I Became Stalin?!

Chapter 138

The news of the raid on the quarantine water supply unit of the Kwantung Army spread quietly throughout the bureaucratic network of the Japanese Empire.

It was a shocking fact that the pirates, despite the top-secret nature of their existence and purpose, had attacked the invincible Kwantung Army unit, killed the commander, and stolen the unit’s confidential documents. 

Moreover, the content of the human experimentation that took place there horrified the people.

The Governor-General of Korea became more and more ferocious, trying to find and execute the ‘impure elements’ and the left-wing forces.

But the more they stepped on them, the more they spread like wildfire.

“…I salute your courage.”

“Thank you, teacher! Hahaha!”

The secret contact point of the Korean Communist Party. 

They rented a fairly large building and hung a sign saying something like something business, but inside it was a space like a den for the Governor-General, where all kinds of operations were prepared. 

A middle-aged man and three young men were having a conversation there.

“There’s a gun here. A friend named Jo, who sent the bomb from Gunjun, will bring it. Maybe… he’s a famous gunman from the Soviet Union?”

“I got it. We prepared a lot to kill one guy.”

“It’s a matter of avenging the enemy of the people. Bang…”

The Japanese were cornered. But when they were cornered, they would kick back somehow. 

They plundered the Korean Peninsula more and more harshly. 

They scraped and took away even a grain of rice in the house. 

The sons and daughters of Korea were dragged to the battlefield one by one. As cannon fodder, as conscripted laborers, as comfort women.

“Our target is… a writer who is like a spearhead of imperialism, leading the propaganda of the special support system for student soldiers. We must kill him! There are many guests coming to this lecture, so it would be nice if we could finish them off together…”

You’ll die too. The middle-aged communist looked at the young men with a sad look. Sniping and terror were the specialties of socialists. But those who did it usually didn’t come back.

But the young men didn’t seem to care.

“Teacher, don’t worry. We will sacrifice our lives to drive out imperialism, liberate the nation, and lead the world proletarian revolution. How can we be afraid of death?”

“…Don’t be afraid of death. Everyone. Young men like you with boiling blood should live and work for the liberated homeland, shouldn’t you?”

“Do you know what I mean, teacher?”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

The young men smiled. This was a popular saying among young intellectuals these days.

“If we live, we live with the people, if we die, we die for the people!”

***

“Come on, line up, line up! You can all go in, so line up! If you’re so disorderly, it’ll be more late!”

Kayama Mitsuro was one of the most famous writers in Korea.

He wrote s such as Mujong (Heartless), Danjong Aesa (The Tragic History of Danjong), and was ranked among the top three in Tokyo. 

There was no one in Gyeongseong who read or wrote who had not read Mujong.

He changed his original Korean name, Lee Kwang-soo, to a Japanese surname, Kayama Mitsuro (香山 光郞), and now he was encouraging young people to apply for student soldiers for the sake of the empire.

He was famous as a master of literature, and people were curious about what he would say, so young people from Gyeongseong flocked to the Joseon Theater, and the theater guards had to shout at them to line up with their hats on.

“Ha, this is amazing. How can Lee Kwang-soo… have such popularity?”

“He’s a famous writer, you know?”

At the edge of the crowd, three young men were chatting while looking at the large sign of the theater. They looked like they had been through a lot of storms, and they all wore long coats and fedoras and smoked cigarettes.

“By the way, the person who’s coming… ah!”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Jo, from Vladivostok.”

The person they were waiting for arrived. He carried a heavy leather briefcase and spoke in a strange accent of Korean.

Noryeong (露領), who had lived in Vladivostok for a long time and became his nickname, was a kind of guest introduced by the National Foundation Preparation Committee.

“Are you all ready?”

“Yeah, we are. That guy who just went in, that’s…”

“Mitsuro, the writer who’s a lackey of the empire?”

Speaking awkwardly in Korean, Vladivostok Jo put a large fist in his pocket and fiddled with something. The three people from the party also touched their pockets and waistbands.

The security inside the theater was lax. In a place where there was no room to step on because of the many people who came in, they couldn’t body-search every visitor. 

The dignitaries who sat elegantly on the podium looked at them with satisfaction.

“Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome. I am Aoki Jinei (靑木 沈影), who will be in charge of today’s progress. I would like to thank the young people who gathered here with loyalty for the sake of the empire’s future!”

“Wowwwww!!”

Before the lecture began, the host, Jinei, introduced the dignitaries who had come from all over. 

After the main character of today’s lecture, Kayama Mitsuro, he introduced the head of the security department of the Governor-General’s Office and the executive of the Dongchuk, and the first female doctor in Korea, Amagi Katsuran (天城 活蘭).

It was a lineup that showed how much the Governor-General’s Office valued this lecture. Of course, they skillfully wrapped up the situation of the empire with clever words.

‘Our loyal soldiers are not enough to illuminate the vast land and sea of East Asia with the grace of His Majesty the Emperor…’

The ones who lured the young people with their tongues were Lee Kwang-soo and Kim Hwal-ran.

