Chapter 196.1: You Want to Give It a Go, Huh? (1)
The sedan Lanok and Kang Chan were in exited the highway and began heading straight to Osan.
“Diplomats can’t really leave their host countries that easily unless they have a valid reason. That’s why my upcoming departure will be kept under wraps. I plan to get off near Niafles and return to South Korea as soon as I’m done introducing you,” Lanok informed Kang Chan.
.
Even though it was still early in the morning, Lanok looked as presentable and composed as always.
“France’s researchers are probably examining the issue in the UK as well, but my country will only help them under the condition that your safety is guaranteed under all circumstances,” Lanok firmly added.
“Will they accept that condition?” Kang Chan asked. He couldn’t help but doubt that they would just readily agree.
“Well, it won’t be easy,” Lanok replied. With a faint smile, he continued, “This investigation will require them to essentially reveal all the secrets of their subterranean shock device, so we should expect them to nitpick every tiny detail.”
However, if the UK didn’t take the offer and Ethan turned out to be telling the truth, then France would suffer significant devastation as well.
“In situations like these, it’s especially important to make it clear who’s holding the blade. You should never give the sword over to the other party when it’s already in your hand,” Lanok explained. He sounded as if he was teaching a student.
Kang Chan recalled that the lives of a hundred million people were at stake here. If their positions were switched and Lanok had to put his life on the line to prevent an earthquake from happening in Korea, what would Kang Chan have done?
After some time, the two reached the Osan Airport and promptly boarded a private plane.
“Let’s get some shut-eye first before having a meal together. You can use the room over there,” Lanok instructed him.
Kang Chan readily accepted the offer and entered the small room, finding a bed, a clothes rack, and a small light. He plopped down on the bed.
***
They had already eaten twice during their thirteen-hour flight before arriving in Niafles, France, at around one in the afternoon local time. The private plane landed on an empty, deserted airport with sand breezing through the desolate air.
Having gotten a lot of sleep, Kang Chan felt glad that he was starting this training in a good, healthy condition.
The vehicle waiting for them at the airport took them to a small city about an hour away. The backdrop of the European town’s rural landscape bore an eerie, ominous silence and an inexplicably heavy atmosphere.
The car parked at a building that was slightly removed from the center of the city. Kang Chan then stepped out of the car and immediately felt as if he had just entered a small town in Eupnae of Gapyeong back home. Agents dressed like laborers lined up in front of the building, all looking sharply at Kang Chan and Lanok as they passed by.
The seven-story building was already quite old and was surrounded by street cafes, small bakeries, and shops that could be commonly found in France, making it quite hard to believe that it actually served as the headquarters of an information bureau.
Click.
Kang Chan soon entered the establishment, the lobby reminding him of an old French apartment building.
Why do the French always put stairs right after the front door?
Ignoring the stairs, Lanok walked straight ahead and went further inside. They then took the elevator to the seventh floor, which made Kang Chan feel as if he just took a time machine from the past to the present. In a hallway lined with carpet and glass partitions on each side, he could see computer facilities and other state-of-the-art technology.
Kang Chan was taking a quick scan of the room when a chubby man in his forties walked over to Lanok.
“Entrez(Please, come in),” he told them.
Lanok and Kang Chan followed the man past the glass walls and into an office decorated with elegant furniture.
“It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Pierre Lomans, the supervisor of the Niafles department,” the chubby man greeted.
“My name is Lanok,” Lanok said as he shook Pierre Lomans’s hand. He then turned and gestured to Kang Chan. “This is Mr. Kang Chan,”
“Please have a seat,” Pierre offered.
Lanok and Kang Chan sat down at the chairs that were facing the desk. Pierre took it upon himself to pour them some tea, a clear display that he was treating Lanok with great respect yet also immense caution.
“We have completed all the necessary preparations. To start, please take a look at this,” Pierre picked up and handed them the paper envelope that was on the desk. “After a brief introduction and a short break, we will proceed with the training immediately.”
Kang Chan took out the documents from the envelope, which included a passport and identification card.
“This is the identity you will be using during your stay in France. Unless there are any special circumstances, you will use this name while you’re here—”
“Pierre,” Lanok jumped in, cutting Pierre off. “You must not have been fully informed about Monsieur Kang yet. This isn’t the proper way to treat someone who has been acknowledged by all the European intelligence bureaus. Let’s put these documents away.”
“Understood, sir,” Pierre obediently responded.
