Chapter 297: End like this? (1)
Whoomp! Boom!
As the grenade blew up and sent debris flying in every direction, the DMZ team members dove through the window.
Bang!
Kang Chul-Gyu burst through the door and charged ahead.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Rifle gunfire erupted, soon followed by even more shots and the echoes of grenade explosions. Amid their climactic situation, the soldiers stayed true to their custom, apprehending the UIS officer, their target, and forcing him to kneel on the street.
From the shadows, the enemy observed Kang Chul-Gyu and his men with a complex gaze.
"Is that the bastard?"
In truth, their captive’s actual role mattered little. Guilty or not, he had been marked for death. Nam Il-Gyu was simply verifying if the man was indeed an officer. At the very least, he strongly resembled one. He also had a defiant air about him, but Nam Il-Gyu's fierce expression and tone involuntarily made him cautious.
Rustle.
Kang Chul-Gyu took out and looked through some documents. Glancing at the man, he then tilted his head.
"Yes. Get rid of him."
Nam Il-Gyu unsheathed his bayonet and slit the enemy’s throat, nearly decapitating him with one swift motion.
Thwack!
"Gurgle. Grrk."
Swoosh. Slice! Snap!
Thump!
The enemy drooped lifelessly, his head hanging at an unnatural angle. The sight left a chilling finality to the scene.
Whoosh! Thump! Whoosh! Thump!
As they slit their target's throat on one side of the road, gunshots and people dropping to the ground echoed from the rooftops around them. Nevertheless, no one showed any sign of tension or bothered to turn their heads. If an enemy found them, Kang Chul-Gyu would simply aim and shoot before they could react, ensuring a clean end.
"Let’s hurry. We’ve got two more to go," Kang Chul-Gyu commanded.
"Yes, sir," Oh Gwang-Taek responded.
Following Kang Chul-Gyu had taught him the reason they sent four men ahead during their first encounter with the enemy. The moment they penetrated the enemy’s vanguard, the DMZ team demonstrated force so tremendous that it left him wondering if anyone could even stand against them.
Is this what they call gorillas? Gestapo? Gaira...?
The exact terminology wasn’t important. All that mattered was that they only had two targets left. The team picked up the pace.
Tap-tap! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Both friendly and enemy gunshots, accompanied by flashes of light, continued reverberating from the rooftops.
Whizz!
A moment later, a white figure crashed on the ground from the building ahead.
Thump!
The person’s fall was followed by a chilling silence that raised the hair on the back of everyone’s necks. An enemy dressed in Islamic attire had just hit the opposite wall of the alley, his neck and arms twisted grotesquely.
Did he fall from being shot?
Oh Gwang-Taek glanced up.
"Aaagh!"
A desperate scream tore through the night as another man in Islamic clothes plummeted from the rooftop.
"Aah! Aaagggh!"
The victim this time was alive.
Thud! Whoosh! Bang! Whoosh! Bang!
Nam Il-Gyu fired two dispassionate shots into the body that had slammed into the ground. They walked for about a minute more. This time, they came across one of their men. He was squatting in front of a window, waiting for Kang Chul-Gyu.
Click-clack! Click!
As Nam Il-Gyu approached the window, Kang Chul-Gyu, who had just reloaded, nodded.
Whisk. Whisk. Boom! Boom!
After two explosions, three men charged in and riddled anyone they saw with bullets.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Tap-tap! Whoosh! Snap! Whoosh!
Clunk.
Moments later, the door was forcibly swung open. Kang Chul-Gyu, holding a rifle in his right hand, and Nam Il-Gyu, bleeding from his forehead, were the first to exit.
Screech.
Two soldiers followed behind them, dragging a man covered in blood across the floor. Kang Chul-Gyu looked away from the documents, finding the enemy's head, although only by chance, facing away from him.
Crack!
"Ugh!"
Nam Il-Gyu kicked the enemy's cheekbone, breaking it and turning the head around. The pain caused the seemingly dead man to regain consciousness. Although covered in blood, his face was still at least half-recognizable.
