CNA BOOK 6 - 1 (2/1)

CNA BOOK 6 (OR 1 OF NOVEL II)

T/N: There are some sections in the first two chapters that don't have the best translation. The rest should be good.

1. REBOOT

The outskirts of Havana, the capital of Cuba. The town, far from the city centre, was deserted even in broad daylight. The faded asphalt roads were covered with dust all day long. Old trucks and bicycles occasionally passed by. The buildings lined up along the narrow streets had no corners that were intact. Each had cracks on its exterior walls and even its paint was peeling of f in an ugly manner.

Power lines, tangled like vines, stretched along the walls and connected to each window . The occasional sound of a TV or radio from the always-open windows proved that this was not a ruin. The only apartment in the town was in a similar situation. Due to the hot weather all year round, The walls and doors were so thin that it was dif ficult to expect even the slightest soundproofing. When the neighbour 's door opened and closed, the vibration was transmitted as it was. The wooden windows, which had lost their security function, also served as blinds to block the hot sunlight, and even that had rotted away from the intermittent heavy rain.

Not only the Internet, but even communication was not working properly . It seemed that time

passed slowly only there. The air that had been warm even at night began to boil with the sunrise. If you went out in the blazing sun, the soles of your rubber slippers would quickly become sticky . Going out was only conceivable in the late afternoon when the heat had died down. It was around that

time that the front door of the house on the third floor , which had been quiet day and night, opened.

The one who came out was an Asian holding an action cam. A man sitting in the hallway

cooling of, a woman hanging laundry in the courtyard, and an old man looking out the

window all glanced at the stranger .

"So far, I've introduced the inside of the house where I'll be living for a week. Now , I'll go on

a light town tour to familiarise myself with the surrounding geography . The structure here is a bit unusual. It's a corridor-type apartment with a courtyard in the shape of a Korean

consonant. I heard there used to be a lot of apartments like this in Korea. If you look, there's a central staircase leading to the courtyard. There are also stairs at both ends of the corridor that lead outside. I don't think there's an elevator . Well, it's a three-story apartment. Okay , If you come out like this, it' s the scenery I showed you through the window earlier , right? There are small shops and ordinary houses, but since there are no signs, it' s not easy to tell where they are. It' s still daylight, but there are hardly any people passing by . Since the weather in Cuba is so hot, I think everyone is resting inside.

Actually , I just got out, but I want to go back in. I feel like I'm in a steam room because I can' t breathe. I heard that it rains a lot here too."

The Asian man kept talking to the camera. Judging from his clothes and actions, he seemed like a typical tourist. More precisely , he was a content creator who recorded and shared his daily life through video

.

"Actually , there's not much to see here. There are no special or historical places, and it's more like a normal residential area. It would be nice if there were more stores, but there are only three restaurants. There are no decent cafes, and no convenience stores. There's a

supermarket over there. Should we go there for now?"

After taking pictures of every corner of the town for a while, the Asian man approached a

nearby store. It was a place selling food and sundries with a single, scratched glass display

case and a couple of shelves. They had less than twenty items. The store owner was nervous at the appearance of a stranger. He secretly turned his back on his young daughter who was playing next to him. Hide behind. The Asian tourist shoved his camera toward them without hesitation.

"This is the only soup shop in town. It's like a hole-in-the-wall shop, so there aren't many

kinds of products. Just drinks, snacks, and toilet paper? Should I buy something while I'm

here?"

The Asian man who had been talking to himself the whole time belatedly greeted the mother and daughter.

"Hola!"

The girl who had been hiding behind her mother smiled shyly and said, "Hola!" She looked particularly pale, as she had a nose tube in her small nose. The shop owner's face still had a wary look on it.

[Please give me just this drink. Oh, not that one, the orange one next to it.]

Even after the follow-up, the shop owner kept picking up and putting down the flower items.

The Asian tourist relayed the situation in detail.

"I felt it from the moment I entered the country, but I couldn't communicate well with the local Cubans. At the airport or in the city centre, I could communicate in simple English, but even if I left a little bit, it was dif ficult to buy a bottle of water. I think the English proficiency rate is lower than other places because Cuba is a typical communist country. A friend I met before told me that if you roam with an American carrier, your phone won't work the whole time you're in Cuba. So I bought a local SIM card, but the internet doesn't work even with it. Haha. My goal was to live in a quiet and secluded place for a week, but since there's no internet at all, there's not much I can do. Anyway , if you're planning on travelling to Cuba, I recommend learning a little Spanish, and I'll give up on internet access for the rest of your trip. That's the tip I'll give you."

The Asian tourist who had been chattering away handed over some dollars. The shop owner looked embarrassed, although he was secretly happy . It seemed like he didn't have enough change. He said he would just wave it off, and turned around.

"Gracias. Here, this is the drink I just bought. It feels very lukewarm when I touch the surface

of the bottle. I don' t know if you can feel the sunlight here, but it' s about 4 p.m. right now.

It should be getting a little cooler , but it's still incredibly hot. W ell, there' s nothing to see

even if I wander around any further , so I'll go back inside."

The Asian traveller returned to the apartment while taking pictures of the town' s scenery with his camera. He first greeted the residents he met along the way and prayed. Most of them responded with a bright smile, but some just stared at him. He went inside the house with a proud smile. Then, as soon as he closed the front door , he locked it.

He walked from there. He threw the camera that he had been holding in his hand carelessly . Then, as he walked to the window , he felt behind his ear and ripped off the stuffy skin on his face.

Soon, Kwon Taekjoo's face was revealed inside. The expression that had been sullen the whole time was a bored and indifferent one. Kwon Taekjoo picked up the apple that had been rolling around on the table and looked out the window .

He could see the store he had visited a little while ago at a glance. He didn't catch any

unusual circumstances. That was still the case. He took a bite of the crisp apple and closely observed the activities around the store. It had already been three days. He had received a call from Director Kwak about a week ago. He was on vacation for a few days after successfully completing the previous mission. He was supposed to be on vacation, but he couldn't get a proper rest because he was being harassed by Zhenya day and night.

After enduring all the complaints from the guy , he was just about to get some sleep when he was called to headquarters, so he couldn't be happy .

"You called me."

"Oh, you look so unwell. Your voice is like that too. What happened?"

"It seems like it's not me but here."

"I'm sorry for suddenly calling you on your rare day off."

Director Kwak offered an apology.

"This is an urgent matter , so what is a vacation for a single employee? What is it?"

He checked the matter with a trembling expression. Director Kwak also stopped talking

nonsense.

"Yes. I'm sorry for the delay , so let me get to the point. Last night, domestic companies and

public institutions were attacked by cyber terrorism. They say it was a Trojan horse-type

malicious code."

"... Cyber terrorism? A reinforced security program was recently distributed to all public

institutions. Didn't they? An official document was sent down to employees to use the program at all times. Could it be that it was already breached?"

"They cleverly used that very program. They planted malicious code in the automatic update file. Even if the security program's monitoring device was activated, it wouldn't recognize the malicious code as malware. It seems that the companies and or ganisations that were hacked this time had their servers shut down and all data encrypted."

Even after hearing that much, he was puzzled. It was clear that the national security was on

high alert due to lar ge-scale cyber terrorism, but counter-terrorism work wasn't Kwon

Taekjoo's responsibility in the first place. Physical force If it was a cyber -terrorism incident rather than an event, it would have been even more so. However , if there was any basis for intervention in this hacking incident, there was only one.

"Could it be that North Korea did it?"

North Korea is considered a hacking powerhouse along with China and Russia. This is because the North Korean leadership has been training relevant personnel at the national level in order to gain an advantage in information warfare while maintaining the systemic isolation. North Korea claimed that this was a strategy to respond quickly to the rapidly changing international situation, but it was only an excuse. Advanced hackers trained in this way have been continuously hacking government agencies, military agencies, major

infrastructure facilities, companies, and media of third countries. Among them, the one that

received the most attacks was definitely South Korea.

