Chapter 287: The Do your best to survive (1)
Crackle. Crackle.
Debris from the damaged wall rang out as they walked on the stairs.
Chk.
“The rescue team is on their way. Agents, prepare to join them,” Kwak Cheol-Ho radioed in.
Chk.
“Copy!” an agent answered from the building across the street.
The rescue team soon reached the entrance on the first floor. Seok Kang-Ho exhaled cigarette smoke as he peeked through a crack in the door.
They were being shot at from every building but the one in front.
Seok Kang-Ho pointed downward with his index finger, then held up four fingers, gesturing at Cha Dong-Gyun to take four men and secure the area below them.
As ordered, Cha Dong-Gyun quickly chose four agents.
Seok Kang-Ho exhaled cigarette smoke again. “Hoo.”
He could feel Kang Chan’s absence now more than ever. He really missed the man.
Seok Kang-Ho already expected that they would have trouble maximizing their potential without Kang Chan. Nevertheless, he still felt as if this was his first time realizing that with Kang Chan, he, Gérard, and even Cha Dong-Gyun always displayed 120% of their capabilities.
Du du du du du! Pew! Pew! Bang! Bang bang! Bang bang bang!
They heard AK-47s, sniper rifles, pistols, and M16s go off at the same time, a clear sign that the UIS had made another push toward the trapped agents. In retaliation, the rescue team’s snipers began opening fire, preventing their enemies from launching RPGs at them and marking the beginning of their operation.
“Let’s go!” Seok Kang-Ho yelled. Gritting his teeth, he pulled the door open.
Screech! Whoosh! Clunk! Clunk! Clunk!
Bang bang! Bang bang! Bang bang bang! Bang bang! Bang bang bang!
There was only a five-meter distance between the two buildings.
Seok Kang-Ho shot at the hostiles as he ran out. Cha Dong-Gyun and the other soldiers supported him from the back.
Du du du du! Bang bang bang! Bang bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Prepared to lay down their lives for the mission, Kwak Cheol-Ho and his team covered fire as well.
Bam!
Seok Kang-Ho jumped into the building across from them.
Du du du! Pew! Pew! Bang bang bang! Bang bang! Bam!
“Hurry!” he yelled.
Hisss!
Two agents in suits and shirts rushed out of the building with a French agent, whose arms they had draped around their shoulders.
“Go! Make it quick!” Seok Kang-Ho urged.
Du du du! Pew! Bang bang bang! Bang! Pow pow pow!
More agents carrying or helping the wounded quickly followed the two into the rescue team’s building.
Whoosh!
Once the entrance was clear, Cha Dong-Gyun rushed into the building that the agents had come from.
“We’re going up!” Seok Kang-Ho exclaimed.
As they had planned earlier, he led four soldiers up the stairs.
Crackle! Crunch! Clunk! Clunk!
Bang!
Seok Kang-Ho kicked open the door to the rooftop. His gaze immediately landed on Um Ji-Hwan, whose face was covered in dust.
“Get out of here!” Seok Kang-Ho yelled.
Du du du! Pow pow pow! Pew! Pew! Bang bang bang! Bang bang!
Seok Kang-Ho bent down and crouched against the rooftop wall that Um Ji-Hwan had been using as cover.
“Hyung-nim!” Um Ji-Hwan shouted.
“You motherfucker! Get your ass downstairs! Now!”
They didn’t even have time to say hello.
Bang bang bang! Bang bang! Bang bang! Bang bang!
As Seok Kang-Ho fired back at their enemies, Um Ji-Hwan crawled to the door.
If only this building was as tall as the building across from us, then I would have led all my men to this building instead!
Pew! Pow pow pow! Du du du du! Du du!
All of the agents gathered behind Cha Dong-Gyun, who was guarding the entrance.
Having caught on to their plan, their enemies were now firing at random. Even though the alley was only five meters wide, the unpredictable gunshots made it hard for them to run across.
Amid their hesitation, someone shouted in Arabic from a building nearby. Not even a moment later, their foes began riddling their building with bullets, chipping away at the walls and dirt.
Du du du! Pow pow pow! Pow pow! Du du du du! Pow pow pow pow!
Kwak Cheol-Ho and his team shot at their enemies in an attempt to suppress them.
Bang bang bang! Bang bang! Bang bang bang!
Bang bang! Bang bang bang! Bang bang! Bang bang bang!