"Get rid of him," ordered Kang Chul-Gyu.
Swoosh! Thwack! Thwack!
Oh Gwang-Taek turned his gaze away this time.
"Fucking bastards! I will chase anyone who dares touch South Korea and challenge this Taegeuk flag to the ends of hell and kill them on sight!"
Nam Il-Gyu wiped his blood-stained knife on the corpse and stood up. As if on cue, Kang Chul-Gyu then headed to the last building.
‘Why were the enemies just waiting for grenades? Shouldn't they at least try to return fire?’
However, Oh Gwang-Taek's thoughts were short-lived. The team had surrounded the building, and the soldier who had just been under a window was missing.
Is this the wrong place?
As Oh Gwang-Taek turned his gaze, Yang Dong-Sik quickly walked over to Kang Chul-Gyu.
"Sunbae-nim, since this is the last one, please let us handle this our way," Yang Dong-Sik requested.
When Kang Chul-Gyu nodded, Yang Dong-Sik gestured toward the rooftop. He then looked down and turned to Nam Il-Gyu.
"Let's go."
The two men ran toward the wall.
Step. Step.
Meanwhile, despite not having thrown any grenades, Kang Chul-Gyu casually walked toward the entrance.
Staring at Kang Chul-Gyu and the two other men’s backs, Oh Gwang-Taek wondered, ‘Isn't that dangerous?’
Whoosh! Tap-tap! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
As he did, gunshots echoed from the second floor.
Whizz! Whizz! Crash!
Seemingly signaled by the noise, Nam Il-Gyu and Yang Dong-Sik immediately leaped through the window. At the same time, Kang Chul-Gyu kicked the door open and rushed inside.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Rat-a-tat-tat! Whoosh!
Muzzle flashes and gunfire erupted from all over the building. Momentary but inevitable stifling silence then followed.
Creak.
The door opened once more. Kang Chul-Gyu emerged first, followed by five soldiers, each one dragging an enemy whom they had incapacitated with gunshot or knife wounds.
Did they intentionally capture them alive?
Oh Gwang-Taek now genuinely considered Kang Chul-Gyu and the soldiers as beings from another world.
Kang Chul-Gyu walked over to Oh Gwang-Taek. "We are about to demonstrate what happens to those who mess with our soldiers or agents. It would be better for you not to watch this, President Oh.”
"Aaaagggh!"
Before he could finish, Nam Il-Gyu had already thrust his knife into the ear of an enemy he was holding by the head.
"Did you have to mess with our juniors, you fucking bastards?!" Nam Il-Gyu shouted.
"Aaaaaaah! Aaaah! Aaaah!"
Swoosh. Slice!
"Does this... actually help?"
As far as Oh Gwang-Taek knew, cruel retribution often led to far more brutal retaliation.
"This warns our enemies not to start at all unless they’re prepared to be subjected to at least this much torture.”
"Aaaah! Aaaah! Aaaagggh!"
Amid the horrific screams, Kang Chul-Gyu continued, "All nearby enemies and sympathizers will hear this scream. From here on out, they’ll always remember it whenever they think of harming someone from South Korea."
"Aaaah! Aaaah!"
"This gruesome corpse, too."
Oh Gwang-Taek inadvertently looked at Nam Il-Gyu, then quickly shifted his gaze back to Kang Chul-Gyu.
"This is retribution,” Kang Chul-Gyu finished.
***
After eliminating the enemies beside Mohammad Zrif, Um Ji-Hwan came down.
Tap-tap! Splatter! Tap! Splatter!
Now, the enemies were facing Choi Jong-Il and Kang Chan from the front and the back.
Whoosh! Bang! Whoosh! Bang! Rat-a-tat-tat! Whoosh! Bang!
The tide of the battle had completely turned. Neither the Libyan military forces nor the UIS remnants stood a chance against the agents from South Korea's National Intelligence Service, especially since they only outnumbered them two to one.
