Infiltrating the Superhuman Training Girls’ School of the Republic of China!

I didn’t know the National Intelligence Service had so many ‘women who act normally’. Honestly, if Marilyn Jefferson hadn’t told me they were ‘National Intelligence Service agents’, I might have thought they were ordinary members of society.

…Of course, ordinary people wouldn’t drag this ‘Shin Eun-young’ person they don’t know around various places in Jongno, changing her clothes and demonstrating cosmetics. Anyone can see it’s for the purpose of ‘making someone show’. They even took me to Hamgyong Province for a last ‘memory-making’ before I left for China.

I’m not sure exactly what memories there are between them and me.

But by going along with their ‘last memory-making trip’, I was able to confirm why they called me to that remote place.

In a mountain lodge where no one was around. In a place where they were certain that neither the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics nor the Blue Shirts Society could monitor me, the NIS agents who looked like young college students said this to me:

“Don’t forget that Korea is still watching over you.”

I asked,

“What exactly does that mean…”

“There’s a reason why the President has started exchanges with the United States. The Generalissimo is already approaching 100 years old, and no matter how much he’s the world’s strongest superhuman, he can’t live forever. As a CIA agent, you should understand what this means.”

“It sounds to me like Korea is planning to do something to coincide with the Generalissimo’s 100th anniversary.”

“Of course not. Korea cannot betray China first.”

Is this both Korea’s official and unofficial position? Even though it’s a statement from my home country, I can’t take it at face value or understand it.

“But my point is simply that the world needs to be prepared for a world without Chiang Kai-shek. Who will protect Korea from the Japanese threat if the Generalissimo is absent? Who can prevent the communist forces from spreading across the sea to the continent?”

“China is not the Generalissimo’s country, but the Kuomintang’s state.”

I said carefully. The NIS agents shook their heads again and said,

“China is Chiang Kai-shek’s country. They won’t be able to do anything without their emperor.”

I refused to continue the conversation there. Of course, I still often went along with their calls afterwards, and learned ‘how to look feminine’ according to their advice. In the short span of three months, I was able to learn women’s clothing, makeup, and grooming methods more or less plausibly.

September approached like a cold snap. Maybe it felt that way because there was so much to learn in preparation for the start of the semester. Even until the day I headed to Huangpu Military Academy in Guangzhou in September, I couldn’t be certain if I was definitely prepared.

The day before, at my last preparatory meeting with Marilyn Jefferson, I declared that I was ‘perfectly prepared.’ As I should. But the experienced Jefferson seemed to notice that I was actually still doubting my state of preparation.

“Don’t think too hard about it, Eun-young.”

Just before my deployment to Guangzhou. She encouraged me for the last time.

“Becoming a woman was difficult enough. In my view, you’ve done well enough. Having accomplished that, there won’t be anything more difficult from now on.”

“You say that after ordering me to seduce the school’s absolute authority with this face?”

Jefferson just smiled silently.

I left Seoul early on August 30th, two days before the start of the semester, and crossed Manchuria via the trans-Korean peninsula railway, then passed through Shanhaiguan. After staying one night in a pre-booked accommodation in Beiping, I started my journey towards the southern end of the continent on the morning of August 31st, buying a train ticket at Beiping Station.

I arrived in Guangzhou again at almost 9 PM on August 31st. Huangpu Girls’ School had advised admitted students to come to the school before 11 PM the night before the entrance ceremony to receive their dormitory room assignments and stay overnight. Of course, there was an additional note saying it was fine to come to school by the morning of September 1st, but I chose to follow the school’s recommendation and come to school by the night of the 31st.

Guangzhou, which had grown greatly as a port city of China from early on, was still oversized. But the school in Huangpu, said to be located beyond the bushes on the outskirts of Guangzhou, was still not visible. As it didn’t seem to be visible near the address I was given, I even tried to find the hut where I had the interview last time, but even that shabby hut had disappeared without a trace.

In the end, I became a pitiful figure, lost in the bushes of southern China in the middle of the night, looking around blankly in bewilderment.

