CODENAME: ANASTASIA

So is that name the one who took the lead in the development of 'Anastasia'? Did Morgan approach him with those assumptions and end up being murdered? Although there is no concrete evidence, it is obviously very suspicious.

Kwon Taek Joo was still twisting his brain when Zenya suddenly said "The wine is over". Sure enough, the tray was full of empty glasses. If he is a normal waiter, he will return to the kitchen before the drink runs out to maintain the professional style of the party. But Kwon Taek Joo was so engrossed in what Zenya had just said that he forgot time. He paid attention to the kitchen corridor, the manager just now glanced at him strangely.

"I have to go."

"Let's hear about this before. I just saw Psych Bogdanov go upstairs. Alexei Perov and Yuri Levin also secretly followed."

Alexei Perov and Yury Repin are the Minister of Defence and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia. The two and Psych Bogdanov have a secret meeting. Kwon Taek Joo has to find out what's going on.

"I'll support you, so turn on the communication device."

Zhenya continued to ask when Kwon Taek Joo hurriedly planned to return to the kitchen. I don't know why his tone seemed soft, as if something happy was about to happen. He wasn't sure if he could trust a shady person like him. Kwon Taek Joo shook his head and crossed the corridor.

"Wait."

Although he tried to pretend not to know, the aisle guard manager called Kwon Taek Joo back. He lifted the tray to cover his face.

"Did you forget the instructions? Please work properly and move quickly."

"Yes. I remember."

"If it were me, I would take at least one more step instead of answering."

He caught others by himself and then scolded. Kwon Taek Joo restrained his emotions, walking while running through the corridor. The chef's screams still echos in the kitchen. As soon as the waiters put the empty trays down they will be kicked out with the new food tray. Kwon Taek Joo just walked into the kitchen when someone took his empty tray.

He quickly looked inside and realised a corner of the kitchen where food kept piling up without being cleaned. While another waiter is facing the chef, Kwon Taek Joo approaches the kitchen counter. The chefs of each department have put a lot of effort into preparing ingredients, preparing dishes, arranging and decorating. But if a small action like pouring the sauce is wrong at the final stage, the dish is still mercilessly thrown in the trash. As a result, garbage piled up and spilled onto the floor.

According to the scheme of the mansion, there is a door leading from the material warehouse to the backyard. And waste is often disposed of in places that are not easily visible. Then there is no better place than the backyard.

Kwon Taek Joo lifted the heavy trash can. The kitchen staff are all too busy to pay attention to others. He walked around the kitchen counter and entered the ingredient warehouse. There is a side door on the opposite side. The door is locked from the inside so going outside is not a problem. What needs to be noted is that security is tightened outside. Sure enough, as soon as he opened the door and walked out, Kwon Taek Joo was stopped by a bodyguard.

"What's wrong?"

"Ah, too much garbage... If we don't handle it right away, our chef will explode."

The bodyguard looked at Kwon Taek Joo and then at the trash can he was holding. Soon, his eyes flashed through Kwon Taek Joo and looked at the kitchen. The chef's frantic screams sounded through the open door. The guard pretended to have understood the story. Kwon Taek Joo bowed his head and went to the landfill.

He dumped food while observing the entire building. If the two ministers and Psych Bogdanov are in secret, the first floor, where the party is being held, is not the ideal choice. Of course, even if the entire 1st floor is removed, there are still a lot of available rooms.

Kwon Taek Joo looked out at the entire mansion and suddenly glued his eyes to the room at the end of the 3rd floor. Because it's night, all rooms are curtained, but for some reason that room is the only exception. He didn't know the reason but didn't understand why he was uncomfortable trying to ignore it. It seems to be better if you check it out a bit.

Kwon Taek Joo visualises the overall path of movement. There are too many eyes watching inside so it is better to move from the outside. The backyard is quite quiet, the darkness of the building is also very suitable for hiding. Of course he had to clean up the guards first.

Kwon Taek Joo returns to the material warehouse with an empty trash can. The bodyguard just now was still watching around the area. When Kwon Taek Joo approached, he turned around without question.

It was then.

'...Kugh!'

A trash can is stacked on the head of the bodyguard. When the view was suddenly blocked, he immediately raised his gun. Kwon Taek Joo kicked his hand with his knee. The gun flew into the air and fell into the hands of Kwon Taek Joo.

