Chapter 184.2: I Am Happy (1)
Kang Chan and his team headed downhill and stopped just before a barbed-wire fence. He immediately noticed four guard posts spaced a hundred meters apart.
“That’s where Jang Kwang-Taek is? Really?” Seok Kang-Ho asked, looking at the building with a dubious expression. The whole establishment was composed of two two-story buildings to the left and three one-story buildings to the right.
Unfortunately for them, they happened to be at the front of the building. In this situation, they had to use the mountain to go toward the back of the building as much as they could, but there was a goddamn road behind the compound.
If there was a silver lining, it was that the structure didn’t seem to be big.
“Let’s clear and occupy that guard post first. I’ll head straight into the building, so support me from that tower,” Kang Chan said, eyeing the guard post that resembled a two-story lookout tower. Among the guard posts, it was the only one equipped with a machine gun.
“That looks like a KPV heavy machine gun. Guess I’m finally getting my hands on one,” Seok Kang-Ho remarked.
“Can you do it with Hong Ki-Yoon?” Kang Chan confirmed.
“Without a doubt,” Seok Kang-Ho confidently replied. He then looked at Hong Ki-Yoon with a nod. “Or we could leave the guard posts to them so I can accompany you inside.”
Kang Chan considered the idea but eventually shook his head.
“This operation won’t work if the rear is unstable. We have to work perfectly in sync together if we want to quickly get back to the mountain.”
“Got it.”
“Let’s head in after having some C-rations,” Kang Chan ordered.
Remaining in crouching positions, Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho backed up and sat on the ground. The terrain allowed them to relax a little because it was sloped down on both sides.
Yoon Sang-Ki and Hong Ki-Yoon had become so pale that they looked as if they had changed races.
Kang Chan opened his military gear and tore open a C-ration.
Crunch, crunch. Munch, munch.
Yoon Sang-Ki and Hong Ki-Yoon initially shoved the food into their mouths, but they slowed down when they saw Kang Chan. After drinking enough water, the time had come to get back to work.
Kang Chan drew on the ground with his finger.
“Seok Kang-Ho and Hong Ki-Yoon, you guys take this area. Yoon Sang-Ki, take charge of the guard post here,” Kang Chan ordered.
“Understood, sir,” Yoon Sang-Ki responded and lifted his gaze to look at Kang Chan, silently questioning if it was okay for him to go in alone.
“If things get dicey, unleash hell,” Kang Chan instructed them.
“Will do,” Seok Kang-Ho replied.
The enemies could fire six hundred rounds of ammo per minute. Anyone who carelessly rushed toward them would be torn apart before they could even pull the trigger. However, Kang Chan and his team were on the mission to kill the head of the North Korean Ministry of Defense. The assassination seemed unlikely to succeed, and even if it did, surviving would still be nigh impossible.
Clack. Click.
They cautiously checked their weapons and their spare magazines.
“Let’s be quick about it. The faster we get this done, the more of our comrades survive,” Kang Chan said, looking at Seok Kang-Ho, Yoon Sang-Ki, then Hong Ki-Yoon.
Tap, tap.
Kang Chan extended his hand to pat Yoon Sang-Ki’s helmet. He then reached out for Hong Ki-Yoon’s helmet.
Thud! Thud!
He beat Seok Kang-Ho’s helmet a bit harder.
“Let’s go.”
Yoon Sang-Ki felt shivers run down his entire body upon hearing Kang Chan’s command. Kang Chan’s eyes showed how certain he was about Jang Kwang-Taek’s death.
They were back at the spot where they were looking down from earlier. The terrain made it so that if they carefully descended, the guard posts wouldn’t notice them.
Who could have imagined that someone would attack the Ministry of Defense? Especially now that the sun was still setting behind the mountain?
Maybe it was because they had taken off their military gear, but they seemed so unnaturally light that they felt as if they could fly off into the sky.
“Be careful with the gravel,” Kang Chan warned.
The descent was about forty meters in length. With every step, they risked sliding, rocks rolling, or branches breaking, Making any notable noise meant being shot at with six hundred bullets per minute.
It wouldn’t just end with their bodies being shredded apart—that wasn’t the worst part. It was that they would fail the mission and get their fellow soldiers killed. The possibility of that outcome weighed down on their minds.
Because it was autumn, there were plenty of fallen leaves and the trees themselves were bare. Kang Chan chose to take the road that was deeply eroded by the water that used to stream through it.
Crunch, rustle.
They relied on the roots of the trees and the rocks to support their weight. They could grab onto them like hikers, but that could cause rocks to roll down because they put too much weight onto the spot. It could also lead to branches breaking, which meant immediate death.
It took normal hikers any time between five to ten minutes to descend forty meters. However, considering Kang Chan’s team had to infiltrate the compound without making any sound, they would likely take twenty to forty minutes at most. After all, they had to use their military boots’ heels to create makeshift steps by digging into the ground and also find areas that could support their weight by pushing with their hands.
About ten meters down, Kang Chan looked up. Seok Kang-Ho was up next.
Naturally, they couldn’t go down a path like this all at the same time. If someone were to slip halfway through, someone would have to be ready to provide cover. They also had to push aside dry branches hidden between the fallen leaves with their feet and grind the soil to create steps so they could move further down.
