NIS Agents Tearing Up the Japanese Empire - Chapter 114



Only Krnovel

Kyung Sung Scandal (3)

“Lee Jeong is dead? Are you sure?”

“Yes, I checked the face myself.”

Despite Miwa’s confident expression and sincere words, the police chief did not easily believe her.

“In that ridiculous article, why was Lee Jeong, who was supposed to extract information about the rebels in Manchuria, in Gyeongseong…? …? And he was dead in the North Korean military warehouse in Yongsan?”

“Yes.”

“… … Really?”

“yes.”

The police chief blinked and looked at Miwa and the squad leader.

Then, as if he couldn’t believe it, he stroked his chin and asked Miwa and the class president again.

“Are you sure?”

“If the montage drawn here is indeed Lee Jeong, then it is one hundred percent certain.”

“Umm… … .”

The police chief kept his mouth shut.

And then he didn’t say anything.

“Director, if the victim found in Yongsan is one of our people, we need to investigate him.”

“hmm…….”

“Our spy who was supposed to be in Manchuria was found dead in Yongsan, but the military obstructed the investigation. Doesn’t it sound suspicious just hearing it?”

“Hmm… … .”

“The body of the officer found in Jongno this morning was also taken over by the military.”

“No, why is that?”

“I don’t know much about that. But it definitely seems like they’re hiding something.”

“hmm…….”

The police chief was troubled.

I thought and thought again.

It’s been several months since I boasted to the governor that I would catch the ghost of Gyeongseong, but I have failed time and time again, not to mention catching the ghost of Gyeongseong.

Because of this, as the days passed, the invisible pressure from the Governor-General grew stronger, and the Chief of Police was in a situation where he was constantly on the lookout for the harsh gaze of his superiors.

But in this situation, if you stir up the military, your already uneasy sleep may become even more uneasy.

“If you give me permission, sir, I will properly investigate what those soldiers are hiding.”

“Hmm… … . Listening carefully, it seems like that case is a separate case from the Gyeongseong ghost case we were in charge of.”

“No! The body of the officer found in Gyeongseong this time and the body of our spy found in Yongsan are also likely to be related to the Ghost of Gyeongseong!”

“… … Is there any evidence?”

“My conviction is my proof.”

“So you’re saying there isn’t any?”

The police chief didn’t want to be associated with this incident.

Since the situation was already chaotic, I didn’t want to mess with the military and see bloodshed, so I quietly consoled Miwa.

“Look, Miwa, I also feel something fishy happening in the dark shadows that we are unaware of.”

“Then, what are you hesitating for?”

“Oh, listen to what they have to say. Do you think they will cooperate with your investigation just because you say you will investigate the Yongsan Command? On the contrary, they will cause a lot of trouble to obstruct your investigation.”

“If you weren’t going to investigate because you were afraid of such interference, you wouldn’t have applied to the police.”

The police chief tried to persuade him with nice words, but Miwa was more stubborn than he thought.

“Huh… … Hey Miwa, I’m not doing this because I want to! It’s been months since I boasted to the Governor-General that I would catch the ghost of Gyeongseong, but have you ever caught even a suspect related to that guy, let alone the ghost?”

“… … .”

“No? But I didn’t say anything to you or your brilliant teammates. Why? Because I believed you would eventually catch the ghost!”

The police chief silenced Miwa by pointing out that despite all the support he had given her, she had not achieved any results.

“I always trust you guys, but will the guy who comes after me trust me?”

“… … .”

“This isn’t something I’m doing just for my own good. The longer I stay here, the longer I’ll be able to chase away the ghosts of Gyeongseong that you like so much.”

“… … Haona.”

“Oh, is there anything else you want to say?”

The police chief was very proud, thinking that this time he had finally completely suppressed Miwa with words.

but.

“How are you going to explain to Your Excellency that the Governor-General’s top spy is dead…?”

“… … ?”

“In addition, in the past few months, there have been many cases of spies planted in the provisional government or in Manchuria and other places getting into accidents or going missing for one reason or another, and some even being killed by traitors.”

Since the appearance of the ghost of Gyeongseong, spies from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Government-General in Shanghai, Manchuria, Gando, and the Maritime Province began to disappear one by one.

In the case of Shanghai in particular, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the intelligence network there was completely destroyed, and the situation in Manchuria managed by the Governor-General was also extremely precarious.

“In this situation, we have lost a top spy, and I don’t think His Excellency the Governor will just let it go.”

“… … .”

It was just as Miwa said.

If this reached the Governor-General’s ears, it was certain that Governor-General Saito, who was eyeing the military, would take action and say that he was right.

And if Governor-General Saito were to take direct action, there was a very high probability that the Chief of Police who had tried to bury this incident would be replaced by someone else.

If that happened, there was a high probability that I would be called to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, where chaos was brewing, public order was unstable, and bullets were flying on the streets.

This means that there is a high possibility that you will be reassigned to a place with a high risk of death from your first day at work.

“Beauty and contempt.”

“Yes, sir.”

The police chief, who had thought that far, straightened his posture and asked Miwa.

“Are you sure?”

It was a short question, but the Chief of Police’s question contained a lot of meaning.

“As always, I will do my best for the Empire of Japan.”

“If that’s the case, then good.”

The chief of police took a deep breath and then absentmindedly removed a chrysanthemum-patterned badge from his lapel and handed it to me.

“If anyone tries to block your path and interfere with your investigation, show them this and let them know that you have given me full investigative authority.”

“……thank you!”

