Chapter 127: < Protect – Episode 126 – London Protocol [2] >
‘Anna Anne Karusis.’
What was contradictory was that Ahn Soo Ho didn’t believe in supernatural powers despite being a magician himself. Well, it wasn’t that he didn’t believe supernatural powers. It was more like he didn’t believe in G.o.d-like abilities. Ahn Soo Ho had no desire to be a G.o.d, but it might have been different from the great, great magician.
‘Did you… did you resent the world?’
Hurtful scars and memories that couldn’t be erased.
“We called that black rock or box a soul stone or a wizard case. The black rock at the Mecca is pretty similar.”
“But that rock is real.”
“Yes, they put a rock on display. The real thing is inside.”
If a Muslim heard this, they would have gone crazy.
“If you don’t have a gift in the first place, it’s impossible to call upon your capabilities.”
“And who decides who has the gift?”
“Our tradition, order, and history.”
This country was very unpredictable. They talked about being rational on the outside, but behind the scenes, there were mystical cults. And those who hide in the darkness and controlled the world didn’t want their mystical powers to be known to the public. Power always wanted to monopolize.
“Since when?”
“It’s been a long time. A few hundred years ago, we were charmed by mystery. We couldn’t prove a n.o.ble’s n.o.bility with blood alone, and science tried their best to solve the mystery. So we needed more intuitive evidence.”
“Evidence? You studied superpowers?’
“But there are all kinds of superpowers. That could be magic, charm, or alchemy. If not, maybe physical strength? There were too many cultures and civilizations that we didn’t know of in this world.”
“Is that why so much cultural a.s.sets were stolen?”
“That’s right. It was a war to prove one’s n.o.bility.”
During the age of exploration, people looted up all the cultural a.s.sets because of one clear objective.
“Rome tried to put a stop to that war. So we went with the national church instead of Catholicism. There’s nothing more romantic than changing religion for love… but there’s nothing more stupid either.”
History tried to find the source of Anglicanism in Henry the 1st or succession problems.
“The world was tricked.”
“It’s best to keep the agonizing truth a secret.”
“What about the witch hunt?”
“You could call that Rome’s resistance.”
England’s stubborn behavior toward Rome put the European royal society in shock. After being loyal to the church’s orders, they felt like they were stabbed in the back. That was because England wasn’t punished after that.
“The empire’s colonization struggles wasn’t just because they wanted to increase their wealth. That was an endless war against a mystery that maintained power. Once they established that they covered all land, they finally looked toward each other.
“Did you go after each other’s spoils of war?”
“That was the easiest and fastest solution.”
War was the simplest economic strategy.
“The second world war had nothing to do with ideology. If the first one arose because they couldn’t estimate each other’s power, the second one started because Hitler wasn’t fully understood. He was obsessed with the mystery and even established a secret organization. You probably know more about it than anyone, Mr. Guardian.”
Ahn Soo Ho finally had one of his questions answered.
“Dresden.”
Until now, he didn’t understand why it was called the Dresden file. Was it because it was discovered in Germany? That wasn’t it. It was true that the information in the file had to do with a war criminal organization. However, the nature of it had nothing to do with war crimes.
“That wasn’t a secret file that aimed to out the war criminals, was it?”
“It wasn’t. That was an index of countries, organizations, groups, and people who were related to supernatural power research.”
In the Dresden file were organizations that were world-famous brands even to this day.
“Also, it wasn’t Germany who first created the Dresden file. There’s an original version. And the name of that is…”
Barbara smiled brightly.
“London Protocol.”
******
Ahn Soo Ho didn’t kill Barbara.
He didn’t take the 100 billion pounds from her either. Instead, he proposed having a three-way talk between them and Scott, and they both agreed to it. Scott took care of the field business, and Barbara provided the necessary funds. As for Ahn Soo Ho, he was warned of what would happen after the New York terror. An FBI agent and maybe even the New York mayor were probably keeping a close eye on Huxley Group.
“Thank you for your consideration, Soo Ho.”
John showed up a day after Barbara Huxley left the hotel alive and well.
“London Protocol.”
What Ahn Soo Ho said made him smile bitterly.
“We need approval from the royal family.”
“I guess this country’s top boss is the Queen.”
“The Dresden file is probably more detailed. Do we have to look for other things?”
“How long will it take to get the approval?”
John’s efforts to convince him was in vain.
“The royal family has to approve it, but the commission of national security needs to agree as well. It’ll take at least four days.”
“I’ll give you one day.”
“What if I can’t do it in time?”
“If you don’t do it by tomorrow, the ones at the top will want to kill you alive, John.”
“Gasp!”
If anyone else had threatened the British Empire, they would have died quietly. But he was the top dog of all the alphas. He was someone, not even the British Empire stood a chance against.
“Sigh, okay. I’ll try.”
John sighed deeply as he left, then Simon Dorne entered right afterward.
“Should I close the account again?”
“No, just leave it.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Simon, who lowered his head and got ready to leave, focused on the in-ear device in his right ear.
“An employee from the Russian Emba.s.sy is here. Should I let him up?”
“Sure.”
Simon proceeded to make his way out. Not even a minute later, a big man appeared. He had never seen his face before, but his general type seemed familiar.
“The GRU?”
“You’re a man of great insight, Mr. Guardian.”