Just a few years ago, major telecommunications companies and financial institutions were infected with malware from

North Korea, causing a lar ge-scale shutdown.

Director Kwak shook his head at Kwon Taekjoo's guess.

"Fortunately , it doesn't seem to be that. The in-house cyber response team analysed the

malware and found several Cuban extension codes."

"Cuba? Why did they ..."

"They demanded $5 million from each institution in exchange for decryption."

It was an obvious story . Recently , large corporations and public institutions hackers who spread ransomware and demand huge ransoms are rampant. They openly hack financial institutions to steal huge amounts of money and even steal cryptocurrencies such as coins. Among them, hackers who or ganise to take a bigger slice are often called 'cyber gangs.'

Interpol has tried to arrest cyber gangs from the beginning, but there have been no significant results. It is difficult to identify individual members of the or ganisation, and related authorities in countries such as China and Russia are uncooperative, as in the case of North Korea.

This is why those countries are suspected of protecting cyber gangs. Kwon Taekjoo shrugged his shoulders as if it was new to him.

"Isn't it the government's directive to respond firmly to such demands anyway?"

"That's right. But it's a bit of a headache."

"Why?"

"The data stolen this time of all days included some state secrets, right?"

A sigh escaped his lips. No matter how much it was the person who was stealing that was at

fault, it was disheartening to see them being robbed every time.

"If we did what they wanted, If we don't give them, they'll find another way to make money .

For example, they'll sell our information to North Korea."'

Director Kwak suggested the worst possibility. From the outside, the South and the North were still at odds. It wasn't unreasonable, since whenever the regime changed, they would briefly become friendly , but then quickly turn into confrontations. The Cuban crackers couldn't have been unaware of that fact.

"If that's the reason, it's the same even if we pay them. There's no guarantee that they won't make contact with North Korea after they take the money ."

"They're so obsessed with money that it's hard to believe that. The map is big. Judging from

recent trends in North Korea, it seems that they have already provided some information to that side."

Suddenly , a recent news story came to mind. It was a report that lar ge trucks used for

transporting fuel were spotted one after another at a North Korean nuclear test site. When this was brought up as an issue, North Korea said that they were simply inspecting facilities that had been washed away by heavy rain not long ago. However , since this happened right before the ROK-US security consultation meeting, he couldn't believe that explanation outright.

"Is the leaked confidential information military information?"

"Yes. Most of it is military training schedules or information on ROK-US The US-Japan cooperation plan for responding to North Korea's nuclear program, and related diplomatic and security hotline code words, etc. Among them, the most problematic is the secret contract regarding the arms contract between South Korea and the US. Y ou know that arms trade between countries is carried out secretly through a secret network. If that network is exposed to the outside world, wouldn't it be dif ficult in many ways?"

"Yes. It would be very dif ficult, for the higher -ups."'

Director Kwak burst out laughing at the odd response. Whether it's a secret network or

whatever , it's ultimately about the government leaders, intelligence agencies, arms

companies, brokers, and others who are involved in arms trade and benefiting from it. It was just like a list of ship of ficials. It was a practice that had been in place for so long that it was dif ficult to criticise anyone. No, it was a bad habit.

The problem was that the moment the network surfaced, it would be difficult to avoid being hit in any way . If there was a problem with the supply of weapons, the national defence would inevitably be weakened. Kwon Taekjoo nervously ran his hands through his hair.

"So. Do we have to do that again?"

"What can we do? Whether it's shameful or proud, if it's a national secret, it's our job to

protect it."

"The problem is that there's no way to catch those Cuban hackers. If even Interpol can't do it, how can we..."

"Why should we get caught twice? Since the last lar ge-scale hacking incident, we've been

mandatorily installing spyware developed domestically in national confidential data."

"Spyware?"

"Yes. It's software that tracks the location of the data stolen by hackers as soon as they open it. If you inject malware into a hacker's PC, they'll get caught right away , but spyware is disguised as normal data, so it's hard to notice."

Director Kwak held out a tablet while explaining. A satellite map with a specific location marked on it was activated. It was the outskirts of Havana, the capital of Cuba.

"Here?"

"Yes. From our guess, this incident is probably the work of 'Electric Hammer .'"

"'Electric Hammer?"

"It's Cuba's representative cyber gang. When we analysed the malware that was infected this time, it seems that 'Electric Hammer's' unique source code was used. Of course, you have to go and check it yourself to be more certain."

That's confirmation, right? The hacker involved in this incident, It meant to wipe out the gang

and destroy all the data they had acquired. And before they could sell our secrets to North

Korea. To chase down those who were hiding behind computers and operating without

physical limitations. How is that any different from telling them to catch a ghost? Director Kwak added one more request, saying,

"Ah, the US is also vaguely aware of this

situation. If they find out that the contract was leaked, they will try to hold us responsible in

some way . They may have already figured out the situation and taken action. So we have to

recover the data before they do. There are no eternal allies."

"Duh, there's nothing good about being caught for no reason."

"You've been busy looking around here and there for over half a century ."

"If you don't want to lose that kind of status, people like us have to work hard. Here, take it."

Director Kwak immediately handed over a new passport. The photo showed a man with a

hazy face, probably in his 30s.

"Go to Havana right now ."

That's how he entered Cuba, disguised as a travel YouTuber. He heard that the YouTuber was currently detained in another country due to a private dispute. That means there are no special restrictions on borrowing his identity until the operation is over . It meant Euri.

He thought it would be better to disguise myself as a local, but since it was such a small

town, he thought they would be more suspicious. Furthermore, the locals were very shy around strangers, but they weren't particularly wary of Kwon Taekjoo. It seemed that other travellers and YouTubers had visited here often.

He sat down on the old chair and put the wireless earphones in my ears. When he tapped the earphones, a short mechanical sound was heard. Then, he heard Yoon Jong-woo' s voice saying,

"Yes."

"How is it? I didn' t see anything special. The store owner didn't seem to know anything

either."

- It looked like an ordinary house to me.

"Did you track it properly?"

- Yes. Unless the detector malfunctioned, the only suspicious place would be that store. The

data transmission and reception volume is also noticeably high in that area.

As soon as he got there, he pretended to look around the town and turned on the optical cable detector . As a result, a strong signal was detected around the store hd had visited earlier. It was evidence that optical cables were laid in that area. He wondered if it was a special business like a PC room or a lodging facility , but in a small hole-in-the-wall store. There was no way the store owner would have undertaken such a lar ge-scale construction project as laying optical cables for personal purposes.

Even aside from the cost issue, it

would not have been possible for the administrative authorities to have given permission. On the other hand, it meant that the small store received unusual support from the state. Why? There was only one answer . Because that shabby store was the headquarters of Electric Hammer , which was protected by the Cuban government.

"Yes. If you want to disguise yourself, it's better to be ordinary . Who would think that

millions of dollars are traded in a hole-in-the-wall store like that overnight? They were

completely unarmed and at first glance, A typical home, nothing more, nothing less."

- That's right.

"Well, for a hole-in-the-wall store, there are a lot of hidden CCTVs here and there, but how

can you possibly model the internal structure?"

- Yes. In general terms.

"Not in general terms, but properly , Inma.

Do you think I went through all that trouble in this scorching sun just to get a map that I

roughly drew up?"

- Is it hard? Rather , it seems like you enjoy it. Even though you say no, you keep acting like

water is rising day by day .

"Oh. You're so free to open your mouth like that? Two hours. Finish it in that time."

- Huh? That's ridiculous. It takes half a day to complete the 3D simulation!

"When have we ever taken our time? Don't be so cocky , kid."

- Still....

"This operation is all about time. We have to finish it by tonight. So stop whining and get

started quickly ."

- Ah, senior .

He turned off the communicator , leaving Yoom Jong-woo's screaming voice behind. Then he installed it in the hole-in-the-wall store. He turned up the volume of the listening device he had set up. Through the earphones in his ears, he could occasionally hear the store owner and his daughter , as well as the residents, talking. Their conversations were imperfectly translated in real time and displayed on his laptop. At best, they were just ordinary conversations, like asking each other how they were doing and thinking about what to eat for dinner .

