Chapter 176: Can You Remove Ivanov?

“Igor.”

After finishing the drinking session with Putin, I quietly called out to Igor as we returned to the mansion.

“Yes, Boss.”

“Can you remove Ivanov?”

Igor, who was in the passenger seat, turned his head in surprise.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m asking if you can breach Ivanov’s security team and either kill him or capture him. Can you do it?”

Seeing Igor, usually calm, express such surprise was amusing, and a slight smile crept onto my face.

“Boss, removing Ivanov is risky.”

“Is it difficult to breach his security team, or is there another reason?”

“It’s not the security team that’s the problem. This is Russia. The moment you attack Ivanov, a former KGB agent, escaping the country won’t be easy.”

If Putin fails to uphold his promise and doesn’t secure the Siloviki, Igor’s words may come true.

“What about our strength? How do we compare to Ivanov’s security team?”

“We have the upper hand in terms of strength. The first thing I did upon returning to Russia was gather my former comrades.”

Igor spoke as if there was no need to worry about that.

“I’m confident no team in Russia can defeat ours.”

His assured words made Igor seem more reliable.

“Then prepare and handle Ivanov after dark tomorrow.”

“………Boss.”

“I’ve already spoken to Putin, so there shouldn’t be anyone else involved.”

I had no intention of seeing my people shed blood while handling Ivanov.

“Plan an operation that minimizes our casualties.”

“If the government keeps its promise, it should be entirely doable.”

Eric said Igor ranked among the top five elites in Black Bear.

It involved killing Ivanov, known as a key figure among the Siloviki in Russia. Even with Putin’s permission, it wouldn’t be easy.

I’d finally get to see Igor’s skills in action.

“Yes, Boss. I will definitely end Ivanov’s life.”

Nodding slightly to Igor’s confident voice, I closed my eyes.

The car carrying me sped down the quiet road.

* * *

Arriving at the mansion, I collapsed into a deep sleep as if I’d fainted.

Thanks to that, I finally climbed out of bed when the sun was high in the sky.

I glanced around the dimly lit room, courtesy of the blackout curtains, and pressed the call button.

A moment later, Manager Ma walked in.

“You’re awake, Boss.”

“Everything okay?”

“Yes.”

Sitting on the edge of the bed, I accepted the glass of water Manager Ma offered.

Perhaps due to the alcohol, my parched throat felt better after a sip.

“What about Igor?”

“He left the mansion this morning.”

It seemed he’d gone to gather with the mercenaries for preparation.

“Get in touch with Eric.”

“Yes, I’ll come back once I’m connected.”

After sending Manager Ma out, I pulled back the blackout curtains.

Warm sunlight flooded my eyes, and I instinctively furrowed my brow as I opened the window.

A cool breeze brushed against my face, making the throbbing pain from the harsh vodka start to fade away.

I hoped things would go as smoothly as this feeling.

‘Am I getting too involved in Russian politics? As the future changes, the information I know might get distorted.’

I felt a slight discomfort at the thought that my future knowledge might become useless.

However, the moment I let my guard down, everyone would surely pounce on me.

It was essential to show what happens when someone underestimates me.

While reflecting on the conversation from yesterday, Putin’s words popped into my mind.

‘There’s a coalition of Jews and families from Europe and the U.S. I’m uncertain of their exact members, but they pull strings behind the scenes of Western countries. I’ve been tracking them since the KGB days, but only the Rockefeller and Rothschild families are known to me. The rest, I can only chase shadows. I’ve received information that they are monitoring Boss Kim.’

In the past, I had heard vague discussions, but Putin had provided me with more detailed information.

‘The UT Investment Bank that made large option gift contracts with us, is it theirs? If they’re purposefully preventing the NASDAQ from crashing?’

If they possessed more money than imagined, they could be deliberately delaying the crash.

Consequently, I was incurring substantial losses month after month. No matter how much money one has, this was becoming burdensome.

Originally, the NASDAQ bubble should have started to deflate around this time.

However, instead of deflating, it was continuing to rise.

For other investors, it would be normal to pull out at this stage, but I was still all in.

