Chapter 243: It Takes More Than Just a Glance (2)

Kang Chan found the situation somewhat unfair.

Kang Chul-Gyu made his life difficult, and his mother in his previous life died as miserably as she lived. Even so, he felt as if everyone around him only supported Kang Chul-Gyu.

At the rate things were going, it would be better to forget about their plan to ambush their enemies at night. The consequences that would come from one soldier failing to control his emotions would be difficult to handle. To make matters worse, the two people who heightened their mission’s chance of success the most were trapped in a complicated relationship. Moreover, they were burning with so much sense of duty that they could end up doing something reckless.

A commander getting worked up in this situation would be no different from asking all of them to die. Hence, while glaring at their enemies, Kang Chan caught his breath and calmed down.

“Mr. President, do you recognize me as the commander of this base?” he asked.

“No matter what happens, we will never go against your orders.” Kim Tae-Jin answered, looking upset and embarrassed.

“When you wake up the old man, please bring him here with you,” Kang Chan replied as he looked at Kim Tae-Jin coldly.

“Understood.”

Perhaps it was because of the question that Kang Chan asked, but Kim Tae-Jin climbed down the stairs in silence.

That afternoon, Kang Chan stood alone on top of the barracks. The wind blew violently against him.

He would always take the worst-case scenario into consideration when planning an operation.

That could consist of choosing the locations of points alpha and beta or comparing two plans and choosing to execute the one with the higher chance of success.

Huff. Huff.

Taking into account how the two key members of the night operation were doing, Kang Chan decided to proceed with his backup operation instead.

Should I just do as they wish and only send Kang Chul-Gyu and Kim Tae-Jin?

Kang Chan scanned his surroundings as he smirked. As a commander, he would never issue such an order.

If Seok Kang-Ho was here, Kang Chan would’ve entrusted the security of the base to Kang Chul-Gyu and Kim Tae-Jin, then preemptively strike their enemies with Seok Kang-Ho. Unfortunately, the bastard wasn’t around.

Whish!

The wind rushed toward Kang Chan, bringing clouds of dust with it.

Fine! Now that things have led to this...

Kang Chan held up his radio.

Chk.

“Every agent on break—get into position,” he ordered.

Not even a minute after he put down his radio, Kang Chan heard footsteps and rifles clanking behind him.

The soldiers at the top of the barracks looked nervous.

Kang Chan heard people coming up the stairs. Two agents crouched down as they approached him.

“As soon as I start shooting, fire the Mistral at the vehicles,” Kang Chan ordered.

“Yes, sir.”

One of the agents went prone near the edge of the barracks’ rooftop and pulled out a thermal scope. At the same time, Kang Chul-Gyu and Kim Tae-Jin climbed up and joined them.

Kang Chul-Gyu looked much more at ease.

When did he get this old? Why didn’t he age well?

Kang Chan looked away from Kang Chul-Gyu and focused on the enemy ahead of them.

“We’re changing our plan. As soon as we’re ready, we’re taking out the hostiles out front."

Kang Chul-Gyu and Kim Tae-Jin looked at Kang Chan with surprise.

“Consider the mementos taken care of. I’ll see to it myself,” he added.

Kang Chul-Gyu’s cheek twitched. He seemed to be gritting his teeth.

“I’ll take down the snipers. Old man, your targets are the tangos in the vehicles, which the agents will blow up using the Mistral. Once we’ve eliminated them, I will run out to that side with the old man and President Kim. I’ll be leading the charge, so I need you to cover my left, old man. I’ll leave my right flank to you, President Kim.”

Kang Chul-Gyu and Kim Tae-Jin didn’t answer.

“Mr. President, I want you on standby downstairs. As soon as you hear gunshots, start the jeep that we hijacked yesterday and put all of our AK-47s[1] in its back. Radio in when you’re done.”

“Got it.” Kim Tae-Jin immediately answered when Kang Chan sharply glared at him. Kang Chan was acting so perfectly as their commander that Kim Tae-Jin was rendered speechless.

Kim Tae-Jin quickly climbed down the stairs.

“Old man, when we go down, climb into the left side of the jeep and cover President Kim,” Kang Chan ordered.

