Chapter 278: Chapter 31, Episode 9: National Treasure
“Those idiotic b*stards!” Black Mamba clicked his tongue.
Syria still hadn’t come to their senses even after they were defeated by Israel. What if Turkey pushed through Nahob Hyrang and concentrated their power in Camuzk??las?? However, he was thankful to Syria for their incompetence.
The commanders’ understanding of operations and the soldiers’ wills had been the decisive factors of victory during the Yom Kippur War, the Fourth Middle East War. A soldier who was more insistent on protecting his own life couldn’t measure up to a soldier who was determined to protect one’s family and country. Israel’s tank had moved forward, unafraid of being shot, but Syria’s tanks had been busy searching for a place to hide when a shell landed too close.
Israel had lured Syria’s main forces with a small number of special tank forces and shoved their tank army down empty lines. Deceived by their tricks, Syria had made a tactical mistake of giving a highway to Israel for their advancement. The repeated tactical mistakes had led to their strategic defeat.
It had been 10 years since the Fourth Middle East War ended, but Syria’s tactics didn’t change. Like ants, they gathered in Kunera where the battle took place. The Syrian Army executed the commanders who didn’t follow the laws. That was a useless law established because commanders had fled the battlefield several times during the Middle East wars.
What of the soldiers? Every Arab military was engaged in religious dogmatism, class consciousness, and corruption. The commanders considered the soldiers as their slaves. Despite the poor working conditions, abuse, stolen merits, unpaid checks, and even before an enemy, they ordered the soldiers to bring war gains back to their homes.
He knew that the Korean Army wasn’t much different. The early 20s was the brightest period of one’s life and a detrimental period that would determine one’s future. The first three years of one’s 20s were more precious than the latter 30s.
The country shoved young men into the dark military in the name of loyalty for their country. Those in power or with a strong backing managed to avoid it. Instead of loyalty, it caused dissatisfaction and relative deprivation.
They were fed smelly food every day and abused with the excuse of military adjustment. They had to buy young children candy while on duty, and once they left the gates after being tormented, only the cold wind blew. That wasn’t all. There was a second trap called the rewardless Reserve Forces duty waiting for them. Would loyalty for a country develop in such conditions?
Bonipas had said that France didn’t force patriotism. He had said that patriotism only thrived when the country rewarded the citizens for their hard work and service. He was right. Exporting goods and raising the GDP didn’t create a powerful nation. That was why Kuwait or Saudi Arabia couldn’t become a First-World country despite the increasing flow of money from selling fuel.
“Damn b*stards!”
He shook off his thoughts. The Syrian Army’s pathetic movements had reminded him of Korea, which he would prefer not to think about.
The barbed-wire fences were weak to the point that it was useless compared to Korea’s DMZ. There was only a single layer of rusty iron. When he tapped it with his hand, which was equipped with the billion’s water armor, it crumbled. He heard there were a lot of mines in Korea’s DMZ.
Boom—
His resonance waves actively searched the location. It rushed past the ground’s surface. The countless big and small lumps on the ground reflected in his mind.
“F***ing hell, I knew it.”
The strangely shaped ones were rocks, and those with uniform shapes were mines. While there were more anti-tank mines, there were also land mines. The mines covered a width of 500 meters.
This is more like a narrow door! What should I do?
It would take too long to get rid of them one by one. He pulled out the radio. Avoiding them was his best bet.
“Mohammad, can you hear me?”
“Yes, Sir Ddu-bai-buru-pa.”
“There are mines laid all around. Cut some shrubs. Make as many sticks as you can.”
“Yes, sir.”
Like a person who handled information, Mohammad understood immediately. Black Mamba started complaining once he turned off the radio.
“Damn, nothing’s easy. If I don’t take the exams on time, teacher will beat me up.”
Black Mamba turned his gaze toward Turkey’s border while complaining. He sensed a few presences approaching from 300 meters ahead.
“And what the hell is that?”
Three men in civilian clothing appeared in Turkey’s DMZ. A man was holding onto a self-sensitive circular mine detector in one hand while two other men pointed an M16 forward and laughed, respectively. The man, who was laughing, held up a large banner with both hands. He couldn’t have looked more like a guide waiting to greet someone at the airport.
[ACCUEIL! AMI]
Welcome! Friend? Are they cooperators?
Bonipas’ words flashed by his mind. He lowered the Dragunov, which he’d been raising. Three men, who’d stuck a foot inside hell’s door, crawled between the fences. They looked like stereotypical Turk farmers with flat caps, loose pants, and kaftans[1]. Black Mamba flashed behind them like a devil.
“Qui est vous?”[2]
“Ah!”
The men jumped at the voice coming from behind them. The man holding onto the M16 raised the rifle quickly.
Slap—
“Ugh!”
The man grabbed his wrist and stumbled back.
What the hell?
His rifle was in the other man’s hand. The man stared blankly at Black Mamba. The two men, who had also pulled out their guns, hesitated.
“Are you the MIT? You’ve come to greet me.”
Black Mamba threw the rifle back.
“Ange de la Mort?”
They spoke fluent French. Black Mamba nodded his head.
“I’m the Angel of Death.”
“What amazing skills. We’re the MIT. Did you cause the battle in Kunera?”
“Yes.”
“Amazing. By yourself?”
“I have friends.”
The men stared into each other’s faces. The man holding the mine detector nodded. The man, who was holding onto the large banner, pulled out a radio. He spoke two unfamiliar words into it and ended the communication.
“The Ange de la Mort, who wanders around Hatay’s demilitarized zone, can only be an Asian.”
“I caused a commotion for my own purposes. I do feel sorry for that.”
“It’s a good thing. We were just surprised that those Syrian swine landed the first punch. I received orders from the higher-ups to give you unlimited cooperation. 10 MIT units are searching the Nahob Hyrang for you. Where are the refugees?”
“They’re waiting in the rear.”
“Syria buried a bunch of mines in the DMZ. This isn’t an ideal point for border crossing.”
“I’ll take care of that. All you need to do is move the migrants to Camuzk??las? from here.”
“Some of the Syrian guards are still around.”
“I’ll take care of that.”
“What about the mines?”
“I’ll take care of that too.”
The three MIT agents looked confused. Their reaction was as though he had mistaken himself for a magician.
“It takes a long time to detect the mines.”
“There won’t be a problem if you follow me.”
Black Mamba walked forward. The Turkish agents hesitated before rushing after him. Black Mamba’s feet moved faster. The three agents ran to the point that their breaths choked their throats. The Turks were known all around the world for their machismo tendencies. The desire to not lose made them forget about the mines. They crossed the DMZ and passed the fences on Syria’s side.
“I told you nothing would happen, didn’t I?”
Black Mamba turned to smile at the MIT agents.
“Hh!”
The three men turned pale when they looked back. They had jumped around the DMZ thoughtlessly. Nausea arose.
“Sometimes, men risk their lives for small things.” Black Mamba smiled.
“Ugh!”
The agents sighed and wiped down their chests. They’d followed the b*stard 500 meters across the minefield thoughtlessly. They felt as though they’d returned from the dead. They had never seen such a guy in their lives.
“When they cross, you guys lead the people over from here.”
“What are you going to do about the mines?”
“I’ll deal with it. Cutting bamboos and such,” Black Mamba said and disappeared.
“Is he mad?”
“He’s not mad. He’s a monster.”
“Whether he’s mad or a monster, we only need to follow orders. By the way, how do we get back?”
“We can only wait for that mad guy.”
“If I know, I’d be mad too.”
The MIT agents shook their heads. Their retreat was pushed back after following Ange de la Mort.
“Mohammad, how many sticks did you prepare?”
“500, sir. We tied a red rope around the ends of the sticks.”
“Good job. There are mines located across a width of 500 meters. I’ll mark the places where the mines are located. Make sure the people are properly informed.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Ibrahim, Ahmad, and Jamal will lead the way. Mohammad, you’ll be in charge of middle communications. All guarding followers with radio will lead the groups. The Kurd tribe warriors will bring up the rear. Any questions?”
“Sir Ddu-bai-buru-pa, I apologize, but wouldn’t it be more effective if we crossed the border according to family units?” Ibrahim carefully suggested.
Black Mamba shook his head.
“The main border guard forces may have moved north, but there are still checkpoints and guards. It’ll take longer to move in small numbers. If the battle in Kunera unfolds, this place will become dangerous too. The Heliborne Battalion from Tell Rifaat will fly over soon. We need to move quickly. I’ll take care of the remaining guards.”
“Of course, Sir Ddu-bai-buru-pa.”
“You can hide in the forest that’s located one kilometer ahead of the DMZ. Take good care of the women and the children. We set off now.”
The Orthodox Christians and the Kurd tribe warriors were those who had suffered. They hid their bodies along the terrain and passed the erg and hills, heading toward the forest. Black Mamba wiped away his cold sweats. They’d managed to overcome the most challenging phase.
