Chapter 146

Rajin.

Kang Yuseong’s attack unit finally arrived in Rajin.

Once a bustling port, Rajin was now eerily silent.

Following Kim Jong-un’s death, various North Korean warlords had maintained their forces and expanded their influence. General Lee Gyeong-guk of the Red Flag Unit had taken over Rajin and was successfully maintaining order in the city.

‘Hmm…’

Kang Yuseong was already receiving assistance from South Korea’s military satellites.

With a detection monitor built using cutting-edge military science and technology, he received reports on troop positions in Rajin, allowing him to plan an efficient infiltration route.

While 100% perfect detection was impossible, the system was designed to track large-scale movement of living beings and military equipment.

Star Pharmaceuticals had also invested heavily in establishing this system, and they were now reaping its benefits.

‘Stronger than I expected.’

Kang Yuseong narrowed his brow slightly as he looked at the dots on the small portable monitor.

Allied forces, equipped with special transmitters, appeared green, while enemies appeared red. The entire area was awash in red.

Their orderly deployment indicated that General Lee Gyeong-guk was a highly capable individual.

At that moment, Kang Yuseong smiled faintly.

‘This level of defense… he’s more than qualified to be the gatekeeper. Heh heh.’

A gatekeeper to halt the southward advance of China’s 125th Black Wind Unit.

General Lee Gyeong-guk was indeed a very suitable person for that role.

“Attack unit, wait here. Maintain concealment until further orders.”

The attack unit was secretly digging in on a small hill, awaiting orders.

Kang Yuseong had brought them for a specific reason.

Kang Yuseong intended to approach General Lee Gyeong-guk and use his psychic abilities, and the unit was a precaution against any potential armed conflict during his movement.

He needed the attack unit because his goal was not to kill them, but merely to subdue them.

However, Kang Yuseong decided to keep the attack unit in reserve.

The most important thing was to complete the mission without any casualties.

“Good luck, Commander.”

Baek Myeong-han and the other members of the Stardust attack unit bowed their heads to him.

“I’m leaving the rear to you, Captain Gil Hyeok-jun.”

“Don’t worry.”

“And you, don’t cause trouble just because you’re bored.”

The last remark was directed at Kim Do-jin.

Kim Do-jin adjusted his fedora and shrugged.

“I can’t promise that. My hands are itching for action.”

He then chuckled.

“Well, then you should just come back quickly before I cause any trouble, shouldn’t you? I’ll try to hold back for a while.”

Kang Yuseong shook his head, watching him.

Swish—

And he vanished, as if melting into the darkness.

Melded with the darkness, Kang Yuseong slipped past the guards who were meticulously defending Rajin’s entrance.

As he brushed past them, he injected fragments of his consciousness into the guards’ minds, erasing their memories entirely. They would likely have no idea what they had seen.

‘Now, where are you… General Lee Gyeong-guk?’

General Lee Gyeong-guk’s location wasn’t detectable by military satellites.

He had to find it out himself, on site.

The best way to do that, of course, was to directly delve into the minds of the guards.

Thwack!

Kang Yuseong snatched a high-ranking officer who happened to be passing by, pulling him close, then struck him on the back of the neck.

Flash!

He then rummaged through the officer’s memories, searching for General Lee Gyeong-guk’s location.

‘Hmm!’

But even the officer didn’t know the exact location.

It seemed General Lee was operating secretly due to the multitude of hostile factions.

As Kang Yuseong sifted through his memories for a while, he suddenly found a clue.

‘Lieutenant Colonel Kang Cheol-gwon. This man must hold the key.’

Lieutenant Colonel Kang Cheol-gwon.

Fortunately, the officer had information about Lieutenant Colonel Kang Cheol-gwon.

Kang Yuseong cast his gaze to one side.

A building visible in the distance.

A smile played on Kang Yuseong’s lips.

Swish—

He vanished into the darkness again, and a long while after he left, the officer rubbed the back of his neck with a puzzled expression, got up, tilted his head, and continued on his way.

He had no memory of ever meeting Kang Yuseong.

Click—

Darkness proved to be an excellent tool for an intruder.

Especially Kang Yuseong, a gifted individual who had reached the pinnacle of physical abilities.

Infiltrating anywhere was an extremely easy task for him.

A building located in the central part of Rajin.

This was where Kang Yuseong had infiltrated.

It seemed like a building constructed by the Communist Party in the past, but now it served as the Rajin Defense Command headquarters. And Lieutenant Colonel Kang Cheol-gwon was the head of its intelligence department.

From the officer’s memories, Kang Cheol-gwon seemed to be very close to General Lee Gyeong-guk.

There were quite a few instances in the officer’s memory of the two standing together.

‘There he is.’

As Kang Yuseong infiltrated the building, his eyes spotted the short, balding figure of Kang Cheol-gwon.

Kang Yuseong’s eyes gleamed as he approached him.

Thwack!

Knocking him out was child’s play.

He once again sifted through Kang Cheol-gwon’s memories.

And he found it.

‘Just as I thought.’

Kang Cheol-gwon knew.

Where Lee Gyeong-guk’s true quarters were.

Once Kang Yuseong obtained the desired information, he left him and moved quickly.

There was no time to lose.

Lee Gyeong-guk wasn’t far.

His quarters were in a truly unexpected place.

Among the many civilian houses in Rajin, there was a dilapidated, isolated building, and beneath it, a passage connected to Lee Gyeong-guk’s quarters.

In fact, it was a place no one would ever find if they didn’t know about it.

