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Seok Kang-Ho and Cha Dong-Gyun were put in charge of hunting the enemy approaching from the left of their current position, while Choi Jong-Il and Kwak Cheol-Ho were put in charge of hunting the enemy approaching from the right.
Kang Chan went two meters down the hill.
In operations like this, putting unconditional trust in their commander was absolutely important. During the live ammo training, Kang Chan shot them in the chest and the head. Fortunately, they were wearing bulletproof vests and helmets back then. Was that the reason they could work with each other so well it was almost natural?
The forest grew silent as they advanced by five meters.
Ten meters ahead of them was another rocky area of the mountain. Even their enemies would find it difficult to recklessly climb it.
Taking that into consideration, their enemies were probably waiting for nightfall.
If Kang Chan and his team let the Spetsnaz have their way instead of bringing the fight to them now, his team would be surrounded and forced to wait for the Foreign Legion. If the SBS joined the battle in that situation, then Kang Chan and his team were as good as dead.
Not wanting to let that happen, Kang Chan insisted on hunting the Spetsnaz now. He looked at Seok Kang-Ho, who was behind him. Seemingly understanding what his gaze meant, Seok Kang-Ho quickly advanced.
The moment Seok Kang-Ho got into position, Choi Jong-Il headed toward where Kang Chan was looking.
Cha Dong-Gyun followed Seok Kang-Ho, and Kwak Cheol-Ho followed Choi Jong-Il.
“Haah. Haah.”
Not only did they have the three people that had the best abilities in the special forces team, but they also had Seok Kang-Ho, who understood Kang Chan’s intentions better than anyone else.
Kwak Cheol-Ho sharply glared behind him—which was where Choi Jong-Il was positioned— then checked their flanks as well.
Sunlight coursed past leaves whenever the wind blew, making the shadows of the forest dance.
In the middle of their sway, Kwak Cheol-Ho felt as if he saw a black helmet.
Did I see that correctly or is my brain playing tricks on me?
He wasn’t sure either.
Click!
Just as Kwak Cheol-Ho was about to react…
Whoosh!
Thud!
He saw blood splatter and spread like red fog.
While they were still pondering if they saw a helmet, the enemy was shot in the head.
Kwak Cheol-Ho looked at Kang Chan in shock quick enough to witness Kang Chan aiming his gun back to their front.
Kwak Cheol-Ho felt like a wolf hunting with a lion. He held down a laugh.
Who can defeat a lion?
They had already seen enough of Kang Chan’s capabilities during the live ammunition training.
Right now, they were up against the Spetsnaz, a special forces team renowned even among the world’s special forces. Nevertheless, one of their members had just been killed with a headshot simply because he leaned his head forward a little.
A thrill went down Kwak Cheol-Ho’s spine and spread throughout his body like goosebumps.
He decided to shoot anyone he saw, having gained confidence that he didn’t have anything to worry about. After all, even if Kwak Cheol-Ho couldn’t hit his target, Kang Chan would simply send a bullet right between their eyes.
The Spetsnaz? You little dickheads! We have the God of Blackfield on our side!
Meanwhile, Cha Dong-Gyun gritted his teeth.
By the time Kwak Cheol-Ho had pointed his gun, Kang Chan had already pulled the trigger.
He was surprised not only by Kang Chan but by Seok Kang-Ho as well.
Seok Kang-Ho aimed opposite where Kang Chan was aiming. Cha Dong-Gyun felt as if he was learning new things about what he should do in a team.
Seok Kang-Ho’s actions let Kang Chan focus on one side.
This was it.
It didn’t matter if they were up against the Spetsnaz or any other bullshit. As soon as their enemies revealed themselves, even if it was just their head or a leg, Kang Chan would kill them.
The others just had to protect Kang Chan during that brief moment.
Even though the gunshot and the body falling to the ground rang loud and clear, none of the enemies showed up.
They probably didn’t expect this to happen. How could they have known that one of the soldiers they had sent over to secure a foothold would be shot in the head?
Sons of bitches!
The Korean team just had to act as they had been trained.
Kang Chan would take care of the rest.
The bitterness and extreme sorrow that had accumulated in the soldiers’ hearts seemed to be dissipating.
They just had to cover their left and defend Kang Chan even if it meant throwing themselves in the line of fire.