As soon as the bodyguard threw the trash out of his head, Kwon Taek Joo hit him in the face. The bodyguard groaned heavily and fell down holding his nose. It seems that his nose was broken by being punched in the face. Kwon Taek Joo frowned as if in pain on his behalf and then attacked his opponent's weakness and defeated him. He then placed him close to the outer wall and hid him in the darkness of the building. He looked around but no one seemed to feel anything suspicious.

Now all that's left is to climb the building. There are two ways. Go down from the roof with a rope or climb from below. I don't know if it's luck or not, but thanks to the monumental appearance of the whole house, there are quite a few places to set foot in. While the front has had to spend a lot of effort to ensure security, the rear is extremely sloppy. So lucky.

Then let's climb up. Kwon Taek Joo rolled up his shirt sleeves and took the watch out of his sleeve. He turned the front of the watch towards the roof and pressed the side button. A nylon rope bounced across the space and jumped high. He pulled the rope vigourously to check. The whole rope became as stiff as being clamped somewhere.

Kwon Taek Joo pressed the side button again. Shortly thereafter, the engine inside the watch starts and the cord is wound to a certain length. He began to climb the outer wall as if climbing, putting all his weight on his left arm. Although it slipped a few times because of slippery soles, it was not a big problem. On the contrary, the increasing gravity as he gradually climbs high is what makes him feel uncomfortable. The watch put a strong pressure on his wrist. If suddenly his left wrist falls out, it's no wonder.

It is a nylon rope that is often used to catch large bluefin tuna, so it will not break easily. Of course, there are always exceptions. Even if the rope is solid, its strength cannot be guaranteed if it is rubbed repeatedly by sharp gold ornaments. And it is now.

Suddenly a sound like a broken bowstring entered his ear. At the same time, Kwon Taek Joo's left arm, which had been stretched to the point of pain, suddenly became loose.

'...!'

It has fallen. He closed his eyes tightly and waited for the shock to come. Suddenly his vision was blocked. His whole body reflexively shivered and all his senses were tense. The hair on his head was also erect. But after a while, Kwon Taek Joo still didn't feel the pain he anticipated.

He slowly opened his eyes. Kwon Taek Joo's body hovers in the air. As soon as the rope broke, he managed to cling to the third floor window to avoid falling. The nylon ropes that supported his body fell helplessly to the floor.

Kwon Taek Joo breathed a sigh of relief. So dangerous. Compared to before, when he almost fell from a skyscraper nearly 110 metres high, he waited until the muscles and nerves that were temporarily tense gradually stabilized and then climbed onto the window frame by himself. After that, Kwon Taek Joo held his breath and looked around the room.

"…Ha."

Kwon Taek Joo couldn't hide his disappointment as soon as he climbed to the place, because the room at the end of the third floor was completely empty. There is no trace that someone has been here.

He turned his head to look at the other rooms. With the size of the mansion, each room is also very large, so it is not easy to move between them even if they are on the same floor. Can you find Psych Bogdanov and the two ministers in the alloted time? When Kwon Taek Joo was trying to concentrate, a crackling sound sounded in his ear.

"- Hey. Where are you?"

Zhenya's voice sounded afterwards. Only now did he remember the existence of the communication device. Kwon Taek Joo sat on the windowsill for a while and sighed.

"I'm wasting time..

"- If you play as much as you like, now raise your ears and listen to this."

What is he talking about? Kwon Taek Joo was about to ask again when suddenly there seemed to be a door opening. The sound of the door closing also sounded clearly. Although he didn't know what happened, Kwon Taek Joo instinctively lowered his breath and focussed on the signs he could feel. In addition to the opening and closing of the door, there seemed to be a whispering conversation.

There are definitely 3 people talking, each of whom has a different tone of voice. But the voice is transmitted through the communication device so it is different from the real voice. So it's hard to confirm whether Psych Bogdanov is there. Kwon Taek Joo decided to listen to their private conversation a little more.

"– How is the progress of SS-29?"

"– Waiting for Sonchev's news. They said they are looking for experts to address SS-29 errors. He seems to be quite busy, especially when he didn't attend the party today. Sonchev said he will contact me soon, so please wait and see."

