Chapter 318: Come At Us! (1)
Stars filled the night sky like lights decorating a Christmas tree.
With the darkness in the background, their enemies approached their location. Their silhouettes lined up on the horizon.
“Ooohhh boooyyy...” Yoon Sang-Ki remarked, stretching out his amazement like a piece of taffy. “There’s a lot of them.”
Cha Dong-Gyun looked behind him and stared at Yoon Sang-Ki, seemingly finding Yoon Sang-Ki’s reaction absurd. The others’ expressions were no different.
Chk.
“Il-Gyu, Dong-Sik. Take your team to the second line of defense.”
They heard Kang Chul-Gyu’s orders on the radio.
Chk.
“Yes, sir,” Nam Il-Gyu answered.
‘Fuck!’
Oh Gwang-Taek was so nervous that he almost swore out loud.
Trying his best to pretend that nothing was wrong, Oh Gang-Taek looked away. However, he still couldn’t stop himself from feeling nervous.
What’s wrong with me? I’m not some gang underling doing my first task!
He had participated in knife fights between gangster organizations dozens of times, and he could no longer count with his fingers and toes the number of times that he had been taken to the hospital due to weapon-related injuries.
Hence, Oh Gwang-Taek didn’t know why he was so fucking nervous. He really hoped that it would go away soon.
The soldiers from Jeungpyeong looked relaxed even as they watched their enemies filling the fields.
How would they react if it was the opposite? What if those soldiers were watching gangsters rushing toward them with filet knives, iron pipes, and baseball bats?
Oh Gwang-Taek shook his head.
He knew that it was shameful to compare gangsters to the enemies currently approaching them.
Chk.
“Captain Cha,” Kang Chul-Gyu radioed in. “Can you count how many enemies are approaching us?”
Cha Dong-Gyun quickly raised his hand to his helmet.
Chk.
“I’m trying, sir, but it’s proving difficult. I can’t tell which organization they belong to either since they’re still about two kilometers away from us. However, I estimate their numbers to be over two hundred.”
To Oh Gwang-Taek, Cha Dong-Gyun looked calm and collected. He just sounded as if he was ordering jjajangmyeon, jjampong, and tangsuyuk.
Chk.
“Take command until I get there.”
Chk.
“At their current speed, they’ll be upon us in about thirty minutes. I’ll try my best to command the soldiers.”
Their conversation sounded so mellow that they just seemed to be asking for free fried dumplings. Their radio frequency quieted down after.
Oh Gwang-Taek inhaled loudly.
Click. Clank. Clank. Click. Click.
Even though Cha Dong-Gyun or Yoon Sang-Ki hadn’t ordered it yet, he heard the soldiers carefully inspecting their magazines and pulling their guns’ breechblocks.
Once they were done, Cha Dong-Gyun began to speak so quietly that he sounded as if he was whispering.
“Our sunbaes have entrusted us to kill all hostiles invading our territory. Their survival depends on how many we can eliminate.”
With the darkness making it hard to focus, some found it difficult to understand what he was saying unless they listened more intently than others.
He continued, “Kill with precision and speed. Keep fighting until the enemy reaches the sunbaes who have retreated to our second line of defense.”
The soldiers’ eyes fiercely glinted as they looked at Cha Dong-Gyun.
“Put everything you’ve got into this battle. Show our sunbaes that they have juniors they can rely on—juniors capable of supporting the assistant director, who entrusted this mission to us.”
When it suddenly became quiet, Oh Gwang-Taek wondered, ‘Oh, is Cha Dong-Gyun done?’
“President Oh,” Cha Dong-Gyun called. “Can you say our motto for us? Quietly, please.”
Cha Dong-Gyun and everyone else turned to Oh Gwang-Taek. Their eyes showed that they were looking forward to hearing him saying their motto.
Why is he asking me to do this? I’m not a member of the special forces team. Is this their way of saying that I’m one of them? Is that why they’re looking at me like that?
Oh Gwang-Taek felt warmth surging in his chest.
“If I can...”
Why do I feel so suffocated?
“Protect the country with my blood...”
Your father’s the kind of man who can yell this cool motto in front of such amazing special forces soldiers!
“I am...”
‘Dad! You’re the best!’
That’s right! Once we’re done here, I’ll buy bananas on the way home.
“... happy.”
Cha Dong-Gyun smirked. The other soldiers smiled at him.
Am I afraid?
Oh Gwang-Taek glared at their enemies.
What do you think you motherfuckers are doing?’
