NIS Agents Tearing Up the Japanese Empire - Chapter 25



Only Krnovel

Shanghai Romance – 3

As soon as I left the provisional government street, my tail was immediately followed.

The intense gaze that cut through the crowd of people on the street was enough to make the back of my head tingle.

As I was glancing around to see what kind of guy he was, Kim Gu stopped me.

“Shanghai is like this. If you go outside even a little bit, spies will often come and visit you.”

“Shouldn’t we all kill them?”

“Kill them? This is the French Concession. To put it simply, it is French territory. So what would happen if a Korean killed a Japanese person on French territory? And what would happen if a Japanese person killed a Korean person?”

Although the Japanese Empire was a recognized power in the East, there was no comparison between a child playing in the schoolyard and a child grumbling in the classroom.

If someone dies in the French Concession, is the Japanese government involved?

Then, from that day on, diplomatic relations between France and Japan would become strained, and Japan would be in a position to import various natural resources from French colonies in Southeast Asia.

In other words, if relations with France become strained, it will be Japan, not France, that will be left to feel sorry.

“So they can’t do anything here either. On the other hand, if we do something and get kicked out, it would be difficult, so we don’t do anything.”

“okay.”

“It seems they have noticed you over there, so it would be in your best interest if you did not venture outside the French Concession.”

“Isn’t the area outside the concession Chinese territory? The Chinese probably wouldn’t like the Japanese to set up shop on their land either.”

“That’s not wrong, but the situation in China is not good right now, so they can’t really voice their opinions to Japan.”

“hmm.”

After hearing more about the story, I realized that although the current Republic of China was on the surface a single country, on the inside it was a mix of all sorts of people, each ruling the country as they pleased.

Even if they unite, they can’t defeat Japan. Since each of them is eating their own soup, how can they possibly fight back properly?

There···.

“Inside the concession, the French embassy conducts a formal investigation into the case, but outside the concession, when someone dies, an undertaker comes instead of the police.”

“It’s a total lawless zone.”

“Everyone lives according to their own invisible customs and order, so it’s not a complete lawless zone.”

“That’s it.”

“Anyway, if possible, don’t go outside the concession. If you do, you’ll just end up in trouble.”

Kim Gu repeatedly told me not to leave the concession, but to me it sounded like he was telling me to get out quickly and stamp out the Japanese spies.

Here, it wasn’t like Gyeongseong where the police would come looking for me if I was a little wild, and there was no need to risk infiltrating enemy territory to get information.

‘They say that if you leave the concession, spies will follow you.’

The spies will find me and spy on me, so I don’t have to take any chances.

‘As expected… Shanghai is a great place, both then and now.’

As the back of my head became hotter, the corners of my mouth went up.

******

With Lee Si-young’s help, I looked around several houses for rent in the French Concession in Shanghai, but there wasn’t a place I really liked.

Perhaps because land prices are high, most places try to cram as many people into small spaces as possible rather than creating a place for people to live.

In fact, most of the places that are called homes are modern-day goshiwons that seem like heaven.

“Are you intentionally only showing me houses like this?”

“······I only saw the cheapest houses in Shanghai.”

“I told you not to worry about money.”

“But if possible, it’s better to save money and appear to have nothing.”

“Is it because of the spy?”

Lee Si-young continued speaking with a deep sigh.

“Whew… A spy is a spy, but there are authors who are even worse than that.”

“More authors? Who are they?”

“They are people I don’t want to even mention.”

Lee Si-young avoided answering.

I was curious about who the authors were that were worse than the spies he was talking about, but I didn’t bother to ask because he seemed reluctant to talk.

“No matter how much money it costs, I would like a place where I can live like a human being. If possible, it would be good if there is a spacious warehouse attached.”

“Um… then.”

After thinking for a moment, Lee Si-young led me to a quiet and elegant mansion on the outskirts of the concession.

The three-story building built on the riverbank had a warehouse next to it, and was surrounded by a wall so high that no one would dare jump over it.

“How about this building?”

“I like it. If you had something like this, you should have shown it to me a long time ago.”

“······I’m glad you like it.”

Lee Si-young turned her head with a bitter smile.

“This house is where a businessman who came from Mirigyeon started a small business, failed, and took his own life because he could not bear the hardships of life.”