There were no sentries outside, making it appear to be nothing more than an abandoned house.

‘A meticulous man.’

Indeed, Lee Gyeong-guk was not a man to be underestimated.

Which also meant he was a man who could be trusted with a task.

‘Shall I go in?’

He entered the abandoned house.

Going into the abandoned house’s kitchen, he removed the cover over the hearth, revealing a doorknob.

The entrance was wide enough for about two adults to pass through.

Clank—

Kang Yuseong lifted the doorknob that led underground and smiled at the path stretching below.

‘Found it.’

And he immediately dropped down.

Thud.

Kang Yuseong landed softly on the floor, making almost no sound, and began to walk down the path.

It was pitch-black all around, but it made no difference to Kang Yuseong.

He had already activated Thieving Eye.

Thanks to it, he could clearly identify where every living being was.

After walking for quite some time, the faint outlines of what appeared to be human figures became visible.

Thwack! Thwack!

In an instant, he knocked out the two guards standing at the end of the path and was able to enter.

Beyond the path, a small but fully equipped underground bunker was revealed.

This was where General Lee Gyeong-guk was commanding everything.

Kang Yuseong stealthily made his way towards the command center.

Perhaps they believed no one could infiltrate this far, as the underground bunker’s security measures weren’t particularly tight.

And when Kang Yuseong finally appeared in the revealed command center, the people inside reacted with startled expressions.

“Wh-who are you!”

One person quickly grabbed a pistol and stood up, but then abruptly froze in place.

Kang Yuseong smiled as he walked past him.

“Stay put. Then you won’t get hurt.”

While not as proficient as Gil Ji-yeon, Kang Yuseong also possessed crowd control abilities.

The ability to suppress everyone’s minds and forcibly induce actions.

Many individuals merely blinked their eyes, and Kang Yuseong calmly walked through them, approaching the one person seated in the largest chair.

A man with graying temples, a generally imposing physique, and incredibly sharp eyes.

Kang Yuseong smiled as he approached him.

“General Lee Gyeong-guk.”

He could finally meet him.

The ultimate goal of his journey to Rajin.

“No need to answer. You…”

Kang Yuseong’s eyes, fixed on Lee Gyeong-guk, intensified.

“From now on, you just need to follow my words. Now… Lee Gyeong-guk, I will tell you what you are to do.”

Flash!

Kang Yuseong’s eyes glowed stark white.

And his Consciousness Injection began.

A powerful ability that absolutely influenced human’s five senses and sixth sense!

Without touching any of Lee Gyeong-guk’s other memories, he intended to implant just one memory, the most urgent one for him.

Flash!

And the Consciousness Injection ended shortly after.

Kang Yuseong walked past the frozen people and said,

“I’m counting on you. While you hold the line, we’ll make our move…”

Snap!

And he snapped his fingers, as if breaking a hypnotic trance.

After he vanished, everyone in the control room suddenly came to their senses and could move their bodies again.

Lee Gyeong-guk, his head throbbing, rubbed his temples before calling out loudly to someone.

“Hey, Comrade Jeong Sang-rok!”

“Yes, Comrade Commander!”

As Jeong Sang-rok quickly rushed over, Lee Gyeong-guk looked at him and said,

“What’s going on? Didn’t I tell you those Chinese bastards are eyeing Rajin!”

Jeong Sang-rok made a bewildered expression.

“No, Comrade Commander, what do you mean—”

At that moment, Lee Gyeong-guk’s furious roar erupted.

“Ugh, what are you talking about right now! Those Chinese bastards are right on our doorstep! Order all troops to battle stations and prepare a response against the 125th Black Wind Unit! Don’t just stand there dazed, move it!”

“Co-Comrade… ah, understood!”

In truth, Jeong Sang-rok had no idea why Lee Gyeong-guk was suddenly issuing such orders, but he had no choice but to obey.

To them, Lee Gyeong-guk was practically a god.

“And Comrade! Convey one more thing. Tell all comrades in the North Hamgyong Defense Command to unite under my word, Lee Gyeong-guk. There’s no time, so deliver the message quickly!”

The North Hamgyong Defense Command was a recently formed organization.

It was a collective formed by prominent warlords in the vicinity, including Lee Gyeong-guk of Rajin, who had united.

They had signed an agreement to support each other if attacked by other forces, and Lee Gyeong-guk was now invoking that very point.

Jeong Sang-rok’s face turned ashen, but he could only nod immediately.

Lee Gyeong-guk had never been wrong before.

If he suddenly issued an order, there was always a reason.

“Understood!”

Lee Gyeong-guk’s orders were given, and all the telephones in the command center lit up.

Rajin.

It was the moment a single defense line, capable of stopping the 125th Black Wind Unit’s advance, was completed.

WEEEENG—

Hearing the emergency bells ringing throughout Rajin, Kang Yuseong smiled.

Judging by the military’s movements, Lee Gyeong-guk seemed to be acting precisely as intended.

He quietly picked up his satellite phone.

“Kite, mission complete. How’s Squirrel?”

Static—

The radio crackled, and then a voice came through.

“—Squirrel, mission complete. Sinŭiju has been secured.”

Just as planned, their mission was also completed.

The smile on Kang Yuseong’s lips deepened.

With this, the powerful first defensive line between Sinŭiju and Rajin was complete.

“—Headquarters, this is Kite. Commence the operation.”

And a moment later, the reply came.

“—This is Headquarters. Operation ‘Northern Expedition’ is now commencing.”

Operation Northern Expedition.

Finally, the grand plan had begun.