"– What does North Korea say about this error?"

"– They say this is an unexpected incident. There is no such error in the experimental research process."

A contenting smile looms on Kwon Taek Joo's lips. In Russia, the name 'SS-number' is mainly used to refer to an intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM for short. For example, the official name of 'Satan', which is said to be the most powerful ICBM in the former Soviet Union, is 'SS-18'. Therefore, there is a high probability that the 'SS-29' being talked about by them is a similar nuclear weapon.

In addition, the 'Sonchev' mentioned in the conversation is a Slavic mafia group. The weapon called 'SS-29' seems to be in the hands of that gang. After all, he must have been closely related to the Bogdanov family. Otherwise, the event like today at the Bogdanov mansion has no reason to organise. Moreover, it seems that even North Korea is involved in the development of this weapon. Could it be that 'SS-29' is 'Anastasia'?

"– What about the American move?"

"- Still very quiet. We managed to get the mouse in, so maybe they were more on the lookout, but what's the difference? They are still in a situation where they can't stand up to recognise the body again."

If it were a mouse sneaking in, were they talking about Morgan's death? Nuclear weapons are being secretly developed in Russia, North Korean interference, U.S. surveillance and spies are removed. Every situation is right. But that's just speculation, there's no concrete evidence yet.

The conversation stopped for a moment. Kwon Taek Joo heard the door open and then closed. Did someone just leave the room? He vaguely speculated but Zhenya narrated the situation in the room.

"– Bogdanov has already left the room. It seems that he is about to receive a phone call."

Kwon Taek Joo "Ah" raised his voice and tilted his head. A question he didn't realise while eavesdropping suddenly popped into his mind. Where is Zhenya after all? How could he know Psych Bogdanov's moves like that?

"Just now, how did you know?"

"– Well, there was a girl named Olga who said she would take me to visit the mansion. There is no reason to refuse, right? So I followed and stuffed an eavesdropping device into the keyhole of the room where they were gathering."

'Olga' is the youngest daughter of Vissarion Romanovich. Olga Vissarionovna.

At this point, Kwon Taek Joo is more curious about Zhenya's identity than 'Anastasia'. What the hell is he doing that he is invited to a party like this and wanders arbitrarily inside the heavily guarded mansion of the Bogdanov family?

"Where are you?"

"– Control room in the basement."

"What are you doing there?"

"– I'm watching someone..."

Zhenya paused for a moment and then continued.

"– ...someone almost fell upside down from the third floor."

There was a slight laugh in his voice. Kwon Taek Joo immediately turned his head to look for something. Not long after, he saw a CCTV camera installed in the outer wall corner. He held out his middle finger towards the glittering lens without hesitation. Shortly thereafter, a loud laugh came from the other end of the communication device.

Zhenya laughed excitedly for a moment, then asked in surprise.

"- Why are you cheeking there?"

Kwon Taek Joo didn't answer, there was nothing to explain.

He looked at the clock, it was almost 3 a.m. The reason Psych Bogdanov left was because of a phone call. Is it an important call that needs to be prioritised over work? Kwon Taek Joo suddenly remembered part of the conversation he had just heard.

"The phone call that Psych went to pick up, was it from Sonchev?"

"- Let's see, I don't know either. But it's okay to check it out. Just now when I visited the mansion, I saw a landline phone at the end of the 2nd floor corridor. There is one in Bogdanov's office too. Of course, the two lines are different so can only receive direct calls at his office."

"But is there a way to take a call?"

Kwon Taek Joo looked down and asked. Where Zhenya mentions not far from his current location. As long as you open the door of the room downstairs, it will be right in front of you. The important thing is probably to see if there is a Defence there, but the approach does not seem to be very difficult.

"– Yes. If you can move from where you get there in 8 seconds."

It seems that the line is already connected. The important thing is the time. All Kwon Taek Joo had to do was get to the phone for 8 seconds and pick up the stethoscope in the hallway at the same time as Psych Bogdanov picked up the stethoscope in the office. Of course, it's easy to say, but even a little deviation will be very troublesome.

