Chapter 349: Sorry, Mother (2)

“Say that again?”

“Once Um sunbae and I catch the informant and get the information from him, we’ll head back to the headquarters immediately. If it’s deemed unsafe, we’ll flee to the safe house.”

“Where’s the safe house?”

“At the Al Galago intersection.”

“What if it’s inaccessible?”

“The camouflage shop on Al Galasa.”

“Weapons?”

“Pistols on my left ankle and waist, and a bayonet on my right ankle.”

The Egyptian branch manager checked the magazines and then strapped a pistol to his waist. When he lifted his shirt, the others noticed that one side of the bandages wrapped around his waist was stained with blood.

“Um Ji-Hwan.”

Um Ji-Hwan raised his head. “Sir.”

“You know, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

Confused by their conversation, the two recruits glanced at the two men.

As the branch manager’s eyes blazed, Um Ji-Hwan pressed his lips together.

Um Ji-Hwan now knew why the branch manager had asked his seniors the same question before they left on missions in the past.

‘Keep your juniors safe.’

‘Of course, sir.’

He would do his best to protect them so they, in turn, could relay their experience to the next generation.

“Check your radios.”

They all pressed a button on their radios.

Chk, chk, chk, chk.

They were ready to go.

“This is such a risky operation that I didn’t even report it because I doubt it would have been approved. So if you want out, sit down quietly. We won’t shame you for it.”

The branch manager gave Um Ji-Hwan and the two rookies a serious expression.

After a moment of silence, he turned toward the door.

***

“I’ve made the report to the president as well. We’ve never deployed fighter jets for overseas bombing before, so we still have to go through the chain of command and legal procedures,” Kim Hyung-Jung said with a heavy face. “Anyway, after I reported to the president, the Jeungpyeong special forces, the 606, and the NIS’s counter-terrorism team were put on standby. The NIS will dispatch them as soon as we’ve determined the number of personnel.”

Kang Chan sharply glared at the map of Afghanistan on the whiteboard.

“Manager Kim, can I meet with the commander of the counter-terrorism team, the 606, and the Jeungpyeong special forces?”

“Where would you like to meet?”

The office wasn’t the best location.

“How about the conference room under the NIS? Would that be possible?”

“Yes. When would you like to hold it?”

“Around ten tomorrow morning.”

“Consider it done. I’ll update you once we’ve prepared everything.”

Twice during their conversation, Gérard came out and quickly scribbled the names of the enemy leaders and their estimated forces on the map.

They were getting closer to deployment.

***

In a restaurant with a second floor that overlooks the first floor.

“He’s in there.”

The senior agent following the informant had a pale face. If he wasn’t breaking out in a cold sweat and his eyes weren’t open, Um Ji-Hwan would have thought that he was dead.

“There are three customers in there right now. If you include the kitchen staff, the servers, and the owner, then we’re looking at six people. More might be hiding somewhere.”

The senior agent gritted his teeth and gripped the window sill. He looked like he could barely keep himself on his feet.

“We’ve spent ten years trying to catch this guy. Considering he's been hiding since the last shootout and reached out to us first, there’s about an eighty percent chance he’s on our side.”

When Um Ji-Hwan turned to the restaurant, the senior agent tapped his shoulder.

“It could be a trap. We’ll have raided their base, so we can’t even give an excuse.”

Um Ji-Hwan had never seen so much determination in the eyes of a dying man.

He looked so frustrated for being unable to go in himself, so angry for having to send his juniors in, and... so enraged for being unable to die.

‘I’ll bring the informant back as soon as possible.’

Um Ji-Hwan looked into the agent’s eyes and shared his blazing determination as well.

***

It was like a war zone.

Information flooded in from Russia, China, Germany, and even the United States.

Rukha district, near the Panjshir River and along Saricha Road.

The mountainous terrain had plenty of places where enemies could hide. They had to watch out for underground tunnels, too.

Gérard busily brought documents to Kang Chan. “Captain, they have way too many fucking snipers.”

The information that the Americans had sent contained a rough estimate of the number of snipers and a list of those they knew for sure.

Snipers were a pain in the ass, especially those holed up in mountainous areas. They were one of the deadliest enemies on the battlefield.

The Quds alone had over thirty snipers. Including the snipers from other organizations, Rukha was infested with sixty in total. The problem was the damn Quds, the organization with the most veterans in the world.

“

Whew

. We’ve only identified sixty. There have to be some who are assigned to protect their leadership. Mark them on the map for now, and put the lists in a USB. I’ll take it to the meeting tomorrow.”

“Understood,” Gérard answered, then went back inside the office.

The gathering of the UIS had defied common sense enough that even Seok Kang-Ho stared at the map in disbelief.

“Cap, doesn’t it look like they’re preparing for a long war?”

