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Pew! Pew!
“Keegh!”
Seok Kang-Ho shot an enemy through the cheek, making the latter shout in pain.
Pew! Thud!
At the same time, Kang Chan put a hole through the same bastard’s forehead.
That seems about all of them.
Kang Chan nodded at Seok Kang-Ho.
Patter. Crunch. Crunch.
People often had three kinds of reactions to the sudden emergence of combat. Some soldiers stood their ground and remained unwavering instead of getting intimidated. During conflicts that involved multiple enemies, they were the ones who could be trusted never to back down from a fight.
Naturally, Kang Chan shot all of those soldiers in the forehead. There were also soldiers who waited for the right opportunity or bid their time until their opponents finally launched the first attack. However, Seok Kang-Ho eliminated all of them earlier when he took the lower ground.
The most bothersome and annoying bastards during these cleanup operations were the ones who were neither—those who would make their bed and never move from that spot. They would do everything in their power to stay alive until the very end of the conflict even if that meant hiding throughout the entire battle. Once their opponent’s guards were down, they would finally let bullets fly. The shots fired while everyone was smoking because they thought the battle was already over usually came from these punks.
Swish!
Kang Chan had never failed to land a bullet in his opponent’s forehead. Others could not help but be fascinated by the fact that he could perform such a feat, but the reason he could was simple: everything just moved more slowly for him. The split second that the branches of the trees and the waist-high grass tilted in the wind in slow motion was enough for Kang Chan to see the enemies’ foreheads, eyes, or even throats.
Today was no different.
Click! Pew! Pew! Thud! Thud!
Seok Kang-Ho immediately bolted forward after Kang Chan pulled the trigger again. He raised his index and middle fingers twice at him.
‘Twenty-two enemies? That means we’re still missing one.’
Realizing the meaning behind Kang Chan’s expression, Seok Kang-Ho turned around and raised his gun.
Pew! Pew!
“Where do you think you’re going, motherfucker?” Seok Kang-Ho shouted.
Their last opponent seemed to have attempted to go back down the mountain alone. His death marked the end of the battle.
Kang Chan’s heart rate slowed down, and he no longer heard anyone’s breaths. Most importantly, his gut feeling didn’t nag at him anymore. To him, that was enough evidence that they avoided imminent danger.
Crunch. Crunch.
Seok Kang-Ho walked back over to Kang Chan with a look of disbelief on his face. He felt as if he was watching a monster that evolved with every operation.
I can’t believe I picked a fight with someone like him!
The Algerian Dayeru was big and bulky, so it hurt his pride when he first met and was put on the same level as Kang Chan, a slim Asian male. He couldn’t understand why people put him in the same league as that man. However, when they finally traded blows, Dayeru felt as if Kang Chan was beating him up with a steel hammer; Kang Chan had been so fast that he couldn’t even see the punches coming.
Seok Kang-Ho remembered the pain he felt when Kang Chan landed a jab to his side, throat, and solar plexus. When he curled up on the ground, spit drooling from his mouth, Kang Chan mercilessly stepped on him.
‘I can’t let some Asian punk keep beating me up! That’s embarrassing as fuck!’
When Dayeru woke back up, he found Kang Chan leisurely drinking some beer. The same thing happened two more times. After all, Kang Chan wasn’t the type to back down from the fight either.
On the third time, Dayeru couldn’t even raise his fists when he saw the look in Kang Chan’s eyes. At that moment, he realized he would actually die if he pushed Kang Chan any further.
That incident happened in a small bar in Paris.
Seok Kang-Ho still didn’t know why, but he felt terribly upset at the time. He even sobbed like a little baby. Kang Chan told him something as he handed him a beer back then, but he didn’t understand what it was.
Fuck. How was Dayeru supposed to know that Kang Chan would take him as a mercenary after beating him to a pulp?
After that, they went to a place where carrying guns around was legal and killing people didn’t have repercussions. Kang Chan turned a blind eye when Dayeru beat up people who ordered him to make some coffee. After that, Dayeru went against Kang Chan’s commands two more times, one of which was during an operation called Mission Mangala.
Instead of listening to Kang Chan, who told him to stand down, Dayeru trusted his own gut and ended up taking a knife to his shoulder in a small room. A curved knife—one reminiscent of a crescent moon—that was tied to a pillar swung toward his throat.
Dayeru would never forget what he witnessed that day. Kang Chan leaped into the room with a bayonet in hand and confronted the enemy with fierce determination. When their eyes met briefly, Dayeru saw it.
‘Don’t you dare die, motherfucker! Live!’
Fuck. He didn’t expect the same person who beat him up as if he planned to kill him would try so goddamn hard to save him.
That was when Dayeru realized that Kang Chan was extremely lonely as well. From that moment on, he began to genuinely depend on him.
“You motherfucker!” Kang Chan, who was covered in blood, cursed in Korean as he slashed the knife from the rope.
After that day, Dayeru learned just how legendary of a figure Kang Chan was in Africa and in the Foreign Legion’s special forces. Kang Chan destroyed anyone who looked down on him because he was Asian.
Compared to the others, Dayeru’s encounter with him was one of the milder incidents.
