Chapter 173: An Unexpected Order

Ring! Ring! Ring!

The phone lying beside the head of the bed began playing its melodic ringtone.

Feeling for it with one hand, I glanced at the screen.

It was Vice Chairman Wei Chen.

Knowing perfectly well why he was calling, I immediately sat up in bed, cleared my still-sleepy voice with a cough, and quickly answered.

"Vice Chairman Wei."

[Director Cha, did I wake you?]

Vice Chairman Wei Chen had stayed up all night arranging Commander Kwak Taesu's passage to the Republic of Korea.

Knowing how much effort he'd put into it, there was no way I could answer honestly.

"I just got up. How is Commander Kwak?"

[The passenger ship bound for Incheon departed safely about ten minutes ago.]

"What a relief. There weren't any problems during passport control?"

[To be safe, we used a secret passage to get him inside the port.]

"A secret passage?"

[Our Triad people operate inside the Port of Dandong.]

In other words, Commander Kwak Taesu had been escorted into the port by Triad members.

"I see. Please continue."

[Commander Kwak altered his appearance beyond recognition. But just in case, we boarded him through the crew's service corridor.]

"Is there any chance a crew member or passenger might recognize him?"

[He won't leave the VIP cabin until the ship reaches the Port of Incheon. And to prepare for the worst-case scenario, we've placed four of our men aboard.]

"As always, you've planned for every possibility."

[Ha ha. It's flattering to hear praise from Director Cha.]

He really does enjoy laying it on thick.

"After breakfast we'll hold the final coordination meeting. Please keep that in mind."

Feeling slightly awkward, I quickly changed the subject.

After ending the call with Vice Chairman Wei Chen, I changed into comfortable clothes and walked out of the bedroom.

The moment I stepped into the living room, I nearly lost the power of speech.

Calmly sitting on the sofa were Secretary Kang Inhan, Director Lee Menghong, Team Leader Seo Donghun, and Team Leader Lee Hyeonsol.

I was the only person staying in this suite.

Without my permission, no one should have been able to get inside.

As soon as they noticed me, they all stood up.

I looked at Kang Inhan in confusion.

"How did you get into my room?"

"Saho opened the door for us."

"You little traitor!"

At my thunderous shout, the startled Saho shot Kang Inhan an indignant glare before instantly bolting back into the bedroom.

"Please don't scold Saho. I think he did it on purpose so we wouldn't have to wake you, Director."

"Ahem... I see."

Watching Saho disappear into the bedroom, I walked over to the armchair at the head of the room and sat down.

"Sit down. Quickly."

"Yes, Director!"

Secretary Kang Inhan and the others immediately returned to the sofa.

"Secretary Kang, when did you arrive?"

"About thirty minutes ago. Has Commander Kwak safely departed for home?"

"Vice Chairman Wei just called. The ship left without incident."

I briefly relayed the contents of my conversation with Wei Chen.

"...Four Triad members are accompanying Commander Kwak as his security detail."

"Excellent. Should we call Commander Kwak to pass along our greetings and a few instructions?"

"I intended to, but Vice Chairman Wei objected. He said the call could be traced through geolocation."

"That's a fair point. It's best to be cautious for the time being."

"If anything unexpected happens, the Triad members will report directly to Vice Chairman Wei."

"Let's hope everything goes smoothly."

Leaving Kang Inhan's remark unanswered, I turned toward Director Lee Menghong.

"Report to Director Om Giyeon that Commander Kwak has safely departed."

"Me?"

Director Lee Menghong pointed at himself in genuine surprise.

"Director Om is your direct superior."

"That's true, but... his position is so high."

"Director Lee, don't you want a promotion?"

"..."

"Director Om has been anxiously waiting for news about Commander Kwak."

"Thank you very much for your consideration, Director Cha!"

After expressing his gratitude, Lee Menghong immediately called NIS Director Om Giyeon.

He gave a detailed report covering why Commander Kwak Taesu had defected from North Korea, the operation itself, and the latest information I'd just received.

Judging from the faint smile spreading across his face, Director Om seemed extremely pleased with the report.

Partway through the conversation, Lee Menghong covered the receiver and turned toward me.

"Director Cha, Director Om would like to speak with you."

Taking the phone, I held it to my ear.

"Director Om."

[Director Cha, you've done extraordinary work!]

"I deserve very little credit. The real burden fell on the National Intelligence Service, especially Director Lee Menghong and his team."

[Ha ha! I understand. Then I suppose I should reward our operatives generously?]

"I'd be deeply grateful."

[Now let's discuss something else. When will the state of emergency in Dandong be lifted?]

"Until Commander Kwak Taesu is either captured or killed, I doubt it'll be lifted."

[Shouldn't we postpone the operation, then?]

I'd seriously considered postponing it myself.

However, Vice Chairman Wei Chen had presented two compelling reasons against delaying, so we'd decided to proceed as planned.

"If we postpone the operation, we won't be able to destroy the North Korean weapons aboard the Silver Crystal."

[When does the Silver {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} Crystal set sail?]

"It's scheduled to depart this coming Sunday morning."

[Hmm... I see. What if we simply intercept and seize the Silver Crystal?]

"The Silver Crystal will almost certainly remain inside China's territorial waters for the entire voyage."

I carefully explained to Director Om Giyeon why capturing the ship wasn't feasible.

"...At this point, the best and only realistic option is to destroy the containers carrying the North Korean weapons."

[I understand your reasoning, but I can't shake the feeling that it's incredibly risky.]

I needed to ease the NIS Director's concerns.

"Vice Chairman Wei learned that the emergency restrictions in Dandong are temporarily relaxed during the daytime so they don't inconvenience tourists and local residents. More importantly, the police and military patrols are merely going through the motions. If we take advantage of that complacency, we should be able to complete the operation without unnecessary difficulty."

[It sounds as though you already have a Plan B prepared. Am I right?]

"Exactly right, Director Om."

[I understand. I'll remain available twenty-four hours a day, so if anything unexpected happens, call me immediately.]

"We will. If that's everything, I'll hang up now."

Click.

After ending the call, I handed the phone back to Director Lee Menghong.

"I don't feel like going anywhere. How about we order breakfast through room service?"

"I completely support that idea, Director!"

Secretary Kang Inhan answered before anyone else could.

***

Ding-dong.

We had just finished breakfast and settled down to rest when the doorbell rang.

As a precaution, Team Leader Seo Donghun checked through the peephole before unlocking the door.

Fortunately, it was Vice Chairman Wei Chen and Director Pan Kai.

We quickly stood up to greet them.

"Vice Chairman Wei, Director Pan, you've worked incredibly hard."

"Director Cha, we were just speaking on the phone. Isn't this a bit too formal?"

"Ha ha. Fair enough."

As soon as they sat down, Team Leader Lee Hyeonsol served them freshly brewed hot tea.

After taking a sip to wet his throat, Wei Chen spoke with a worried expression.

"Director Cha, have you reached a decision regarding the operation?"

"We're proceeding according to plan, although we'll need to make a few adjustments."

"Whew... that's a relief."

Wei Chen let out a long sigh and placed a hand over his chest.

Knowing the risks involved, I decided to issue a warning before the main meeting began.

"Gentlemen, before Vice President Cayman and Vice President Fries arrive, I need to make something absolutely clear."

"We're listening."

"The fact that Commander Kwak Taesu has departed for our country is top secret. From this moment forward, all discussion of the matter is strictly forbidden."

"Understood!" everyone answered in unison, their voices filling the living room.

"I'm counting on your discretion."

"You have our word. But what if Vice President Cayman asks about Commander Kwak himself?"

"If that happens, I'll answer him personally."

Bzzz.

At that moment, Director Pan Kai's phone vibrated.

After glancing at the screen, he answered in Chinese, exchanged a few words, and ended the call.

"Director Cha, the minibuses carrying the American special operations teams have entered the hotel's underground parking garage."

"Then we'll be seeing them shortly."

Ding-dong.

A few moments later, the doorbell rang again.

Seo Donghun repeated the same procedure, checked the peephole, and opened the door.

He escorted Vice President Neil Cayman, Vice President George Fries, and two men with unmistakably military bearing into the suite.

Then something happened that no one had expected.

The two special operations officers snapped to attention and saluted me.

"I'm Lieutenant Colonel John Thomas, commander of Alpha Team, Delta Force. It's an honor to meet you."

"I'm Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Holland, commander of Bravo Team, Delta Force."

To be honest, I'd expected President Douglas to send special forces stationed with the U.S. Forces Korea.

Instead, he'd gone all out and dispatched Delta Force—the U.S. Army's premier Tier One special operations unit.

That alone showed just how seriously the White House regarded the upcoming operations in Fengcheng and Dalian.

"The honor is mine. I'm Cha Jiham, Director of the Korea Investment Venture Fund. Allow me to introduce my colleagues..."

After the brief introductions, we moved into the conference room.

Once everyone had taken their seats, Vice President Cayman removed a thick envelope bearing the embossed bald eagle—the national symbol of the United States—from his briefcase and handed it to me.

"Director Cha, these are President Douglas's orders."

Nodding, I opened the envelope, removed the document, and began reading.

Earlier, I'd asked President Douglas to transfer command authority over the special operations teams to Director Lee Menghong.

Instead, the order contained something completely unexpected.

"The authority to command CIA operatives, FBI agents, and Delta Force personnel is hereby vested jointly in Director Cha Jiham and Director Lee Menghong."

"In the event that any CIA operative, FBI agent, or Delta Force soldier refuses to obey the orders of the above individuals, summary execution on the spot is authorized without further approval."

Seeing my expression change, Vice President Cayman cautiously asked,

"Director Cha... is there a problem with President Douglas's orders?"

Without saying a word, I simply handed him the document.

After quickly reading it, he shrugged in confusion.

"I don't see any problem with these orders."

"I asked that command over Delta Force be given solely to Director Lee Menghong."

"You're the overall commander of the entire operation in this region. We were going to follow your orders regardless, so this arrangement makes perfect sense."

"If that's how you see it, then I have no objection."

Taking the document back from Cayman, I passed it to Director Lee Menghong before calmly summarizing the situation.

"As Vice President Cayman correctly pointed out, this operation is extremely dangerous. To ensure its complete success, President Douglas has entrusted Director Lee and me with command authority over the CIA, the FBI, and Delta Force. I ask for everyone's understanding."

"Yes, sir!"

The thunderous reply echoed throughout the room.