Why didn’t the CIA give me more detailed information about the location of this school? Why doesn’t the invitation sent from Huangpu have accurate information on how to enter this school?

Just as I was starting to wonder if I had been exposed as an operative and the Chinese government was trying to trap me,

A whistle sound that broke the stillness of the night brushed past my ears, which had become very sensitive. I shuddered and turned towards the direction of the whistle, shining my flashlight.

“Wh-Who’s there!”

Normally, I would have blurted out “Who are you,” but Chinese words with a more feminine feel automatically came out of my mouth. Perhaps my brain is slowly starting to adapt to this body too.

The whistle sound coming from the bushes of China in the middle of the night was already sufficiently bizarre and chilling. But in the very direction where I shined my flashlight, at the source of that whistle sound slowly approaching me, there was an even more puzzling and unidentifiable human revealing themselves.

A silver-haired woman was crossing the bushes, whistling while riding a unicycle without handlebars.

“Ah, excuse me. I’m sorry if I startled you.”

I instinctively tried to answer her words but paused for a moment.

Because I realized that the language coming out of her mouth wasn’t Chinese. I deliberately ignored her words, which sounded almost like my native language, and asked,

“I’m sorry, but I don’t quite understand. Don’t you know how to speak Chinese?”

“Ah, I’m sorry. I accidentally spoke in Russian.”

I pretended to be exaggeratedly surprised at her words. The current situation was already sufficiently strange and unusual, but I couldn’t ignore the possibility that this might be an act to deceive me or trap me.

“Ru-Russia?”

“You must be surprised, of course.”

This time, the mysterious silver-haired woman spoke in definite Chinese.

“But I’m in a bit of an awkward situation too… I’m lost. I’m looking for the way to Huangpu. Where on earth is it…”

“Wh-What’s your purpose? A Ru-Russian? Are you a sp-spy? A terrorist? A communist? A s-secret agent?”

“Among those, only communist is correct.”

The silver-haired woman said in a slightly empty-sounding, hollow voice. Her Chinese was very fluent, but no matter how I listened, it didn’t feel like it had a soul. It was mechanical Chinese, as if it was being output from a machine rather than a person.

But the Russian I heard at first definitely had a soul in it. Therefore, it’s quite certain that the person I’m talking to is not some ghost or robot, but definitely a real silver-haired Russian.

“I-I’m an exchange student. Invited to a Chinese school this time…”

“A Russian?”

“Yes, although I’m Russian.”

“A Russian… with Soviet citizenship?”

“That’s right. A Russian with Soviet citizenship.”

“Huh?”

This exclamation came out sincerely. This attitude of so boldly admitting to being from the Soviet Union. It’s not an attitude that can be imagined in China at all. China once had a Communist Party too. They even cooperated with the Kuomintang 60 years ago in the Northern Expedition to overthrow the warlords.

But the Communist Party led by Chen Duxiu was almost completely expelled by Chiang Kai-shek’s unilateral suppression after cooperation with the Soviet Union ceased, and afterwards, an anti-communist dictatorial social atmosphere was created to the extent that ‘Chen Duxiu’s successor’ became considered a great insult in China.

Naturally, the Soviet Union and China no longer have diplomatic relations. It’s not just a matter of diplomatic relations; due to continuous conflicts in Outer Mongolia and constant provocations by Japan acting on Soviet instructions, the relationship between China and the Soviet Union is close to an extreme confrontation where it wouldn’t be strange if war broke out at any time.

Revealing oneself as Russian in China is a very dangerous thing. Even if that person is a Russian who betrayed the Communist Party and came as a refugee claiming to be a ‘successor of the White Army’, they wouldn’t reveal their Russian origin in most situations.

But…

In the middle of the night.

Near China’s top security facility…

A silver-haired woman riding a unicycle… reveals herself as a Russian with Soviet citizenship and asks for directions to Huangpu Girls’ School?

What on earth is this situation?

I, I…

How am I supposed to respond to this?