Lanok’s response was so cold that Kang Chan almost felt sorry as he gave back the documents. In situations like this, wasn’t it only proper for the person asking for a favor to be more timid and for the person doing that favor to be more relaxed?
Yet on the contrary, every time Lanok’s expression and tone changed, Kang Chan could see clear hints of Pierre working hard to get in Lanok’s good graces.
Their awkward conversation lasted for about twenty minutes before Lanok finally stood up.
“Well, Mr. Kang Chan, I’ll return once the discussions with Britain have concluded,” Lanok said. He then glanced at Pierre one final time before leaving the room.
What the hell? He came all the way to France and drove an hour here just to leave so quickly?
Kang Chan found it so unbelievable that he almost laughed in disbelief, but Lanok was already out of the office.
Afterward, Pierre took Kang Chan to see all the floors from the third to the seventh floor and assigned him a room on the fifth floor. His quarters had a living room, bed, shower, and even a simple kitchen. Not only were the facilities pretty good, but they were actually quite big and spacious as well. He felt as if he had just entered a nice room in the middle of a long, weary trip. On the other hand, Kang Chan supposed if the room was any smaller, he would probably feel trapped.
“You will be using room 503 from now on, Mr. Kang Chan,” Pierre told him.
There were six rooms on the fifth floor, rooms 501 to 506, but Kang Chan didn’t know who was in the other rooms.
“We use the same system as a hotel. If you need anything, you can just dial zero on the phone here and tell us about it,” Pierre politely said, seemingly not wanting to offend Kang Chan.
People always asked Kang Chan the same questions—Who he really was, where he learned French and gained his combat skills—but today, Kang Chan found himself becoming curious about Lanok’s identity again.
Will that guy ever tell me?
“Do you have any questions?” Pierre asked, sensing Kang Chan’s curiosity.
“No, I’m good,” Kang Chan replied.
People who work for intelligence bureaus might not be good for other things, but they really know how to read the room.
“I see. Then we will have a short briefing session in an hour and serve you dinner afterward,” Pierre respectfully continued.
Click.
It’s nice that these government punks are polite, but they’re too stiff.
They reminded him of the agents he met in South Korea.
After freshening up a bit, Kang Chan opened all the shelves in the room. The closets were filled to the brim with clothes. There was loungewear, workout clothes, five sets of suits, hats, shoes that fit the outfits, and even guns and magazines.
Well, guess I’m really here now!
He then called back home to Seoul. After talking to Kang Dae-Kyung, Yoo Hye-Sook, Seok Kang-Ho, and Kim Hyung-Jung, he no longer had any other urgent calls to make.
***
In the morning, Kang Chan received education on decryption techniques, satellite information management, the command structures of various intelligence bureaus across the world, and insights into global economics. In the afternoon, he had courses in psychology, English, and social dancing.
What truly surprised Kang Chan was the utilization of satellites and the extent of involvement of intelligence bureaus from France, the United States, and China. He never suspected that they could be so deeply involved in aspects related to a country’s political, economic, and societal activities.
Kang Chan also learned about international power dynamics and the resulting economic trends that those dynamics created. In doing so, he finally began to realize just how powerless South Korea was.
‘Was this why everyone in Korea was so desperate to connect the country to the Eurasian Rail?’
In essence, if the United States and China really put their minds to it, they could destroy every inch of South Korea any day of the year.
The more he learned, the more he grew curious. Fortunately, he could easily grasp and understand all the lessons because he had the current state of affairs to compare it to. If it wasn’t for the damned English and social dancing courses, he would have found his classes tolerable.
Since coming to France, Kang Chan spent eleven consecutive days inside the building. He only found joy during two parts of his daily routine. The first was waking up at dawn and going to the gym facility to use the treadmill and work out, and the second was calling the people back home in Korea. He even ate in his room by himself.
How is this different from being locked up in prison? Are they just going to keep me in this room for six months?
It had been eleven days, but Lanok still hadn’t contacted him. Kang Chan had full trust that he would take care of things outside, though.
It was strange how people’s emotions worked.
Kang Chan had made friends with the elderly staff member who prepared him food. They even exchanged greetings and small talk every now and then. After his meal, Kang Chan drank coffee and enjoyed about an hour of rest.
Later that day, he received news that the school festival ended in a success. Seok Kang-Ho called him every day, while Michelle and Kim Hyung-Jung took turns calling him every other day.
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