Chapter 139.1: In a whole different league (2)
Thick and juicy pork was put on the grill above the stacks of firewood, and flames instantly engulfed it. The soldiers were so adept at cutting the meat into edible portions that this obviously wasn’t their first time doing a barbecue.
Kim Tae-Jin helped ease the awkwardness the most. The soldiers could feel comfortable around him because he was a senior to Choi Seong-Geon but was no longer an active soldier. Moreover, his relaxed, soft charisma naturally drew the men to him.
Suh Sang-Hyun occasionally chimed in as well, further lightening up the stiff atmosphere.
Kang Chan, Seok Kang-Ho, and Choi Jong-Il’s group took to one side of the grill.
Fwoosh!?
The flames blazed mercilessly, but Woo Hee-Seung and Lee Doo-Hee still expertly cut the meat, seemingly unaffected by the heat. The cooked ribs that they cut right off the fire were especially delicious.
As Kang Chan ate a piece of meat with his chopsticks, someone came up to him.
“My name is Cha Dong-Gyun,” said the sharp-eyed soldier who approached Kang Chan. “I was at the conference for the Eurasian Rail too. Back then, I heard your orders over the radio, but I had no idea you were the God of Blackfield, Mr. Kang Chan. Before the training began, all we knew about you was that you were a high school student.”
Cha Dong-Gyun’s voice was low and husky. When he turned older, he would definitely take after Jeon Dae-Geuk’s rugged and coarse voice.
“We had a lot of debate among ourselves about whether it made sense that the God of Blackfield was both the man at the conference and the man who went to Mongolia. Well, that’s in the past now. Please accept a drink from me, sir,” Cha Dong-Gyun said.
Cha Dong-Gyun poured a beverage from a plastic bottle into a paper cup, then handed it to Kang Chan.
“There’s something I’m curious about, Mr. Kang Chan,” Cha Dong-Gyun continued.
Choi Jong-Il watched Cha Dong-Gyun with a bemused expression.
“I would like to know why we got defeated before we could even launch a single counterattack,” Cha Dong-Gyun requested.
The soldiers around them had been pretending to continue their meal as they listened to their conversation. However, the moment Cha Dong-Gyun asked that question, not a single person moved their chopsticks.
Fwoosh! Whoosh!
Woo Hee-Seung moved the meat over to the side of the grill that the fire couldn’t reach so the food wouldn’t get burnt as they spoke.
“It’s probably the difference between someone who believes they can kill and someone who actually has killed,” Kang Chan answered.
Cha Dong-Gyun gave a tense smile, but it didn’t seem to be because Kang Chan spoke down to him. Rather, he seemed to disagree with what Kang Chan said.
“All the men here have experience participating in missions and operations before. Although they have never been in a situation where they had to kill, none of the soldiers here is scared or distressed over the idea of killing an enemy,” Choi Seong-Geon said.
Kang Chan nodded.
Everyone was near the grill, so they could all hear the conversation between Cha Dong-Gyun and Kang Chan. Even Choi Seong-Geon had turned to face Kang Chan.
“Just because you’ve gotten your driver’s license doesn’t mean you can immediately start driving like a pro. If you have the guts, you can certainly have a go with your car, but that will most likely get you in an accident, won’t it? Using that same logic, what do you think will probably happen if you go on an operation?” Kang Chan rebutted.
“So we’re like newborn chicks in your eyes,” Cha Dong-Gyun said.
“You aren’t like newborn chicks. You are newborn chicks,” Kang Chan corrected.
The tension made the atmosphere frost over. Meanwhile, Seok Kang-Ho squirmed because the piece of meat he put in his mouth was too hot.
Kang Chan had already made up his mind to give these soldiers a chance anyway. He intended to try getting them into shape at least for Jeon Dae-Geuk and Kim Hyung-Jun, who anxiously rushed all the way over to Anseong to persuade him, and Kim Tae-Jin, who willingly agreed to spend the night here.
“Refresh my memory. What were the results of the Mongolian operation again?” Kang Chan asked.
Cha Dong-Gyun’s cheek twitched.
“There were three Iglas at the conference hall, weren’t there? One of which was successfully launched. What do you plan to do if something like that happens during an operation in an enemy country? Are you just going to return to your motherland in a bodybag because you were prepared to die anyway?” Kang Chan relentlessly asked.
No one dared breathe by the time Kang Chan finished. They all stayed frozen—except for Seok Kang-Ho.
“He’s jabbing them where it hurts, for sure,” Choi Seong-Geon whispered to Kim Tae-Jin.
“Kang Chan isn’t the type to do that without any reason,” Kim Tae-Jin replied under his breath.
The tension ran so high that it felt as if a fight would break out at any moment.
“Why do you carry around a pistol?” Kang Chan asked, looking Cha Dong-Gyun in the eye. “What about your rifle? Or your bayonet? I’m looking for soldiers who can actually survive situations like the one today, not someone who will protect a conference hall and shoot human-shaped dummy dolls.”
“Please don’t speak as if we have never participated in missions that took place in other countries. All the soldiers here have experience training with famous teams from foreign nations, and they received high praise as well. On top of that, they are all veterans who have gone on operations in the Middle East too,” Cha Dong-Gyun defended.
Kang Chan nodded.
“Do you think you can really show me what you’re made of?” Kang Chan asked.
“How should we do that?” Cha Dong-Gyun eagerly asked with glinting eyes.
Kang Chan turned his gaze to Choi Seong-Geon.
“Can I be in charge of the soldiers’ training tomorrow, General?” Kang Chan asked.
“Of course,” Choi Seong-Geon replied after shortly glancing at Kim Tae-Jin for approval.
“Show me what you’re capable of during training tomorrow, then,” Kang Chan said.
“Understood, sir,” Cha Dong-Gyun responded. His admiration was tinted with a bit of hostility, causing the other soldiers’ eyes to betray the mixed emotions they felt.
When Cha Dong-Gyun returned to his seat, Seok Kang-Ho handed Kang Chan a pair of chopsticks.
“It’s so good that it’s to die for. Hurry up. Dig in,” Seok Kang-Ho urged.
Everyone went back to their meal, but the mood had been fully thrown in the dumps.
After eating their fill, Kim Tae-Jin, Kang Chan, Seok Kang-Ho, and Suh Sang-Hyun entered the barrack where Choi Seong-Geon had previously guided them. When they opened the door next to Choi Seong-Geon’s office, they found a few cots that had already been set up.
Choi Seong-Geon and his aide had erected the temporary beds because he wanted his guests to rest comfortably.
“You’re really serious about doing this, huh?” Kim Tae-Jin asked.
“Yes. I keep wanting to go easy on them whenever I see the looks in their eyes,” Kang Chan replied.
“Why did you provoke them so much earlier, then?” Kim Tae-Jin wondered curiously.
“Because I’m going to give them the beating of their lives tomorrow,” Kang Chan mischievously answered.
Suh Sang-Hyun stood in place with a numb expression, and Seok Kang-Ho just shook his head in disgust and horror.
“What do you think? Do they have any potential?” Kim Tae-Jin prodded.
“They have the skills, but they lack way too much experience. I’m not confident I can provide them with that experience by taking them around either,” Kang Chan pondered.
“Hmm, I’m honestly not surprised that you came to that conclusion. We have always found that to be a shame too. It can’t be helped, though, since they have never gone to other countries and initiated attacks first. The senior soldiers at the DMZ can at least pass on their experience, so we do get some capable soldiers out of that, but none of the soldiers ever got the chance to gain experience in strategies like these,” Kim Tae-Jin mused.
“Sir, with my abilities, I can still pull my weight wherever I go,” Suh Sang-Hyun countered with frustration, jumping into the conversation. It seemed as if he had sympathized with the soldiers’ feelings earlier.
Suh Sang-Hyun is right, but he’s also wrong.?
“The difference between practice and real-life experience is simple. When you hear the sound of some rustling, will you shoot immediately or wait on standby? Those brief moments are what determine life and death,” Kang Chan stated.
“These men can shoot at the drop of the hat when it comes to it,” Suh Sang-Hyun argued, seemingly upset by Kang Chan’s response.
“Let’s say they have already snuck into an enemy country. What if they pull the trigger and it was just a wild animal? What happens after that? What if the object they thought was a beast was actually an enemy instead? Instantaneous but correct judgments can only be made with enough experience.”
“The soldiers have already received that kind of training,” Suh Sang-Hyun insisted.
“I suppose we’ll see tomorrow,” Kang Chan replied.
Suh Sang-Hyun didn’t have anything to say to that.
The moonlight traveled in through the window and illuminated the room.
“My, time flies fast. It feels like just yesterday when I was roaming around the DMZ…” Kim Tae-Jin muttered to himself. Just then, the sound of Seok Kang-Ho’s snoring echoed throughout the room.
“You should hurry and get some sleep. You might not be able to fall asleep after a little while,” Kang Chan advised.
“Is his snoring that bad?” Kim Tae-Jin asked.
“It will be hard for you to ignore it,” Kang Chan said.
“Then I really should hurry and sleep,” Kim Tae-Jin remarked.
Kim Tae-Jin pulled the covers over himself and turned over on his side.
***
They woke up at six, washed themselves up, and ate breakfast.
It was so good that it wasn’t an exaggeration to say the food was the best part of their special treatment. Even Kim Tae-Jin was satisfied.
After they finished their meal, they relaxed with some tea and refreshments for about 30 minutes.
“What’s your plan for the training?” Kim Tae-Jin asked.
“Just some basic running, mountain warfare, and urban warfare,” Kang Chan replied.
“Then I guess I should sit out of this one,” Kim Tae-Jin said as he shook his head with a smile.
When Kang Chan walked outside, the soldiers were already standing in line.
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