Chapter 332: Who Sold That to You?

Mogilevich’s eyes flickered.

The hesitation in his response confirmed my suspicions.

He really does have it. I lowered my voice and asked again.

“I already know, so don’t try to hide it. Where is it? How many do you have?”

Mogilevich clamped his mouth shut, his labored breaths escaping as he averted his gaze.

Even amidst the tension, I could see him desperately trying to think of a way out.

“If you don’t know, then I can’t do anything about it.”

“…”

I straightened up and called to Igor.

“Igor.”

“Yes, Boss.”

“Kill him.”

Igor pulled out a pistol from his waist. I knew he preferred automatic handguns, but he drew a revolver this time.

He loaded a bullet and spun the chamber. The distinct click of the revolver echoed through the basement.

Mogilevich snapped his head up at the sound, shifting his gaze toward Igor.

His eyes darted back and forth, confirming the gun in Igor’s hand.

Igor kept his finger on the trigger, the barrel aimed straight at Mogilevich’s head.

Yet, Mogilevich still wouldn’t speak.

Frowning at his silence, a sudden idea for a fun game popped into my mind.

“Igor.”

“Yes, Boss?”

“Load just one bullet, then empty the rest.”

It was Russian roulette.

Understanding my words immediately, Igor left only one bullet in the chamber.

“Mogilevich, you have a nuclear weapon, don’t you?”

“…”

Mogilevich remained silent, avoiding even my gaze, his eyes fixed on the floor.

“Igor, pull the trigger.”

Upon my command, Igor pulled the trigger without hesitation.

The hammer clicked against the chamber, but no bullet fired.

Mogilevich glanced back and forth between Igor and me, panic filling his eyes.

“Lucky you. I’ll ask you again: where’s the nuclear weapon?”

“…”

“Pull it again.”

We repeated this two more times, but Mogilevich stubbornly remained silent.

“Now there are three pulls left. Your chances of survival are diminishing. You know what? You don’t have to talk. Just take your secret to the grave with you.”

Igor pulled the trigger for the fourth time. The barrel stayed quiet again.

“One more time.”

Igor pulled the trigger again, the hammer striking the chamber with only a dry click.

Is this it? I shrugged, speaking as casually as I could.

“Mogilevich, you’re quite lucky. But that luck is about to run out.”

“Wait, just a second!”

As Igor pulled the trigger simultaneously a second time, Mogilevich stammered desperately, gripping my ankle.

He seemed completely convinced I would actually kill him.

I firmly stepped on Mogilevich’s hand.

“Ah! My hand…!”

“This is the last round. You know there won’t be another. Where’s the nuclear weapon?”

“I’ll tell you! Just please don’t kill me!”

Mogilevich pressed his forehead to the ground, his voice trembling.

Looking down at him, I signaled Igor with my eyes. He wordlessly tucked the revolver back into its holster.

“Speak.”

“H-Hungary. In Budapest.”

“Hungary?”

“Yes. There’s a secret storage facility there.”

“How many are there?”

“…I only have one left.”

Three have gone missing, yet he insists he only has one.

Is that supposed to be believable? I rubbed my chin slowly, pondering.

“They said three nuclear warheads went missing when the Soviet Union collapsed. You didn’t take them, did you?”

“I only took one! I truly don’t know what happened to the others!”

He shook as he covered the back of his neck with his plump trembling hands. I clicked my tongue.

I expected someone so renowned as the mafia’s godfather to show a little more confidence in this situation.

‘A mafia boss is holding onto a nuclear weapon…’

I’d suspected something like that, but to actually hear it was another matter entirely.

I nudged him with my boot and asked again.

“Mogilevich, do you have any idea where the other warheads are?”

“I have no clue. I just happened to get that one at the time. When I went to buy other weapons, they asked if I wanted a nuke…”

“Who sold that to you?”

“…”

Mogilevich clammed up yet again. Confusion clouded his eyes, perhaps an unconscious response.

“You come all this way and think to protect that guy? Your life should be your top priority right now. Who was it? Who sold it?”

“…It was Colonel Nikolaev who made the proposal. If I had refused, I would’ve been killed on the spot. I had no choice.”

“Colonel Nikolaev?”

Igor muttered beside me, dazed. It was a name I was hearing for the first time, but Igor seemed to recognize it.

“Igor.”

“Yes, Boss?”

“Who is Nikolaev?”

“…He wouldn’t do that.”

Instead of information, Igor offered up a defense.

“He is a man who commands the respect of all our Soviet soldiers. It’s a lie, Boss. He’s retired now, but…”

“Igor, I’m not asking for your opinion right now. Who is he?”

I pressed him in a chilling voice, and Igor brought his head down in realization.

“…I’m sorry, Boss. He was a general in charge of the Far Eastern Military District.”

“Far Eastern? Near the borders with China and North Korea?”

“Yes, that’s correct. He was one of the very few elite soldiers.”

If Igor talks this way, it means Nikolaev was a commendable commander held in high esteem by many soldiers.

“Are you sure about Nikolaev?”

“There’s no reason for me to lie now.”

“What kind of relationship do the two of you have?”

“…What would a mafia and a soldier have in common? Most of the weapons I smuggle came from that area.”

Igor fell silent, obviously shocked by Mogilevich’s unexpected confession.

“What about now?”

“Right now, it’s hard to smuggle weapons within Russia. But once you get a little outside of Russia, there are plenty of sources. Nikolaev is the one who connects those deals.”

A former commander, now a weapons smuggling broker… that was nothing short of a reflection of Russia’s harsh realities.

I turned to face Igor, whose expression had turned stiff.

“Igor.”

“Yes, Boss?”

“I don’t know what kind of relationship you have with Nikolaev, but he could be our enemy now. Can you handle that?”

