Basement Situation Room in the West Wing of the White House, Washington, DC, USA.
Robert, who was looking at the large screen in front of him, let out a sigh of relief.
“after… … .”
Because what he wanted was finally displayed.
An aircraft on a flat map.
It was a Russian charter plane with Pikal on board.
Seeing this, Robert shook his head.
Fortunately, it was thanks to the move as expected without any change yet.
southwest of Pakistan.
It was precisely where the Panjgur International Airport was located.
I had already predicted where to go from there.
A town on the border between Iran and Afghanistan.
‘Fortunately, it goes as planned.’
All of this was not obtained purely through American intelligence.
There were behind-the-scenes negotiations with Pakistan.
To be precise, it was no different from a kind of armed demonstration that brought an aircraft carrier to the vicinity of Pakistan. What mattered was the outcome of the process.
Information about Pikal.
So, Jake’s team on the aircraft carrier was also ordered to mobilize.
Pikal’s location was accurately identified, and Pakistan was giving information about it.
In addition, it was a situation where the U.S. military had turned a blind eye to it.
Although there were restrictions on the size of the personnel and the weapons possessed, those were issues that did not matter.
According to me, only one person could enter.
Tae Kang.
The fact that he went all the way to Pakistan without any sanctions, and the fact that Pikal was there, was the most important thing.
Of course, it was better to have a team to assist than to go alone, so we negotiated and infiltrated them.
‘Now the mission will be up to Lee… … .’
Robert cleared his throat while checking the dispatch report he received from Ron.
There was still work left to do for Kangtae in this situation room, but it wasn’t long.
There was another important thing to take care of.
A significant amount of nuclear waste and traces of launch pads found in the Republic of Camarnia.
Just then, Thomas, the Secretary of Defense, spoke out on a related issue.
“Damn it… The Republic of Camarnia doesn’t help at all. Pakistan would be better.”
“So you’re saying that you didn’t know anything about what was going on inside the territory?”
Thomas nodded at someone’s question.
“That’s right. They told us to send in as many US troops as we wanted, and they even asked if we would pay compensation if we found them.”
At those words, the president’s face floating on one side of the screen reacted.
– So, is it difficult to deploy the army right away?
“For now, yes. Because the facility is equipped with security facilities, and we do not know how powerful nuclear weapons are prepared inside… … .”
– Still, isn’t it clear about TP?
“Yes, I presume.”
– Then you have no choice but to take the risk. Didn’t Alpha just infiltrate it?
“That’s right, Mr. President.”
– Then, how many people can be put into Camarnia?
Though he was worried inside, Thomas couldn’t deny it either.
It was because it was difficult to figure out the inside story that neither the authorities of Camarnia nor the US intelligence agency knew, just by snooping from the outside.
And Kangtae was moving towards Pikal.
In the process, it was unknown where and how to use the last weapon Pikal was holding.
Thomas opened his mouth as if he had been waiting.
“On the ground, within a radius of 30 km, two companies of the 24th Special Tactics Squadron and a Navy SEAL team are on standby.”
– What about the agents?
As the president on the screen looked around and spoke, the heads of each agency quickly reported, starting with the CIA director.
The results were not satisfactory.
It was because only about 30 people had gathered at all.
It could have doubled over time, but it had to wait at least two hours to a day.
The president came to a quick conclusion.
– First of all, let’s deal with the facility with military personnel, and go in the direction of supporting other organizations.
“All right.”
-Then, let the minister take responsibility and completely neutralize and occupy the facility. The State Department will sort out neighboring countries, and if a situation that exceeds my authority arises, I will take care of it myself.
“Yes, Mr. President.”
After several people, including Thomas, answered simultaneously.
The president’s gaze fell upon Robert.
– Anderson.
“Yes, Mr. President.”
– It’s good even if the operation is in progress. If you have something to express, do it without hesitation. You know it’s more important than ever.
“All right.”
Robert also responded vigorously.
It was because Kang-tae was facing Pikal for the first time, and there was a very high possibility that Pikal possessed nuclear weapons.
And soon Thomas spoke up.
“Then let’s take care of the facilities in Camarnia.”
* * *
Pikal wiped the tears from his eyes with his hand.
His eyes touched his wet fingertips.
“… … .”
Her lips trembled like a moon.
It wasn’t because I was sad or afraid.
Russia and China, which claimed to be great powers, withdrew their footing, and even Pakistan, which could be used as an ally, behaved like a rat, feeling isolation, resentment, and anger.
‘It is clear that the task is my destiny… How could the trials be so excessive?’
The past flashed into Pikal’s mind.
The days when subordinates kept dying and the plan got delayed.
The planned launch of dozens of nuclear missiles has now become an unrealizable fantasy.
never been able to
In addition, the plan to launch four nuclear missiles, which had to be scaled back, was on the verge of collapsing.
