Codename Anastasia Novel (End) - Chapter 9

A thick darkness had already fallen on the road. However, there was no problem enjoying the atmosphere of Moscow. Wherever he looked, Lada vehicles were visible. Indeed, it was worthy of being called Russia’s new national car. The combination of the Starbucks emblem in the heart of the city and Cyrillic script caught his eye. Some pedestrians wore long or short ushankas. Their necks were all hunched deeply, and their large noses were red and flushed. Perhaps due to the cold weather, their faces were hardened, giving a miserly impression.

“Is it still that cold these days?”

At the sudden question, Vasily, who had been recounting his Japanese tour, stopped speaking. He smiled, not disappointed that his story was interrupted.

“It’s actually better these days. Even though it’s winter, it’s only around minus 15 degrees Celsius. It’s quite livable, you know.”

Kwon Taekjoo’s shoulders instinctively hunched. He really hated the cold. Regardless, Vasily chatted excitedly about the changed topic.

“Sometimes there are idiots who say Moscow is too cold to bear, but that’s just because they haven’t been to truly cold places. Irkutsk or Verkhoyansk fluctuate between minus 20 and 45 degrees Celsius. Compared to that, Moscow is nothing short of a paradise on earth. Of course, it can’t be compared to Tokyo, though. I hear it maintains above-zero temperatures all year round, is that right? They say people freeze to death if it drops below zero? If something like that happened in Russia, the neighbor’s dog would laugh.”

A bitter cold dropping to minus 40 degrees. Just hearing about it made him shiver. After that, Vasily continued to ramble on without a break, but nothing he said really registered.

Kwon Taekjoo, who had been looking out the window the whole time, suddenly looked around. He had thought the speed was gradually decreasing, and that was why the car completely stopped. For a while, it repeatedly started and stopped.

He craned his neck to look ahead. Cars were lined up endlessly. It was such a long line that he couldn’t see the end of it. It seemed they were properly caught in rush hour.

This wouldn’t have happened if the aircraft had arrived on time. It was all because of that damn drunk. He should have beaten him up more thoroughly. While he suppressed his belated anger, Vasily exchanged a few words with the man in the driver’s seat. Then he turned to Kwon Taekjoo and asked for permission.

“It seems we won’t be able to budge for a while like this, so how about we take a shortcut? This friend here knows every road there is in Moscow. It’s almost evening, so Mr. Sakamoto must be hungry too. Anyway, after a long flight, don’t you just want to rest?”

That was welcome news. Forget food; he just wanted to lie down in a bed right away. Kwon Taekjoo nodded repeatedly to Vasily, who asked, “Is that okay?”

As soon as permission was given, they broke away from the line and entered a nearby side road. It was a narrow road with no separate distinction between road and sidewalk. It was hard to find a proper streetlamp anywhere. They relied on the headlights to break through the darkness. A stray cat rummaging through a trash can was startled by the light and scurried away.

The driver said he knew the way well, and indeed, he wound through alleys barely wide enough for one car, without pause. The main road would have been much shorter in a straight line, but this way seemed faster if they didn’t get lost.

Just as he was thinking optimistically and leaning back deeply into the backseat,

“……!”

He suddenly turned his head sharply towards the window. It was because a strange object seemed to have caught the corner of his eye. He hurriedly looked back at the path they had just taken, but there was nothing visible. He thought he had seen something similar to a human shape. Was he mistaken? It was hard to be sure because the surroundings were so dark. Yet, he felt an uneasy sensation that he couldn’t immediately shake off. He tilted his head, then slowly turned his body to face forward. When Vasily asked what was wrong, he made an excuse, saying it was nothing.

Idly observing the outside, he suddenly realized. The car was driving on a road they had already passed. The buildings all looked similar, and the alley was so dark he couldn’t distinguish a foot in front of him, but there was no mistake. He muttered, staring at the trash can they had just passed.

“It seems we’re lost.”

“That can’t be. We’re going perfectly fine.”

“No. That’s definitely the same road from before. That trash can on the left. The location of the grime, the overflowing trash, even the half-closed lid — it’s all exactly the same as what I saw a moment ago. And what about the building behind it? The cracks in the outer wall, the color of the bricks and the shape of the window frames, even the laundry and flowerpots hanging there. It’s no different from what I saw before.”

He argued, meticulously comparing the scenery to his past memory. Vasily, who had been listening silently, chuckled.

“…You have a good eye.”

His tone was acrid, as if mocking. His overly displayed goodwill and heartiness were completely gone. Such rapid developments are usually not good.

Kwon Taekjoo, sensing something amiss, without hesitation, drew his Colt. With a click, a bullet was chambered and the trigger was half-pulled. His eyes met the driver’s through the rearview mirror.

“Stop.”

His commanding voice was low-pitched. The man in the driver’s seat obediently followed the order. The sedan, which had been driving, stopped in the middle of the narrow alley. Vasily raised both hands without resistance.

“You’re carrying quite a dangerous toy, Mr. Sakamoto.”

“Who the hell are you guys?”

“I think I told you. Vasily Aleksandrovich, here to welcome you.”

