“We have two feasible plans. We can either go in through the house’s sewage system and work our way against the flow, or we infiltrate from above.”
The first option offered a better chance of survival. If they chose aerial infiltration, they’d be riddled with bullets before even reaching the residence.
The sewage system at the Bogdanov residence was connected to the river running through the heart of Moscow. Diving equipment was essential, as the waters were quite deep. The aerial view revealed no significant barriers to taking the sewage route, but Salman thought differently.
“Getting close to the mansion is one thing, but the real challenge starts after that. There will be a vortex at the mouth of the sewer. Even if we’re lucky enough to make it through the whirlpool, there’s no guarantee the pipe will be wide enough for us to make it through with our gear on.”
Taekjoo and Salman stared down at the swirling river below. The current was so fast that the waters looked threatening.
“There’s got to be some other way.”
Taekjoo said, looking sour. Salman shook his head sternly, letting out a long sigh before putting on his diving equipment. Then, without waiting for the other, they both jumped into the river.
Their gear-laden bodies sank deep before surfacing again. Taekjoo had no time to spare. He gestured for Salman to follow him, leading the way against the current. He checked the device on his wrist as he swam. The red dot showed their current location, and it was getting closer to the sewer of the Bogdanov residence. The current grew more turbulent as they got closer to their destination, indicating equipment installed nearby to create volatile currents. It had to be the propeller Salman mentioned.
Seeing it up close, it was truly a beast. Two propellers were attached—one in front, the other at the rear. It was intimidating, but the two men forced themselves to stay calm and measured the rotational speed. They would have to time their approach perfectly to get through alive. If luck ran out and they got caught, they’d be ground to pieces with no body to recover.
Kwon Taekjoo led the way this time too. He stayed away from the propeller, just far enough to observe its movement. He had to seize a fleeting moment. Taking deep breaths to calm himself, he kicked off decisively and approached the propeller.
It spun so fast and strong that the water around it formed a powerful whirlpool. Taekjoo held his position and pulled out his speargun. His plan was to plant a high-strength steel spear between the spinning propeller blades to stop them, even if only briefly.
He aimed calmly, focusing on a single point. The propeller seemed to slow before his eyes. Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger. The spear shot through the water and lodged itself between the rotating blades. The machine resisted at first but gradually lost momentum—until it came to a complete stop.
Was it a success?
“...!”
As if to smite them for their premature optimism, the propeller started spinning again. The spear’s chain coiled tight in an instant, dragging Taekjoo toward the propeller. He quickly let go of the gun, but it was too late. His body was overcome by the strong current, sucking him into the giant propeller. The steel blades churned through the raging currents, slicing them to pieces as they loomed right in front of Taekjoo. He shut his eyes tightly, bracing for the end. Then he heard a loud thump, followed by a dull ache throughout his body.
Taekjoo opened his eyes to a strange scene. His body, which he expected to be ground meat, floated in the water, tied to something. The whirlpool surrounding him calmed down as well. The propeller let out a groaning sound like a whale, but it did not resume spinning. Suddenly, Taekjoo couldn’t breathe. He looked around and saw his oxygen tank lodged between the two spinning blades.
It was a close call. Every muscle in his body relaxed at once after tensing in fear, but there was no time to enjoy the relief. Taekjoo hurriedly removed his oxygen tank and gestured for Salman on the other side to come. Salman wasted no time and swam to him.
Just then, the propellers hummed a dull sound and slowly crushed the oxygen tank. Salman was in danger.
Taekjoo hurried to press the reset button on his watch. A long wire shot out, wrapping around Salman’s arm. Taekjoo wound the wire back just before the propeller blade touched Salman. Salman was saved in another close call. The suspense had been so intense that Taekjoo’s entire body went limp from relief.
Salman, having escaped death, handed Taekjoo his own oxygen mask. Taekjoo took a deep breath, handed it back, and resumed swimming.
The two managed to reach the opening of the pipes. The pipes forked several ways. Some led to the kitchen, some to bathrooms, others to the garage and garden. When Taekjoo had escaped before, thanks to Zhenya’s so-called help, he discovered a secret passage through the pipes. If he could find the starting point, it would be a smooth journey to his destination.
First, they considered their route and went through the pipe that led to the garage. They soon reached a long tunnel overhead, ending at a manhole right outside the garage. While Salman prepared his equipment, Taekjoo shed his heavy wetsuit.
