Chapter 148: Chapter 18, Episode 9: The Returning Battle
He always acted first and talked later.
Black Mamba decided his order of targets depending on how threatening they were.
He couldn’t run over a tank with grenades. In terms of danger, the field artillery was first as it had a wide range of attacks. An 85 mm cannon’s greatest field radius was 30 meters. It was hard to jump past that range with a single attempt. He had to clean out the field artillery camp first, then neutralize the machine guns as rifles were nothing.
The FROLINAT left 400 meters empty, which was an advantageous terrain for a sniper. Over half of the army would be wiped out from his attacks by the time he crossed back over the wadi. A battle’s victory or defeat, relied on the degree of impact, in the shortest amount of time.
Black Mamba took out a grenade from his sub-backpack.
Sun WooHyun’s eyes grew wide at that sight.
“What are you going to do with that?”
He wondered if Black Mamba was going to use it as a booby trap, but that wasn’t it.
“A gift!”
“What did you say? What, you gonna throw that at the command building?”
“Obviously.”
“Obviously?”
Sun WooHyun was speechless.
The distance of 400 meters was out of range for a rifle. A grenade was a throwing weapon, which used the muscles of one’s arm and hand. The throwing distance, on average, was barely 30 meters. If he took his joints dislocating into consideration, he could throw up to 50 meters.
A grenade weighed within 700 grams, similar to an 800 grams spear. The Olympic record of spear throwing was around 90 meters. It was said that the Roman army threw the spears over 200 meters using a leather rope, but that was hard to believe. He couldn’t tell what Black Mamba was trying to do.
He acknowledged that Black Mamba was a monster, but he was also human.
Their enemy was a large army equipped with heavy weapons. Modern warfare was about firepower. That wasn’t the age where warriors lurked around with spears on the bridge. Even if he lent a hand, they were going to die together. Looking at the expressionless face of Black Mamba made his insides collapse.
“Damn number 49, I’ve gotten used to dog fights.”
He swallowed those words. He remembered the time he was beaten up till he bled, which blocked his throat. Number 49 was an isolated mental hospital located in North Korea.
Entrenched, Sun WooHyun took out a tool from his backpack.
He didn’t like the rock they were using as an obstacle. He was about to dig a trench.
“There’s no time.” Black Mamba stopped Sun WooHyun.
Something unbelievable happened.
Dust and rocks began to scatter away from Black Mamba’s feet. It was the same scene he had seen when Black Mamba dragged up the sunk pickup from Tanga. Black Mamba’s body began to settle into the ground. He had seen it once, but it was still amazing.
“Are you boiling soup with that claymore?”
“Right.”
Regaining his senses, Sun WooHyun took out six claymores from his backpack and disappeared. A moment later, Sun WooHyun returned and recommended moving their attacking point.
“Let’s move. This place isn’t a good place to start attacking from.”
“Well, I guess these few rocks aren’t going to work as concealment.”
Sun WooHyun picked up the grenades as though they were potatoes and gathered them in his backpack, before standing up.
The new place Sun WooHyun chose was a rocky hill that provided both concealment and cover. Officers took up the role of analyzing battlefields. It was Black Mamba’s weakest point.
Black Mamba’s battle ability was based on cheat-level physiques, assassination, and sniping. There was a limit to his overall battle planning and strategies. Sun WooHyun covered Black Mamba’s lacking parts as someone who had previously been a major to the scouting squad.
Sun WooHyun placed a Minimi stand along the rocks, which were split like a slingshot, and slotted in his scope. Black Mamba began to scold him.
“There’s no need for a scope for 400 meters. Just shoot.”
“Why’re you scolding me? You sound like Emiani,” Sun WooHyun complained as he took out the bullet cases from his backpack, stacking them.
He would have to shoot until those Minimi bullets melted.
“I’m just frustrated.”
“Why’re you throwing your weight around? Isn’t the night attack better?”
