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Kang Chan gritted his teeth. They lost four of their men.
They laid the fallen out straight and folded their arms across their chests. As they did, he noticed that the soldier with the broken fingers was one of the fallen.
Even with an injured hand and only filling his stomach with just dry biscuits and chocolate, the man still managed to come all the way. However, he did so only to die in vain. He could not even groan the pain away because he did not want to dampen the morale of his fellow soldiers.
This was why Kang Chan tried not to let anybody get close to him. Westerners who were accustomed to operations were quite adept at letting go of dead comrades, but for Kang Chan, it was incredibly hard to endure these moments.
They charged right into enemy territory. He was already expecting that they would have to make sacrifices, but that didn’t make it any less painful to witness.
“Our enemies somehow know the path that we’re taking. It’s either someone betrayed us or we have been spotted by satellites that we can’t detect,” Kang Chan said, breaking the silence.
Everyone’s gazes instantly shot to him.
“Given the situation, we have two options: either escape toward Dokgeom-ri or give up on the route we intended to take and find another path,” Kang Chan continued.
Kang Chan chuckled wryly as he looked in the direction they were planning to go.
“Since the operation has been compromised, it would certainly be best to withdraw. Unfortunately, you all have the worst of luck for ending up with a commander like me,” Kang Chan said sarcastically.
Kwak Cheol-Ho audibly gulped.
“Still, I’ll give you a chance to go back. If any of you want to go to Dokgeom-ri, step forward,” Kang Chan declared.
Not a single person looked around to observe what the others were doing.
Smirking, Kang Chan continued, “Alright. Let’s split into two teams. First, Seok Kang-Ho, you’ll be joining me in the team that will be taking the front.”
Although Seok Kang-Ho had no idea what Kang Chan was asking him to do, he still grinned widely in response.
“Now, who’s the soldier who had been in an operation here,” Kang Chan continued.
“Yes, sir,” Hong Ki-Yoon replied.
“Me, you, Seok Kang-Ho
 We need one more person.”
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Kwak Cheol-Ho’s hand immediately shot up.
“You have to command the other team,” Kang Chan refused.
Every single soldier was holding up their hands like they were madmen on a mission to die.
“Yoon Sang-Ki,” Kang Chan named.
“Thank you, sir!” Yoon Sang-Ki replied shortly and directly.
Kang Chan then pulled out a map.
“Kwak Cheol-Ho, I will be running to Sinpyong as quickly as I can. In the meantime, you and the rest of the soldiers are to avoid combat with the enemy for as long as possible and take care of the AA guns located here,” Kang Chan ordered.
“What should we do after that, sir?” Kwak Cheol-Ho asked.
“Hide and confuse the enemy. If you don’t receive any further orders by twenty twenty-seven, head to Dokgeom-ri immediately,” Kang Chan instructed him.
Kwak Cheol-Ho remained silent.
“Think coldly and logically as you did in France, China, and North Korea,” Kang Chan said.
Pat.
Kang Chan thumped Kwak Cheol-Ho’s helmet.
Pat. Pat. Pat. Pat.
The soldiers hesitated when they first did it, but they now tapped Kang Chan’s helmet confidently. As they did, they looked into each other’s eyes. They would have to part ways for now, but they planned to meet again and have a smoke together once all of this was over. However, they could also be reunited as corpses. A few soldiers’ eyes turned red, overwhelmed by emotion.
The soldiers placed their fallen comrades' military gear and rifles on the bodies of the deceased, then took all their C-rations. They also tore off their pants and sleeves to block the bodies’ noses and ears.
I’m sorry. If only I could make judgments a little faster! If only I was more capable! Don’t worry. I will do whatever it takes to take Jang Kwang-Taek’s head.
Kang Chan lifted his gaze from the fallen soldiers.
“Let’s go,” he commanded.
Once he began to move, Seok Kang-Ho, Yoon Sang-Ki, and Hong Ki-Yoon followed after him.
***
“What did you just say?”
Jang Kwang-Taek’s thin body was covered in wrinkles. At first glance, he looked like a kind neighborhood uncle, but his sunken eyes told an entirely different story.
He wore the North Korean military uniform over loose pants, and he had medals pinned all over his chest and sleeves.
“Say that one more time,” Jang Kwang-Taek ordered.
“Our communication has been completely cut off,” replied his subordinate.
Jang Kwang-Taek looked surprised.