On the bright side, they were deep in the fallen leaves, so their enemies wouldn’t find them that easily unless they were searching closeby.
Rustle. Rustle.
As Seok Kang-Ho descended, soil broke off from underneath his foot and rolled down on Kang Chan’s back.
Kang Chan quickly glanced at the guard posts. They were still quiet, but there was a chance that they heard the commotion, so he observed them for about ten seconds. Fortunately, they showed no movement
They resumed their slow descent.
Rustle.
Kang Chan swiftly looked below him. Snakes and other creatures like Asian badgers, raccoons, and other goddamn beasts that he’d never even heard about before could be underneath the fallen leaves.
Still, for as long as it wasn’t a venomous snake, they should be fine.
Rustle. Rustle.
The sounds gradually faded away.
It took them about twenty-five minutes to descend. With the sun behind their backs, the shadows cast by the mountain made it easier to conceal themselves.
Kang Chan glanced up at the guard posts. About twenty meters away from them was the watchtower-like structure. It was two meters high and two stories tall. It had no windows, which meant any screams would echo outside.
It made sense there weren't any windows, though. No fool would leave a KPV machine gun indoors.
The machine gun was likely placed there as a means to intimidate.
Kang Chan gritted his teeth. His surroundings were so quiet that he could hear a pin drop.
This was the Ministry of Defense building. Shouldn’t there be trucks and jeeps coming and going? Where were the small noises and people clamoring? Damn it.
Maybe it was because they came from the mountains, but the guards didn’t look their way. That just made things even more annoying, though. If they were regularly looking this way, Kang Chan could have pinpointed when there would be gaps. The guards at the left and rights posts were openly engaged in other activities.
Kang Chan turned his gaze toward Seok Kang-Ho.
‘You ready?’
‘Yep, ready.’
Looks were enough for them to exchange words.
Kang Chan gestured at the enemy who was on the two-story guard post.
Swish swish swish.
Seok Kang-Ho quickly made his way below the guard post. They would put the operation at risk if anyone saw him move no matter if they were inside the building or at the other watchtowers.
The guard post was on a large platform constructed with big planks and rounded logs. Seok Kang-Ho tightly pressed his body against the structure. When he glanced back, Kang Chan nodded at him.
Swish. Swish.
Using the planks and logs for support, Seok Kang-Ho began to climb. He was managing to carry himself up with just the strength in his arms.
Creak, creeeak.
However, the damn tree started to make noise.
“Did you hear that?” someone suddenly asked, the voice coming from above.
Kang Chan silently aimed his gun at the guards.
Swish. Swish.
“Whatever. Forget it. If we bring it up to the higher-ups, they’ll ask us to fix it,” the other guard complained.
The conversation between the two sounded as if they were speaking right next to each other.
Whoosh!
Not long after, a gust of wind swept through, seemingly taunting Kang Chan.
The goddamn post was just two meters, and Seok Kang-Ho was just two arms away from the top. The wide planks concealed his body a little, providing him some comfort.
Creak.
The planks began to cry and shriek again when Seok Kang-Ho extended his arms to resume climbing.
“Is this thing falling apart?” another guard asked.
“Ugh, motherfucker! Go investigate after your shift is over. Stop looking around. The higher-ups could be looking in through the opening,” his fellow guard grumbled.
Creak.
Seok Kang-Ho hung his arms right below the platform’s floorboards.
The two guards grew silent again.
Swish. Swish.
Kang Chan waited for Seok Kang-Ho’s next move. After a while, Seok Kang-Ho climbed a little bit higher.
The two guards sat facing the front of the building. They turned their muzzles pointing diagonally upward toward the sky and shifted positions.
The railing was waist-high.
Swish. Swish.
Everything felt as if it was moving in slow motion.
One, two.
Whoosh!
Seok Kang-Ho bent his arm, propelling his body upward. The moment he slid under the railing, the enemy turned their heads.
Pew! Pew!
A faint spray of blood spurted from their foreheads.
Seok Kang-Ho immediately lunged forward to grab the falling enemies.
At the same time, Kang Chan gave Hong Ki-Yoon a signal.
What about our surroundings?
.
As Kang Chan scanned the area, Hong Ki-Yoon quickly climbed up to the platform, took off the enemy’s helmet, and wore it. The blood that collected in the helmet flowed down his back.
Hong Ki-Yoon sat down first. Seok Kang-Ho took a seat after.
All of this happened in less than thirty seconds. Half of the mission was a success now.
Kang Chan looked at Yoon Sang-Ki and pointed at the other guard post that they were targeting.
After about five minutes…
Chk. Chk. Chk. Chk.
… Yoon Sang-Ki signaled that he had reached the guard post.
It was time to begin.
Kang Chan quickly dug under the guard post. There was an iron mesh surrounding the tower, but the gaps were wide enough for him to slip through with ease.
Chk.
“Daye, I’m going in,” Kang Chan radioed in.
Chk.
“Got it, Cap,” Seok Kang-Ho replied.
Kang Chan clenched his teeth as he glared at the four-story building.
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