Capítulo 528: Chapter 528: I Never Speak Empty Words
As night fell, the lights illuminating the camp's exercise grounds began to flicker on, one by one.
At first, the atmosphere was awkward, but as empty vodka bottles piled up and the drinking session stretched on, everyone slowly began to mingle and share drinks.
Watching them, I couldn't help but chuckle.
With a bunch of rough and tumble folks gathered, occasional fights did break out.
Yet they'd fight one-on-one, and regardless of who won, they'd return to clinking glasses together.
"Simple, isn't it?"
I said as I poured vodka into Igor's glass.
"Mercenaries understand their nature. After all, they've either served together in the same Russian army or are still serving, making it easy to bond."
"This all became possible because Igor subdued Arshavin. Although, I think your acceptance is a bit too swift."
Igor glanced at where the team members were gathered before responding.
"Breaking Arshavin's arm was a warning to them. I can take you all down at any moment. This was all done on the belief that Boss would shield us from political pressure. After all, Arshavin is their commander and belongs to the Russian army."
I had already suspected this. Igor asking for my approval before acting was his way of signaling to me to manage the fallout that would follow.
After all, he incapacitated someone dispatched from the Russian army.
I would certainly face complaints, but perhaps Igor himself would deliver a warning directly.
"Of course. I can't stand to see my people get hurt. I'll handle that. Just don't worry about it."
"Thank you."
Igor and I raised our glasses and downed the potent vodka in one go.
The strong alcohol slid down my throat.
"We can't afford to fail this mission."
"I'm aware. However, regardless of how well we plan, there are always countless variables. If it's about killing, the chances are high, but if we need to capture him, the odds drop significantly."
"Understood. At least we have documents regarding Kim Jong-il's villas. We also have contacts feeding us information inside North Korea. Utilizing that should increase our success rate a bit, right?"
Igor, who had been silent, finally answered after some time.
"We still have to consider the closed nature of North Korea. If this were a military operation, we might get support from Russia or the U.S., but this is a situation that requires us to make decisions and act without any assistance. Even if our success rate might peak at half, it will be troublesome after that."
I thought about the success rate and found myself agreeing with his outlook.
It was a gamble, but I couldn't just sit still.
The odds of Jang Seong-taek succeeding in a coup alone was practically zero.
"Still, try to boost the success rate as much as possible. Increase the training intensity too."
"Yes. However, I can only expect as much effect as the mercenaries and the Russian special forces I can bring along will allow."
"That makes sense."
I replied to Igor with a bitter tone, then looked around at the mercenaries and team members drinking together.
"Once we identify the location of the nuclear weapons, send the Zaslon team there."
"Are you suggesting we divide the units?"
"Yes. My plan from the start was to use only mercenaries to secure Kim Jong-il. If any of them receive orders from someone else, and if he kills Kim Jong-il, things could get even more complicated than they are now."
Once the military operation commenced, the person who issued the orders would not be present on-site.
In the end, no one would know how the soldiers executing the operation would act.
It was a closed environment to the extent that Americans later found out that special forces indulged in a sadistic gambling game called 'canuing.'
Even while the president was monitoring with a body cam, they once made Bin Laden's head unrecognizable through canuing.
Moreover, the special forces were a group of individuals with screws loose.
A place where highly efficient killing machines existed solely for the execution of missions, completely devoid of emotions.
Even a normal person couldn't survive there without going insane.
With no guarantee of trust, we needed to limit variables as much as possible.
"Kremlin will want that too."
From Russia's perspective, even if the coup fails, recovering the nuclear weapons would count as a success.
"Understood. I'll adjust the training accordingly."
"They might send down a new commander."
"That's likely. I doubt they'll fully hand over command of the unit to me."
"While Igor takes overall command of the operation, the unit command will fall to whoever comes down to lead it."
They certainly wouldn't entrust a special unit like Zaslon entirely to Igor. It was only natural for them to send down a new commander.
"Before the new commander arrives, let's try to gain their trust."
I stood up, leaving Igor's bewildered expression behind.
"Can I have everyone's attention for a moment?"
I raised my voice. Yet given the noise, no one seemed to hear and did not look my way.
I sent a glance towards Manager Ma, who nodded in response.
Soon, Manager Ma pulled out a gun, aimed it at the sky, and fired a round.
Bang!
At the sudden sound of the gun, the people enjoying their drinks immediately threw down their glasses and began to scan the surroundings.
"Seems everyone's a bit on edge tonight. If you've gathered yourselves, focus on what I have to say."
The mercenaries and Zaslon team members who were alternating their gaze between Manager Ma's pistol and me didn't let their tension ease.
"The Black Bear mercenaries might know me to some extent, but Zaslon members likely don't. So lower your guard."
The mercenaries quickly relaxed at my order, but the Zaslon team didn't.
Manager Ma still had not lowered his pistol.
"Manager, put the gun away."
With that, Manager Ma finally lowered his hand. But even after he tucked the gun away, the soldiers didn't completely relax their guard.
"Everyone lighten up. I raised my voice just to grab your attention. Will you hear me out now?"
