After resting for about three more minutes, Kang Chan addressed his team. “I heard a helicopter flying a moment ago. Our men have probably run into them by now.”
‘There was a helicopter nearby?’
Momentarily confused, Yoon Sang-Ki—who didn’t even hear the helicopter—followed Kang Chan’s gaze and looked toward the direction where the soldiers could be.
“Remember how you felt while we were all waiting for our men to succeed back in China?” Kang Chan asked.
How could they forget about the time they kept an armored car and a helicopter at bay and sprayed jet fuel all over a part of the airport?
“Our fellow men who stayed behind have to be in the middle of a horrific battle to protect us by now. As they face the embrace of death over there, they are probably hoping in desperation that we’ll kill Jang Kwang-Taek for them,” Kang Chan added.
‘Fuck!’ Yoon Sang-Ki swore.
Just like what they had done in China, his colleagues were desperately keeping the enemy occupied, yet here he was complaining that he was going to die because his feet felt heavy and his legs were no longer listening to him.
Gritting his teeth, Yoon Sang-Ki stood up.
Clank.
He straightened his back, fixed his military gear, and tightened his grip on his rifle.
Smirking, Kang Chan looked ahead of them. “Those fuckers are probably thinking that we’ll take at least eight hours to get to them. We have to do better than that if we want to Kill Jang Kwang-Taek and save even just one more of our men.”
With a sigh, Yoon Sang-Ki and Hong Ki-Yoon strengthened their resolve.
“Let’s go,” Kang Chan said. He was just walking at first, but he had already broken into a sprint before they knew it.
Did he even have anything in his bag?
Yoon Sang-Ki couldn’t help but have cheap thoughts about Kang Chan. From what he had heard, Kang Chan was just a high schooler, yet the young man spoke informally to Seok Kang-Ho, and Seok Kang-Ho respected Kang Chan enough to speak half formally and half informally to him.
Honestly, Yoon Sang-Ki himself treated Kang Chan, his commander, with respect. Why did he do that?
Fuck, how can I not accept him as our commander when I have seen the look in his eyes, the terrifying skills that he shows us when we run across our enemies, and his iron will to never give up?
Yoo Sang-Ki could not help but think of Kang Chan as one of those people who could make others naturally surrender to them.
“Huff Huff. Huff Huff.”
The fatigue and breathlessness that Yoon Sang-Ki accumulated before this came back to him all at once. It hadn’t even been five minutes since they started running.
‘I should just die instead!’
Despite his self-criticism, Yoon Sang-Ki hoped his body could endure this whole operation.
‘If I can’t even get through this, it’s better for me to just faint and die!’
He would never give up.
Should he let Kwak Cheol-Ho die?
Yoon Sang-Ki was aware of how desperate and valuable each second was to the soldiers they left behind. How could he even think that running was difficult when their comrades’ blood was spilling because they were fighting to accomplish the mission?
“Huff Huff. Huff Huff.”
I’d rather die than give up! My heart should just explode if I can’t endure this!
He would never stop unless his back snapped or the tendons on his legs snapped and broke.
Yoon Sang-Ki only looked at Kang Chan’s legs, following after his steps as closely as he could. He kept telling himself that he would not fall behind even if he died.
“Cough! Cough!”
They heard Hong Ki-Yoon breathing so hard he seemed about to throw up. Nevertheless, none of them slowed down.
Yoon Sang-Ki knew that he was crying. For some reason, that made him feel better.
‘Fuck! Yeah—it’s fine even if I cry, throw up, or die later! Right now, I just have to keep running! I don’t care even if I can’t ever walk again after this operation! I can’t stop now!’
Yoon Sang-Ki’s eyes filled with so many tears that his vision became blurry. Missing that he would lose sight of Kang Chan, he blinked it all away.
***
Pew! Pew!
Kwak Cheol-Ho positioned the soldiers far apart from each other.
As they fought their enemies, he once again realized how terrifying Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho were. How those two could kill more than twenty enemy soldiers and come back unscathed was beyond him.
Ta-da-dang! Ping! Pow-pow! Pow-pow-pow!
As if they were complaining about getting shot as well, the dirt and trees let out loud noises as they exploded.
If the South Korean special forces team hadn’t gone through the live ammo training or gone to the operations in France and China, Kwak Cheol-Ho would not have been able to survive this long in a battle like this.
He aimed the barrel of his gun in between the branches and the grass that went up to his waist.
Whish!
Their enemy was moving in front of them.
Pew! Thud!
Sons of bitches!
