Chapter 141.2: Even if it means death (2)
“Sirs!”
Choi Seong-Geon, who was in front of the barracks with the soldiers who were shot, greeted Kang Chan and the rest of his party from where he was standing.
“We will proceed with afternoon training after lunch,” Kang Chan said.
“Got it.”
Choi Seong-Geon replied with a nod instead of speaking, but it wasn’t out of ill intent.
Kang Chan stepped up the stairs in front of the barracks.
“After your meal, you will have two hours to rest. Get an hour of sleep. Doesn’t matter if you can’t?fall asleep. You have no choice. You never know when mountain warfare will end up lasting into nighttime,” Kang Chan stated.
“You plan to keep this up at night too?” Choi Seong-Geon suddenly chimed.
It was already this hellish in the morning. If they trained at night, the soldiers could actually die. Even so, Choi Seong-Geon had no choice but to accept it. After all, the soldiers’ eyes were blazing more furiously than ever before.
***
“Enjoy your lunch, sir.”
Every soldier who passed by Kang Chan greeted him, holding their trays of food. There was no exception to this.
“Ha,” Suh Sang-Hyun scoffed as he ate a big spoonful of rice.
Red, spicy pork, white rice, and five different kinds of side dishes were prepared for the men. If the soldiers wanted, they could choose to have hamburgers instead. There were also three types of fruit stacked up next to one side of the serving table. They had three soup options as well: spicy beef soup, short rib soup, and soybean paste soup.
“What do you think of the men now that you’ve trained with them?” Kim Tae-Jin asked as he raised a spoonful of short rib soup. He only asked the question out of curiosity, but all the soldiers eagerly waited for Kang Chan’s answer.
“I think I’ll have to apologize,” Kang Chan said.
“For what?” Kim Tae-Jin asked.
“They were trained to a higher standard than I initially thought. More than anything, their determination and sense of duty are definitely worthy of praise,” Kang Chan replied.
Kim Tae-Jin abruptly stopped eating and looked at Kang Chan, the spoon in his hand hanging halfway toward his mouth.
“Are you sure you’re not just saying that to make me feel good?” Kim Tae-Jin asked suspiciously.
“To get the hang of live ammo training this fast…” Kang Chan trailed off musingly. “The Foreign Legion would probably have to repeat this training at least ten to fifteen times to get used to it. The special forces soldiers are skilled in that regard. We haven’t suffered any deaths yet, either.”
Kim Tae-Jin grinned until Kang Chan continued.
“Of course, none of the soldiers have managed to shoot at their opponents’ helmets yet.”
In response, Kim Tae-Jin quickly filled his mouth with rice. Before slightly bending over to drink some of the soup, he asked, “You all heard what he said, didn’t you?”
Kang Chan scanned the faces of the soldiers inside the cafeteria.
“I’ll have to admit, I judged you men too harshly in the beginning. I apologize for that. Let’s wrap up our afternoon training with gusto. After the training, let’s get some fresh air in a few days,” Kang Chan said.
“Are you referring to the preemptive attack, sir?” a soldier asked.
Kang Chan smirked in reply instead of answering the question.
Kang Chan’s party leisurely finished their meal and sat in front of the barracks, enjoying some bagged coffee and cigarettes.
“Sang-Hyun and I will skip out on the afternoon training,” Kim Tae-Jin said.
“Got it. I don’t think you have to worry about the soldiers any more, given their abilities,” Kang Chan assured him.
Kim Tae-Jin looked at Kang Chan as the latter drank his coffee from a paper cup.
At the mess hall, Kim Tae-Jin had seen the soldiers willingly following Kang Chan. They observed Kang Chan’s every word, gaze, and even the movements of his hands.
If this kind of commander leads an operation, and his team actually gets to infiltrate another country…
Kang Chan gazed at Kim Tae-Jin as if to ask why he was giving him that look.
“I’m just looking at you because I like you!” Kim Tae-Jin jokingly said, then grinned. He felt happiness so pure he felt like a child again. “Ahem!”
He was feeling sleepy and cozy, probably because he had eaten lunch, and the tension he felt had disappeared.
“Why don’t you get some sleep, sir?” Kang Chan suggested.
“Sounds like a good idea,” Kim Tae-Jin said. Soon after, he headed back inside the barracks.
The soldiers also returned to the barracks one by one. It seemed like they were doing it to follow Kang Chan’s instructions, not because they were drowsy. They had taken Kang Chan’s commands to sleep as part of their training.
Kang Chan took out his phone and checked if there were any missed calls.
“These kids aren’t to be taken lightly, Cap. They’re pretty strong,” Seok Kang-Ho said as he bit on a new cigarette. “But they still lack experience. They were only slightly better than the recruits from the operation in Mongolia, really. Are you really planning to go with just these soldiers?”
“What else can I do? They’re all determined to put their lives on the line just so they can come.”
“Argh! This won’t be easy, huh?” Seok Kang-Ho sighed.
“Do you want to rest for the upcoming training session?” Kang Chan asked.
