Chapter 297: It Never Hurts to Be Careful

“Chief of Staff Cha, what happened?” NIS Director Om Giyeon asked as he sat down on an empty sofa, curiosity written across his face.

“I’ll explain everything once the rest of the people invited to breakfast arrive.”

“At least tell me one thing. Is the situation serious?”

“Not that serious.”

“Phew... Thank goodness.”

Ding-dong.

No sooner had NIS Director Om Giyeon breathed a sigh of relief than the doorbell rang. As if he already knew who had arrived, Team Leader Jeong Gwangseok promptly opened the door.

One after another, the guests invited to breakfast began arriving, including Director Santiago of the National Bureau of Investigation and Defense Minister Fernando. The spacious living room quickly became packed like herring in a barrel. Nevertheless, aware of the seriousness of the situation, no one said a word.

In the middle of that silence, CIA Director Eddie Griffin broke it and addressed me.

“Chief of Staff Cha, what’s the situation?”

Instead of answering Director Griffin, I shifted my gaze toward Director Santiago. Catching my meaning, he immediately began speaking.

“At five this morning, Vice Chairman Chen Zhihui spoke by phone with Captain Choi Dongcheol, who is leading the North Korean submarines.”

“Is that so? What did they talk about?”

“They successfully removed the nets tangled around the submarines’ propellers.”

Director Santiago gave Director Griffin and the others a detailed account of the conversation between Vice Chairman Chen Zhihui and Captain Choi Dongcheol.

“...Vice Chairman Chen and Carlos intend to personally receive the missiles from the North Korean submarines.”

Director Griffin nodded in understanding and turned back to me.

“Chief of Staff Cha, what’s the problem with what Director Santiago just told us?”

“The problem is that those two intend to meet Captain Choi Dongcheol in person.”

“Ah! I see.”

“That’s why I believe we need to change the timing of the airstrike on the Abu Sayyaf base.”

“What do you mean?”

Defense Minister Fernando was the first to react.

“The Philippine Air Force is scheduled to strike the Abu Sayyaf base at midnight. And the North Korean submarines are expected to arrive off the coast of Iligan between one and two in the morning.”

Defense Minister Fernando seemed to understand the point.

The FA-50PH light combat aircraft would bomb the Abu Sayyaf stronghold at midnight.

But even if the base was reduced to rubble, some of the militants would inevitably survive.

And the survivors were guaranteed to report the attack to either Vice Chairman Chen Zhihui or Carlos.

That was why Cha Jiham had suggested changing the start time of the operation.

Wanting to confirm his guess, the minister asked directly.

“You’re only half right, Minister.”

“And which half did I miss?”

“Vice Chairman Chen will immediately pass the news on to Captain Choi Dongcheol. And Captain Choi will report it to his superiors without delay.”

“Of course he will.”

“And if that happens, Pyongyang will conclude that Chen Zhihui or Carlos is no longer capable of receiving the missiles. The submarines will be ordered to return to North Korea, but they’re nearly out of fuel.”

“Wouldn’t the leadership simply order Captain Choi to raise a white flag from the mast?”

I shook my head.

“North Korea is under UN sanctions and isn’t allowed to export weapons. To conceal the fact that they sold the missiles, there’s a high probability that Pyongyang will order Captain Choi to blow up the submarines. If it comes to that, the Philippine Navy won’t be able to capture them.”

Director Santiago joined the conversation with a worried expression.

“Chief of Staff Cha, then what would be the best way to solve this problem?”

“Our objectives are to destroy Abu Sayyaf, capture the North Korean submarines, and eliminate Vice Chairman Chen Zhihui. If we want to accomplish all three successfully, we need to adjust the plan.”

“What changes do you propose?”

“First, we need Captain Choi Dongcheol’s personal cell phone number.”

“You obviously have a reason for that?”

“Deputy Director Jo Ilcheol of North Korea’s Reconnaissance General Bureau needs to stop him from making a fatal decision.”

“But for Deputy Director Jo to contact him, wouldn’t the North Korean submarines need to be on the surface?”

“At night, the North Korean submarines travel exclusively on the surface.”

“Ah, now I understand.”

Leaving Director Santiago’s response at that, I turned to Defense Minister Fernando.

“For Deputy Director Jo Ilcheol to persuade Captain Choi, he needs to be aboard a Navy patrol vessel.”

“Of course. I’ll personally take care of that.”

“I’m counting on you, Minister. And lastly, the timing of the airstrike on the Abu Sayyaf base needs to remain flexible.”

Defense Minister Fernando looked around at everyone in confusion.

The North Korean submarines were supposed to arrive near Iligan between one and two in the morning.

All the FA-50PH light combat aircraft had to do was bomb the Abu Sayyaf base at exactly that time.

So why was Cha Jiham saying that the bombing schedule needed to remain flexible?

He cautiously asked what had led me to that conclusion.

“There’s a chance the North Korean submariners will realize Navy ships are following them.”

“But couldn’t the ships just follow from a considerable distance?”

“The submarines are equipped with sonar. It never hurts to be careful.”

“If that’s what you say, Chief of Staff Cha, I have no objection.”

“In the worst-case scenario, we may have to move the bombing to an earlier time, so put the pilots on heightened alert.”

“I’ll do that.”

“That’s everything from me.”

As if he had been waiting for exactly that moment, Triad Vice Chairman Wei Chen spoke up.

“Director Santiago, when are Carlos and Vice Chairman Chen Zhihui leaving for Iligan?”

“Considering the poor roads, they’ll have to leave at seven this evening.”

“And what would be the best way to grab them?”

“There’s only one road from here to Iligan. To avoid any surprises, instead of tailing them, why don’t we leave first and set up an ambush?”