The GRU wasn’t as well-known as other information organizations, but in some aspects, they had more of an evil reputation than the KGB. He then gave him the phone without a word and walked off as if that was all he came to do. There was only one number on the phone, so he pressed call.
“Soo Ho?”
“Did you change the secured line?”
“There was an a.s.sa.s.sination plot a few hours ago.”
“Seeing how you changed the line, it must have been pretty dangerous.”
“Yeah… I almost died.”
Vitali sounded quite calm for someone who almost died, and Ahn Soo Ho wasn’t all too worried either. If Vitali had really died, he probably would have just been a little sympathetic.
“What about the job?”
“It’s in progress. But there is one thing. I think DGSE is chasing him down too.”
A French intelligence agency was chasing down the French African amba.s.sador? The situation was changing quickly. He had to confirm this.
“Let’s talk again in an hour.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
Ahn Soo Ho hung up and left his suite room. He minimized the number of men coming from the States to England, but there were still many with him. He looked for the security head in the lobby.
“You—and only you, follow me.”
“CEO Ahn?”
Ahn Soo Ho lifted his index finger as if he wasn’t going to hear any of it. As soon as Ahn Soo Ho took the lead, the head of security quickly ordered one of his subordinates to do something and then ran over.
“Don’t feel pressured to be a security guard.”
“But if someone at the top finds out…”
“Ricky or Sam has no interest in this.”
One of the new security guards selected as a result of Ricky and Samuel wanting to find the boy who shot Michael was Kim Yoon Seok. 70 percent of their security team were Korean. Ahn Soo Ho left the hotel and walked toward Hyde Park. The same festival that took place in New York Central Park also took place at Hyde Park in London. This park was close to Buckingham Palace and it was a hot spot for the protestors of the city. Just like France, England also had a tendency not to agree to things too easily.
Cherishing the deceased and criticizing were two different things.
As if the New York Grand Festival never took place yesterday, they were busy holding a protest that criticized the States. Which country would the Yankees of the States attack next? Whether the corrupt American president resigned or not, America still suffered a huge blow, and Americans wanted revenge which was disguised as justice. Regarding war breaking out, both political parties probably thought the same.
“I’m sorry to say that the New York terrorist attack was something that they brought upon themselves! That’s the truth! If the Yankees decide to make another country of Africa or the Middle East into their enemy, that’s definitely the most embarra.s.sing thing in history!”
“That’s right!”
“England cannot agree with such unreasonable actions!”
It sounded like the person was an English politician or at least an aspiring politician.
“Both the EU and NATO must withdraw! That’s the only way we’ll escape from the States’ dominance! If England wants to be great, we must learn how to stand alone!”
“Wow!”
A segregationist and a disbarment activist?
Ahn Soo Ho, who was standing at the very back started clapping. If there was something that the terror attacks changed, it was that they finally realized that the future of Europe wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine. No matter how progressive a system was, everything operated under the hands of people. The harmful effect of the European Union directly led to harmful effects on bureaucracy. The society of government workers all hated taking responsibility no matter which country they were in.
“What’s the point in saying all this? Talking about this at a park won’t change anything. Only those who act will change the world. That’s the truth, you fools.”
The radical protestor was met with a cynical smile and ridicule.
“Issac.”
“Soo Ho.”
The person who shut down the protestor was none other than Issac, who was one of the two involved in the a.s.sa.s.sination war.
“I have a feeling Russia is on the move because of you, Soo Ho. What’s your objective?”
“Ransel.”
“Sahel’s lion?”
Issac was startled.
“Why are you so surprised?”
“Because a request came in. Ransel Straussmow for half a billion euros. The dealers of organizations as well as self-employed ones are on the edge of their seats right now. But what’s funny is that the origin is DGSE.”
Ahn Soo Ho laughed bitterly.
The half a million euros that DGSE bet was Monaco money that flowed into France. It was compensation for the agents who sacrificed their lives for their country, but unlike Italy, France put it right back into their a.s.sa.s.sination fund. But it wasn’t anyone’s business on how someone should use their own money.
“Why is DGSE chasing him down?”
“From my experience, the reason is obvious. Sell-out.”
The relationship between the French government and Ransel had been bad for a long time.
Unlike the amba.s.sador who thought Africa needed tougher policies, the country looked for diplomatic solutions. They shouldn’t have left him with such a heavy responsibility in the first place, and Ahn Soo Ho’s retirement was his last opportunity.
“Sahel’s lion is a man who aspires to be the second Mr. Guardian.”
“What happened with Dakoma?”
“Jacob? That’s simple. While Ransel worked as an amba.s.sador, he won over many warlords. While he was busy chasing the throne, he used Dakoma as bait to confuse the Yankees. France’s mistake was releasing such a savage beast in Africa. For 20 years at that. If it were me, I would have built my own kingdom already.”
Ahn Soo Ho had already known that Ransel pretended to negotiate with warlords while actually training their soldiers for his own gain.
“Didn’t I already told you, Soo Ho? Your absence was like pulling the trigger… Compared to the war that will begin, my fight with J-Law is nothing.”
Compet.i.tors all chased after the throne.
“World War III has already begun.”
But it was a war with a different method from the past.
< protect=”” –=”” episode=”” 126=”” –=”” london=”” protocol=”” [2]=””> The end.