Chapter 288.1: Do Your Best To Survive (2)

Du du du! Pew! Pew! PEW!

With the night deepening, the snipers failed to spot another RPG. As the rocket whistled closer, they saw a faint trace of white smoke.

Ordinary people often imagined that if they were to ever find themselves in a situation like this, they would easily and quickly avoid the incoming rocket. However, in reality, all they would be able to do was freeze.

The special forces soldiers were different, however. Swiftly, they ducked and jumped away from the point of impact.

BAM!

One of the walls of the rooftop exploded, causing what remained of it to crumble. Dust from the chaos cascaded like a stream of water.

Crackle.

Bang bang bang!

Du du du!

Sparks burst from the muzzles of the AK-47s, sending bullets toward the roof.

Cha Dong-Gyun quickly took one of the grenades hanging on his vest.

Ting!

The hostiles had started rushing toward them from both sides of the alley again.

Swish! Du du du! Du du du du! Bang bang bang! Bang bang bang! Bang bang!

The heavy fire remained relentless even as Cha Dong-Gyun threw the grenade.

BOOM!

The explosion sent the enemies reeling backward almost as if they were flying.

Bang bang bang! Bang bang bang bang! Du du du! Pew! Pew! Pew!

Wearing turbans and loose clothes, their enemies instilled immense fear in them as they resumed charging. Before they knew it, the bastards were already quite close to the entrance on the first floor.

Bang bang bang! Du du du! Bang bang! Du du! Du du!

Everything would be over if their enemies managed to get through the first floor. Fortunately, thanks to Seok Kang-Ho’s quick thinking and judgment, the building they had occupied was on top of an incline.

“

Huff huff

.

Huff huff

.”

Breathing heavily, Cha Dong-Gyun leaned against one of the intact walls. Much to his amusement, the stars above them right now were still the same ones that he had seen in Africa.

He had always desperately hoped that their special forces team, like those of the United States and France, would be able to go on operations anywhere in the world with just one command from South Korea.

If he were to die now, he knew he would die happy. For him, special forces soldiers should feel that way about getting to lay their lives down for their nation. However, not long after, he remembered what Kang Chan had yelled at them during their first live ammo training.

“I need soldiers who will do whatever it takes to return from operations alive. I need soldiers who can survive even if information about them is leaked or they are completely surrounded! None of you understand how it feels to watch your comrades get covered in their own blood and fall dead to the ground! So if you’re just going to spout bullshit, leave!”

Was this what Kang Chan had meant? Was that how Cha Dong-Gyun felt when he saw Han Jae-Guk die drenched in his own blood?

Remembering that some of their men also died during their operation in Africa only made him more acutely feel the difference of having Kang Chan around.

Cha Dong-Gyun looked at the bodies of the soldiers and agents lying on one side of the rooftop.

He felt sorry. If only he had been just a bit more capable—if only he had predicted their enemies’ actions a little quicker...

Cha Dong-Gyun always felt relieved whenever their enemies quieted down. However, at the same time, not knowing why their enemies weren’t attacking them or how they should act during moments like this made him feel suffocated. He couldn’t bring himself to command the soldiers—he didn’t even know what order to issue.

He looked at Um Ji-Hwan, whose face was all dirty. Leaning against the diagonal wall, he kept gasping for breath. Cha Dong-Gyun felt sorry for him.

Cha Dong-Gyun wanted to be one of the soldiers who would survive no matter what—even if information about them was leaked and enemies completely surrounded them.

He hoped that he would be the last to die, not Han Jae-Guk.

He remembered the look in Kang Chan’s eyes back in the pit in Africa, right before he attempted to shake Kang Chan’s grip off.

“Grab onto my shoulders, you fucking son of a bitch! You’re dead when I get you out of there!”

How would he describe Kang Chan’s gaze as he pulled him up with his wounded shoulder?

Would determination be the right word?

People shouldn’t make it sound so easy.

How could anyone do what Kang Chan had done out of pure determination?

Cha Dong-Gyun looked blankly at the sky.

Rustle. Rustle.

After some time, Kwak Cheol-Ho crawled toward him and held out a water pouch. His face was so dark he looked like he had applied camo paint.

Gulp. Gulp.

Feeling as if he had returned to his senses a little, Cha Dong-Gyun sighed. “

Phew

.”

Thud.

Kwak Cheol-Ho sat next to Cha Dong-Gyun and reached into his chest pocket.

“Let’s have a smoke,” Kwak Cheol-Ho said.

“Right now?” Cha Dong-Gyun asked. He then looked around their surroundings.

“We’re completely out of sight here, so we don’t have to worry about our enemies shooting at us. We can even eat something light. Anyway, once we’re done smoking, we can probably start a rotation with the other soldiers.”

Seeing Cha Dong-Gyun smirking in response, Kwak Cheol-Ho held out a cigarette and flicked his lighter on.

Chk chk.

The flame of the lighter illuminated the blood covering Kwak Cheol-Ho’s hand.

After puffing out smoke, Cha Dong-Gyun addressed it. “What’s wrong with your hand?”