Kwak Cheol-Ho immediately pointed his men to new positions.
His enemies would be mistaken if they thought he would get excited just because he had killed one of them.
He had to be level-headed if he wanted to keep his men alive—No, even after this battle, he should still remain calm and collected if he survived.
Ta-da-dang! Pow-pow-pow! Pew! Thud!
Kwak Cheol-Ho thought that he now knew why Kang Chan kept telling them to fire only one bullet at a time.
The point was to focus.
During practice shooting, Kwak Cheol-Ho would switch between single-fire, full-auto, and semi-auto, but in actual combat, he found it best to fire in bursts of three.
However, Kang Chan told them to fire just one bullet at a time, which meant they had to kill their enemies with only one shot. As a result, they focused on making that one shot count—be it by shooting their target in the forehead or the neck.
This wasn’t live ammo training, so there was nothing stopping them from aiming for those parts.
Ta-da-dang! Pew! Thud!
You motherfuckers! I’m Kwak Cheol-Ho, one of South Korea’s special forces!
Kwak Cheol-Ho crouched down and aimed, which was the position that Kang Chan showed them. He scanned the area from left to right.
Kang Chan told them to hide in the mountain again after holding their ground. However, a little ways from here was their goal—the anti-aircraft fort.
Whish!
Pew! Thud!
His men followed right beside him, all in similar stances.
Fuck! This is the actual combat experience that we have been so desperately hoping for! How nice would it have been if General Choi Seong-Geon and Chan Dong-Gyun were here to see us?
Pew! Pew! Thud!
A soldier to his left fired first, but Kwak Cheol-Ho shot at the enemy as well anyway to make sure they were dead.
‘Good job. Don’t let your guard down, but don’t get excited either.’
Kwak Cheol-Ho passed that on to the soldier when their eyes met.
Ta-dang! Thud! Pew! Pew! Thud!
However, as he did, one of the soldiers to his right dropped to the ground.
Kwak Cheol-Ho gritted his teeth, finding himself still lacking. Kang Chan never would have allowed his subordinate to get shot.
***
The sun was high up in the sky.
Yoon Sang-Ki was beginning to feel as if the pain had disappeared when it returned unimaginably worse. Right now, he was feeling of reaching his limit the same way he did at the training center, but it was far more intense this time.
Clank! Clank!
Fortunately, Kang Chan finally slowed down to a stop just a few moments after.
“Huff! Huff!”
They were all trying to catch their breath.
“Let’s have lunch and get some rest before we continue,” Kang Chan said.
We’ve been running for quite some time now. Are we even going in the right direction?
Yoon Sang-Ki couldn’t even guess what direction they were running to since they were in a dark mountain.
Clank! Clank!
Kang Chan put his left foot on top of the rock on a downhill slope, then lowered his rifle in front of him.
They took turns drinking water, then took out C-rations. Seok Kang-Ho ripped two open and handed one to Kang Chan.
They were eating while standing guard.
“How long can we rest?” Seok Kang-Ho asked Kang Chan.
“Ten minutes.”
Seok Kang-Ho ate his meal so fast that it seemed as if he was stuffing everything in his mouth. He then drank water and lay down on his side again.
‘Can he really sleep in this situation?’
Seok Kang-Ho snored, answering Yoon Sang-Ki’s question.
Just as Yoon Sang-Ki looked up in surprise, Kang Chan said, “Even if it’s just ten minutes, you should still get some sleep.”
It was as if Kang Chan read his mind.
They kept eating.
Yoon Sang-Ki also stuffed a biscuit, sandwich, and chocolate into his mouth. He then pushed them down with water.
Thud.
Yoon Sang-Ki then laid down with Hong Ki-Yoon.
This wasn’t sleeping—this was fainting.
***
After having a sandwich for lunch, Lanok returned to his office.
All he did was read and shred the DGSE’s reports that Raphael handed to him every twenty minutes. Nevertheless, he stayed at his desk all day except for when he was sleeping for two hours every morning.
Click.
Raphael came in and put a new report on Lanok’s desk.
The report was just an article from the daily newspaper Libération[1]. The article contained codes that only the DGSE and Lanok knew. Hence, even if someone else saw it, they wouldn’t understand what it was actually trying to convey.
Lanok traced each line with his pen as he read through it, then immediately threw it into the shredder
“Order the DGSE to request cooperation from South Korea’s National Intelligence Service. Where’s Anne?” Lanok asked.
“She’s downstairs.”
“As soon as the code is issued, take her to Osan and fly back to our country.”
