December 11th, 2023 09:30,

  An underground bunker at the Blue House National Crisis Center, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Namju.

  Director Lee Young-jin and Director Kang Ki-won visited the underground bunker conference room with a final report based on Jjangcheon’s statements and confessions for several days to attend the NSC (National Security Council) convened early this morning.

  The NSC (National Security Council) was frequently convened here in the underground bunker of the Blue House National Crisis Center due to the Korean-Russia War, but today it was convened to receive an interim briefing from the National Intelligence Service on the leak of plasma core technology related to Professor Woo Jin-gil.

  With NSC members sitting at both tables, led by President Choo Eun-hee, Director Kang Ki-won just started briefing while standing on one wall equipped with a screen.

  Director Kang Ki-won, who held a microphone in one hand, continued his briefing for three days after the arrest of Jjangcheon, focusing on information obtained through intensive interrogation.

  During the briefing for about 20 minutes, standing members who attended the NSC (National Security Council) listened in a serious and heavy atmosphere.

  “This concludes the interim of briefing on the plasma core technology leak.”


  Director Kang Ki-won, who put the microphone down on the podium table, bowed his head to greet him and moved to the seat behind Director Lee Young-jin.

  “Is it those Chinese again? These troublemakers always interfere with our country, not helping us. Shouldn’t we take this opportunity to take action like Japan?”


  “Yes, we shouldn’t just go over it, but we’ll never do this again if we abolish the People’s Liberation Army of the New China and our Armed Forces should be stationed, as we did to Japan two years ago.”


  Deputy Prime Minister Kim Young-chul of the Unification Policy Ministry, a conservative bureaucrat from North Korea, patted the table and looked around other top committee members. Minister of Justice Park Bum-tae also did not hesitate to make a sympathetic statement.

  Two years ago, South Korea, which won a series of wars against Japan, China, and the United States, called the First Northeast Asian War, ended peacefully with peaceful previous consultations with the United States, but China and Japan were different.

  In the case of Japan, the historical national sentiment, which had been ruled by Japanese colonial rule for 36 years, starting with the Gyeongsul government in 1910, remained, so the Korean Armed Forces took a super-strong measure to defend Japanese territory for 100 years.

  In fact, even at the time of the end of the Korea-China War, there were opinions that the Chinese surrender clause should include the abolition of the People’s Liberation Army and the Korean Armed Forces stationed in Sangju. However, some bureaucrats opposed it. The reason was that it was not enough to be stationed only by the ROK Armed Forces in Chinese territory, which is dozens of times larger than the Korean Peninsula, and instead, the opinion to separate the independence of minorities and Han tribe the China into at least two.

  As a result, the minority was independent and the Chinese-centered China was divided into three countries, and China, which was called the former G2, disappeared. However, the military power of New China, who inherited the former Chinese Communist Party, was more robust than expected than the other two countries.

  Minister Park Bum-tae pointed out this part. He wanted to say that if China’s People’s Liberation Army was completely abolished at the time of the war and the ROK Armed Forces were stationed, he would not have thought of doing this.

  “I also agree with Deputy Prime Minister Kim or Minister Park’s opinion, but now we have to recover or discard the leaked plasma core technology. I think we should take national measures after that.”


  In this unification regime, Minister Lim Tae-yeon, who was reappointed as the Minister of Next Generation Technology and Cooperation, cautiously expressed his opinion to calm down the heated conference room fever.

  “Right. I think the recovery or disposal of key technologies leaked just by Minister Lim’s words comes first. As the briefing said, isn’t the NIS currently doing well? I hope you don’t rush to mediate disagreements on the measures to be taken in the future in New China.”


  Prime Minister Lee Yoon-yeon added Minister Lim Tae-yeon’s opinion in a calm tone. However, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, known as a conservative, vented with enthusiasm again. Seeing his expression twitching, he seemed excited.

  “Shouldn’t the National Intelligence Service go by their ways and pressure the New China politically? We are not the Korea that we used to be/. We shouldn’t look like a soft water tofu like it used to be.”


  What Minister Jung Tae-guk said while spitting out his saliva was never wrong. It was not a time when the Republic of Korea, which achieved the unification of the two Koreas and now reached an equal position with the United States, was surrounded by neighboring powers and could not express political influence. Whether politically, economically or militarily, the Republic of Korea was a powerhouse among the powers that could say what they wanted to say to any country.

  “Let me tell you something.”


  Minister Kang Yi-sik of the Ministry of National Defense slightly raised his hand and opened his mouth.

  “I feel the same way as Minister Jung, and I would also like to advise the president to put military pressure on the New China. However, the Republic of Korea is currently at war with Russia. The war pattern is going in favor of our Republic of Korea, but if there is a war with the New China, we can win, but I think our Armed Forces can also suffer considerable damage.”


  The president and other standing committee members listened carefully to Minister Kang Yi-sik.

  “I think we should officially take action against New China after the Korea-Russia match while waiting for the leakage of key technologies to be recovered or discarded.”


  “Well, I see. This is why our Armed Forces fought so well that we sometimes forget that we are at war with Russia. Hahaha.”


  The atmosphere of the conference room quickly became friendly due to the calm opinions of Minister Cha and Minister Kang Yi-sik, who had conflicting opinions between the two sides, and Deputy Prime Minister Kim Young-chul’s joking remarks. And President Choo Eun-hee, who had only been listening so far, opened her mouth.

  “Thank you for that. Each and every one of your opinions is a good word. I also think recovery and disposal of leaked confidentiality is the top priority. Also, although it can put a lot of pressure on the New China, what if it continues to cover up the secrets stolen by the New China? I think our NIS agents working in Beijing would become difficult. What do you think about Director Lee?”