Soon, the sun began to set. The sunlight,

which had grown thicker as it tilted lower , filtered through the wooden bars. Soon, the entire village was bathed in sunset. In the distance, he could hear dogs barking and children laughing, and the houses in the neighbourhood that had been quiet all along began to light up one by one. Everything was extremely peaceful.

Meanwhile, Kwon Taekjoo only looked at his wife's laptop. On the screen, CCTV footage

from the hole-in-the-wall store that Yoon Jong-woo had previously hacked was playing in eight sections. His sharp eyes rolled quietly , watching the situation closely . In the midst of his wife's silence, the only sounds were the clanking of the fan and the occasional sound of someone chewing an apple.

(Refers to the mans wife... Taekjoo has Zhenya, LMAO)

As night fell, the entire village fell silent. The lights in the houses all went out. Kwon Taekjoo quietly left the apartment and quickly approached the hole-in-the-wall store.

What if he was armed with a combat suit that blocked thermal radiation. In the dark night without even a proper streetlight, only his two eyes inside the goggles shone clearly .

As he reached the store, a faint mechanical sound rang out. Soon after , the laser of the

security sensor was clearly displayed on the special goggles. It was an infrared laser that

could not be identified by the human eye. If he had passed by it without knowing, the alarm

would have sounded and he would have been caught without a fight. The security was definitely too tight for an ordinary house.

He moved carefully and nimbly to avoid the security laser . Yoon Jong-woo had already

hacked the CCTV around the store and replaced it with footage from last night, but he tried to avoid the blind spot. He moved to. The opponents were natural hackers. He didn' t know when the system would return to normal. There was no significant movement detected. After looking around again, he pushed a tiny

microphone between the front doors. It was a tool that sensitively detected even the slightest

noise and amplified it greatly . Inside the house, only the sound of the fan propeller , the sound of the clock' s second hand, and deep breathing could be heard. Was the whole family asleep?

Kwon Taekjoo, who was on guard again, took something out of his bosom. It was a high-

performance laser cutter in the shape of a pen. He put his hand between the bars of the

security window and quietly cut the thick wooden blind.

He threw a circular device that looked like a yo-yo into the gap that was created. The cord

connected to the device was released smoothly and then caught. At the same time, colourless and odourless gas was sprayed. It was a sleeping gas diluted to a light concentration. He waited for the gas to suf ficiently spread inside the house and moved toward the front door . He pushed a small piece of iron into the keyhole and turned it around, and the lock was released in no time.

"Let's go in."

- Copy. Gl, entering the scene.

After being on guard against his son-in-law once more, he opened the front door and went

inside. When he closed the door , he was careful not to make a sound on the hinges.

He stood there for a moment and looked around the quiet house. There was no light, so it was difficult to tell where he was for a moment. He quickly searched the house after turning on the flashlight mounted on my rifle. The special goggles displayed a 3D internal structure diagram and his current location to help him search.

He passed through the living room like water flowing and arrived at the main bedroom.

There, the store owners were asleep as if they were unconscious. He checked the inside of the closet to see if there were any other beings, but he couldn't find anything unusual.

He left the main bedroom and went into the next room. He paused for a moment because of the girl sleeping there. The wheezing sound was particularly loud, and the girl still had a nose tube in her nose, just like he had seen during the day. That must have been why the sleeping gas he had sprayed before entering didn't work on the girl. Should he remove the nose tube now? But she was too young and weak to be easily subdued.

- Senior , has the scene been sorted out?

"...Okay , roughly ."

Kwon Taekjoo quietly walked out of the child's room. He also closed the door tightly in case

of any disturbance. He investigated the family in advance to find out if they had any connection to the 'Electric Hammer'. There was nothing particularly suspicious about the couple who had lived in this house for generations. They had two sons, including the youngest daughter who had congenital lung disease. One of them died in a car accident, and the other was missing. He wandered around the store for a while to check for himself, but he couldn't see anyone else besides the couple and their daughter . It seemed like the three of them were the only

family left, just like the tragic family history .

However , when he actually entered the house, he felt a strange sense of unease. That was

because there were no family photos anywhere. The two sons who were said to have died or gone missing. The same was true of things. Kwon Taekjoo' s own mother couldn't bear to sort out his father's or his brother's belongings.

In the main house, there were still a lot of family photos taken a long time ago. Of course, everyone has a different way of coping with the pain of loss, and not everyone who has lost a family member has to act like a mother .

Even if it was just a deceased son, she was left with the impression that the trace of his

missing son had been erased too cleanly .

In addition, there was a doubt. Perhaps the two sons' belongings have not yet lost their

owners. It's still being used by its owners.

The sudden fibre-optic cable burial point, the excessive surveillance system of the store, the

specific location where the NIS intelligence team is the home of the hackers, and the

disappearance of the original members of the family .

If the Cuban government is supporting the Electric Hammer , it would not be a matter of

treating its members as accidental or missing and getting them out of the investigation.

"Where did he hide?"

Slowly, he looked down at the whole house. According to the inference, the hackers' hiding

place was somewhere in the house, a place where they could live as if they didn't exist

without being noticed by outsiders. If it was anything, it was only the basement. Once you have to find the entrance to it, he has to find the entrance to it. He floated the 3D structure on his goggles and searched for a suitable place. Who's hiding in it? It's so secret that it hasn't been noticed by the neighbours for years.

A place where he won't be exposed by accident. He double-checked the 3D schematic. Soon, he saw a storage room in the kitchen. It was so narrow and surrounded on all sides that there was no way to see it from the outside.

He went straight to the storage room attached to the kitchen. The warehouse door is finished

with the same material as the wall, so if it weren't for the 3D schematic, he would have

passed it by . It was obvious. He checked the items in the storage room and lit the lighter . A slight breeze caused the flames to lie on their sides. Even though it's a wall where there's no way for the wind to come and go. With a confident hand, Kwon Taekjoo picked up the deter gent and flour from the pantry .

Then he groped deep into the shelf. Eventually , something caught in his fingertips. He pulled it with force, and with a rattling sound, the entire pantry opened up to the front. Behind him appeared a steep stone staircase.

"I found it, rat hole."

- GL, securing a secret passage.

"Go right in. Wait until I call."

- Gl, enter the secret passage. Standby for support. Senior , be careful.

After Yoon Jong-woo's request, he turned off the communicator for a moment. Then, he held

his rifle tightly so that he could shoot at any time and slowly walked into the darkness.

After going down the steep stairs, a door appeared. Behind that door , the enemies would be hiding. He switched his goggles to the thermal imaging version in preparation for a combat situation. He attached a small bomb to the closed door that would immediately destroy the lock.

After taking a short deep breath, he detonated the bomb without hesitation. Tried. Then he threw another grenade through the tattered gap in the door . It was a shell that had the functions of both a smoke grenade and a tear gas grenade. Suddenly , the vision became cloudy and the spicy gas spread, and those staying in the room coughed painfully and

panicked. Judging from their silhouettes, there were at least five of them.

[Cough, cough... Intruder!]

One of them ran through the barrage and toward the door . He was holding a knife in his hand. When they were close enough to recognize each other , he gently pulled away from the upper body and grabbed the arm of the opponent who was reaching out to him. He twisted his wrist and dropped the blade, and the man who lost his balance momentarily slashed at the nape of his neck. The crab struck. The man whose vital point had been hit fell down in an instant.

The next moment, fierce gunfire came from inside the room. Blind bullets flew in again and

again from beyond the pale smoke. Kwon Taekjoo immediately stood with his back against the wall and waited for the commotion to die down. Soon, the enemy side also stopped attacking for a moment as if trying to figure out their movements. At that moment, he pulled the trigger in succession in the directions from which the bullets had come.

The enemies fell down screaming without even having time to respond. After the gunfire stopped, he entered the room. The smoke had thinned considerably by then. His vision became clearer , and he could see everywhere.