“What are you talking about? I was just saying that this is not going to be easy, not that I’m going to stop,” Seok Kang-Ho asserted. He looked a little shocked by Kang Chan’s offer.
“Are you really feeling okay? Your wounds aren’t acting up?” Kang Chan asked, concerned.
“About that… I’m pretty much all healed now. There’s seriously no reason anymore for me to still have bandages wrapped around me.”
Seok Kang-Ho’s recovery speed was now nearly on par with Kang Chan’s. Was it because he had received the energy of the Blackhead diamond?
***
Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho also got about an hour of sleep. By the time they had washed their faces and headed out of the barracks, Kim Tae-Jin and Suh Sang-Hyun were already there.
The soldiers bustled around as they washed up, preparing for what was to come this afternoon.
They had only finished morning training, but their faces were already so gaunt it was as if they had trained for a full day.
Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.?
Kang Chan’s phone began to ring. He had kept it on him since they still had some break time left.
“Mr. Ambassador? This is Kang Chan,” he answered.
-Mr. Kang Chan, where are you right now?
“I’m in the Jeungpyeong area right now. Why did you call?”
Kang Chan couldn’t put his finger on it, but Lanok sounded different.
-The UK is preparing a surprise attack. We’re thinking of launching an attack first, so I was wondering if you could command the special forces team of the Foreign Legion.?
Kang Chan stared at Cha Dong-Hyun for a moment. The soldiers had gathered in preparation for the afternoon training, and they were now peeking at Kang Chan because he suddenly started to speak fluent French.
“When do I have to leave?” Kang Chan asked.
-You’ll have to depart at dawn the day after tomorrow. This isn’t just urgent because this will be your debut. France will suffer great damage if we can’t stop the attack. We need a perfect victory like in Mongolia. I’m asking you for a personal favor right now, Mr. Kang Chan.?
“I understand, Mr. Ambassador. However, I will take the South Korean special forces with me as backup,” Kang Chan declared.
-This is a fight for France.?
“We received help in Mongolia, so it’s only fair that we repay the favor. I am actually coordinating with their soldiers right now, so it will be more comfortable to take another team with me.”
-All right. What do you need me to prepare?
“I only need means of transportation and information regarding the operation. I’ll head back to Seoul after this call, so let’s discuss the rest when I get there.”
-Thank you, Mr. Kang Chan.?
By the time Kang Chan had hung up, the soldiers were already standing around him while still giving him some space.
Kang Chan stood up from where he was sitting on the steps. Kim Tae-Jin and Suh Sang-Hyun were naturally waiting for him to begin, while Choi Seong-Geon was looking at Kang Chan with a worried expression. Choi Seong-Geon seemed anxious to know how the afternoon training would be conducted.
Kang Chan strode over to Choi Seong-Geon and gestured to Kim Tae-Jin.
“What is it?” Kim Tae-Jin asked.
“Mr. Kim, I’ve just received a request from France to lead the Foreign Legion’s special forces on a preemptive attack operation on the UK. France will take care of the transportation and information and tie up any loose ends. I will choose eight members from these soldiers to join the operation as the Foreign Legion’s backup. You can’t get any better combat experience than this.”
Choi Seong-Geon quickly turned to Kim Tae-Jin. The rest of the soldiers glanced over at the three, wondering what was going on.
“Sir, do you think we can get permission for this?” Choi Seong-Geon asked Kim Tae-Jin.
“It might be hard to give official permission, but they’ll turn a blind eye if Kang Chan requests it. I heard you received help from France during the Mongolian operation,” Kim Tae-Jin replied.
Choi Seong-Geon looked at Kang Chan with his lips pressed together.
“We will have to depart at dawn the day after tomorrow. I will take eight soldiers. Please make arrangements and say they’re using their vacation days instead,” Kang Chan requested.
Choi Seong-Geon nodded with his lips protruding thickly in a pout. He then asked, “How will you select the soldiers?”
“I want to leave that to Cha Dong-Gyun.”
“All right. I take it you will be commanding this operation yourself?”
“That’s right.”
Hearing Kang Chan’s response, Choi Seong-Geon took in a deep breath and nodded. As he did, Kang Chan turned toward the soldiers and approached them.
“Today’s afternoon training is canceled,” he announced, surprising the nervous soldiers. Disappointment flashed across their faces.
“Cha Dong-Gyun,” Kang Chan began.
“Yes, sir,” Cha Dong-Gyun replied.
“I need eight soldiers to go with me on vacation at dawn the day after tomorrow. Two of those should be snipers. Create a list and request for the days off from General Choi,” Kang Chan ordered.
Cha Dong-Gyun’s expression made it difficult to tell if he was smiling or crying.
“Can you make the list?” Kang Chan asked.
“Please leave it to me, sir!” Cha Dong-Gyun replied. His sharp, pointed eyes glinted.
“We will be going as support this time. Consider it as combat training, got it?”
“Thank you, sir!”
Kang Chan laughed at the silly response.
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