Unlike me, Han Gyeong-yeong and Eva were worried, but knowing the future, I wasn’t worried at all.

It’s limited how long one can artificially prevent the natural flow. No one in Wall Street was unaware that the current NASDAQ was a bubble.

Yet, knowing that, people still couldn’t let go of their greed.

“Boss.”

While organizing my thoughts, Manager Ma came in holding his phone.

“I reached Eric.”

“Really? Put him on.”

A cheerful voice came from the receiver.

“—Haha! Boss, long time no see!”

“Eric, how’s the company doing?”

“—Of course. There are many countries that need mercenaries. Knowing that the U.S. government entrusts us with work, we’ve been contacted by several nations.”

“That’s great.”

“—It sounds like we’ll soon switch to profit.”

Having invested constantly for years, Black Bear had never seen a profit.

Equipment purchases had become a more significant burden than the mercenaries’ salaries.

Eric bringing up profits was likely due to worry about such matters.

“You don’t have to go to extremes to make money.”

“—If mercenaries become complacent, that’s the end. They constantly need to seek battlefields. They earn money and train. I’ll make sure to return on your investment.”

Eric’s cheerful tone made me unknowingly laugh.

“Alright. I understand. I contacted you today because of Igor.”

“—Ah! I received news from him today.”

“Oh really?”

It seemed Igor had reported to Eric first.

There was no need to explain the situation further.

“—Yes. I plan to leave Russia and Eastern Europe to Igor, and I’ve recruited quite a few people, so he’s making efficient use of them.”

“Is the number of personnel in Russia sufficient with just Igor without any additional support? I heard Ivanov’s security team includes former military and KGB agents.”

“—I don’t know who Ivanov is, but Igor and his team would easily defeat anyone that comes.”

Eric’s voice conveyed his pride and trust in his colleague.

“—Igor’s team is the pride of the Soviet Union. They did retire due to disillusionment after the Soviet collapse.”

“You’ve managed to secure such talent well. That means headquarters doesn’t need to provide additional support?”

“—Of course. Igor knows Eastern Europe better. They also purchased weapons there. After the Soviet collapse, you can buy any weapon if you have money.”

After the Soviet collapse, corrupt soldiers in Eastern Europe and Russia were selling weapons. There were even jokes about being able to buy nuclear weapons if you had enough money.

“Understood. I might head to the U.S. soon; let’s meet then.”

“—Got it, Boss!”

After my call with Eric, I felt I could trust Igor a bit more.

I handed the phone back to Manager Ma.

“I’m going to wash up, so prepare a quick meal for me.”

Manager Ma nodded and left obediently.

I stepped into the bathroom, soaked in warm water, and closed my eyes.

After that, I dealt with various matters that could be handled by phone.

Though I was in Russia, there were things to attend to in Korea, the U.S., and China as well.

A short break could only be enjoyed in the bathroom.

“Boss, Igor’s contacted us. The operation is set for three hours from now.”

Checking my wristwatch, it was already 7 PM.

“So we’re initiating the operation at 10 PM?”

“Yes. We aim for capture if possible, but if it doesn’t go well, he said he’d execute him on the spot.”

“He seems to have a good grasp of the movements.”

The intention to capture showed that Igor had thoroughly mapped Ivanov’s movements.

“Igor seems to have substantial connections in Russia. Seeing that he planned the entire operation without headquarters’ support in just half a day shows his exceptional skills.”

I would accompany him with force if necessary, but that wasn’t my specialty.

Just as I was quietly listening, Manager Ma added details.

“When I was a mercenary, I’ve led similar operations. Usually, the planning phase lasts several days. Collecting information to minimize variables is key to success.”

Tracking Ivanov’s movements in detail and concluding an attack within a day isn’t easy, yet Igor pulled it off.

There would be variables once the operation started, but this alone allowed me to gauge Igor’s capabilities.

“Since Igor says he can handle it, let’s wait and see.”

“Yes, Boss.”

Time passed and it was 10 PM.

At that moment, my mansion went into alert mode. The remaining personnel were tense and prepared for any situation.

Manager Ma stood beside me, equally on edge.