“And that Aleksandrovich has nothing to do with Gazprom?”

“Just a little.”

It was then.

“……?”

Suddenly, the back door flew open, and some man pushed Kwon Taekjoo inside. In his hand, he held a Tokarev, Russia’s repeating pistol. Immediately, a jet-black muzzle pressed against Kwon Taekjoo’s temple. Not only that, a red dot, coming from somewhere, hovered near his left chest. He was completely surrounded. Kwon Taekjoo’s lower jaw tightened.

“Wouldn’t it be better to behave, Mr. Sakamoto?”

Vasily grinned widely, humming each letter of the name as if singing. There was no clue to identify their true nature. Nor what they were after. What was clear was that he had to escape this wretched situation immediately.

But how? If he made a wrong move, his head and chest would be riddled with holes. He rolled his eyes, surveying his surroundings. The only things illuminating the lightless alley were the car’s headlights. No, including the interior light illuminating Vasily’s grinning face, two.

“Don’t play tricks. You might lose your head…”

Before Vasily’s warning was even finished. He instantly bent his upper body sharply. Immediately after, a gunshot rang out. The interior light illuminating the car went out due to an unexpected bullet.

Immediately after that, another sniper’s bullet flew in from a nearby rooftop. Clear gunshots and sharp shattering sounds burst out one after another. It was the sound of the back window shattering into pieces.

Immediately after the temporary commotion, a deep silence fell. No movement was detected near the car. The sniper slowly moved his muzzle, not lowering his guard.

The next moment, the stopped car suddenly accelerated. It sped through the narrow alley without even turning on the headlights. Occasionally bumping into trash cans or building walls, it drove dangerously.

The sniper belatedly fired again. However, only the innocent bumper and side mirror were smashed.

“If you don’t want to end up the same way, you’d better behave.”

Kwon Taekjoo wiped the blood splattered on his face, threatening the driver. It was the blood of the guy who had just been pushed into the back seat. The guy who had become Kwon Taekjoo’s shield and took the sniper’s bullet was slumped back, his head twisted. Vasily’s condition was no different. He was sprawled face-down on the dashboard, his face shot through the center by a bullet.

The driver, drenched in someone else’s blood, drove the car without resistance. Kwon Taekjoo, wrapping his arm around his neck from behind, meticulously directed the path. The problem was that no matter how much they drove, they couldn’t reach the main road. And driving with the headlights off, mindful of the ambushing sniper, made it even harder to tell if it was a dead end or not.

Around then, once more.

“……!”

Something moved quickly between buildings. It was the entity he had fleetingly seen a moment ago. A cat? No, much larger and heavier than that. And its movements were even more agile. Kwon Taekjoo frantically shifted his gaze, searching for the entity that had disappeared into the darkness. However, he couldn’t see it again anywhere.

Once could be a mistake, but not twice. Just as he was looking around again with an uneasy feeling, a van suddenly burst out from a side alley.

With a bang, the car body abruptly lunged forward. Simultaneously, the backseat he was in lifted into the air. That brief vacuum felt like an eternity.

As if time had restarted, his vision suddenly flipped upside down in an instant. His entire body slammed violently against the car body. Shattered glass fragments flew everywhere. In the blink of an eye, the four wheels of the overturned vehicle spun idly.

Again, silence fell over the area. There was no movement from either of the crashed vehicles. Only a groaning engine sound emanated.

How much time had passed? A long silence was broken by a sudden noise. Someone was repeatedly kicking the completely crumpled door, attempting to escape. It was Kwon Taekjoo. He crawled out as if spilling through the torn-off gap.

“…Ugh.”

He tried to push himself up, but immediately sat back down again. His head suddenly spun. It seemed he had a mild concussion from hitting the safety bar during the accident.

He shook his head and barely managed to regain his composure. Then he leaned on the overturned car body and barely stood up. He checked the driver’s seat first. It was silent. Seeing it covered in blood, he wouldn’t be safe. No movement was detected from the opposing vehicle either.

He had no idea what was going on. What was the identity of those who suddenly appeared and tried to kidnap Kwon Taekjoo himself, or more precisely, Sakamoto Hiro? For what purpose did they commit such an act? Given that they knew Sakamoto Hiro’s arrival schedule and background, they wouldn’t be an ordinary crime syndicate. Rather than having a grievance against the Japanese company for committing this act, it seemed more plausible that they had business with Russian authorities or Gazprom, holding a related party hostage. And he wasn’t even the real Sakamoto Hiro, so being subjected to this in his place was absurd. What kind of hardship was this, as soon as he stepped onto Russian soil?

He shook his head and headed towards the back of the car. It was driven by the single thought of retrieving his luggage. As he struggled hard to open the trunk, an unwelcome sound suddenly came from behind him.

“Hands up.”

He instinctively flinched. At that moment, the sound of a bullet being chambered reached his ears. If he moved once more, the trigger would surely be pulled.

He raised his arms with a displeased expression. He obediently followed the command to turn around. Finally, the face of the one pointing the gun was directly in front of him. It was an unfamiliar face. His head was burst open, gushing blood, so it seemed he was in the other vehicle. The man’s firearm looked familiar. He was clearly in cahoots with that Vasily guy.