***
Nam Il-Gyu and Yang Dong-Sik’s units retreated to the second line of defense.
In the DMZ, only a few special forces teams fought each other, and it was often to rob the other of their guard posts.
Hence, the DMZ team didn’t have experience facing large armies. If they had fought against a unit this large in the DMZ, everything would have been destroyed, leaving nothing in the aftermath of war.
“Dong-Sik,” Nam Il-Gyu called.
Yang Dong-Sik looked away from the enemies.
“Look after Kang sunbae.”
Only his eyes were visible because of the dirt and the camo paint. Nevertheless, his gaze and voice were enough to make it clear that he was full of spite, perhaps because of the enemies’ numbers.
Nam Il-Gyu continued, “I’ll bring up the front and do whatever it takes to stop the enemies, so take care of Kang sunbae and our juniors.”
Yang Dong-Sik glanced at the enemies approaching them. “Hey! Let me take charge of the vanguard.”
He sounded soft, which was unlike him.
“I’m sure you know that I have trouble understanding the situation. I’m a bit better at offense, so you stay next to Kang sunbae and see how things play out. Don’t forget to help our juniors out as well.”
Nam Il-Gyu glared at Yang Dong-Sik. “Hey, motherfucker.”
In every battle they had been in, Yang Dong-Sik had always followed Nam Il-Gyu’s orders since he trusted his capabilities to calmly judge the situation. He even treated him like a sunbae because Nam Il-Gyu joined the team two months earlier than he did.
“Il-Gyu,” Yang Dong-Sik responded.
Today, however, he refused to abide by Nam Il-Gyu’s orders because this was their first time fighting against so many troops.
“Please. Let’s do as I say this time,” he pleaded.
Yang Dong-Sik had never asked Nam Il-Gyu for something so desperately before. Despite knowing those at the front would be in grave danger, he insisted on bringing up the vanguard.
***
After issuing a couple of commands from above the barracks, Kang Chul-Gyu quickly climbed down.
Clunk.
He pushed his rifle, which he had slung around his shoulder to suspend it diagonally across his body, to his back.
He had a total of five bayonets—one on each thigh and ankle, and another on his left upper arm—a pistol strapped to the right side of his waist, a magazine at his back, and several grenades hanging on both sides of his chest.
Kim Tae-Jin, armed with the same loadout, approached Kang Chul-Gyu.
Four snipers, the soldier in charge of the Mistral, Joo Chul-Bum, and Oh Gwang-Taek’s other subordinates were tasked to protect the base.
“Let’s go,” Kang Chul-Gyu said.
“Yes, sir,” Kim Tae-Jin replied.
The two walked.
Considering the distance, their enemies would’ve already been at the base if they were in vehicles and were recklessly charging head-on. Since they were still over two kilometers away, they probably wanted to remain undetected for as long as possible.
Kang Chul-Gyu and Kim Tae-Jin quickly headed to their positions.
The stars illuminating the night sky looked as if they would fall in clumps if the soldiers could lift their rifles high into the air and poke the sky.
Kim Tae-Jin glanced down at his feet.
Kang Chul-Gyu made no noise as he walked. No matter how hard they tried, none of the soldiers could imitate him.
“Tae-Jin,” Kang Chul-Gyu called. They were only about three hundred meters away from the Jeungpyeong special forces team.
“Yes?”
“If you meet the assistant director later...”
He’s being strange.
Kim Tae-Jin discretely turned his head to Kang Chul-Gyu.
“Tell him that I was very happy to get to meet my son again.”
“What do you mean?” Kim Tae-Jin asked in surprise.
Staring ahead, Kang Chul-Gyu answered, “My son. The one who died in Africa, remember?”
Kim Tae-Jin knew that Kang Chul-Gyu was saying something like this because he was prepared to die. However, he couldn’t dare argue against him.
“You got what I said, right?” Kang Chul-Gyu asked.
“Huh? Ah, yes, I did.”
Their allies and the displeasing silhouettes moving on the horizon were now within sight.
Could it be?
Crouching, Kim Tae-Jin looked at Kang Chul-Gyu again.
Does he want me to tell Kang Chan all that to stop him from being heartbroken if he dies? Is that why he wants me to tell Kang Chan that he was happy about getting to meet his dead son?
Kim Tae-Jin quietly sighed.
He had never thought of Kang Chul-Gyu as someone so considerate.
***
Kang Chan stood in front of and glared out the window of Seok Kang-Ho’s room.
