Ch.95Episode 5 – Journalist, Diplomat, Soldier, Spy

I lean against the bathroom wall, binding my shoulder with a towel.

“Ugh…!”

The pain made my head spin. As dizzy as when I was rammed by a Chinese police car.

Dizzy? “Disoriented” would be the more appropriate term.

Still, my body seems to be functioning properly. The gun I had been holding in my left hand when I hastily pulled it out naturally transferred to my right. And somehow, I managed to stop the bleeding from where I was unluckily shot.

Leaning against the wall, I pondered deeply.

“……”

Where did things go wrong?

Episode 5 – Journalist, Diplomat, Soldier, Spy

I lure Fabio Verati to the hotel room, attempting to recruit him by bringing up his youngest daughter.

It’s less recruitment and more half-intimidation.

With help from a hotel employee bribed by the intelligence officer, I install listening devices in the room and set up additional equipment in the adjacent room reserved under an alias.

The purpose was to assess Fabio Verati’s psychological state through conversation and collect information he might inadvertently reveal.

If recruitment proved impossible, I planned to promise another meeting, leave the hotel, and determine the direction of future operations by reviewing the recorded conversation.

It was a mission that couldn’t possibly fail.

There was no risk of being discovered, all traces were removed with the hotel employee’s help, and my diplomatic status would shield me from most problems.

There was no reason for failure in any scenario.

Until an uninvited guest barged into the hotel room.

“…Who the hell are you?”

I asked.

Though separated by a wall, the door was open, so I guessed the intruder was still in the hallway after hearing their presence.

Apparently aware of this, the intruder responded to my question. In Abassian, no less.

“I’m not interested in you.”

Not as friendly as a service center employee, but we exchanged brief words across the wall.

The pronunciation wasn’t particularly fluent, but understandable enough.

The intruder said:

“We’re only interested in the Patalian guy. If we take him, we’ll quietly disappear, so let’s not shed more blood here.”

A one-sided notification.

“…Oh, really? Pretty polite for someone who started shooting first.”

“You fired first. And we got hit first.”

“Did your parents teach you to visit strangers with guns?”

What did they expect when three loose cannons barge in with guns?

“…Fucking bastards.”

I kept my gun aimed at the corridor while thinking.

Let me assess the situation.

After bringing Fabio Verati and my Matap delegation colleagues to the hotel, I entered the room reserved under my name and conversed with Fabio Verati. Just as I was gauging when to bring up his youngest daughter, suddenly three assailants burst in, and a shootout ensued.

It wasn’t a particularly intense exchange. As soon as I saw the gun in the intruder’s hand, I drew my pistol and fired first. The intruders couldn’t even enter the room, dragging their fallen comrade back into the hotel corridor while firing back.

And I, unluckily shot in the shoulder, rolled into the bathroom.

So here I am now, in the bathroom.

“……”

I never imagined things would go this wrong. I expected to clash with the Matap delegation if anyone, not some outside party jumping in.

Looking out from the bathroom door, I could see Fabio Verati.

His intelligence officer experience hadn’t gone to waste—he was hiding behind what looked like a fairly thick piece of furniture.

“…Are you alright?”

He pushed his glasses up slightly and nodded. Unfortunately, he wasn’t carrying a gun.

I looked down at the pistol I carried for self-defense. It was a weapon I’d insisted on getting a permit for from Matap, claiming I needed it for close protection when Lucia went on medical missions. I was glad I’d pushed for that permit.

Replacing the half-used magazine, I continued my train of thought.

The Matap delegation staff waiting outside the room were probably already dead. Given this chaos and their absence, it was almost certain.

Means of contacting the outside? I don’t carry a phone. I did have communication devices and secure terminals issued by the intelligence agency, but I only brought one communication device when I stepped out briefly.

But it won’t even turn on now, probably smashed during the shootout. Even if it worked, I couldn’t use it with my left shoulder shot.

Had anyone called the police?

Probably not.

“If you’re waiting for the police, it’s pointless. How do you think we found this hotel room?”

“……”

Right. They must have bribed hotel staff. Or threatened them.

Regular guests don’t usually call the police directly. They talk to the front desk first.

If they’d recruited the front desk staff, no police report would have been filed. I know this from experience.

“Think about it carefully. You’re not a stupid person.”

As if they knew me well.

I aimed my gun at the corridor, lost in thought. Blood from the rear sight dripped to the floor, pulled by gravity.

“……”

This is Matap. The men in suits waiting outside were Matap civil servants.

Which means these assailants killed Matap civil servants in Matap. They’re insane. Nothing is more dangerous than killing local officials. Maybe in a country with collapsed administration or in remote areas beyond central control, but killing government officials in the middle of a foreign country guarantees you’ll be caught. You can’t handle the aftermath.

In other words, they killed because they could handle the aftermath.

“……”

How did they find this hotel room?

Today’s meeting was strictly confidential, known only to the Abassian and Matap delegations. Recruiting civil servants is an entirely different level of difficulty compared to recruiting hotel staff.

Maybe local government employees or township clerks could be approached, but targeting central government staff is nearly impossible for ordinary people.

Yet these guys managed it.

When my thoughts reached that point, a hypothesis flashed through my mind.

“……”

Among the groups I know, only one has this level of intelligence capability and would pull such stunts abroad.

Imperial intelligence agencies.

*

I’ve been compromised.

The opponent is likely an Imperial intelligence agency. Probably military intelligence.

Either the Reconnaissance Command, which collects military intelligence and conducts overseas covert operations, or the Counterintelligence Command, which collects domestic intelligence and conducts domestic covert operations. It’s one of these two.

