NIS Agents Tearing Up the Japanese Empire - Chapter 19



Only Krnovel

Nobody – 1

A train entered Gyeongseong Station with a loud whistle, along with the bright sun illuminating the morning.

The train, which departed from Busan, steamed powerfully and then came to a complete stop at Gyeongseong Station.

As the train stopped, the passengers got off one by one.

Among the various attire, there were some who wore pure white haori with black thread embroidered dragons.

“Is this Gyeongseong?”

“As rumored, it’s small but seems to have everything you need.”

“There are a lot of people, you know.”

Murayama took his place in the crowded station and inspected his men’s belongings.

Katsuyama sighed as he looked at the people who were packed into history.

“I feel dizzy when I think about having to search for the ghost of Gyeongseong in such a crowded place.”

“With the eyes and ears of the lord helping us, what’s the point of difficulty or hardship? We just have to go to him and cut him down with one stroke.”

The sword hidden in Murayama’s arms took a quick peek outside and then returned to its sheath.

“That’s true too.”

“It doesn’t seem like there’s any particular problem, so I think it would be best to go to Jongno Police Station first and check out the situation.”

“I just arrived in Gyeongseong?”

At Katsuyama’s words, Murayama’s eyes narrowed.

“Katsuyama! Don’t forget why we came to Gyeongseong. We didn’t come here to have fun, but we came here on the orders of our lord.”

“······Excuse me for a moment.”

“Okay, then let’s hurry up and pack our bags first and meet our collaborators who will help us here.”

“Yes, Mr. Murayama.”

People passing by glanced at the procession of ronin that appeared in the middle of Gyeongseong as if they were curious.

“Mother, there are some Japanese people passing by.”

“Why? It really is.”

“All the Japanese people I’ve seen were enlightened, but those people seem to be late to enlightenment!”

“Hmm. That looks like it…. He might be dangerous, so let’s stay away.”

“yes!”

And among them was Kim Hu-dong, who was traveling abroad holding hands with his children.

“Ahem… I feel like a monkey in a zoo.”

“Koreans seem to be very interested in other people’s behavior and appearance, to the point where it’s annoying.”

“That’s the difference between the mainland and the outside world. The people in the mainland have been afraid of the warriors since generations, but it’s not like that here.”

“Then, I will take this opportunity to show off my warrior’s dignity.”

The sword half popped out of Katsuyama’s scabbard again.

Murayama shook his head while holding Katsuyama’s arm.

“This is not the mainland, but a foreign land. Just as the mainland has its own customs, so remember that foreign lands also have their own customs.”

“······All right.”

Katsuyama put his sword back in his hand with a look of dissatisfaction on his face.

“If I had known I would get this much attention, I would have worn different clothes.”

“Heh heh, when will we get this much attention again? They’re not particularly hostile to us, so enjoy the attention.”

“That too.”

Although he said that, Murayama also felt burdened by people’s gaze, and his steps became faster and faster.

The Black Dragon Society ronin who arrived in Gyeongseong like that ran almost like that, avoiding people’s attention.

******

The secret basement that Chunshik and I built ourselves was still unfinished and empty.

But the fact that they brought the police chief here for questioning made this already empty place feel even more empty.

There···.

“Teacher! What should I do now? Should I bring a brazier and heat the soldering iron red-hot?! Or should I bring a bucket or a kettle full of water?”

“It wouldn’t have to be that bad…”

Chunsik was quite excited as if he was going to tear apart the police chief’s flesh and bones at any moment, as if this was his first time being questioned.

“Just leave it to me!”

“There’s nothing I can do for you right now.”

“Oh my… Please speak comfortably, teacher!”

“······?”

“How could I, who am so insignificant compared to you, be respected by you?”

Chunsik was quite… excited.

Well… Jeon Woo-jin was originally a person who would have been treated harshly in the interrogation room of Jongno Police Station and then lived an ordinary life, keeping his distance from things like the independence movement.

However, as I witnessed and participated in various incidents and accidents that I had caused over the past few days, and even changed my name from Woojin to Chunsik, I began to think that I was gradually changing as a person.

“Just tell me what to do! I will do anything to get this country back!”

“Oh, yes.”

“I told you to speak comfortably.”

“Uh, um… yeah.”

Jeon Woo-jin, who had been content to be Kim Sang-ok’s personal contact while helping the independence movement for the past ten years, had at some point become Kim Chun-sik, an enthusiastic independence activist.

“Just give the order! Tell them to immediately skin this bastard and hang him up as a flag at the Governor-General’s Office…”

“Oh. How could you do such a terrible thing…”

“······Of course I was going to refuse!”

I had a feeling that I shouldn’t entrust Chunsik with such a dangerous task.

“I’ll handle this interrogation for now, so Mr. Chunsik, you can just stand back and watch.”

“Please speak comfortably···.”

“Okay, so put this on and get out of the way.”

“Isn’t this… a paper bag?”

To be exact, it’s a paper bag with eye holes cut into it.

“You have to cover your face.”

I will also cover my face.

Since I didn’t have many silicone masks, I had to conserve them until I could make new ones.

“No, this guy is going to die here anyway, so is there a need to do that?”

“I won’t kill you.”

“Huh?! You’re going to spare my life?! The Chief of Police of the Government-General?!”

“It’s noisy, so go over there and be quiet.”

It seemed like Chunsik didn’t understand me.

From his point of view, he would have thought that killing the police chief was the best way to repay the kindness of his comrades who had gone before him.

Of course, his thinking is not entirely wrong.

If the police chief was killed, it would be an opportunity to let other independence activists overseas and the citizens of this land know that the desire for independence in this land has not died.

‘At the same time, it is no different from openly provoking the Japanese Empire head-on.’

Even if they had accidentally blown up Jongno Police Station just now, it would have been a huge disaster.

By blowing up the Jongno Police Station, the attention of the Japanese upper echelons, including the Government-General, was focused on me.

No matter how much I sneak through the tight security of the Japanese colonial government as if it were my own yard, my opponent is not some famous criminal organization, but a huge country.

It is not just a country, but the Japanese ‘Empire’, one of the most powerful countries in the world.

In other words, this is not an opponent that I can easily take down no matter how much I try to show off and act all by myself.

If they decide to commit troops and equipment, I too will have no choice but to risk my life.

‘Now is not the time to take that risk.’

The important thing now is to establish a foothold in Gyeongseong, not to engage in a full-scale confrontation with the Japanese.

In order to deal with the giant tiger that was the Japanese Empire, it was necessary to prepare suitable weapons.

I mean, a really big and beautiful one.

“Hmm···.”

As I was organizing my thoughts, it seemed like the Chief of Police had come to his senses.

As soon as he came to his senses, he looked around in confusion and got angry.

“What the…. Untie this now!”

“······.”

“Who’s there? Miwa? Yamamoto? Ryuugi? Sasaki? Who is it! Answer me quickly···.”

“Nice to meet you, Director Maruyama.”

“······who is this?”

“Well, would you like to know?”

“I asked who you were!”

It was a question I had heard before.

“Who am I?”

“Answer my question!”

“You don’t need to know.”

“······what?”

He put his hand on the police chief’s head and roughly removed the potato sack.

Maruyama, suddenly faced with the light, blinked repeatedly and grimaced.

“Ughh …

“We don’t have much time, so I’ll just ask you a few quick questions. If you answer them well, you’ll be able to walk out of here in good health.”

“That’s funny.”

“Hmm… It’s funny how you laugh in this situation.”

I picked up the hammer lying next to me.

It was something I bought a few days ago at a hardware store run by Mr. Kim Sang-ok’s family.

The blood that had been buried at that time had dried completely and stuck to the surface of the hammer, creating a murderous atmosphere.

“······.”

“Director Maruyama.”

“Why, why are you calling?”

Maruyama tried to save face by pretending that nothing had happened, but the corners of his eyes and mouth were trembling slightly.

Even though I wasn’t doing anything, my heart rate increased and my breathing became more labored.

It seemed like he had never been subjected to such intense interrogation before.

“Now, before we get to the real questions. If you just follow these three rules, I will not kill you and will return you safely.”

For an effective interrogation, it was important to build a relationship of trust, however tenuous, between the two parties.

For example, when a zookeeper trains an animal, it is similar to the logic of building a relationship of trust by clearly defining rewards and punishments rather than just beating them.

And for this trust relationship, it would be good to set some simple rules.

If I follow the rules, the other person will eventually follow my rules too.

“First, you must answer any questions I ask. It doesn’t matter whether they are true or false. I will be the one making the decision.”

“······.”

“And second, you must not try to evade my questions by saying you don’t know or that you haven’t been informed. You must answer unconditionally.”

“······.”

Maruyama, who heard my conditions, seemed to have calmed down and looked more relaxed than before.

“And finally… I’m the one asking the questions here. You must never say anything other than what I ask. Just like right now.”

“Okay···.”

Was it because I was too relaxed?

Maruyama broke the rules from the start.

Any beast that broke the rules had to be punished.

-Snap!

The hand was faster than the eye, and the pain only set in after Maruyama confirmed that his little finger was out of alignment.

“Kuaaaahhhh!!!!”

“The last rule. Don’t say anything unless asked.”

“Kuaaaah!!!!”

By informing Maruyama of the rules, he made it clear to him what the consequences would be if this fragile order were disrupted.

He left Maruyama alone, writhing in pain, and quietly took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth.

Maruyama writhes his whole body back and forth, screaming in pain under the flickering light of a light bulb.

And in between, I was standing there.

I lit a cigarette, took a few puffs to properly light it, then grabbed Maruyama’s head, who was struggling, and handed him the cigarette I was smoking.

“Do you smoke?”

“Ugh···.”

“hmm.”

“Hey, wait a minute···!”

Maruyama realized his mistake, but by then my hand had already moved.

-Bang.

“Ughhhhhh!!”

“If you come out like this from the beginning, it will be difficult, Director Maruyama.”

“Sob··· Euheuheub··· Euheuheuheub···.”

Maruyama, writhing in pain, even shed tears as he expressed his pain.

But seeing as he didn’t say anything to me, it seemed like he was finally ready to accept this rule.

“Then let me ask.”

Maruyama listened to me, gritting his teeth as if trying to suppress the pain.

“Do you know the Black Dragon Society?”

“!!!”

Maruyama’s eyes shook.

This means that you are thinking about it.

I don’t know what he was thinking about, but it was clear that he knew about the Black Dragon Society.

“Haha, you’re going to keep your mouth shut again.”

“Hey, wait a minute, this is···!”

There was no room for excuses between us.

The night was long, and Maruyama still had a few more fingers left, and if that wasn’t enough, there were more in other places.

-Bang.

“Ugh!”

“Okay, just hold on tight and answer the questions.”

I tapped Maruyama on the cheek as he was spinning his head and asked him.

“name.”

“Ma, Maruyama… It’s Maruyama Tsurukichida.”

“What is your position?”

“Joseon···. Director of the Police Department of the Government-General of Korea···.”

Maruyama answered in a much more polite tone.

“Okay. Just do it like this. Easy, right?”

“······.”

Maruyama gritted his teeth against the pain that was pressing in and just stared at me, but there was nothing he could do.

“Do you know the Black Dragon Society?”

“······I know.”

“What do they do?”

“that···.”

Maruyama hesitated to answer.

Then his fingers misaligned again.

“Kwaaaaak!”

Maruyama screamed at the top of his lungs, but the night in Gyeongseong was peaceful as usual.