“Copy,” Kang Chul-Gyu answered. He looked as if he had something he wanted to confirm.

“I already told you I’ll find your son’s belongings, didn’t I?” Kang Chan said.

“Thank you.”

“Take charge of the base for a moment.”

"Got it."

Kang Chul-Gyu turned his attention to their enemies. Kang Chan took off his thick winter clothes and took out the bayonet in his sleeve. He then slid it in his right boot just enough to leave its handle and handguard peeking out.

“If any of you have extra magazines, pass them to the back one at a time,” Kang Chan ordered.

The agent manning the Mistral and the one next to him did as instructed.

Kang Chan put a magazine into his coat pocket. He then glared at the wilderness out front.

“Get your magazines,” Kang Chan ordered.

Without complaint, Kang Chul-Gyu took off his layers of thick clothes like Kang Chan and packed enough bayonets and magazines.

Huff. Huff.

Kang Chan looked to the side as he became conscious of the sound of breathing.

“Old man, I’m taking command. Don’t do anything that would upset our rhythm and make sure you properly cover us,” Kang Chan said.

"Got it."

Shouldn’t he be saying ‘Leave it to me’ or ‘Don’t worry’ at times like this?

Kang Chan shook his head, ridding himself of useless thoughts.

He interfered to protect the agents and Oh Gwang-Taek’s men. Now that his mind had cooled down, he realized creating meaningless tension with Kang Chul-Gyu would cause problems to the operation they were trying to flawlessly execute.

Even though Kang Chan had no medical knowledge, Kang Chul-Gyu was in critical condition.

However, no one in this place was as skilled as Kang Chul-Gyu. If Kang Chan had to force himself to think of one more reason to rely on him, it was that he wanted to give Kang Chul-Gyu one last chance to fight properly while he still wasn’t suffering from health complications.

Kang Chul-Gyu soon finished preparations. He slung the straps of his rifle over his right arm.

Chk.

“We’re ready,” Kim Tae-Jin radioed in not long after.

The hostels on the other side of the trucks seemed busy. They were likely discussing countermeasures to Kang Chan, Kang Chul-Gyu, Kim Tae-Jin, and the agents taking action.

Kang Chan held up his radio.

Chk.

“We will commence our operation to take down the enemies in front of us. The old man and I are going to shoot first. As we do, fire the Mistral at their vehicles,” Kang Chan ordered.

The agents turned toward Kang Chan.

“The moment we leave the base, I need everyone to provide us with cover until we return. While we’re out there, fire another Mistral. Your target will be the trucks atthe front,” Kang Chan continued.

“Yes, sir,” the agent in front of Kang Chan firmly answered.

Chk.

“If by any chance all three of us are killed, then everyone is to use all our other cars to attack. Until then, you are to never abandon your positions. Any questions?” Kang Chan asked.

As Kang Chan was looking at the barracks that were on the side...

Chk.

“What should we do if only the agents remain standing because the three of us and the enemies all died?” Kim Tae-Jin asked. It was as if he was asking in place of the agents.

Kang Chan held up his radio as he was smirking.

Chk.

“After the agents get rid of the enemies, they are to take the car that we hijacked and leave the base no matter what. If they bargain with the Mongolian government on the satellite phone, they’ll be able to leave Mongolia.”

Nobody said anything after Kang Chan answered on the radio.

Perhaps it was because Kang Chan took off his outerwear, but it felt like the cold wind was digging into his skin.

Kang Chan looked at Kang Chul-Gyu.

‘Are you ready?’

Kang Chul-Gyu briefly nodded instead of answering.

But at that moment...

Huff. Huff.

Kang Chan and Kang Chul-Gyu looked at each other, and both of them looked perplexed. They felt each other counting the number of breaths they were each taking.

Kang Chan never felt something like this before. Both of their eyes were glinting, they looked slightly arrogant, and their breathing allowed them to feel everything—including their enemies—perfectly.

Why did I feel something like this right now out of all occasions!

Even after Kang Chan gritted his teeth and looked towards their enemies, Kang Chul-Gyu still looked perplexed.

Click!

But after Kang Chul-Gyu saw Kang Chan lifting his rifle, Kang Chul-Gyu controlled his expression soon after.

“Get ready!” When Kang Chan yelled loudly, the agent that was in charge of firing the mistral glanced behind him.

Click!

Kang Chul-Gyu raised his rifle.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Soon, Kang Chan opened fire, and Kang Chul-Gyu followed suit. The enemy sniper ducked, and the windows of the vehicles exploded.

Whoosh! Pew!

At the same time, a Mistral rose into the air, leaving behind a trail of white smoke in its smoke. A ball of fire engulfed the car it hit, sending it soaring up as the ground shook.

Gunshots echoed all over the battlefield as Kang Chan and Kang Chul-Gyu went down the stairs so fast they were almost sliding. They then jumped into the jeep, which immediately drove off.

Vroom!

Right before they left the base, Kang Chan picked up an AK-47 and slung its strap over his shoulder, leaving it dangling diagonally across his body.

Bang! Ta-da-dang! Ta-da-dang! Bang! Bang! Ta-da-dang!

Kang Chan started shooting at the enemy sniper. He couldn’t give him even just a bit of time to fire back. After all, if the bastard managed to get just one clear shot, then Kim Tae-Jin was dead meat.

Du-du-du-du! Pew! Du-du-du! Pew! Pew!

Their enemy’s fierce retaliation made sparks fly from the hood of the jeep.

Kang Chul-Gyu’s suppressive fire was perfect. He fired in bursts of three so that their enemies couldn’t properly target Kim Tae-Jin. It also allowed Kang Chan to focus on the sniper.

Bang! Ta-da-dang! Bang! Ta-da-dang!

We’re still five hundred meters away from our enemies!

The jeep sped toward their enemies, leaving a foggy cloud of dust behind. However, they were so far away that they had trouble getting closer.

Whoosh! BANG!

At just the right moment, another Mistral flew toward the enemy line, the explosion sending a truck upward. It fell back down shortly after.

Vroom!

Bang! Bang-bang! bang-bang!

Losing sight of their enemies because of the rising flame, Kang Chan was forced to rely on his intuition.

Kang Chul-Gyu threw his M16 to the side and picked up an AK-47.

Du-du-du! Du-du-du-du! Du-du-du!

How is my teamwork with Kang Chul-Gyu this good?

Keeping in mind when Kang Chan would shoot, Kang Chul-Gyu would only open fire in between Kang Chan’s shots. Kang Chan did the same. They were so in sync that Kang Chan felt as if he was with Seok Kang-Ho.

Damn it!

However, Kang Chan found it strangely uncomfortable.

Vroom!

They were only about a hundred meters away now.

Du-du-du! Du-du-du! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Kang Chan fired thirty more bullets. While he still had enough ammo left, Kang Chul-Gyu picked up another AK-47.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Now that they were closer, their opponents kept hitting the front end of the jeep.

To avoid the bullets, Kim Tae-Jin drove while almost lying down.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Click!

Kang Chan took out a magazine from his pocket and switched it with the one in his gun.

Bang!

Snipers required some time to aim and reload. If they could just stop those bastards during that brief time, they would be safe.

With only thirty meters left to cover, Kang Chan shouted, “Step on it!”

Kim Tae-Jin glanced at him. They were all going to die if they stopped here.

They were so close to their enemies now that the agents had even more trouble covering fire.

Considering how the hostiles shot back, Kang Chan estimated less than three Spetsnaz among them, snipers included.

Du-du-du! Du-du-du-du-du! Du-du-du-du! Click!

Kang Chul-Gyu emptied his magazine on their opponents.

Bang!

The jeep, still going at high speed, drove into enemy territory and crashed into another car.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Kang Chan shot every living soul that came into view as Kim Tae-Jin sat up and Kang Chul-Gyu picked up a new rifle.

Du-du-du! Du-du-du-du! Du-du-du!

When Kang Chul-Gyu started firing back again, Kang Chan threw his M16 as he jumped out of the jeep. He then pushed the AK-47 he was carrying over his shoulder to his front.

Du-du-du-du! Pow-pow-pow! Du-du-du! Pow! Du-du-du-du!

Fucking mafia my ass! None of you are worth shit!

Kang Chul-Gyu and Kim Tae-Jin ran behind Kang Chan, covering his left and right flanks respectively.