Ten minutes later, the battle ended.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Following Choi Jong-Il's orders, the agents ensured that they had killed all of their enemies, a tactic he learned while facing Quds in Africa.
Kang Chan took out the radio he had received from the CIA and changed its frequency to channel 2.
Rrrrrrr.
The radio’s buzz sounded different from what he was used to.
"Abdul. It's the God of Blackfield. What's your current location?"
Rrrrrrr.
- We're five minutes away from your drop-off point.
Rrrrrrr.
"Head straight to the target location."
Rrrrrrr.
“Yes, sir.”
Choi Jong-Il remained on guard while the agents confirmed that their enemies were dead. In the meantime, Kang Chan switched the channel to 1.
Rrrrrrr.
"Mission accomplished here. What’s the situation?"
Rrrrrrr.
“Aaaaggh!”
The scream made Kang Chan look at the radio. He immediately put it back to his ear.
"The situation just ended,” Kang Chul-Gyu's firmly answered.
Rrrrrrr.
"Damage report."
Rrrrrrr.
- Two dead. Requesting permission to head straight to Tripoli.”
Kang Chan couldn't help but smirk.
Rrrrrrr.
"Granted. We'll reconvene in Tripoli," he responded confidently.
Rrrrrrr.
“We're on our way.”
After their conversation, Kang Chan immediately contacted Choi Jong-Il.
***
The drilling rigs were enclosed by a three-meter fence crowned with barbed wire, which were coiled in a spring-like fashion. Nearly a hundred people and a 20mm machine gun were blocking the entrance.
Kwak Cheol-Ho believed sending Yoon Sang-Ki and Team Two to the hill was a brilliant move. After all, it led to them securing an M20, giving them a bit of a breather. As a result, although one of them had been killed and three were injured, their nine-man team had eliminated the nearly forty hostiles concentrated around the M20.
Nevertheless, they were still anxious. Time was their greatest adversary. Subtracting two hours of travel from the five total hours they had to accomplish their mission, they only had three hours to clear the area and blow up the facilities.
Chk.
“Looks like we have to make ourselves more enticing to lure our guests,” Yoon Sang-Ki radioed in.
Ever since the team had shouted their motto, their enemies had concealed themselves, their determination palpable.
Chk.
"You want to draw them out?"
Chk.
“Dragging this out can only put us in a worse position, can’t it? Their silence is unsettling.”
While Kwak Cheol-Ho was scanning the enemy's location, lights pierced the darkness from behind them.
Flash. Flash.
Playing to Yoon Sang-Ki's worries, vehicles were advancing toward them, their headlights cutting through the night. The team's expressions hardened, and a heavy silence fell among them.
Kwak Cheol-Ho, unable to use his left hand, awkwardly reached for the radio on his helmet with his right.
Chk.
"Sniper, maintain surveillance on the M20. If that truck has also been fitted with a machine gun, it could present us with an opportunity. Let's seize it."
The weapons of his men clicked and rattled as they checked on their magazines. Not long after, they heard a crackle on the radio, notifying them of an incoming transmission.
Chk.
“This is Kang Chul-Gyu from the DMZ team. We're in the two trucks approaching your location. I repeat. This is Kang Chul-Gyu from the DMZ team. We are in the trucks heading toward you.”
‘The seniors are already here?’ Kwak Cheol-Ho thought.
Chk.
"Sunbae-nim, this is Kwak Cheol-Ho. We believe we have already cleared the area behind us, but we'll cover you anyway just to be sure."
Chk.
“Thanks.”
The trucks were only fifty meters away now. Every flash of the headlights illuminated the facilities hidden in the darkness.
Tap-tap! Whizz! Tap-tap! Splatter!
Finally making sense of the situation, the hostiles desperately charged toward the M20.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Gunshots from their sniper immediately followed.
Whoosh! Tap! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Tap-tap! Whoosh!
Would they really let the M20 be taken now? Especially with the legendary DMZ King and his men charging in?