The bastards who mocked Kang Chan the day he failed to protect rookie chicks had to quite literally crawl away to escape from him.
Some people would likely think Dayeru was exaggerating, but he wasn’t. He learned that the hard way when he used his own arm to block the knife that Kang Chan was swinging at those punks. Kang Chan wasn’t trying to scare them off—he was actually trying to kill them.
Dayeru could not help but bow down to him in respect.
On the battlefield that nobody wanted to remember, Kang Chan kept the rookie chicks and his comrades in his heart.
Seok Kang-Ho was now much older than Kang Chan, yet he still felt the same way.
Kang Chan would always be worthy of admiration. After all, he wasn’t just the one who decided who lived or died on the battlefield. He would never abandon Seok Kang-Ho for as long as he lived either. Even if he died, Kang Chan still wouldn’t brush him off or forget about him.
“What is it?” Kang Chan suddenly asked.
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Seok Kang-Ho jumped, having been brought back to reality.
“What’s going on? Are you okay?” Kang Chan continued. He even turned around to check if something was behind him.
***
Moon Jae-Hyun and Hwang Ki-Hyun sat on a wooden bench that didn’t have a backrest in the middle of a path. Jeon Dae-Geuk was standing next to them, glancing at the security guards.
“We believe some forces in China are supporting Jang Kwang-Taek by providing him with information,” Hwang Ki-Hyun said.
Moon Jae-Hyun stayed silent, his lips tightly pressed together in a stiff expression.
“We have noticed signs showing that Jang Kwang-Taek is preparing to take military action. His attempt to assassinate the Supreme Leader is likely also related to his plan. If a war breaks out on the Korean Peninsula, it will be difficult for Yang Bum to maintain his influence over the Chinese intelligence bureau,” Hwang Ki-Hyung added.
“Regardless, these issues could be resolved with Jang Kwang-Taek’s death,” Moon Jae-Jyun grimly stated.
A short moment of silence followed right after.
“Considering Jang Kwang-Taek has control over the military, it is also highly possible that the North Korean leadership gave him the information,” Hwang Ki-Hyun explained.
“What is the United States’ reaction to all this?” Moon Jae-Hyun inquired.
“At present, the United States Forces in Korea are under a curfew and have strict restrictions on leaving the base. It appears that they consider it a priority for us to confess and offer our apologies to North Korea first.”
Moon Jae-Hyun let out a quiet sigh before speaking up again.
“We have to avoid war at all costs. Failure to do that would not only result in too many sacrifices among our people. It could also lead to the Korean Peninsula becoming a spoil divided among the powerful countries. Changes in culture, language, and customs would mean the end of our nation.”
Moon Jae-Hyun paused for a moment to look around.
“Is there any way to bring our soldiers back through our line with North Korea?”
“Mr. President, at the moment, those men are our only hope,” Hwang Ki-Hyun replied.
“They have already been exposed. Doesn’t that mean the chances of their success are almost non-existent?” Jeon Dae-Geuk questioned.
Hwang Ki-Hyung surveyed their surroundings as well before replying.
“We are planning to bring the second highest-ranking member of the North Korean leadership to South Korea from Europe.”
Pretending not to hear anything, Jeon Dae-Geuk checked if the security guards were all in their correct positions.
“All of our agents in Europe have been mobilized. So far, we have found more than five high-ranking North Koreans who have expressed their intentions to seek asylum. Jang Kwang-Taek is also aware of that, which is why he can’t proceed with a military confrontation immediately. However, your most important task seems to be smoothing our relations with the United States soon, Mr. President.”
Moon Jae-Hyun slowly stood up from the bench and began to walk back to his office. Hwang Ki-Hyun followed behind him.
“I will contact the agents again tonight. But even when I do, it will still be difficult for us to use our assets in North Korea since everyone has their eyes on each other right now,” Hwang Ki-Hyun said.
“Hmm.”
“Tomorrow afternoon, the Aigle will be entering our waters. The United States, China, and Russia will all be on high alert. The best we can hope for right now is for you to improve our relations with the United States by then.”
“Did France really dispatch the Aigle expecting this kind of situation? This incident really highlights the importance of information warfare. Whew! Look what we’re doing, though. We forced the next leading figure of the information world into operations…” Moon Jae-Hyun trailed off.
“Mr. President, Russia’s Vasili, Britain’s Eaton, and France’s Lanok are all former special forces with experience in the field and a couple of operations under their belt. In Europe, those who have gone through such difficult missions are often respected the most. The harder the operation, the more respect they are given. I’m sorry to Mr. Kang Chan for saying this, but if he returns alive from this operation, the way intelligence bureaus around the world view him will definitely change.”
“That’s why we have to do our best to save Mr. Kang Chan. He is our only hope.”
Moon Jae-Hyun looked up at the blue autumn sky and then turned his gaze toward the horizon again.
“I became the president of South Korea to create a proud nation where everyone is happy, but all I’m doing right now is putting all the burden on Mr. Kang Chan’s shoulders. I feel bad, and this may sound foolish, but I miss him too. I feel energized when I see that trademark smile of his,” Moon Jae-Hyun mumbled under his breath, staring toward the north.