Chapter 261: I Can, But Not You (2)

If the approaching helicopter was an ally, then Kang Chan and his men would be able to turn things around. However, if it was an enemy, then everything would be over.

The battlefield grew completely silent. Everyone glanced at each other in an attempt to figure out what was going on.

“Bring the weapons to the front! Go!” Kang Chan ordered.

Since Kang Chan himself couldn’t move, his men gathered all the rifles and magazines they could find even faster than before.

Cha Dong-Gyun, Choi Jong-Il, and Kwak Cheol-Ho pressed the wounds on Park Chul-Su’s chest, stomach, and thigh as he sat against a boulder. No matter how much pressure they applied, blood just kept spurting out between their fingers.

Breathing heavily, Park Chul-Su smiled at Kang Chan, fighting through the pain. “Mr. Kang Chan...

Haah, haah

.”

Kang Chan crouched in front of Park Chul-Su so that Park Chul-Su could face him.

Park Chul-Su continued, “Thank you.”

Damn it! Why is everyone thanking me? I’m the reason people are dying!

“General Choi was the one who paid for my tuition,” Park Chul-Su barely managed to say. “I was scolded a lot and slapped several times.”

Park Chul-Su looked at Cha Dong-Gyun, who was beside him, with an apologetic gaze. “Please take care of these men.”

“You’re our commander, Colonel! You have to survive so we can have someone to depend on!” Kang Chan replied.

He gestured at Cha Dong-Gyun, Choi Jong-Il, and Kwak Cheol-Ho to move Park Chul-Su to the back.

Thwup thwup thwup thwup thwup.

The helicopter noises were getting louder.

“Gérard! Have the snipers watch out for mortars and RPGs!” Kang Chan yelled.

“Copy that!” Gérard answered, then addressed the snipers through the radio.

“Allahu akbar![1]”

The enemies’ shouts echoed past the tribespeople’s hut and into the mountain, reaching Kang Chan and his men. They often used that Arabic phrase before attacking or slitting their enemy’s throats.

Whoosh!

Kang Chan quickly positioned himself in front of Seok Kang-Ho to cover him.

“Head back to your positions!” he then yelled.

Clink! Clank!

Gérard ran over and stood next to Kang Chan.

Clatter! Clatter!

“Choi Jong-Il! Cover Seok Kang-Ho’s flanks!” Kang Chan ordered.

“Yes, sir!”

Kang Chan expected Seok Kang-Ho to kick up a fuss, but the man simply frowned as he glared at where their enemies would be coming from.

The soldiers would have to be accurate enough to gun down their enemies from this distance. Otherwise, Kang Chan wouldn’t be able to properly fight in close quarters.

“Cha Dong-Gyun! On my right!”

Whoosh! Clank!

Cha Dong-Gyun did as commanded.

Come at me!

The dirt crumbled as loudly as the helicopter rotor blades’ whirring.

“Allahu akbar!” their enemies yelled again. “

Waaaaaaaah

!”

Damn it!

Without hesitation, the Quds launched another attack on Kang Chan and his allies. They didn’t even bother taking cover behind the huts.

Pew! Pew! Pew! Du du du! Pow pow pow! Pew! Bang!

Kang Chan shot at them as soon as they came into view. Infernal gunshots and sparks erupted from both sides immediately after.

Haah. Haah.

From Kang Chan’s perspective, everything seemed to be moving in slow motion.

Thud!

One of the enemies running toward them stumbled and collapsed.

PEW! BAM!

At the same time, blood spurted out from Cha Dong-Gyun’s left shoulder.

Bam! Pow pow pow! Pow pow pow! Du du du! Du du du du du!

Dirt splattered into the air. A moment later, the defensive barrier in front of Kang Chan exploded, revealing the enemies’ guns sparking as they traded fire.

Before Kang Chan and his allies knew it, their enemies had reached their defensive barrier.

Swish!

Kang Chan immediately unsheathed his bayonet.

Stab! Stab! Stab!

He used his left hand to push away the rifles of the enemies coming at him from his flanks and up front, then stabbed them with his right.

Pew! Pew! Pow pow pow! Pow pow! Pew! Pew! Pew!

The snipers took down as many as they could, wasting not even a second.

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

Hit by a bullet, one of Kang Chan’s men fell down. He trembled so hard that he almost seemed to be convulsing. By the time another soldier had shot his assailant, he had already gone off to the afterlife.

Kang Chan shoulder-tackled the enemy that had climbed over their defensive barrier. After stabbing them in the side, he slit the armpit and neck of the other enemy that was in front of him.

“Choi Jong-Il!” Kang Chan yelled as he pushed his new target into the defensive barrier. Not long after, he heard grenade pins being pulled.

Puk! Puk!

Kang Chan had just stabbed two more Quds when he felt a sharp pain in his thigh. It seemed as if someone had lit it on fire.

Swish! Whish!

It’s now or never!

Gritting his teeth, Kang Chan pushed an enemy with his shoulder.

Bam! Bam!

If they hadn’t thrown a grenade at their enemies, he would’ve been shot to death by their enemies.

Puk!

“

Kegh

!”

Stabbed by Kang Chan, the enemy coughed up blood.

You should be prepared to die if you’re trying to kill me, you fucking son of a bitch!

Puk! Puk! Puk!

Kang Chan swung his bayonet like crazy, creating more space around him.

Swoosh! Thwup thwup thwup thwup thwup!

At the same time, from behind Kang Chan, the helicopter finally reached the airspace above them. The winds from its rotor blades scattered clouds of dust all over the battlefield as its blinding light gave him and his men a clear view of their enemies.

Kang Chan’s heart began to sink.

Du du du du du du! Du du du du du du!

Pow pow pow pow pow pow! Pow pow pow pow pow pow!

Contrary to his expectations, however, the soldiers in the helicopter fired the heavy machine gun at their enemies, brutally tearing them apart.

Pew! Pew! Bam! Bam!

Kang Chan hurriedly ducked to avoid the body parts hurtling through the air.

Thud! Bam! Bam! Clatter!

Relief washed over him as he and his men watched the Quds being obliterated. The machine gun had covered the area with mutilated bodies.

However, the battle wasn’t over yet.

Du du du du du du! Du du du du du du! Du du du du du du!

As the Spetsnaz fired at their enemies with their AK-47s, two more helicopters came into view.

Pew! Pew! Pew!

The snipers took down every enemy that tried to launch RPGs at the aircraft. Meanwhile, the soldiers on the ground focused on sending hails upon hails of bullets toward the hostiles in front of them.

Pew! Bam! Pew! Bam!

The Gazelles[2] flying above them looked beautiful and noble.

With the soldiers on the ground protecting them, the helicopter pilots could act without worry.

“Gérard! Cha Dong-Gyun!” Kang Chan called as he picked up a rifle. “Rally the others and follow me!”

As he jumped over the defensive barrier, Andrei ran after him with four other soldiers. They were covered in so much blood that their eyes and mouths looked terrifyingly disgusting.

“Let’s go!” Kang Chan roared.

Du du du du! Pew! Pew! Pew!

Kang Chan and his men fought the enemies that were left behind in their hasty retreat. With Kang Chan in the center, they charged down the curve of the mountain, using the huts as cover whenever necessary.

Most of their enemies were below the ridge now.

The soldiers breathed heavily. “

Haah

!

Haah

!”

Thwup thwup thwup thwup thwup!

Unable to chase after the Quds anymore, the helicopters hovered above the ridge.

The enemy still had close to two hundred troops. They seemed to be acting with extra caution because they didn’t know what weapons were in the helicopters.

“Gérard! Change your channel to UHF[3]!” Kang Chan yelled.

Gérard pressed a couple of buttons on his radio. After talking to the person in the channel, he turned to Kang Chan.

“They’re asking us to position our snipers in the area so they can guard our perimeter until medevac arrives!” he yelled above the rotor blades’ loud whirring.

As requested, Kang Chan assigned the snipers to three locations in front of the ridge.

Clank! Clink! Clank!

The snipers ran toward their new positions as soon as they received the order through the radio. They looked a lot cleaner than the other soldiers.

As Lee Doo-Hee ran past them, Kang Chan patted his helmet.

Kang Chan wanted to rest.

Fuming, Andrei insisted on pursuing the enemies when he ought to be resting. As much as Kang Chan wanted to do just that, he needed to rest as well. Everyone did.

“They said that the rescue helicopter and the ground forces will be here in twenty minutes!” Gérard told Kang Chan.

“Tell them that we’ll rest until then!”

Gérard nodded, then proceeded to yell into the radio.

Each team had a different UHF channel assigned to them. That was why Kang Chan, who only had access to the South Korean special forces team’s frequencies, couldn't talk to the people on the helicopter. He wasn’t sure why they insisted on using only the UHF channel, though.

Now that they had gone past the defensive barrier and all the enemy corpses, Kang Chan finally felt as comfortable as being at home.

“Any of you got a smoke?” he asked.

Choi Jong-Il handed him a pack of cigarettes. Kang Chan took two out from it and lit them with a lighter.

Kang Chan exhaled cigarette smoke. “Good work. Get some rest.”

Keeping the cigarette in between his lips, he pressed a button on his radio.

“Our medevac and reinforcements are expected to arrive in twenty minutes. Use this time to check on the wounded and catch a break!”

As if throwing themselves against the defensive barrier, the soldiers around him plopped down on the ground.

Kang Chan walked over to Seok Kang-Ho and put a cigarette in his mouth. He then sat against the wall next to him.

Rustle! Rustle! Thud!

As Seok Kang-Ho joyously exhaled cigarette smoke, Gérard walked toward him and sat across from Kang Chan.

The three were covered in so much blood that only their eyes were visible. It made them look as if they used it as camo face paint.

Gérard took out a cigarette, put it between his lips, then lit it up.

He exhaled. “

Hoo

!”

Finally getting to relax a little, Kang Chan began to feel throbbing pain coursing through his entire body.

“Gérard! Give me another cigarette!”

Even though Seok Kang-Ho was speaking in Korean, Gérard still handed him a cigarette and a lighter.

Chk chk! Chkk! Chkk!

The gunshot wound on Seok Kang-Ho’s right shoulder forced him to light up his cigarette with his left hand. Kang Chan and Gérard didn’t bother helping him. In battles like this, his injuries weren’t even considered wounds.

“Give me one as well,” Kang Chan said.

After getting another cigarette from Gérard, Kang Chan lit it up with the lighter that Seok Kang-Ho had handed over.

A few moments later, Andrei trudged toward Kang Chan.

“What are you planning to do with those bastards?” Andrei asked Kang Chan.

He kept his entire focus on Kang Chan, completely ignoring Gérard and Seok Kang-Ho’s gazes.

“Wait until reinforcement arrives. We’re going to act after seeing how everything goes,” Kang Chan said.

“Our enemies could retreat while we’re sitting around doing nothing.”

Kang Chan let out a short, cold laugh as he looked up at Andrei. The effects of the battle lingering in his mind made his eyes glint more than necessary.

“Andrei! You are to rest, eat, and sleep when I tell you to! If you have truly accepted me as your commander, then act like it!”

Infuriated, Andrei thinned his lips.

“Andrei?” Kang Chan called.

“Understood, Captain.”

Gérard’s cheek twitched right after Andrei answered and turned around.

“You’ve become nicer, Captain,” Gérard commented.

“Shut it!”

“What is that fucker saying?” Seok Kang-Ho asked.

Kang Chan had always had a hard time getting some peace and quiet whenever he was with these two.

“Seriously, though. What’s the plan?” Gérard asked.

Kang Chan exhaled softly. “We’ll prioritize getting our wounded medevacked. The Quds can’t leave this place anyway.”

Gérard’s eyes glinted as he looked at Kang Chan.

“Those fuckers attacked the UN’s peacekeeping forces, which is probably why they used AK-47s against us. No place is safe for those sons of bitches anymore.”

“If that’s the case, then...” Gérard trailed off.

“We’re going to surround and hunt the Quds with our reinforcements. Did you really think I’d let you guys go home without getting revenge for the French rookie first?”

As Gérard grinned, Kang Chan interpreted what he said in Korean for Seok Kang-Ho, who had grown curious.

Kang Chan was parched. Unfortunately, since none of them had water, all they could do was keep smoking.

After getting about ten minutes of rest, Kang Chan stood up. The soldiers behind the defensive barrier simultaneously looked at him.

He raised his hand to his helmet and pressed a button on his radio.

“We’ll wipe out the rest of the Quds once our backup arrives. I want each team to choose who will be joining this operation. Report back to me once you’ve decided!” Kang Chan ordered in French.

The army interpreters passed on his commands in their respective native languages.

Andrei was the first to run over.

“I and seven others will be joining!” Andrei declared.

“Six will be participating from our team,” Tyler yelled afterward. He looked like a gorilla covered in blood now.

“Four of the Green Berets will be joining as well!” someone shouted.

It was tragic that only so few of the Green Berets could participate, but Kang Chan couldn’t really blame them.

Click!

Choi Jong-Il and Cha Dong-Gyun approached Kang Chan.

“We’ve got thirteen men ready to go, sir,” one of them reported.

Seeing the look in the South Korean soldiers’ eyes, Kang Chan couldn’t help but smirk. These men no longer required any training. Considering their performance in the last six months, this team could probably execute even the most difficult operations better than any of the other special forces teams here.

“It’s about time we make them suffer for what they’ve done,” Kang Chan coldly said.

Cha Dong-Gyun smiled, his eyes glinting. Kang Chan made a mental note not to let him hang around Seok Kang-Ho anymore.

Gérard was the last to report. “Captain! Nine of us are going to participate,”

Kang Chan raised his hand to his helmet again.

Chkk!

“I want everyone who will be joining armed and ready! We’ll leave in five minutes!”

Strange excitement enveloped the area behind the defensive barrier as the army interpreters passed on Kang Chan’s order to the other soldiers.

“

Ugh

!”

Gritting his teeth, Seok Kang-Ho leaned against the wall and used it to help him stand up.

“You should just stay here and get some rest,” Kang Chan commented.

“What are you saying?”

Clank!

Seok Kang-Ho frowned and glared at Kang Chan as he pulled the breechblock of his gun. “I can eat five ramyeon right now!”

“You’re not thinking of our enemies as ramyeon or eggs, are you?”

Choi Jong-Il burst into laughter.

Fine! Where would I be without this fucker anyway?

“Make sure you double-check your magazines.”

“All right.”

After issuing a reminder, Kang Chan inserted new magazines in his rifle and pistol. He then took a bayonet and an extra magazine.

Clank! Clank! Clank!

Smelling the sweat in his helmet with each breath, Kang Chan decided to take off his helmet. The unpleasant and putrid scent wafting toward them from the corpses and the tribespeople’s huts alone was already too much to handle as it was.

He removed the radio secured inside it and put it in his chest pocket. He then hung the earpiece around his ear and wrapped a bandana around his head, tying it at the back.

Copying Kang Chan, Gérard and Seok Kang-Ho also took off their helmets and put on bandanas. It made Seok Kang-Ho look like a leader of an insurgent group.

Clink! Clank!

One after another, the soldiers gathered in front of Kang Chan. Everyone had a sharp glint in their eyes.

Even if Kang Chan had disliked someone enough to feel annoyed just by seeing them sitting in silence or hearing them breathe, his blood would’ve still boiled if his enemies killed them in battle.

These special forces soldiers, who had gone through every available training and joined all sorts of operations in various locations, had just been attacked one-sidedly and overwhelmed with numbers. They had just watched their colleagues—their brothers-in-arms—get killed right before their very eyes.

𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

I doubt any of these men aren’t crying injustice right now.

Through the radio, Gérard explained their plan to the soldiers in the helicopters.

They attempted to dissuade him against it but no longer said anything when Gérard fiercely stood his ground.

Clank!

I’ll make sure none of you sons of bitches will get out of here alive!

Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!

Kang Chan was pulling the breechblock of his gun when they suddenly heard the dirt crumbling.

What’s going on? Did the Quds manage to get close to us without being spotted by those in the helicopters?

Clink! Clank! Click! Click!

When he aimed his rifle past the defensive barrier, everyone pointed their guns in the same direction.

Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!

‘What’s going on?’

Kang Chan was still trying to figure out what was happening when he got goosebumps all over his body.

“Fall back! Run up the mountain! Go!” he immediately yelled in French and Korean.

Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!

As if a clogged drain had just been cleared, dirt and the enemies’ corpses were sucked into the ground in between the huts and the defensive barrier.

Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!

It looked like a large monster had just opened its mouth to devour the deceased.

While the soldiers quickly retreated, Kang Chan went as close as he could to the back of the defensive barrier and then looked down.

The hole thankfully didn’t get any bigger, but the nearby enemy corpses were still falling into it.

Ba-dum ba-dum.

Kang Chan froze as he looked down the hole.

Damn it!

A monster was clearly glaring at Kang Chan.

Ba-dum ba-dum.

The red light seemed to be yelling at Kang Chan.

‘You can’t leave this place! I won’t let you slip through this time!’

1. This is an Arabic phrase called Takbir. It translates to "God is great" or "God is [the] greatest ?

2. Refers to the Aérospatiale Gazelle, a five-seat attack helicopter ?

3. Ultra High Frequency ?