“You should go out and take a break, Manager.”

“No, I’ll stay.”

He was as steadfast as ever.

It felt like waiting for a phone call while slowly rotating my whiskey glass was about to become dull.

Suddenly, I thought I didn’t know enough about the person beside me, so I smiled slightly and spoke.

“While we wait, why don’t we talk about you? It’s been a while, and I don’t know much about you.”

“It’s a boring story, Boss.”

“There’s nothing else to do. Don’t just stand there; sit in front of me.”

Though hesitating, Manager Ma, who never disobeyed my orders, eventually brought over a chair.

Despite sitting across from me, his shoulders remained rigid.

“Want a drink?”

I shook the glass filled with melting ice and asked.

“No, thank you.”

“Share more from your mercenary days. I heard about your relationship with your grandfather last time.”

“Are you asking about my mercenary days?”

“Yeah, don’t you have any interesting episodes?”

“Um…”

With a small grunt, Manager Ma squinted as he rummaged through his memories.

“There was an incident when I was in South Africa.”

Manager Ma recounted an event from his first mission.

Left alone after parting with his comrades, he wandered in an unfamiliar place until meeting a comrade named Hunter, and the two of them killed thirty enemies.

I drank whiskey with that as a side story. Just listening to Manager Ma’s tale brought back the tension from that time.

“What about your comrade Hunter?”

“He’s dead.”

A hint of sadness flickered across Manager Ma’s face as he spoke.

“…How did that happen?”

“We survived together then, but he fell victim to a suicide attack on the next mission.”

Though Manager Ma recounted it matter-of-factly, the gravity of a mercenary’s profession was palpable.

In a world where the comrade I laughed and talked with today could die tomorrow.

“Do mercenaries receive compensation if they die?”

“It depends on the mercenary company. Usually, it includes a regular wage and danger pay, so the actual compensation isn’t much.”

Having said that, Manager Ma fell momentarily silent.

A heavy silence enveloped the room.

I didn’t purposefully intend to break it, just rotating my glass and listening to the ice dissolve.

The call from Igor came well past midnight.

“They’ve secured Ivanov’s custody. He says he’s coming back now.”

“Huh…”

A sigh of relief escaped me.

Shortly after, Igor entered the mansion.

“Boss, we’ve captured Ivanov.”

“What about our casualties?”

“One dead, three injured.”

It seemed they had subdued Ivanov more easily than anticipated, and thankfully the casualties were minimal.

“What about Ivanov’s security team?”

“Twelve dead and four injured on their side. For our injured, we sent them to a known hospital.”

I had expected a fierce battle, yet it turned out to be a complete victory.

“Did Ivanov resist?”

“There was a thirty-minute gunfight, but once his security team was subdued, he surrendered without a fight. During the skirmish, he seemed to have realized that no help was coming.”

When I spoke with Putin in the evening, I had informed him about the operation time.

It was likely that Putin had warned others the moment the fight started.

The Siloviki seemed to choose not to provoke Putin, preferring to avoid disrupting his mood.

“Besides, since Ivanov’s mansion is on the outskirts, even if support arrived, by then we would have already taken control of it.”

Nodding at Igor’s detailed report, I responded.

“Thank you for your hard work. What’s the death compensation policy of Black Bear?”

“It’s one year’s salary.”

“Manager Ma, please arrange to pay an additional 500,000 dollars.”

“Yes, understood.”

A flicker of surprise crossed Igor’s otherwise stoic expression.

In reality, a mercenary’s salary after a life of rolling the dice rarely exceeds 100,000 dollars.

“Thank you, Boss.”

Igor swiftly bowed his head.

Knowing that for someone in the mercenary life, even dying was considered normal, made me feel more concerned for him.

“That person died because of my orders. Please organize the funeral with company funds and convey my condolences to the family.”

“Yes, Boss.”

I stood up and patted Igor’s shoulder.

“Now, shall we go meet Ivanov?”

I wondered what expression Ivanov would wear.

He must have dismissed me as just another wealthy Asian, unprepared for what awaited him in his own backyard of Russia.

I looked forward to seeing his reaction.