"Why don't you strike them from all over the place, so we can confuse them?"

"Yes, but would the secret route to Xinjiang Uyghur be safe if we do so?"

"The Uyghurs will never speak about it even with a knife against their throat. It's their last lifeline to cross the Tian Shan Mountains."

"I'm planning to keep this secret from the Uyghur independence fighters. What do you think?"

"That's a good idea. There's nothing good for them to know about it."

***

When Youngho used to run the clothing business in Baku and work as a U.S. Intelligence agent, he jumped in all sorts of field operations without hesitation.

However, he had refrained from directly going into action as much as possible since he became the Duke of Kazakhstan.

The sense of responsibility as the Duke dragged his feet whenever he wanted to act recklessly. No matter how well the ring's ability protected him, bullets would not avoid him. He was not afraid of getting injured, but usually, sending agents and security guards were enough to complete a.s.signments.

Youngho had to remain in his position safe and sound for the future of the Kazakh royal family and the nation.

As a result, he could not help but envy Park Jong-il's back every time he left for an operation.

When Youngho said that he wanted to be directly involved in this mission, Jong-il scolded him,

"What? Are you doing this because you don't trust me?"

"I'm tired of sitting at the desk all the time. I want to enjoy the sense of being in action after a long time."

"Oh, don't give me such a ridiculous reason. Don't mention it again, or Fatima will kill me."

"Come on, friend! Are you really going to be this strict with me?"

"I can't allow it even if someone holds a knife to my throat. I'll be impeached for dragging the Duke in a dangerous operation."

"Why are you impeached when I give you orders?"

Park Jong-il stopped Youngho with his bizarre logic.

He was opposing Youngho because he thought that Youngho should never be revealed to have provoked China in the worst-case scenario.

It was a problem taking drones and bombs to Uyghur as they were heavy. Since the Uyghur area was heavily bounded and such equipment could not be moved by a vehicle. Youngho wanted to help since adding one hand was a shortcut to the success of the operation, but Jong-il did not budge an inch.

"I'm trying to help because you need more manpower."

"Well, don't talk nonsense."

"That's enough. Just know that you can't go, either. If the head of the Intelligence Department is caught in the scene running with a gun like a working-level official, that would be a story for impeachment."

"I'll just check the situation near the border and come back, so don't even dream about it."

"You'll be responsible if I lose my cla.s.sified sense."

"Your abilities don't go anywhere. Throw your likes somewhere else."

"Okay, okay. I had to try. Do it yourself. Instead, don't let the guards or intelligence agents detect the power of the ring."

"The Queen lent this to me to protect the royal family, so how can I mistreat it? Don't worry about it. This operation will mark a new milestone in the history of war, so look forward to it."

"You're opening a new chapter in the history of terrorism, not of war."

"That kind of retribution is the best way to retaliate such cheap crime."

***

He has been frantic for days, selecting agents to take part in Operation Uighur and setting targets for attacks.

A phone call came from Yaniv while he was loading the car with a.s.sault material to be moved to Uighur.

-Duke. We found out who the client is.

Yaniv sounded very excited to deliver the news.

"What great news, Mr. Yaniv. As expected, right?"

-You're right that the kidnapping request was made in China, but the client is among the leaders.h.i.+p of the Chinese Black Society.

"The Chinese government must have requested it to the Black Society."

-I think we can conclude so.

"Do you have any connection to the Black Society?"

-Not at all. I only know that it has been protected by the Chinese government recently.

"You've done an excellent job. Knowing that is a big deal."

-What are you going to do now?

"Well, nothing happened so far, so what can I do? We'll have to be careful in the future. The Chinese government won't even raise an eyebrow if we complained."

-That's unlike you.

"I can't go to war against China for this. I'll wait for the right time to retaliate in the future."

-That's a good idea. Even if you're angry, you have to put up with it right now. We can pay it back later.

He had no need to show his innermost thoughts to Yaniv, so he did not say anything about the secret operation.

He was planning to blow up the Chinese government's property in Xinjiang Uyghur, too.

Even without the abduction, the suppression of the Uyghurs alone was every reason to attack. Now that there had been objective evidence, the burden had also been reduced.

When Youngho told Yaniv's finding to Jong-il, he was rather unexpectedly calm.

"It was already foreseen. I felt a little uncomfortable for this operation, but now that I know for sure, I feel refreshed."

"Whoa, seeing you this calm, is giving me the creeps. What's wrong with you?"

"I've been patient and now it's my chance to get even. You'll see, I'm determined to do anything to keep the Queen alive."

"Man, I'm scared. People around me are turning so cold these days."

"Who else is like me?"

"Fatima gave me a death stare the other day, telling me to come clean."

"I guess she noticed what happened to Jelyan, huh?"

"I told her everything in the end because I thought she should know."

"Jeez! You should've kept it quiet. What is she going to think about the Intelligence Department now? She'd think we're useless."

"Oh, are you worried about Fatima or your promotion?"

"No, I'm just embarra.s.sed that she found out. How can I keep my head up in front of her now?"

"You're worried about everything. You can do this operation well and show the evidence that we've paid it all back to China."

"There's another reason to attack China, now."

"I wish you the best luck. It's winter, so the security will be sloppy."

"It seems our winter jinx is real, seeing that we are busy every winter."

"Good for us. It's historically proven that a country that makes good use of winter has won every war. It's not a jinx, but rather a blessing that these sorts of things happen only in the winter."

"That's good interpretation."

"The ones who touch Kazakhstan in the future will have to have a very cold winter. I'm only going to attack in the cold, so be prepared for it."

"Are we not cold when we attack?"

"We've got a history. Who would dare to deal with us when Kazakhstan's cold is as cold as Siberia?"

"But I can't get used to this cold, period."