Chapter 252.2: Let’s Not Overdo It (1)
“Ahhhhh!” a woman screamed as the soldiers were handing out food.
Kang Chan took out a cigarette and lightly bit on it. His eyes were on Park Chul-Su, who was so startled that his eyes swiftly darted toward the cave entrance.
“A child probably died,” Kang Chan explained.
“A child?”
“This will happen again, so you’ll probably hear another person screaming.”
Park Chul-Su stared at Kang Chan, pity and sorrow evident in his eyes.
Couldn't they save the children?
Chk chk.
Even if the medical team rushed over right now, they still wouldn’t be able to save the child that had just died or the child that Kang Chan was assuming would die later. Giving food to the children who were going to die was the best gift they could give them right now.
A moment later, a skinny woman with a dark-skinned child in her arms weakly walked out of the cave. The child still had food smeared all over its skin, having failed to eat them.
The cries of African women made them sound as if they were screaming.
These people would dance if they got just a bit excited, but the opposite held true as well. They weren’t the type to hide their sorrows.
Two soldiers from France’s special forces team guided the woman deeper into the mountain. They then used a long stick to help her dig a grave and bury her child in it. Just like that, another African who had lived a life full of nothing but hardships passed away.
The woman’s wails mixed with the sound of people talking noisily inside the cave.
On one side of the mountain, they were burying a child, and on the other side, they were eating to survive.
Kang Chan extinguished his cigarette and blankly stared at the cave. Soon, the woman from earlier staggered into view from deep into the mountain. She wobbled back into the cave, her hands and knees still covered in dirt.
“Now that we’ve rescued them, I’m sure that woman will die today as well if we don’t keep her and the other hostages safe,” Kang Chan explained.
“If so, then why would...” Park Chul-Su trailed off. He turned his head away, seemingly finding it difficult to understand what was happening.
“I’m just as confused as you are. The Green Berets put their lives on the line to rescue these people. Some of them even got injured in the process. Unfortunately, rescuing them has guaranteed the SSIS’ retaliation. If we don’t do anything, they will get killed. Despite knowing that, the UN still told us to leave the hostages behind.”
“What if the command center doesn't know what’s going to happen?”
Kang Chan smirked as he glanced at the cave.
“They know about what’s going on here more than anyone else. That’s why Gérard believes that they’re hiding something. I also feel uneasy about this whole situation.”
Park Chul-Su just nodded in response. While they were talking, Seok Kang-Ho and a couple of other soldiers walked over to them with a small box.
“Let’s eat,” Seok Kang-Ho said.
Thud!
Inside the box were c-rations that the American soldiers normally ate.
“Where’s Gérard?” Kang Chan asked Seok Kang-Ho.
“I think he went over to check on the men.”
It felt uncomfortable to split the South Korean and French teams now.
The soldiers that were nearby all sat and ate together. They also drank as much water as they wanted.
Seok Kang-Ho smacked his lips. He then looked around him, seemingly feeling as if something was missing.
Noticing his behavior, Kwak Cheol-Ho leaned forward, a mischievous expression on his face. “Do you guys want a cup of coffee?”
“What? We have coffee?”
“I brought instant coffee with me. I should have enough for all of us to have a cup. We can just light up a fire in front of the cave.”
Seeing Kang Chan smile, Kwak Cheol-Ho walked over to just beside the cave with another soldier. They had enough water that it wouldn’t cause any problems if they boiled and made coffee with a portion of it. Moreover, they could easily make a fire since they had straws and dried-up trees and plants all around them.
A moment later, the distinct scent of instant coffee wafted out in all four directions. Smelling it made them feel so happy and fascinated.
Kwak Cheol-Ho picked up cups of coffee and handed them out to everyone. “Delivery coming through!”
“Kwak!” Gérard shouted. He quickly walked down from the right side of the mountain and accepted a cup.
Kang Chan wasn’t sure if Gérard smelled the coffee or was simply destined to show up right at this moment.
“This is nice!” Park Chul-Su exclaimed after taking a sip of his coffee, expressing his amazement.
He likely never imagined that he would enjoy drinking hot coffee while sitting around in Africa, which was fucking hot.
Seok Kang-Ho blew on his drink to cool it down. After taking a sip from it, he turned his head to Kang Chan. “We can’t stay here forever, can we?”
The army interpreter was passing on Seok Kang-Ho’s question to Gérard in French.
Kang Chan turned his head toward Gérard.
“Gérard, didn’t you say that there are six hundred Somalis here?”
This time, the army interpreter passed on what Kang Chan said to Seok Kang-Ho.
What did this army interpreter do to get chosen for this kind of joint force?
“I was thinking of double-checking with the hostages once they have settled down in the evening,” Gérard answered.
“Let’s stay here for now. We have to prioritize keeping them safe. Knowing full well that they’re going to die the moment we drop out, we can’t just abandon them now, can we?”
“Will you be okay?” Seok Kang-Ho asked Kang Chan.
“Of course. I’ve already had my fair share of situations like this in the past.”
Seok Kang-Ho nodded in agreement. Gérard looked away from them after the army interpreter passed on what they said. He seemed to be asking, ‘Well, who can stop him anyway?’
They took turns resting and keeping watch.
The soldiers mostly sat together facing the cave or in areas that gave them a clear view of the foot of the mountain. Fortunately, they could afford to relax a little since they had snipers assigned to keep an eye on the bottom of the mountain.
Honestly, this battle was a breeze compared to any of the other operations that Kang Chan had been in in the past. Perhaps that was why the soldiers seemed much more relaxed.
Kang Chan sat on a rock with his rifle slung over his back. He then looked down the mountain.
What on earth are those sons of bitches hiding? If I could freely make a call right now, I would’ve already asked Anne about it...
South Korea would have trouble exerting its influence in this kind of situation, but the same couldn’t be said for France. France’s right to speak to the international society and their experience in colonizing various parts of Africa and keeping them under their command were enough to eliminate any need to explain the difference between the two countries.
Kang Chan sighed softly.
He had promised himself numerous times already that he would turn South Korea into a strong country. However, after a ridiculous turn of events, he was now sitting near a cave on a mountain in Africa instead, deliberating whether he should borrow France’s power or not. He couldn’t help but feel quite pathetic.
It was almost five in the afternoon now.
The soldiers would be bringing over their dinner in a bit since they had to be considerate of those who would be standing guard at night. They would have to give them enough time to sleep before their shift.
At night, the temperature would drop to less than twenty degrees Celsius. Although the South Korean soldiers thought it was still somewhat liveable, it was already enough for the hostages to feel cold.
I wonder how my mother is doing. When I get back home, will she be so surprised that she will burst into tears again? Well, I’ve been surprising them too often lately. She might actually welcome me with smiles this time instead.
Kang Chan smiled as he thought of Yoo Hye-Sook. Soon, Gérard approached him.
“Captain, from what I’ve gathered, there are four hundred Somalis beyond the mountain. The hostages were asking if those people were attacked as well because some of them have albinism,” Gérard said.
Kang Chan shook his head. “The Islamic insurgent group doesn’t believe that, do they?”
“Well, the hostages also mentioned that they don’t know why they were ambushed. Two hundred of the hostages here were just trying to evacuate the women and children toward our base when the circumstances became so dangerous that they were forced to hide in that cave.”
Gérard sat down near Kang Chan with a plop. He had long eyelashes, arms, and legs, and a strong upper body—which was common among Caucasian people. He also had a scar on his cheek.
His appearance alone could make people think of him as a respectable veteran.
“We shouldn’t overdo things, Captain,” Gérard said. He turned his gaze to the horizon when Kang Chan smirked. “An arm and a leg of someone with Albinism is worth over a thousand US dollars right now. I also heard their heads go for over ten thousand dollars, so what they do is they cut their heads and submerge them in alcohol.”
“Gérard, the Islamic insurgent group doesn't believe in sorcery.”
“Let's just focus on taking care of the hostages already in our responsibility. Have you forgotten that a lot of people became wary of you in the past because of what you did in moments like this? We’re already going against the UN’s orders right now. Are you planning to defy the entire international society as well?”
Gérard seemed to have recalled the moment Kang Chan was killed by a bullet to the neck. That could be why he was softly consoling him in French, something unbefitting of him.
Unfortunately, people don’t change that easily.
“If I didn’t genuinely care for you or Daye, what do you think would we be doing right now?” Kang Chan asked.
“Isn’t it gross that you genuinely care for us?” Gérard asked, turning his gaze from the sky to Kang Chan.
“Do you want to get hit?”
The two chuckled.
“Hahaha! All right! We’ll probably someday get through all of this for as long as we follow you anyway. I feel like I’m getting the short end of the stick, though, since I’m with someone who’ll just reincarnate again if he dies.”
Kang Chan smirked and then burst into laughter.
“If you reincarnate again, you should return somewhere close to me,” Gérard smiled as he was saying nonsense.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l