“It’s a scary place.”

“That’s not true…. Thanks to the hard work of the Mirigyeon businessman, the building is clean and there’s no place that needs any special maintenance.”

“That’s true too.”

Lee Si-young looked around the building with a look of regret, sometimes running her hand over the wall, and sometimes looking at the mold on the wallpaper and getting lost in thought.

I asked him a question about his attitude, which made it seem like there was something going on no matter who looked at him.

“The teacher looking at the house has an unusual look in his eyes. Is there a reason for this?”

“Uh, yeah? It’s not something you can call a grand story···.”

Lee Si-young put her hand on the oldest-looking beam in the house with a warm smile.

There were faint nail marks where he had touched.

“When I first came to Shanghai, I pooled all my money together to buy a house for my brother, my sister, and all of us to live together.”

“······.”

“Ever since my fourth eldest brother persuaded the other brothers to leave their hometown, the road ahead of us brothers has been like a stormy hill, without a single day of peace. Still, I wanted us brothers to live together, even if it was not enough… Ugh.”

Lee Si-young touched the main beam several times, lost in thought, and then let out a deep sigh.

“It wasn’t as easy as I thought.”

His expression was extremely complex.

It was an expression that seemed happy, but also had a hint of regret, sadness, and regret.

“Was it a money issue?”

“Well… for now, that’s it.”

Lee Si-young turned around, scratching her head.

“The owner’s wife seems to be obsessed with this place, so if you persuade her, you should be able to get it for a reasonable price.”

After saying that, Lee Si-young walked out of the house.

“I skipped a meal and went out for the first time in a long time, so my stomach skin is stuck to my back. Baekbeom and I will wait outside, so you can look around and come out.”

“Yes, I will be there shortly.”

I sent him out and looked around the house again.

The house was spotless and clean.

It had three floors above, a simple basement below, and a large warehouse next to it. There was a fence around it, so it was hard to tell if it was a regular house or a CIA safe house.

‘The wall is also built sturdy with bricks, and the warehouse next door is of a decent size, so it’s perfect for doing business.’

My favorite thing about this house was the small basement that was built into the basement of the house.

The thick cement walls and ceiling blocked out surrounding sounds, and because it was built deep inside the house, no matter what happened inside, the sound would not leak outside.

‘Since the house is located on the outskirts of the concession, it would be a good idea to bring in a few informants from outside, briefly interrogate them, and then throw them into the river.’

The more I looked at it, the more I liked it.

But the conditions were so good that I was worried.

‘What if the other party asks for an outrageous price?’

Now all I had in my hands was the twenty thousand won and five thousand dollars I had brought from Gyeongseong.

It was by no means a small amount of money, but it was a bit tight because it was enough to live on, carry out operations, and support the provisional government until the supernote plates could be modified and money could be printed in earnest.

‘Can I buy it for five thousand dollars…?’

I didn’t know exactly what the dollar was worth in those days, but I knew it was worth more than it is today.

But knowing something and actually facing it are two different things, so I felt uneasy for no reason.

If this didn’t work, they might have to procure materials in a hurry and print more money out of copper plates.

‘Oh my… That’s a bit dangerous…’

Although it was called a supernote, it was a modern dollar, not a dollar of this era.

Of course, I saw the dollar of that era and modified it a bit locally, but since it was not done by an expert, it was bound to show some signs.

Of course, the items made in this way were of a level of precision that would be beyond the capabilities of a typical bank teller or money changer.

However, if you were a counterfeiter at a bank head office in the United States or at the Federal Reserve, you would know that this is counterfeit as soon as you see it.

‘If there are counterfeit dollars circulating in the market, the US government will start investigating… Then the NSA or CIA will step in and try to crack down on counterfeiters…’

At that moment, a very simple yet fundamental question crossed my mind.

‘Wait a minute, is there still a CIA or NSA?’

If you think about it, it was a simple problem.

There is no CIA or NSA in this day and age.

Of course, that doesn’t mean there are no intelligence gathering agencies in the United States.

However, there is probably no other agency that operates as a giant department responsible for one axis of the United States like Hyundai.

‘At best, the State Department or the military will run a counterintelligence agency.’