Sun WooHyun mentioned a night surprise attack once more.
“If I planned on attacking during the night, I wouldn’t have brought you along. The FAP’s mad to the point of breaking. I need to attack and fall back quickly, since the back of my head’s tingling.”
“I get it, but what on earth do you want me to do?”
The chasers were from Goukouni’s first army, where he had been an officer. There was only one reason for sending three regiments per army. They were seeking the destruction of the French army. He understood that there was no time, but he was about to die from insecurity.
“Ha, those b*stards are eating lunch when we’re starving.”
Black Mamba looked at the sun in the sky as he spoke with ease. There wasn’t a flea’s leg of nervousness in the human.
Sun WooHyun looked inside his mini scope.
Black faces poured out of the building which looked like groups in a cafeteria. White steam came out of the drum bucket in front of the building.
“It looks like they’re eating Githeri. How well-off.”
“Why do those b*stards smell like curry?” Black Mamba complained.
Githeri was a soup that was made from beans and corn. It became quality food when vegetables, potatoes, cassava, curry, and meat were added. It was the main dish of locals in Africa’s central regions, including Kenya.
Locals of Chad didn’t have the concept of lunch. They ate two meals, breakfast and dinner. Only a few of the riches ate three meals a day. Sun WooHyun was right when he said they were well-off.
“The world’s originally an uneven place. Well, I suppose you’re better off if you eat before you die. But I won’t feel as guilty.”
If they were normal, they would have sent RPG’s or mortars.
However, Black Mamba didn’t have a normal battle habit. Bombarding didn’t compare to sniping in death rates.
As long as they didn’t do dot explosions and cluster shells, there was a low possibility of death for those wrapped up in the explosion. The evidence had become blatant through the Vietnam war.
Black Mamba took another grenade from his backpack.
Sun WooHyun’s eyes grew large. There was already a box’s worth of grenade lined up. Black Mamba began to organise his backpack after taking out 48 grenades, which was worth two boxes out of three.
“What are you planning to do?”
It was something Sun WooHyun asked often.
“I said it earlier, didn’t I? It’s better to give the gift yourself.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Just watch and shut up.”
“Huh!”
Sun WooHyun was surprised.
Black Mamba pulled out the safety pin and the attached ring.
Whisk—
The grenade, which left his hand, flew like a shell. 400 meters were crossed in an instant. Sun WooHyun looked at the tail of the grenade with large eyes, as it disappeared into a dot.
400 meters meant three to four seconds of flight.
Black Mamba threw the grenades immediately after removing the safety pin. It flew, one after another.
Five more flew in, even before the first grenade exploded.
Crash—
The first grenade landed squarely on the field artillery.
Crash—
Another large explosion shook the skies, immediately after.
“Wow!” Sun WooHyun exclaimed unknowingly.
Black Mamba really wasn’t human. He didn’t know whether it was intentional or by coincidence, but the grenade had landed right on the tank’s 85 mm charging barrel.
Shells that were used for tank guns of 105 mm or less had separate bullets and shells. To launch, they were loaded by injecting the charge into the case before attaching it to the gunpowder.
Gunpowder was weak to moisture, which was why it was packed in separated, sealed boxes. It was unknown whether they were training or being lazy, but the FROLINAT army had left the gunpowder next to the tank.
Craash—
The gathered gunpowder blew away both the tent and the nearest three trucks. At the sound, 30 or so camels ran about the camp in a frenzy. Several of them ran into the group of FROLINAT soldiers who were having lunch. Chaos occurred. Sun WooHyun forgot about his Minimi at the unbelievable sight.
The following grenades destroyed the field artillery camp and machine rifle camp.
In an instant, four field artillery camps, and five machine gun camps had been disarmed. Following that, the tents, cafeteria, and vehicles were destroyed.
Sun WooHyun gazed at the scene with his jaw hung. He didn’t even realize the machine gun had left his grasp.