His eyes were glinting with so much intensity that even Seok Kang-Ho couldn’t help but quietly examine his mood.
“Got any cigarettes?” Kang Chan asked.
“Yeah.”
Seok Kang-Ho lit up two cigarettes, then handed one to Kang Chan.
Badum. Badum. Badum. Badum.
Due to the darkness of the night outside, the window acted like a mirror, reflecting Kang Chan. It was also reflecting Seok Kang-Ho, who was sitting behind him.
Buzz— Buzz—Buzz—. Buzz— Buzz—Buzz—. Buzz— Buzz—Buzz—.
Kang Chan took out his phone from his pants pocket and answered the call.
“Hello?”
- It’s Kim Hyung-Jung. We have received intel that a huge group is approaching the base in Mongolia. We haven’t figured out their size and affiliation yet, but we believe they are hostile.
“Got it,” Kang Chan answered calmly.
He had already expected this much. After all, this was why his heart was pounding and kicking up such a fuss.
- I’ll update you as soon as we get more info.
“Please do.”
Kim Hyung-Jung hung up.
After returning his phone to his pocket, Kang Chan deeply exhaled the cigarette smoke. “Hoo.”
“I’ve just been informed that our enemies are already on their way to our base in Mongolia. However, we still haven’t figured out who they are or how many bastards they’ll send,” Kang Chan explained.
Seok Kang-Ho sighed, blowing out smoke in the process.
Considering Kang Chan’s eyes had been glinting long before Kim Hyung-Jung had called them, the battle in Mongolia likely wouldn’t be easy.
Well, have battles ever been easy?
Chkk.
Kang Chan dropped his half-finished cigarette into a paper cup and then slowly returned to the table.
Although it wasn’t like him, Seok Kang-Ho tried to console Kang Chan. “They’ll be fine.”
Kang Chan simply nodded.
***
Kang Chul-Gyu’s footsteps finally made noises only when he reached Cha Dong-Gyun.
Cha Dong-Gyun and the soldiers briefly greeted him with their gazes.
Kang Chul-Gyu quickly examined the horizon. Its line, which should’ve been straight, was being disrupted by multiple silhouettes.
Their enemies were stupid for being so reckless in the presence of the DMZ team and Jeungpyeong special forces team, which were South Korea’s best.
“Sunbae-nim.”
Kang Chul-Gyu turned to Cha Dong-Gyun.
Their enemies were still about a kilometer away from them.
“What Nam Il-Gyu sunbae-nim said on the radio a moment ago got me thinking,” Cha Dong-Gyun said. He looked genuinely curious. “Have you and the DMZ team ever fought against an army this large?”
Kang Chul-Gyu nodded. “Our enemies back then were small special forces teams that had been sent to the DMZ. The unit we fought when I fell for the trap that ended my career was the largest we have ever faced. Even they were only composed of about a hundred soldiers.”
“I see.”
Cha Dong-Gyun and the other special forces soldiers looked like they finally understood why Nam Il-Gyu sounded so surprised on the radio.
“We’d still be confident fighting that many tangos if we were the ones on the offensive. Unfortunately, we simply do not specialize in defense. What about you, Captain Cha?” Kang Chul-Gyu asked.
“I’m already used to their numbers. In every battle we had been in with the assistant director, we were extremely outnumbered.”
Cha Dong-Gyun wasn’t bragging. He was just calmly voicing out what he was feeling.
“The largest we have ever fought was the one in Africa. There were only seventy of us against the Quds’ six hundred. I still vividly remember the assistant director taking command. Even the Foreign Legion, Spetsnaz, Green Berets, and SBS listened to him back then...” Cha Dong-Gyun trailed off.
Kang Chul-Gyu strangely looked even more touched and full of pride than Cha Dong-Gyun, who actually fought in that battle.
After a brief and quiet exhale, Kang Chul-Gyu examined their enemies and looked at Cha Dong-Gyun again.
“Captain Cha, I’m sure the joint training was enough for you to learn how we fight, so let me ask you this. What would you do in this situation?”
“Sunbae-nim, that’s...”
“What would the assistant director do if he was here? I initially planned on hiding Il-Gyu and Dong-Sik in the middle of the battlefield and attacking them both head-on and from within their ranks. However, there are so many of them that we’d likely be discovered before we can even launch an attack. That’s why I ordered them to move back instead.”
Kang Chul-Gyu glanced at Kim Tae-Jin. “Since you have experience fighting large units, I’d like to hear your opinion.”
