Chapter 215: I Was With Him (1)
The guide parked the car behind a precarious hill with tumbling rocks. Fluent in Arabic, not French, he understood Dayeru’s Arabic chatter perfectly. Before the soldiers’ surprised expressions, Dayeru pointed to two locations on the map, spoke in fluent Arabic, and then turned to Kang Chan.
“He says we’ll reach the target location once we cross over the hill out front, so we should stay hidden from here on out.”
Kang Chan nodded, recalling the details from the map and the photos he had memorized.
France’s DGSE introduced this guide to them. Anne also made sure that this guide could be trusted, given the intelligence agency’s mistake in China.
“As-salamu alaykum,” the guide said.
“That means, ‘I wish you peace under Allah’s protection,’” Seok Kang-Ho interpreted in a hushed voice as the guide hastily climbed back into the truck.
Vroom.
As the truck left the area, moving along the path up the hill, a storm of dust, silence, and cold rushed toward Kang Chan.
Kang Chan took the map that Seok Kang-Ho handed him and spread it out in the middle of the circle that the soldiers had formed.
“We are approximately a kilometer away from our target point. Woo Hee-Seung, split Team One into two groups. As soon as we reach our destination, secure this area,” Kang Chan ordered, pointing to the ruins of a building shown in a photo. “Kwak Cheol-Ho, take care of this side.”
“Yes, sir,” Kwak Cheol-Ho replied with a nod, seeing that he would be taking the area opposite of Woo Hee-Seung’s.
“Once all the snipers are in position, Seok Kang-Ho and I will go in. Any questions?” Kang Chan asked.
There were times in the past when soldiers still messed up their assignments even though Kang Chan had repeated his orders multiple times, leading to their entire team standing in one area with one side uncovered.
Starting with Kang Chan, the men all lowered their masks to cover their faces. Kang Chan naturally stood at the forefront. Kwak Cheol-Ho was to his left and Seok Kang-Ho to his right.
Tat, tat, tat, tat.
The small pebbles seemed to shout, “People are passing by!” as they loudly crunched under the men’s feet.
Kang Chan exchanged a glance with Seok Kang-Ho, then lifted his index and middle fingers to point at the hill on the right.
Tat, tat, tat, tat, tat, tat, tat, tat.
It was human nature for people to move faster once their destination was in sight.
A full ten hours had already passed since the Korean citizens were kidnapped.
This desolate land’s lack of civilization and the pitch-black evening seemed to amplify the men’s footsteps and other small movements.
Seok Kang-Ho raised his index finger and rotated it three times. Kang Chan pointed Kwak Cheol-Ho to the hill on Seok Kang-Ho’s upper left.
Tat, tat, tat, tat, tat, tat, tat, tat.
Kwak Cheol-Ho and the remaining members of Team Two moved in sync with him.
Haah, haah.
Kang Chan felt the air enter his lungs as he quickly scanned their surroundings.
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
His heart was beating heavily, but no sense of danger was pricking his skin yet.
After securing his position, Kwak Cheol-Ho lifted his index finger and rotated it three times.
One rotation meant that the team couldn’t get a view of the surroundings, an X sign indicated that they found unexpected enemies or potential shelter for them, and three rotations meant that everything proceeded as planned.
Seeing Kwak Cheol-Ho’s signal, Kang Chan began to head out with his own team.
Kang Chan traveled past the point that Seok Kang-Ho had secured and reached where Kwak Cheol-Ho was. There, he swiftly examined the view the position offered.
The landscape had a flat horizon and long hills on the left side. In the worst case scenario, there would be trenches between the hills, each one manned by someone aiming a gun at them.
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
Kang Chan moved forward, and Kwak Cheol-Ho and Seok Kang-Ho immediately followed him, the members of their respective teams moving after they did.
Tat, tat. Rustle. Rattle.
Kang Chan felt as if the pulsations of his heart were circulating through his blood, sending his heartbeats to the rest of his body. Each nerve connected to his eyes, ears, and brain was drawn taut as he trodded onward.
Haah, haah.
Every oddly shaped rock and meteor streaking across the sky caused every fiber of his hair to stand on end. With every step he took, he had to decide whether to pull the trigger or not.
Crunch.
When someone stepped on a pebble, several glances would shoot toward them, and the whistles of the wind led to sharp gazes searching for the source.
Haah, haah.
Kang Chan examined their surroundings more carefully than usual as they made their way to their destination. After about an hour on foot, they finally found the target location they saw in the photos. Amid the rubble and remaining walls of ruined structures, they occasionally saw completely intact buildings.
Climbing up and around the hills visible through the ruins would reveal a large cave, where the hostages were most likely kept.
Kang Chan pointed to the locations he assigned to Woo Hee-Seung and Kwak Cheol-Ho earlier.
The enemy’s base was a single-story building. There was a wall that was made by pressing earth together, which had to be where the guards were staying. They were no doubt sleeping behind it.
At Kang Chan’s signal, Lee Doo-Hee and another sniper went to their positions.
Not too long after, Kang Chan’s radio started to crackle.
Chk, chk, chk. Chk, ch, chk.
He just received a message in Morse code by using the buttons on the radio.
‘Got it!’
A few moments later, the same Morse code was transmitted by the other team. The two locations where the guards were asleep had now been secured.
Kang Chan gestured to Seok Kang-Ho, pointed to his eyes with his index and middle fingers, then to Yoon Sang-Ki and one other soldier.
Any enemy emerging from the secured buildings would be eliminated without hesitation. Kang Chan cautiously made his way to the cave, where the only remaining threats should be.
Haah, haah.
It was currently a little past five in the morning, which was when the enemies would be most exhausted and in their deepest sleep.
After going around the hills, Kang Chan hurriedly raised his left hand. Two guards wearing turbans were standing at the entrance of the cave. One of them was behind an M240 machine gun that had its bipod spread apart, and the other guard was holding an L85A2 against his chest.
The motherfuckers were standing on either side of the wooden door that led into the cave. They would likely shoot the hostages if they heard any noise.
Kang Chan crouched down lower and pulled out the Bowie knife that he had holstered to his ankle.
Haah, haah.
Catching onto what Kang Chan was trying to do, Seok Kang-Ho pulled out his own knife. Yoon Sang-Ki, who was following him, covered them from the back.
If they continued to creep along the wall, they could easily and smoothly take out the guard in front of the M240 machine gun. The issue was the one on the other side of the entrance.
Pressing themselves against the wall, Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho cautiously approached their enemies as closely as possible.
Kang Chan held his Bowie knife in a reverse grip as he turned back to Seok Kang-Ho.
One, two…!
Swish! Whoosh! Dash!
The moment Kang Chan threw his knife, Seok Kang-Ho dashed toward the enemy at lightning speed.
Slash!
Seok Kang-Ho deeply slit the enemy’s neck. Kang Chan then grabbed the enemy’s neck and covered his mouth as he struggled.
Crack!
Kang Chan forcibly twisted the enemy’s neck, causing the man to slump over in his arms. The enemy’s blood squelched, but it wasn’t loud enough to be heard from inside the cave.
Kang Chan carefully set the enemy down on the ground and then withdrew his knife, wiping it on the corpse’s clothes.
The wooden door was the only thing keeping him from entering the cave now.
Carefully peeking inside, he saw the hostages sitting in a corner with devastated, jaded expressions.
Kang Chan gestured at Yoon Sang-Ki, then pointed at the entrance of the cave with his index and middle fingers.
He only had one shot. The best he could hope for was to kill all the enemies in one go as soon as he charged in.
The cave was illuminated by lights that seemed to be fueled by burning petroleum, not electricity.
As long as Seok Kang-Ho was with him, the plan would turn out fine. They could eliminate the enemies directly in front of where they would run in from. Kang Chan put his rifle in front of him and got into position with Seok Kang-Ho. He then pressed the buttons on his helmet’s radio a couple of times.
Ch, ch, ch, chk, chk. Ch, ch, chk, chk, chk.
‘Two, three…’
As Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho’s gazes met, Seok Kang-Ho slammed his right foot on the door and kicked it open.
Bam! Swoosh!
The enemy in a wooden chair sprang up.
Pew! Pew! Pew!
They took out three enemies in total.
“Aaahh!”
The women covered their eyes and screamed upon seeing the enemies grotesquely writhing and falling.
“Pull yourselves together! Does anyone have a bomb attached to them?” Kang Chan hastily asked.
Several hostages suddenly raised their heads.
“Korean! Are you Korean?” one of them asked.
Continuous gunshots could be heard outside.
“We’re South Korean special forces soldiers. Does anyone have a bomb on their body or anything like that?”
“No, we don’t!” a hostage quickly replied.
Kang Chan quickly scanned the hostages’ surroundings.
“These people didn’t treat us too badly!” one of the four male hostages said as he looked at the dead enemies with a pitiful look.
Should I just shoot him too?
Kang Chan felt an unknown anger surging inside him. However, now was not the time to dwell on it.
The gunshots outside suddenly ceased.
Chk.
“This is Team One. We have secured the first target point!”
Chk.
“This is Team Two. The area is currently clear!”
“We have to get moving,” Kang Chan frantically shouted, and the hostages stood up with confused faces. “Let’s go! Daye, cover our six!”
“Roger, Cap,” Seok Kang-Ho replied.
When they got out, they found the rest of the men standing guard in a circle in front of the cave.
“Follow us! Quickly!” Kang Chan urged.
“Aren’t there any vehicles?” the same hostage asked.
This motherfucker has so many questions!
“We have to walk for at least one kilometer!” Kang Chan replied.
Kang Chan stood at the forefront, Kwak Cheol-Ho took the left, and Seok Kang-Ho took the right.
Tat, tat. Tat, tat. Tat, tat. Tat, tat.
“Oh my gosh!”
“Careful! Take my hand!”
Kang Chan felt as if he was going to die from frustration. It was a good thing they were young women.
“Which organization are you associated with?” the male hostage asked.
This son of a bitch!
Kang Chan didn’t bother to respond. The women were running as fast as they could, but from his point of view, they only seemed to be speed walking at best.
Tat, tat. Tat, tat. Tat, tat. Tat, tat.
“Huff! Huff!”
“Ow!”
On top of that, their rough breathing and yelps of “Be careful!” and “Hold onto my hand!” every time they took a misstep were basically like an advertisement telling the enemies where they were. This was undoubtedly the worst escape they could do.
“Ouch!”
Plop!
While running, one of the women fell over and clutched her ankle.
“Oww!”
Kang Chan ran over to help her up. “Get on my back!”
At his command, two of his men rushed over and lifted the woman onto his back.
“You said it was one kilometer. How much further do we have to go?” the male hostage asked.
The motherfucker was no doubt the guide. Despite the urgency of the situation, he wanted to show off that he still was in charge. It was disgusting.
Kang Chan continued to run without any response.
Just then, they saw car headlights violently shaking on the horizon, closing in on them. They still had about five hundred meters left to go.
“Hurry!” Kang Chan shouted.
To their credit, the hostages did begin to run faster when they saw the lights.
***
Sunday, the day after Christmas.
All the regular programs were suspended due to a broadcast of a surprising and shocking scene, causing almost everyone in South Korea to be glued to their TVs.
[Let me repeat myself. The scene you are currently watching is being broadcast with a one-minute delay because you are watching it through CNN, which is receiving the transmission from Al Jazeera,] The anchor said in a quick, high-pitched voice, unable to contain his excitement.
[Even so, we are still broadcasting to you a live situation. It has also been confirmed that the team isolated on the hill with the hostages is indeed the South Korean special forces. Now, allow me to provide an overview of the incident.]
Just like every other morning, Kang Dae-Kyung was watching the morning news with Yoo Hye-Sook when this broadcast came on. Seeing Yoo Hye-Sook’s trembling hand, he cautiously and nervously exhaled.
‘No way. It can’t be. I’m sure it isn’t.’
It was the South Korean special forces team, after all.
No matter how exceptionally talented Kang Chan was, there was no way the government would send him all the way to a place like that. Still, Kang Dae-Kyung couldn’t help but grit his teeth and remember Kang Chan running alongside the van during the underground parking lot shootout.
His heart quivered anxiously.
[First, at ten in the morning in our timezone, a video presumed to be of hostages abducted by armed Taliban militants in Afghanistan was released.]
On the TV screen, a tense young woman, unable to calm her nerves, delivered a clearly enunciated message in English saying, “Please save us,” and “Please listen to their demands.” Next, a man in a similar state pleaded for cooperation and begged to be rescued.
[And now, the video you are watching has begun to be broadcast around the world. We still do not have answers about how the South Korean special forces managed to enter Afghanistan to rescue the hostages, who are filming this live scene from the sky, and why this video is being broadcast.]
Before the anchor finished speaking, Yoo Hye-Sook covered her mouth with two hands as she gasped. The broadcast had just shown the South Korean soldiers crouching down to avoid the enemy’s bullets, which shot up dust as they hit the ground. The broadcast’s lack of sounds intensified the fear and tension of the situation. Soon after…
“Woohoo!”
A deafening cheer erupted as South Korea scored a goal in the World Cup.
In between the barrage of bullets, one soldier stood up and dropped the enemies in every direction his gun aimed at like dominoes. Those who dared close in on him plunged to the ground while a few others scurried quickly back to where their truck was. Another loud cheer resounded through the entire apartment complex.
Yoo Hye-Sook’s hand continued to tremble.
***
The screen now showed the soldier who eliminated some of the enemies giving orders to the other soldiers. Lee Yoo-Seul’s mom, who was standing in front of the TV, covered her mouth.
That was probably how her husband fought.
‘I was with him.’
‘I’m sorry I couldn’t save him. None of us here could’ve survived in that dire situation if it wasn’t for Yoo-Seul’s father.’
‘He was braver than anyone. He never even showed anyone that he was struggling. I’m sorry.’
It was probably that person.
He had a deep gaze that didn’t suit his age, and the other soldiers followed him without any hesitation. It was the man who told her about her husband’s last moments with Lee Yoo Seul in his arms.
“Please come back alive! You have to come back safely!”
Tears streaked down the face of Lee Yoo Seul’s mother.
***
Gerard, who was on emergency standby, clenched his jaws while watching the TV.
The man had to be the God of Blackfield. The distinctive gestures that the God of Blackfield displayed when issuing orders to his team were exactly the same as the commander giving instructions on the screen.
The barracks were so silent that not even the sound of anyone breathing could be heard. Every time the deeply embedded scar on Gerard’s cheek twitched, the youngest of their team anxiously observed his mood before returning his gaze back to the screen.
He considered asking if that man was truly the God of Blackfield, but Gerard’s glinting eyes and wriggling scar were enough of an answer.
At that moment, the men’s expressions filled with surprise, then nodded in understanding.
The South Korean special forces commander burst up amid the rain of bullets and took down the enemies in quick succession, and another soldier followed and covered him with incredible precision and timing.
Some people would probably think that the other soldier was just firing at random, but if it wasn’t for his cover fire, the commander couldn’t have eliminated the enemies with ease.
“Daye…” Gerard said under his breath, making the soldiers clench their teeth.
This was essentially the same as insulting the special forces across the globe. They were turning a hero into a mere spectacle.
Combat and death was inevitable for the special forces. Even so, their fate should never be portrayed as a circus.
***
“These motherfuckers. Why are there so many?” Seok Kang-Ho gruffly grumbled with his head hidden behind a small boulder.
They were standing on an extremely low hill.
The team surrounded the rescued hostages to protect them. Right now, this was all they could do.
Kang Chan heavily panted as he peeked outside. For some reason, he felt as if the enemies could keenly observe their movements.
“Daye,” he called.
Seok Kang-Ho quickly glanced back at him.
Du du du! Du du du du!
The sound of the machine gun fire thunderously echoed from ahead of them.
“Let’s take the truck!” Kang Chan shouted over the noise.
Seok Kang-Ho briefly looked downward and then glanced back at the hostages. He was silently asking if the hostages could reach the truck quickly enough even if they did manage to hijack it.
“Put the hostages on your backs. Have the men run on their own,” Kang Chan directed.
“You don’t even have a proper plan?” the male hostage loudly complained.
“Shut up, you fucking asshole!” Seok Kang-Ho swore, causing the man to quickly lower his head.
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