What to do? While contemplating a way out, his familiar Colt, rolling near the man’s feet, caught his eye.

“Walk slowly towards me. If you try any tricks, you’ll pay the price.”

The man’s appearance was so pathetic it made his threat sound ridiculous. Yet, Kwon Taekjoo obediently followed his instructions. Anyway, the man wouldn’t be able to kill him. Because if he could have, he would have done so already.

As expected, he couldn’t detect any murderous intent from the man as he approached. Instead, he seemed afraid that a situation might arise where he would be forced to pull the trigger. Even though he was the one with the gun and the one who held the tactical advantage, he became restless as the distance narrowed.

Perhaps it could be easier than he thought. Just then, his nape was grabbed.

“Let’s take off that coat. You might be hiding something inside.”

There was one more. He glanced back, but it was still an unfamiliar face. He merely guessed from the rifle he held that he was the sniper from a moment ago. He shrugged and obediently took off his coat, leaving only the right sleeve.

Pretending to pull out his right arm, he suddenly pulled the entire coat with force. The sniper, holding the coat with one hand because of his rifle, momentarily lost his balance. As his vision was obscured by the flying coat, the man, who had been very tense, flinched and pulled the trigger. In that instant, Kwon Taekjoo snatched the swaying sniper’s rifle. The sniper, resisting to not lose his weapon, was dragged along with it.

“Gah!”

With a bang, the sniper’s groan burst out. When the man shook off the coat covering his face, Kwon Taekjoo was already running far away. Red blood oozed sluggishly from the body of the sniper, who had fallen from a stray bullet. The trembling man quickly became enraged and started firing wildly.

However, not a single shot hit its mark. As soon as the magazine was empty, he picked up the dead sniper’s rifle and chased after him.

He just ran straight ahead without looking back. The advantage of being on the run was that the surroundings were dark, but that was also the disadvantage. He couldn’t find anywhere to hide. If he accidentally reached a dead end, it would be dangerous.

The pursuer’s firing continued as he ran. Most of the bullets narrowly missed Kwon Taekjoo, leaving bullet marks on innocent buildings. He turned into every alley without hesitation. Bang. With another gunshot, something shattered above his head. If it broke a flowerpot placed by the window, its debris poured down. He shook his head to brush off the dirt and fragments. Then he turned into a newly appeared side road. At that moment, a van suddenly burst out from it.

“……!”

He rolled his body over the hood to minimize the impact. All four doors of the stopped car opened simultaneously. Armed men appeared from it. Soon, even the man who had been persistently chasing him joined. After exchanging a few words, the group, without preamble, immediately pointed their muzzles at him.

“…Damn it.”

Deal with one, another appears, and when he eliminates that one, yet another charges. How long did he have to keep doing this? Kwon Taekjoo, who had been backing away, started running again. Expletives repeatedly escaped his lips as he ran.

As he ran for a long time, his vision suddenly cleared, and a wide open space appeared. A derelict building, left unfinished from construction, stood there. Only its framework remained, with the front and back open without walls. Materials like cement and steel frames were scattered haphazardly everywhere.

There was no time to hesitate. That was the only place to take cover right now. As soon as he stepped in, he entered the building, following the stairs that kicked up hazy dust.

“Haah, haah…”

Climbing to the 4th floor in one go, his held breath burst out wildly. His heart pounded so painfully that he felt nauseous. Although only a thin shirt was all he was wearing, he didn’t even have time to feel the cold.

The group pursuing Kwon Taekjoo gradually arrived at the base of the building. Counting their numbers, there were four in total. What about the other one?

Muffling his footsteps, he approached the wall right next to the makeshift stairs. Pressed his back against the wall, listening intently. He sensed someone stealthily approaching. He subtly unbuckled his belt and held it in both hands.

Soon, the muzzle of the person who had climbed the stairs step by step protruded from the wall. Without missing that instant, he horizontally threw the buckle end. The extended belt wrapped around the muzzle once with its rebound and returned to Kwon Taekjoo’s hand. He snatched it and pulled it instantly.

Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.

Bullets were continuously fired from the rifle, which was pointing upwards. Kwon Taekjoo suddenly released one end of the tightly pulled belt and simultaneously swung it hard. The belt lashed the back of the man’s hand like a whip. The man cried out and dropped his weapon. He kicked the rifle forward and, as the man tried to pick it up, wrapped the belt around his neck and strangled him. The man clawed at his constricted throat and struggled with his legs.

“…Ugh!”

Kwon Taekjoo didn’t relent, twisting the belt even tighter. The man’s body, which had been trembling, slowly went limp. As Kwon Taekjoo released the pressure from his hands, the man collapsed right there as if kneeling. He casually kicked the man down and took a breath. One down.

Meanwhile, the lower floor became noisy. It seemed the man’s gang had rushed over vying with each other after hearing the gunshots a moment ago. The rifle lay on the floor directly facing the stairs. If he didn’t pick it up in time, he wouldn’t be able to return fire and would be riddled with bullets. Nor could he subdue an armed group with bare hands. He took a deep breath again and quickly rolled his body.