The Blueprint We’re Born With

‘Investigate Chen Yayuan’s death. Uncover Tikhonov’s mission.’

The note’s content was short and simple. Mentioning the Tikhonov issue seemed natural. It’s a rare, and very intimate and sensitive kind of exchange between China and the Soviet Union. The League of Nations’ encirclement of the Soviet Union has faced several diplomatic challenges. China has always been in the position of ‘regulating’, but if China were to suddenly establish diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union, breaking that encirclement… from America’s perspective, there couldn’t be a bigger mishap.

“Come to think of it, if you’re a self-proclaimed detective, you must be interested in the Tikhonov issue too.”

“That’s right. Barbara Tikhonov is currently the hottest topic in Huangpu. In my opinion, Tikhonov’s presence still seems to be a bigger gossip item in this school than Chen Yayuan’s murder case.”

“Hmm…”

“There are rumors that Tikhonov is clearly the culprit. Many are asking why they’re not arresting her when she’s clearly a Soviet spy.”

“Do you spy on the upper classmen’s conversations too?”

“There are many ways to do it. Yes, I’m looking into various things. This case has piqued my interest. Although I can’t find out much.”

“Zhou Lizhi concluded that this case can’t be properly investigated. That anyone could be the culprit, and even if there’s evidence, it can’t be doubted. What’s your perspective as a detective?”

“Zhou Lizhi is a smart woman. Her judgment on critical issues is likely to be correct with high probability. Yes, Zhou Lizhi is right. Even if you bring in a genius instead of a great detective, this problem can’t be solved. No matter how true something seems, possibilities to refute it arise infinitely. There are infinite truths, so we end up selecting from among them. From there on, you become a writer, not a detective.”

Rebecca sighed.

“Nevertheless, there is a truth. I think there must be a way to find it. It’s just that the path isn’t visible yet.”

“It seems the CIA wants me to wrap up the Chen Yayuan issue.”

“Intelligence organizations don’t need evidence, right? They’ll move with just a plausible scenario?”

“It’s too simplistic to put it that way, but I won’t deny that there’s such an aspect.”

Anyway, it seems the organization doesn’t want me to abort the mission and return. It’s as I expected. It’s certain that suspicious things are happening at Huangpu, so it doesn’t make sense to pull out an agent who has already been difficultly inserted and established. In reality, every day is precarious for me. But from the superiors’ perspective, it would seem like I’ve established myself.

“It looks like we’ll have to cooperate from now on. You can’t just leave me be, and it’s not feasible to eliminate me either.”

“Whether I can trust you is a secondary issue. Whether this is really the CIA’s order, or your fabrication. I’ve accepted it for now, but I can’t be certain. If later, when I contact the organization directly, it turns out there was no such order… you’ll pay the price.”

It’s an issue I’m letting slide for now because it’s not a dangerous order but a ‘sensible’ instruction, so there’s no harm in following it even if it’s false. It’s common for orders transmitted during a mission to be manipulated by hostile forces, and such suspicions occur frequently. Rebecca Katerfeld nodded as if acknowledging the validity of my suspicion.

“I know. But you need to find out for yourself too, right? What’s hidden in this school. What’s about to happen here.”

“I doubt there’s anything left to uncover besides the suspicion of Zhou Lizhi’s Guangzhou uprising. That’s the scenario the organization would be most interested in.”

“America is already prepared. Don’t underestimate America. They’ll do anything. It’s clear they’ll do whatever it takes not only to crush the Soviet Union but also to suppress China and implant American order in the world. Just like what happened to Germany.”

“One of the reasons I’m skeptical about cooperating with you is your strange hostility towards America. You didn’t cooperate with the CIA at all? It’s suspicious that you, who claim to act like a detective on behalf of intelligence agencies, moved so thoroughly excluding America that even the CIA couldn’t obtain information about your abilities internally. Don’t you have hostility towards me too?”

“You’re Korean, aren’t you?”

“My country abandoned me. No, I abandoned my country.”

“Think about it, friend.”

Rebecca stared at me vacantly with her pitch-black eyes.

“Many scholars have said that people don’t live as they’re born, but are determined by the environment they live in. Whether they’ll become good or evil. Whether they’ll become great or trivial is determined by the path of our lives. That’s what they’ve said. But that claim is just a prevalent assertion because saying so benefits society. Don’t you know that too?”

“I don’t understand the meaning. It sounds like valid logic to my ears.”

“When a powerful soul dies, I feel it. When a powerful soul is born into the world, I feel it too. We are meant to live as we’re designed. We might achieve disproportionate success through ridiculous coincidence, or fail to achieve the success we should have due to ridiculous misfortune. But that’s a minor issue. We live as we’re born. Genetic DNA, familial DNA, and even ethnic DNA.”

