therefore, there is a high possibility that the 'SS-29' they are talking about is a similar type of nuclear weapon.
In addition, the 'Sonchev' mentioned in the conversation is a Slavic mafia group. The weapon known as 'SS-29' appears to be in the hands of that company. After all, he was probably closely related to the Bogdanov family. Otherwise, there would be no reason to hold an event like today at the Bogdanov mansion. Furthermore, it seems that even North Korea is involved in the development of this weapon. Could 'SS-29' be 'Anastasia'?
-What about the moves of the Americans?
-It's still very quiet. We got rid of the mouse that snuck in, so maybe they were more cautious, but what difference did it make? Thev're still in a situation where they can't claim the body
If it was a rat that snuck in, were they talking about Morgan's death? Nuclear weapons being secretly developed in Russia, North Korean intervention, US surveillance and spies eliminated. Every situation is correct. But that's just speculation, there's still no concrete evidence.
The conversation stopped for a moment. Kwon Taek Joo heard the door open and close. Did someone just leave the room? He vaguely speculated, but Zhenya recounted the situation in the room.
- Bogdanov has left the room. Looks like he's about to get a phone call
Kwon Taek Joo said "Ah" and tilted his head. A question that he hadn't realized while he was eavesdropping suddenly popped into his head. Where is Zhenya anyway? How could he know Psych Bogdanov's movements so clearly?
"What just happened, how did you know that?"
-Well, just now there was a girl named Olga who said she would take me around the mansion. Is there any reason to refuse? So I followed and inserted a listening device into the keyhole of the room where they gathered.
'Olga' is the youngest daughter of Visarion Romanovich. Olga Vissarionovna.
At this point, Kwon Taek Joo was more curious about Zhenya's identity than 'Anastasia'. What the hell was he doing, being invited to a party like this and wandering around haphazardly inside the heavily guarded Bogdanov family mansion?
"Where are you now?"
-Control room in the basement.
"What are you doing there?"
-I'm watching someone...
Zhenya paused for a moment then continued.
-...Someone almost fell from the third floor.
There was a slight laugh in his voice. Kwon Taek Joo immediately turned around to look for something. Not long after, he saw a surveillance camera installed in the corner of the wall outside. He raised his middle finger towards the sparkling lens without hesitation. Immediately after, a loud laugh rang out from the other end of the communication device.
Zhenya smiled excitedly for a moment then asked again in surprise.
- Why are you hanging there?
Kwon Taek Joo didn't answer, there was nothing to explain.
He looked at the clock and it was almost 3 am. The reason Psych Bogdanoy left was because of a phone call. Is it an important call that needs to take priority over work? Kwon Taek Joo suddenly remembered part of the conversation he had just heard earlier.
"The phone call that Psych went to receive, was it from Sonchev?"
-Let's see, I don't know either. But it's okay to test it. When visiting the mansion earlier, I saw a landline phone at the end of the hallway on the second floor. There's one in Bogdanov's office, too. Of course, the two lines were different so calls could only be received directly at his office.
"But is there a way to receive calls?"
Kwon Taek Joo asked while looking down. The place Zhenya mentioned was not far from his current location. As long as you open the door to the room downstairs, it will be right in front of you. The important thing is probably to see if there is protection there or not, but the approach doesn't seem to be very difficult.
-Uhm. If you can move from where you are to there in 8 seconds.
Looks like the line is connected. What matters is timing. All Kwon Taek Joo had to do was get to the phone within eight seconds and pick up the receiver in the hallway at the same time as Psych Bogdanov picked up the receiver in the office. Of course, it's easy to say, but if you deviate even a little, it will be very troublesome.
Kwon Taek Joo nodded towards the CCTV then took out a piece of gum and put it in his mouth. He stood up and put his feet on the window frame, as if the wall clinging to his back was pushing his body down. Kwon Taek Joo did not have time to prepare safety equipment. 8 seconds is not a very long time. Kwon Taek Joo took a deep breath and jumped straight down.
