Chapter 190.2

Chapter 190.2

The Kremlin had responded to Yuri Solzhenitsyn’s return with surprising warmth – almost too warm. The news of his reappearance overshadowed reports of endless wars, mysterious deaths among high-ranking officials, and the public’s growing distrust of the government.

They were clearly planning to use him – a perfect, tragic symbol to control the people’s attention.

The days passed quietly, almost peacefully. But the calmer things seemed, the colder Lee Wooshin became. He already knew, better than anyone, what people in power were really like. His grandfather had made sure of that.

And sure enough, the mansion was slowly being infiltrated by all sorts of watchers, disguised as staff.

They were clearly affiliated with intelligence agencies. He let out a cold chuckle.

–  Ack…! Team leader, you understand my point, right? In 1968, the British ambassador in Moscow got played by a maid and was sent back home! In 2007, an Estonian army colonel fell for it too! And in 2010, there was the infamous Anna Chapman! Russia’s been famous for honey traps for ages!

Wooshin smirked at the whiny voice.

Russian female agents, particularly of Slavic descent, were infamous for seducing targets, recording s*x tapes, and using them for blackmail. Many had been disgraced and demoted because of it.

–  That’s why you have to be careful…!

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

As Wooshin snorted, Na Wonchang shouted again.

–  I’m serious! Don’t let your guard down! There’s a reason the ‘Beauty Trap’ is listed in the Thirty-Six Stratagems of Sun Tzu! It’s a time-tested method that works across cultures, even today! North Korea uses it on the South, Russia uses it on the U.S.- !

“Enough. Switch me to He Channa.”

He spoke as casually as if switching a GPS voice. He’d rather hear He Channa’s swear-laced dialect than Na Wonchang’s overly anxious blabbering.

There was no bigger waste of time than listening to this kind of foolishness when he was already a man driven mad by longing for his wife.

He Channa, who claimed to know a number of North Korean femme fatale agents, was blunt from the start.

“One meter ahead- taller than unnie, pretending she’s not ugly, rolling her eyes around like a fake beauty. Don’t even look her way, back it up! No matter how pretty a rock looks, it’s still a rock! Just step on it and move on!”

Her fierce tone perfectly echoed what Lee Wooshin couldn’t say himself.

When He Channa took over the comms, it was like having a tank battalion guarding him. And yet, she still poked at his wounds, saying:

“But seriously, what kind of South Korean spy was so seductive our Ganna unnie couldn’t just step over him?”

These were the people in charge of his metaphorical left and right eyes. The stress was unbearable.

Na Wonchang, however, was determined to hold his ground.

–  I still can’t believe you were a dual national, Team Leader. But Russia’s probably figured it out by now! That face of yours worked in the Blast Squad, you’ve been through overseas military schools and black sites these last few months. To them, you look like a vulnerable guy in his early thirties, full of weak spots. And now you’re pretending to be blind on top of it!”

The bickering spilled through the in-ear comms.

“It’s obvious they’ll send someone warm and motherly after you. What if that Natalia Yegorova ‘accidentally’ smothers your nose with her breasts? Wouldn’t you react?!”

“Shit, Wonchang. That mouth of yours…”

“I’m just saying! I can see exactly what the FSB is planning! These agents are trained to read weaknesses, play into your preferences, seduce you. I’d bet there are at least eight backup agents right now crafting plans around your hobbies, interests, even your traumas. Natalia Yegorova’s hair is black, too!”

“Yes. And that’s exactly what we used to do.”

–  …!

An awkward silence followed. As if to mirror Wooshin’s own rising frustration, nothing was going as he expected.

The welcome and the surveillance both continued. The Russian authorities hadn’t yet labeled Yuri Solzhenitsyn an enemy or an ally- they were still observing. And Kia was still completely off the radar. As for Sonya…

“Ha… f*ck.”

Even after coming all the way to Russia, it felt like just one step short- like a wall blocked his path. The burning desire to see her made his temper boil over. The wait was too long, too painful- he felt like he’d rather hurt himself.

“At this rate, your instructor’s gonna die…”

He slumped forward, resting his broad shoulders against the hand gripping his cane. Moments like this made the pain from his injuries almost welcome. It was easier to handle a wound that throbbed than a longing that had no cure.

He wanted to charge through hell itself to reach her, but unless she came to him, there was no way to find her.

That helplessness, that quiet despair, drained him drop by drop. ‘If only I could see her just once.’

“…”

In the end, he’d have to force Kia’s hand. If pushed hard enough, Kia might finally leak the truth that Yuri Solzhenitsyn had once been an NIS agent. The silence hanging over everything was too unnatural. It made his skin crawl.

Maybe it was time to stir things up again. He hadn’t wanted to get his hands dirty like this, but… Lee Wooshin pressed forward, blind yet unyielding.

He’d chosen this mansion for one reason only: its white, aging walls reminded him of the Winter Castle.

“…”

That night, Lee Wooshin threw open the front gates.

And before the old KGB, the remaining heirs of the Solzhenitsyn legacy, he declared that he would reopen the Final Gate.

Their next challenger-

Would be a blind man.