Chapter 217: You Guys Fought Well (1)
Bam! Bam!
Pulling the trigger inside the rattling truck, Kang Chan blew the heads of the two enemies armed with guided missile launchers. He wasn’t aware of it, but at that moment, thunderous cheers erupted from all of South Korea, causing the entire country to rumble.
A few of the other countries’ special forces soldiers who were watching the broadcast sprang up from their seats, unable to contain their emotions.
Clunk! Clunk!
Every time the bumpy road rocked the truck up and down, the soldiers and hostages sitting inside wildly swayed back and forth. In that suffocating tension, they kept driving for seven more minutes.
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
Soon, Kang Chan’s heart sent him even stronger warnings. He looked sharply ahead of them.
Wham. Wham. Wham. Wham.
His heart beat more powerfully than ever, making him feel like nothing he had ever felt before. It was as if his heart was shouting at him to immediately get out of the truck.
They hadn’t even been able to get too far. The shallow hills on the right were just beginning to come into view. To their left were just a few houses with their roofs completely blown off.
Kang Chan quickly turned around to check on the people in the truck. One of the women had sprained her leg, preventing her from running, and three of his men were injured.
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
His heart beat so furiously that it was as if it had reached its limit.
No gunfire had come from the abandoned houses yet.
Kang Chan quickly scanned the hills ahead of them and raised his hand to his helmet.
Chk.
“Lee Doo-Hee! Head to the abandoned houses up front!” Kang Chan ordered.
Chk.
“Yes, sir,” Lee Doo-Hee replied a moment later. The others heard the exchange through their own radios as well.
Feeling their gazes on him, Kang Chan pressed the button for the radio on his helmet again.
Chk.
“Kwak Cheol-Ho! Woo Hee-Seung! Lee Doo-Hee! Take over those ruined buildings as soon as we reach them! The rest of you are in charge of the injured!” Kang Chan commanded.
The truck went off the road and beelined toward the abandoned houses. As soon as it screeched to a stop, Kang Chan shouted, “Go, go, go! Hurry up!”
Already familiar with his personality, they realized his shout was far sharper than before. Hence, they began moving faster.
“What is the meaning of this?” the man who appeared to be the hostages’ leader complained through gritted teeth.
However, no one paid him attention.
“I said make it quick!” Kang Chan rushed the men even more.
As if there was no tomorrow, the soldiers rapidly lugged the injured people onto their backs while Kwak Cheol-Ho, Woo Hee-Seung, and Lee Doo-Hee bolted to the abandoned houses.
“Get off!” Kang Chan shouted, getting rid of the formal speech he had been using all this time. With widened eyes, the hostages hurried out of the truck.
“Why are you making us get off of the truck? It’s not like there are any enemies here either!” the man sitting in the innermost seat of the truck—the same man who had done nothing but complain—gruffly protested. “Our god is looking after and protecting us! For as long as we have faith in him, we will definitely be rewarded for our trust!”
“Shut up, you fucking son of a bitch!” Kang Chan finally roared. “Don’t you see the soldiers who took bullets just to save a fucking whiny little bitch like you? Don’t you think they have families back home desperately waiting for them to return safely? If you want to die here, then be my motherfucking guest!”
The male hostage noticeably gulped, his throat bobbing up and down. He had just seen the glint in Kang Chan’s eyes between his helmet and mask.
“We will give up on the hostages who refuse to follow orders,” Kang Chan warned before turning away to get off the truck.
The soldiers carried the injured and the weaker women on their backs while they stood on standby behind the truck.
Chk.
“We have secured the abandoned houses, sir,” Kwak Cheol-Ho informed him through the radio.
At the same time, the male hostage inside the truck quietly crept out and stood between the soldiers.
“Get going! Daye, lead them to the target point!” Kang Chan shouted.
Whoosh!
As commanded, the soldiers dashed forward. If it turned out that nothing was wrong with their situation, this would just be an act of insanity. They had abandoned their perfectly fine means of transportation just to be trapped in an old building.
However, Kang Chan couldn’t just ignore his gut feeling.
An enemy had to be nearby somewhere.
Chk.
“Lee Doo-Hee! Prepare to shoot!” Kang Chan ordered. His heart was beating so fast that it made him dizzy.