Cha Dong-Gyun, Han Jae-Gook, and the other soldiers also returned fire.
Their enemies were attacking from both sides of the alley, hoping to kill as many of them as possible here.
Du du du! Pow pow pow! Du du du du! Du du du du!
Chk!
“On the count of three, I want all soldiers to volley fire!” Cha Dong-Gyun, use that opening to rush over to the other building!” Seok Kang-Ho ordered through the radio, shouting over the loud gunshots.
The concentrated enemy fire broke more parts of the walls and sent more dirt flying, but they didn’t let it faze them. After all, this was the only option they had left.
Cha Dong-Gyun gritted his teeth as he looked at Han Jae-Guk and the other soldiers, finding their expressions filled with determination.
Chk.
“One! Two!”
Frightening nervousness swept over everyone tuned in to their frequency.
“Three!”
Bang bang bang bang bang! Bang bang bang! Bang bang bang bang bang!
Their rifles roared awake.
Whoosh!
Cha Dong-Gyun and Han Jae-Guk focused on their left flank, while the other three soldiers covered their right.
Bang bang bang bang! Bang bang bang! Bang bang bang bang!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
As the soldiers traded blows with their foes, the agents ran toward the building on the other side of the alley.
Du du du! Pew! Pew pew pew! Du du du du! Du du du!
Pow pow pow! Thud! Bang bang bang! Bang bang bang! Bang bang bang!
Han Jae-Guk flew back and slammed to the ground just as the last agent entered the building across from them.
Du du du du! Du du du! Pow pow pow! Thud!
Behind them, they heard another soldier fall.
Du du du du! Bang bang bang! Bang bang! Du du du! Du du! Bam!
‘Urgh!’
Bang bang bang! Bang bang! Bang bang bang bang!
Cha Dong-Gyun suddenly felt as if a knife had just been jammed into the right side of his stomach. Pushing through the pain, he fired back at their enemies.
Bang bang bang! Bang bang! Bang bang!
Swoosh!
Not long after, Seok Kang-Ho rushed out the door with four soldiers.
“Cha Dong-Gyun!” he yelled, grabbing Han Jae-Guk by the collar. “Pull!”
Bang bang bang! Bang bang! Bang bang Bang bang! Du du du! Du du du du du!
However, before they could get far...
Du du du du! Du du du! Pow pow pow pow!
... blood splattered out from all over Seok Kang-Ho.
***
BANG!
Kang Chan felt his heart crash to the ground. He then filled up with so much spite that, if anyone messed with him right now, he instinctively knew that he wouldn’t hesitate to draw the pistol strapped to his ankle.
Glaring at the center of the table, Kang Chan’s eyes overflowed with murderous intent, making even Vasili nervously look at Lanok.
“Mr. Ambassador,” he called. He then raised his head. “Vasili.”
He also called Yang Bum, Romain, and Ethan in order.
“Call me thoughtless and tell me I don’t have my priorities in order all you want, but I need to go to Libya right now. Either come up with the fastest way to get me there or I’ll figure it out myself.”
“Can you explain what’s going on?” Vasili asked, which Kang Chan didn’t expect from him.
“Vasili,” Kang Chan called once more.
As if having a staring contest with him, Vasili refused to look away from Kang Chan.
“After requesting to make South Korea a part of the Unicorn project, I meddled in the next-gen energy affairs even though I wasn’t interested in it—all for the ambassador. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have cared whether or not France or the UK disappeared from the map,” Kang Chan said.
Romain gasped at his words.
“Someone as important to me as the ambassador is in danger right now. If you’re wondering how I know, let’s just say it’s a side effect of my ability to destabilize the Blackhead’s energy.”
“France, Russia, China, Germany, Switzerland, and the UK are fully prepared to go bankrupt for this,” Vasili argued.
“Then don’t start.”
Kang Chan responded so sternly and coldly that Vasili was rendered speechless.
“So what if this changes the dynamics of the world a hundred, maybe even a thousand years from now?! Will any of us even still be alive then?!” Kang Chan exclaimed. “Why would I pick this over someone precious to me? For the future generation? How can you be so confident that, thousands of years into the future, our people will be living in prosperity when I can’t even protect my people right now?!”
Strange emotions permeated the room.
Kang Chan continued, “I wouldn’t hesitate to do this again if the one in danger is the ambassador. You’d probably act the same way if your people’s lives are at risk, Vasili. Either way, I can’t build a future while there are bastards out there messing with my people and my colleagues! That’s who I am, and that’s how I’ve lived all this time!”