Kang Chan nodded. “You’re right, but this is not a matter of how long the war is. Considering their numbers, they’ve probably brought serious firepower with them too. We haven’t even seen their missiles or other weapons yet. Also...”

After a brief pause, he continued, “Intelligence bureaus are bound to detect such a large army. I doubt they’re there to attack South Korea, but there has to be a reason why they’re doing this shit. We need to know what that is so we can deal with them properly.”

Seok Kang-Ho glared at the map.

Sixty special forces snipers. One thousand two hundred soldiers in total.

They were likely composed of more than just common militia.

Sixty out of one thousand two hundred didn’t seem that much, but the snipers had been in the special forces. That meant they had experience of anywhere from seven to fifteen years. It was a lot of pressure.

What were they trying to do?

Buzz, buzz, buzz. Buzz, buzz, buzz. Buzz, buzz, buzz.

Just then, Kang Chan’s phone rang, breaking him out of his thoughts.

“Hello?”

- I’ve scheduled an initial briefing at ten tomorrow morning. As you’ve requested, it’ll be held in the underground conference room of the NIS. Two of the combat squadron majors will be there as well.

“Will that not pose a problem with secrecy?”

- The NIS can vouch for the two majors.

“I see. I’ll see you tomorrow, then. Oh, right. Is Sharlan still unconscious?”

- They believe that he has become so drug-dependent that he’ll die as soon as they take him off the respirator. I’ll check again.

That son of a bitch.

Kang Chan didn’t want to give him a nice death. If he had to, he would even twist his neck just before he died.

“Please tell them to keep him on oxygen. I want to at least be able to watch him die.”

- Got it.

Putting the phone down, Kang Chan looked at the map again.

Should I beat Abibu up again?

Kang Chan shook his head.

There was no knowing how Abibu would react if he knew that the UIS had gathered in Afghanistan.

***

Um Ji-Hwan left the building with a rookie.

The sun beat down on the people walking beneath it like a spear, causing them to smell of spices and sweat—strong and distinctive.

The jumble of cars, people, antiques, and bric-a-brac lining the roads was as busy and cluttered as it smelled.

Chk

.

“Move in. Don’t overdo it.”

Following the instructions that came from the radio, Um Ji-Hwan glanced at the rookie and began to cross the street.

His nerves were on edge, but he pretended to be calm. he stepped forward.

The road was narrow, and the shop was small.

In front of a dark ochre-colored wooden door, Um Ji-Hwan looked at the new agent once more.

‘Ready?’

Looking at the new agent’s firm eyes, Um Ji-Hwan reached forward.

The information that South Korea, Kang Chan, and Seok Kang-Ho were waiting for could be in there. If it could put a stop to the terrorist attacks and tell them why the UIS had gathered, then he wanted to do whatever he could to obtain it.

Creaaak.

He opened the door and walked in. After the initial rush of darkness, four tables slowly came into view. Two of them were occupied.

Um Ji-Hwan quickly scanned the restaurant. Afterward, his gaze fell on the table with a lone customer.

The chilly atmosphere seemed to be warning his instincts.

Three sets of piercing eyes glared at him from a table further into the establishment.

Even though a customer had entered, the owner just watched anxiously.

‘Something’s wrong!’

He wanted to pull his pistol out. However, he wasn’t an outlaw in the wilderness. He needed to find out what was going on.

Um Ji-Hwan looked at the rookies and turned to the restaurant owner.

Click!

At that moment, he heard the sound of a gun coming from the tables.

Slam! Crash!

Um Ji-Hwan ran into the rookie.

Click!

Right after, he pulled out the gun from his waist.

Du du du du! Pow pow pow pow!

The enemy's guns sparked.

Bang! Thud! Bang! Thud!

Um Ji-Hwan shot two hostiles down.

If only his right arm hadn’t been wounded...

At the same time, the new agent fired three rounds at the remaining one.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Secure the informant!” Um Ji-Hwan shouted.

He felt a tingling sensation in his head and the right side of his chest, but he couldn’t pay it any attention.

Bam!

The new agent tugged on the sleeve of the man sitting alone.

Crash!

Just then, the doors shattered, and a mass of men came sprawling onto the restaurant floor.

Um Ji-Hwan aimed at them.

The branch manager and the rookie were tangled up with three Egyptian men, brandishing bayonets.

Jab! Jab! Jab! Jab!

He didn’t even get to pull the trigger. The branch manager was already stabbing one of the enemies in the neck with his bayonet, and the new agent was stabbing another in the heart.

‘Huh? Why is...?’

Thud!

Um Ji-Hwan fell to his knees.

“Hey! Hey, punk! Um Ji-Hwan!”

The bloodied branch manager held him up. Um Ji-Hwan could barely see the sunlight coming through the door.

“

Arrrgh

.”

He wanted to speak. However, instead of words, blood spilled out of his mouth, followed by a gurgle and more blood.