Cha Dong-Gyun was so surprised that he got a lump in his throat. The DMZ King, of all people, was asking him for his opinion.
Kang Chul-Gyu was a legend in South Korea’s special forces team. In terms of achievements alone, he should’ve been a full general by now.
That same man had chosen to abandon his pride and ask his very young junior how he thought they should handle this battle, evidencing how badly he wanted to protect the base.
Could anyone show their determination as clearly as he did? Was there any other commander out there who could relay their desire to save people so openly?
Their enemies were now only about six hundred meters away. Nam Il-Gyu and Yang Dong-Sik, who had retreated to the second line of defense, were about four hundred meters away from the vanguard.
“We estimate the enemies to number around three hundred, sunbae-nim. Assuming they’re all special forces soldiers on par with the Spetsnaz, how many do you think you and the DMZ team can take down?” Cha Dong-Gyun asked.
With glinting eyes, Kang Chul-Gyu examined their opponents.
“Il-Gyu and Dong-Sik’s units should be able to take down at least a hundred before they’re wiped out.” Kang Chul-Gyu then turned his head to Kim Tae-Jin. “You and I should be able to eliminate another hundred, shouldn’t we, Tae-Jin?”
Wait, is the DMZ King bluffing right now?
Startled, Cha Dong-Gyun turned to Kim Tae-Jin, only for his surprise to deepen. Kim Tae-Jin, who was looking at Kang Chul-Gyu, had a prideful expression.
If Cha Dong-Gyun hadn’t learned how prudent Kim Tae-Jin was from everything he had heard about him and during the live ammo training, he would’ve wondered if Kang Chul-Gyu bluffed a lot.
“Sunbae-nim, if we don’t send the two units to their deaths, are you still confident that you can eliminate at least half of our enemies?” Cha Dong-Gyun asked.
It was an absurd question. Combat-related questions couldn’t just be answered as easily as using a calculator for a mathematical problem.
Perhaps that was why Kang Chul-Gyu failed to give an immediate answer.
Amid the silence, Cha Dong-Gyun began to lay out his plan. “Sunbae-nim, if it’s okay with you, I would like to...”
With his eyes staring at their opponents, he told his two seniors every detail of the operation that he had in mind. The stars in the sky tried their best to eavesdrop, but their efforts ended in futility.
Kang Chul-Gyu silently listened. Meanwhile, Kim Tae-Jin kept shifting his gaze between the two.
“I believe this plan has the highest chance of success,” Cha Dong-Gyun concluded.
Kang Chul-Gyu smiled in approval. He then slowly looked away from Cha Dong-Gyun and turned to Kim Tae-Jin.
Acting as if he were Kang Chul-Gyu’s aide, Kim Tae-Jin said, “I agree with Captain Cha’s plan as well.”
“I see. That concludes this meeting, then. I entrust the command to you, Captain,” Kang Chul-Gyu said.
“Understood,” Cha Dong-Gyun replied.
Kang Chul-Gyu raised his hand to his helmet.
Chk.
“DMZ team,” he radioed in. Everyone at the base in Mongolia could hear him right now.
“I am transferring command to Captain Cha Dong-Gyun. Il-Gyu and Dong-Sik, I want your units on standby. On the captain’s order, you are to infiltrate enemy ranks.”
Chk.
After a brief pause, Nam Il-Gyu answered, “Yes, sir.”
The DMZ team and the Jeungpyeong special forces team quickly executed Cha Dong-Gyun’s orders, finishing their preparations in no time at all.
Kang Chul-Gyu and Kim Tae-Jin had also headed to their designated positions. The other soldiers, with their rifles pointed to the front, remained silent.
Their enemies moved so slowly that from far away, they just looked like rock formations that had always been there.
The wind swept past Kang Chul-Gyu’s glinting eyes amid the suffocating silence and nervousness. It then comforted Cha Dong-Gyun, who was gritting his teeth due to the weight of the responsibilities on his shoulders. Finally, it brushed past Oh Gwang-Taek, whose blood was boiling, as if it felt bad for him.
Yang Dong-Sik and Nam Il-Gyu glared at their enemies so fiercely that their eyes seemed to scream that they were going to skin them alive.
Come at us! I don’t care who you motherfuckers are! I’ll fucking kill anyone who targets South Korea and its bases!
The soldiers, including Kim Tae-Jin, had been rational all this time. Now, however, instead of looking like they were prepared to die, they looked as if they had abandoned all intentions to live.
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