“You talk as if you’ve lived a long time,” Vasili commented.
Deciding not to participate in this discussion any longer, Kang Chan coldly said, “I’m out.”
He was sure that his heart sank because of Seok Kang-Ho. Something terrible must have happened to him.
It didn’t matter what fate the world would suffer. For as long as his closest friend was in danger, he would never be able to do anything else.
Kang Chan stood up, his chair screeching as he pushed it back.
“I fucking hate being a supporting character!” Vasili swore as he glared at Kang Chan, who couldn’t quite understand what he meant.
“I’ll drop you off in Libya in six hours,” Vasili said.
Lanok smirked. Even Yang Bum looked amused. Unlike them, however, Romain simply observed Lanok.
***
Hisss!
Seok Kang-Ho, Han Jae-Guk, and a soldier left three long trails of blood in the alley.
The agents they had saved armed themselves with rifles, then went up to the rooftop. Thanks to them, the soldiers had a moment to spare.
Thud!
The soldiers propped Seok Kang-Ho against the wall on the first floor of the building.
“Hyung-nim!” Um Ji-Hwan yelled.
As he examined Seok Kang-Ho’s wounds, the others lay Han Jae-Guk on the floor next to them.
“Huff. Huff. First Lieutenant,” Han Jae-Guk called between heavy breaths. With difficulty, he turned his head toward Cha Dong-Gyun.
“Stay with me! You better fucking survive, you bastard!” Cha Dong-Gyun responded. One of his men wrapped bandages around his waist as they spoke.
“Please pass on this experience to our juniors as well,” Han Jae-Guk paused for a moment, then continued, “Our special forces team is really amazing.”
“You didn’t just say that right to my face, motherfucker! Hey! Pull yourself together!”
Du du du! Pow pow pow! Bang bang bang! Bang! Pew! Pew! Pew!
Loud gunshots rang out again.
With the sun now setting, darkness had embraced about half of the first floor.
Once the night had fallen, they would have a hard time spotting the RPGs. Hence, the snipers were working extra hard to take out as many as they could.
“You should be the one passing on our experiences to our juniors, not me—hey! Han Jae-Guk! Fuck!” Cha Dong-Gyun yelled. He shook Han Jae-Guk’s face, but the man was already turning white.
“Ugh!” Cha Dong-Gyun groaned. The soldier tending to him had just pulled on the bandages and tied them tightly.
Cha Dong-Gyun wanted to yell. He wanted to take his rifle, run out, and gun down their enemies. However, before he could do anything reckless, a tired, gruff voice snapped him back to his senses.
“Calm down.”
Seok Kang-Ho was covered in wounds as well. He seemed to have been shot above his right knee, his stomach, the right side of his chest, and his right shoulder.
“If the commander gets worked up, all of their soldiers will die.”
Gritting his teeth, Cha Dong-Gyun looked into Seok Kang-Ho’s eyes.
“Head upstairs. Console the men. Think about what the captain would’ve done if he was here. If you can’t do that, then at least imitate him.”
“Yes, sir,” Cha Dong-Gyun answered with determination.
Cha Dong-Gyun groaned as he stood up. Horrible pain washed over him, forcing him to hunch over, but he forced himself to move anyway.
If Kang Chan was in his shoes, this was definitely what he would’ve done.
Cha Dong-Gyun saw it with his own eyes in Africa. Despite collapsing from his bullet wounds, Kang Chan still relentlessly gunned down their enemies. He even pulled Cha Dong-Gyun up even though a bullet had fucked his shoulder up.
Cha Dong-Gyun gained strength Seeing Kang Chan’s determination to protect his men always fired Cha Dong-Gyun up.
Clank!
Cha Dong-Gyun took his rifle and went up the stairs.
“You go up there too,” Seok Kang-Ho told Um Ji-Hwan. “Fight with the others.”
Um Ji-Hwan swallowed dryly, refusing to budge.
“Are you really not going?” Seok Kang-Ho asked. The disappointed look on his face finally made Um Ji-Hwan nod and stand up.
Clatter. Clatter.
Once Um Ji-Hwan had gone up the stairs, Seok Kang-Ho looked at the soldiers guarding the entrance.
“Any of you got a cigarette?” he asked.
One of them quickly went over and put a cigarette in Seok Kang-Ho’s mouth. He then flicked the lighter on.