Cha Dong-Gyun examined their surroundings even more fiercely.
It was subtle, but Kang Chan’s movements changed. He no longer made any sounds—like a lion prowling after finding prey.
‘An enemy is near!’
Cha Dong-Gyun and Kwak Cheol-Ho only instinctively felt that an enemy was close by, so they couldn’t understand how Kang Chan knew where the enemies were.
Cha Dong-Gyun and Kwak Cheol-Ho gulped.
Where are they?
Are they near Cha Dong-Gyun?In front of Seok Kang-Ho? Or near Kwak Cheol-Ho again?
Their senses heightened so much they were starting to become dizzy.
Swoosh.
During the brief period that the wind swept past, something moved in front of them.
Cha Dong-Gyun felt as if all of his blood ran cold.
Click!
Whoosh!
Thud!
Cha Dong-Gyun couldn’t pull the trigger.
‘This was what Cheol-Ho had experienced!’
Cha Dong-Gyun couldn’t shoot because he wasn’t certain if he had spotted an enemy, then he began to worry if things would become dangerous if they failed to kill the Spetsnaz in one shot.
Cha Dong-Gyun locked eyes with Kang Chan, who then looked up ahead.
He was the God of Blackfield! To their enemies, he was the god of death.
Cha Dong-Gyun vowed to let nothing stop him from shooting them next time.
It didn’t matter if he hit or missed the target. He would pull the trigger no matter what.
No matter the outcome, the God of Blackfield was there to take care of it anyway. He would display yet another thin spray of the enemies’ blood—like what he was doing now.
Twenty minutes had passed, but none of them could still stand straight. However, Cha Dong-Gyun and Kwak Cheol-Ho weren’t tired.
Kang Chan controlled his pacing.
Right now, he was moving faster.
How does he know? How can he figure out where the enemy is? We’re up against the Spetsnaz here!
Cha Dong-Gyun had discovered that enemy first, yet Kang Chan had shot them in the forehead way faster than he could pull the trigger. It was almost instantaneous.
Kang Chan lowered himself a little more. When he did, Seok Kang-Ho and Choi Jong-Il looked from side to side to figure out why.
Eventually, they realized an enemy was nearby.
See? Kang Chan slowed down.
His walking speed slowed down enough for them to sense it.
Deciding he would stop at nothing to fire at the enemy this time, Cha Dong-Gyun sharply aimed at and observed the area that he was in charge of.
He would shoot anything that moved.
I have to trust myself! Even if I miss, the God of Death is right in front of me.
Not longer after, he saw something moving.
Whoosh!
Cha Dong-Gyun pulled the trigger.
He felt as if the world had stopped. His hairs were standing on end.
Thud!
With the sound of something falling to the ground, the speed of the world around him quickly returned to normal.
Cha Dong-Gyun unknowingly looked at Seok Kang-Ho.
Seok Kang-Ho grinned in response. Although his eyes were glinting so hard it seemed as if he would beat up Cha Dong-Gyun at any moment, Cha Dong-Gyun realized Seok Kang-Ho was actually praising him.
I killed a Spetsnaz!
Sons of bitches!
During the joint training, those fuckers acted all cocky and didn’t even let the Korean team near them.
Motherfuckers! Come at us!
When Cha Dong-Gyun looked at his team again…
‘Get your act together!’
Kang Chan glared at him, then looked away.
Cha Dong-Gyun returned to his senses. If Kang Chan wasn’t here, he would’ve exposed himself due to his excitement, and he would have become the next one to be shot in the head.
***
Lanok sat up from the desk, then looked at the aide with an unusually fearsome gaze.
“The Intelligence Bureau has just detected a Russian submarine in the Celtic Sea. How am I supposed to comprehend this?” Lanok asked.
“We believe that Vasili sent a special forces team on the submarine—”
“That can’t be.”
Having been interrupted, the aide waited for Lanok to continue.
“You’re saying that the Intelligence Bureau, which has five satellites and enough budget to abundantly feed the starving kids in Africa for ten years, didn’t know that Russia’s nuclear-powered submarine was right around the corner? Does that make any sense to you?” Lanok asked.
“We have received a report that said the DGSE will investigate this matter.”
With a deep sigh, Lanok shook his head. “Raphael.”
“Yes, Mr. Ambassador.”