The broken men came in. Behind them, there was a boy who was curled up with his whole

body covered with both tears. He must have been fifteen or sixteen at most. His face was

covered in tears and snot, perhaps because of the tear gas.

The boy looked up at Kwon Taek Joo with a frightened expression. His face resembled the

daughter of the hole-in-the-wall store owner . Could he be the second son who had gone

missing? Several computers were placed behind the boy . There was also a storage device where a huge amount of data must have been stored.

"Oh my ..."

He heard that as the age of first encountering a computer has gotten earlier around the world, the age of hackers has also gotten younger . However , one the identity of the international cyber gang that threatened the security of the country was a child. He gasped.

He looked around the men who had collapsed around the boy . They were all wearing military uniforms and carrying rifles for distribution. He thought they were probably staying there to protect or watch over the boy .

[Put down your weapon and put your hands up.]

He instructed the boy who was left alone. The boy was trembling with fear , but he could not

put down the pistol he was holding clumsily . Instead, he just waved his arms and aimed the

gun at Kwon Taek Joo.

A sigh escaped. Kwon Taekjoo, who had been silently confronting the boy , suddenly strode

toward the boy . The boy , panicked, hurriedly pulled the trigger .

However , the bullet he finally fired hit the ceiling. That was because Kwon Taekjoo, who had come right up to his nose, kicked the boy's hand holding the pistol. The boy , who had been hit in the face with his own gun, suddenly burst into a nosebleed. He reflexively grabbed his nose, and he crushed the boy's neck with his knee, instantly subduing him. He then pulled the boy's arms back and tied them up, and reported the progress.

"The scene is clear ."

- Gl, the scene is cleared. Data is being retrieved. He took a deep breath and looked inside again.

Then he took out the USB he had prepared and inserted it into the main PC and storage

respectively . As soon as the USB was recognized, all the backup data and temporary files were quickly copied. Of course, it didn't end there. Soon after , the format program installed in the USB was automatically activated and began permanently deleting all the files used and saved on the PC.

That's when. A sudden vibration was detected from upstairs. It felt like the entire ground was

being crushed and making a slight rumble. It seemed like he could hear a faint engine noise.

It felt like something heavy was approaching the store. In the meantime, had the Cuban military received a rescue request? Even the boy who was caught by Kwon Taekjoo looked clueless.

The residents who were startled by the unexpected gunshots might have reported it. However , the dispatch time was too early for that case, so he was suspicious. He checked the situation outside using the communicator .

"What's going on?"

- Senior , a suspicious vehicle has appeared.

"How many?"

- Two. They look like armoured vehicles from the outside.

"Police SWAT? Or the Cuban Army?"

- There were no warning lights on the car , and no emblems of their af filiation.

"Find out what they're doing."

- Yes.

All the work was completed just in time. Kwon Taekjoo retrieved all the USBs and put them

in his inner pocket. At that moment, he suddenly felt a human presence behind him. Someone was coming down the stairs. The boy who had been quietly held captive also flinched when he noticed the presence.

Kwon Taekjoo felt footsteps getting closer little by little. He turned around suddenly , his senses sharpening at the sound. At the same time, his extended gun pointed at a familiar face.

It was the young daughter of the store owner . As he had worried, it seemed like she hadn' t

inhaled the sleeping gas due to the nasal tube.

The child had difficulty recognizing the situation unfolding before her . Why did her parents seem to have fainted and fallen asleep? Who was the dark man in front of her? Why was her brother being held by him? And the people lying on the floor and the blood pooling here and there. Every scene must have been a continuation of unreality . The child' s whole body trembled as if convulsing. It seemed like hyperventilation.

[Don't be scared. I won' t hurt you.]

He raised both hands and calmed the child down. To no avail, the child was sobbing as if she was about to burst into tears. Soon, a thin stream of water flowed between the child' s legs.

While he was struggling, the engine noise coming from outside became louder and clearer . At that moment, Yoon Jong-woo shouted gently over the radio.

- Senior! It seems to be an American PMCl. This is not a good sign. Get out of there quickly!

Right after that, something rolled down the stairs leading to the basement with a thud.

Soon, it slid down to the child who was standing far away . A small basement was empty . It was a high-explosive grenade that could blow up anything.

"Damn it, get down!"

He shouted in shock. Immediately after that, a huge explosion rang out. In an instant, his

vision was covered in darkness.

"Ugh...."

He opened his eyes with a start. His head was dizzy , as if he had lost consciousness for a

moment. The first thing he recognized was the smell of gunpowder and dust. He moved his

limbs little by little. It was painful here and there.

Although it was painful, there was no problem moving. The earpiece kept spitting out a sharp

mechanical sound, as if it was completely broken. He nervously pulled out the earpiece and threw it away . To no avail, the tinnitus in his ear did not go away . His forehead felt ticklish, and then he licked his eye socket, and red blood dripped down. It seemed like his scalp was torn. His vision quickly turned red and cloudy .

His son-in-law was engulfed in thick darkness. It seemed like the entire house had collapsed

in the explosion a little while ago. He barely managed to escape to the empty space between the collapsed structures right before he was buried.

"Aww, shit..."

It was the moment when he was trying to raise his heavy body while groaning softly . Something stirred in his arms. A child with a nose tube was groaning under Kwon Taekjoo.

He must have covered the child' s body with his own without realising it. The child was faintly conscious, and his breathing and pulse were clear , though rough. There were no visible injuries at the moment.

[Um... hic...!]

The child, who had opened his eyes with difficulty, turned pale when he saw Kwon Taekjoo. He instinctively covered the child' s mouth, who was about to scream, and placed his index finger on his lips. He stared intently into the child's eyes and slowly shook his head. The child nodded silently , sobbing.

Da.

He still hasn't figured out the identity of the guys who did this. And their purpose. Yoon

Jong-woo said they seemed to be a private military company in the US, but further confirmation was needed.

He held his breath and looked outside for any hints. For a while, he thought he heard the sound of military boots, and soon he heard the sound of car doors opening and closing several times. He roughly figured out that there were at least four of them. As usual, if he were single, he wouldn't know , but he couldn't just confront them when he had a small bump. He had no choice but to wait silently for them to leave.

Soon, the noisy engine noise of the armoured vehicle gradually grew distant. The guys who

had completed their mission seemed to be leaving the scene quickly . As was his habit, he slowly went outside while keeping a close eye on his surroundings. He then motioned to the child who was crouching in the darkness to come quickly . The child kept looking back and sobbing.

"Pablo..."

Where the child's eyes lingered, he saw an unconscious boy . It was the boy that Kwon

Taekjoo had subdued before the house collapsed. The true identity of 'Electric Hammer'. He was probably the child's sibling. The boy's lower body was buried under the rubble of the building. It was not certain whether he was still alive.

Kwon Taekjoo had to rescue the two siblings.

There was no obligation. On the contrary , he had to leave the place as soon as possible before his identity was revealed. If it were any other time, he would have done so. However , seeing the child struggling to save his brother while panting and struggling, he couldn' t just turn around.

[Haa.. First, come out.]

"No! Pablo!"

Kwon Taekjoo forcefully dragged the child who was trying to resist while hitting and scratching him. After that, he squeezed back into the gap in the rubble. When he was close enough to touch the boy , he checked his pulse. It was faint, but it was definitely beating.

With difficulty, he moved his arm and rummaged through his tattered combat uniform pocket. Soon, he pulled out a pen from inside. He wondered if it had not broken due to the impact of the explosion. He placed the pen vertically under the boy' s shattered remains and lifted the cap. Then, the pen' s joints made a peculiar mechanical sound and began to lift up the heavy rock. As soon as there was a little bit of space, he grabbed the boy' s scruff and pulled him back. As he tried to squeeze through the narrow gap with the unconscious, limp boy , his whole body was drenched in sweat. His head was also dizzy , perhaps because of the lack of air.

"Haa, haa... damn it. What a mess this is."

