Chapter 110
I Picked It Up
It was past midnight. Hong Yu-geon entered an officetel near Seodaemun district Station in Seoul.
After going upstairs and pressing the doorbell of room 1414, the door opened.
"Mr. Hong!"
Inside was Go Mi-ah.
She wore an extremely dejected look, thanks to the recent, abruptly cut-off reports about Kang In-hyuk's incident.
"Should I say it's been a while?"
"What's going on? Ah, come in first."
As the door locked, Hong Yu-geon sat at the dining table. He took out a USB from his pocket and put it on the table.
"The CEO told me to give this to you in case of emergency."
"What is this? And why can't I reach the CEO on the phone?"
Go Mi-ah picked up the USB with a puzzled expression.
"If there's a problem, it's probably due to a dead phone battery or tracking, right?"
"Really?"
With that explanation, Go Mi-ah walked over to her computer and plugged in the USB.
A folder opened automatically, revealing its contents. Program files were inside.
"This is..."
"Do you know what it is?"
At his question, Go Mi-ah opened the source code of the program and checked it line by line.
"This is the base code of a deepfake program called Ecoskin, which a foreign IT company was developing recently. But why does the CEO have this?"
"I have no idea. He just handed it over before splitting from Russia. Told me to give it to you in case something happened."
"I heard the security at the company that made this is no joke."
As she muttered quietly, her eyes caught sight of another file. There, messages left by In-hyuk were recorded one by one in numbered notes.
【1. Try combining your old 3D modeling code and lightweight code with the Ecoskin code.】
【2. The completion deadline is, at the latest, three days from now.】
【3. Leave messages using Ghost Link to mark the start and completion of the task.】
Go Mi-ah's eyes half-closed in exasperation.
"This... This is more of a work order than a letter, right?"
"Looks that way to me, too."
"But how did this guy know I created the 3D modeling code? Did he break into my server or something?"
"Come on! No matter how good the CEO is, even for him, that would be hard, wouldn't it?"
Go Mi-ah checked for any intrusion records on her server first.
Of course, Kang In-hyuk had never accessed it, nor did he have the ability to break in, so she found nothing.
"There really is nothing..."
"You actually checked for real... But can you do it in three days?"
"I guess he means for me not to sleep and just build it. Same as with that TN SOFT job last time—he sure finds it natural to work me to death."
Bzzz—Bzzz—
At that moment, Go Mi-ah's phone rang.
"Hm? It's the CEO."
"Pick it up quickly."
Since Kang In-hyuk's phone had been off until just now and they'd been unable to contact him, Hong Yu-geon urged her.
Go Mi-ah pressed the call and speakerphone button.
"CEO! What's going on?"
With her question, In-hyuk's voice came through the receiver.
[As you know, things got a little complicated over here. Did Yu-geon give you the USB?]
"I'm here too. I just handed it over and checked."
In-hyuk sounded somewhat relieved after hearing this.
[That's a relief. Mi-ah, please follow the instructions written there.]
"Ah, but how did you know I made the 3D modeling code?"
She'd been bothered by that from earlier.
[Is there anything I wouldn't know about you all?]
"Always dodging the question... So, when are you coming back? The news about the CEO is causing chaos right now. Some say you're dead."
[I'm not dead, so that's fine.]
"Then why the three-day deadline? And where did you get the base code for the Ecoskin program?"
In-hyuk calmly explained.
[It's a company I invested in early on through Norman. We also hold a share of their stock.]
"Really?"
[Later, we'll be collaborating with Plusystems, like with TN SOFT. Think of this as preliminary work to prepare for that.]
Go Mi-ah's expression grew deeply troubled.
"Don't you think giving only three days for prep work before a collaboration is too much? Two months just for a test sample and verification would be normal for a project like this!"
[I know you can do it.]
"Seriously—!"
When the thoroughly exasperated Go Mi-ah shouted, Hong Yu-geon, beside her, broke in.
"CEO! Where are you right now?"
[I can't say. I'm on the move for now.]
"Are you still being chased by them?"
[It's safe for the moment. But you never know, so I have to be careful.]
"What about us coming to you?"
[The risk of being tracked increases too much, so no. Stay there and protect Mi-ah and Secretary Heo. Stay low and don't do anything conspicuous until I return.]
A long sigh escaped Hong Yu-geon's lips.
"That's not our concern. Just focus on coming back safely, CEO."
[Got it. Then please, Mi-ah, I'm counting on you.]
Once the call ended, Go Mi-ah clutched her head in frustration.
"This crazy CEO! Always trying to work me to death!"
Because of In-hyuk's orders, she had done an incredible amount of work—collaborating with TN SOFT, code cracking, rebuilding the security system and servers for Taeshin Asset Management, working on the Plusystems program, and more.
Having seen so much of it all, Hong Yu-geon understood how she felt.
"Neither the CEO nor you seem very normal..."
. . .
After his call, In-hyuk sat in a Siberian express train, watching the pitch-black night landscape whiz past the window to the raucous sound of the train.
The current location was aboard the Trans-Siberian Railway from Vladivostok to Moscow, a distance of about 9,000 km.
"With this, I've broken through their encirclement. Though I'll know for sure only once I reach the airport."
After leaving the connecting car and heading inside, he saw Tae Ju-ha sitting covered with a blanket around her middle row seat.
"Weren't you sleeping?"
"I saw you heading out for a call. Did you phone Korea?"
"I called Hong Yu-geon. Things are still noisy on their end about our disappearance."
A downcast look crossed Tae Ju-ha's face.
"If we go to Moscow like this... will we really be able to return safely to Korea?"
"As long as things go according to plan."