“If you took out a gun in front of me, then…”
“Mr. Ambassador!”
Raphael looked flustered, but Lanok simply continued as if that didn’t matter. “Louis can just easily shoot you in response. However, what would it mean if Louis didn’t even bother to take out a gun after you shot me?”
Raphael couldn’t answer.
“You wouldn’t say that he was looking somewhere else, would you?” Lanok asked again.
“That’s correct, Mr. Ambassador.”
“Even if people don’t like how I treat Monsieur Kang, we shouldn’t put France in danger just for our personal reasons. If we just leave this at that and move on, then there’s bound to be someone who’ll see this behavior and learn from it in the future.”
Raphael quickly nodded.
“Contact the DGSE and tell them that by today, I should hear news about the deaths of two of the Intelligence Bureaus’ deputy directors. I also want to create a team to assassinate Vasili. Increase the embassy’s security to class one, and order an emergency decree to the entire Foreign Legion,” Lanok added.
Raphael loudly inhaled.
“The Foreign Legion’s special forces team is to head immediately to where Monsieur Kang is. Inform me when they’re ready. Can we contact Monsieur Kang?”
“We heard we can contact him at eight o’clock this evening.”
Lanok nodded while pursuing his lips. He gave Raphael a look that made the latter urgently leave the room.
“Vasili,” Lanok muttered to himself, then fiercely glared at the phone on his desk as if it was Vasili.
“So you want to double-cross me and the United Kingdom?” Lanok muttered to himself with a sigh, then glanced at the clock. “You’re making me bet everything I have on Monsieur Kang.”
***
Whoosh!
Thud!
‘Twenty-three!’
Choi Jong-Il had been counting the number of Spetsnaz members that they had killed.
Each Spetsnaz special forces team had nine members. Taking that into consideration, almost three of their teams had been wiped out before they could even pull the trigger.
Would the Spetsnaz dispatch more than three of their units in a single operation?
Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.
Choi Jong-Il shook his head.
Can it be this easy?
Although Kang Chan took down nineteen of those twenty-three soldiers, this situation was still too absurd.
The sun above them was slowly going down past the horizon.
Whrrr! Peep! Cheep!
Unlike Choi Jong-Il, who flinched whenever they heard the strange sounds from the birds, Kang Chan didn’t react at all.
The enemies who had been so determined to pounce on them had now hidden themselves.
How will they act? How long will we keep succeeding?
Kang Chan paused, making Choi Jong-Il examine him while pulling his rifle close to him.
Kang Chan stopped for the first time since they started this operation.
What’s going on?
Choi Jong-Il, Kwak Cheol-Ho, Seok Kang-Ho, and Cha Dong-Gyun examined their surroundings thoroughly enough for their eyes to feel dry.
Badum badum. Badum badum.
Their hearts raced the same way they did right before they got out of the helicopter.
Kang Chan examined their surroundings.
While the enemy was still likely fully aware of Kang Chan and his team’s movements, they could no longer see the enemy.
Kang Chan moved his head back toward Seok Kang-Ho.
They were going to retreat.
Seok Kang-Ho quickly went past Cha Dong-Gyun, reversing their position.
Seok Kang-Ho was now at the very front, and to their right were Cha Dong-Gyun and Kang Chan.
This was their best option right now.
Their hearts calmed down upon retreating for about twenty meters.
Tsk!
Kang Chan clicked his tongue, seemingly displeased.
When everyone looked at him, he assigned them to their positions. Once they had assumed a pentagon-shaped formation, he softly exhaled.
Their enemies hadn't attacked their troops yet. If nightfall wasn’t what they were waiting for, then they had to be trying to think of other means to win.
The sun had gone down to some degree. Based on his experience, he thought that the members had to eat and rest now. Otherwise, they could fail to keep their nervousness under control.
Making up his mind, he made his way to the forefront.
There was no forest in the middle of where the snipers and other team members were located.
They could be exposed if they stayed there, but the area made it just as difficult for their opponents to hide as well, especially considering the tension in the air.
Before leaving the forest, Kang Chan pressed a button.
Crackle.
“It’s Kang Chan. We’re heading back. Snipers, check the perimeter.”
Crackle.
“Nothing out of the ordinary.”
Kang Chan slowly led them out of the forest upon hearing that answer.