I knew the Imperial military intelligence was monitoring Fabio Verati. Or rather, I’d been briefed on it.

Jake’s human intelligence team. They reported to me that while monitoring Fabio Verati’s youngest daughter, they noticed another surveillance team following her, and the Special Activities Division operations officer assessed that these handlers were likely military personnel.

I don’t actually know if these assailants who stormed the hotel room are truly Imperial military intelligence. There’s only circumstantial evidence. And I can’t find out right now even if I wanted to.

However, my instinct warned me that they were Imperial military intelligence. A kind of intuition.

If that counts as a skill, then it’s a skill.

The standoff continued between me and the assailants, estimated to be at least three, with Fabio Verati at the door. After what felt like just over five minutes,

The assailant broke the silence and proposed a deal. It was the same one who had been talking to me.

“We know who you are.”

“……”

“Frederick, let’s talk face to face like men.”

Pure nonsense.

I extended only my arm and head, aiming at the corridor as I spoke.

“Consider me a woman from now on.”

“This isn’t the time for jokes.”

“I’m being sincere, so don’t take it as a joke.”

I made eye contact with Fabio Verati hiding behind the large piece of furniture.

He exchanged glances with me, then stretched out his leg and began slowly opening the window to the terrace.

During this,

“Our rear security team will join us soon. Don’t think you can hold out until the police arrive.”

The assailant in the corridor began making threats.

“We outnumber you, and you have nowhere to run. Think carefully and make your decision.”

“……”

The low, heavy baritone voice pierced my eardrums and lodged in my mind. I couldn’t tell if it was meant to reassure or threaten me. Probably both.

The assailant urged me with a calm voice, and I briefly recalled the organization of Imperial military intelligence.

Typically, the Reconnaissance Command handles special missions for Imperial military intelligence. If these assailants belong to the Reconnaissance Command, there are likely at least five of them in the hotel.

Because Reconnaissance Command special operations teams have a minimum unit size of five. If two teams are operating, that’s at least ten people.

The assailant said:

“There’s no reason for you and us to shed blood here. We just need to take that Fabio Verati guy.”

“He’s my guest.”

“I know.”

The assailant claimed there would be no bloodshed if I simply handed over Fabio Verati.

In my judgment, that’s a complete lie. Why would they leave witnesses alive? Whether intelligence agencies or terrorist groups, few show such gentlemanly attitudes.

I calmly maintained the standoff with the assailant while surveying the room.

“……”

The hotel room is a single. A typical room with the bedroom and living area combined. I booked it just for a quiet conversation, so apart from the bathroom and closet, there’s nowhere to hide.

Like most hotels, the door opens inward, and the room’s interior is visible at a glance from the corridor. Due to the angled structure, the only areas not visible are the bathroom where I am, the door to the terrace, and where Fabio Verati is hiding.

It seems he didn’t get his department head position by playing cards.

Having pushed the terrace door halfway open with his foot, Fabio Verati made eye contact with me.

What now?

“We’re running out of time, Frederick.”

The assailant warned.

“You have no means of contacting the outside. No one will help you. We can only talk like this for a little while longer.”

“……”

“One of our men is injured, and so are you. It’s stupid to lose lives that could be saved in a foreign country. So we shouldn’t shed more blood here.”

“……”

Let’s try to resolve this through dialogue.

*

Our hotel room is on the 15th floor.

We booked the 15th floor because it was the only place without nearby guests.

It’s definitely a fatal height if you fall. I’m not confident about jumping between hotel rooms, and I’m not sure if jumping down to the terrace of the floor below would be survivable. Fabio Verati seems to be planning to jump from the terrace or stage some kind of protest, but it looks impossible to me.

We unnecessarily booked a luxury hotel with terribly wide gaps between terraces. Damn construction companies. Design better.

The only route to the outside is the door connecting to the corridor. The assailants have already occupied that.

There are no other routes. If there were, I wouldn’t be hiding in the bathroom.

“……”

So, there are two options.

Either run to the terrace with a shot shoulder and throw myself into the void, or burst into the corridor and fight desperately for my life.

Both options are gambles. The stake is my life. All I can rely on is luck or skill.

What should I do?

“I’ll give you 10 seconds! Drop your weapon and surrender!”

The assailant raised his voice for the first time.

He began counting.

“10!”

I quickly scanned the room. Anything that could help?

“9!”

I instinctively looked for a fire extinguisher, but then remembered there aren’t any in this area.

Stupid fantasy world. Did they leave fire safety laws in their mother’s womb?

“8!”

Rip!

Fabio Verati tore down the curtain and began tying it to the bed leg.

I guarantee that even if he wraps himself in that and jumps, he won’t reach the terrace below. He’ll either dangle precariously before landing or fall to the road and become a corpse.

“7!”

I tightened the bound towel.

“6!”

Three men should be manageable. I’ve already hit one, so he’s out. Only two moving targets remain.

“5!”

If the assailants are from the Reconnaissance Command, and three came from the front, there are probably two in the rear security team.

That’s four opponents I need to face.

“4!”

I stand up against the wall, directly over the small pool of blood.

Fabio Verati tore down another curtain and made a knot.

Shadows cast by the lights rippled in the corridor.

Eerie.

“3!”

Suddenly, something flashing like lightning crossed my mind.

I reach into my pocket.

My fingertips feel something hard.

“2!”

I roll it between my fingers, creating friction,

“1!”

And throw it.

WHOOSH!

A bright flash erupted as a bird soared into the air.

That was the signal.