“Understood,” Raphael bowed, then left the office.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
The phone on his desk rang.
Lanok waited for it to ring five times before picking it up.
“Ello?”
- Lanok, it’s Vasili.
“I’ve been hearing your voice a lot lately.”
- Isn’t that because you and your Korean colleague have been too active lately? Anyway, now that you have killed one of the United States’ DIA agents in the Korean Peninsula, it would be a problem if you keep messing with them. Let’s not push things too far, Lanok.”
“Vasili, now is the best time to reveal our true colors.”
- I believe that our Russian troops rescuing you is enough to pay for my mistakes in France. Monsieur Kang Chan doesn’t seem to be in a good situation. Have you heard that all of China’s satellites are searching for him?
“The choice is yours. China’s behavior will change based on the results Monsieur Kang will produce, which is why I doubt the United States can do anything in this situation either.”
Lanok heard Vasili sighing deeply over the phone.
- Do you really believe that Monsieur Kang can kill Jang Kwang-Taek and get away with it?
“That’s for you and Russia to judge.”
- If the Korean Peninsula gets engulfed by a battle for France, you, and even the grand Eurasian Rail, then it would be all over.
“It’s not like you to talk a lot.”
This time, Lanok heard Vasili’s ragged breathing.
- We’ll dispatch the Kuznetsov[2]. However, we have no intention of actually interfering in the battle. We don’t want to have a power struggle with the United States right now.
“That’s sound judgment, Vasili.”
- I don’t know why you’re betting on something so reckless when you’re so cold-hearted. Good luck, Lanok.
After Vasili expressed his displeasure, the call ended.
Lanok’s lips stretched into a mask-like smile as he put down the receiver. “What you fail to see is that the ace up my sleeve can change the entire narrative, Vasili.”
As Lanok muttered to himself, his pinky finger faintly trembled.
***
“France’s DGSE has requested for us to deploy all of the airborne troops and for the Armored division and the fighter wing to be put on emergency standby,” Hwang Ki-Hyun said.
Moon Jae-Hyun looked at Hwang Ki-Hyun in surprise.
“Will the United States just stand around and let us do that?” Moon Jae-Hyun asked.
“Everything until now has been the French President’s instructions.”
“Did the report say anything else?”
“At the end, it said, ‘France trusts South Korea’s hidden power.’”
Jeon Dae-Geuk—who was in front of Moon Jae-Hyun—quickly looked back at them.
“Do you know what they mean?” Moon Jae-Hyun asked.
Could France be talking about that?
Jeon Dae-Geuk told Moon Jae-Hyun about the trust that Lanok put in Kang Chan at the presentation hall.
“They’re talking about Kang Chan’s capabilities that France recognized but South Korea wasn’t aware of! Considering they also sent their aircraft carrier, we shouldn’t hesitate,” Moon Jae-Hyun replied.
Hwang Ki-Hyun and Jeon Dae-Geuk didn’t know what to say. If they failed here, the consequences would be too much to bear.
Moon Jae-Hyun held up the emergency phone.
***
Kwak Cheol-Ho ordered the soldiers to move back again. The battle had been raging for close to two hours already. They had suffered one injury and two fatalities, but they had killed more than twenty of their enemies.
If Kang Chan was here, then he probably would have cut through their enemies already.
If this standoff lasted any longer, North Korea’s regular army would have enough time to come up the mountain and trap them like rats.
‘Should we cut through them?’
Kang Chan told them to disturb their enemies and hide themselves as much as possible. Despite how determined Kwak Cheol-Ho was, however, he still could not eliminate all his enemies.
Ta-da-dang! Pow-pow! Pow-pow-pow!
We shouldn’t let them take the upper part of the mountain from us!
It would be fatal if Kwak Cheol-Ho and the soldiers went down the ridge to hide.
Pew! Bam!
The only consolation they had was that their enemies couldn’t recklessly pounce on them during this standoff either.
Kwak Cheol-Ho pointed to two locations with his index and middle fingers, repositioning two of his men.
Ta-da-dang! Pow-pow-pow! Pew! Pew!
The others covered fire when the soldiers moved, and the enemies returned fire.
Kang Chan told them to attack the anti-aircraft fort, but just handling the enemies blocking them was already proving difficult.
‘They’ve got to be halfway there, right?’
Kwak Cheol-Ho quickly checked on his men. Their eyes were still full of life.
There were only sixteen of them, yet they were fighting a hundred enemies for over two hours.
Kwak Cheol-Ho glanced at the sun in the sky, which was about to set to the other side.