They exchanged silent signals, and Taekjoo began climbing the wall-mounted ladder alone. He tried pushing and lifting the manhole cover above his head, but it was fixed firmly and wouldn’t budge. They had foreseen this. Taekjoo took out the device they had prepared for this and slipped it into the gap outlining the manhole lid. The card-shaped device expanded, pushing up the heavy lid. Through the gap, Taekjoo saw security guards patrolling the garden.
It was only about ten feet to the garage from where Taekjoo was. If he was lucky, he wouldn’t be caught—but he’d have to give it everything he had. He needed to redirect the guards’ attention elsewhere.
Taekjoo rolled something across the garden grounds. The object, resembling a crystal ball, rolled right by the guards’ feet in a single motion. One guard looked down, lowering his guard as well, feeling something tap his shoe. Instantly, the crystal ball emitted blindingly bright rays of light. All the nearby guards covered their eyes at once. When they reopened them, white afterimages filled their vision, making it impossible to see anything.
That was the moment the two men used to get out of the manhole. In one sprint, they reached the garage and flattened themselves against the wall. Taekjoo pressed the button to open the garage doors, and the roll-up shutters rose smoothly.
“Huh?”
But there was also a guard inside the garage, and he looked very surprised by the unexpected intrusion. While the guard was still confused and trying to catch up, Taekjoo kicked the rifle out of the guard’s hand. The long stock of the gun struck the guard’s face as it soared into the air. The guard bent over, clutching his nose, and at that moment, Taekjoo struck the back of his neck. The man didn’t even get a chance to fight back before he went down. Taekjoo took the guard’s radio and headed inside.
Was it because it was a weekday afternoon? The residence was so quiet that it felt strange. Occasionally, the jangling sound of utensils could be heard from the kitchen, but aside from that, no one else seemed to be around. Thanks to the lack of people in the place, Taekjoo was able to climb the stairs without any trouble.
As soon as he reached the third floor, he flattened himself against the wall and placed his tiny device on the floor. The device, designed to look like a bug, had a built-in camera that took panoramic video and sent it to the linked account. Salman, who had been watching the footage from the manhole, warned Taekjoo.
- Wait.
Taekjoo pressed his body closer to the wall. He held his breath and focused all his attention on the sound of movement. Soon, he heard a door open and close, followed by footsteps. At least three people were coming, all women. After murmuring in the hallway, they scattered in different directions and went their own way.
- Now.
Taekjoo moved quickly, following Salman’s order. He carefully avoided the cleaning tools stored in the hallway and slipped inside a nearby door. Once he was sure he was safe, Taekjoo tapped the floor to locate the secret passage.
He heard a hollow sound beneath the sofa, but no part of that room connected to the secret passage. The door wasn’t locked, and because it was easily accessible, the room seemed built solely for passing through.
- Make it quick. The maids are coming.
Salman urged Taekjoo, who was already feeling pressured to hurry. He had no choice. Taekjoo knelt down and neatly cut the floorboard with a special device equipped with a silencer. Slowly, he pulled the cut piece off the floor, and just as he had expected, the secret passage was there. Taekjoo jumped in and covered the hole again. The cut board fit perfectly, leaving no gaps.
Taekjoo walked silently through the secret passage beneath the floor. Soon, the guard’s radio became noisy. The security staff must have become aware of an intruder. Taekjoo hurried, almost running.
It was a dead end. In the darkness, Taekjoo felt around the walls. His busy hand caught on something. He pulled hard, and the wall beside him slowly descended, revealing a shallow stairway.
Taekjoo climbed the stairs and found a circular manual handle like those on old bank vaults. He put his strength into turning the wheel. It seemed immovable at first, but it slowly shifted. It turned roughly but steadily, splitting the wall in front of Taekjoo. The bookshelves covering the walls moved aside, revealing an emergency exit.
Taekjoo had reached his final destination, which was the room at the end of the third-floor hallway. Nothing had changed since he last saw it. The curtains were still wide open, and although it was the middle of the day, all the lights were on. Just as Taekjoo had suspected, something was odd here.
The first thing he did was bolt the door. Then, he drew the curtains. He was about to turn off the lights when he realized he couldn’t find the switch. In the meantime, the security guards had reached the hallway. There was nothing Taekjoo could do. He pulled out his Colt and fired at the ceiling light. In the next moment, something unbelievable happened.
“This is...”
As every source of light was extinguished, what had been hidden with such effort finally emerged. Taekjoo’s jaw dropped. Now he understood why this room was always lit, why the curtains were never closed, and why Koschey’s heart could be both here and not here at the same time.
Inside the room, a thread of fluorescent substance stretched precariously, always on the verge of snapping yet still holding. It formed a single, striking image. The room itself was the blueprint of Anastasia.