The construction work to secure the entrance pathway to the newly found underground cave was underway in spite of the winter when the excavator arrived at the royal territory.

It was because Youngho was eager to reveal the inside of the cave. He would only be able to see after a few months because the excavator would have to dig down a diagonal line, more than a kilometer, to reach the depth of 15 meters, but his mind was already in the cave. There was also the possibility that the time could be shortened, as there was a long-dried water route connected to the cave.

He became more eager when he heard that there could be a sudden change in Korea at any time. The sudden change in Northeast Asia could also affect Central Asia like a domino effect.

Also, he had to prepare for the unpredictable—Trump's possible attack on North Korea. If that happened, given North Korea's relations with China, China would try to intervene in any form and try to divert the attention of U.S by pulling Central Asia into it.

To find ways to deal with potential national threats, Youngho was putting heads together with Eriksson.

"North Korea will not easily give up its nuclear weapons, and U.S. will certainly intervene. Then, China's involvement is inevitable as a military ally. Even Russia could come forward in this matter."

"Russia, too?"

"I'm sure it'll step in to increase Russia's influence on the Korean Peninsula."

"Would the U.S. do anything reckless?"

"It's not a war that takes place in the U.S. mainland. It's a way to prevent nuclear proliferation, but it's also a way to tame China. It's likely that the U.S. will choose the Korean Peninsula to achieve its will."

"That's a big deal."

"We're in danger, too. We've been provoking China."

"How can China care about us when it's busy dealing with the Korean Peninsula?"

"China might make a provocation to disperse the attention of U.S. before U.S. does it first. Because of our stance against China, it has plenty of cause now."

Eriksson was referring to the establishment of barbed wire fence in the Pamir Plateau. Despite the ongoing work on barbed wires to provoke China, it had been silent so far. However, if China were to make a provocation in the Pamir Plateau before the U.S. provocation on the Korean Peninsula, the fence construction would be more like helping China since it gave a fantastic cause.

"It's not going to be an all-out war in Pamir, but it's going to be the same level of provocation that will keep the U.S. from moving forward to Northeast Asia."

"Did we make a mistake without considering the global situation?"

"It was supposed to happen anyway. In fact, we did a good job for the Korean Peninsula. However, we should be prepared for a provocation that is beyond our expectations. That's the only way China can turn the attention of the U.S."

"It looks like only unrelated people will suffer from this."

"Did you catch any such nuances when you spoke to Director Michael on the phone?"

"He told me not to provoke China as much as possible, but our major issue was reinforcing troops in Afghanistan..."

"I'm sure he planned to increase the forces in anticipation of conflict in Pamir. The troops seem to target both Afghanistan and Tajikistan."

"I suppose so. If that's what we're expecting, wouldn't the U.S. have expected it, too? It's just weird because he usually drops a hint when there's any sign of such a big incident."

"I'm sure he's judged that you're fully expecting it already. The fact that you've built an air defense network in Tajikistan and barbed wire fence in Pamir means you're ready for war."

"We need to strengthen the border."

"I don't know about military operations, but our border is more powerful than ever. Not only air power but also air defense networks, there's plenty of defense. The problem is that China will also take economic retaliation."

"Kazakhstan is somewhat out of China's economic subjugation, so there will be no major blow."

"We can't just think about ourselves. The Central Asian economy, which has yet to break away from the Chinese economy, will be directly hit. Then, Kazakhstan will be affected as well."

"We'll build additional commodity factories and run our existing ones around the clock. Some items can be imported from Russia and Europe, too."

"I'm concerned about the countries that live off exporting resources to China. It's the question of whether they can overcome it."

"We have to help. Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are already holding out with our support. We just need to take care of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan."

With less than 70 million people in Central Asia combined, Youngho was confident that Kazakhstan's supply was enough to supply the demand for daily necessities in Central Asia.

The problem was that without the dollars from the export of resources to China, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan would face a risk of national default.

It was unpredictable whether it would develop into World War III or end up as a regional war if the U.S. attacked North Korea. The U.S. mainland might be safe, but countries bordering China were likely to take the full impact of it.

***

Youngho's body felt strange since morning.

He had the feeling of uneasiness without a cause, so he asked Zeynep and the children not to leave the palace today. It seemed that the ring's power had been activated. Other than that, there was no way to describe such anxiety to continue to weigh on his mind.

He ordered the alert level at the royal territory to be raised and went to his office to look at documents, but Park Jong-il soon came inside to see what was going on.

"Is everything okay?"

"It's just that I'm exceptionally nervous."

"Is it not because you've been working hard lately?"

"I don't know exactly, but it feels like the ring is releasing its power."

Park Jong-il was surprised to hear that the ring's ability seemed to have been activated. For he, who knew about the ability of the ring better than anyone else, it was not something he should overlook.

"Wouldn't it be about China? You said China might provoke us in the near future."

Even Youngho had not thought of it before, but Park Jong-il's mention of China made him think of Pamir for a moment, but he soon shook his head. It was because he felt like danger was very close to him.

"Man, now you're making me nervous. I feel like danger is near us."

"The ring is no toy. If you felt the need to strengthen our alert level, I believe you. We need to tighten the security of not only the royal territory but also the palace."

"Don't make a fuss. Just move quietly."

"All right. I'll have to tighten checks and see if there are any strangers who are staying in our city for a long time."

"The military plants and research facilities should also be secured."

After hearing Park Jong-il's words, Youngho's anxiety began to take shape.

Russia and China lost their influence over the world since Youngho and the Kazakh royal family appeared, especially China. China had been hindered in everything it had achieved in Central Asia, including its One Belt One Road project.

It had invested and worked hard in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, but it lost its influence due to Kazakhstan's intervention. Moreover, Youngho took the gold mine in Uzbekistan that China had coveted, neutralizing its plan to advance to the Pamir. It was no wonder Youngho and the Kazakh royal family was an annoyance to China.

When Youngho's head was complicated with all kinds of thoughts, Park Jong-il burst into the office door without knocking.

"I had a report that the long-term European guests staying at our hotel are suspicious."

"On what basis?"

"They said that they are here for a trip, but they've been seen hanging around the palace for three days. It's on the palace's CCTV, and they've also captured several photos of the palace."

"If you suspect such activity, we'll have to investigate everyone who took pictures of the palace."

"No, this is different. They're caught on every security camera on the way to and from the palace. There's no reason to visit the palace for three days. Given our current situation, I think we need to investigate every suspicious activity."

The situation was unfolding quite differently from what Youngho expected, but he could not stop Park Jong-il's insistence. If China had intended to do something, it would have sent a great deal of power. There was no way China would have sent stupid agents, who went around the palace in circles. It was hard to shake off doubts altogether, but he decided to comply with Park Jong-il as he seemed to be certain.