He dropped the boy to a suitable place and caught his breath. The girl, covered in tears,

hugged her older brother and kept calling his name. He didn' t know for sure, but looking at

the collapsed building, he couldn' t be sure whether their parents would live or die. It was

heartbreaking, but there was no time to delay any longer .

The lights in the neighbouring houses turned on one by one due to the commotion late at

night. Someone might have already reported it to the police or a government of fice. It was

now their job to look after the siblings. He got up with his creaking body and ran to the apartment. He climbed the stairs three or four

at a time and soon reached the rooftop. It was to find the armoured vehicle that had run away .

Soon, he would be heading to the outskirts of town. The taillights of the car running away caught his eye. Judging by the size and brightness of the lights, and the way they were running so fast at this late hour , they were definitely the guys.

Yoon Jong-woo said they were like American PMCs. How did an American private military

company enter Cuba? Did they disguise themselves like Kwon Taekjoo? Why bother?

"The US is also vaguely aware of this situation. If they find out that the secret contract was

leaked, they will try to hold us responsible somehow . They may have already figured out the situation and taken action."

Director Kwak's words suddenly flashed through his mind. As feared, did the US side also notice that the secret contract was leaked? So they blew up the hacker 's base without waiting for us to resolve the issue and to avoid any trouble? It wasn't such an unreasonable guess, considering they are the kind of guys who push forward like a tank when it comes to their own interests and safety . The problem was that they

intervened in this operation without prior consent or notice. The fact that military secrets were leaked was a sensitive matter that couldn' t be carelessly revealed even to allies.

They must have thoroughly cracked down on it internally , so where on earth did the information leak from? Furthermore, the timing of their rush to the scene, as if they were waiting for Kwon Taekjoo to make a move, was unusual.

No. It was as if he knew the purpose and detailed plan of this operation. Was he spying on them? If he had not survived the scene, Kwon Taekjoo himself would have been accused of being the real culprit of this terrorism. Cuba would have claimed that innocent citizens were sacrificed, so Korea would have been solely responsible for the resulting loss of life and property . And yet, he called them allies. He burst out laughing.

"You punks. Are you going to come out like this?"

His teeth clicked. It wasn't enough to just get involved in someone else's operation like a rat,

but to make a mess of it like this. He couldn't just sit by and watch them leisurely leave.

Around that time, he heard the siren of a police car in the distance. It seemed that a report had been filed. They had to hurry out of the area before the encirclement could close.

As I was quickly descending the rooftop, he ran into a resident who had come out to see the untimely commotion. He screamed at the strange look of Kwon Taekjoo.

Hearing the noise, other residents came out one after another , and someone outside grabbed the police of ficers who had just arrived at the scene and pointed at Kwon Taek Joo.

"... Damn.,'

Without a second thought, he went back up to the roof. He jumped over the building next to

him at the same speed. The police who were chasing Kwon T aekjoo chased him to the next

building, and then to the next building. Some of them even chased along the outer stairs.

"No te muevas!" (Don' t Move!)

Before he knew it, the police had reached the roof and pointed their guns at me. Kwon T aek-

joo, who had been strode along and contemplated the situation, rushed toward the railing.

Threatening shots were fired from the police without hesitation. Even so, Kwon Taekjoo did

not flinch, and climbed over the railing in an instant.

The next moment, Kwon Taekjoo' s body fell under the building. The police, who had been

firing threatening shots, rushed to the railing and looked down. Kwon Taekjoo was already

gone. The only thing was whitish dust emanating from the windows of abandoned buildings that had been abandoned for a long time.

"Es por ahí!" (It's over there!)

The police ur gently called their colleagues.

The personnel waiting outside rushed to the abandoned water . At that moment, he heard the sudden noise of an engine from inside the dark building. The police of ficers, who had been looking inside with a distraught expression, noticed something and dispersed in confusion.

Immediately afterwards, a black motorcycle roared out like a wild animal. Riding on top of it was none other than Kwon Taekjoo, a motorcycle that had been modified to produce a maximum of 300 horsepower and a maximum speed of 400 km/h in case of a

getaway . that Its movements were as light and agile as a cheetah's, and to the naked eye it seemed to fly with little ground.

Stunned, the police hurriedly called for help. A police car that had received a radio call suddenly slammed into the road from all directions, blocking the road in front of them.

However , Kwon Taekjoo passed in front of him like an acrobat and fled leisurely down a

narrow road where vehicles could not enter or exit. The police kept exchanging radios and following the strings relentlessly . The fierce sirens blaring here and there seemed to rip my mind apart. Kwon Taekjoo continued to speed up the ever-expanding police car with his head on his head.

But the midnight chase didn't last long. Suddenly , a police car appeared from the opposite direction and blocked the escape route. Rows of clearance blocked both sides. In the front and rear , police cars closed the distance one after another . There was no odour in the poison.

However , instead of panicking, Kwon Taekjoo sped up to the maximum speed and rushed

towards the oncoming police car . The other vehicle didn't even try to dodge it. They charged at each other with relentless ferocity . The moment everyone had a premonition of the stone, they momentarily lifted the front of the motorcycle. The motorcycle was powered by the acceleration of the motorcycle and drove over the police car . At the sight of a flagship after a moment's hesitation, the police cars chased again.

Soon after , a stone pavement appeared that connected the lowlands and the highlands.

Without hesitation, Kwon T aekjoo turned the motorcycle and climbed the stone stairs of the

sun. As he lifted his bangs as he had just avoided a collision with a police car , the rear wheel of the motorcycle bounced and he sprinted down the stone pavement in no time.

The policemen, who belatedly saw the attack, were busy swaying back and forth at the bottom of the stairs and repeatedly calling the radio. The motorcycle soared to the top of the stairs and used its momentum to climb the outer wall of the building and climb to the roof. W ithout slowing down for a moment, he went to the roof of the building next door , and next to it he repeatedly jumped onto the roof of the

building and chased the armoured vehicle into the distance. Cuban police of ficers watched

with open mouths as the black motorcycle flew over their heads. It wasn't a heavy piece of

iron, and even a winged lion could believe it.

Finally, an armoured vehicle from an American PMC came into the range of Kwon Taekjoo.

He would have been aware of his pursuer's presence on the other side. It wasn't unreasonable to see a police car following along loudly with its flashing lights. He aimed his wristwatch at the back of the armoured vehicle and pressed a button on the side.

Then the clock face snapped open and something bounced out. It stuck to the bumper of an armoured car . The watch face then began to display a brief satellite map and the tar get's position.

It wasn't long before a fork in the road appeared. The two armoured vehicles in front of them split in different directions. He followed the one that didn't have a tracker attached.

Standing on the ceiling and passenger side of the armoured car in front of them, two men

stuck their upper bodies out. They slashed their machine guns and rifles at him. There was a radial crack in the windscreen that had been hit by a bullet. If it wasn't for the special

bulletproof glass, his head would have been blown off.

"You bastards. Let's do it, right?"

Kwon Taekjoo immediately turned and slid into a narrow alley . The gunners of the armoured

vehicle kept looking around at the engine noise of the motorcycle that kept getting closer and

then moving away . Kwon Taekjoo's motorcycle appeared through the gap in the building and

then disappeared repeatedly . How long has it been? The noise of the motorcycle was heard from very close by . However , Kwon Taekjoo was nowhere to be seen. The gunner of the hatch, who was looking around, suddenly shouted to the sky .

"It's up there!"

Before he could even respond, Kwon Taekjoo' s motorcycle fell onto the upper hatch of the

armoured vehicle. He fell down. Kwon Taekjoo fired bullets from the moment he fell from

the roof of the building until the moment he collided with the armoured vehicle, breaking the opponent's will to fight. The moment he slid down from the collapsed ceiling, he threw a grenade inside the hatch. After a while, the armoured vehicle shook with a small explosion

and stopped suddenly . No movement was detected inside.

The Cuban police would soon be rushing this way . Their sirens were already within reach.