"Why do you never tell me what the plan actually is?"
"Telling you wouldn't help, CEO. It'd just give you more worries for nothing."
At this point, In-hyuk's sole objective was to get Tae Ju-ha back to Korea safely.
There were many matters along the way that he could not reveal, so he had no option but to keep secrets.
Tae Ju-ha stared intently at In-hyuk.
"I heard we had nothing after falling from the car. But you somehow procured food, clothes, cash—and even got us on a train without passports... How did you do it?"
"I picked them up."
"Are you really going to be like this?"
Most of what she just mentioned had actually come via a task broker from the underworld.
But since that was also not something that could be talked about, In-hyuk just shrugged.
* * *
【Taeshin Asset Management CEO Tae Ju-ha, division director Kang In-hyuk missing in Russia for nine days. Even though the company had shown tremendous recent growth and potential, there's been no news of these two business leaders. Not even a body was found beneath the Amur Bridge, where their vehicle was discovered...】
【Two armed bodies discovered near the Amur Bridge. Tae Ju-ha and Kang In-hyuk suspected as primary targets of the attack... Russian investigative authorities have announced they're coordinating with the home country's embassy to proceed with the investigation...】
.
.
Im Deok-chang anxiously read the news in the office of the third deputy director of the National Intelligence Service.
It had already been nearly ten days, and the bodies of Shikai and Kedrick—who had been sent on the previous mission—had been discovered by the authorities.
and yet, not a trace of Kang In-hyuk or Tae Ju-ha had been found, making his unease grow.
"Surely... they're not dead out there, are they?"
Tae Ju-ha's death would've been a welcome event, but not Kang In-hyuk's.
Given that the bodies of his agents had been discovered, it was less likely the two had died.
It probably meant unexpected parties had saved them.
But then again, there was no reason for these two to remain missing for this long.
Bzzz—Bzzz—
At that moment, his phone rang, and the codename "KIRIN," belonging to Li Weicheng, appeared on the screen.
He immediately answered, and Li Weicheng's voice came through.
[Hyottoko. While reviewing CCTV at Yakutsk Airport, I spotted Gordon Grimes.]
"What?! Are you sure?"
A message containing a photo arrived. Just as Li Weicheng had said, it showed a clear shot of Gordon Grimes, who had previously been seen in Hong Kong.
"Did you confirm where he went?"
[He passed through the arrivals area and walked outside, but we lost him when he reached a CCTV blind spot. And Yakutsk has no nearby towns—Oymyakon is the closest, but it's about 1,600 km away by car.]
"So he must have gone there for a reason."
[That appears to be the case.]
Im Deok-chang's headache worsened.
Gordon Grimes was someone he had to contact without fail, regarding the TN SOFT incident he had failed at previously and also for future objectives.
He could request Hannya to send additional personnel to search Yakutsk.
But that might undermine his own standing even further.
"What's our current deployment?"
[I'm in Yakutsk, with one agent each at Vladivostok Airport and port, khabarovsk Airport, and Tynda Airport—all searching.]
They were blocking potential exit routes from Vladivostok.
"Everyone, stop your current searching and regroup in Yakutsk."
[Are we not calling for extra support?]
"Securing Gordon Grimes is the priority right now. Do as I ordered."
There were also agents stationed at domestic airports and harbors.
Though they weren't WID agents, the National Intelligence Service had uncovered enough to know how to use them—since they had no scruples about dirty work.
[Okay, I'll gather the agents and begin the search.]
"Do that. Ah, check all immigration records thoroughly. The Yakutsk airport is small, so there's bound to be something."
[Understood.]
Because there was still no trace of Kang In-hyuk and Tae Ju-ha, his attention had to turn to more pressing matters.
Their call ended this way.
Knock knock—
As if he had been waiting, assistant agent Choi Dong-hoon walked in.
"What is it?"
Choi Dong-hoon did not look happy.
"We just got word from Division 1... It sounds like there's been an incident off the Gulf of Guinea."
He was referring to the case of a Notex company vessel pirated in the Gulf of Guinea.
Even with the Korean government involved, the case remained unresolved.
But now there was word of an incident, and Im Deok-chang frowned in confusion.
"The Gulf of Guinea... is that the Delta Scourge carrying Hwain Techon's slush funds? What went wrong?"
"Delta Scourge has reportedly been attacked."
"... What? Even with hostages on board? Where? Don't tell me—the Portuguese government forces?"
As his questions piled up, Choi Dong-hoon's face looked even more grim.
"According to the investigation, the attackers were identified as Oruch Al Pasha. They've clashed with Delta Scourge often, and attacked during the fund transfer, wiping them out."
Im Deok-chang's face turned pale.
"Are you saying all the funds were stolen?"
"That appears to be the case."
It was about $1.4 billion USD.
In Korean won, that was about 2 trillion—a volume that would fill about half of a standard 20ft container with $100 bills.
"Then the Organization will mobilize agents en masse."
"I think agents in both Europe and Africa will be recalled."
From the beginning, the Delta Scourge's hijacking had all been faked.
It was a setup to move the container of cash via Notex, erase its trace by faking a hijacking, then launder the money and pass it to the Organization.
But an accident had occurred in the middle—so the Organization definitely wouldn't let it go.
"This will make it even harder to get extra manpower."
He had only just mobilized agents to search for Gordon Grimes.
But since they couldn't give up the search for Kang In-hyuk and Tae Ju-ha either, he decided to ask Hannya, wID's head, for help when the moment was right.
Now, with the Delta Scourge incident causing all the agents to regroup, even that was in jeopardy.
Im Deok-chang let out a long sigh and buried his head in his hands.