Kwon Taek Joo nodded in the direction of CCTV then took out a piece of gum and put it in his mouth. He stood up and put his foot on the window frame, as if the wall clinging to his back was pushing his body down. Kwon Taek Joo does not have time to prepare safety devices. Originally, 8 seconds is not a long time. Kwon Taek Joo took a deep breath and jumped straight down.

As soon as he fell, he caught something. It's a 2nd floor window frame. His knuckles, wrists, and even elbows all ached from the fall, but he still gritted his teeth and climbed. 3 seconds passed before he landed on the safe window.

"- It's pretty good."

Zhenya watched the situation and chuckled. While Kwon Taek Joo is struggling to do everything, he is sitting around looking at the computer screen.

He continued to ignore him and took out a lighter. At first glance, it is a regular Zippo lighter. But when Kwon Taek Joo opens the lid, a long and thin tube like a screw-screw appears. He bent it and turned on the fire. A flash of light flashed at the end of the tube. Kwon Taek Joo placed the chewing gum on the glass door and used the flame of the lighter to draw a circle around it. After that, he took the gum and gently pulled it out, a piece of glass that was cut out round and made no noise. He gently placed it on the windowsill and reached into the circle and unlocked it. The window opens with a click. After looking around for a turn, Kwon Taek Joo walked inside.

He walked like a cat, sneaked and quickly approached the door, then leaned close to the door and carefully listened to outside activities. So quiet. Kwon Taek Joo quietly opened the door and went out. He turned his head to the right and saw the table at the end of the hallway. The phone that Zhenya mentioned is also on it.

Just as he was about to move towards the table, Zhenya's voice resounded in his ear again.

"- I will give a signal, so please synchronise correctly."

Kwon Taek Joo grabbed the headset and nodded. Soon after, Zhenya started counting from the other end of the radio.

"– Tri (3)"

He took a deep breath.

"– Dva (2)"

Kwon Taek Joo looked again and checked to see if anyone was approaching.

"– Odin (1)"

As soon as the counting sound comes, the power is transferred to the hand holding the stethoscope.

"- Listen."

Kwon Taek Joo picked up the headset immediately. There is absolutely no sound at all. Not only was the other side of the phone silent, but Zenya didn't say anything either. It seems that there is no one other than Kwon Taek Joo himself holding a stethoscope. His mouth was dry.

Are you wrong again? Kwon Taek Joo holds the stethoscope tightly and waits for a sound.

Is it the sound of the wind blowing? Without warning, Psych Bogdanov's voice came from the other end of the stethoscope.

"- Really on time. Just now I was talking about it."

"– I also just made a deal with that party."

"- So how is it going?"

"– I will send a technician from North Korea."

"– This is good news among the news I have heard. So when to send?"

"- Tomorrow will start right away. Probably going to Moscow the other day."

"- You have to be careful not to let the mice follow like last time again."

"– This time he will disguise himself as a Chinese tourist, so even Americans are hard to recognise."

"– Please continue to follow. Don't forget to report the situation regularly."

"– Yes, of course."

The call was quickly disconnected. The conversation is said in a limbo and avoids direct mention. This probably means that they are cautious. As a result, Kwon Taek Joo's confidence is strengthened.

He was still holding the stethoscope. Kwon Taek Joo was about to wait until Psych hung up the phone first. But at that moment, a roar from nowhere came from the communication device in his ear.

For a moment, a pain as if stabbed in his ear and brain. Kwon Taek Joo bent down and hugged his head as if to explode. He immediately pulled out the communication device and threw it away, but the echos of the loud noise continued to ring in his head.

His forehead was drenched in cold sweat and a chill ran down his spine. In bewilderment, even his vision was blurred and his heart pounding. I don't understand why the communication device that is already working properly suddenly crashes. If the incident was this noisy, Psych Bogdanov would have heard it too.

Bang, bang. Bang, bang.

Damn, the bad forecast came true. A gunshot suddenly sounded outside the mansion. Because of the chaos just now, Zhenya also seems to have been discovered by the security guard. First of all, you have to avoid it.

"...Damn it."

Kwon Taek Joo almost didn't have any strength to get up. His legs trembled and had no strength. He hugged his aching head and tried to run along the corridor and his mind had not returned to normal. He couldn't immediately figure out how to get out of the situation, and didn't know where to run. He just ran blindly.