Chapter 266.1: What Comes First? (1)

God damn it!

Seeing the red light soar into the dark sky above had Kang Chan at a loss for words. If he were being honest, he couldn’t really care less about the stupid legend or myth or whatever the hell it was, but something about this situation did bother him.

The Blackhead had been so quiet and meek when he visited the pit to search for it. Tonight, however—long after he had gone back to base—it suddenly decided to cause a commotion. He racked his brain trying to figure out what to do now that everyone had seen the red light as well.

“Captain,” Gérard quietly called Kang Chan, his gaze remaining on the red light. “Act normal. Keep watching the light, but don’t let yourself get flustered in front of everyone.”

When did this bastard start using his brain?

Well, Kang Chan supposed he was living in a new world now. Even Daye had been thinking before acting lately, putting his head to good use. It couldn’t get any stranger than that.

“Before we left the Spetsnaz’s barracks, Roberre told me that the old man said the red light is calling you. He also told me to pretend not to know anything because the situation could turn tricky if that bastard Andrei finds out.”

As if aware that they were talking about him, Andrei walked over and stood beside Kang Chan almost immediately after Gérard was done.

“Do you know anything about this?” Andrei pointedly asked.

“Just the bull crap about the guardian of Mount Surdkad turning the mountain turn red by doing something, which you’ve also already heard before,” Kang Chan nonchalantly replied.

“Are you sure?” Andrei asked, his tone coated with doubt.

Have I been treating this son of a bitch too softly?

Seeing the threatening look in Kang Chan’s eyes, Andrei quickly looked away and raised his gaze toward the light. Kang Chan had started heading to the benches when Andrei spoke to him again.

“You’re not going to see what that’s about?” he asked.

Andrei glanced at the light with suspicion, then turned back toward the barracks again. He looked like he wanted to go but couldn’t bring himself to leave the old man and child by themselves.

“Gérard! Bring a squad and check that light out!” Kang Chan commanded.

“Oui!”

“Daye! Go with them. Take a few of our men with you as well.”

“Got it.”

Andrei watched Kang Chan giving orders in French and Seok Kang-Ho immediately preparing to live.

“I’ll come with them,” Andrei said.

Of course, you will, you simple-minded bastard!

“If that’s what you want, then go ahead,” Kang Chan casually replied.

As Gérard chose a few soldiers to bring with him, Seok Kang-Ho ordered the army interpreter and a few other South Korean soldiers to join them as well. Meanwhile, Andrei looked back at their barracks with a doubtful expression.

Much to everyone’s surprise, Tyler also walked over to the benches with two SBS soldiers, all armed and ready to move out.

“We’re tagging along too,” he said.

“Join them at your own discretion! Roberre! Escort the old man and the child over here,” Kang Chan boldly gave commands right in front of Andrei for Robere to bring the two people over.

“Why don’t we speak to the two of them together after I come back...” Noticing the look on Kang Chan’s face, Andrei trailed off.

“We’ll see you soon,” Gérard told Kang Chan.

“We’ll be back,” Seok Kang-Ho said.

The two walked to the entrance of the barracks. Tyler followed right behind them.

Andrei’s face filled with anguish as he rushed off and chased after them. Kang Chan had only ever seen such an expression in works of art before. He looked as if he had just decided to check the situation himself over listening to a potentially deceitful interpreter conveying the conversation between him and the old man.

Robert was the only other commander left in the base, but he didn’t seem interested in this kind of talk.

When the old man saw Kang Chan again, he no longer called him “Surdkad.” Roberre must have said something to him.

“Ask him if he’s had dinner yet,” Kang Chan instructed.

The old man quickly replied to Roberre’s question. He then turned his wrinkled face toward Kang Chan.

“He says the child needs medicine,” Roberre interpreted.

“Then take the child to the infirmary first. Go with them and assist with the conversation.”

“Understood.”

Under Kang Chan’s instructions, Roberre took the old man and the child to the command center, where the infirmary was.

This wasn’t part of Kang Chan’s original plan, but it at least probably made all the people sneaking around to eavesdrop on their conversation feel pretty dumb.

Robert walked up to Kang Chan, who had been staring at the red light in the distance. “Want a cigarette?”

Kang Chan readily accepted the cigarette and lit it.

“Did you have another mission on this deployment?” Robert questioned.

Kang Chan smirked. He huffed out a long stream of smoke.

“You also asked me that question last time. If you want to know so badly, feel free to join the men heading back to the mountains or listen in on the conversation I’m about to have with the tribesman. I’m more interested in knowing why the UN decided to send us on this bullshit deployment and who the fuck ordered the ambush yesterday.”

Robert tossed his cigarette onto the ground in front of the benches, then crushed it with his foot.

‘None of the people here knows how to properly dispose of cigarette butts,’

Kang Chan thought.