“So you’re saying that because I’m Korean by nature, no matter how much I’m influenced by American intelligence agencies, I’m just different from the CIA. Is that what you want to say?”

“The reason I dislike Americans is because they’re self-righteous. The integration of Germany and Austria. It’s a good thing, right? Even the Weimar Constitution reveals the ambition to eventually unite with Austria, and numerous German chancellors and prime ministers have wished for the merger of the two republics. But when American genes are deeply involved, problems arise somewhere. Why do those who once had Woodrow Wilson as president now act like this?”

“Your words now sound like those of an extreme Germanic nationalist.”

“I’m not that kind of nationalist.”

Rebecca strongly denied.

“But if America maintains its current policies, there’s a possibility that such people might rise again.”

“Everyone knows that the Nazis were puppets of communism. The excess of Germanic nationalism is an unfounded fear. Germany will be fine. That’s what I think.”

“That’s because you’ve been looking at Germany’s political situation from the perspective of American intelligence agencies.”

“That may be true, but I’ve encountered raw information itself. I don’t think there were mistakes.”

“The National Socialist German Workers’ Party is different from the German Communist Party. They might be even more dangerous. America dealt with the Nazi problem in an American way. By framing them as remnants of the Communist Party, exposing their connections with the Soviet Union, and using anti-communist issues to make them taboo.”

“It worked. As soon as the Nazi Party was suspected of being a descendant of the Communist Party, it was dissolved through a party dissolution trial. Yes, that operation was done by our CIA. But wasn’t it ultimately good for Germany?”

“You’re being forced to think like an American, but you’re actually Korean. You should be able to understand what the problem is yourself. You know how to think from the perspective of the defeated, not the hegemon. Hitler’s descendants don’t disappear that way. When Korea was under Japanese rule, Vladimir Lenin’s policies fascinated many Korean independence activists. When no one cared about the Korean issue, Lenin paid attention. Now, when no one cares about Germany’s resentment towards Western Europe, Russia is showing interest. Germans know that the Nazis weren’t puppets of the Communist Party. They know they’re using each other. America is thinking too complacently.”

“Let’s stop there. I didn’t call you to talk about Germany’s internal political issues.”

Feeling uncomfortable with the topic going too far, I cleared my throat. Rebecca Katerfeld lowered the enthusiasm in her voice and nodded.

“Always remember that you’re a foreigner in the CIA. I don’t feel averse to personal cooperation with you because I know that.”

“That’s right. I’m a foreigner wherever I go. After that day’s fire, I’m a foreigner wherever I go. It’s nothing new. It seems my fate is to wander around like a person with wanderlust.”

“Let’s meet again next time. I’ll personally investigate the Chen Yayuan issue. You focus on getting close to Zhou.”

“If it’s possible to contact headquarters, please relay my message.”

“Go ahead.”

“Somehow Briar Churchill has come to like me, and I want to ask if it’s okay to keep pursuing this issue. You should be able to find a way to communicate this too, right?”

Rebecca’s eyes widened at my words. Even for a spiritualist who can read minds, it seemed she didn’t expect what I just said.

“Briar… Churchill?”

“That’s how things turned out.”

“You mean you’re interacting as a woman’s body?”

“As you know, I was originally a man. I wouldn’t have any aversion to embracing a woman.”

“…Interesting. Alright. Carelessly hurting an English noble lady would be burdensome for the Western bloc. If I get a chance to contact, I’ll ask Washington about that issue, bypassing Berlin.”

Rebecca narrowed her eyes. Remembering how she had read all my thoughts and surprised me, I asked her:

“I thought you would predict everything I say, but it seems even someone like you has things you can’t see.”

“Don’t joke. We all know you weren’t recruited by the CIA for nothing.”

“It’s because I have abilities. Even if the duct tape ability seems weak, it’s actually tremendously powerful. It’s just perfect for an operative.”

“No, your greater ability is on the mental ability blocking side rather than that.”

“…Huh?”

“Your mind is unusually strong. Just as fast as your body is mended with tape, the speed at which your slashed mind reattaches is fast. When you’re in a fully recovered state, even I can’t penetrate. That’s why I had to play a lot of tricks. Making you listen to Churchill’s song all night, having Zhou Lizhi slash your mind with her Weapon Master power. Only right after that could I wedge my way in. You’re asking me to read your mind now? It would be impossible even if we rubbed our naked bodies together, let alone holding hands.”

“If you wish, I’ll give you a chance to try.”

Am I crazy? I’ve been seducing so many women lately that pickup lines are coming out automatically. Rebecca snorted and shook her head.

“We’ll see about that opportunity. Let’s get up for now. We both probably have a lot to do.”