  President Choo Eun-hee, who was calmly speaking, turned her head toward Director Lee Young-jin and asked a question.

  “Yes, President! As President said, we hope that we will not officially take any action against New China until we recover or discard confidentiality. Everyone knows how frustrating it is. If you wait for a moment, we’ll get good results.”


  Director Lee Young-jin looked around various standing committee members and answered in a favor. Everyone nodded and accepted it.

  December 13th, 2023 18:00 (New China Time 17:00),

  The Secret House of the Foreign Intelligence Bureau, Huairou District, Beijing City, New China.

  Manager Lee Ja-sung, who safely transported Jjangcheon to the Korea National Intelligence Service, and the rest of the teams remaining in Macau had all moved to Beijing.

  Foreign Information Division 1, which joined Namgoong-won in Beijing, immediately jumped into the operation to recover the leaked plasma core technology.

  During the day, he disguised himself as a tourist to collect information on the Black Panther headquarters as well as the internal network server room of the President’s room, and at night, he established an operation plan to proceed in the future based on information that was hacked and decrypted. However, even though it is almost a week, it has not been able to collect such information and has not reached the level that external network hacking data can be used.

  Accordingly, Manager Namgoong-won convened a meeting with the Foreign Intelligence Division 1 and all agents to take special measures.

  When it became evening time, the foreign intelligence 1 agents who went out came into the secret safe house as if they were getting back from their work.

  Due to the convocation of the emergency meeting, the agents who came in two hours earlier than other days gathered in a fireplace installed on one wall of the living room, perhaps suffering from the increasingly cold Beijing weather.

  “Ah, why is it so cold today? I thought my ears were about to fall off.”


  Chief Yoon Tae-jin held coffee cups in both hands and put them on his nose to smell the scent. Beijing’s winter temperature in December averaged only minus 3 degrees Celsius, but perhaps due to abnormal temperatures, it has been going up to minus 10 degrees Celsius these days, and today it has been showing a strong cold that goes down to minus 13 degrees Celsius.

  The agents were able to maintain their body temperature thanks to the protective suit in their bodies, but their faces and ears had to endure the cold with the cold air.

  “Chief! Please use this from tomorrow”.

  When Yoo Ha-yeon, the only female manager of the second team, prepared it, he took a cute earmuffs out of a paper box and shook it.

  “What? Ear muffs?”


  “Yes, isn’t it cute? I bought it because I thought of you Chief while working out today.”


  “Oh! I’m thankful, but if I wear things like this, I’m an intelligence agent. Won’t my looks fall off?””


  “Hmph! I bought it thinking about you.”


  At this time, when Chief Park Gi-woong came, Yhe snatched the ear muffs that Manager Yoo Hayeon was holding and put them on his head.

  “Oh! It’s warm! I like it! If you don’t like it, I’ll use it. Manager Yoo!”


  “YHey! That’s mine! Give it to me!

  When Yoon Tae-jin flew away and tried to take it away, Park Gi-woong turned around and avoided it.

  “You said you didn’t want to! You said you’d lose your looks! Why? You don’t want to use it and you don’t want to give it to others?””


  Chief Park Gi-woong, who clenched his ear muffs with both hands, even stuck out his tongue and teased him.

  “Who told that I don’t want use it? Give it to me!”


  “Oh, stop it.Hahaha, I bought a lot to give to you all.”


  When the two Chief’s scuffled like a child over one ear muffs, Chief Yoo Ha-yeon burst into laughter and took several ear muffs out of the paper box.

  “Why is it so noisy? If you’re all here, you should’ve prepared for the meeting!”


  Manager Lee Ja-sung, who came down from upstairs with manager Namgoong-won, sat on the sofa, scolding the two team chiefs who were scuffling.

  “Not yet! Chief of team 4 and the team members haven’t come yet.”


  Chief Shin Eun-ha, the third team Chief, said when she saw the agents gathered in the living room.

  “Team Four? Oh! Four teams will be a little late. I ordered something else. So, everyone is here except for the team four, right?

  “Yes, sir!” We’re all here.”


  “Good! Let’s gather for a meeting!”


  “Yes, alright.”


  About 10 agents looked at one wall and sat on the floor or chair in the living room.

  “Then, shall we start?”


  “Okay!”


  At the words of manager Lee Ja-sung, Namgoong-won stood in front of the agents and started the meeting.

  “Why I asked for a sudden meeting was that the performance does not come great as much asour agent suffer so I am gonna do a special way that could be a little dangerous.”


  Manager Namgoong-won took a glance at the agents looking at him, looked around, and continued to talk.

  As everyone knows, we tried to decrypt all the hacked data from the external network server in the president’s office, but we could not find nutritious information. Also, the probability that agents can get the information we need through external activities is unknown. So if we can’t find it, I think we should make sure that the information we need to come out on it’s own.”


  “What does that mean? What do you mean you let it come out on its own?”


  Team 1 manager, Gangwon Il, raised his hand like an elementary school student and asked a question.

  “That’s literally what it says. If we can’t find it, how to make the necessary information appear on our own! That’s, this is it.”


  Manager Namgoong-won pointed to a large TV that just turned on. On the TV screen, several pictures and symbols were drawn and expressed.

  “Well, I don’t have to show you this kind of picture, but I’m trying to make it as easy for you to understand as possible.”


  “Oh, that’s?”


  As experts in the field of computer hacking, Na Sung-hyun and Kim Young-kyun of the special security team pretended to know at the same time……