Swish!
With the sound of fireworks popping, white smoke soared from the hill to their right to their truck. Limping, Kang Chan hurriedly followed behind the soldiers.
“Run! Run!” Kang Chan rushed them along.
Drawing a line in the air, the white smoke reached the truck. Amid a heavy moment of silence, the truck exploded with a deafening boom.
Thud!
In this terrain, one grenade would be enough to make the ground within a hundred-meter radius violently quake. Hence, the moment the truck exploded, almost all of the special forces team members staggered. A few of them even fell to the ground.
Du du du du du! Du du du du du! Du! Du!
An incredible rain of bullets followed after the explosion. The only silver lining they could find in this situation was the fact that the hill and the truck had quite a huge distance in between, lowering the accuracy of the gunshots.
However, getting hit by a stray bullet could still mean certain death.
Someone had to stay behind and cover their rear at least until the soldiers and the hostages had reached the abandoned houses.
“Daye!” Kang Chan shouted.
Seok Kang-Ho, whose left shoulder was a bloody mess, stayed behind Kang Chan, eyes determinedly glinting.
They were currently down on the ground while the enemies were running over to a dark blob that was quite far away from the hill.
Pew! Pew! Pew! Pew!
Kang Chan opened fire, and Seok Kang-Ho followed suit. Kang Chan saw the enemies flinch before lurching down to the ground.
Chk.
“Everyone has been brought to safety!” Kwak Cheol-Ho announced over the radio sometime later, accompanied by gunshots coming from the abandoned buildings. Kang Chan felt relieved until he saw a truck approaching from the hill.
“Get inside! Hurry!” Kang Chan commanded.
Seok Kang-Ho stayed silent.
“You can’t shoot while running with that shoulder! Get in, find a position, and provide cover for me from there!”
Delaying any longer in a place like this would just put them both in danger.
Seok Kang-Ho looked at Kang Chan with red, bloodshot eyes one last time before quickly turning around and running toward the buildings.
Swish! Swish! Pew! Du du du du! Du du! Du du du!
The enemies relentlessly targeted Seok Kang-Ho. Even without being ordered to, the team immediately provided cover for him.
The dirt below Kang Chan rose up and violently whipped around him.
***
The female anchor remained speechless, still choking back her tears, and the male anchor covered his mouth with a clenched fist, barely managing to keep his expression under control.
[There is no way of knowing… Ahem! There is no way of knowing… how the commander detected the ambush of the enemies…] The anchor’s voice trembled as he spoke. [One thing is for certain, however. That desperate battle… clearly demonstrates the determination and spirit of South Korea’s special forces.]
The female anchor’s sniffles could be heard through the TV.
[We eagerly anticipate the safe return of the special forces soldiers and the hostages. Thank you… on behalf of our country, thank you so much.]
The male anchor barely managed to finish his lines before he turned to the side and closed his eyes. Unable to suppress his overwhelming emotions, his silent cries vividly represented the sentiments of the South Korean people watching from home.
[Please… may the commander be safe… we hope he can enter the building. Whatever… whatever is making him fight so fiercely like that… Thank you.]
After endless expressions of gratitude, the male anchor could no longer speak either. Seeing the spray of dirt around the commander, who was now left alone, the male anchor eventually burst into loud sobs.
***
Du du du du! Du du du!
Kang Chan couldn’t even stand up.
The enemies took cover and started shooting at him from behind the truck. Kang Chan had to find a way to avoid their gunfire.
Chk.
“Snipers! Keep an eye out for any missile launchers!” Kang Chan ordered.
Chk.
“Understood, sir!” Lee Doo-Hee said, his firm resolve made clear through the radio.
Du du du! Pew! Pew! Du du du du! Pew pew pew!
A glance was enough for Kang Chan to determine that they were up against roughly over a hundred people.
Chk.
“Captain! Come inside as soon as I hit them with the grenade launcher!” Seok Kang-Ho shouted.
Chk.
“Got it,” Kang Chan replied.
He knew he could count on Seok Kang-Ho. In seconds, the guy had assessed the situation and come up with a plan.
Chk.
“Get ready!” Seok Kang-Ho shouted. Right after he sent an order through the radio, two dull thuds echoed in succession.
Clunk! Clunk!
A moment later, one of the enemy’s trucks exploded.
Swoosh!
Pew pew! Pew! Pew! Du du du du! Du du du!
Kang Chan ran toward the abandoned buildings as fast as he could. Despite the pain making him feel as if his right leg would be torn apart, he forced himself to take awkward steps.
Pew! Pow! Peeew! Thud! Pew! Pow!
Amid the sounds of bullets hitting the ground, Kang Chan leaped toward the ruined building.
Thud! Whoosh!
Seok Kang-Ho and Kwak Cheol-Ho ran forward to grab him.
***
South Korea was experiencing a rollercoaster of cheers and grief.
The broadcast had just shown the commander leaping toward the building and the two soldiers quickly dragging him to safety.
“Ah!” the anchor exclaimed, his sigh seemingly drowned out by the simultaneous moans of people all across the nation.
The live was being recorded from the sky. While there were times when the enemy’s presence could be seen in the distance, it focused mainly on the situation inside the abandoned building.
The two soldiers propped their commander against a broken wall. Everyone held their breath, watching him, until he commander tapped one of the soldier’s helmets and stood up.
“Woohoo!”
Another wild cheer erupted throughout the country.
***
Kang Dae-Kyung burst into sorrowful tears.
“Honey!”
He was sobbing so heartbreakingly that Yoo Hye-Sook embraced him around his shoulders to comfort him. She soothingly rubbed Kang Dae-Kyung’s neck and shoulders, which were as stiff as a tree.
“Don’t cry, Honey. What’s wrong?” Yoo Hye-Sook asked through sobs.
Hearing her tearful question, Kang Dae-Kyung took in a deep breath and wiped his tears.
“It’s fine, Honey. They will be coming back home safely. Don’t worry, okay?” Yoo Hye-Sook said, attempting to calm him down.
“Yeah. They’re going to come back home safely. I know it… They’re coming back,” Kang Dae-Kyung repeated what Yoo Hye-Sook said as he choked back his tears.
***
“We’re quite far from them, so they should have trouble firing a missile at us!” Kang Chan declared.
There were a total of four old buildings.
The hostages and the injured soldiers were gathered inside one building, and the snipers were positioned at their forefront. The others entered the adjacent building to split it up effectively.
Shhk!
Yoon Sang-Ki brought over some bandages and tore some off to tightly bind Kang Chan’s leg.
Kang Chan, Seok Kang-Ho, and the rest of the team members knew it now—the South Korean special forces now had the skills and experience to compete with any team around the world.
They could easily read the situation based on Kang Chan’s gazes, and no crisis flustered them now.
The look in Yoon Sang-Ki’s gaze, while he tied Kang Chan’s leg, was clear proof of that. Anyone who acted tough and picked a fight with Yoon Sang-Ki because they thought South Korea was weak would only get beaten up to a pulp.
Kang Chan lifted his hand to his helmet.
Chk.
“The truck is the boundary. Unless they go anywhere near it, don’t shoot,” he directed.
The enemies weren’t shooting right now either.
Chk.
“Snipers. Our lives are in your hands. A single Igla would decimate us right now. Protect us.”
Chk.
“Leave it to us, sir!” Lee Doo-Hee replied so firmly that it felt as if pebbles were digging into his ears through the radio.
Chk.
“The enemies will begin to form ranks. We can rest until then,” Kang Chan told all the soldiers. He then headed to where the injured soldiers were. The three all turned to Kang Chan with such perfect synchronization that it seemed as if they rehearsed it beforehand.
“I’m sorry, but this is the best we can do. I’ll look for a way to get us back. Until then, stay tough,” Kang Chan said. He then looked into the eyes of each soldier before hunching over and extending a hand.
Thud. Thud.
He patted the soldiers’ helmets. In response, the injured soldiers took turns raising their hands to tap his helmet.
Meeting people like these is a first for me.
They had all found a place in his heart.
Kang Chan grinned at them and began to move forward again.
***
A tiny portion of the tubing connected to the IV needle inserted into Choi Jong-Il’s arm turned red, having clenched his fist so tightly with every scene that blood flowed back into the needle.
“Dear,” his wife suddenly said.
The broadcast just showed Kang Chan taking care of the injured soldiers before walking forward again. Choi Jong-Il’s wife quietly called to him so the other people in the four-person ward wouldn’t hear them.
“That’s the person from back then, isn’t it?” she asked.
Choi Jong-Il simply nodded with dark, bloodshot eyes.
“When you go back to work and happen to sacrifice your life for him, I’ll consider you a hero for the rest of my life,” she said.
“I know,” Choi Jong-Il agreed.
“I’m jealous that you get to fight side by side with someone like him. Once you get better, forget about your duties in the household. Just give your life to the Republic of Korea. We once lived as the last bastion of this land. In the first place, I chose you because I fell in love with the way you protect our country,” she added.
Choi Jong-Il nodded again, choking back the emotions that threatened to spill out.
“It’s frustrating! I can’t believe that I’m not in that kind of battle!” his wife furiously exclaimed. She wiped her tears with the back of her hand and then glared at Choi Jong-Il.
“Stop acting like a dramatic baby and get back up! Fight for that man already!”
“I will,” Choi Jong-Il firmly replied.
***
About an hour had passed since then.
Kang Chan headed from the front building to the one on the left.
“Yoon Sang-Ki,” Kang Chan called.
“Yes, sir!” Yoon Sang-Ki attentively replied.
“Who has the satellite phone?” Kang Chan asked.
Kang Chan had been wondering for a while why they hadn’t used the phone yet.
“I have it,” the soldier next to Yoon Sang-Ki immediately replied and lifted the phone that was hanging from his waist.
“Get me on a call,” Kang Chan ordered.
“Yes, sir.”
They had turned the satellite phone off in case it made any noise during the operation. The soldier pressed the switches 9 times in order to unlock it, then pressed the phone to his ear before handing it to Kang Chan.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The distinctive signal of the satellite phone echoed. Not long after, they got a response.
- This is Terminal.
“This is Delivery. We are currently isolated,” Kang Chan informed them.
-We are aware, Delivery. The whole situation is presently being broadcast on TV.
Kang Chan quickly looked up at the sky. He had no idea what was going on. All he could see was that the damn sky was blindingly blue and tall.
- Delivery, we can also see the enemy’s current situation. They have gathered a large number. This isn’t an accurate count, but there seems to be at least two hundred.
Damn it!
They would have to deal with that many with just seventeen men.
Kang Chan gritted his teeth and glowered at the hill on the horizon.
- France and the United States have sent their special forces teams over. The United States’ Apache helicopter is flying toward you as fast as it can, so you should only have to hold on for a little longer.
Kim Hyung-Jung sounded as if he was trying to maintain his composure, but his voice was filled with pity. He and the other men were probably all listening to this conversation in the strange conference room Kang Chan was invited into earlier.
“Anything else I should know?”
- That is it.
Not stating one’s name, nationality, and purpose was the most fundamental principle of communication. The people in the know were probably already aware of everything, but even so, it wasn’t as if they could say “Manager Kim” or “Mr. Kang Chan” over a satellite phone.
“I will contact you when we’ve made the delivery,” Kang Chan said.
- Understood.
The call ended with lingering regret from the other side.
Kang Chan handed the satellite phone to the soldier and immediately informed everyone about the information he got from the conversation.
Chk.
“It appears the enemies are planning a large-scale assault. No matter what they do, though, we’re going to return with all the hostages at the end of all this. Since this is being broadcast on TV, Lee Yoo-Seul must be watching as well. Let’s show how bravely her father fought.”
Kang Chan paused for a moment before raising his hand to his helmet again.
Chk.
“It feels strange that I’m saying this, but…”
The sound of Kang Chan chuckling could be heard over the radio.
“... You guys fought well.”
Chuckles and snorts could be heard throughout the room.
Chk.
“What are you laughing about?” Kang Chan asked mock-sternly.
Chk.
“It’s cringey, Cap,” Seok Kang-Ho grumbled. Through Seok Kang-Ho’s line, Kang Chan could hear the hostages singing hymns in the background.
Soon after…
Chk.
“Cap, the bastards seem to be getting back to it,” Seok Kang-Ho radioed in, urgency in his voice.
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