“…Yes.”

He answered, biting his lip, as if deeply troubled, and I shook my head slowly.

“If it becomes too difficult, you don’t have to do it. We can call people from the headquarters instead.”

“No, I can do it. If you command it, Boss, my squad and I would leap into hell itself to repay the kindness you’ve shown us.”

After recruiting Igor, I hired all of his former comrades who were struggling to get by as retired soldiers.

I found them an apartment in Moscow and provided them with decent salaries.

As a result, Igor and his squad’s loyalty towards me stood out even among the Black Bear mercenaries.

I smiled gently at Igor before turning back to Mogilevich.

“Where’s the secret storage facility where you have the nuclear weapon? Budapest is the capital of Hungary, right?”

“…”

“Are you planning on taking your secrets to the grave? If you don’t want to, that’s fine. If it’s in Budapest, it’s only a matter of time before I find it.”

“N-No! I’ll tell you! Just please don’t kill me!”

Mogilevich cried out, hastily providing me with the address.

After memorizing the address he provided, I stood up.

Now that I got everything I needed, Mogilevich was of no more use.

I walked past him on my knees towards the entrance.

“Igor.”

“Yes, Boss?”

“Make sure to take care of the body. Send him off without any suffering.”

At those words, Mogilevich jolted up, crawling toward me in panic.

“Hey, that wasn’t our agreement…”

I looked down at Mogilevich with a completely emotionless gaze.

“Did I ever say I would spare you? I only said it depended on how you acted.”

“You conman! You never intended to spare me from the start!”

Instead of responding, I let out a thin smile and turned away.

Mogilevich’s shouts and curses echoed against the walls as I ignored him and shut the basement door.

Stepping out of the stairway, the cold wind brushed against my face.

“Boss.”

After a while in the wind, Manager Ma cautiously called out to me.

Turning my head, I saw Manager Ma showing me his phone.

“We have a call from Medvedev.”

There were more than ten missed calls logged.

The basement was a place where all communications were severed, hence the missed calls.

I quickly grabbed the phone and dialed Medvedev.

― Boss Kim!

As soon as the call connected, Medvedev greeted me with a voice more agitated than usual.

“Ah, Medvedev. I’m sorry.”

― ······I thought something was wrong since you weren’t answering.

“I was in an area with no connection for a bit. Did you manage to apprehend everyone?”

― Yes, the operation was a success. We caught Usoyain and Ivanov as well.

“That’s a relief.”

Everything was going according to plan. Now, I just needed to leave Russia.

On the other end, Medvedev hesitated before speaking in a low voice.

― But, Boss Kim. What about Mogilevich…?”

Just then, Igor emerged through the basement door. I glanced silently at him, and he nodded.

“He’s dead.”

― Well done.

“I wouldn’t have any other thoughts on it. But more importantly, Medvedev. Mogilevich did have the nuclear weapon.”

Silence hung thick on the line. Unfazed, I continued walking slowly toward the main building.

“He mentioned there’s a secret storage facility in Budapest, Hungary. We’ll need to verify its authenticity, though.”

Manager Ma opened the door for me as I entered the main building.

The cold air hit me, causing my cheeks to sting.

― Is that for real?

“That’s according to Mogilevich, yes.”

― ······Understood. I’ll get back to you shortly.

The call abruptly ended, and I entered my office, summoning Igor and Manager Ma.

Once they settled into their seats, I spoke up.

“Igor, explain Nikolaev properly. Why were you so shocked? It’s the first time I’ve seen you this unsettled.”

“He was a pride of the Soviet Army. Even after the collapse, he still holds significant influence over the Russian military and former satellite states. I can’t believe a man like that would be involved in weapon smuggling…”

Igor still referred to Nikolaev respectfully.

It seemed that a person once held in such high regard by soldiers was capable of such things.

I couldn’t comprehend why he would do it. Was it all for money? Or were they all being deceived?

“Regardless, it couldn’t be a lie. To transport nuclear warheads, it’d be difficult without someone of that caliber.”

“…”

Igor bit his lip sourly and lowered his head in defeat.

At that moment, Manager Ma’s phone in his pocket rang.

When I turned my head, he handed me his phone, seeing Medvedev as the caller.

― Mu-hyeok, is that true?

However, it wasn’t Medvedev I heard on the line, but Putin’s voice.

“Putin, you’re up late.”

― Isn’t that irrelevant right now? Is it true that Mogilevich had the nuclear weapon?

It seemed Medvedev had woken Putin with something this important.

“Yes, Mogilevich confessed.”

― So, you’re saying it’s real…and where is it?”

“He claimed it’s in a secret storage facility in Budapest.”

I disclosed the location Mogilevich revealed without holding anything back.

― Please hold for a moment.

I could hear Putin instructing Medvedev from the other line.

Before long, Putin spoke again.

― Aren’t you tempted? To just hand it over to us?

“Of course, I’m tempted. But having it does more harm than good.”

― Ha ha, you’ve thought well. If you had taken it, I would have been disappointed.

“I will always stand by Putin’s side. Oh, by the way, I found out who sold it to Mogilevich.”

― If you had killed him right there, you might have regretted it later. Who was it? Which bastard sold the nuclear weapon?”

There was a faint hint of anger in Putin’s voice.

It was only natural to feel upset over something that was far more significant than ordinary conventional weapons.

“Putin, do you happen to know Nikolaev?”

― Nikolaev? Are you referring to General Nikolaev?”

“According to Mogilevich, that man made the proposal first. He mentioned that if he hadn’t bought it right then, he would have been killed on the spot.”

― Nikolaev suggested that? …I can’t believe it.

Both Putin’s and Igor’s reactions were similarly incredulous.