Ta-da-dang! Pow-pow-pow! Ta-dang! Pow-pow! Pew! Pew!
Those sons of bitches have to lean forward and show their foreheads before we can do something.
What would’ve Kang Chan done in this situation?
With the absence of the lion, the wolves were the only ones left to fight.
Kwak Cheol-Ho hoped that the lion would return quickly.
He felt lonely.
***
“Huff! Huff huff! Huff!”
Yoon Sang-Ki resented himself for not fainting yet.
They only slept for ten minutes, so he didn’t expect that they would run for two hours after that.
“Huff! Huff! Huff!”
He didn’t even know if he was still breathing or if his lungs were already coming out of his body.
Like a rabid dog, saliva went down his chin and continuously dripped down. Even his groin area was wet. He had peed himself as he was running—no, his urine came out because he couldn’t control his bladder anymore.
If they kept going at this rate, he knew he would eventually die.
He had done every preparation he could think of—including running on a mountain. Still, sprinting like this didn’t make any sense.
“Huff! Huff! Huff!”
Yoon Sang-Ki was about to cry.
For some strange reason, he felt as afraid as he did when it was already the first day of school after a holiday and he still hadn’t finished all of his holiday homework.
However, his colleagues were fighting desperately. How could he be afraid of dying when all he had done was run?
Was he afraid of dying helplessly?
Kang Chan stood guard for ten minutes.
He was the only one who didn’t sleep among the four of them. Seok Kang-Ho grumbled about it when he woke up, but Kang Chan only smirked in response.
Yoon Sang-Ki would even sell his soul to the devil if one existed. He would burn in hell forever in exchange for running over and killing Jang Kwang-Taek.
“Huff! Huff! Huff!”
It was unfair.
Yoon Sang-Ki hadn’t even fired a single bullet yet. He found it unfair that he would die after drooling and peeing himself while his colleagues were fighting for their lives.
It was about two in the afternoon. The sun was behind their heads now.
They probably still had to run for another three hours.
‘I’m sorry!’
The faces of the soldiers flashed across Yoon Sang-Ki’s mind.
If General Choi Seong-Geon could see them, he would’ve definitely looked at the faraway sky while pretending that he wasn’t crying.
All of the soldiers knew that when Choi Seong-Geon looked at the sky after he received the helmet from them, the tough gentleman tightly gritted his teeth and hid his tears.
‘I’m sorry!’
Yoon Sang-Ki found it a bit easier to breathe when he thought of Choi Seong-Geon. What was more fascinating was that his legs kept moving. contemporary romance
Is this what it would take to be a world-famous special forces team? Do soldiers of teams like that have to be as equally skilled as Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho, who keep running like machines?
“Huff! Huff! Huff!”
Bam!
Yoon Sang-Ki struck his chest.
Thud.
His legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground.
Is this how everything ends?
When Yoon Sang-Ki shook his head, he saw Hong Ki-Yoon lying down in exhaustion on the ground, gasping like a dog.
What’s going on? I’m not the only one who collapsed?
Yoon Sang-Ki forced himself to look up even though he couldn’t open his eyes properly anymore.
Kang Chan had bent forward and put his hands on his knees. He was also gasping for breath.
‘Is he resting? Are we finally going to rest?’
What was the point of doing that now? Yoon Sang-Ki no longer had any strength to run.
“Let’s rest for ten minutes before cutting Jang Kwang-Taek’s head off. You guys did well,” Kang Chan said.
What’s he saying?
Yoon Sang-Ki turned his head.
“Cough! Cough!” Seok Kang-Ho was retching. He only drooled, though, since there was nothing for him to vomit.
“Huff! Huff!”
Yoon Sang-Ki looked at Kang Chan again. He was still breathing heavily.
Kang Chan grinned. When their eyes met, Yoon Sang-Ki got a feeling so ominous that it was as if he got covered in ice.
“It took us only four hours to get here. Huff! Huff!” Kang Chan explained.
Fuck!
Yoon Sang-Ki couldn’t believe it.
Their enemies expected them to take eight hours. They would’ve definitely considered their best speed when they calculated that.
But it only took us four hours. How is Kang Chan still alive even after running that fast?
Yoon Sang-Ki laughed heartily. He felt bad for their enemies because they had to fight someone like Kang Chan.
Jang Kwang-Taek, you fucking dickhead! How did you end up getting targeted by such a man?
1. Libération is an actual daily newspaper in France. It was founded in 1973. 👈
2. The Kuznetsov is a Russian aircraft carrier that serves as the flagship of the Russian Navy 👈
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