But the audience in the seats cheered enthusiastically. It was doubtful that there was a restless atmosphere in Gyeongseong. 

Thousands of young people showed their ‘loyalty’ to His Majesty the Emperor without hesitation.

“Thank you for giving us such a good lecture!”

“I saw it last time and came back with my friends. I was moved to tears!”

“Thank you, thank you. Young people are the future of our Japanese Empire!”

The students’ enthusiasm doubled when the main character of the lecture, Kayama Mitsuro, Lee Kwang-soo, appeared. Lee Kwang-soo shook hands and greeted each one, then spoke loudly.

“Everyone! Who are you! It’s the name we always long for. It’s our light and the way to follow. It’s the name we’ve been thirsty for for a long time, shedding tears!”

“Wowwwww!!”

“It’s the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere that we’re talking about, everyone!!”

The master of literature spewed out a fiery speech, and applause erupted in the theater. But applause was not the only thing that erupted. 

A few burly young men suddenly stood up from the front row of the audience.

“Shut up! What Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere!”

All eyes were on them. Outside, the police were swarming, but they couldn’t get through the crowd to beat them with clubs. Taking advantage of the gap, they pulled out their guns.

The dignitaries on the podium were stunned by the sudden turn of events. Lee Kwang-soo, the speaker, was speechless and backed away with his eyes wide.

“We have come to condemn you for deceiving the Korean youth with lies!”

“Long live the independence of Korea! Down with the Japanese!”

“What? They’re pirates! Officer! Officer…!”

Bang, bang, bang, Vladivostok Jo jumped onto the podium and shot his gun. 

Three young men from the Korean Communist Party also drew their guns and fired at the guests who were clearly high-ranking officials of the Japanese.

The crowd panicked at the sound of gunfire. The theater turned into a hellish scene as people tried to run out, tripping and trampling over each other. The police who were stationed at the theater entered with horns, but Vladivostok Jo taunted them with a hoarse voice.

“Hey! You traitors! This is a bomb!”

“Aaaah!!”

Boom! Boom! Boom! 

The bomb disguised as a briefcase exploded on top of the bloody guests on the podium. 

The ceiling of the theater collapsed from the shockwave and buried the people. The theater was filled with screams and groans.

“Are they dead?”

“Probably? Let’s get out of here.”

The four who had destroyed the theater were looking for a way out. And they saw the doors leading to the actors’ waiting rooms on both sides of the podium.

As they ran up, they saw a guy crawling to the exit, bleeding from his lower body.

“Who’s that…? Isn’t that the guy who hosted the lecture?”

“Ugh… Ugh… Please spare me… Cough!”

They had no intention of sparing a pro-Japanese, but they only had guns and were running low on bullets. They kicked him in the waist without mercy. Jinei clutched his abdomen and rolled on the floor.

“Are you going to be a pro-Japanese, or not?”

“I won’t, I won’t ever again…!”

Jinei could only beg, trembling from the pain and the fear of the pirate terrorists. The young men looked down at him with contempt.

Meanwhile, the police had broken through the seats and reached near the podium. They shouted.

“Stop there! You pirate bastards!”

Bang, bang. The police shot their guns, but they missed every shot. But Vladivostok Jo stumbled as a bullet hit the floor. He glared at the police. He still had enough to take them down.

“We can’t stay here, let’s shoot!”

Bang, bang bang. 

He was a different story. He was a famous gunman. 

The young men from the Korean Communist Party admired his shooting skills. 

The police fell one by one, spewing blood from their chests, foreheads, or necks.

“Long live the independence of Korea! Long live!”

They shouted a slogan that would make the Japanese shudder and disappeared like the wind.

***

“Damn fools! I warned you so many times…”

The Governor-General’s Office was in chaos overnight. Danki Ikutaro, the head of the security department who had to handle the theater terrorist attack, was stung by the terrorists. Kayama Mitsuro and Amagi Katsuran, whom he had invited as lecturers, were dead.

He had told them over and over to be careful of the Korean Communist Party, but the testimony from the scene made it clear that the Reds had come and made a mess.

“10 deaths and 25 injuries… This is a serious blow. Those Red bastards…”

He didn’t care about the Koreans who had died or been injured, but the high-ranking officials and the core pro-Japanese of Korea had been killed or wounded. The Governor-General’s Office had to pay for their medical expenses at least, and he had a headache thinking about the tight budget.

How was he going to deal with this?

This incident would make the pirates who demanded the independence of Korea more heated. The assassins who had to be executed to show an example had escaped in the confusion… Sigh. As he skimmed through the report, a strange letter caught his eye.

“Lecture host Aoki Jinei. Fragment penetration and impact to the lower abdomen, resulting in loss of male… Eek…”

The fragment had hit a very bad spot, and he had lost his manhood. Cheongmok… Shimyeong? Too bad. Even though the situation was like this, he felt a little better thinking about his own intact manhood.

“No, the young guy is impotent? Hahaha…”