“With three platoons of light infantry soldiers, we shouldn’t face communication issues even in the DMZ, but you’re not telling me that as soon as they arrived, we instantly lost not just communication with them but two helicopters as well?” Jang Kwang-Taek asked in disbelief. He lifted his menacing gaze toward his aide.
“Send two light infantry companies!” he ordered furiously.
“Yes, sir!” the deputy said before leaving the room.
Now alone, Jang Kwang-Taek approached the window and looked out at the mountains. Even though he was in a building for the Ministry of the People’s Armed Forces, it was really just an old thirty-year-old concrete four-story facility. The department had influence because they were the core of the North Korean military power, but their building wasn’t large or perfect in any way.
If they were in good relations with the North Korean leadership, they would’ve been on the emergency base in Pyongyang instead.
Jang Kwang-Taek frowned. The North Korean leadership had no idea how dangerous the current situation was. Their young, naive leader had no idea how significant it was for South Korea to have a young commander acknowledged by both Russia and China.
The guy instantly subdued Wui Min-Gook, assassinated Jang Kwang-Taek’s source of pride, annihilated the soldiers in Mongolia, and foiled various other plans.
That wasn’t the end of it.
He also killed Huh Geuk, one of North Korea’s most avid supporters, and even made the Beijing Capital International Airport go up in flames. What was more surprising was the fact that he lived through all of that.
And the Eurasian Rail? The moment South Korea was connected to it, the political system in North Korea would be ruined. Their young Supreme Leader had no idea. If the dedicated people of North Korea learned all about the outside world and reality, everything could change.
Jang Kwang-Taek lit up the cigarette on his desk.
“Whew.”
Should I avoid him?
No. The attention of the military was focused on him right now. If the leader of the People’s Armed Forces ran away from a South Korean special forces team of only twenty people, he would lose their trust.
“That damn bastard!” Jang Kwang-Taek cursed as he crushed the cigarette butt. “Come at me if you dare.”
He glared at the mountains again.
Once he captured the young punk, he would have South Korea in the palm of his hand.
Why else would the People’s Armed Forces be in Sinpyeong? They had the 820 tank regiment and three light infantry battalions nearby. They also had four mechanized infantry units surrounding them.
“I will control South Korea with your head and get revenge on our fallen children in Mongolia.”
When Huh Geuk died, China was engulfed by a strange turmoil. However, Jang Kwang-Taek planned to return everything to their rightful place.
***
The sun was about as high in the sky as Kang Chan’s forehead.
“Haah. Haah.”
Even amid the rough sounds of breathing, the clinking of rifles, and the crunching of gravel under their feet, Kang Chan never slowed down.
Yoon Sang-Ki couldn’t help but think that they could end up dead at this rate.
As he ran, he thought of their fallen brothers, Choi Seong-Geon, and his wife. Even so, he still couldn’t stop fatigue from gripping his legs.
He ate a packed dinner last night, slept an hour, and slept for ten more minutes this morning. They had undergone three days of non-stop training, marched a thousand li[1], and endured harsh winter training. However, none of their training prepared them for sprinting through mountainous terrain without even an hour of rest.
“Haah. Haah.”
He felt embarrassed and apologetic to his dead comrades. Still, he could never run like Kang Chan.
His lungs were on the verge of exploding, his waist felt like it was about to snap, and his shoulders, bearing the weight of his rifle and gear, hurt so much that he felt as if they were being torn apart.
‘I’ve reached my limit now.’
They had been running for a little past an hour now.
His mental and physical strength were gone, and his legs no longer listened to him.
Rumble! Crash!
Even so, he wouldn’t give up. He would probably faint and collapse, but he would never give up.
Not long after, someone grabbed Yoon Sang-Ki’s chest and neck.
“Haah! Haah!”
It was Kang Chan. His shoulders were heaving, and he was taking large, labored breaths just like Yoon Sang-Ki himself.
“Let’s take a short break,” Kang Chan said.
Yoon Sang-Ki plopped down to the ground with a thud.
Rustle. Rustle.
Kang Chan pulled down his military gear, looked for his water pouch, and handed it to Yoon Sang-Ki.
Gulp. Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.
As Yoon Sang-Ki collected himself a little, Kang Chan drank water that Seok Kang-Ho gave him.
“Fuck! This is goddamn exhausting!” Seok Kang-Ho cursed loudly.
Hong Ki-Yoon was lying down in the direction that Seok Kang-Ho spoke.
1. Li is a unit of measurement and is a traditional Chinese unit of distance. It’s about 500 meters or 1620feet or 0.311 miles ☜