Du-du-du! Bang! Du-du-du-du! Du-du-du! Bang!

Smoke rose from the burning car and truck, engulfing the area with an acrid smell.

The three quickly dominated their enemies so quickly that they grew suspicious.

Click! Clank!

Kang Chan, Kang Chul-Gyu, and Kim Tae-Jin aimed at the directions they were in charge of as they prepared for hostile reinforcements rushing toward them.

Huff. Huff.

They were in the most danger during moments like this.

Kang Chan had told the soldiers not to run over earlier just in case their enemies had planted explosives in the area.

Battles were quite strange. Whenever their nerves were on edge, how coldly and quickly they reacted decided their survival.

Bang!

The moment Kang Chul-Gyu pulled the trigger, one of the enemies on the ground moved. He likely either did it to make sure the man was dead or because he saw him flinch.

Kang Chan aimed to his left, finding Kang Chul-Gyu gritting his teeth and blood oozing down his nose. Considering he saw him trembling at the top of the barracks, he was probably experiencing a lot of pain right now. However, he seemed to be trying to overcome it.

Click!

Kang Chan turned his muzzle to the side a little faster.

They just had to search two cars to put an end to all of this.

Du-du-du-du! Pow-pow-pow-pow! Du-du-du! Pow-pow-pow! Du-du-du-du!

Kang Chan shot the car door, then took two steps toward it.

Ting.

They heard a metallic sound.

Kang Chan’s heart sank, and he got goosebumps all over his body.

It was a grenade.

Where is it? Why didn’t my gut warn me?

In Kang Chan’s eyes, everything appeared to slow down. He could see the car they shot, the smoke that was coming out from its side, the back of the truck, and... an old-model lemon grenade[2] rolling toward them.

They all saw it at the same time. As soon as they did, Kang Chul-Gyu pounced on Kang Chan as if he was attacking him, and Kang Chan reflexively held onto his chest and twisted to the side.

Their eyes met in the short moment that he was turned and pinned underneath Kang Chan, allowing Kang Chan to see his surprised and dejected expression.

Whish!

Kang Chul-Gyu fell to the ground.

‘Why did you do that? All I wanted was to find my son’s mementos!’

‘Stop talking nonsense!’

Kang Chul-Gyu was slammed into the ground. Kang Chan then covered him.

Bang!

Kim Tae-Jin jumped away from the grenade. While prone, he began opening fire.

Du-du-du! Du-du-du-du!

Kang Chan blanked out. He felt as if someone hit him on the back of his head with a baseball bat. Burning pain then coursed through him.

Kang Chan could feel Kang Chul-Gyu trying his best to sit up, but he couldn’t do anything right now.

Damn it, old man! You’re alive, aren’t you?

Kang Chan saw the blood under Kang Chul-Gyu’s nose.

How dare you try to cover me and die on my watch! Are you trying to make me feel sorry for the rest of my life?

“Why...?” Kang Chul-Gyu forcibly sat up and wrapped his arms around Kang Chan. Blood trickled down his chin and fell onto Kang Chan’s face and neck.

“Old man...”

“Why did you do this?!”

“I’m... the commander. Move... your face... away from me,” Kang Chan replied, but Kang Chul-Gyu didn’t listen.

Clank!

Kim Tae-Jin stood near the two as they talked, keeping a cautious eye on their surroundings.

Kang Chan kept blinking to focus on Kang Chul-Gyu’s face.

“Old man,” Kang Chan called again.

Kang Chul-Gyu’s blood dripped onto Kang Chan’s face and neck.

“Live... don’t hide like a coward. Keep living...” Kang Chan said.

Kang Chul-Gyu couldn’t say anything.

How was he supposed to express his emotions and accept that he was genuinely starting to care for the young man in his arms as if he were his son?

He felt apologetic for his dead son and their young, dying commander.

“Damn it... your blood is getting all over me!” Kang Chan exclaimed, albeit with difficulty.

Kang Chul-Gyu wiped his nose with the back of his hand.

1. The AK-47, officially known as the Avtomat Kalashnikova, is a gas-operated assault rifle ?

2. The lemon grenade, also known as the M26, is a fragmentation hand grenade developed by the United States military. Its distinct lemon shape led to its nickname. ?