After passing the Tai Lam Coastal Police Station and a small sandy beach, we finally arrived at our destination.
It was a marina where about 100 yachts, ranging from small to medium and large, were anchored.
To be precise, I had to enter one of them.
A fairly large mid-size yacht operated under the name of a Hong Kong cover company, printed with an oval corporate logo.
I came up to the surface and took a quick look, and the situation was very good.
It was almost night, and the yachts were densely anchored, blocking all nearby surveillance cameras, and there was no one passing by, as well as a large protective tent wrapped around the yacht and covered the entire deck.
It means that there is no exposure during the process of riding or after riding.
Before I knew it, Jake gave the hand signal to rise, and according to the order, I went up to the surface and quickly got on the yacht.
Wait a moment to hear the sound of dripping water along with footsteps.
Harry, who had boarded the yacht ahead of me, came up to me and gave me a thumbs up in the dark.
“It’s safe, senpai.”
“Then help Marcus.”
When I spoke to Marcus, who was breathing heavily, the answer came back in denial.
“Hoo-wook… Not to that extent, it’s okay. It’s still okay.”
“Then I will stand guard.”
After those words, Marcus moved on, but the back of him who was ahead seemed to be struggling.
Emotions seemed to be felt too.
It seemed to reflect stubbornness, regret, regret, and even the desire to do more.
Of course, all I could see with the naked eye was just a shape that was immersed in black, but the inside was probably more complicated than I thought.
Because Marcus didn’t bother to express himself, he was the type to handle it alone.
When I went inside the yacht with Jose in the back row, only then did the light come into my eyes.
A soft light like a night light.
It wasn’t as bright as the living room fluorescent lights, but I was satisfied with this alone.
It was because he had gone through hardships through the dark mountain roads and the sea.
His cheek, once scratched by a bullet in the Taril Islands, was bruised again by a grazed branch, his ankle almost twisted several times from stepping on a weed-covered rock, and in the sea he had almost lost sight of the man ahead of him and returned to a distant place.
As I approached the light like that, I heard Jake’s voice low.
“Is everyone okay? Anything special?”
At that, he looked up at Marcus.
He managed to hold on somehow, but Marcus was obviously not in a good state.
Soon, his mouth opened.
“My condition is not good. Normal operation is impossible.”
“Isn’t that inconvenient? Has it gotten much worse?”
“… Yes, it is.”
Take a moment to look at Marcus, who responds calmly even though he may be frustrated.
Jose’s heavy breathing was heard.
“… What happened? Give me a rough explanation.”
“I did some revision surgery.”
“Reoperation?”
José asked back, and Marcus gave a brief explanation of the gunshot wound in Camarnia, the subsequent surgery, the situation after, and the reoperation.
By the time Jose curses and even Rachel is surprised.
Jake raised his voice.
“The exit operation will remain as it is, but in case of a situation, Marcus will be the patient and Jose will be the deputy chief.”
“Umm, I see.”
Jose answered with a frown as if he was still feeling sorry for him, and Jake even raised his voice.
“Then change your clothes and change with Harry. Stay up all night and rest the rest.”
“All right.”
answered briefly.
Because everything wasn’t over when we arrived on this yacht.
From there, I had to move to Macau, disguised as a tourist in Macau, travel to Europe, and then board a military aircraft to return to the United States.
It’s complicated and cumbersome, but I had to endure this much trouble.
It was because the Chinese military and police were frantic in finding Americans, and we had no choice but to be that careful.
And as a result of simulations by the State Department, this was also the safest.
It was time to get ready for bed.
Jake’s expression wrinkled as he reported the situation and received instructions with a headset in his ear.
By the time the wrinkles distorted in the dim light become clear.
Reasons soon spilled out of his mouth.
“Hmm, unfortunately, he survived.”
“You mean Norman Jones?”
I quickly asked, and Jake, who finished the radio before he knew it, nodded.
“Yeah, but it looks like you got some injuries instead.”
“How bad are your injuries? Are you in critical condition?”
Unsure, I asked.
The last thing I did was fire at the vehicle, and all I saw was the vehicle come to a halt.
I didn’t even know exactly how it stopped.
The movement of the headlights moving through the trees was cut off unnaturally, so all I could do was guess that they had hit it somewhere.
If it did, the driver would have been killed or injured, and the passengers would have been in bad shape.
I expected this, but Jake shook his head briefly.
“I couldn’t confirm that. It looks like they even watched him being carried away on a stretcher.”
“ah… … .”
“Still, two bodies were found.”
“If there are two corpses… It must have been the one in the driver and passenger seat.”
“Yeah, I heard he didn’t wear a seatbelt and flew outside through the front window.”
By the time Sergei, who died for not wearing a seatbelt, came to mind.
Before I knew it, Jake put the radio together and sat down on the bed.
“Sleep, we have to move again tomorrow. Especially Marcus.”
Maybe he wasn’t sleeping, Marcus cleared his throat.
“Okay, yes, I will sleep.”
“Tell me if you can’t move. Then I will listen.”
“It’s not that tidy.”
“Then, until then, Lee stays next to Marcus.”
“Lee why… It doesn’t matter. Operations are difficult, but other than that, you can maneuver alone.”