“Nothing. I just almost lost a finger,” Kwak Cheol-Ho shamelessly answered as he, too, exhaled the cigarette smoke.

“Anyway, look over there.” Kwak Cheol-Ho nodded to the wall across from them, where the army interpreter was.

The army interpreter was holding his rifle close to him. He was staring right back at them, looking like he was about to cry. The sight almost made Cha Dong-Gyun burst out laughing.

Kwak Cheol-Ho added, “He returned fire a moment ago while looking like that.”

“You should’ve sent him down to the first floor.”

“I was going to, but he told me he wanted to fight. His blood seemed to be boiling as well when he came up to the roof, but getting a glimpse of the enemies frightened the fight out of him. Even so, he still has to relay orders to the two French agents whenever necessary. He can’t really opt out of that one.”

“What time would it be in South Korea?”

“Libya is exactly seven hours behind South Korea,” Kwak Cheol-Ho answered.

That doesn’t really answer my question, though...

As Cha Dong-Gyun turned his gaze away, Kwak Cheol-Ho suddenly called him.

“First Lieutenant,” he said, softly, as he rubbed his cigarette on the ground. “You were the coolest today—cooler than anything I’ve ever seen.”

“You fucker!”

The two suddenly snickered, making them look as if they had gone insane.

“Well, that was fun, but playtime’s over. Let’s go rotate in for guard duty.”

They heard a gruff response from the wall across from them.

“Okay, okay.”

Cha Dong-Gyun and Kwak Cheol-Ho stood up and took the post of two soldiers.

“I just realized now how busy we are,” one of the soldiers commented.

“If you don’t like it, then you definitely shouldn’t join the next operation.”

“What made you think I said that because I don’t like being here? I look cool fighting in battles like this, you know!”

“Shut up and finish your cigarette already. We have to rotate in with the others too.”

Despite the atmosphere enveloping the building, the two soldiers still continued their conversation in whispers.

They naturally knew how each other felt. How could they not when the corpses of their comrades were right beside them?

***

Kang Chan had lost track of how many times the jet refueled mid-flight.

Every time the pilot said, “Ready to jump,” on the radio...

Pow!

‘Urgh!’

... the aircraft would make it impossible for him to think.

Fortunately, after three hours and twenty minutes in the air, the fighter jet finally began its descent.

The F16 vibrated roughly as Kang Chan heard its tires skid against the ground. After a while, it finally stopped at one side of the runway.

When the canopy of the jet opened, the pilot looked behind him and gave Kang Chan a thumbs up.

Why is he giving me a thumbs-up when all I did was sit behind him?

Kang Chan didn’t feel like doing it, but to say that he would never forget about his hard work, he gave the pilot a thumbs up as well anyway.

Two people in suits and soldiers in military uniforms quickly gathered near the fighter jet.

Kang Chan almost stumbled as he stepped out of the fighter jet. The bumpy ground below his feet felt as if they were made of sponges, sinking and heaving with each step he took. To make things worse, he felt as if he was sinking with it.

“I’m Kevin, the person the CIA has put in charge of the Middle East.”

The night seemed especially dark this evening.

Kang Chan was still feeling dizzy when someone approached him and spoke to him in English. The man next to him relayed his words in French.

If they were going to use an interpreter, why didn’t they just send over someone who speaks Korean instead?

“The US Army currently has control over Tripoli airport under the condition that we support the anti-Gaddafi regime[1]. Unfortunately, we can only guard this place for twenty-four hours.”

Instead of responding, Kang Chan opted to just listen to what Kevin was saying in silence.

He had to meet up with the Foreign Legion and save Seok Kang-Ho as soon as possible. It was upsetting that Gérard couldn’t come, but that only showed how bad the rebellion in Congo had become.

Kevin continued, “CIA Director Sherman also has a message for you.”

This bastard’s still talking? I’m in a hurry, for fuck’s sake!

The look in Kang Chan’s eyes changed.

“We have five Hellfire[2]-armed Apache helicopters[3], five Black Hawk helicopters[4], and fifty Delta Force[5] soldiers standing by. The Black Hawks, in particular, have been fitted for rescue missions. In return, Director Sherman only requests that you have a private meeting with him as soon as the rescue operation is over,” Kevin said.

Kang Chan noticed that the interpreter wasn’t that good at his job. However, at the very least, he was doing well enough for him to understand what Kevin was trying to say.

A private conversation with Sherman?

Kang Chan would even talk to the god of death if it meant saving Seok Kang-Ho.

1. The anti-Gaddafi regime was composed of Libyan groups that opposed and militarily defeated the government of Muammar Gaddafi during the First Libyan Civil War in 2011, killing him in the process ☜

2. The AGM-114 Hellfire is an American air-to-surface missile. ☜

3. The Boeing AH-64 Apache is an American twin-turboshaft attack helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear and a tandem cockpit for a crew of two ☜

4. The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk is a four-blade, twin-engine, medium-lift utility military helicopter ☜

5. is a special operations force of the United States Army, under operational control of JSOC(Joint Special Operations Command) ☜