21st Century Goguryeo

December 20th, 2023, 10:30 (New China Time 09:30)

Office of the Communist Party, Beijing, New China (President's Office)

Amid a series of unfortunate incidents, General Shin Baiqing, who received a call from President Wang Jing-wi early in the morning, arrived at the Communist Party's office where the president's office was located. While he was sitting in the waiting room after being told by the secretary of the president to wait for a while, the president's office door opened and someone walked out.

It was Diao Yi-nan, the deputy commander of the Black Tiger gang.

Unlike Captain Shin Baiqing, who was momentarily taken aback, Commander Diao Yi-nan's expression was natural. As if nothing was amiss, he bowed his head to say hello and walked out proudly.

Captain Shin Baiqing, who had an ominous feeling about what was to come for some reason, looked at Diao Yi-nan's back as he walked away.

He tried to summon the deputy commander to ask about the purpose of the visit, but the secretary came right in front of him and motioned for him to enter the president's office. He had no choice but to open the door and go into the office.

"Did you call?"

Captain Shin Baiqing saluted with a modest gesture as usual and stood at attention. He secretly looked into President Wang Jing-wi's face. His face, which had always been full of warmth ever since they successfully obtained the plasma core technology, looked quite different.

Sitting on a large sofa in the middle of the spacious office, President Wang Jing-wi gestured with a firm expression on his face.

"Sit down there"

"Thank you."

Captain Shin Baiqing, who felt the chill from the moment he entered the President's room, speculated that it might have something to do with Commander Diao Yi-nan, who had just left. Captain Shin Baiqing, lost in thought for a moment, missed the words of President Wang Jing-wi.

"Hey, are you listening to me?"

President Wang Jing-wi reacted nervously, slightly offended by Shin Baiqing's refusal to listen to his thoughts for a moment.

"Ah! Sorry. I was thinking about something else for a while. I'm really sorry. Could you tell me again?"

"I mean, do you have something going on right now?"

President Wang Jing-Wi said with a smirk as if he knew something.

"Ah! No. There is no such thing."

"There is no such thing. There has been a hacking as well as the intruder in the server headquarters dedicated to the president's office, but is nothing happening?"

"Well, that's not our business."

Sweat welled up in both of Captain Shin Baiqing's fists.

"It's not your business? But why did you ask Nida Hong not to report about the hacking incident?"

"That was, after receiving a report that our Black Tiger information was leaked in the hacking data, we had to investigate it ourselves and then report it. I didn't mean to not report it."

"Ah! Is that so? This is different from what Director Nida Hong said. So does it mean that one of you is lying to me?"

"I don't mind. Who would dare lie to the president? It appears to have been caused by a mutual misunderstanding. I must have misrepresented my intentions, or Director Nida Hong must have heard it wrong."

"Is it?"

With a look of disbelief, President Wang Jing-wi took a document from his filing cabinet and threw it on the table.

"What is this?"

Seeing the document thrown in front of him, Captain Shin Baiqing carefully picked it up and asked.

"It's a report about Zhang Yixing!"

For a moment, Captain Shin Baiqing remembered Commander Diao Yi-nan, whom he had just met at the door.

Then, thick drops of sweat ran down his back.

"Sir! That...how?"

"Is that important now?"

"Sir! We also tried to provide a report after grasping the exact situation."

"Whether it's an accurate picture of the situation or whatever, shouldn't you report these important issues right away?"

President Wang Jing-wi made an expression and looked at him.

"Sorry, I'm sorry. I was not thinking straight."

"Zhang Yixing, yes. Did you say that the nickname for the operation was Jjang Chun? The person who led the operation in Hong Kong is missing...I mean, something isn't quite right. What if he was kidnapped by the Korean intelligence service, or if he voluntarily surrendered and leaked information about the operation? What do you think?"

"Yes, I know it very well. We are currently monitoring the trends of the Korean National Intelligence Service."

