Chapter 271: I Can’t Just Go Back (2)
‘Argh!’
Even Seok Kang-Ho and Gérard could feel power surging inside Kang Chan.
‘Daye?’
Gérard quickly turned, finding Seok Kang-Ho glaring straight ahead. His glinting eyes were filled with the determination to defeat the Blackhead while they could still protect Kang Chan.
“Haah! Haah!”
Ragged breaths burst from Seok Kang-Ho and Gérard. They could now see an area illuminated with red light.
Seok Kang-Ho gritted his teeth.
“Captain!”
“Go! Go!” Kang Chan loudly groaned through gritted teeth. With every single nerve in his body seemingly burning up, he began to wonder if this was what electric shock torture felt like. It was as if every strand of hair on his head and body had become a conductor of electricity.
You son of a bitch! Did you think I was going to lose? Feel free to call your friends too if you have comrades like Daye and Gérard!
Kang Chan forced himself to keep his glowing eyes wide open. The dust falling from the cave made the light look grainy.
“Arghh!” Kang Chan groaned.
“Captain!”
“Keep going!”
Seok Kang-Ho, Gérard, Choi Jong-Il, and Lee Doo-Hee witnessed the laser-like beam focusing on Kang Chan.
Swoosh!
Not long after, they finally reached the wall that was exuding the red light.
“Let go!” Kang Chan shouted.
Whoooosh.
“Kegh!”
The light mysteriously concentrated on Kang Chan, instantly engulfing the entire cave in darkness. Even his body was glowing blood-red now.
I’m connected!
Kang Chan’s gut immediately told him so. As he felt the Blackhead extending its energy toward him, he reached his hand out toward the wall.
You fucking Blackhead. You want to take back the energy that you gave me? Did I ever ask for it? Did I ever ask to be reincarnated?
Kang Chan didn’t know how he would steal the Blackhead’s energy. He was just trying to do what he did in England.
“Agghhh!”
The fist-sized stone kept sending blood-red beams toward Kang Chan, seemingly trying to burn him to death.
Kang Chan forcibly stretched out his hand. The Blackhead was slightly above his head.
Thrum, thrum, thrum, thrum, thrum.
‘Keeeegh!’
The closer his hand was to the Blackhead, the faster he felt the water in his body drying up. With all his energy being sucked out of him, his mind began to blank out, and his body began to wither. At this rate, he would likely crumble away soon like the dirt that they had stepped on on the way here.
Pft.
With all his might, Kang Chan forced his hand to move. The closer he got to the Blackhead, the more his hand was repelled. It was like watching the same magnet poles attempting to touch.
He had forgotten.
Even if he died here, he had Seok Kang-Ho and Gérard with him. They would take the damn Blackhead and avenge him one way or another.
Really think you’re tough? Bullshit! You don’t know what these two are made of!
Kang Chan finally gripped the Blackhead.
Thrum, thrum, thrum, thrum, thrum, thrum.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
As the vibration intensified, the ceiling of the cave started to collapse.
‘This fucker!’
Kang Chan knew that his and the Blackhead’s energies were merging.
This was simply energy but it felt like it was pulling at Kang Chan instinctively. It was as if there was a combination of the desire to release its latent energy and the feeling of rushing in like crazy after realizing that Kang Chan was the channel to let it out.
You should’ve asked me!
Kang Chan gritted his teeth.
It was strange, but the pain disappeared the moment he grabbed hold of the Blackhead, allowing him to feel his heart pounding again.
Thrum, thrum, thrum.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
As the light and vibrations subsided, the amount of dirt raining down from the ceiling increased.
Seok Kang-Ho and Gérard looked at the ceiling and then back at each other. If the situation became too dangerous, they were ready to grab Kang Chan and run.
Thrum, thrum, thrum. Thrum, thrum. Thrum.
Finally, the light and vibrations completely disappeared.
The Blackhead fell from the cave wall with a click.
“Captain?” Seok Kang-Ho worriedly called when dirt came pouring down from the broken ceiling. It looked as if the bottom of a sack of soil had been punctured.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
“Daye! Start running!”
Kang Chan gave the command in French, yet Seok Kang-Ho still dashed toward him as if he understood.
Just like when they had come, Seok Kang-Ho wrapped his arm around Kang Chan’s left armpit, and Gérard stuck his arm under Kang Chan’s right.
Whoosh! Whooosh! Whooosh! Whoooosh!
The streams of dirt pouring down were becoming larger.
Seok Kang-Ho shouted at Choi Jong-Il and Lee Doo-Hee through clenched teeth. “Get out! Hurry and run outside!”
The dirt from the collapsed ceiling rained down on their heads like waves of water, making it difficult for them to keep their eyes open.
“Run! Get out!” Gérard shouted with all his might. “Roberre! Out! Run outside!”
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whooosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
At the rate they were going, they would never make it out of the cave. The dirt was already clumping together and starting to fall like a waterfall.
“Cha Dong-Gyun! Out! Now!” Seok Kang-Ho yelled.
“Let go!” Kang Chan suddenly shouted.
Whoosh! Whooosh! Whoosh! Whooooosh!
“Captain!” Seok Kang-Ho protested.
“I said let go!”
These two had to be aware that his strength was already returning. By the time he pulled out the arms supporting him, he was already running on his own.
“Haah! Haah!”
Swoooooooooosh!
He felt as if he was running through a waterfall. Ahead of him, he saw the French soldiers running with the old man on one of their backs. Cha Dong-Gyun was carrying the child.
Swooooooosh!
However, the visibility eventually dropped so low that Kang Chan couldn’t even see what was ahead of him.
The dirt collapsing onto his head and shoulders was beyond heavy. His feet were sinking into the crushed earth. His nose was already full of dirt, and he couldn’t open his mouth even though he was out of breath. He was pretty much sprinting while holding his breath.
Swooooosh! Du du du du du du!
The ground shook.
“Faster!”
Whoosh!
Choi Jong-Il and Lee Doo-Hee lunged for the entrance. Kang Chan, Seok Kang-Ho, and Gérard leaped at the same time.
Crack! Thud! Thud!
Pain coursed through him as he hit the ground. Blinding light then greeted them, piercing their eyes. It had been so long since he had found the African sun so welcoming.
“Kegh! Blegh!”
Seok Kang-Ho and the others leaned over with their heads to the ground, throwing up dirt.
“Kegh! Kegh!”
Kang Chan was no different. Hunched over, he vomited dirt.
Only then did he realize that his right hand, which was on his right leg, was gripping the Blackhead.
Son of a bitch! You should’ve been this quiet from the beginning!
Tucking the Blackhead into his thigh pocket, Kang Chan looked up and burst out laughing. The soldiers stared at him with reddened eyes, their hair, cheeks, and eyebrows still covered in dirt.
The old man was touching the now-blocked entrance of the cave in surprise.
“Fuck it! Let’s go over there and have a smoke before leaving,” Kang Chan said.
Seok Kang-Ho shook off the dust in his hair. “Alrighty!”
“Hey! Get some distance first before you dust yourself!”
“I’m good now,” Seok Kang-Ho replied with a grin.
Roberre reassured the old man before setting off after Kang Chan.
Choi Jong-Il pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Gérard then flicked on a lighter.
Clink! Hiss!
“Hoo!”
“Ptooey! Is it over now?” Seok Kang-Ho asked.
“This one is. I don’t know about the ones we might face in the future,” Kang Chan responded.
“No way. The other one was super rare too. They’re only found once in a century or something, right? Let’s just never come to Africa anymore. Talk about bad luck! Ptooey! Ptooey!”
“It wasn’t like we’re here because we want to.”
They quickly smoked a cigarette each.
“Give me another one,” Kang Chan requested.
As if Choi Jong-Il had been waiting for it, he immediately handed him a cigarette. Everyone started smoking another cigarette as well.
“Gérard, let’s keep today’s events a secret,” Kang Chan said.
“Copy.”
Gérard held the cigarette between his lips and pulled out the bayonet on his leg with a grin.
This fucking punk! It’s not like this secret is that important!
Kang Chan was about to tell him to stop, but it was too late because Gérard had already pulled out his bayonet.
Seok Kang-Ho grinned as he looked on. Choi Jong-Il, Cha Dong-Gyun, and Lee Doo-Hee watched Gérard in confusion.
Shing!
Gérard tightly gripped the blade of the bayonet with his left hand. He then handed it to Roberre.
Noticing Choi Jong-Il’s curious gaze, Kang Chan smirked.
“Grabbing the bayonet like that will leave you with two cuts, which will serve as proof that you’ve chosen to keep a secret. Having those kinds of scars means you’re trusted by your comrades. By the time you become a captain, you’ll probably have a few pairs like that,” he explained.
After the French soldiers had gripped and released their bayonets, Gérard mischievously looked at Choi Jong-Il.
“It wouldn’t be a bad idea to share our trust with the French team,” Choi Jong-Il declared as he extended his hand.
Damn it!
It looked like Kang Chan would have to cut his left hand as well.
Choi Jong-Il, Cha Dong-Gyun, Lee Doo-Hee, and even Seok Kang-Ho, who muttered under his breath about how crazy they all were, left cuts on their palms.
Kang Chan had no way out now.
I already have too many scars to count.
The old man and Akrion were watching them with expressions that asked what the hell they were doing this time.
“Let’s go!” Kang Chan shouted.
“Yup,” Seok Kang-Ho agreed.
“Daye, secure the front with Choi Jong-Il.”
“Got it.”
“Gérard, take the rear.”
“Oui.”
After brushing himself off, Kang Chan approached Akrion, but Gérard stopped him.
“I’ll carry him.”
“You have to watch our backs. I feel a lot stronger now anyway,” Kang Chan said, then nodded at Akrion.
Despite dusting himself off, he was still covered in dirt. Nevertheless, Akrion lunged at him, his smile a lot more relaxed than before.
***
Lanok held the phone to his ear, a look of amusement on his face.
- You’ve made a fool of our men.
Vasili paused for a moment and took a deep breath to suppress his anger.
- You didn’t have to kick them out. We were already planning to withdraw.
“I heard the last fight was with the commander of the Foreign Legion special forces team, though,” Lanok said.
- You know what I’m talking about. The Spetsnaz were still bullied in Africa even though I went all the way to South Korea. The same thing happened during the training in France!
“When Monsieur Kang returns to South Korea, I’ll arrange a meeting for the three of us,” Lanok assured him.
A moment of silence enveloped the call.
- Surely Monsieur Kang had gotten a hold of a Blackhead's energy this time?
“He isn’t someone to lie. We can ask him when he returns.”
- I know Monsieur Kang won’t lie. I just can’t say the same about his sly French sidekick.
Lanok’s lips curved into a smile.
“How long do you think I can live without Russia’s help? Even if I do trick you, it wouldn’t take you more than fifteen days to find out about it. ”
- Lanok.
Vasili’s tone changed, making Lanok focus on the conversation with a serious expression.
- Abibu has put a huge price on our heads for what happened in China. Don’t take that lightly. Unlike us, South Korea is still weak against terrorist attacks.
“Thank you, Vasili.”
- Nobody will be able to stand the moment either of you falls. When Monsieur Kang returns, ask him for help. He has that kind of strength now.
“I will.”
Lanok put his receiver down and smiled with satisfaction.
***
The first thing Kang Chan did as soon as they arrived at the base was smoke another cigarette. He then took a shower, changed, and visited the infirmary.
It was already five in the afternoon.
One more night of sleep and he would be out of Africa and back in Korea.
Kang Chan sat on the benches in front of the barracks and drank a cup of instant coffee. Nothing could ever replace this sweetness.
“Captain,” Gérard said as he approached Kang Chan, his face full of mischief.
He looked like he was about to put on a show even though his left hand was bandaged.
“Why would you pull out your bayonet?” Kang Chan grumbled.
“I wanted the boys to share a memory with you, and since we were at it, I thought I might as well make it a good one.”
Gérard leaned against the barracks and pretended to drink something, shouting in glee.
“Instant coffee!” he said in horrible Korean.
Ha! If someone heard that, they wouldn’t be able to tell if he was speaking French or Korean.
“What about Akrion?” Kang Chan asked.
“He’s fast asleep. He took a shower and drank a glass of milk before going to bed.”
Kang Chan nodded. A few moments later, Kwak Cheol-Ho brought Gérard a cup of coffee.
“Take a seat,” Kang Chan offered.
Sitting down, Gérard asked, “Are you going back to Korea?”
“I think so.”
Gérard lifted the coffee to his mouth and grinned.
“What?” Kang Chan asked.
“Nothing. It’s just that we’ve traveled so much in such a short time. It seems like just yesterday that we were sad about leaving Mongolia. I find it funny that we were both in the operation in Afghanistan and are now in Africa.”
Kang Chan chuckled.
“Where are you going after this?” Kang Chan asked.
“Probably Congo. I heard it’s pretty serious there.”
Turning his head to the side, Kang Chan saw Gérard looking forward with impassive eyes.
Kang Chan wanted to go with Gérard to Congo. There was nothing like having someone they could count on on the battlefield, a place where life and death frequently crossed roads.
“So this is why I was sent somewhere else that time,” Gérard remarked.
“What are you talking about?” Kang Chan asked in confusion.
Both Daye and Gérard were starting to say things that were hard to understand now that they had grown brains.
“Nevermind,” Gérard replied.
“Motherfucker.”
Gérard grinned and turned to Kang Chan. The asshole no longer even batted an eye at this kind of insult.
“Gérard.”
“Yes.”
Gérard turned around again to look at him.
“If I ever need help again, you’ll be the first person I look for.”
“Isn’t that only natural?” Gérard replied as he lifted the cup to his mouth, an arrogant air around him.
“So whether it’s Congo or Mangala, just stay alive.”
Gérard sipped his coffee with a wide smile.
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