Having parked the trucks at a distance, Kang Chul-Gyu and the DMZ team lowered their stances and rushed forward.
Click! Click! Thud! Thud!
A few moments later, Kang Chul-Gyu reached Kwak Cheol-Ho. Perhaps because the special forces team had been reinforced, the enemies quieted down and buried their heads behind walls again.
"Glad to have you here, sir," Kwak Cheol-Ho greeted.
"Considering how heavily outnumbered you were, you’ve held up extremely well,” Kang Chul-Gyu replied.
After looking at their fallen brother, he refocused on Kwak Cheol-Ho's shoulder. Nam Il-Gyu took out a bandage from his pocket and wrapped it around the wound.
"You’ve already completed your objectives?"
"Our target location was so poorly guarded that we didn’t have much of a problem," Nam Il-Gyu replied.
Oh Gwang-Taek, who was nearby, turned his head toward the two, surprised that they would describe battles like this as smooth.
"This way!"
Yang Dong-Sik and about half of the DMZ team positioned themselves beside Yoon Sang-Ki.
"Great work. You’ve got quite the beautiful view here.”
Yang Dong-Sik quickly surveyed the area ahead of them.
"That’s quite a lot of enemies you’ve been handling.”
"No, sir."
"To be able to hold your ground in this situation despite your limited manpower..."
Yang Dong-Sik and the other DMZ team members couldn’t help but acknowledge and respect Yoon Sang-Ki and the special forces team’s efforts. From their position, they could see the entire facility, including the fence surrounding it and the enemies blocking its entrance. The enemies didn't move, stuck on either side of the 20mm machine gun.
Silence descended upon them once more as Kang Chul-Gyu surveyed the area.
Although they now had enough men to conquer the oil rig, some sacrifices still seemed inevitable no matter how carefully they approached, whether by low crawl or high crawl.
"Nam Il-Gyu,” he called.
"Yes, sir,” Nam Il-Gyu promptly responded.
"Do you think a grenade launcher, a couple of grenades, and four men will suffice?”
"That would make it worth a try.”
“Here we go again,” Oh Gwang-Taek mumbled to himself.
Kwak Cheol-Ho looked at them with a puzzled expression.
"Get ready."
"Yes, sir," Nam Il-Gyu answered. He then stepped back.
Kang Chul-Gyu then turned to Kwak Cheol-Ho. “With your permission, I’d like to send five of my men to breach and cross the oil rig’s fence. We would have to provide them with cover.”
Kwak Cheol-Ho didn't respond immediately.
While the others had adopted an informal tone, the DMZ King maintained a respectful demeanor toward him. It would be quite strange if he merely said, ‘Please do!’ and then passively allowed their seniors to undertake such a dangerous mission.
Kang Chul-Gyu softly added, "This is how we usually do things in the DMZ. Let us handle this. It’s the only way for us to maintain our dignity after coming all this way.”
Considering he had gone so far as to ask politely, Kwak Cheol-Ho, the one in charge of this location, couldn't bring himself to refuse.
"I'd appreciate it, sunbae-nim," he answered.
Kang Chul-Gyu gave him a brief smile, then reached for the button on his radio.
Chk.
"This is Kang Chul-Gyu. Il-Gyu and four others are crossing. Get ready."
Following Kang Chul-Gyu, Kwak Cheol-Ho also issued a command to his team.
Chk.
"The seniors will breach the fence. Make sure not even one enemy can aim at them."
Rustle.
Moments later, Nam Il-Gyu and four other men walked toward them and requested C-4s.
"Thank you for taking on this difficult task, sunbae-nim."
"You all were the ones who handled the hard work. Honestly, this is nothing. I bet you guys can do this better."
Nam Il-Gyu gently tapped Kwak Cheol-Ho's forearm before heading back to his position.
Everything was ready. At the signal, they would unleash hell on their enemies, who had hunkered down in the oil rig like startled pheasants.
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