Chapter 362: Just Press the Button (1)

Kang Chan descended the mountain with the other soldiers.

Crumble. Rustle.

The crumbling dirt and the bright moonlight was a problem, however. Those factors made them take twenty five minutes to descend a hundred and fifty meters.

Now, they were about fifty meters away from their destination.

‘Huh?’

Kang Chan cocked his head the moment he saw the armed guards. Judging based on their uniforms and how they were standing, they were undoubtedly Quds.

He turned around toward the path he had been walking on, then pressed a button on his radio.

Chk.

“I don’t know what happened, but the Quds are here,” he whispered. “Based on their numbers, they probably set up here while pretending to target the Jeungpyeong special forces team. Proceed with caution when entering.”

Kang Chan then repeated what he had just said in French.

‘If these fuckers are staying here, then there’s definitely something important here.’

He looked around him as he waited for his men to contact him.

Five minutes later, his radio crackled.

Chk.

“We’re ready,” Seok Kang-Ho said.

Kang Chan then got a response from Choi Jong-Il, who was with Gérard.

Chk.

“We’re all set.”

He could trust Seok Kang-Ho and Gérard with things like this more than anyone else in the world.

Chk.

“Commence the operation. Press the button on the radio once you’re in position,” Kang Chan said.

Afterward, he went down the mountain again. He only had a little ways to go.

Aware that this operation would take them quite long, he couldn’t help but feel rushed. However, he knew that being impatient in an operation like this would only cost his men their lives.

Rustle.

As Kang Chan descended, he pushed the dirt with the sides of his feet, seemingly creating stairs so that it would be easier for the soldiers behind him to follow him.

Going down the mountain wasn’t a problem. Keeping watch of their enemies’ actions with every step was more important.

Crumble.

He had almost reached the bottom of the mountain.

Kang Chan observed their enemies, taking a step downward only when they had looked away from his direction.

If they were just up against UIS militia, not the Quds, then he probably would’ve shot them in the forehead and rushed toward them already. Unfortunately, the Quds were no pushovers.

Kang Chan spent another fifteen minutes descending the mountain. He only had five meters left to go.

Chk.

The crackle of his radio signaled him that one of the teams was in position.

Kang Chan looked at the soldiers that had been following him and pointed to the ground with his index and middle finger, ordering them to stand by.

Then, he looked at Choi Jong-Il and pointed at the enemy guards on their right.

Once Choi Jong-Il had nodded in response, Kang Chan went down the rest of the mountain, moving slowly to the left.

Carefully, he closed down the gap between him and their enemies. Meanwhile, his subordinates nervously glared at the enemy guards.

He and his men really did pass down their experiences to their juniors. After all, those who had overcome a nerve-wracking situation like this acted differently during training. That allowed them to pass over 80% of their experiences to the soldiers who didn’t participate in this operation.

The moonlight, the armed guards standing in front of them, and the barracks standing in their way—there was no better training than being in a situation where they had to breathe carefully and experience suffocating nervousness because a battle could occur with their enemies the moment they made a single mistake.

Haah. Haah.

Finally, Kang Chan got into position.

He looked away from the armed guard and nodded at Choi Jong-Il. Then, he unsheathed the bayonet that he had strapped to his ankle and waited for the other team’s signal.

The soldiers standing behind Kang Chan already had their enemies in their sights. If there was trouble with the team that hadn’t given the signal yet, they would have to force their way through their enemies’ ranks.

While enduring the heavy silence, they finally heard the long-awaited signal.

Chk.

Kang Chan swiftly placed his finger over a button on his radio, then used the crackle to count to three.

Chk. Chk. Chk.

He then counted to two.

Chk. Chk.

Before pressing the button for the last time, Kang Chan glared at the neck of his target.

Chk!

Swish! Swoosh!

As he pressed the button, Kang Chan and Choi Jong-Il threw their bayonets at the same time.

Whoosh! SWISH!

They then rushed toward their enemies like cats pouncing on rats.

Crack!

Kang Chan violently twisted an enemy’s neck, who faltered.

“

Keugh!”

Crack!

Choi Jong-Il took a different approach. He stabbed the bayonet into an enemy’s neck and severed their larynx.

Blood fountained out of the wound, splattering all over Choi Jong-Il’s face and chest. Thankfully, his target didn’t make any noise.

