Chapitre 526: Chapter 526: No Room for Rebuttal
As soon as I arrived at the camp, a strange tension filled the air.
An uncomfortable atmosphere lingered among the clearly divided groups.
On one side were the Black Bear mercenaries led by Igor, and on the other were the masked Russian soldiers.
"Hmm."
Just as I expected. Seeing them from a distance, I couldn't help but smirk.
I slowly walked towards the space between the two groups with Manager Ma by my side.
Igor spotted me first and rushed over, bowing his head slightly.
"Boss, you've arrived."
"How's the camp?"
"It's satisfactory. They seem to have prepared everything well in a short time."
It was a camp set up directly from the Kremlin. They wouldn't have handled it carelessly.
They probably understood how important this operation was.
"When did that group arrive?"
"A day ago."
"You haven't organized the hierarchy yet, have you?"
"No. They're still feeling each other out."
"But to Igor, they're practically juniors, right?"
The very mercenaries Igor had chosen were once soldiers in Russia's special forces.
"That's true, but the Zaslon unit is a little different. They consider themselves distinct from other units. They take pride in being one of the selected 300 elites in Russia, so it's understandable. They tend to look down on other Spetsnaz operatives. I doubt they will treat us as seniors since we've already served our time."
"So how do the Spetsnaz rank among themselves?"
Igor flashed a grin at my question.
"It's simple. The one who wins the fight takes command."
"Straightforward enough."
It was a rather primitive yet clear way of doing things. There was a reason the Westerners referred to Spetsnaz as the Kremlin's mad dogs or uncoordinated instruments.
I turned my gaze towards the Zaslon unit and asked,
"Who's their commanding officer?"
A masked man stepped forward.
"I'm the one leading our unit."
Though he used formal language, there was no hint of respect for me in his demeanor.
I commanded him as he approached without removing his mask.
"Why are you wearing a mask? Take it off."
In response, he stiffly refused, saying,
"It's a basic principle of our squad. We cannot reveal our faces."
"Didn't I give you an order? No?"
"······."
"Looks like you refuse. Then get lost."
The man glared at me silently with cold eyes.
His stubborn pride was grating on my nerves.
I wasn't seeking their support for my sake, so it annoyed me even more.
The Kremlin's orders were too strong to refuse.
Yet, here were soldiers defying orders from above and dismissing my commands.
I found the entire situation displeasing.
"I'll say it again. Either get out right now or take off your mask."
After a moment of hesitation, the masked man finally removed it.
He had the rugged features typical of a Russian man. Nonetheless, he continued to resist.
"I'll only take mine off. The others…"
I let out a heavy sigh. This was stubbornness to the end. They must have received orders from the Kremlin, yet they refused to yield.
"Do you think I'm easy to push around? Or are you too dim to understand the seriousness of this mission? You expect me to work alongside people whose faces I don't even know?"
I turned to Manager Ma, who stood stiff-faced beside me.
"Call Medvedev. Would you, Manager?"
Manager Ma took out his phone and dialed Medvedev.
"Boss. We're connected."
After taking the phone and greeting him, Medvedev greeted me warmly through the receiver.
"I received word that you arrived at the camp in Vladivostok. How is it? I had to prepare in a rush, so it's somewhat crude, but I instructed them to set it up properly."
"The camp seems fine. I haven't looked around properly yet, but Igor appreciates it."
"Haha, glad to hear. The most frightening kind of lightning is the kind that strikes without warning."
I intentionally concealed Medvedev's name and continued,
"The camp is fine, but the unit that supported us is ignoring my commands. If this continues, there's no reason for me to take on the risks of working together."
"That can't be. The hierarchies are meant to be established among auxiliary forces and mercenaries. The final authority lies with you, as directed by the orders. Is there a misunderstanding somewhere?"
Well, the Kremlin wouldn't mess up such an important operation. I turned to the man standing in front of me.
"What's your name?"
"······Sergei Arshavin."
I relayed his name to Medvedev.
"The one leading Zaslon is Sergei Arshavin. He doesn't seem keen on taking orders from me. If this is the case, I do not need their support."
"······Kim Mu-hyeok, could you pass him to me for a moment?"
"Sure."
I leaned the phone toward Arshavin.
"Take it."
"Who is it?"
"Do I need to spell it out for you?"
Arshavin took the phone with an uncomfortable expression and placed it to his ear.
Confirming that, I redirected my gaze back to Igor.
"Is this how they usually are? Ignoring orders from above is absolute misconduct for a soldier."
"No, I didn't expect this either. While we can't allow this either, I certainly didn't anticipate such a reaction towards you. I was taught to obey orders when I was in the military."
I didn't know what kind of training Russian soldiers underwent, but it probably hadn't changed much.
However, I considered the possible reasons for this…
"Is it because I'm not Russian?"
"······."
Igor didn't answer, but his silence was telling.
They were ignoring me because I was Asian.
Had I been Russian, they probably wouldn't have so blatantly ignored me.
"Well, I don't need to hear the answer to know that."
Igor hurriedly bowed his head and apologized.
"I'm sorry."
"What about Igor? He hasn't disrespected me. Igor has never disregarded me as an Asian. Judging people by skin color is the real problem. I thought I had adapted, but it still deeply unsettles me when such issues arise."
Of course, Han Gyeong-yeong from Dream High also experienced subtle racial discrimination.
Although they verbally claimed there was no such thing as discrimination.
No matter how accustomed I was, it was unavoidable that it felt dirty every time it happened.
"Excuse me…"
It seemed Arshavin finished his conversation as he cautiously called for me.
"He wants the phone back."
The tone and behavior of Arshavin were far more polite than before receiving the call. I nodded and received the phone.
"Yes. I've switched the call."
"I apologize."
Medvedev quickly followed up with an apology.
"What do you mean?"
"There seems to have been a miscommunication in orders. It seems they understood the hierarchy needed to be established with you as well."
"Do you think that makes sense? Unless someone is deliberately messing around, it doesn't explain it well."
A brief silence fell on the line. Did someone get foolishly playful?
"The Siloviki might have been messing around. Their influence in the military is still higher than mine."
"Are you saying someone intercepted an order from the President?"
I couldn't tell if the President hadn't fully seized command of the Kremlin or if the Siloviki simply harbored resentment towards me.
"It wasn't as though he ordered you not to receive orders. After the hierarchy was established, the command clearly came down to you. I'll make sure they won't act rudely toward you again."
"Hoo… If it continues this way, we won't be able to work together. The Administration Office Director is well aware of how dangerous this operation is, right?"
I purposely expressed annoyance to separate the special forces.
Even so, Medvedev treated me patiently and replied.
"I understand. I know this operation is extremely risky and that a mistake could lead you into serious trouble. But we are genuine about this task; recovering our nation's nuclear weapons is a priority. Please do not doubt our sincerity."
For Russia, recovering nuclear weapons that had crossed into North Korea was of utmost importance.
If Kim Jong-il went mad and used them, every intelligence agency, including the U.S., would be digging for how those nuclear weapons were obtained.
Thus, we must recover them before they're used. That is the Kremlin's intention.
Given the coup incident in Pyongyang, where most soldiers trained in the Soviet Union were purged, my assistance was also crucial.
Kim Jong-il wanted to eliminate me for Jang Seong-taek to rise to power, and the Kremlin sought to recover those nuclear weapons.
With these interests aligned, it was unavoidable. I finally notified Medvedev one last time.
"Ha… I understand. If such an incident occurs again, I will send this unit back. I'll let this one slide, but there won't be a second time."
"Understood. I'll relay that."
Ending the call with Medvedev, I looked coldly at Arshavin.
"I'm sorry. The order wasn't properly communicated. It was my mistake."
He bowed his back deeply, sincerely apologizing.
"How was the order communicated?"
"The orders were to receive commands while establishing the hierarchy, and to take command by any means necessary."
Look at that? It seemed like they hadn't told Zaslon about my very existence.
"I'm not a soldier, so why must I establish a hierarchy? If that were the case, I'd only work with mercenaries who follow my orders. Who gave such orders?"
"······."
Arshavin clamped his mouth shut.
"Are you refusing to answer?"
"I'm sorry. I cannot speak of that person."
At least his loyalty was impressive.
Too bad the individual he served wasn't me.
I gave Arshavin a piercing glare, yet he didn't break eye contact.
His resolve to keep quiet was clear.
There were several faces that came to mind, but I wouldn't bother mentioning them.
"Let it go for now. Do you understand? My orders are absolute. I will not accept any rebuttals. You've been granted authority from your master to me. Do you understand?"
"Yes!"
"Then tell everyone to take off their masks and stand properly."
"Yes, understood!"
Arshavin turned to command his unit.
"Everyone, take off your masks!"
At Arshavin's command, everyone discarded their masks.
'At least Arshavin's orders were followed without objections. If I can handle Arshavin, this should be easy.'
I briefly turned my head to Igor and quietly asked.
"Igor, I think if I take down Arshavin, it will all end. Is that possible?"
"Yes. It's possible."
I nodded.
With everyone unmasked, they all stood rigidly, fixated on the front. Arshavin turned back towards me.
"Arshavin."
"Yes!"
"You can establish hierarchy among your commanders without external parties involved, right?"
"That's correct!"
Arshavin shouted confidently, as if he had nothing to fear.
I smiled at this display and placed a hand on Igor's shoulder.
"I like that confidence. The representative for the mercenaries will be Igor, who's right here. And of course, you will be the representative for Zaslon, Arshavin, right?"
Igor shot a sideways glance at Arshavin, who answered.
"Yes! I will represent my unit!"
"Alright. The way we establish hierarchy is by one-on-one battles, correct?"
"That's right!"
It was something I had already heard once today, but I pretended not to know and turned back to Igor.
Igor answered loudly as if to ensure I understood.
"Yes! That's right, Boss!"
They settle their hierarchy through strength in one-on-one combat.
It was a primitive and raw method, but above all, it was simple.
"Let's do this then. By the Russian way!"
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone