Chapter 246.2: From the Horn of Africa (1)

The dining hall was at max capacity.

The new men’s eyes shone with a sense of duty and determination, making them look no different from the special forces team in Jeungpyeong, who spent a long time looking forward to going into action before they finally got to join an operation. They seemed to be grateful and happy for being given the chance to do what they always wanted to do here in Mongolia.

Why was South Korea letting these kinds of people rot?

In society, the pride of soldiers in what they did and their skills in firearms were even more useless than delivering packages. That was why those who spent their entire lives in the military, those who were more knowledgeable in weapons and combat than anyone else, were looked down upon by the masses. Even though everyone would rely on them the most when the time came, it remained true.

The new men all took turns stating their names, ages, specialties, and, lastly, their goals here in Mongolia. The first group to arrive here did the same.

When Kim Tae-Jin stood up and welcomed them, a wave of excitement and heat coursed through the room. Oh Gwang-Taek stood up to introduce himself as well, followed by his subordinates and the rest of the agents. A few of them were already acquainted with the new agents, which made it easy to create a friendly atmosphere.

Kang Chan’s turn came next, but most people seemed to already know who he was.

“Welcome,” Kang Chan began as he slowly met the gazes of the determined men before him. “The special forces shed a lot of blood for us to get here.”

Everyone around him was a soldier, and each one used to be active at the DMZ. Every word he uttered made their blood rush.

“This mission pits us against Russia and China, which means we may have to pay with our lives and blood,” Kang Chan declared. “I will do whatever it takes to bring the railroad here, but even if I succeed, I ask you to continue protecting this base—to remain here in the heart of Northeast Asia.”

Clap, clap, clap, clap.

The clap started with just one person, but it soon erupted into a thunderous round of applause. When Kang Chan turned his gaze, he saw Oh Gwang-Taek’s eyes glinting brightly.

***

Rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble!

The plane lurched and tilted to change direction. Including the brief stop in Dubai, the flight was thirteen hours long.

Ding, ding, ding.

When the transponder signaled that they were only an hour away from their destination, a small buzz of excitement ran through the soldiers. This was their second official deployment that was given by South Korea.

Even Colonel Park Chul-Su, who was leaning off to one side, had a look of excitement on his face even though he had put Seok Kang-Ho in command.

It was forty minutes past twenty hundred in local military time.

Waking up from a long nap, Seok Kang-Ho washed his face with bottled water that Kwak Cheol-Ho poured for him. He then began to gulp some down.

“

Whew

!” Seok Kang-Ho exclaimed, shaking the drowsiness off in his characteristic gruff voice. Someone then handed him a paper cup filled with coffee.

They were now in Africa—the land where his life ended and everything began again.

Seok Kang-Ho could feel Kang Chan’s absence now more than ever.

“Would you like a cigarette?” Kwak Cheol-Ho offered.

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea,” Seok Kang-Ho responded.

Kwak Cheol-Ho handed him a cigarette and flicked a lighter on for him.

“You have a different look in your eyes,” Kwak Cheol-Ho remarked.

“Do I?” Seok Kang-Ho responded with a wide grin. Taking a sip of his coffee, he coughed and twisted away due to its taste.

Kwak Cheol-Ho chuckled.

“Listen up!” Seok Kang-Ho began, his expression far more solemn than ever before, as he looked at each of the soldiers with him. “If you get into a fight with another team, don’t let them push you around. Trade blows with them, show them how much you want to win! Once you’re done, you let me or Colonel Park know. You can also use your bayonets but don’t kill or use any firearm. Not even handguns.”

Although they had trained with foreign teams before, this was their first time hearing this advice. Park Chul-Su also gave Seok Kang-Ho a questioning gaze.

Thuuuud

.

As if something touched the floor of the plane, they felt a mild vibration, followed by the roar and rumbling of the engines.

“I’m sure you all saw what happened during our operation in Afghanistan. There are always people out there who would want nothing more than to break your spirits. Even the captain was worried about that when we spoke yesterday,” Seok Kang-Ho added.

“Will we really find ourselves in battles that would require us to use bayonets?” a soldier asked.

“Yes! And if we lose that fight, then we’re going to be left with the most dangerous part of the operation,” Seok Kang-Ho answered.

“Don’t we have a command center? Won’t they stop it from happening?” Park Chul-Su asked in a formal tone.

“The UN command center only provides administrative support. All the tactical decisions will be made by the teams that are deployed on these missions. That’s why it’s a shame that we don’t have the captain here. If we had him, it would all be over in a single blow.”

“Aren’t you experienced enough to do that as well, Mr. Seok?”

Seok Kang-Ho grinned. “In missions like this, no one can match the way he takes care of his team. It’s hard to explain, but you’ll know what I mean once you see it for yourself later.”

Cha Dong-Gyu nodded in understanding, recalling the way Kang Chan poured jet fuel all over the Chinese airport. There was no way Kang Chan would let another team push them to take on the riskiest mission. It was absolute dog shit.

“As soon as you arrive, you better keep your guard up. The captain isn’t here to warn us this time around, which means you can die before you even know it,” Seok Kang-Ho continued. “It can happen when we’re changing locations or even on your way to the bathroom. Somalia is a Sunni world, but the SSIS and SISS are both operating in it as well. It will only take a split second to kill you.”

After drinking the rest of his coffee, Seok Kang-Ho put down his paper cup and looked at Kwak Cheol-Ho. The time had come to arm themselves.

Creaaaak!

When the weapons trailer pulled up, everyone stood up and grabbed everything they needed. They no longer had to be instructed. Seok Kang-Ho strapped his bayonet to his shoulder and looked at the military uniforms that were hung inside.

He didn’t feel the same excitement he felt when he and Kang Chan collected their weapons together. His eyes, which should have been glinting in eagerness after swallowing his nervousness like it was a piece of cake, were now only glistening with nervousness.

Seok Kang-Ho sighed quietly. He couldn’t even imagine the pressure that was weighing down on Kang Chan’s shoulders.

When they flew to France, Kang Chan ordered everyone to get out of the helicopter, and in Afghanistan, he changed the direction of the truck to some abandoned buildings instead of their original destination.

If he had missed either of the two, half of the men in front of Seok Kang-Ho right now would have been dead by now.

Pft.

Seok Kang-Ho shook off the thought and holstered handguns to his waist and ankle. He then put on his vest and put ammunition in each of its pockets.

‘Hurry up and come over already!’

If it wasn’t for the special forces team, nothing could have stopped Seok Kang-Ho from following Kang Chan to Mongolia. But since he was here, he would protect the men before him until Kang Chan arrived.

By the time they armed themselves to the teeth, the soldiers’ eyes were already flashing with eagerness.

Even Cha Dong-Gyun, who was lying down due to his injury, looked as if his eyes emitting light.

Ding, ding, ding, ding. Rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble!

The airplane descended as if it was plummeting precariously.

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. Du, du, du, du, du, du!

A moment later, it started tumultuously driving down the runway.

Fwoosh!

The plane then finally came to a stop, and the doors opened.

Creaaaak!

A gust of hot wind and acrid odors rush toward the soldiers.

“Let’s go!” Seok Kang-Ho commanded.

A red-backed Chinook, a helicopter provided by the UN, was waiting on one side of the airport for them. They would be taking it to transfer to another location. When an interpreter confirmed that they were free to board over the radio, they immediately stepped in.

“Kwak Cheol-Ho!” Seok Kang-Ho called, leaving him in charge of guarding the front of the helicopter. While the rest of the soldiers were climbing on, he quickly scanned the area with his rifle pointed forward.

They were at an airport, which normally meant he could relax to some extent, but this damn continent didn’t allow even a moment of slack.

“Hurry up!” Seok Kang-Ho shouted. As instructed, the soldiers picked up the pace.

It would have been easy and simple if they just had to hop on and be done with it, but they had extra weapons and equipment that had to be loaded onto the aircraft as well.

When all the soldiers were aboard the helicopter, Cha Dong-Gyu aimed his rifle outward from the door before jerking his thumb back toward the entrance. Kwak Cheol-Ho and Seok Kang-Ho jumped in, and Cha Dong-Gyun got on last.

Du, du, du, du, du, du, du.

The bulky helicopter began to take off.

Twenty minutes after they took off from the Mogadishu airport, they found themselves in pitch-black darkness. It would’ve been similar to Afghanistan if not for the hot wind.

Two members of the crew clung to the entrance and pointed their rifles downward. Seok Kang-Ho then peered out, his eyes glinting.

He felt frustrated. It was as if he was jumping into enemy territory with his eyes shut.

The deafening sound of the helicopters, the hot wind rushing at him, the smell of wet animals in the rain—they were all bearable enough. However, he wasn’t sure he could fill the void that Kang Chan left.

As he mulled over his thoughts, an image of Kang Chan smirking at him suddenly flashed in his mind.

Du, du, du, du, du, du, du.

“Fuck! We just have to hold on until the captain arrives!” Seok Kang-Ho shouted to himself.

Pft.

His lips curved into his signature smile as he glared at the view outside. Like a tasty meal, he had finally swallowed his nervousness.