This was also proof of his experience—Choi Jong-Il didn’t try to twist the enemies’ necks when he wasn’t sure that he could pull it off. And he took care of the enemy in a way he was the most confident in.

After they had taken out the armed guards, Kang Chan raised his hand and turned it in a circle. He then pointed to the barracks.

Rustle. Clatter!

In a crouched stance, the soldiers headed toward the barrack they had been assigned to.

Haah. Haah.

Kang Chan headed to the barrack in the middle.

Within a minute, they had all stacked up on both sides of their respective barracks’ entrances.

Rustle.

Gérard approached Kang Chan.

Chk.

The moment Kang Chan gave them the signal, his men took out grenades. They used their mouths and index fingers to remove the safety pins.

All preparations were truly complete now.

Time to sleep for an eternity, motherfuckers!

Once more, Kang Chan pressed a button on his radio.

Chk.

Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!

The soldiers threw their grenades into the barracks. Then, they quickly took out a new grenade and removed the safety pins.

Ting! Ting! Ting! Ting!

Now, they didn’t have to worry about being loud.

Swoosh! Swish! Swish! Swoosh!

They all swiftly turned around and crouched.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The barracks, made out of tarp, fluttered as if they were struck by a typhoon. The ground shook with each explosion.

Whoosh! Swish!

The soldiers simultaneously ran into the barracks.

PEW! Pow pow pow! PEW! Pow pow pow! PEW! Pow pow pow!

The kill radius of a grenade wasn’t that wide. Kang Chan had been told that it was ten to fifteen meters, but if their enemies were crowded in an area, it might only kill six to ten people.

Even so, consecutive grenade explosions next to them while they were asleep ought to rupture their eardrums at least. Firing a volley or two of bullets while they were dazed would surely kill them.

Even though he could only hear them, Kang Chan could tell that the enemies were all being killed. After all, he hadn't picked up any noise that would have indicated retaliation.

‘Damn it! People shouldn’t do this.’

Kang Chan wanted to rush into the barracks with the soldiers and remove at least some potential danger that might harm the soldiers. However, commanding the entire situation was the most important aspect in operations like this.

If any of the teams met any problems, they would need at least two people to provide backup right away.

Suppressing his frustration with his glinting eyes, Kang Chan stood nearby, examining the situation.

Chk.

“Area cleared.”

As Kang Chan had expected, Seok Kang-Ho was the first to report back to him.

Chk.

“Same here,” Kang Myung-Gu said.

Pew! Pew!

Right after, they heard someone shooting from two barracks away.

The soldiers probably shot the enemies again to make sure they were dead.

Gérard shrugged at Kang Chan. His expression seemed to be saying that he didn’t expect the men with them to be this skilled.

It took them about three minutes to clear the whole area.

Chk.

“Daye. Start checking the barracks from that side as you walk over.”

After issuing orders, Kang Chan looked at Kang Myung-Gu.

“Check every barrack starting from this one to that one. When in doubt, shoot the enemies again. Make sure they’re dead.”

“Yes, sir.”

Kang Myung-Gu headed to the barracks with a few other soldiers.

Kang Chan heard clunking noises as his men made sure that all of their enemies were dead. Amid the fluttering of the barracks, occasional gunshots echoed.

Clunk. Clunk.

Seok Kang-Ho confidently approached Kang Chan without a care in the world. Then, he held out his hand, offering Kang Chan not just one, but three packs of cigarettes.

Did he take those cigarettes from the people we just killed? What a shameless fucker. Well, keeping them is better than throwing them away, right?

Kang Chan smirked, then turned his head to his left. Kang Myung-Gu had just finished checking the last barrack and was now quickly approaching him.

“Let’s vacat this place for now,” Kang Chan said.

He then led the soldiers twenty meters up the mountain.

Thud.

He sat on the ground with his back against a slope. Seok Kang-Ho and Gerard sat near him, and the soldiers spread out below them.

Seok Kang-Ho glanced at Kang Chan and examined his mood.

“Afghanistan is different from Africa. We’ll have to go over that mountain first before we can smoke,” Kang Chan explained.

“I didn’t say anything.”

Kang Chan felt like Seok Kang-Ho was getting more artful as he became smarter.

Chk.

“Lee Doo-Hee! