October 7th, 2023, 17:40

  The South State, Seoul, Kangnam-ku, the NIS building (Foreign Intelligence Department’s meeting room).

  The NIS Foreign Intelligence Department already had their hands full from the case related to Kim Jong-un when they heard the report from the Middle East.

  Director Kang Ki-won called for a meeting with every staff member who was a team leader or above.

  “The 1st unit deployed to Iran to collect intelligence about Russia and Iran’s activities just gave an urgent report. Two trucks from Russia just arrived at the Russian Embassy in Tehran and their cargo seemed to be tactical nukes. There were at least 30 bombs that could be launched by different equipment,” Director Kang Ki-won used the report from Manager Lee Ja-sung and led the briefing himself.

  “Russia must have lost its mind, bringing tactical nukes to the Middle East. We must act, sir,” Manager Kim Jin-jung from Unit 2 answered with a look of disbelief.

  “Of course we must. I would like to hear everyone’s opinion of what course of action we should take next.” Director Kang Ki-won crossed his arms and glanced at everyone seated at the table.

  “I think we need to neutralize the nukes even if it involves infiltrating the Russian Embassy, sir,” Manager Kim Jin-jung from Unit 2 gave his suggestion first.

  “Manager Kim! How do you neutralize a tactical nuke? No one in Tehran is a tactical nuke technician! Don’t you know messing with the nuclear weapons could wipe out the entire city? Also, if our agents are found out, then that could lead to an international conflict with Russia. We are already on a bad footing with Russia on the issue of Hokkaido, aren’t we?” Deputy Director Kwon Sung-un expressed his disagreement.

  “Isn’t it our job to face danger while we work, sir? Honey is sweet, but bees sting, sir.”


  When the deputy director and Unit 2’s manager started to argue, Director Kang Ki-won intervened, “I would like to side with the idea of infiltrating the Russian Embassy as well. However, as the deputy director has said, the risk is too great.”


  Director Kang Ki-won sided with the deputy director.

  “Russia would not actually use the tactical nukes themselves in Iran, sir. Wouldn’t they hand them off to the Iranian government or military instead?” When Manager Oh Hyung-jun from Unit 4 spoke while raising his hand, Director Kang Ki-won answered him.

  “That would be likely.”


  “If that is the case, then the Russian Embassy would be a temporary storage facility and they would move the payload to an Iranian military base or government building. How about we attempt to disarm the bombs then, sir?”


  The attendees of the meeting all nodded in agreement to Manager Oh Hyun-jun’s suggestion except for one person.

  “Manager Oh! Are you suggesting we make a surprise attack while the Russians are on the move?” Manager Kim Jin-jun from Unit 2, who suggested infiltrating the Russian embassy, asked.

  “If we could send in professionals, additional manpower, and equipment to Tehran ASAP, then wouldn’t we be able to obtain the tactical nukes during our surprise attack and take out the detonation device, sir?”


  “What if the nukes are moved from the embassy before we can send in our people, as Manager Oh said?”


  Manager Kim Jin-jung from Unit 2 continued to express his opposition and the meeting continued for another hour debating whether to infiltrate the embassy or strike the nukes while they were on the move. In the end, everyone sided with Manager Oh Hyun-jun’s suggestion of the surprise attack while the nukes were being moved. Also, the NIS decided to additionally send in Manager Ahn Bong-tae and 10 agents from Unit 3.

  Director Kang Ki-won made a report to NIS Secretary Lee Young-jin himself, and they both visited the Blue House to request the president’s approval for the mission.

  * * *

  October 7th, 2023, 20:20, (Iranian Standard Time 14:50)

  Iran, Tehran, 11th province, nearby the Russian Embassy in Iran

  After detecting the tactical nukes within the truck’s cargo, Manager Lee Ja-sung reported it immediately to the NIS headquarters and had been watching the embassy for the past three hours until further orders came in.

  “Sir, how about we take them out ourselves?” Team Leader Park Gi-oong, who had been disguised as a tourist, had come up to the roof where Manager Lee was and suggested the idea.

  Team Leader Park Gi-oong had finished the mission with the USSC at America in 2021 and had been working with Manager Lee Ja-sung since.

  “How are we gonna do that?”


  “Couldn’t we just infiltrate the embassy with our TCS (Transparent Cloaking System) and destroy the detonation device, sir?”


  “Team Leader Park! Do you know how to disarm a nuclear bomb’s detonation device?”


  “Well! Wouldn’t it be the same as disarming any other bomb, sir?”


  “Damn it! If we went in there willy nilly like that, then the entire city could be blown up! Let’s wait to hear back from HQ first.”


  While the two men were conversing with each other, Chief Park Won-ho, who had the hotline radio to the NIS Foreign Intelligence Department HQ, joined in.

  “Sir, it’s from headquarters.” He handed Manager Lee Ja-sung the Turkio-Xnis radio.

  “This is Lee Ja-sung.”
-

  Good work out there. This is the director. What’s your status?

  “Yes, sir. The nukes are still aboard the truck and there’s no further movement.”
-

  I see. I know it’s tough, but continue to survey the Russian Embassy, and we will attempt to strike when they are moved. Additional personnel and equipment will arrive at 22:00 in Iranian Standard Time. Manager Ahn Bong-tae from Unit 3 will be leading them.

  “Yes, sir. I understand.”
-

  If, there are any changes, report them immediately. Over.

  “Yes, sir.”


  Manager Lee Ja-sung finished speaking on the radio and handed it back to Chief Park Won-ho. He then glanced at Team Leader Park Gi-oong.