***
Lanok let his phone ring about five times before answering the call.
“Ello?”
- Lanok, are you planning on starting a war?
“Vasili, you can’t just talk to me about what you want right after pushing a gun to my head. I hope you know that Russia isn’t the only country that has nuclear weapons.”
- This is all a misunderstanding, Lanok.
Lanok quickly looked at the clock.
The viper that had backstabbed him suddenly wanted to reconcile. Why would he do that? Why would Vasili, the man who had sent the Spetsnaz to Kang Chan, bow down to him now?
Monsieur Kang!
Unable to contain his happiness, Lanok tightly clenched his right hand, which was on the desk.
“You shouldn’t underestimate Monsieur Kang’s capabilities. I have said this before, but I’m not in a position to force anything on him, Vasili.”
- Lanok, I fell for the United Kingdom’s tricks. Only the United Kingdom will benefit from war starting between us.
“Discuss that with Monsieur Kang.”
- Wouldn’t this be easier if you arbitrate? I would appreciate it if you do me that favor. It’s the only way I would get to apologize to Monsieur Kang. Of course, I’ll be sending proper compensation for our rash decision to head into France as well.
“Vasili, you probably know this already, but our Intelligence Bureau lost two deputy directors because of this matter. Moreover, considering Monsieur Kang’s personality, laying down such a hasty condition could result in me losing credibility as well, just like what happened to you for losing your beloved Spetsnaz,” Lanok said, then glared at the clock.
This was a gamble.
Lanok couldn’t contact Kang Chan, but if he didn’t gamble this much right now, the situation could become even harder at any moment.
- Can you tell Monsieur Kang that I’m willing to even tell you the exact location of the SBS? How do you even contact him?
“It would be in your best interest to not look down on France, Vasili.”
- I will contact the DGSE, so check with them.
Lanok hung up, then sighed loudly.
Monsieur Kang Chan had done it. He had defeated the Spetsnaz.
Lanok shook his head.
***
The sun was around forty-five degrees above their heads by the time Kang Chan’s team had regrouped with the rest.
Thud.
“Phew.”
As if on cue, all five straightened their legs and leaned against a rock.
Looking extremely curious, the others checked how the five were doing.
‘Twenty-three,’ Choi Jong-Il mouthed to Woo Hee-Seung when their eyes met.
“Pardon?”
“We killed twenty-three Spetsnaz soldiers,” Choi Jong-Il repeated.
Looking like they couldn’t believe what they just heard, they turned toward Kang Chan.
Kang Chan smirked.
He’s telling the truth!
The soldiers looked strangely proud of themselves. In the middle of that standoff, they emerged victorious.
Through this experience, they became battle-hardened enough to no longer feel dispirited, and even if they did, it ensured that they would still be able to properly use the abilities that they had learned during training.
“Cha Dong-Gyun, have the members eat on shifts. Order the sniper team to eat one at a time. Make sure they never let their guard down.”
“Understood,” Cha Dong-Gyun answered.
“What do you think those fuckers did?” Seok Kang-Ho asked Kang Chan.
“They either planted claymores in the area or have withdrawn.”
“Phew! I’m fucking dying for a smoke.”
“Aren’t you hungry?”
“Why do you ask? As a matter of fact, I’m starving,” Seok Kang-Ho grumbled. Not long after, one of their team members brought him a C-ration.
“Eat, then get some sleep,” Kang Chan said.
“Will we keep moving tonight as well?” Seok Kang-Ho asked. He placed his finger on the lid of the c-ration, then glanced at Kang Chan.
“If they have planted claymores around us, then even just two people would find it difficult to get anywhere. We should prepare in case things go awry instead.”
“Alright.” Seok Kang-Ho tore off the plastic of the c-ration with his teeth, then ate the bread.
Kang Chan ate a biscuit.
What would Kim Mi-Young be doing right now? He wanted to see her again.
They were in a sunken part of the mountain, so they were enclosed on all sides.
So that fucker Vasili stabbed us in the back, huh?
Kang Chan assumed they wouldn’t get betrayed since Lanok was on their side.
He picked up a pastry.
Son of a bitch.
He decided to let the matter go for now since he had essentially killed most of the Spetsnaz soldiers anyway. However, he already planned to think about how to retaliate after this operation.
He had no intention of just leaving this at that and moving on.