Marcus immediately retorted.
It was at a time when I hesitated to respond to the reaction that seemed to be excessive.
“When a situation arises, that is the safest. So shut up and follow my instructions.”
It looked like they were preparing for an unexpected shootout.
It might seem like overkill, like Marcus, but I totally understand why.
It was because the radio content I heard after arriving was very bloody.
The Chinese military and police encircled Mount Taimo, entered, searched, and even checked the road leading to the US consulate.
It was said that only the number of people involved was equivalent to that of one division.
If an exit route other than this location had been found, a gunfight might have occurred.
From then on, luck would work.
Because it was difficult to apply strategic tactics regardless of whether they died, killed, ran away, were captured, or whatever.
As I was thinking about that, I heard something else.
“And just in case, let me say a word in advance… … .”
It was Marcus.
He lowered his voice as if there would be an engagement tomorrow and he might die.
“I recommend Andrei as my successor.”
“… what?”
Jake asked again, and I, who had already heard Andrei’s name on the way, hesitated.
I thought I would leave a will, but it was because I brought up the successor.
Jake asked as if to cut off his words.
“The reason is?”
“There are a lot of guys with skills, but he’s the only one who got along with Lee quite a lot. Lee trusts him too.”
“That’s true, but it’s not a welcome name.”
“That’s why I said it in advance, in case the team leader would refuse… … . You’ll need someone with good limbs to assist Lee. Isn’t that right, Lee?”
Marcus asked me, and I smiled bitterly.
It was because I felt that I was very thoughtful.
To the extent that I had a reason for telling me on the way back and telling Jake now.
“that’s right.”
After a brief reply, Jake’s voice sounded as if telling him to stop.
“Okay, so let’s go to sleep. I have to go to Macau.”
“It would be nice if that was the answer. All right.”
When Marcus answered, Jake cracked down on me as well.
“Lee, close your eyes too. You have to move with Marcus until we leave.”
“All right.”
After answering that, I closed my eyes.
After wiping it with a dry towel, the unpleasantness and coldness of the seawater remained, but sleep began to come.
I was tired, but it was no big deal that I came out a little wet.
Having slept in the ground, in the rain, and on the march, these were only minor inconveniences.
Even changed into dry clothes, lying on the yacht bed.
This was the perfect place to sleep.
He said goodbye with his eyes closed.
“I hope you all have good dreams.”
* * *
China, Guangzhou City, Chinese style mansion near the city.
Pikal, who was in the spacious study, looked at the laptop screen in front of him and shook his head.
It was because Norman’s condition in the video was very bad.
There was a lot of blood loss from the accident, and the fracture was serious enough to have a lifelong disability.
I could have looked at that, but the problem was elsewhere.
Just a psychological shock.
Norman, who had regained consciousness several times, clearly showed symptoms of PTSD, a traumatic stress disorder.
“The trials will hit my destiny hard, but I will become stronger… … .”
The self-talk lingered quietly.
It was because he hadn’t been able to make much use of Norman, who had just come in and had just become his man.
Above all, he was a useful talent.
He excelled in math and language, but he was also good with his head.
It was so good that Walter Grayson made Norman his successor, and even put on a self-destruct show to make Norman run away.
However, such a person became an idiot and was in the laptop screen.
It was fortunate that he hadn’t died like Sergei or been captured like Giandro, but he couldn’t be satisfied with that fact.
It was because I missed the ones I was supposed to catch.
‘Jake Russell, Marcus Washington, Jose Perez, Rachel Post, Harry Thompson, Kang Tae-ri… … .’
Pikal chewed on their names, remembering them.
There must have been other collaborators, but the important ones were these six.
Because they killed their own men.
I just had to catch it.
So, I was in the middle of making my own plan, but suddenly, I came to Hong Kong directly.
And that too, avoiding the surveillance networks installed in Chinese airports and ports.
It was a kind of perfect crime.
It was meticulously planned, prepared over and over again, and everything was carried out without mistakes.
That was the result of disappearing without a trace.
He shunned the Chinese army, who had lost his pride, and disappeared from Tai Mo Mountain.
It wasn’t strange.
It was trying to increase military power, but it was not a qualitative army.
‘That’s why I was fooled by the signal flare.’
His head shook his head left and right, but he couldn’t give up on the Chinese army.
It was because it was one of the few swords Pikal could use.
And now I had to wield that sword.
Even Norman was ruined, so I couldn’t wait any longer.
I had to hold on to America’s ankles.
To be precise, he had to put wind in China so that the scenario he had prepared could come true.
After a short resolution, Pikal picked up the phone.
“Jurgen.”
– Yes, Boss.
After the butler Jurgen’s brief reply, Pikal gave instructions.
“Make an appointment with Standing Committee member Wang Qing. If you tell the UFWD (United Front Work Department) that there is work for you, they will know.”
– All right.
Jurgen answered firmly.
He, too, did not know the meaning of these words.
It was because he was already aware of what Pikal was doing, and he knew very well what the Central United Front Work Department, abbreviated as UFWD, was.
One of the powerful intelligence agencies under the Chinese Communist Party.
And it was an organization for Taiwan unification.