Ch.83Episode 5 – Journalist, Diplomat, Soldier, Spy

Success.

Episode 5 – Journalist, Diplomat, Soldier, Spy

The wind that had been howling as if to sweep away the world calmed down, and the torrential downpour gradually turned into a gentle drizzle.

I cupped rainwater in my hands and washed my face.

While wiping away the sticky sweat and fixing my soaked hair, Jake approached and reported the situation.

“Section Chief, evacuation preparations are almost complete.”

“Yeah. Got it. Tell everyone to avoid stepping on the blood and bodies. Footprints are hard to erase.”

The staff kept their distance from the security guards’ corpses as they cleaned up the scene. There wasn’t much to clean up, really. They were just gathering their belongings.

Kill two security guards and kidnap the target. That was the mission.

The result was successful. The operation officer and I easily neutralized the two guards, and we secured the target without injury.

Just then, Special Activities Division operatives were pulling the target out of the SUV’s back seat.

The operatives put a hood over Fabio Verati’s youngest daughter, added a blindfold on top, fitted earplugs to prevent her from hearing anything, and bound her wrists with rope.

I watched the scene while shaking the blood off my hands.

“It’s a shame they don’t have zip ties around here.”

“Excuse me, sir?”

“Nothing. Don’t worry about it and carry on.”

I took off my clothes, soaked with rainwater and blood, and put them in a large plastic bag.

The pocket knife I’d acquired from the Magic Tower was sticky with blood. Looking at it now, the blade was slightly damaged. I had planned to use it once and throw it away, but I should probably buy a better knife next time.

I neatly folded the knife and tossed it onto my clothes, then as I changed into a suit, the Special Activities Division officer approached and spoke to me.

“Preparations for transporting Subject 51 are complete.”

“Ah, yes. Good work. Let’s move to the designated location.”

The Special Activities Division departed with Fabio Verati’s youngest daughter in a newly rented vehicle.

The Counterintelligence Department followed behind in the hijacked black SUV, and the operation officer bid me farewell before driving off in a pickup truck in another direction.

Thus, three vehicles disappeared in different directions.

It was a measure to avoid tracking and confuse any investigation.

“…Phew.”

I sat on a vehicle with diplomatic plates that Jake had brought, looking up at what might have been the sky or ceiling.

On a hill swept by storms, rain was falling.

The once-bustling road now had only one vehicle, two corpses, and a few people left.

The operations of the Special Activities Division and Counterintelligence Department were over. But I still had work to do.

Thinking about what was to come, fatigue was already washing over me. My head was starting to throb slightly.

Anyway, the operation had ended successfully.

But from now on was what really mattered.

*

There’s something called covert operations.

It’s a term referring to operations conducted by intelligence agencies across politics, economy, culture, diplomacy, and defense, regardless of whether it’s wartime or peacetime.

Covert operations are classified into seven types, including assassination operations commonly seen in movies.

Political operations that involve bribing politicians and manipulating civic groups from behind.

Economic operations like sanctions, tariff adjustments, and spreading rumors to financial institutions to crash the stock market.

Propaganda operations using loudspeakers and distributing information to domestic and foreign media to stir up trouble.

Deception operations that spread false information to intensify confusion.

Subversion operations that incite protests and coups to overthrow regimes.

Terrorist operations that sabotage national infrastructure like railways, power plants, dams, roads, substations, and industrial zones.

Paramilitary operations that involve kidnapping and assassinating key figures, and rescuing escort targets.

Good examples of covert operations include the CIA instigating a coup to overthrow Chile’s Allende regime, collaborating with MI6 to oust Iran’s Prime Minister Mosaddegh, and putting a hole in Bin Laden’s head after he had been on the run for over a decade.

In this case, since the focus was on “kidnapping the youngest daughter,” it could rightfully be called a paramilitary operation.

However, there were several problems with this operation. The main one being that force was used.

Since covert operations are illegal activities that could violate foreign sovereignty and international law, it was absolutely necessary to thoroughly conceal who was behind them.

But when military force is introduced into covert operations, hiding the perpetrators becomes extremely difficult. In the intelligence community, this phenomenon is called “Rohendel’s Ladder.”

That’s why Pippin was asking me:

“What do we do now?”

“About what?”

“You created corpses. Two of them.”

Pippin pointed at the security guards sprawled on the ground.

“You gutted them like this, and if it gets exposed, we’re all screwed.”

“We’re screwed? The country is screwed.”

“How can you say that? We’re all going to lose our uniforms.”

“You’re still young, so you can look for new jobs.”

“Ah! Really!”

As Pippin, worried about being discharged, ranted and raved, Jake tried to calm him down.

“Hey. I’m sure they have a plan. Just wait a bit.”