“Take him upstairs! Hurry!” the branch manager shouted. In response, the two rookies dragged the informant out the door.

They had secured the informant. He had done his mission.

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Um Ji-Hwan hoped that they could stop the terrorist attacks with the information from the informant and find out why the UIS had assembled an army.

Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho would take care of the rest.

“Hey! Come on! Hang in there! Hey! Um Ji-Hwan!”

As if sunlight was filling their surroundings, Um Ji-Hwan’s vision turned white.

‘Ah! When you’re in a foreign country, make sure to have soup with your meals, hm? Take care of yourself.’

He could hear his old mother’s voice, who was holding onto his hand tightly in front of the small house.

‘Sorry, Mother.’

‘What are you talking about? Everyone’s been telling me I’m so lucky to have you as my son!’

He wondered if she hated or resented him, whom she had been given no choice but to raise while working in the market, freezing on cold days and melting on hot days.

‘You’re not hurt anywhere, are you? Whenever I see you in my dreams, I get so upset that I can’t even eat anything all day.’

Despite her hunched back, she had insisted that she would carry his bags and followed him out to watch him get in the car in front of the house.

‘When are you coming back this time?’

‘Mother, I’m not sick at all, so don’t be too worried.’

‘Hm! What is it? Why are you saying that?’

“Hey! Punk! Um Ji-Hwan!”

Gritting his teeth, the branch manager carried Um Ji-Hwan on his shoulder. However, Um Ji-Hwan’s head drooped helplessly.

***

There was more than enough material to go around in the office.

On a laid-out map of the Rukha district, they plotted the enemy’s troop positions according to the satellites and the data from the intelligence bureaus. As a result, they gained a general outline of the situation.

“Let’s go get dinner already,” Seok Kang-Ho grumbled while the interpreter rolled up his sleeves and analyzed the information.

It was already getting dark outside.

“Order for yourself.”

“Fine. Don’t regret it later.”

As Seok Kang-Ho turned to Woo Hee-Seung, Kang Chan’s phone began to ring.

Buzz, buzz, buzz. Buzz, buzz, buzz. Buzz, buzz, buzz.

What was going on?

When he picked up, the uneasiness hanging on his shoulders suddenly became stickier.

“Hello?”

- It’s Kim Hyung-Jung.

His voice sounded unusually grave.

As Kang Chan took a deep breath, Kim Hyung-Jung continued speaking.

- We just got a report that our agents in Egypt have managed to secure an informant connected to the satellite coordinates. The report stated that an arms trafficker named Ivan Dmitriyevich Lebedev was trying to sell the OTP to Russia.

“He must be a big fish if he’s making deals like that.”

- He’s a well-known figure around the world. On another note, my source also gave me another piece of information on the condition of protection, but I haven’t confirmed it yet.

“What is it?”

- He says the UIS has raised an army because they’re planning to declare a new independent state in Afghanistan, and they’ve planned simultaneous terrorist attacks around the world to coincide with it. The OTP is to launch missiles at that time.

Those crazy bastards!

Kang Chan looked at the map on the whiteboard in disbelief. However, he realized right after that the UIS was certainly capable of accomplishing such a feat.

- Assistant Director Kang.

Kim Hyung-Jung’s tone seemed to have quieted down further.

This had to be the reason Kang Chan felt iffy. He waited for him to continue.

- The report came in along with the news that Agent Um Ji-Hwan had been killed in the process of securing the informant.

Kang Chan turned to Seok Kang-Ho, who was talking to Woo Hee-Seung about the dinner menu.

- They conducted the operation undermanned. Since there is currently a severe shortage of agents in the Middle East and Africa, we couldn’t send them reinforcements immediately.

Kang Chan let out a low sigh.

“I understand.”

- I will contact you again.

“Thank you.”

Kang Chan put the phone down and turned around.

“What was that?”

Seok Kang-Ho approached him with a grin.

“What’s with that look?”

“Daye.”

Kang Chan’s expression made Seok Kang-Ho’s smile disappear.

Choi Jong-Il, Woo Hee-Seung, Lee Doo-Hee, and the interpreter, who was heading to the whiteboard with some materials, all focused on Kang Chan.

“We found an informant in Egypt. They’ve secured important intel.”

The moment the word “Egypt” was said, Seok Kang-Ho’s eyes glinted.

“Ji-Hwan was killed in action.”

Seok Kang-Ho gritted his teeth so hard that his cheeks trembled.

As a moment of heavy silence descended on the room, Seok Kang-Ho walked over to the table, sat down, and lit a cigarette.

His behavior made how he felt clear—frustrated, angry, upset, and sad.

Seok Kang-Ho flicked the lighter on.

Click. Click.

This was why letting someone in one’s heart was scarily difficult in this line of work.

“

Hoo

.”

The cigarette smoke he spat out swirled upward toward the vent.