“An automatic grenade launcher won’t compare to that. I’ve caught a devil monster, not a human,” he mumbled to himself unknowingly.
A human’s physique couldn’t possibly cover 400 meters. Even if one did, it wasn’t possible to aim something over 400 meters accurately. A human’s eyes couldn’t discern the target point within 0.5 seconds.
Black Mamba continuously turned the impossible, possible. It was because he wasn’t a human. It wasn’t something that could be talked over liquor, either. If anyone heard, they’d end up treating him like a mentally disabled.
“He’s not human!”
In the end, Sun WooHyun reached the same conclusion.
Black Mamba was able to find two enjoyments out of grenades.
Firstly, destroying Habib’s Third Army at Koromunga and secondly, destroying Hadad’s base camp in Tanga. The grenades did their job this time, too. He regretted not using it earlier.
After sweeping out the exposed support and troop concentrated areas, the soy grenades flew in a row.
Bang—
Bang—
The sound of soy grenades was different from the sound of compressed grenades. It exploded in the air and spread a white smokescreen, creating a sea of fire.
The north-eastern FROLINAT command post turned into purgatory after receiving 40 rounds of grenades and six soy grenades. Everything was on fire. The sounds of grenades and oil created a second round of explosions that rang.
The third FROLINAT army of Abbas was under major duress. Soldiers jumped out of the burning tents like ants. The cafeteria, which was attacked squarely by a grenade, had turned into ruins. The number of people injured increased as most of the soldiers were there to eat lunch. All of this had happened not one minute into Black Mamba’s first attack.
“It’s the Kanma!”
“It’s the curse of nightmares!”
All there was, were enemies who fled without their tableware or guns.
Sun WooHyun zoned out at the fire, screams, and explosions. That was the battlefield of a monster. All the plans and calculations he had done had turned useless.
He could understand why Black Mamba was known as the Kanma throughout the Sahel. He was a human who far surpassed the humans’ limits. He realized how stupid he had been in trying to control such a being.
“What is it!”
Bang—
A commander wearing a full uniform with the markings of a lieutenant colonel jumped out of the tent. It was lieutenant colonel Abbas, who was enjoying his meal.
Crack—
The flint that whisked past his face embedded itself in the door frame. The aftershocks whirled by him. Abbas reflexively jumped back into his tent.
“What...what is happening!”
He shouted, but none replied. The soldiers and camels ran about like mad, and corpses lined the floor.
Anything that looked like a tent was ruined. He couldn’t even tell who was attacking and from where. All that came to his mind was the person called Kanma.
“It’s the Kanma! Hide. Counterattack!” Abbas shouted as he shook his rifle, but an empty echo sounded.
There was no soldier to hear the shouts from within the camp, and it wasn’t a situation which the commander’s authority could resolve.
Black Mamba, who wasted all of his grenades, took up the Dragunov. His current Dragunov was his third lover. The previous gun barrels weren’t able to withstand his continuous shots.
Clang—
Clang—
Clang—
Clang—
Black Mamba carried on with his continuous shots. The soldiers who had jumped out of the tents rolled to the ground in rows.
Sun WooHyun, who was looking into the scope, felt his jaw drop open. The unrealistic scene of humans falling like dominoes filled his lens. It was a scene he’d never imagined or seen. He would never have imagined that a sniper could use a sniping rifle like a machine gun.
“How scary!”
All he could think about was how scary that was.
Sun WooHyun was also a first-rate sniper who could be counted on three fingers, within the scouting, airborne brigade. The airborne brigade boasted a deadly level of training.
However, a human’s physical limits couldn’t be overcome with training. A sniper couldn’t pull on the trigger in intervals of 0.5 seconds. Black Mamba was someone who borrowed the appearance of a human, but he was not human.
Crash—
A grenade exploded on top of the commander’s tent. Spare flints and pieces fell into the tent. Abbas jumped out into chaos, half in resignation and another half without choice.
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