“This place feels like hell, God of Blackfield. keep thinking of my wounded men being decapitated. If you ever get the chance to avenge what happened here, I hope you reach out to me. I’ll even take off my uniform if that’s what I have to do to join you.”

Robert looked at Kang Chan, his eyes dead serious. “Everyone on our team knows each other’s families. That’s how close we are. If I return home now, I won’t ever be able to live another normal day. Please contact me.”

“If I get the chance, I will,” Kang Chan replied.

“Thank you.”

Kang Chan didn’t give him a definite answer, yet he was already genuinely thanking him.

“You don’t want to listen to the conversation I’m going to have with the old man and the child later?” Kang Chan asked.

“I couldn’t care less about that light. All I want to know is who was behind the horrid ambush.”

Afterward, even though Kang Chan tried to convince him against it, Robert left for his barracks.

Overwhelmed with so much anger and frustration, Robert was ready to explode. Kang Chan knew all too well how he felt.

Ten minutes after Kang Chan had finished his cigarette, Roberre returned with the old man and the albino child, who was clutching bottles full of pills in his arms.

“What medicine did they give him?” Kang Chan asked.

“They said he’s suffering from malnutrition. They injected him with something and gave him some supplements as well,” Roberre replied.

Kang Chan glanced at the medicine bottles in the child’s arms. Seemingly embarrassed, the child looked away and examined Kang Chan.

“What’s his name?”

Roberre asked for the child’s name, and the child replied “Akrion” with a hint of shyness.

Kang Chan smiled. “That’s a cool name.”

Akiron looked down at the ground, smiling ever so timidly.

“Captain,” Roberre began. He positioned himself across from Kang Chan so the men who were on the other side of the field couldn’t see his face. “He says there’s a cave here that emits red light, but only the Surdkad can go inside. He wants to go in with you. I’ve already told him never to speak a word of this in the presence of others because it could put you in danger.”

Kang Chan shook his head.

“There’s no proof that I’m the Surdkad,” Kang Chan argued.

“He says the proof is the mountain turning red. Such an event will apparently only ever happen when the Surdkad, the one who will rescue the African tribes, appears.”

“God damn it! Every last member of their tribe is dead except for these two. Tell them that even if I do visit the cave, that doesn’t mean that I’m the Surdkad.”

When Roberre relayed Kang Chan’s words to the old man, the man swiftly responded with a long stream of words.

“He says that it is their tribe’s duty to guide the Surdkad to the cave. Only after they have accomplished that can their fellow tribespeople go to heaven,” Robere interpreted.

Bullshit!

If people had to die en masse and fall into a pit with the Quds before they could go to heaven, how high up were those who died peacefully and had a nice funeral supposed to go?

Reading Kang Chan’s expression, the old man began to speak again.

“According to him, you’ve already done your part by saving the tribe and bringing them back to the mountain. He says that he thought someone was after his grandson, so he avoided the turmoil, which was how he managed to survive the battle,”

After a brief pause, Roberre continued, “He also has a request.”

When Kang Chan looked at him, the old man spewed out a slew of words through his neglected, toothless mouth.

“He hopes you can protect the child. He wants your help in getting him to a place where he won’t be killed or troubled because of his albinism,” Roberre added.

Kang Chan looked down, finding Akiron shaking his head at the old man.

“Tell them that if they wish, we can try to make arrangements for them both to leave Africa,” he ordered.

After Roberre interpreted the offer, the old man raised his rake-like hand to his mouth.

Kang Chan would never have been able to say something like this back when he was the leader of the Foreign Legion unit. Evacuating six hundred tribespeople would have been difficult as well. However, since it was just the two of them, Kang Chan thought that there had to be a way to get them out of here. He would even be willing to pay with his title as Deputy Director-General of the DGSE or Assistant Director of the National Intelligence Service.

How could those titles be more important than the future of a child who would smile shyly over receiving a few bottles of supplements and cry upon hearing what his grandfather said?

The child’s eyes were brimming with tears. However, after Kang Chan’s words were relayed in their native language, he looked up at his grandfather with a bright smile.

“Anyway, we’ve just sent soldiers out to investigate the area where that light’s coming from. Won’t they find the cave he’s talking about sooner or later?” Kang Chan asked.

The old man answered with an expression that made him look as if he had just remembered his original intent for coming over to speak.

“He says the light comes from a tree, so it’ll be impossible for them to find the cave,” Roberre said.

“A tree?” Kang Chan repeated.

“He’s certain it’s a tree.”

Kang Chan nodded in understanding.

“For their own safety, at least, tell them to keep this a secret. Inform them as well that even if I can’t get to the cave, I’ll be there to accompany them when they leave this place,” Kang Chan instructed. “They seem comfortable talking to you, so have them sleep in your barracks for tonight.”

“Yes, sir.”

Roberre took the two tribespeople to the Foreign Legion’s barracks. As the old man and Akrion followed him, a Spetsnaz soldier flinched and glanced at Kang Chan before sitting down on the bench nearest to him.