Kwon T aekjoo shot all the front wheels of the armoured vehicle to prevent it from escaping

and left the scene. Now, Kwon Taekjoo' s gaze was on the wrist of his left arm. He headed for the city . Once the Cuban police began investigating the armoured vehicle, it was only a matter of time before the mastermind of the terrorism was revealed. So there was no need to chase after other armoured vehicles to clear his name.

However , he felt that he would not feel better if he backed down like that. Kwon Taekjoo

could not just ignore the atrocities of those who had recklessly interfered with his mission,

tried to kill him, and even tried to frame him as a terrorist. If he taught them the lesson that if

they tried to do something unreasonable, they would be pursued and punished to the end, so

that they would never do such a thing again.

He raised the speed to maximum. He chased the tar get that was moving at every moment, and destroyed buildings and buildings.

It traversed narrow gaps, stairs, and obstacles big and small. Before he knew it, the police

cars that were rushing in from the alley next door also smoothly passed by . The police cars

that were rushing in with their motorcycles crashed into the walls one after another .

It turned a sharp corner and blocked the armoured car . The armoured car was speeding as if it was going to sweep away everything that was blocking its path. The distance between the two rapidly narrowed. There was no time to even raise the gun. Kwon Taekjoo gritted his teeth and rushed toward the armoured car .

It was the moment they were close enough to identify each other . Kwon Taekjoo's motorcycle suddenly fell over on the side. That's how he got away from the motorcycle.

It exploded again with a loud bang.

"Haa, haa...."

Kwon T aekjoo crouched low to catch his breath and avoided the debris flying in from time to time. In the meantime, the noise of a propeller could be heard above his head. When he raised his head, the lights of a helicopter that had been thoroughly scanning the area below illuminated Kwon Taekjoo. It was a Cuban police search helicopter . Then, police cars rushed in from all directions, surrounding the armoured vehicle that had become a lump of scrap metal and Kwon Taekjoo. Dozens of targeting lasers dyed Kwon Taekjoo' s head and chest red.

"No te muevas!" (Don' t move!)

"Levantando las manos!" (Raise your hands!)

"Ha... Today's a tough day ."

He put down his pistol obediently . He even threw away the rifle he was carrying askew . As he was raising both his arms, he suddenly took something off and held it in his hands. Armed special forces approached cautiously . Now, he only had one chance to run away , right before they completely overwhelmed him. Kwon Taekjoo waited for the encirclement to tighten and slowly twisted the small bomb in his hand. Kwon Taekjoo himself could get hurt, and someone in a panic could fire a gun, but for now , he had to take a gamble.

"¡No te muevas! ¡No te muevas!" (Don' t move! Don' t move!)

"Date la vuelta!" (Turn around!)

It was the moment when the special forces approached us. Another propeller noise was heard from the sky . Everyone at the scene, including Kwon Taekjoo, looked up at the same time. The searchlight of the search helicopter that was shining down on Kwon Taekjoo suddenly shook unsteadily and completely detached.

Soon, a helicopter was seen approaching from afar . At first glance, it wasn't a military

helicopter . The fuselage was completely black, so its presence could only be confirmed by the light. There was no marking that could identify its af filiation. Everyone looked anxiously as the helicopter gradually closed in on them, moving in a way that seemed to be because it was a collaborator .

The strange commotion soon turned into screams of shock. It was because an unidentified helicopter had suddenly shot down the search helicopter that had warned them not to approach. Several parachute lines burst out from the crashing aircraft, emitting black smoke.

Both the special forces and the police were confused by the unexpected situation. They tried to respond to the unexpected attack belatedly , but an unidentified grenade exploded above their heads first.

Everyone groaned and shut their eyes tightly at the dazzling flash. In an instant, their vision

went white and they couldn' t tell what was in front of them or behind them. No matter how

many times they closed and opened their eyes, no matter how hard they rubbed their eyes, there was nothing to see. In the meantime, the noise of the propellers grew closer . The strong wind blew his hair and the hem of his clothes without mercy . It was dif ficult to even stand up straight.

"Ugh... What the...!"

Kwon Taekjoo also struggled against the strong wind and flash. At that moment, a long loop fell from the helicopter and a huge being came rushing toward him. He instinctively tried to fight back, but a familiar scent wafted out. He raised his head, thinking, "No way ," and a

strong arm wrapped around his waist. That feeling was very familiar to him.

"....Zhenya?"

As he was mumbling absentmindedly , a shallow laugh erupted from the other person. Even that was so familiar .

[Taekjoo. Did you have fun?]

Even in the midst of the commotion, his unique voice came through strangely clearly .

[It's time to go home now .]

How on earth did he know and come all this way? A so-called diplomat openly attacked the police of another country . This crazy bastard, he sighed and hugged Zhenya's neck. Zhenya' s hands also supported Kwon T aekjoo' s back

more firmly. That alone relieved the nerves that had been tense as if they were about to snap.

It was a feeling. Soon, the loop automatically closed and the two people were lifted into the helicopter in one breath. The police opened fire a little late, but the helicopter quickly moved away from their bullets.

"Whew ...."

He finally caught his breath after boarding the helicopter . He carelessly took of f the goggles,

mask, and helmet that had long since lost their function. He was ruffling his hair that had

been pressed down when Zhenya suddenly grabbed his chin. Then, he stuck out his tongue and kissed his lips. From the philtrum to the nasal cavity , he licked it earnestly . As both cheeks were pressed, a pain he had never felt before came up. It seemed that the inside of his mouth was torn. His lips and the corners of his mouth, wet with saliva, also felt prickly . It couldn' t be just because of Zhenya that his nose was wet.

[Bye.]

Zhenya muttered, slowly rolling his tongue inside his mouth. He always complains like that while licking others without permission.

[Really, who told you to lick them?]

He frowned and turned his head. He pushed Zhenya's hand away as well.

[Let go, you brat.]

[You always go out with a lot of enthusiasm and come back tattered.]

[Is it possible for you to roll around on the scene without a single scratch? If you're going to be so picky , you should just give up on this.]

[A single scratch?]

Zhenya scanned Kwon Taekjoo' s body with a dumbfounded expression. It was hard to find a

place that wasn' t scratched. It was the same even though he hadn' t looked inside the combat uniform. His ears, which had been damaged by the explosion, were still ringing.

[Today, I could have finished it of f quietly and neatly , but some guys got in the way ... Ah

you. Why are you here? I told you not to follow me.]

After making excuses in a daze, he suddenly came to his senses and asked. This wasn' t the only time Zhenya showed up at Kwon Taekjoo' s dispatch location. The guy would follow Kwon Taekjoo wherever he went on an operation. It was a headache just having him show up during a mission, but he would always interfere so blatantly like this. In any case, his current status was as a diplomat representing Russia, so he should be more careful with his actions, but he didn' t seem to have any intention of doing so.

[I followed you?]

[No, then?]

[No way . I just ran out of cigars, so I came here to get some that suit my taste. Cuban cigars are the best. I was walking back after finishing my business, and by chance, I found my lover wandering around. The reason I came here and the reason I picked you up are all my private life.]

He clicked his tongue at the ridiculous explanation. Does he think that kind of excuse will work in his home country or Cuba? If you look closely , he wasn' t just shameless, but also very naive. Is life that trivial and easy for him? He felt suf focated every time his ridiculous calculations worked. For some reason, he felt like this time would be no dif ferent. He swept his annoying bangs back. Now was not the time to be having a blast with that guy .

He stuck his head out the window and looked down. Police cars were chasing him, lights

flashing. He couldn' t see any other support helicopters, so he thought he would at least avoid an air battle. Of course, he wasn' t optimistic that he would be able to safely leave Cuban airspace.

[Let's say that' s true, but where are you going now? The airspace is about to be closed.]

[Some thief blew up a big source of funding, so they'll probably be desperate to catch him. It

would be best to stay hidden for the time being.]

[Haa... Who doesn' t know that? Where the hell is Seo, how are you going to hide?]

[If you don' t have a prepared burrow right away , you should at least borrow a raccoon

burrow.]

[...Raccoon?]

Surely that raccoon can' t mean him. Did he have an acquaintance here in Cuba who could be a hiding place? The relationship between Russia and Cuba is quite strong, so it seemed like a reasonable inference. Even in a situation like this where he calls himself an enemy of the

country , he can' t guarantee that the other party will be kind to him.

Not long after , the helicopter began to slowly descend. Below it, a yacht could be seen

floating gracefully in the dark blue sea. It was long enough. It must have been 300 feet.

Could he really be landing there? While being chased as a terrorist suspect, he escaped on a

super-luxurious super yacht. It was unbelievable. The police cars chasing the helicopter gathered at the dock and watched the scene in vain.

Zhenya landed the helicopter on the yacht and turned of f the engine. The propeller that had

been spinning furiously slowly stopped. Just in time, the crew waiting at the apron approached and secured the aircraft. None of them were armed. One of them even opened the door himself in a polite manner . Zhenya pulled Kwon Taekjoo, who had been sitting there blankly until then.

[Get off.]

Kwon Taekjoo kept looking around as he was being dragged away . He had been in a life-

threatening chase until just before, but now he was on a super yacht in a few minutes. It was

so luxurious and dazed that it didn' t feel real.

[What is this?]

[I told you. It' s a raccoon den.]

[Who is that raccoon?]

[Is that important?]

[It's important, then! Have you for

gotten what the current situation is?]

[What is the situation? I came to the origin to airlift a cigar of extremely personal taste, So...

on vacation?]

His clothes were about to burst from the constant calm response. He doesn't know why he' s the only one who' s so relaxed in a world where every day , every moment is noisy and

mindless. He was truly a great man who could gracefully drive away even if he were in the

middle of a war zone, even if bombs were exploding and bullets were flying right next to

him. This time, too, Zhenya just leisurely walked ahead as if nothing had happened. He grabbed the guy' s arm and turned him around.

[Don't joke around, Zhenya.]

[Who was joking around?]

[Did you buy this yacht?]

[Why? Do you want it?]

[No. Is this yours?]

[If you want, it can be mine right now .]

[Oh, don' t overinterpret and just answer the question. Whose yacht is this?]

[You'll find out soon. That' s not what' s urgent right now , is it?]

Zhenya held off on answering until the very end and went downstairs. He didn' t show any

hesitation, as if it were his own house. In the meantime, the yacht the two people were on

was moving slowly but surely somewhere. Kwon Taekjoo was looking at the police cars'

flashing lights that brightly lit up the dock.

He watched indif ferently and reluctantly followed Zhenya.

The servants he encountered on the way repeatedly greeted him. Most of them were

Hispanic. They treated him, a foreigner whose identity had been chased by the Cuban police,

as if he were a VIP . He couldn' t understand English. Because the yacht was so large, he had to use the elevator to move between floors. He took the glass elevator next to Zhenya and went down to the second floor .

He could clearly see the interior through the transparent glass walls. The open lobby , the crystal lights hanging in the centre, the soft music, and even the heavy scent that completely masked the unique smell of

the ship were all special. It was like Tel's. He was quite curious about who owned such a

splendid yacht and what their relationship was with Zhenya.

After a while, the elevator stopped. The door opened and the hallway he faced was incredibly quiet, unlike the lobby . For some reason, he didn't even feel a single person, let alone the usual people. He instinctively hesitated and watched, but Zhenya walked out briskly and nodded.

[This way .]

He wondered if they had decided to hide here until they reached their destination. They had

to resort to smuggling. However , even that place was splendid and luxurious for a place to

hide. It was just quiet, unlike the places they had passed by . And it was cosy .

[He told me to use the facilities here as much as I wanted while I was staying.]

[Huh... who on earth?]

[Taekjoo, you don't need to worry about that.]

He kept quiet about who had done such a favour to the end. Even when you're the closest of friends, there are still many secrets. Of course, it wasn't just Zhenya, but also Kwon Taekjoo himself, so he couldn't complain openly . All he could do was glare at the back of Zhenya' s head with a disgruntled look. Zhenya soon stopped in front of a door .

The large double-leafed doors gave an idea of the size of the inner room. When he opened the door wide, a spacious space appeared as expected. Judging from the large and comfortable sofa, table, grand piano, and minibar , it seemed to be a reception room. There was a fan spinning on the ceiling, and there were large windows lined up on the walls, giving it a considerable sense of openness. It was nighttime now , so he couldn't see anything, but when the sun rose, he would be able to see the blue sea without any worries.

As he went a little further in, he saw a table that could easily seat ten people. The chandelier hanging from the ceiling swayed wildly even with the slightest vibration of the yacht. He felt like his eyes were going to dazzle from the endlessly sparkling metal and crystal feast. He shook his head and went back to the bedroom. He thought it was time to go to the bedroom, but the circular vestibule appeared first. One side of it led to stairs, and the other side led to an outdoor terrace.

He looked back at Zhenya with a dumbfounded expression. Zhenya shrugged and raised his eyebrows. He was able to reach the bedroom through the stairs of the vestibule. As soon as he climbed the last staircase, a cool, open window and a lar ge bed next to it filled his vision, large enough for Zhenya to lie down comfortably . He was exhausted.

On the other hand, the bedding, which looked incredibly soft, was like pure white cotton

candy. His body , exhausted to the point of exhaustion, tingled as if responding to a sweet

temptation. If it weren' t for someone else' s bed, he would have been feeling like diving into it. He barely managed to find the bathroom and turned his head.

The living room had a large bathroom attached to it, but the bathroom in the bedroom was incomparably large. The ceiling, floor , walls, sink, and even the bathtub were all made of natural marble. The large, circular bathtub was filled with fragrant hot water . Next to it, there was a minibar where you could get water or drinks whenever he wanted, and a door leading to the deck. He was really embarrassed about the price of such luxury .

[Hey....]

He was looking back at Zhenya with a nervous expression when he saw him. He suddenly

grabbed Kwon Taekjoo's chin with one hand. Then, Kwon Taekjoo's face from there, he

slowly scanned down the neck, shoulders, arms, and hands. He checked each of the ten

fingers, including the inside of the palm.

If it was familiar , it was a familiar situation, so he just left it alone. He silently entrusted his

body to Zhenya and continued to dig into the things he was curious about.

[Is this yacht owner really a trustworthy guy?]

[Hmm. 'Trustworthy'.... What kind of guy would be trustworthy?]

[You have no loyalty or trust with anyone... This yacht owner must be helping us because he has something to gain.]

Zhenya chuckled at the assertion that there was no way he could have a 'trustworthy' friend or colleague. He nodded his head obediently and agreed.

[We made a deal. The other side was quite satisfied with my stuff, and I'll have to wait a little longer to see how it goes.]

He bent down and carefully swept both of Kwon Taekjoo' s legs while trailing off. So Zhenya and the owner of the yacht made a deal, and in return, Zhenya received Kwon

Taekjoo' s own safety as security? He didn't like the way he smiled wickedly , saying that we'd have to wait and see if Kwon T aekjoo had any value for him. He rudely pushed back the leg that Zhenya was holding onto.

[Then it's a bit much to trust him blindly . Even if he pretends to help us now , we never know

when he'll get stabbed in the back. Wouldn't someone who's blinded by self-interest and sells out the national interest betray others when it comes to other interests?]

[Businessmen don't trust each other in the first place. They just covet each other's possessions. Often, that greed is stronger than any sense of duty .]

[So you're saying that they're also traitors like you?]

[It means that not everyone is a foolish patriot like you.]

[What, you little punk?]

[You're getting angry again. That's not exactly wrong. Even if you fought so bravely and died

today, your country would have pretended not to know . Your people? They wouldn't even

know that you existed.]

Zhenya stared at Kwon TaekJoo and said with certainty . Then, he grabbed the leg he had

pulled back and carefully caressed his swollen ankle. He also carefully examined his shin

bone, knee, and pelvic area.

[Don't worry , Taekjoo. I don't do business that will hurt you.]

The bruises from the guy's earnest hands and a dull pain rose from above. When the small

wound was pressed, he flinched without realising it. Then, Zhenya immediately raised his head and examined Kwon T aekjoo' s face. The hand that had been persistently groping the wounded area stopped moving as if it were a lie. It made him feel uneasy to see a guy who

could easily destroy a person being so careful.

[Stop it. I'm not hurt.]

[Certainly , there's nothing broken. There are still many places that need to be patched up.]

Zhenya nodded and got up from his seat. The movement seemed endlessly slow , and then

suddenly his face came closer . The bastard' s bloodshot eyes rolled slowly , and his expression was frozen.

The image of the man was reflected. His lukewarm breath tickled his philtrum. Should he kiss him like this? He held back his breath while vaguely guessing. The guy noticed his

expression and smiled faintly .

[First, wash up. It' s dirty.]

Whenever he would flirt with him while showing him his shiny face. He felt like he was being ridiculed. He pinched Zhenya' s cheek out of frustration. Zhenya raised his eyebrows as

if he was surprised. He glared at him with a displeased look before grabbing his collar and

kissing him all the way inside.

He licked his dry lips and pulled out his tongue that was quivering inside. It was so rough and

urgent, as if trying to quench his thirst. It was a gesture that didn' t exist. He didn' t even give

the other person a chance to match his pace and unilaterally mixed his tongues. When he tried to rub his tongue, he twisted his head and ran away , sucking his upper lip, and when he tried to suck his plump lower lip again, he stubbornly stuck his tongue in and rummaged around his mouth.

As Kwon Taekjoo rushed at him with his whole body , Zhenya, who had been hesitating to

step back, sat down on the bed stool. Kwon Taekjoo climbed on top of him and continued the passionate kiss. In an instant, his tongue and lips, as well as his philtrum and chin, became numb from the merciless kiss that swallowed even his exhaled breath.

The saliva that was exchanged between the two ceaselessly was warm and had a faint taste of blood. After a long time, the two lips parted with a smack. The two people' s heavy breathing rang in their ears.

[Haa... Taekjoo.]

Zhenya' s eyes and mouth were flushed with tears as his heart raced. His long eyelashes were also wet with moisture and fluttering. Kwon Taekjoo, who was looking down at the sight while supporting himself with one arm, smiled with satisfaction. It was the smile of a winner .

[What should I do? We're getting dirty just the same.]

[Huh?]

Zhenya raised the corners of his mouth with a dumbfounded expression. And yet, he looked

straight at Kwon Taekjoo as if licking him. The look in his eyes seemed to be expecting

something more. He caressed the corner of his ear and slowly lowered his head to kiss him again. It was a sweet kiss, clearly different from a moment ago.

He gently covered his lips with his own, then gently held his upper lip before letting go. He

could feel the texture and temperature of their lips touching each other . The lukewarm breaths that were exchanged and the feeling of their tongues gently rubbing against each other were simply warm and soft. The fluff on his cheek stood up.

Soon, Kwon T aekjoo slowly withdrew . At the same time, a thin exhalation burst out from

Zhenya. his moist eyelashes fluttered.

[Wait. I'll wash up and come back.]

He patted the pretty ripe guy' s cheek and got up to go to the bathroom. But after taking a few steps, he felt the back of his head being squeezed. The next moment, before he could even look back, Zhenya came from behind and hugged him. He was pushed by the guy who

suddenly rushed at him and fell hard.

[Aww, shit. It hurts!]

[Taekjoo. You keep provoking me recklessly . Can't you stand it for even a moment? Huh?]

[Are you introducing yourself? Oh, let go. I can't breathe.]

He patted Zhenya' s arm, which was squeezing him with all its might. All, to no avail, the bastard hugged Kwon Taekjoo tighter . His sudden display of strength

crushed his lungs, making it difficult to even breathe. He tried to crawl on the floor to get

away from him, but it was useless as he crushed him with his entire body .

[Taekjoo, Taekjoo...]

Zhenya buried his face in Kwon Taekjoo' s hair and kept calling his name. His excited, heated

breath kept hitting his scalp and the nape of his neck. His penis, which was rubbing against

his waist, was already erect. To think that he would end up like that with just one kiss, even

though he was already a bastard. A sigh escaped his lips.

[Hey, wait. Ah, wait a minute. Is this the time to do this? Listen to me, kid!]

[At this time? Even in the midst of war , it's human nature to fuck and fuck. It's instinct.]

Despite repeated warnings, he clutches his chest tightly . He also bites the nape of his neck that is clearly visible in front of him. His molars clenched involuntarily from the sharp pain. He sucks the skin on his nape as he pulls and twists both nipples over his thick combat

uniform. When he turns his head to avoid him, he ignores him and licks his earlobe. He

groans under the pressure the whole time and finally manages to get the guy of f by raising his elbow.

[Are you an animal, really?]

[If you set up someone without permission, you should take responsibility for it.]

[Even if you do it later . Not here. I don't like it now because it feels uncomfortable.]

[Oh, would it have been better to do it in a helicopter? W ould it be possible on a lifeboat?]

[Don't be stubborn.]

[You should stop me and rest assured. While we're here, neither Cuba nor Mexico will be

able to invade recklessly .]

He immediately sees through Kwon Taekjoo's anxiety. However , the more he listened to Zhenya's story, the more suspicious he became. What kind of great man is he that has such a super yacht, and Cuba of course, even neighbouring Mexico couldn't touch him. What on earth did Zhenya give to such an author? And whether or not that deal would endanger his situation. Zhenya suddenly grabbed Kwon Taekjoo's shoulder and turned him around. Kwon T aekjoo stared at him with an uneasy look.

[Are you still anxious?]

[.....]

[You still don't believe me?]

Kwon Taekjoo didn't answer . He just looked at Zhenya with a thoughtful face.

[Then trust me.]

Kwon Taekjoo' s eyes widened slightly at the added words. A haughty smile appeared on

Zhenya' s face, who was looking down at him as if he was going to pierce him. The blue pupils that filled Kwon Taekjoo were filled with confidence.

[Leave it all to me, Taekjoo. I'll blow away all your worries without a trace.]

He was the symbol of those worries, and yet he was good at talking. He smiled at the reckless and absurd promise, but Zhenya' s face suddenly got closer . Their lips met one another and a thick breath seeped in. This was a big deal. Trust him without a plan. Why did that irresponsible word make his heart soften? It was without any plausible reason, without any proper basis. If he was on his side, he just felt secure. He shouldn't rely on him too much, but he kept getting weaker and weaker , making it difficult to keep his balance.

Kwon Taekjoo swallowed an annoyed exhale and grabbed Zhenya' s hair. Then he twisted his head and swallowed the tongue that was desperately rubbing over his lips.

"Haa, haa...?"

Where were the remains of the torn combat uniform on the bathroom floor? It was messy .

Kwon Taekjoo sat diagonally under the shower and kept gasping for breath. His chest, pressed against the chest rig, heaved. The undershirt that was tight to his body was rolled up to his neck. His nipples, which had been bitten and sucked, were glistening with sticky saliva.

A piece of drawer that had been torn of f was pitifully hanging on one thigh, pressed against

the leg holster . Zhenya' s two eyes widened in satisfaction at Kwon T aekjoo' s dishevelled

appearance. The guy stared intently at Kwon T aekjoo' s flushed face and steadily spread his

bottom. Since he had poured all the body oil provided in the bathroom, there was no place

that was not slippery , not even the hole or the floor . Kwon T aekjoo raised both elbows. He

barely supported his upper body .

"Ugh, ugh, ugh..."

Another long finger dug in. He shut his eyes tightly at the feeling of his hole and flesh being ripped apart deeply and widely. He couldn't count the number of times he'd done that to him, but for some reason, he couldn't get used to that feeling. Even though his whole body was covered in wounds big and small, he didn't feel any pain. It was because his cells in his entire body were on edge at the stimulation that was spreading out from one place. As his bottom came loose, he felt a sense of impatience that he had never felt before. It felt like every minute and second passed slowly.