“You’re about to lose your uniform too, and you can say that?”

“Oh shit. Now that you mention it, you’re right.”

Pippin was acting like a madman. Shouting in the middle of the road on a rainy day, completely soaked—he really did look insane.

Of course, there was a rational reason.

“Even if we don’t lose our uniforms, getting sent back to the field is just as bad! How can we get promoted when our careers are cut off!”

Due to the nature of the Military Intelligence Agency, the posting and promotion systems differed from regular units, making promotion difficult after returning to field units.

They were recruited as junior officers knowing nothing about security and whatnot, but after building up some experience, adapting to field units would be challenging.

That’s why the order that Defense Security Command personnel fear most is “return to original unit.” It sounds nice, but it’s essentially a dismissal notice telling you to take off your uniform and leave.

Unfortunately, the same applied to the Military Intelligence Agency.

“Tsk.”

“Don’t just click your tongue! Say something!”

“Come on… I explained everything thoroughly during the briefing. Why do you keep making a fuss?”

“I didn’t think you’d actually kill them! And foreigners at that!”

These guys were truly rookies through and through.

They lacked courage, that’s what it means.

Sitting next to the corpses in my suit, I pressed a handkerchief against my abdomen and said:

“Don’t worry. Do you think I can’t take responsibility for you guys?”

“What company in the world would take in short-term military personnel for five years as leftovers? And two of them at that!”

“I’m sure there are some if you look. Let’s think positively.”

I got some blood on my handkerchief and made sure some of the blood on my hands also stained my sleeves and clothes.

After making myself look sufficiently bloodied, I stood up.

“Nothing will happen, so get ready now.”

“If we all get caught, you’ll help us out, right…?”

“Do you think diplomatic immunity is just for show? Don’t worry, you won’t get caught. Pippin. And even if we do get caught, what’s the worst that could happen? We’d just die.”

“This is driving me crazy…”

I looked up at the sky. It was raining, and the world was still dark and hazy.

“Give me the phone.”

I took the phone from Pippin, who was looking at me with a suspicious expression.

“Are you really going to do it?”

“As opposed to pretending?”

“Ah, I can’t take this anymore…”

Pippin messed up his hair with his hands and moved away.

Half thinking he couldn’t handle it, half not wanting to interfere at a crucial moment.

…Right. From now on is what matters.

The moment to lay the groundwork for approaching the target while evading surveillance from counterintelligence and investigative agencies.

I pressed the button briefly and dialed the number I had memorized.

“…Hello.”

-‘Yes, police here. What’s the matter?’

The operation had begun.

“Someone has died here.”

*

When a crime occurs, the police begin an investigation.

This truth applies in this neighborhood as well.

And just like police around the world, the investigations here are thoroughly based on investigative techniques.

The police’s own methods for finding criminals. Crime scene evidence collection, inquiries, sting operations, victim interviews, witness interviews, crime scene analysis, profiling, forensics, document examination, chemical analysis, and so on.

To prevent crimes and catch criminals, police analyze numerous crimes and conduct investigations based on the results.

This is not only the rule and common sense by which police catch criminals but can also be considered a kind of frame. Even the fact that initial investigation and eyewitness testimony are important is similar.

In other words, it’s a stereotype.

I decided to use this to my advantage.

“Yes, I witnessed it while passing by.”

“Can you explain the circumstances in detail?”

“I was driving when I saw someone collapsed on the road…”

I planned the kidnapping by citing reports created by the Magic Tower police and the Department of Justice, set the area of operation, and prepared equipment for the operation.

In robbery-homicides, there was nearly a fifty-fifty chance that the criminal and victim knew each other, and in cases involving strangers, crimes were very likely to occur on the street.

And.

“There was a stab wound in the abdomen.”

“A stab wound?”

“Yes. Like something had pierced…”

Many of the tools used by strangers in robbery-homicides were bladed weapons. The next most common were blunt objects.

In a world where magic exists, people are occasionally killed by spells or curses, but magicians typically commit murder impulsively during disputes while mentally impaired (drunk, on drugs, etc.), so they were exceptions.

“Did you see a knife at the scene?”

“No.”

Of course, the pocket knife I used had already been burned by the staff. Along with my clothes, which were covered in the security guard’s blood and my DNA.

So there was no evidence connecting this crime scene to the Military Intelligence Agency. What police officer would suspect this to be an intelligence agency operation? With so many crimes happening every day.

Nevertheless, there was only one reason why I voluntarily reported to the Magic Tower police.

“…Ah.”

“Did you remember something?”

“Come to think of it…”

It was to create deception.

“I saw two vehicles passing by.”

“Do you remember the license plates? Or at least the make and color.”

“A black SUV, and the other one was a hatchback, I think.”