“That sounds reasonable. What location would be best?”

“About a hundred kilometers from Iligan, there’s a stretch of narrow winding road running along a cliff. How about waiting for them there and taking them down?”

“Deal.”

Vice Chairman Wei Chen made decisions quickly and without hesitation.

While the questions and discussion continued, NIS Director Om Giyeon spoke as though he had suddenly remembered something important.

“Director Santiago, does Carlos know we’re here?”

“According to the phone taps, no. He has no idea.”

“Excellent. Well then, gentlemen, shall we go have breakfast?”

***

After breakfast, Deputy Director Jo Ilcheol of North Korea’s Reconnaissance General Bureau and Major General Jeong Sancheol left the air base and headed aboard a Philippine Navy vessel.

Vice Chairman Wei Chen, FBI Director Glenn Nevers, and Director Santiago left the base to conduct the operation to capture Vice Chairman Chen Zhihui, his men, and Carlos.

Defense Minister Fernando, NIS Director Om Giyeon, and CIA Director Eddie Griffin went to observe the FA-50PH training flights.

Chief Secretary Kang Inhan and I moved to the air base situation room and continued our conversation.

“Chief of Staff Cha, isn’t it about time you forgave Saho?”

At that very moment, Saho bounded over to me and wagged his tail ingratiatingly.

I shook my head with a smile and pulled the cat into my arms.

“I’ll let you hunt wild animals, but eating whatever you please is taboo.”

Saho nodded as though he understood.

“If I catch you eating random crap again, don’t expect any mercy. Got it?”

“...”

“We may have work to do tonight, so get plenty of rest.”

Chief Secretary Kang Inhan gave Cha Jiham a puzzled look.

Saho had been brought here to scout the Abu Sayyaf base.

However, they had decided to flatten the stronghold using KGGB aerial bombs.

So the chances of the cat actually having to conduct reconnaissance were practically zero.

And yet Cha Jiham had clearly implied that there might still be work for Saho.

Kang Inhan cautiously asked what kind of task he had in mind.

“If everything goes according to plan, we won’t need to use Saho. But operations like this can always run into unexpected problems.”

“What kind of problems?”

To tell the truth, I had a couple of possibilities in mind.

But there was no benefit in revealing surprises before they happened, so it was better to keep my cards hidden for now.

“Nothing is certain yet, so I’ll tell you if it actually happens. Team Leader Jeong, check whether Chen and Carlos have left for Iligan.”

“Understood.”

Team Leader Jeong Gwangseok called Senior Team Leader Ales Bruno, spoke with him briefly, and hung up.

“Chief of Staff Cha, they just set out.”

“Right on schedule, just as expected. How many of them are there?”

“Chen Zhihui and Carlos are riding in a luxury sedan. Two vans are carrying eight of Chen’s thugs and seven of Carlos’s bodyguards. And there’s also a truck trailing behind them.”

“What’s in the truck?”

“It’s loaded with dozens of cardboard boxes.”

“Cardboard boxes... What could be inside them?”

***

Vice Chairman Chen Zhihui and Carlos were driving toward Iligan while having a leisurely conversation.

“Nothing is going to happen on the road to Iligan, right?”

Carlos understood perfectly well what Chen Zhihui was worried about.

They had to hand Captain Choi Dongcheol two hundred and fifty million dollars, exactly half the price of the missiles.

And that two hundred and fifty million dollars was sitting inside the boxes in the truck.

Chen was worried that robbers might attack the vehicle.

“This entire region is under our complete control. Do I really need to say anything more?”

“Of course not.”

“Where are the North Korean submarines now?”

Chen Zhihui checked the time on his phone and answered.

“It’s nine in the evening now, so they should be passing off the coast of Dipolog.”

“Then they’ll reach Iligan by two in the morning?”

“They travel on the surface at night, so they should make it by around one-thirty.”

“Hmm...”

Carlos hesitated thoughtfully.

But he didn’t think for long.

“Vice Chairman Chen, could you call Captain Choi Dongcheol and ask him to arrive a little earlier?”

“Is there a reason to rush?”

“I was told that transferring the missiles from the submarines to the cargo ship will take about four hours.”

Only then did Chen Zhihui understand what was worrying Carlos.

If the cargo ship and submarines met at one-thirty in the morning, then allowing for preparations, the missile unloading would begin around two at the earliest.

That meant unloading all the missiles and launchers wouldn’t be finished until six in the morning.

But the sun rose in the Philippines at five-thirty.

Under those circumstances, there was no way to rule out the possibility that passing fishing boats or merchant ships might witness the missile transfer.

That was why Carlos wanted to meet the North Korean submarines earlier.

“I understand.”

Bzzzt! Bzzzt!

At that exact moment, the phone in Chen Zhihui’s hand began vibrating.

He quickly glanced at the screen and saw that the caller was none other than Captain Choi Dongcheol.

Delighted by the coincidence, Chen immediately answered.

“I was just about to call you myself, Captain Choi. Perfect timing!”

[Vice Chairman Chen, I don’t have much time, so I’ll keep this short and get straight to the point.]

“Go ahead, quickly.”

[We’re being pursued! A Philippine Navy patrol boat is following us!]

“Whaaat?!”

Chen Zhihui shouted so loudly that it seemed as though the car itself jumped.

[We’re submerging to shake off the patrol boat. I’ll call you again tomorrow night.]

Click!

Captain Choi Dongcheol unilaterally cut the connection.

At that very moment, Carlos asked Chen in a voice thick with despair.

“What the hell is going on?!”

“Haaah... A Philippine Navy patrol boat spotted the North Korean submarines.”

“Oh, dear God!”

Carlos’s heavy, hopeless groan echoed through the interior of the car.