NIS Agents Tearing Up the Japanese Empire - Chapter 22



Only Krnovel

Nobody – 4

Murayama and his men stood still for a long time, blocking the entrance.

He didn’t say anything, didn’t do anything, just looked at me quietly.

“Judging by your appearance, you seem to be from the mainland… What is going on at my company?”

“hmm.”

A moment ago, a middle-aged man who identified himself as Jiro Murayama sat down casually across from me, took off the sword he had on his waist, and placed it on the table.

“The company building looked large from the outside, but when you actually go inside, the interior feels so cramped that it feels stuffy.”

“It’s a Western-style house, so although the floor area is large, the walls are thick and there’s a lot of luggage that can be brought in anyway.”

“okay.”

I naturally got up from my seat and asked him.

“Oh my… A guest came over, but you didn’t even bring him a cup of tea! I’ll bring it out right away.”

“It’s okay.”

“I’m not feeling well. I have tea and coffee right now. Which one would you like…?”

“It’s okay, please sit down.”

There was a sharp edge to Murayama’s speech.

He didn’t seem to intend to drag this out.

“Well then.”

I thought the same thing.

“Listen here, teacher.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“I heard that you recently left a package at Gyeongseong Post Office.”

“I think so, but I don’t think so.”

Murayama handed over the waybill.

“I got it from Gyeongseong Post Office.”

“hmm.”

The waybill that Murayama took out had the recipient written on it as Gwangyang General Trading Company.

“Hey, teacher.”

“yes.”

“You must have been full of confidence after only making a few cops suffer, but you should have known that we are not like those fools.”

“Well, what do you think?”

“Huh, you’re still pretending to be relaxed to the end. Do you think we would have accepted your invitation without thinking about it?”

As soon as Murayama finished speaking, the ronin standing behind him all pulled out their guns instead of their swords.

“A gun? Heh heh, Bushido died long ago.”

“It seems you don’t know that it is the duty of a warrior to not miss the enemy.”

Murayama stood up from his seat, picking up his sword that had been placed on the table.

Then he drew his sword and aimed it.

“Do you have any final words, Mr. Lee? No.”

The corners of Murayama’s mouth perked up.

“Ghost of Gyeongseong.”

The corners of my mouth also turned up, following his lead.

“I heard that climbing the Mountain of Swords is something that happens in the future, but I have encountered it in this world.”

“Haha, it’s the swordsmanship squad.”

“I climb the mountain of swords not to atone for my sins, but to punish the traitors.”

“It’s a good song.”

“It just occurred to me in this situation.”

Murayama put away the knife he had pointed at my neck and sat back down.

“It was also a song my father enjoyed singing while he was killing the Satsuma bastards.”

“okay.”

“He called me often before he passed away.”

He put down the sword with a complicated look in his eyes.

“As you know, we came here to kill you on the orders of the High Command of the Black Dragon Society.”

“It seems like you have a lot of money to spare, since you’ve gathered so many people just to catch that one person.”

“Well… the more people who participate in the mission, the more generous the rewards are, so that’s it.”

“okay.”

He quietly placed his left arm on the table.

Then, Murayama looked at me like that and smiled quietly.

“What are you going to do with those arms?”

“What do you think is inside this plaster cast?”

“That’s ridiculous. Of course there would be an arm in there.”

In my left hand, inside the plaster cast, was a switch that fit comfortably in one hand.

It wasn’t much, it was just connected to a firebomb that I had packed away in case I failed the mission before landing here.

“You asked me earlier what I wanted to say?”

“That’s right.”

“You can decide that yourself… Right now, would you please grant me one favor?”

“ask?”

I pointed to the chair.

“Could you please look under the chair?”

At my words, Murayama’s subordinate overturned his chair.

Then there was a small barrel hanging there, made of smooth aluminum.

“What is this?”

“incendiary bomb.”

“incendiary bomb?”

Murayama looked at me with a puzzled expression.

I laughed and kicked the table over, flipping it over and pressing the switch.

-Chiiik.

For a moment, I heard the sound of something burning.

Murayama tried to swing his sword, but Katsuyama, who was behind him, pulled him back.

“Katsuyama!”

“Bring in Mr. Murayama!”

Some of the ronin threw themselves and covered the aluminum can, while the rest tried to escape with Murayama.

-pop!

Soon, a huge flame burst forth with a loud explosion, engulfing the room in flames.

******

-Kudangtangtang!

He moved nimbly and threw himself into the basement.

Thanks to that, I could feel with my whole body how many basement stairs Chunshik and I had built together.

“ouch···.”

I fell down the basement stairs and my whole body ached.

Still, when I saw the huge fire roaring at the entrance to the basement, I thought it was better than burning to death.

Perhaps the flames will not go out until they engulf the entire building.

Even if I somehow manage to escape there, the remnants of the Black Dragon Society will be waiting for me ahead.

There’s no way out there.

That doesn’t mean you’re stuck here.

A wise rabbit digs three holes.

We created a small escape hatch in the basement that leads to the back of the building.

“Ugh···. Ugh ugh ugh···.”

Maruyama, who was tied up in the basement, also felt something strange and writhed, twisting his whole body.

I changed into the police uniform I had prepared in advance, regardless.

“good.”

He was dressed in a police uniform, and had a duffel bag on his back filled with a copper plate, weapons he had brought from the police station, and various tools.

Lastly, I broke and removed the plaster cast on his left arm, and wrapped the splint on his leg as tightly as possible so that it was not noticeable.

“after.”

Finally, I took a deep breath and hugged Maruyama.

“Ugh, ugh?! Eww! Ugh, ugh, ugh!!!”

“If you don’t want to get burned to death, stay still.”

Maruyama thrashed around like a cow or pig being dragged to the slaughterhouse, but after a few blows to the head, he became quiet.

My body wasn’t in good shape, and I had to climb the ladder with a heavy duffel bag hanging on me. It was a pain to climb each step, but it wasn’t something I couldn’t do.

“Phuha!”

I dug through the entrance covered in dirt and came out.

Then, I saw the two-story Western-style house that had been used as a company building engulfed in flames and burning fiercely.

I didn’t think much of it when I set up and detonated the incendiary bomb, but when I actually saw it burning, I thought it was a waste.

‘If I had known this would happen, I would have gone somewhere cheaper…’

My grand plan to unite the Manchurian independence army, the provisional government in Shanghai, and Korea was engulfed in a huge fire with this building at its center.

But that doesn’t mean I failed.

‘Every plan has a sub.’

Although the detailed plans have fallen through, my plan to unite the independence movement forces scattered throughout the country is still ongoing.

The Black Dragon Society is a variable that comes into play here, but in my plans, their presence is little more than an annoying speed bump.

‘I guess I’ll have to stay in Shanghai for the time being.’

I had planned to go someday, but things turned out this way so the date has been brought forward a bit.

There are still some issues with securing transportation, identification, and funds to get to Shanghai right away… but for now, there are still things that need to be taken care of.

-Clang.

He took a gun and a magazine out of his duffel bag.

Then he left Maruyama struggling on the floor and circled the burning company building.

******

“Kwaaah!”

“Ahh!”

“Water, water! It’s hot!”

Thanks to the sacrifice of his subordinates, Murayama was unscathed, although his clothes were slightly scorched.

But in return, his subordinates were sacrificing their own lives for the Empire of Japan.

“Ahhh! Mother! Mother!!!”

“Mom, save me···.”

“Sob···. Sob sob···.”

Murayama could only watch blankly as his subordinates were burned to death.

Murayama’s heart also burned as he watched his subordinates rolling on the floor screaming in pain.

“Mr. Murayama.”

“······Katsuyama.”

Katsuyama also survived.

However, it was a bit of a stretch to say that he looked like a living person.

Half of his face was intact, but the other half seemed unable to escape the flames.

His left arm was also red and burnt.

“I’m glad you’re safe.”

“Katsuyama···.”

Katsuyama sank to the floor and bowed to Murayama.

“Today’s events were all my fault. If I hadn’t tried so hard to chase after that guy…”

“No. The person in charge of this trip to Gyeongseong is Nalse. You did nothing wrong.”

“If only I had been a little smarter…!”

Katsuyama’s body trembled.

It was unclear whether he was shivering from the cold of Gyeongseong, from the burning pain that was the greatest pain a human could feel, or from the guilt of having failed his mission.

Maybe all three were true.

“Katsuyama···.”

“Sob… I’m sorry. If I had been just a little bit smarter, today’s incident wouldn’t have happened.”

“No, I already got rid of him anyway.”

Murayama turned his head towards the burning building, engulfed in flames.

Even the ghosts of Gyeongseong would not be able to return alive from a building that was burning like that.

No, it was something I shouldn’t have come back alive.

‘Oh God… Let me hear that bastard’s screams… Let me see that bastard’s body with my own eyes…!’

Murayama quietly closed his eyes and prayed to the sky.

Then heaven responded to his earnest prayer.

“Hey, everyone, are you having a hard time?”

“······.”

The ghost of Gyeongseong, who should have burned to death inside the building, calmly walked out from the back of the building.

“······What a vicious guy.”

“I hear that a lot.”

The ghost was smiling, but his condition wasn’t all that great.

His once cheerful face was half melted by the hot heat, the bandage protecting his arm was torn, and his leg was also limping, as if it was uncomfortable.

“Hey you…!”

Katsuyama’s eyes filled with anger as he saw the ghost of Gyeongseong.

“I’ll kill you!”

“Katsuyama!”

Katsuyama pulled out his gun without a moment’s hesitation, but at the same time, the ghost’s gun opened fire.

-Dudadadada.

A loud gunshot rang out.

Katsuyama died without even being able to scream.

“······.”

“Don’t look at me like that. I’ll soon send you back to your favorite subordinates.”

The ghost said so and turned the gun.

This time, he was targeting Murayama’s subordinates who were lighting up the darkness of Gyeongseong by setting themselves on fire.

-Dudadadada.

Once again, gunshots rang out throughout Gyeongseong, and the streets of Gyeongseong, once filled with screams, returned to peace.

“This is the end of the troublemakers.”

White smoke rose from the ghost’s muzzle.

The white smoke that rose like incense on the altar stretched across the sky.

“It’s fleeting.”

Murayama drew his sword.

“Why? Do you think you’ll win if you do that?”

The Ghost of Gyeongseong openly aimed the gun at me and pulled the trigger, but only a slight friction sound was heard and the gun did not fire.

“Ugh… I used it all up.”

He threw the submachine gun he was holding onto the ground.

“Everyone’s dreams are fleeting.”

Murayama took a stance.

A small seal popped out from the hand of the ghost of Gyeongseong.

It was a bit short to be called a baton, and it had a bead the size of a child’s fist at the end.

“My death is just a number.”

Murayama took the mitzvah.

The ghost of Gyeongseong also took a stance.

As the blazing mansion slowly collapsed, unable to withstand the flames, Murayama shouted and jumped in.

“Hiyat-!”

Murayama’s sword flashed and cut through the air.

He swung his sword several times, but the ghost, true to its name, dodged his attacks.

But Murayama did not stop attacking.

Murayama’s sword was a sword of passion.

He aimed for the ghost’s neck, drawing an unpredictable sword path like an uncontrollable emotion.

Murayama’s sword was imbued with the memories of his past years.

It contained his past of being born into a samurai family, holding a sword he never wanted, and traveling to battlefields under the flag of the Empire of Japan.

He swung his sword to express his resentment at his situation in which he had struggled his whole life to shake off the label of a ronin, but ended up becoming one himself.

But he couldn’t even cut the hem of his black opponent’s clothes.

-puck.

My head became dizzy and the anger that had risen to the tips of my hair subsided in an instant.

“······.”

“You keep bothering me to the end.”

Murayama knelt down.

He tried to move his body, but for the first time since he was born, his body was against his will.

Blood flowed from his head.

It was such a sudden defeat.

It was clear that Murayama had the initiative in the attack.

But it wasn’t a ghost that fell, it was Murayama.

“when···?”

Murayama squeezed out his last bit of strength.

But what came back was the gaze of a ghost looking down with a cold expression.

“ah.”

Only when Murayama saw the ghostly face looking down at him did he realize what he had not noticed before.

“It was fake.”

“that’s right.”

The ghost of Gyeongseong tore off the fake covering his face and revealed his true form.

But soon his face was no longer visible due to the shadow created by the streetlights that had come on.

Instead, he saw a long piece of metal wire sticking out of a long stick in his hand, with a bead on the end of it.

It was a Western-style hammer-like weapon that I had seen in books before.

Murayama admitted that his sword, which he had polished throughout his life, had lost to such a crude object.

‘I guess I don’t suit swords.’

Murayama struggled to get up and knelt down in front of the ghost.

Then he unbuttoned his outer garment.

“What are you doing?”

“I must fulfill my responsibilities.”

With those few words, Murayama held his sword upside down and cut open his own stomach.

The sword was properly stuck, but he was still alive, perhaps because his grip was weak.

Murayama stabbed and cut his stomach repeatedly, but his breathing was not stopped.

“Huh···!”

A kaleidoscope of images flashed through Murayama’s mind.

From my childhood, through my reckless days when I didn’t know the fear of the world and ran wild, to the time when I first had aspirations in my heart, I have reached today.

When Murayama opened his eyes again, he saw the muzzle of a ghostly gun before his eyes.

“What do you want to say?”

Murayama looked up at the sky.

In the end, I wanted to leave something nice to say.

But nothing really came to mind.

“ah.”

The corners of Murayama’s mouth went up.

I laughed bitterly.

“It’s cold, so finish it quickly.”

-bang.

After a short gunshot.

The Gyeongseong Fire Department and police officers who were dispatched to the scene of the fire were able to find the bodies of about 15 people, along with Chief of Police Maruyama, whose whereabouts had been unknown for some time.

However, the culprit who committed this act was not found.

As always.