"So what did you find out?"

"We're still checking through multiple avenues, so we'll be able to figure it out sooner or later."

"You are being incompetent. It has been over two weeks since Zhang Yixing has disappeared, and you are still figuring it out!"

President Wang Jing-wi stood up from the sofa and walked behind the seated Captain Shin Baiqing and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"I think the server hacking and intruder cases are highly likely to be related to Zhang Yixing. In other words, the Korean National Intelligence Service must have made a move! So that's what I mean..."

President Wang Jing-wi, who had trailed off, held on to Captain Shin Baiqing's shoulder and continued his speech.

"Before the Korean National Intelligence Service raises this issue externally, we must first resolve it internally on our side!"

It was the moment he realised what the chilly atmosphere he had felt from the time he entered the president's office meant. As the head of the Intelligence Bureau, Captain Shin Baiqing immediately grasped the intention of President Wang Jing-wi's words.

If the Korean National Intelligence Service were involved, it meant that he, the head of the organization behind the operation, would be cut off to a certain extent before the problem arose externally.

Captain Shin Baiqing, who knew exactly what the president meant, responded with the utmost determination to hit back at him.

"I will step down from my position as Captain of the Black Tiger Corps."

"It's surely like you. You've got my intentions right but please don't ever think that you are a victim in this. Think of it as doing something great for our country."

"Yes, all right. But one thing – when will I be able to return to the President's secretary's office?"

"Don't worry about that. Did I not make you a promise? I'll call you right away when everything goes well. Until then, think of it as a vacation for a while and rest comfortably."

"All right. Mr. President. Thank you for your consideration."

"Thank you, I'm only sorry. I mean...I'm going to promote Diao Yi-nan to the rank of captain after you. He has worked for you for many years, so I think he is a good fit."

Shin Baiqing, who was instantly disgusted by the president's words to promote Diao Yi-nan to the position of captain, almost vomited.

However, Captain Shin Baiqing, contrary to the thoughts in his head, said good things about Deputy Commander Diao Yi-nan.

"Yes, that's right. I don't think there's anyone better as my successor other than commander Diao Yi-nan. He has been faithful and has always performed his duties responsibly."

"Right. If you tell me that, I have to appoint him right away."

Wang Jing-Wi, who lightly tapped his table, returned to his desk, pulled out a gold-plated card, and handed it to Shin Baiqing.

"Think of this as a gold medal that you've received as a sign of your hard work while serving as the captain of the Black Tiger Corps."

"Ah! You don't even have to do this. Mr. President!"

"Take it. This is the only thing I can do for you right now."

"Thank you. Mr. President!"

The gold-plated card given by the president was an unofficial national card, which would allow Shin Baiqing to withdraw up to 10 million yuan at any time, simply by presenting it to the central bank, a state-owned bank. Converted to Korean money, it was a large amount of money, amounting to 1.5 billion won.

* * *

December 20th, 2023, 11:20 (New China Time 10:20)

Black Tiger's Headquarters, City Hall District, Beijing, New China.

After enduring the ridiculous and screwed up situation, Captain Shin Baiqing returned to the Black Tiger Headquarters Chief's office and immediately called Diao Yi-nan.

"Diao Yi-nan! How dare you report directly to the president without my permission?"

These were the first words of Shin Baiqing to the commander, Diao Yi-nan, who entered the captain's room.

"Sorry. Boss! There was nothing I could do about it."

Despite the fact that the superior he had served with for many years was fired due to his report, Commander Diao Yi-nan was feeling more confident than he thought.

"What do you mean that you had no choice? Huh?"

Captain Shin Baiqing slammed the desk with all his might, and his lips trembled in anger.

Captain Shin Baiqing was so angry that he didn't simply step down from his job as a captain. He had to say that although the president had promised a single seat in the president's secretary's office, he knew that a bridgehead to enter the political world was gone forever. In other words, he was told to take the 10 million yuan and leave.