As soon as he fell, he caught something. It was the window frame on the second floor. His knuckles, wrists, and even elbows were all sore from the fall, but he still gritted his teeth and climbed up. 3 seconds passed before he landed safely on the window frame.
-This is quite good, isn't it?
Zhenya watched the situation and chuckled. While Kwon Taek Joo was struggling to do everything, he was happily sitting and looking at the computer screen.
He continued to ignore him and took out a lighter. At first glance, it is a regular Zippo lighter. But when Kwon Taek Joo opened the lid, a long and thin tube like a screwdriver appeared. He bent it and turned it on. A ray of light flashed at the end of the tube. Kwon Taek Joo placed the chewing gum on the glass door and then used the flame of the lighter to draw a circle around it. Then, he took the piece of gum and gently pulled it out, a round piece of glass was cut out without making any sound. He gently placed it on the window sill, then reached into the circle and unlocked it. The window opened with a click. After looking around once, Kwon Taek Joo walked inside.
He walked like a cat, gingerly and quickly approached the door, then put his ear close to the door and carefully listened to the activities outside. It's so quiet. Kwon Taek Joo quietly opened the door and went out. He turned his head to the right and saw the table at the end of the hallway. The phone Zhenya mentioned was also on there.
Just as he was about to walk towards the table, Zhenya's
voice rang in his ears again.
-I will give a signal so please synchronize properly.
Kwon Taek Joo grabbed the receiver and nodded. Just then, Zegna started counting from the other end of the radio.
- Three
He took a deep breath.
- Two
Kwon Taek Joo looked back again and checked to see if anyone was approaching.
- One
As soon as the counting sound came, power was transmitted to the hand holding the receiver.
-Hear it.
Kwon Taek Joo picked up the receiver immediately. Absolutely no sound at all. Not only was the other side of the phone silent, but Zhenya also didn't say anything. It seems that no one other than Kwon Taek Joo himself is holding the receiver. His mouth was dry.
Are you wrong again? Kwon Taek Joo held the stethoscope tightly and waited for a sound.
Is it the sound of the wind blowing? Without warning, Psych Bogdanov's voice rang out from the other end of the receiver.
-Right on time. Just when I was talking about that
-I just made an agreement with that party.
-So how's it going?
-I will send a technician from North Korea.
-This is the good news among the news I have heard. So when will it be sent?
-We will depart tomorrow. Probably going to Moscow the day after tomorrow.
-You have to be careful not to let the rats follow you like last time.
-This time he will disguise himself as a Chinese tourist so even Americans will have a hard time recognizing him.
-Continue to follow. Don't forget to report the situation regularly
-Yes, of course.
The call was quickly disconnected. The conversation is said in a vague manner and avoids direct mention. This probably means they are being cautious. Thanks to that. Kwon Taek Joo's confidence was strengthened.
He was still holding the stethoscope. Kwon Taek Joo planned to wait until Psych hung up first. But at that moment, a roar from nowhere came from the communication device in his ear.
For a moment, a pain as if being stabbed with an awl penetrated his ear and brain. Kwon Taek Joo nelt down and hugged his head as if it was about to explode. He immediately pulled out his communication device and threw it away, but the echo of that loud noise continued to echo in his head.
His forehead was drenched in cold sweat and a chill ran down his spine. In utter confusion, even his vision was blurred and his heart was pounding. I don't understand why the communication equipment that was working normally suddenly had problems. If it was this loud, Psych Bogdanov would have heard it too.
Damn, the bad prediction has come true. A gunshot suddenly rang out outside the mansion. Because of the recent chaos, Zhenya also seemed to have been discovered by the security guard. First of all, you have to avoid it.
"...Damned."
Kwon Taek Joo barely had any strength left to stand up. His legs trembled without strength. He held his aching head and tried to run down the hallway and his mind still hadn't returned to normal. He couldn't immediately find a way out of the situation, and he didn't know where to run. He just ran blindly.