red moscow

Chapter 3142 Assassination Attempt (Part 1)

As evening fell, the setting sun cast its warm golden rays upon the villa's rooftops and courtyard, bathing everything in a gentle glow. Asya dragged her weary steps back to the villa. Sokov, sitting in his wheelchair, heard the noise at the door and quickly had Gulia, who was standing nearby, push him over to greet her.

"Asya, you're back!" Sokov's voice was filled with joy and concern, his eyes following his wife closely.

"Yes, you're back!" Although Asya looked exhausted with heavy bags under her eyes, she still managed a forced smile. She immediately knelt down beside the wheelchair, gently took Sokov's hand, and asked somewhat anxiously, "Misha, how are you feeling today? Does your leg still hurt?"

“Very nice,” Sokov replied with a smile, his tone relaxed. “The weather is nice today, with a gentle breeze. I spent most of my time in the shade of the trees in the yard, enjoying the view. I also saw a few birds hopping around in the trees, which was quite interesting.”

"Getting some fresh air will be very beneficial for your recovery," Asya said, standing up, taking the wheelchair from Gulia's hands, and pushing it into the villa. Her movements were somewhat slow, clearly indicating that she was exhausted.

Sokov turned to look at Asya, who was pushing the cart, and noticed the fine beads of sweat on her forehead and her pale face. He asked with concern, "Asia, you look quite tired. Are you too tired from work? Did you work long hours again today?"

“Yes, I had surgery today.” Asya shook her head, smiled bitterly, and said with a slight sob in her voice, “Unfortunately, I did my best, but I still couldn’t save that girl’s life.” As she said this, her eyes reddened, and she lowered her head to hide her emotions.

"What happened? Can you tell me?" Sokov asked softly, reaching out to gently pat her arm in comfort.

"It was a female officer from the Ministry of Internal Affairs who was assassinated on the street by unidentified people," Asia said in a low voice, her tone heavy.

Upon learning that a female officer from the Ministry of Internal Affairs had been assassinated, Gulia, who was standing next to the wheelchair, raised her eyebrows and asked impatiently, "Asia, what happened? Why would someone assassinate a member of the Ministry of Internal Affairs?" Her voice rose slightly, revealing her anger and worry.

Gulia's intense reaction startled Sokov. But he quickly realized that Gulia, being an NKVD officer herself, would naturally feel a sense of shared sorrow upon learning of the assassination of her colleague.

“Asia!” Sokov said gently to Asia, “If this matter doesn’t involve classified information, you can tell us in detail what happened. We are all very concerned about this.”

Asia nodded, wiped her eyes with her sleeve, and then began to recount the events: "Around noon, a young woman wearing a floral dress was brought to the emergency room. She was already in a deep coma, her face was ashen, and she was foaming at the mouth. Her life was in grave danger. The emergency room doctor and I immediately began to resuscitate her. We checked her pupils and pulse, and based on her symptoms, we determined that she had been poisoned."

"Poisoned?!" Gulia couldn't help but interrupt again, her voice trembling, "What kind of poison? Is it fatal?"

“It should be potassium cyanide,” Asya replied in a low voice, her eyes revealing helplessness. “This poison takes effect very quickly. Although we used an antivenom, it was already too late.”

"How did she get poisoned?" Gulia asked, her brow furrowed. "Did she eat something she shouldn't have? Like poisoned food?"

Asia shook her head and said, "It wasn't food poisoning. I found a very thin poisoned needle in her back, and that's the real cause of her poisoning. The needle tip was coated with poison, which spread rapidly after it pierced her skin."

Sokov frowned slightly, lost in thought: "A poisoned needle on the back? Where did it come from? Was someone attacking from behind? This sounds like a premeditated assassination."

After a pause, Sokov asked, "Asya, was the murdered female officer alone, or was she with a companion?"

“She had a companion, also a female officer from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, who was the one who took the deceased to the hospital,” Asya continued. “According to her, the two of them went shopping together today. They were fine at first, but then her companion suddenly collapsed to the ground unconscious. Seeing that something was wrong, she immediately went to find a phone nearby to call an ambulance.” “Did she say what happened to them on the way?”

Asya shook her head: "Later, the Ministry of Internal Affairs arrived, and the female officer was taken away. As for what happened to them on the way, I don't know."

Suddenly, Gulia spoke up, "Comrade General, if you allow me, I would like to inquire about this matter through my own channels."

“Of course, you are allowed.” Sokov knew that there was a dedicated telephone line in Gulia’s room that could be used to contact the Odessa Ministry of Internal Affairs directly, so he readily agreed to her request: “Please go ahead.”

After seeing Gulia enter her room and close the door behind her, Asya lowered her voice and asked Sokov, "Misha, do you think Gulia can get the information we want to know?"

“I think it should be okay,” Sokov said uncertainly. “After all, they’re all in the same system, so there’s no need to keep this a secret from her.”

A few minutes later, Gulia's door opened and she came out.

Seeing her dejected look, Sokov knew she must have met with a setback. However, he still politely asked, "Asia, how did it go? Did you get any useful information?"

Upon hearing Sokov's question, Gulia shook her head with a wry smile and said, "No, Comrade General!" Perhaps feeling that her answer was too brief, she added, "When I inquired about this matter with the relevant personnel, I was refused. They said that I belong to the internal security force and am responsible for the personal safety of the military district leaders. The officer who was assassinated belongs to the intelligence department, which is not the same system as me, and therefore they cannot disclose relevant information to me."

After hearing this, Sokov couldn't help but feel disappointed, realizing that he would never know the truth about the assassination attempt.

But Asya leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Misha, aren't you the deputy commander of the Odessa Military Region? Logically speaking, you should be able to get involved in this kind of thing."

“Asya, you’re right.” Sokov nodded, then said to Gulia, “Gulia, could you please connect me to the Ministry of Internal Affairs? I want to find out the situation myself.”

Gulia picked up the phone that was placed not far away, dialed a number, waited a moment, and then handed the receiver to Sokov: "Comrade General, the call is connected."

As soon as Sokov brought the microphone to his ear, he heard an impatient voice come from the other end: "Who is it?"

"Comrade, hello!" Sokov said in a polite but distant voice, "I am General Sokov!"

"General Sokov? I've never heard of him."

"Please don't hang up." Seeing the other party's impolite tone, Sokov's tone became stern: "I am the newly appointed deputy commander of the Odessa Military District."

(End of this chapter)