Chapter 186.1: Job Well Done (1)
A lion had pounced into a battle between dholes and wolves.
Pew! Thud! Pew pew! Thud! Thud!
Seok Kang-Ho, Kwak Cheol-Ho, and Yoon Sang-Ki followed Kang Chan.
Were those bastards always that weak?
The North Korean soldiers managed to get within twelve meters of the South Korean special forces team. However, by the time they lifted their heads or even spun around to escape, Kang Chan had already taken the shots that killed them.
Kwak Cheol-Ho suddenly realized the importance of having a commander.
Ha, motherfuckers! To think you were trying to surround us just moments ago! Why don’t you come at us now? Come and get some!
He felt as if he was witnessing an otherwise indestructible wall being toppled down.
Hah. Hah.
Kang Chan sharply scanned his surroundings.
Do these motherfuckers not have any plans on giving up at all?
These North Koreans mobilized soldiers and conducted acts of terrorism, killed Choi Seong-Geon, and attempted to assassinate Kang Dae-Kyung and Yoo Hye-Sook. Now, they were trying to gain the upper hand and kill the South Korean soldiers using their superior numbers.
Rustle! Rustle!
Every now and then, one would come across situations where crawling was the best way to approach their enemies. However, this moment wasn’t one of those. With everyone standing so sharply at attention, they could all sense whenever the enemy moved their guns or lifted their hands.
Click! Swoosh! Thwack!
How dare that son of a bitch aim that gun here?
Kang Chan turned his head and gestured at Seok Kang-Ho.
‘Go around to the left!’
‘Got it.’
Seok Kang-Ho trod lightly.
Clack! Pew! Pew! Pew! Thwack! Thwack!
After a short while, three bullets—one from Kang Chan, Seok Kang-Ho, and Kwak Cheol-Ho each—flew through the forehead of the enemy soldier who lifted his head.
Kang Chan slowly moved the barrel of his gun from right to left. The tension inside him was easing up.
The sharp blade of his mind dulled down little by little, and the sound of the wind breezing through the branches and grass began to sound normal again.
He apprehensively drew in a breath and quietly let it out.
At the very least, it felt as if the fight was over for now.
Clank.
Kang Chan removed the gun from his shoulder and scanned his surroundings one last time.
“Kwak Cheol-Ho, have our men station here and there. Order one more to stand guard down there as well,” Kang Chan ordered.
“Understood, sir,” Kwak Cheol-Ho responded. With a wave of his hand, three soldiers quickly headed to their positions.
Of the twenty-four men who joined this mission, only thirteen were left. Five of them had their arms and legs tied up with their uniforms, which were stained with dark blood.
The soldier tasked to stand guard also got into position.
“Bring the dead soldiers over here,” Kang Chan commanded again.
It hadn’t been too long since the battle ended. The soldiers, still nervous and alert, swiftly got to work.
Rustle. Rustle.
These fallen men were their fellow comrades, people who fought alongside and ran with them just this morning. That only made it harder to drag their stiff and limp bodies on the ground.
The soldiers had grave expressions on their faces, but they managed to gather the dead men in one place.
Chk.
Heavy silence enveloped the area as they took out their knives and cut their sleeves and pants to block their fallen brothers’ ears and noses.
They had just about wrapped up everything now.
“Eat up for now,” Kang Chan ordered.
The soldiers’ eyes widened in surprise, but they still obediently pulled out their C-rations.
Kang Chan knew that this was going to be tough for them. After all, their fellow soldiers just died right before their eyes. Even if they were hungry, eating now would still seem like a luxury that would make them feel guilty.
However, nothing could be done about it. In order to survive, they had to eat and sleep whenever they got the chance.
As Kang Chan ordered, the soldiers began to take out their C-rations from their bags.
Chk! Chk! Chk!
The sound of plastic being torn could be heard among the soldiers.
Munch. Munch. Munch. Munch.
On top of being hungry, they were all making an effort to finish their meal as quickly as they could.
These men, still wearing black camouflage cream on their faces, hurriedly shoved spoonfuls of food in their mouths. They ate in silence next to their fallen comrades and the dead enemy soldiers with holes through their foreheads.
If others saw them like this, some would probably ask why they chose this life. However, a philosophical mind wasn’t needed for battles. They were only here as soldiers—as members of a special forces team—on an operation. Right now, all Kang Chan should do was focus on safely getting these surviving soldiers back home.
After drinking some water, three soldiers stood up and switched with the ones standing guard.
“I’ll take your post. Go get some food in you,” Seok Kang-Ho said as he stood in Kang Chan’s place. Kang Chan and the three soldiers who took the first watch began to eat C-rations.
By now, all the soldiers knew that Jang Kwang-Taek died. However, the way they looked at Kang Chan clearly showed that they had a hard time believing it.
These punks can’t bring themselves to believe that we actually managed to kill Jang Kwang-Taek even though that’s what we’re here for.
Yoon Kang-Ki put his hand in his breast pocket.
“I want to put this next to the general,” he said.
Kang Chan squinted to see what Yoon Sang-Ki had taken out.
“It’s Jang Kwang-Taek’s hat, sir,” Yoon Sang-Ki informed him.
Yoon Sang-Ki seemed to have picked up Jang Kwang-Taek’s hat before they abandoned the car on the way here.
“Here you go, sir,” Yoon Sang-Ki offered.
“You have it,” Kwak Cheol-Ho refused. However, Yoon Sang-Ki continued to hold out his hand with the hat.
When Kang Chan glanced at them, he saw Kwak Cheol-Ho extend his hand and take the hat. At the same time, Kang Chan also finished his meal.
All that was left now was to return alive.
Kang Chan looked at his watch. Around two hours later, he would receive a broadcast on the radio. It was awkward timing to start walking, but he also felt uncomfortable just waiting around for the broadcast.
Jang Kwang-Taek was dead now, but they were all cornered in one place. Fortunately, the enemy hadn’t sent additional soldiers yet. No tank or mortar were deployed to their location, and the North Korean army wasn’t coming.
Still, this was North Korean land.
“Let’s head deeper inside first,” Kang Chan directed.
The soldiers quickly finished getting ready.
“Daye, you and Kwak Cheol-Ho take the rear. Yoon Sang-Ki, guard our right flank,” Kang Chan ordered again.
“Got it, Cap,” Seok Kang-Ho replied.
“Yes, sir,” Yoon Sang-Ki responded.
After ordering the injured soldiers to stand in the middle of the formation, Kang Chan slowly led his men forward. It was a dark forest, and the paths were difficult to walk on. However, they had to take this road back.
Thirty minutes into the march, Kang Chan stopped to carefully observe their surroundings. He could see everything in the area with just a glance.
Although quite some time had passed since the last round of bullets were fired, nothing had happened yet. Taking that into consideration, he grew certain that the North Korean leadership somehow influenced this current situation.
“Kwak Cheol-Ho, we’ll be resting here. Divide the men into two groups. We’ll take turns sleeping for an hour,” Kang Chan ordered.
“Yes, sir,” Kwak Cheol-Ho replied.
“Daye, you sleep first,” Kang Chan told Seok Kang-Ho.
“Will do,” Seok Kang-Ho responded.
Half of the soldiers lay down behind the men who were awake.
They would sleep when they were ordered to. Once they were back up, they would fight if that was required of them.
A moment later, Kang Chan heard someone snoring.
.
How can that bastard still snore even in the middle of enemy territory?
Darkness had settled upon the night.
Kang Chan sat back against a tree with his rifle slung from his shoulder. He rested his arm on his raised left leg, then stretched out his right leg. It was the easiest position to immediately open fire if he had to.
Kang Chan wondered how Kang Dae-Kyung and Yoo Hye-Sook were doing. They were probably fine since they had the National Intelligence Service agents and Kim Hyung-Jung guarding them.
It was the same for everyone else, too. If anyone dared touch his people, he would follow them to the ends of hell to exact vengeance.
This was the reason tribal wars in Africa became so brutal. They clearly showed each other what would happen if someone messed with their people.
Pft.
However, even in Africa, no one attempted to take revenge against Kang Chan. That was how he gained the code name God of Blackfield.
Are Kang Dae-Kyung and Yoo Hye-Sook really doing well, though?
His father and mother. Fuck, that was really good to hear. A father who tried to understand everything—even if it meant putting his worries and concerns behind him—instead of one who beat people up after getting drunk. A mother who embraced and was ready to die together with him.
And these people weren’t his real parents? Bullshit. They were his true parents. No calculations were needed before such a genuine love.
They’re my real parents. The love they have given me for the last six months is enough for me to happily make sacrifices for them for the rest of my life.
Rustle. Click!
The awake soldiers nervously exchanged glances.
Kang Chan smirked and put down his gun, which he had aimed at Yoon Sang-Ki.
It wasn’t sleeping that the men were doing. They had essentially fainted.
To be honest, Kang Chan didn’t expect them to be able to catch up with him. However, Hong Ki-Yoon and the others were stubborn enough to force themselves past their limits so they could follow him.
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m