Rather than remain silent and risk being stamped out by the Governor-General and having his future life become a spectacle, the Chief of Police decided to turn against the incompetent soldiers and delegated all of his authority to Miwa.

“Please don’t disappoint me.”

“You won’t be disappointed.”

“I hope so.”

Miwa, who had the police chief on her side, left the Governor-General’s Office in high spirits like a triumphant general.

From now on, no matter what he does, he doesn’t have to worry about the Governor-General’s people blocking his way.

But there was one very minor problem: the people he was now dealing with were people who had no regard for the mighty authority of the Governor-General.

‘Even if we go straight to Yongsan and demand that they hand over the bodies, it’s obvious we’ll be kicked out.’

In his opinion, the key to this incident was not the spy from the Government-General found in Yongsan, but the officer found in Jongno.

The investigation into the body found in Yongsan has been roughly completed.

There was no information in the empty warehouse that would reveal who the culprit was, so further investigation would yield nothing more… … .

“… … ?”

Miwa stopped walking.

Then I thought back again.

‘The warehouse was empty?’

When I was investigating the warehouse, I didn’t feel anything strange, but now that I look back, something does seem strange.

‘Why was the headquarters warehouse empty?’

In the northern part of Joseon, which borders Manchuria, the rebels would often cross the border and cause trouble, so the Joseon military headquarters warehouse had to be prepared to respond to such situations at all times.

That’s natural, and it’s correct according to the regulations.

We also received reports that new supplies had arrived across the sea a few days ago, along with new soldiers, to help make up for the damage caused by the disaster at Geumchon Station.

‘But… … the warehouse was empty?’

Of course, since there were more than one or two warehouses in the headquarters, it could have just been by chance! By coincidence! By sheer coincidence! That place where Miwa had stopped by was empty.

but.

‘It’s too neatly organized for that to be true… … .’

I remember that there were clear traces of heavy objects being moved around on the floor.

‘In the empty warehouse… … . A high-ranking officer who suddenly appeared and interfered with the investigation… … . And, the body of the officer found in Jongno… … .’

The gears that had been separate from each other came together and meshed together, and the pocket watch that had been stopped in my head began to turn.

At the same time, a musty smell of corruption that he had never known about emanated from him.

It was a smell I had smelled before.

‘Could it be that those soldiers… …?’

A crime movie scenario was already being completed in his head, but Miwa shook her head.

‘Not yet. Nothing is certain yet.’

Miwa tried hard to deny it, but her suspicions were already half-way in her favor.

“Phew… … .”

Miwa, who had let out the stuffy gas rising inside her into the world, looked around for a moment.

It doesn’t have any special meaning, it’s just one of the common habits investigators have.

Miwa looked around and collected her thoughts.

‘First, we must find the officer’s body. We must find out who he is and what he does.’

Miwa put her hat back on and walked out onto Jongno Street with a heavy expression.

And there was one gaze looking down on such beauty.

* * *

The balcony on the second floor of a cafe near the Government-General Building.

In a crowded cafe, there was a middle-aged person sitting, who looked like an adult or a child, and at first glance, he looked no different from everyone else, but the more I looked at him, the more impressive he became.

“You little brat… … . You’re going to have a hard time.”

“Who are you talking to now?”

“That guy over there.”

“Who? Miwa and the class president?”

Sitting in front of me was Mr. Namgung Hoon, the president of the Chosun Ilbo who had just taken over the newspaper and become its owner.

“I heard you acquired the Chosun Ilbo? Congratulations, Mr. Namgung.”

“Um… … . That’s thanks to your support.”

“That’s strange. I’ve never supported you, teacher.”

When I calmly denied my relationship with him, President Namgung Hoon snickered and asked me.

“So who is it this time?”

“What do you mean?”

“The teacher who is talking to me now, where is he, what is he doing, and who is he?”

“Oh, I’m late in introducing myself.”

He took a business card out of his pocket and placed it on the table.

Of course, there was nothing written there, so I took out my pen and roughly scribbled on the spot.

“I am a young and handsome arms dealer who runs a weapons workshop in Shanghai.”

When I handed President Namgung a business card with a nice cursive handwriting, his face looked quite pleasant to look at.

“Hehehe… … . You are always a better person than I imagined.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“I’m not the kind of person who would openly swear in front of others.”

“That’s the kind of person you are.”

He smiled broadly at President Namgung’s words and picked up his coffee cup.

“I plan to stay in Gyeongseong for the time being.”

“Last time you said you were going to leave… … . Looks like you changed your mind?”

“Um… …. Rather than saying it has changed.”

I put down my glass and looked down at Gyeongseong.

The streets were full of people, but half of them were police officers and soldiers.

The two seemed to be watching each other, secretly glancing at each other, even though they didn’t seem to care about each other.

“That’s what my job was like.”

“Are you talking about the work done by the Governor-General?”

“no.”

I picked up the business card on the table.

There was a name written there, Oh Tae-sik of the Shanghai Weapon Workshop.

“Usually when an arms dealer visits a battlefield, it’s to sell weapons.”

“battleground?”

“yes.”

“So, does that mean Gyeongseong is a battlefield?”

“Yes.”

President Namgung’s face became serious.

“… … Are you going to turn this into a battlefield?”

“no.”

I shook my head.

And then I turned my head again and looked at the soldiers and police engaged in an invisible war of nerves on the street.

“We’re already at war.”

“… … ?”

The sky in Gyeongseong was really clear.

Just like Tokyo.

NIS Agent Tears the Japanese Empire Episode 115