“Mohammad, wait here. When I contact you, move the people out in groups. I’ll guard the people after marking the mines.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Jamal and Ahmad, it will be an arduous breakthrough from now on. We’re going to wipe out the Syrian guards who’re watching over the barbed-wire fences. Mohammad and Ibrahim, wait for the signal.”
“Yes, sir.”
Jamal called Bakri aside.
“Hadritak Jadir, did you take care of our master’s wealth?”
“Of course, I did. My family members abandoned their belongings and carried his wealth in portions.”
“What about the documents and dollars?”
“Don’t worry. I have them. We don’t dare treat our master’s wealth poorly.”
“Thank you. Our master’s too brave. We must manage his wealth well from hereon.”
“Of course. I would even eat pork if that helps our master.”
“Hehehe, I may be Muslim, but hadritak, you’re an Orthodox Christian. You can eat whatever you want from now on without being concerned about other people’s opinions.”
“Hehe, you’re right. Freedom. Freedom!”
Bakri and Jamal shared meaningful smiles. Like a miracle, they’d traveled all the way to this point without many hardships. Freedom was right before their eyes.
All the guards, who were within a 300 meters radius from the fences, were met with lightning. The Dragunov spewed fire without rest.
Clang clang—
While doing a routine check around the barbed-wire fences, a guard had his head cracked like a watermelon.
Ping—
A grenade flew like a bullet. Without fail, it was sucked into a guard post 200 meters away.
Bang—
The guard post exploded. The grenades kept flying in. All four guard posts within the 300 meters radius were crushed instantly.
Black Mamba always saw things through to the end.
Clang—
Clang—
The Dragunov kept spewing fire. Surprised by the explosion, all six soldiers, who had jumped out of their guard posts, were downed. All guards within the 300 meters radius couldn’t escape Black Mamba’s eyes. He disappeared in a flash, gunshots rang, and blood flowed out. Jamal and Ahmad didn’t dare interrupt. Jamal was nearly burning with desire to use his Barrett, but there wasn’t even time to mark a target.
He used his dimensional sight. 100 meters, 200 meters, 300 meters, and suddenly a grenade flew.
Whoosh—
Bang—
A guard, who had been hiding behind a rock beyond 300 meters, was thrown into the air along with the rock. 40 guards were erased within three minutes.
“Jamal, hand me your Barrett.”
In a standing position, Black Mamba received the Barrett and began his long-range shooting.
Bang—
Bang—
Bang—
In a row, 50 rounds were sucked into a guard post that was one kilometer away.
“Hehe, as expected of our master.”
Jamal and Ahmad’s mouth hung open. The Barrett’s rebound was impressive, even if it had a muzzle breaker. Not only was his sequence firing, which was suppressed by the rebound, impressive, but his accuracy was also even more so. Human figures kept dropping onto the floor in the distant guard post.
Bang—
Bang—
The Barrett kept firing. All the guard posts within one kilometer on both sides were shattered.
“Jamal, this should be enough for those who have survived to hide their heads in the dirt, right?”
“Hehe, even more, sir. I doubt if there are survivors in the first place, but those who survived must have wet their pants.” Jamal laughed.
His master was truly the person who had overturned Kaparja. A strong male was beautiful. He felt invigorated.
“Thank you, God.”
Jamal prayed unknowingly. A servant’s position was determined by their master’s standing in the Arab world. He was most fortunate to have been saved and handed the opportunity to serve a strong master. Perhaps, he had saved a village in his past life.
Black Mamba grabbed the iron pillars and used his strength.
Craaack—
It was entirely uprooted from the base. The power of the billion’s water armor was incredible. His hand crushed the iron pillars, and the square barbed-wire fences were ripped apart. A 10-meters wide hole was created just like that.
“Oi, friends, I’m done with the cleanup.”
The heads of three MIT agents, who had been laying low and covering their heads from the grenade attacks, slowly emerged. Each one of them looked pale. They stared at Black Mamba as though they had seen something they shouldn’t have. They’d experienced all kinds of hardships, but they didn’t realize that they’d met someone so monstrous. He wasn’t just mad. He was insane. He wasn’t a human but a monster who lived in the lake in the form of a human.
“Mon dieu, c’est incroyable.”[3]
“I’m on the slightly stronger side.”
“Slightly stronger?”
The three MIT agents’ faces creased.
[1] A long belted tunic.
[2] “Who are you?”
[3] “My God, it’s incredible.”
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