At that moment, sharp alarm sirens blared across the nuclear test site. Everyone involved in the experiment rushed to finish up. Inside the metal testing pavilion on the perimeter, nuclear scientists were already making the final adjustments for the detonation.
The atmosphere got tense fast. Ken Fu dragged the woman behind a barricade, and while everyone else was distracted, he quickly ripped the tape off her mouth. Underneath was a young, pretty face—she was quite the looker. Agent 091 asked her in Japanese, "Anata wa nanimono da? (Who are you?)"
To Ken Fu’s surprise, the woman answered in clumsy Mandarin, "You’re an agent from the National Intelligence Bureau, right? I’m Jenna Chung, from the North Korean State Security 2nd Bureau, East Asia Division! We’re on the same team. Everyone captured here is a colleague from our bureau—we’re all East Asia Division."
"Wait, 2nd Bureau? The Overseas Counterintelligence 2nd Bureau?" Ken Fu was stunned. He’d thought these people were Japanese political prisoners, but they were all North Korean agents. The North Korean State Security Bureau has nine divisions, directly led by their top boss. The 2nd Bureau handles overseas intelligence work and is split into four departments: Europe, North America, General Affairs, and East Asia. The East Asia Division, like Jenna said, mainly covers Japan and South Korea.
Ken Fu knew all the major players in the intelligence world, so he immediately figured out Jenna Chung’s background. Jenna nodded and explained, "My colleagues and I were all captured by Japanese agencies over the years. Most have vanished—probably taken care of in secret. Now they want to get rid of us too! Comrade, you have to help us."
Ken Fu’s mind was spinning. He hadn’t expected the test subjects to be his North Korean counterparts. The spy war between Japan and North Korea was brutal—sometimes even worse than China versus Japan. Once either side caught an enemy agent, there was no mercy and almost never any prisoner swaps.
Seeing Ken Fu go quiet, Jenna Chung pressed on, "Don’t worry, comrade. We’re all top-trained agents—we won’t slow you down. We’ve tracked Japan’s nuke project for years, and now they’re about to test it! Time’s running out—you can’t hesitate. Just the two of you can’t pull this off. I’ve got a way to get out without blowing your cover. Let’s team up and tackle this mission together!"
Ken Fu looked at Jenna, thought for a second, then replied firmly, "Alright! We need your help too, but any intel we get comes to us first. If you agree, I’ll let you go."
Jenna hesitated. She’d hoped to use this mission to snag intel on Japan’s nuclear test, and if she made it out alive, she’d be a top operative. But Ken Fu was even more mission-focused—maybe crazier than she was. She really had no choice. Quickly, Jenna said, "Fine! I agree! Just let me go first."
Ken Fu told her, "Yeah, but we’re barely keeping ourselves safe right now. There’s a ton of Japanese special forces around—we can’t rescue all your comrades. When things get wild, we won’t be able to watch your back!" Truth is, he didn’t want to save all the North Korean agents—the intel was just too valuable. Even though they were on the same side, Ken Fu worried they’d beat him to it, so he stayed sharp.
The two quickly made their way over to Shawn Young. They saw Shawn pinning down a struggling North Korean agent. When Jenna Chung showed up, Shawn was startled and immediately aimed his weapon at her. Ken Fu hurried forward, waving his hand, "Don't shoot! She's one of us."
Shawn lowered his gun and pointed at the man on the ground, asking, "So what do we do with this guy?"
Before Ken Fu could answer, another round of withdrawal sirens blared around the site. The central command had already ordered all staff involved in the experiment to evacuate. Everything and everyone—test subjects, animals, people—were placed where they needed to be, and the soldiers and workers began leaving the test area.
Just then, a military Humvee sped into the outer perimeter. Several people in silver-gray nuclear protective suits jumped out, each carrying glass tubes filled with shimmering metal rods. In the center of the test site, the hatch of a launch well slowly opened, and a massive, silvery-black missile about ten meters long extended upward from the launch rack.
The workers carrying those tubes went straight to the missile rack. Following the setup, they climbed up the metal ladder and carefully installed the metal tubes into the body of the missile.
Watching all this unfold, Jenna Chung quickly said to Shawn, "The Japanese have finished the final assembly of the nuke. The test is about to start, and we’re running out of time. We can’t save everyone. Let my comrade go, and I’ll figure something out."
Shawn glanced at Ken Fu, who nodded in agreement with Jenna’s plan. Shawn immediately channeled his energy, grabbed the North Korean agent’s wrist and ankle, and with a quick burst—“crack! crack!”—broke the cuffs on his hands and feet.
The freed agent scrambled to his feet, but Jenna pressed down on his shoulder, whispering a string of Korean. Ken Fu caught bits and pieces of it, but Shawn didn’t understand a word—he just watched as the agent’s face went pale, eyes downcast, then looked up and replied to Jenna in Korean.
Jenna, looking deadly serious, handed over an 89-style 5.56mm rifle and two grenades. The agent took the weapons, nodded firmly to Jenna, then bowed to Shawn and Ken Fu before dashing out toward the perimeter.
Shawn asked Jenna, "What did you just say to him?"
Jenna’s face was sad but determined as she answered, "Defend the motherland!"
"That's it? You do realize he’s basically running to his death, right?" Shawn asked in shock.
"Exactly! That’s all it takes! Defend the motherland! That reason alone is enough for him to give his life," Jenna replied coldly, though tears welled up in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.
Watching the agent charge out, Shawn and Ken Fu fell silent. They hadn’t expected these North Korean operatives to be so fearless—both men felt a surge of respect and sorrow.
Jenna turned to them and said, "Ready? It’s go time! I’ll grab the Humvee, you two get the intel! Meet me after—there should be a bunch of mini-subs outside the test site. Once the mission’s done, we’ll find a sub and get out of here together."
Ken Fu gave her an OK sign and said, "Got it! Watch your back!" Jenna nodded, then turned to watch the North Korean agent make his run.
They watched as the agent sprinted like a madman toward the command center on the opposite side of the test site. The self-defense forces quickly spotted him, and the tension in the air spiked. The sirens blared even louder.
(Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year. I wish everyone a happy new year, good health, and all the best!)
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