Empire of the Ring

Youngho and Jongil flew to Istanbul after having a pleasant time with families in Frankfurt.

Youngho did not inform their visit to Mustafa this time. It was because he had become hostile to Armenia. He did not feel comfortable chatting with him or drinking with him obliviously. Moreover, he was visiting the city to buy arms, so he was only going to return home after closing a deal with the arms manufacturer.

The problem was that he needed to buy combat rations as well. Since Mustafa was his agency, if he met Mehmet from Eti the food company, his visit would naturally be told to Mustafa. Knowing how patriotic Mustafa was, having to see him was a pain for Youngho.

It was pathetic that such pure-hearted Armenian overseas’ money was used in such vain wars.

Deceived by Armenia’s disguise tactics, the Azerbaijani government was still believing that the war would be over soon. Youngho needed to tell the truth but he did not have any brilliant idea. If there was no solution, Youngho and Jongil would have to fight in deputy war for Azerbaijan again.

“Just consider that this is our destiny. We’ve been benefited from Azerbaijan, so just think that we’re paying them back.”

After coming back from drinking with Mustafa, this was what Jongil said as they returned to the hotel. It was such an implicative expression.

Youngho had achieved so much in Baku. Although there were a lot of difficulties, he had come so far only because of Azerbaijani people.

“You said that it’s our destiny. You can’t take it back, okay? Don’t ever think about complaining.”

“Man, when did I complain?”

Jongil shook his head. His motions were showing that he was half drunk, which meant that he could have some more.

“You want to drink some more at the bar?”

Youngho fell in love with Otokar company’s Cobra II which was a tactical wheeled armored vehicle. It was a 12-ton strong ten-seater that could even pull a tank.

The best features that Youngho liked were that it was a four-wheel-drive vehicle that could adjust the height of its body and it was drivable in all weathers due to its use of run flat tires. a run-flat tire has a special function to maintain its shape for about a hundred kilometers after it goes flat.

The company’s staff was not surprised even though a civilian was buying twenty vehicles at once. This could mean that there was another civilian who bought many vehicles in recent time.

Curious to know, Youngho tacitly asked,

“There must be someone who’s planning to have a business on a plain in Kazakhstan like us.”

“Well, it’s not that. He said that the vehicles would be used to support refugees in remote places of Africa. He ordered twenty vehicles in a rush and took them two months ago. He had made an additional order for thirty more, so we’re waiting for them to be released.”

Youngho came to form an idea of who the buyer might be.

“Wasn’t it the Lincy Foundation?”

“Yes, how did you know about that?”

“It’s an American foundation but the problem is the owner is Armenian. I wonder if the government of Turkey knows about that.”

Youngho informed the company’s staff that the Lincy Foundation had bought arms for Armenia since it was not the time for him to be ignorant.

The staff’s face turned pale at once. Then he hastily made a call to somewhere.

Youngho called Jongil to a corner.

“Jongil, isn’t what you saw at the storage similar to these?”

“Wait, let’s see. Come to think of it, they look like these. Since they were not colored in camouflage, I was confused.”

“The Lincy Foundation had bought twenty. Two months ago.”

“Well, that’s no use anymore. They’re all burnt.”

The Lincy Foundation would make additional order since all of their vehicles were burnt, but Otokar would not be taking their orders from now on and what were already manufactured would not be shipped to them. Although the company would pay penalty, it would definitely be canceling the contract with the Lincy Foundation.

It was because it would be something a dog passing by would laugh about if Turkey sold arms to Armenia since the two nations were hostile to each other.

Since Youngho had revealed the truth about the Lincy Foundation, he did not have to wait for his vehicles to be made. He could just load the ones that were to be shipped to Armenia on his freighter.

He bought the ten more vehicles that were left and loaded them on his freighter. Since he needed those to cover the farm that was half the size of Seoul, the number of the armored vehicles were not too many. He had Russian light machine guns at the farm already, so he did not have to worry about what arms to put on the roof of the vehicles. Those were called light machine guns,t but it had the firepower of cannons.

***

The Lincy Foundation’s exposure was a good reason to inform the Azerbaijani government. With the information of the Foundation’s purchase of military supply and the disguising of armored vehicles into regular cars, the government should know that Armenia was up to something secretive. If not, Youngho would have no hope in the government.

Thinking for a while, Youngho came up with a decision to eliminate the cause of the problem.

“I think I should shake the Lincy Foundation. I’m going to have to either rob it or destroy it.”

At Youngho’s random words, Jongil looked at him in confusion.

“Are you talking to me? Or are you just talking to yourself?”

“I don’t think Armenia will be giving up easily as long as their fund source, the Lincy Foundation exists.”

“You’re going to rob their money in the bank? Hacking doesn’t work these days, and do you think they’ll even blink one eye even if you destroy the foundation?”

“Well, that is what I’m going to have to think about for now.”

After returning to Baku, Youngho visited the Ministry of National Defense with Sevan and met some officials.