That was threatening to me, but it was better than being chased by a huge agency like the CIA or NSA.

Once you get caught on the radar of a large organization like the CIA or NSA, no matter where you run to on Earth, you will eventually be caught and killed by them.

If not, you could be taken to a place no one knows about, experience the latest modern torture techniques until you tell them everything, and then die.

‘Okay… If they ask for more money, I’ll just fix the copper plate a little more and print dollars.’

If the US State Department noticed the counterfeit money and tracked me back to Shanghai, I could have just pretended to be killed by Japanese spies and assumed a new identity.

If you’re going to do it, you could make a similar plate and make it look like the Japanese did it, and the picture would turn out fine.

I met the wife of an American businessman, calming my pounding heart.

“I heard the news about your husband. First of all, I would like to offer my deepest condolences on what has happened to your husband.”

“Phew… Thank you.”

She was still in mourning, as if she had just seen her husband off, and in her arms was a baby who looked like a newborn.

Her blue eyes and bright yellow blonde hair were visible through the cotton veil that slightly covered her eyes.

“I heard you’re selling the house···.”

“Yes, I didn’t want to come to this country in the first place, but since my husband became like that, I have no reason to stay here.”

“I see… When I looked around the house, it had a lot of charm and I really liked how well-maintained every nook and cranny was.”

“I see? Then, how about we stop talking nonsense and write up a contract here?”

“Oh, yes. I see.”

The wife was more fiery than I thought.

Maybe he was just really sick of Shanghai.

Either way, it wasn’t a bad thing for me.

“Then what do you think about the price of the house?”

“I can’t sign a contract for less than $1,500.”

“1, 1500…”

It was cheaper than I expected.

I thought I would have to give at least 3-4 thousand dollars, but half of that!

It seems that the dollar in this era is more valuable than I thought.

‘Damn… If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have spent so much money in Gyeongseong…!’

Now that I think about it, I feel like I spent too much money extravagantly in Gyeongseong.

Thinking about how I’ve been spending money like a fool made my stomach suddenly hurt.

“I know it’s a bit expensive, but if you want to move to America and settle down, you need to have that much money…”

Even looking at her appearance, it seemed like she could cut it down further if she just spoke well.

“Hmm. Even if you suddenly ask for that much money···.”

“I hope to receive it all within this week if possible···.”

“Huh, this week···.”

Even just washing the super notes stolen from the security forces several times and exchanging them for dollars of this era required going through all the banks and individual money changers in Gyeongseong several times.

It took more than a month, let alone a week.

The money I exchanged that way was the five thousand dollars I now have in my possession.

But $1,500 in a week?

This looked a little difficult.

“That would be difficult. I don’t have much cash on hand right now, and I don’t think I could come up with that much money in a week.”

“Then how much can you give me right now?”

She looked quite desperate.

Do you have any debt?

I tried a little bluff.

“I have about $750 right now, and if I scrape together everything in the bank, I should be able to raise about $900 by the end of the week.”

Here, when I cut it in half again, my wife blushed and raised her voice, seeming slightly angry.

“$900? Do you think that’s a reasonable price right now?”

“Madam, I only told you the amount of money you can afford right now.”

The wife looked visibly anxious.

A quick glance showed that there was something wrong and it didn’t seem like they would be able to stay there for long.

Still, $900 seemed to be too little to sway her.

“······But it’s not worth that price.”

The fact that those words came out of her mouth was tantamount to declaring that she would give in at any moment if I gave in even just a little.

“Okay. Then I’ll give you $900 in cash and the remaining $300 in kind, bringing the total to $1,200.”

“In kind···?”

I quietly took off my watch and held it out in front of her.

“It’s a Rolex watch. If you sell it on the second-hand market, you can easily get more than $300.”

“Rolex···.”

A watch from the world-renowned watch brand Rolex.

She looked at my watch from side to side, shook it a few times, then nodded quietly.

“Okay. I’ll sign.”

“thank you.”

Although it was a long time since I had worn the watch, I was not sad or heartbroken.

During a business trip to China, my senior who was my supervisor at the time was teasing me for not having a watch, and he said that it was something he bought at a counterfeit market for 300,000 won.

Of course the watch is fake.