I couldn’t fully proceed.
Above all, I couldn’t prepare or run this again.
Right now, only the body is alive.
Because now he would be noticed by the United States, he would be pursued for the rest of his life, and he had very little left of the wealth he had been using as a weapon.
In other words, the task is all over.
“her… … .”
Pikal, soaked in thought, spat out a laugh.
No matter how much I thought about it, it was impossible to solve this situation.
Only the will toward the task was full.
At the end, a heavy and low conclusion flowed from Pikal’s mouth.
“The ordeal is not too much… … .”
Then he let out a long exhalation, nodded, and added a few words.
“… The task is not mine.”
It was giving up.
The destruction of the world could not be accomplished realistically, so he had no choice but to give up.
There was no other way.
In the first place, Pikal was not a person who ignorantly pushed his convictions.
He was a person who knew how to see conditions and circumstances.
However, the desire did not disappear from Pikal’s eyes.
The belief remained.
Also, giving up didn’t mean giving up on life.
I had no intention of doing anything like embroidery.
I just put in the first task.
Above all, there was still one more thing that had to be done.
Tae Kang.
He was alive and well, the second task that delayed and eventually gave up the task he had been preparing for the past few years.
Even the situation coming into Pakistan.
I couldn’t keep him alive.
It wasn’t because he simply blocked himself.
It was to reduce the power of the United States holding the hegemony of the world even a little, and to contribute to the destruction of the world that would come later.
After thinking, he made a decision.
‘Yes, killing that Asian has become my only task.’
And Pikal picked up the phone right away.
In order to find out and give instructions on whether the four nuclear missiles being prepared have been completed, what the launch pad is like, whether Kang-Tae’s location can be identified, and so on.
At the end, a useful result came back.
– … Assembling successfully. If all goes according to plan, we could launch in the next three hours.
“Proceed as quickly as possible. We need to shorten the time.”
– All right, Boss.
“Your efforts will be rewarded. Thank you.”
Pikal ended the call with a pep talk, but that wasn’t satisfying.
Rather, it was closer to dissatisfaction.
It wasn’t like that because there were three hours left.
Because there is only one result.
The remaining three nuclear missiles in preparation would have taken three days, not three hours, to launch.
However, even the first nuclear missile is in the Republic of Camarnia, to which the United States has approached.
In other words, if it went the wrong way, it might be discovered before firing.
Sadly, there was something else.
The fact that the painstakingly completed intercontinental ballistic missile has to be launched toward Pakistan, which has a range of less than 3,000 km, but even that has only 166 kt of power.
At least 1mt of power was wanted for each warhead, but the process was sluggish and nothing was obtained properly.
The number 166 also came from there.
It didn’t make any sense.
It meant that it was not prepared leisurely, but was the result of gathering and condensing.
It was time for Pikal to look at the map and check where the power would reach.
“Boss, we will be arriving at the airport soon. Are you landing as scheduled?”
A subordinate who doubled as a flight attendant asked, and Pikal answered without hesitation.
“Land and proceed as planned.”
“If it goes according to plan… … .”
“The town I prepared. I will go there.”
“but… Um, no. All right, Boss.”
The subordinate hesitated before replying.
It was because he had heard Pikal’s conversation.
I didn’t know what the other person on the other end of the phone said, but I could understand the situation without even listening to it.
That Pakistan had done some kind of betrayal, and that Pikal had suffered.
However, Pikal calmly gave orders.
As always.
“Tell them to go and land, don’t overdo it.”
Pikal gave the order as if waking up his hesitant subordinate, and looked out the window.
The plan had already gone wrong and I had to revise it, but since it had happened, I had to proceed calmly.
It was a kind of lure.
I knew everything, but I couldn’t run away or change it.
There was no other way for Kang-Tae to come within the influence of the 166kt nuclear warhead.
I don’t know if I know his exact location, but I couldn’t help it because the Pakistani side didn’t know at all.
So, even though Pikal knew it, he pretended not to know and proceeded according to the original plan.
Pikal himself could have been seriously injured or killed in the process, but he didn’t worry about that.
The important thing was Kang Tae, who became a complete task.
He would give up anything for his revolution.
I had a plan in place for that.
A kind of human shield that I’ve never tried because it’s not efficient.
The plan was to use all the civilians in the village as bullet fodder, such as bulletproof plates or sand bags.
Getting into the press would probably be the most terrifying operation I’ve ever undertaken, but for Pikal, it was nothing special.
This was planned before.
I just couldn’t implement it because the control wasn’t smooth and the work would be cumbersome.
‘It would have been better if we had time to tie it all together… It’s a pity.’
Pikal looked out at the scenery beyond the aircraft that had begun to tilt.
The gray ground of Pakistan was approaching.
‘Now it’s really time to end it.’