Diao Yi-nan's hatred and anger toward his commander were considerable, as his political career, which could ignite his ambitions, had ended. What's even crazier is that he has no way of doing it himself. Diao Yi-nan now said he was the new captain of the Black Tiger Corps, while he was like a jobless man who had lost all his connections.

There was a way to eliminate Diao Yi-nan as captain by using his close associates in the Black Tiger Corps, but it seemed obvious that things might get risky for him. It was unclear whether the agents close to him would follow him.

Captain Shin Baiqing, who had no other means of reconciliation other than shouting, motioned for Diao Yi-nan, who was standing proudly, to get out.

"I don't want to see you, so get out!"

"Black Tiger! You've been through a lot during this time. I will work hard to lead the Black Tiger Corps well. Then I will leave."

Commander Diao Yi-nan said a few words as if to reassure the Captain, and he then went out of the chief's room after saluting. As a result, Captain Shin Baiqing, who was left alone in the chief's room, was immersed in deep thought for a while.

How much time had passed? Shin Baiqing, who suddenly woke up, opened a small safe under his desk, took out various fake passports for going under disguise, personal items, and a USB containing copies of the plasma core technology, and put them in a small bag.

"Now that even the opportunity to advance into politics has completely disappeared, there is only one way to go."

Shin Baiqing, who had been preparing for such a situation, took out the flip phone from the safe and put it in the bag, and pressed button 1.

The signal went on and after a while, someone picked it up. He was Jackie Lee, a famous broker in Europe.

"I was waiting. Haha."

"Jackie Lee! In three days, I'll catch a flight from Bangkok to Paris. I will tell you the flight time by phone on the same day."

"All right. We will take care of everything so come with no worries."

"I see. Then I'll see you then."

After a brief call, Captain Shin Baiqing took a small bag and left the Chief's room.

At the same time, Captain Diao Yi-nan, who was observing the actions of Captain Shin Baiqing on a monitor through a CC camera that was installed earlier in the Captain's room, had gone to watch the monitor right after he had left the captain's room.

Deputy commander, Diao Yi-nan, was a man as ambitious as Shin Baiqing. Diao Yi-nan, who was always on the lookout for opportunities, took advantage of the recent events as a shot to defeat Captain Shin Baiqing, who was in his way and ascend to the position of captain.

For this reason, the disappearance of Zhang Yixing, the hacking that occurred yesterday, and the intrusion of outsiders into the server headquarters were all reported to President Wang Jing-wi without exception. Also, Deputy Commander Diao Yi-nan did not stop at a simple report. In fact, according to the contents of his report, even his position could be in jeopardy. Therefore, he had thought of a brilliant move.

If the South Korean intelligence agency finds out that the operation of the Black Tiger Corps is in fact, real, it could become a national problem between the two countries and they could receive strong backlash from the international community. But he convinced himself that there was one way out.

The report had informed the president that Shin Baiqing was holding on to a copy of the plasma core technology and had been in contact with Jackie Lee, an arms trafficking broker operating in Europe, whom he was now in personal contact with. Furthermore, he had said that he could reverse this and solve international problems.

Should the Korean government officially raise an issue through diplomatic lines about the leak of the plasma core technology, it would be stated that the Black Tigers was affected due to the personal greed of Captain Shin Baiqing. He was trying to make a lot of money through Jackie Lee in Europe. In other words, it had absolutely nothing to do with New China and was a personal criminal act of Shin Baiqing.

In addition, the New China government was of the opinion that after learning of this fact, Shin Baiqing was immediately dismissed from the post and asserted that he had fled to Europe while under investigation. This seemed plausible to President Wang Jing-wi. Accordingly, all requests from Deputy Commander Diao Yi-nan were approved.

This was the result of a covert deal between President Wang Jing-wi and Deputy Commander Diao Yi-nan before Captain Shin Baiqing had visited the president's office.