21st Century Goguryeo

October 19th, 2023, 13:00

The North State, Pyeong-yang, Potong-ku, the People's Labor Party building

The People's Labor Party was celebrating its second anniversary when Kim Jong-un's car arrived at the gates from Won-san.

The crowd waiting for Kim Jong-un started to welcome him and cheered while the camera shutters of the numerous press agencies across the world started going off.

Ex-supreme leader Kim Jong-un emerged from the car and waved his right hand at the crowd as he was greeted by 10,000 cheering Pyeong-yang citizens. It was as if he had returned to being the supreme leader of North Korea once again. It seemed he was intentionally attempting to recreate the scene.

Three months ago, Kim Jong-un regained consciousness after 8 years. After being treated, he faced reality and decided to give up all of his political power while living a life of exile at Galma Villa. However, after continued visits from powerful North Korean officials, he changed his mind.

Kim Jong-un started eyeing political power and the desire to wield power had woken inside him once again.

There were numerous temptations for Kim Jong-un throughout his visits. The first sign of his change in mindset was his presence at the People's Labor Party anniversary ceremony.

Kim Jong-un showed up at the People's Labor Party building and appeared to be full of pride and ambition. Listening to the crowd cheering him on made him desire power even more. Kim Jong-un's heart was racing and he felt as if he had returned to the days when he wielded absolute power.

After he shook hands with some people from the crowd and entered the party's building, the party members and senators all gave him a standing ovation.

"I hope you had a pleasant drive. Welcome, comrade Chairman Kim Jong-un," senator and party leader Kim Hyung-won shook Kim Jong-un's hand with both of his and used his previous title.

Kim Hyung-won still treated Kim Jong-un, who was 30 years younger than him, like he did in North Korea despite South and North Korea's unification 3 years ago. Kim Jong-un acted as if he expected nothing less and tapped him on the shoulder.

"My life has some spice in it thanks to you, comrade Kim Hyung-won." Kim Jong-un's tone was polite, but his greeting was informal.

"No. It's my honor to serve you. Let's go to the venue!"

Kim Hyung-won finished shaking Kim Jong-un's hand and pointed to the venue with both of his hands. The applause from the crowd could still be heard from within the building.

Soon, Kim Jong-un entered the venue and sat next to Chairman Kim Hyung-won. The welcoming ceremony began. It was hard to tell whether the ceremony was a welcoming for Kim Jong-un or a celebration of the party's anniversary. The event continued until late evening.

There were people watching the ceremony with the eyes of a hawk at the party building. It was the NIS agents under the ACS team. Each agent was at their designated posts and recorded every conversation the attendees of the ceremony were having with the latest equipment. They especially focused on the conversations Kim Jong-un was having with the party members.

* * *

October 19th, 2023, 18:00 (Iran Standard Time 12:30)

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

The NIS agents from the Foreign Intelligence Department Unit 1 Team 1 were surveying the wooded area with buildings in the 11th province of Tehran from a 7-story building across the Nofel Roselite Road.

The building they were looking at was the Russian Embassy based in Tehran. Two days ago, the SVR agents left the Ridley Hotel and moved into the New Naderi Hotel 200m away from the Russian Embassy. However, Director Ruslan Nigmatullin did not stay in the New Naderi Hotel and stayed in the Russian Embassy instead. He had not emerged from the building since.

Team Leader Park Gi-oong and his agents were watching the Russian Embassy instead of the New Naderi building for this reason.

"God! How are we gonna snatch him if he won't show his face? This is taking way too long, and I'm getting bored...," Assistant Manager Ahn Ki-cheol complained while looking at the Russian Embassy through his VR-M2 optical device.

Chief Jo Dong-hyun, who was working on the laptop next to Assistant Manager Ahn, asked with a serious look on his face, "Sir! Should we just tell Team Leader Park to raid the embassy?"

"You tell him!"

"Well, you're my senior, shouldn't you tell him, sir?"

"What? If a superior tells you to do something, you should say 'yes, sir' and just do it without asking questions."

While the two agents spoke to each other to kill time during their stakeout, Team Leader Park Gi-oong and Assistant Manager Han Kang-il came in.

"Great work, sir," Chief Jo Dong-hyun got up and greeted him when Team Leader Park Gi-oong entered the room.

"I didn't do much, did I? Do you have eyes on the pig?" Team leader Park Gi-oong had started calling Director Ruslan Nigmatullin a pig.

"Yes, sir. He is lying spread-eagle on the bed at the lodgings on the 3rd floor, taking a break," Assistant Manager Ahn Ki-cheol, who was watching Director Ruslan Nigmatullin through the VR-M2, answered him.

"That fat bastard's living the life. All he did inside the embassy was absolutely nothing for two days. Here we are without any air conditioning getting steamed alive in the room."

The agents had to wear traditional Arabic clothing to hide their race every time they went outside. Team Leader Park Gi-oong took off his clothes and turban, then tossed them onto the floor.

"Sir! Should we go get some fans? The heat is killing me," Assistant Manager Han Kang-il said while taking off his clothes.

"Let's just bear through it! It's not like we are going to be here for a whole week."

"What are we going to do if that fat bastard stays put and does not show his face from the embassy, sir?" Assistant Manager Han Kang-il asked with a concerned look on his face.