Chk. Chk.
The flame of the lighter looked beautiful in the dark.
As Seok Kang-Ho smoked, embers and ashes fell from the other end of the cigarette.
Seok Kang-Ho puffed out smoke. “Huu.”
He then locked eyes with the soldier, who had gone back to the entrance.
“You should also smoke if you want to,” Seok Kang-Ho said.
The soldier simply smiled in response
Why is he smiling? I didn’t say anything funny.
Seok Kang-Ho’s lips were so dry that the cigarette remained stuck to them even when he spoke.
He exhaled more cigarette smoke.
He understood not being able to move his right arm, but why couldn’t he move his left either? Moreover, the darkness settling in the building was making him sleepy.
Seok Kang-Ho found himself grinning, not because he was afraid of dying but because he was afraid of what Kang Chan would do if he did.
He’s going to be so fucking lonely by himself... He might even blow up Libya...
***
“It seems like our main character plans to keep acting like this, Lanok. Shouldn’t us side characters at least prepare countermeasures?” Vasili asked as he looked at Kang Chan’s now-empty seat. His voice and the look in his eyes were full of dissatisfaction.
“Shouldn’t we give him power?” Lanok asked.
“Power?”
“As you’ve all just witnessed, Monsieur Kang isn’t the type to be swayed by things like the benefits that the next-gen energy will bring. The South Korean government might be able to influence him, though, but I’ll reach a compromise for that.”
Looking at everyone seated at the table, he continued, “Consider not only the benefits that we’ll earn but also South Korea’s position. They’ll be the first to construct the power plant for this project, after all.”
“Can’t you make it easier to understand what you’re saying?” Vasili asked.
“No matter how much we interfere, it won’t be as effective as Monsieur Kang becoming powerful. Hence, we should encourage him to create his own intelligence bureau instead. That would give us a bit more bandwidth when dealing with any matter.”
“Haha!” Vasili laughed, seemingly seeing right through Lanok. “Are you planning on dragging the US into this too?”
“Well, they have already put a foot into this matter. On that note, I believe it’s now your turn to work hard for us, Ethan.”
Everyone turned to Ethan, who carefully examined their moods.
“You should do things properly this time. If you try another one of your stupid ideas, the Star of David might just target you first,” Vasili said.
“Don’t worry, Vasili.”
“Don’t hold a gun against my head like how you targeted Lanok after all the promises you made.”
“Handing over the Blackhead is my sincerity towards this matter,” Ethan said.
“The problem is that your damn sincerity change way too frequently,” Vasili sharply responded.
When Ethan fell silent, Yang Bum asked, “What are we going to do about Japan?”
“Don’t their promises fall exactly into the leeway that the South Korean government is requesting? For as long as it doesn’t disrupt the international situation as a whole, there shouldn’t be a problem giving them the ability to negotiate with other countries,” Lanok answered.
“We also need to keep an eye on the politicians in South Korea. They’ve been displaying unusual behaviors too.”
“I agree,” Lanok said with a nod. “Even if it means having to employ certain political moves, creating a faction in South Korea would still yield the best results. Considering the Star of David might also choose to do that, you should examine South Korea’s regime, more than anyone else here.”
“Alright. One more thing...” Yang Bum trailed off. With a determined look, he asked, “Was my obtaining authority over China’s Intelligence Bureau part of the plan for the next-gen energy?”
“As I’m sure you already know, we had to kill Suo Ke because he kept targeting me no matter what it would cost him. However, it was Monsieur Kang who decided to put you in power, not any of us here. We accepted you as a part of this business venture because you have an effective and clean way of dealing with situations. We need people who, at the very least, won’t hold a gun to our heads when we’re not looking.”
Even though Lanok was talking to Yang Bum, Ethan still dropped his gaze.
***
‘Ugh!’
Kang Chan was losing consciousness, but he forced himself to stay awake.
He didn’t expect to feel the difference in ability this badly. The strength of France, Russia, China, and the UK was really amazing.
The moment they regained access to their electronic devices, they made a mere total of six phone calls. Nevertheless, that was enough to put Kang Chan in one of the US’ F16s[1]
Daye! You son of a bitch!
Kang Chan was about to swear even more, but he held it down.
I don’t care what they make me do! Just stay alive. Don’t turn me into the man who murdered all of Libya.
Kang Chan’s head pressed right against the chair, which was slightly shaking.
1. The F16, or the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, is an American single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft. ☜
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