He slipped what happened in Turkey to them in a convincing way. Only then, they all recognized that the war was having an unexpected turn. They criticized the Armenian government for their tactics but soon, they regretted that they had been missing big pieces.

Youngho left the conference room at the moment, his job to inform them about potential danger was done. Also, he did not want to give them too much of his input. He wanted them to find their own solutions to deal with the problem since it was their own war to fight and he did not want to be responsible for future failures of the war.

After giving a huge assignment to Ministry of National Defense, Youngho also was dealing with his own assignment, to find a way to break the link between the Lincy Foundation and Armenia since everything would be able to return to its place only after the link was broken.

The war’s aftermath had left not only his farm and ranch but also the whole country in struggles.

The farm’s empty playground was creating a gloomy view without its owners. Youngho could not stand to watch it anymore.

To think that people, whose heads were filled with vengeance for their nation, could be attacking the farm at any time, he could not even sleep well.

‘Should I just get rid of her?’

To keep the peace of the Caucasus and safety of many lives, there seemed no other way but to get rid of her.

“We should’ve done that way earlier. I don’t even get why you’re so hesitant. Our actions will not be justified if we killed one or two fewer people now, we should just be satisfied with the fact that we fought for the peace of our next generations.”

Jongil welcomed Youngho’s idea.

“If we can take care of Tracy and her most close personnel, Armenia will be quiet.”

“Is there another witch?”

“There’s one who acts as her secretary. She’s even a more vicious extreme nationalist.”

The only way to strike a blow to the Lincy Foundation was to get rid of its head, Tracy. Even though the foundation would still remain, her absence could lead to the downfall of the organization. It would be fortunate if the foundation was rebuilt later to contribute to world peace according to its original purpose of the establishment.

***

Jongil was excluded from this operation.

Instead, Youngho would be bringing a young Serbian lad who was fluent in Armenian.

Because Youngho had a western look and even had a mustache, he could be disguised as a local Armenian but Jongil had an obvious East Asian appearance that stood out.

After making the young Serbian lad’s Russian passport with Sergey’s help, they hurried for their journey.

“You also look like an Asian to these people. Don’t you dare be proud.”

Jongil picked on Youngho since he was feeling sorry that he could not go with him.

“Okay, I get that. While I’m gone, just make sure to take the Russian armored vehicles at the farm and ranch back to Kazakhstan.”

It was his plan to place three of the new light armored vehicles from Turkey in Baku and move large Russian armored vehicles on Arirang Farm in Kazakhstan. Because of the big size of the Russian armored vehicles, they were useless in mountainous regions. Since it was such a waste to keep them at the farm and the ranch, Youngho would get more use out of them if they were placed at Arirang Farm.

“I said, call me Boss.”

“How can I call the Archduchess’ husband that way? That can’t happen.”

“It’s a special occasion.”

Youngho was on a train that was going to Yerevan, Armenia from Georgia.

The Serbian young lad who followed Youngho as an interpreter was 21-year-old Vaso. He was stubborn as his grandfather, old Niksic.

Following his parents, Vaso had spent his childhood in an Armenia’s marble mine. That was why he was fluent in Armenian.

Armenia’s marble was well-known as beautiful, high-quality construction material, that there were countless mines near Yerevan. The Armenian marble was so popular that it was even told that the nobles in the time of the Russian Empire were not considered as nobles if they did not build their houses with Armenian marble.

Youngho eventually managed to convince Vaso and clarified his title.

Tracy’s everyday daily routines were consistent. As a strict ascetic, she kept a tight schedule to the minute every day.

Many staffs came in and out of the foundation’s office building and the most outstanding among them were the Armenian military soldiers at the entrance.

Youngho already knew that the foundation was related to the Armenian military but as he had confirmed it with his own eyes, he became even more determined to stick to his plan.

At this moment, his problem was getting a sniper rifle. Because he had to pass the border, he could not take any weapons with him. He needed to get one from a local black market but he was not sure if young Vaso could handle an arms deal.

Especially during at a time like this, it would look very suspicious to buy a sniper and he needed to make cautious moves.

Youngho sent Vaso to find out about the location of an arms dealer in secret. Since he had already secured a place for him to snipe at the enemies, as long as he had a rifle, he was certain that he would not miss his targets.

“Boss. I found an arms dealer’s house in the old town but I’m worried that the security is strict.”

Not knowing what Youngho was capable of, Vaso seemed insecure since Youngho was not a bulky man on the outside.

Youngho tightened the silencer on his Dragunov sniper rifle and aimed it at his target.

Tracy and her secretary who just arrived at the foundation’s building and got off their car just entered at the sight of his scope.

It was a perfect chance in a million.

After breathing in the air deeply, he pulled the trigger toward the secretary first. Youngho could feel the rebound of the rifle on his shoulder.

The secretary who just grabbed her chest was seen through the scope and Tracy had ducked down in fear. Youngho closed his eyes and breathed again. When he opened his eyes, he pulled the trigger once more.