Despite my repeated attempts to calm them, they remained tense.
Their fists were even clenched. I couldn't help but smirk at their reaction.
"I don't see you guys as my complete allies. You've all been pulled together at short notice, so I understand the confusion. Given the abruptness of this situation, your only duties are twofold: don't die, and complete the mission, then come back in one piece."
Whether everyone would return alive was uncertain.
Yet, selfishly, I hoped no one would die.
"This mission is one I initiated myself. So should we succeed, I'll promise you ample rewards. The moment the mission concludes, each of you will receive $100,000 in bonuses, not just the Black Bear members but even Zaslon team members."
At my words, the Zaslon members exchanged astonished glances.
$100,000 was an immense sum in Russia.
No, it was a significant amount anywhere. It was no surprise they'd be shocked at the thought of receiving such payment upon mission success.
The mercenaries, well aware I honor my promises, showed less surprise than the others.
"And if anyone dies during this operation, on top of the promised $100,000, I'll give an additional $100,000 in consolation for the family. This is separate from what the Russian government provides, and it's my personal contribution."
Even soldiers who valued honor couldn't resist the allure of money.
Pride? Patriotism? Those were concepts that only held value if one also had money for food and shelter.
"So regardless of what happens, I hope you all follow Igor's orders. Then, there will be rewards in store. You can confirm with the mercenaries that I don't lie."
The Zaslon members scanned the faces of their neighboring mercenaries.
The mercenaries didn't look too surprised. It was a standard condition with Black Bear, and they wore a calm demeanor as if they were accustomed to such dealings.
This is the difference between regular troops and mercenaries.
Mercenaries are motivated by money. They are used to receiving rewards.
Finally realizing my words were sincere, one man raised his hand.
"…Can I ask a question?"
I nodded. The man, speaking loudly so all could hear, shouted.
"Are you seriously giving out $100,000?"
"What do I gain from lying? You all have no choice but to participate in the operation. The reason I'm saying this is simple: to motivate you all."
"If we fail, we get nothing, then?"
Really? Asking such an obvious question. But the audacity was refreshing; I chuckled softly before responding.
"That's right. If we fail, there won't be any rewards. So give it your all to ensure the operation succeeds."
"…"
"Of course, if anyone dies during the operation, the consolation payout will be given. But what meaning does money have after death? That's why the key is to succeed without dying. Any more questions?"
"None!"
The man who asked sat back down. Having presented the carrot, it was now time to show the stick.
"Now, if anyone here has received orders from someone else, erase those thoughts immediately. If there's a 'deliberate' mistake resulting in mission failure, the involved parties and anyone connected will die."
Silence fell across the training ground.
"I never speak empty words. I always keep my promises, whatever they may be. So I hope no one takes my words lightly."
Having given this warning, it was time for me to leave.
"I think it's time to go. Food and drinks are plentiful, so feel free to eat and drink the night away."
With that, I turned and began to walk away. Igor quickly stood and followed after me.
"Are you leaving, Boss?"
"You don't need to follow. Let's call it a day for now and catch up again tomorrow. Focus on winning their hearts today. No matter who comes down from Moscow, ensure they follow Igor's orders first."
I chuckled and patted Igor's shoulder as I walked away.
Igor nodded solemnly.
"Understood. I'll see you tomorrow then."
Leaving Igor's farewell behind, I exited the camp. As soon as I made it back to the hotel, my phone started ringing.
— Kim Mu-hyeok, Boss.
"Manager. Looks like you received my call."
— Huh… That's too much. You turned the commander we sent into an idiot.
Looks like Igor really did crush Arshavin's arm beyond recovery.
"It was an 'accident' during training."
— I think that, but… Anyway, the SVR is in an uproar over this. The director himself came to talk to me.
Hearing that the SVR director was personally involved made me smirk.
"Is the director currently Sergey Lebedev?"
— Yes. You know him.
"How could I not know? The head of the Foreign Intelligence Service. But is it serious enough for the director to step in? It wasn't even a direct accident."
— Aren't you aware, Kim Mu-hyeok? If such matters are politicized, they can escalate uncontrollably.
"Is it because Lebedev is part of Siloviki?"
FSB and SVR sprouted from KGB.
Although the FSB had more power and authority due to handling domestic concerns, the SVR had more field agents.
They were akin to the CIA in the U.S. and were an organization entirely dominated by Siloviki.
— This incident could put you in danger, Kim Mu-hyeok. If the SVR starts harboring ill feelings towards you, there's no telling what they might do. They operate on a preemptive measure, reporting after the fact.
"Are you suggesting they might assassinate me? Siloviki? While the Tsar of Russia is watching over everything?"
Medvedev sighed heavily.
— Those guys would even consider that. They're the spirits of KGB. Especially Lebedev, who's known as a tough figure from his time in the First Division during Soviet days. I'm not fond of him myself.
Medvedev rarely spoke this strongly. It didn't seem like he was just worrying for nothing.
After a moment's silence, Medvedev continued with a troubled tone.
— Maybe they intentionally allowed this incident to happen, withholding proper information from you.
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