Chapter 266.2: What Comes First? (1)

Kang Chan’s mind was overflowing with questions and information.

The light was definitely from the Blackhead, but if it was, then how could it suddenly light up in the middle of the night when it had been inactive earlier? It seemed to be fucking imitating the light from a butcher’s shop.

Is it the energy?

Considering it was similar to the rays of red light that enveloped the basement of the cement building in England a while ago, then he might just be right.

Give me a fucking break!

Their situation was already tough enough as it was, yet the damn rock had just forced them to send a group of special forces soldiers over to its location and look for it in the middle of the fucking night.

That wasn’t the only thing that had been bothering Kang Chan either. He was certain Andrei had caught onto something, so he was wondering how he would protect those two tribespeople from his prying eyes. He had to come up with a lie for that as well.

While Kang Chan was busy thinking about different matters, Woo Hee-Seung walked out from inside the South Koreans’ barracks.

“

Huh

? Didn’t you come with them?” Kang Chan asked.

“No, sir. Too many people wanted to go. Would you like a cup of coffee?” Woo Hee-Seung offered.

“I’m good. If I stand out here with coffee right now, it’s going to become bug soup in less than a minute.”

Woo Hee-Seung’s lips curved into a wide smile.

“About our fellow South Korean soldiers...” Woo Hee-Seung began steadfastly as he met Kang Chan’s gaze. “We have really become a world-class team now, haven’t we?”

Kang Chan thought Woo Hee-Seung was going to say something important with the way he paused. He smirked and turned his gaze toward the entrance.

Woo Hee-Seung continued, “We’re completely different now compared to when we were still in training. Captain Choi Jong-Il also said yesterday that it was an honor to be able to come on an operation with a team like this.”

“Don’t bother with bullshit like that and just focus on getting to see another day. In this line of work, surviving is the greatest honor anyone could have,” Kang Chan said gruffly.

He spent a bit more time talking to Woo Hee-Seung. After a while, a commotion rose by the entrance. The soldiers who had left were coming back.

Once inside the base, Seok Kang-Ho, Gérard, and Andrei walked over to Kang Chan.

“There’s a glow coming from some trees. It was so strange. When we blew some of them up, they stopped emitting any light. Moreover, we did no damage to the ground,” Gérard said.

After listening to the interpreter, Seok Kang-Ho nodded in agreement.

Andrei took advantage of the pause to jump into the conversation.

𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

“Where are the old man and the child?” he asked.

“They’re in the Foreign Legion’s barracks. The child is malnourished and frightened. It’s best to just let them rest for the night. You can talk to them tomorrow,” Kang Chan responded.

“Just because you’re the captain doesn’t mean you get to break your word when you want to.”

“Andrei, I told you. Once you call me captain, you jump when I tell you to jump, and you bark—”

“Doesn’t that only apply to the South Korean team?” Andrei argued.

Kang Chan shook his head and stood up, putting his face right in front of Andrei’s.

“This is the first time I’ve ever been this patient after losing men,” he warned.

Andrei’s cheek twitched as he gritted his teeth.

“I don’t give a flying fuck about that stupid fucking light. All I care about is why six hundred natives and the men who trusted and followed me had to die here and who’s the son of a bitch that laid a fucking ambush for us. This is your last and final warning. Don’t ever interrupt me again when I’m speaking.”

Andrei stubbornly held his ground against Kang Chan’s murderous gaze.

“I’m only holding myself back because I know the other commanders and soldiers all feel the same way I do. We all lost someone here. If you keep pushing me, you better not let me get my hands on you or I’m not going to stop until I’ve fucking killed you. Do you understand?” Kang Chan threatened.

Andrei swallowed dryly.

“Andrei.”

“Understood, sir,” Andrei replied with formality.

Gérard noticed Andrei’s eyes wavering.

Kang Chan slowly calmed his breathing. If Andrei had said another word, made even the slightest provocative expression, or done anything to tick him off, Kang Chan couldn’t even predict what would’ve happened next.

This motherfucker thinks I’m a pushover just because I let him go once! If you’re going to act up like this, you shouldn’t have called me captain in the first place, bastard.”

Although he called Kang Chan captain, he kept treating him as if he were some neighborhood fool.

In a sudden surge of anger, the corners of Kang Chan’s lips twitched, causing Andrei to immediately drop his gaze down to the ground.

“Go. You can ask me whatever you have in mind tomorrow,” Kang Chan gritted out.

“Yes, sir,” Andrei replied meekly before turning around.

“

Huh

! That punk has a talent for dodging beatings,” Seok Kang-Ho joked as he watched Andrei walk away.

Click! Hiss!

Gérard lit three cigarettes at the same time and handed one to Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho each.

“

Hoo

!”

“Aren’t you becoming more and more impatient? I thought it was strange that you weren’t showing it, but you’ve just been holding it back all this time, huh?” Seok Kang-Ho remarked.

“What?” Kang Chan asked, unable to understand what he meant.

“What do you mean, ‘What?’ Aren’t you feeling this way because of the rookie and our French and South Korean men dying? I’m not really surprised, though. I already found it odd that you were taking the deaths of our men so well!”

“I’m not really in the mood to talk about this.”

“

Hoo

!” Seok Kang-Ho exhaled a long puff of smoke instead of answering. “That asshole was like that the whole time we were in the mountains. He was acting like he was on a deadline or something.”

“I think the Russian intelligence bureau told him something about the energy of the Blackhead. That’s probably why he’s been acting out so much. Anyway, I heard there’s a cave where the Blackhead is supposed to be. The old man wants me to come with him there, but I doubt it’ll be that easy,” Kang Chan said.

Gérard nodded.

“I’ll call the DGSE when I get the chance, probably tonight or tomorrow. For now, protect those two. If there’s any trouble, feel free to use my name and title. Tell them you’re just following my orders,” Kang Chan ordered.

“Understood,” Gérard confidently replied.

Having issued orders and made all the necessary preparations, Kang Chan parted ways with Gérard and went back to the barracks. Once inside, he sat down with Seok Kang-Ho and told him everything that Roberre had interpreted for him earlier.

“So you’re saying he knew the light would be coming from trees?” Seok Kang-Ho asked.

“That’s what he said!” Kang Chan replied in disbelief.

“I wonder if something like this has happened in the past too.”

Kang Chan gave Seok Kang-Ho a look of confusion.

I can’t believe he came to such a conclusion all on his own!

“Hey! You’re looking at me like that again! Anyway, does that mean an energy-filled Blackhead is somewhere in some cave in that mountain?”

“That’s right,” Kang Chan answered, feeling as if their roles had been reversed.

“And the mountain lit up because you’re the Surdkad?”

“According to the old man, yes.”

Seok Kang-Ho hummed with his lips pursed in thought. He looked dead serious.

Did this punk come up with something again?

“We should visit the cave as soon as possible,” Seok Kang-Ho suggested.

“What?”

“Think about it. If the Blackhead really is in the cave, then we can just take it and put an end to all this bullshit.”

“That’s your whole plan?”

“Is there any way to take it without going there?” Seok Kang-Ho confidently asked.

Yeah, that one’s on me. It was such a stupid question to ask. I shouldn’t hope for things that will never come to be...

“That bastard Andrei probably smelled something suspicious, so let’s part ways with him before going. It doesn’t matter if we have to do it at a later time,” Kang Chan said.

“Won’t the others catch on before then?”

“If they do, then that only means they already know. We can’t handle that situation with just our men, so it doesn’t really matter.”

“Got it,” Seok Kang-Ho replied.

“Tell the men to keep their guards up. More importantly, don’t forget that the Blackhead doesn’t mean anything compared to the old man and the child’s safety,” Kang Chan emphasized.

“I couldn’t have cared less about it if it didn’t have anything to do with you, Cap,” Seok Kang-Ho grumbled.

After their conversation, the two walked out into the living room together. Kang Chan picked up a satellite phone and contacted South Korea.

- Kim Hyung-Jung speaking.

“People from the UN have just arrived,” Kang Chan immediately reported.

- The UN has already released an official announcement about that. They have also given our government a list of the dead and wounded, so we are making plans to evacuate them right now.

Considering there wasn’t anything else that they had to take care of, that would pretty much tie up all loose ends.

After a few more formalities, Kang Chan ended the conversation with Kim Hyung-Jung. He then called Lanok.