"Would he? He has to go to work sometime."

"Sir!"

Assistant Manager Ahn Ki-chul handed the VR-M2 to Chief Jo Dong-hyun and spoke to him quietly, "Team Leader Park, sir! Why don't we just infiltrate the Russian Embassy and drag that pig out of there?"

"Infiltrate the embassy?"

"Yes, sir. We can't just sit here and wait forever, can we?"

Team Leader Park Gi-oong leaned on the wall and pondered for a moment while stroking his chin.

The Russian Embassy in Tehran was Russian territory. If things went awry, then that could lead to a war between Corea and Russia on the grounds of invasion of territory. Therefore, the risk of conducting a mission directly within the embassy was too great.

"Do you think Manager Lee will allow it?"

"Well, we won't know until we ask, and I guess we won't have a choice if he says no, sir," Assistant Manager Ahn Ki-cheol goaded him.

* * *

October 19th, 2023, 21:00

The North State, Pyeong-yang, Potong-ku, near the People's Labor Party building

After the People's Labor Party anniversary ceremony concluded with a banquet, Kim Jong-un and Chairman Kim Hyung-won and other party members gathered at the meeting room on the third floor.

Team A and C from the ACS that had been surveying Kim Jong-un and the People's Labor Party members since this morning from different locations of the ceremony were now watching them from a building across. They had attempted to use numerous types of high-tech equipment to listen to their conversation, but each attempt failed. A powerful military-grade jamming wave was being emitted from the entire building.

The 30 major party members inside the third floor seen through the VR-M2 were about to start their meeting.

"Do we have to infiltrate the building again?" Team Leader Shin Gook-jin, who was watching the Labor Party building through the window, muttered to himself.

Assistant Manager Hong Hyuck-joon from Unit 1 and leading Team A tapped him on the shoulder. "Team leader Shin! There's no need to worry about that!"

"What? What are you talking about? Do you have another solution?"

"Of course! Assistant Manager Ahn, prepare the thing."

Assistant Manager Hong Hyuck-joon looked relaxed with his arms crossed compared to Team Leader Shin Gook-jin who was anxious.

Assistant Manager Ahn Kang-soo brought a silver briefcase and opened it. There was a drone the size of a grain of rice inside.

"What is this?" Team Leader Shin Gook-jin, looked at the drone that Assistant Manager Ahn Kang-soo pulled out with a curious look on his face.

"This is the latest micro reconnaissance drone developed and tested by the underground research facility. What was its name now? Ah! It's the MSQ-D1 and it is capable of both recording and bugging."

"Ha! Why didn't you give that to us from the start if you had it?" Team Leader Shin Gook-jin's annoyed tone made Assistant Manager Hong Hyuck-joon laugh.

"Ha ha, we just got them yesterday. They will give them out to all the other teams soon. Just wait a while."

"Ah! I see."

"Assistant Manager Ahn! Let's fly this thing out before it's too late."

"Yes, sir."

Assistant Manager Ahn Kang-soo started manipulating the laptop connected to the micro drone. A 3D blueprint of the party building showed up and many infiltration routes were outlined, leading to the 3rd-floor meeting room. Assistant Manager Ahn Kang-soo set the safest route and typed away on the laptop's keyboard. Finally, he pressed enter.

A quiet whirring noise started to come from the MSQ-D1 micro drone and it floated up into the air. The drone was capable of autopilot and perceiving nearby threats to activate the TCS mode if a route was set. It started to fly through the building's vents and headed to the People's Labor Party building's first floor after exiting the one it came from.

The MSQ-D1 drone, which was smaller than a fly, started to speed along its designated route and infiltrated the meeting room on the third floor. It landed on a wall far from people's gaze and started to send in the footage it recorded to the laptop.

The laptop started showing the high-quality footage of the meeting room without any static and the sound was crystal clear as well.

"Wow! This is amazing, isn't it? Now we don't have to risk our lives infiltrating places, sir."

"Don't be so pleased. This also means we are losing our jobs, too."

"Sir! That's too cynical. Ha ha ha."

* * *

October 20th, 2023, 04:30 (Kurdistan Standard Time 22:30)

The Republic of Kurdistan, West Azerbaijan, Maku, the Azerbaijan Park (the 1st reconnaissance platoon's forward base)

Due to the drone strikes from Bozark at the reconnaissance platoon's armored vehicles and the terrorist attack on Minister Kang Kyung-hee, the 3rd mechanized infantry company's 1st reconnaissance platoon was on high alert and sentry duty for 24 hours a day.

In the dark moonless night, there were dozens of dark shadows moving covertly in the shadows of the mountain 1km away from the forward base.

These men moved quietly and quickly. They were the Iranian revolutionary guard's special forces consisting of veterans with over 10 years of experience, and they were equipped with the weapons provided by Russia.

The Iranian special forces moved through the mountains in the dark easily with their night-vision goggles. They must have been highly prepared for they avoided all the motion detection sensors the Corean military had installed near the area and managed to approach within 500m from the forward base.

There was more than one Iranian special force unit of 50 men. There was another group of Iranian special forces emerging from the other side. The 100 men were now closing in on the forward base.