  “Headquarters has also decided not to infiltrate the Russian Embassy.”


  “What do we do now, sir?”


  “We will begin 24-hour surveillance of the Russian Embassy. HQ has ordered us to wait until the tactical nukes are on the move. Additional agents and equipment will arrive at 22:00 today.”


  “Sir! If you just leave it to me, then I can have them taken out right now at the embassy……,” Team Leader Park Gi-oong lamented.

  “It’s orders from the director! Team Leader Park, go back down there, and tell the agents we are transitioning into round-the-clock surveillance and the rest will pull out for now.”


  “Yes, sir.”


  When the clock stroke 10:00 pm in Iran, two planes landed vertically in the suburb of Tehran.

  The planes were the long-distance CMV-101 trailers refurbished from the CV-100 sky bus. The 10 NIS foreign intelligence Unit 3 agents and four tactical weapons bomb squad professionals started to unload their equipment. Manager Lee Ja-sung greeted them briefly and headed to the safe house. Then the agents started to discuss plans on how to conduct their ambush in detail.

  * * *

  October 9th, 2023, 15:30 (Iran Standard Time 10:00)

  Iran, Tehran, 11th province, the Russian Embassy in Iran

  After Manager Lee Ja-sung and his agents had surveyed the Russian Embassy in groups of two for 24 hours, they finally saw the trucks preparing to move the bombs somewhere else. The NIS agents decided to put the plans they had set into motion.

  The agents were nervous since they had to conduct the mission while not knowing the destination of the trucks-

  Targets 1 and 2 are moving from the embassy.

  One of the agents reported to Manager Lee Ja-sung who was standing by at a black van parked near the embassy.

  “Who’s guarding the bombs?”
-

  There are two Iranian police cars and one black van, sir. Ah! Two Iranian armored vehicles have arrived at the building.

  “Armored vehicles?”


  Manager Lee Ja-sung had expected the escorting force of the tactical nukes to be quite powerful. However, he only expected Iranian police cars and Russian intelligence agency vehicles to guard the trucks, not Iranian military armored vehicles-

  Yes, sir. They seem to be the refurbished BTR-60 Agarev armored vehicles.

  “This is going to be more complicated than we thought, having to face off against an armored vehicle. We’re not changing our plans. We continue forward. Over.”
-

  Yes, sir.

  The Russian Embassy’s doors opened and the two transport trucks and a black van emerged. Two armored vehicles and two police cars started to tail the trucks to form a convoy. The transport truck’s convoy started to speed up when they merged into a four-lane highway.

  The NIS agents waiting near the embassy proceeded to quietly tail the convoy aboard their own vehicles.

  A few moments later, the transport trucks and their escorting convoy heading towards the west of Tehran merged into the Qazvin highway. The light-weight SI-Q super eye reconnaissance drone controlled by an agent from Unit 1 was filming the trucks’ movements from 3km above the atmosphere with its optical sensors.

  * * *

  October 9th, 2023, 16:30 (Iranian Standard Time 11:00)

  km east of Alborz, Qazvin, Iran (Qazvin highway)

  The convoy drove out of Tehran for an hour and was now 37km away from Qazvin. A black van 200m behind the convoy started to speed up and shoot forward.

  Manager Lee Ja-sung, who had been watching the surrounding area with his SI-Q super eye had found the prime spot to begin their ambush and ordered his agents to start the mission.

  Two black vans sped up and started flanking the trucks with the nukes aboard, and soon they were right next to the armored vehicles guarding the flank.

  With a signal, the black van’s side doors opened and dozens of laser beams started to fly towards the sides of the Agarev armored vehicles.

  Pew pew pew pew pew pew pew pew~

  The powerful 12mm laser beams pierced the armored vehicle’s tires and side plating to stir up the vehicle’s interior. The two hole-covered armored vehicles lost their balance and started to stray from the convoy after crashing through the road’s guardrails.

  The truck drivers and the Russian agents in the van all panicked and started to speed up. However, the NIS agents had already expected that.

  There was a 5t freighter truck 30 minutes ahead of the convoy. When the sound of gunshots started to fill the air, the truck slowed down and came to a dead stop while blocking all four lanes on the highway.

  The transport trucks, police cars, and black vans that had sped up did not have enough time to stop. They all attempted to come to a sudden halt but ended up crashing into each other-

  Now!

  When Manager Lee Ja-sung gave the order again, the container aboard the freighter truck opened up. Inside were two CS7 laser Vulcan guns. The two remote-controlled guns started to turn slowly and sprayed laser beams at the targets.

  Pew pew pew pew pew pew~ Pew pew pew pew pew pew~

  The two Iranian police cars became covered in holes and exploded. The black and red flames started to rise and dance along the lanes. The citizens inside their cars started to scream and run away in all directions. Chaos had broken out in the middle of the highway.

  Bang bang bang bang! Ba ba ba ba ba bang! Bang!

  The SVR agents got off their vans and started to retaliate with their own firearms. The NIS agents fired back with their laser rifles as well.

  The 10 armed soldiers aboard the back of the trucks also jumped down and started to fire their guns at the freighter truck blocking their path-

  We don’t have much time left! Take them down.

  The SVR agents, who had been firing their guns behind a car, were all hit by the laser beams that could pierce through most commercial vehicles and fell to the ground bleeding. The armed soldiers were taken down and torn up by the remote-controlled Vulcan guns as well.

  Three minutes had passed, and the loud sounds of gunshots stopped ringing. The SVR agents and the armed Iranian soldiers who were shot by the laser beams had become bloody corpses.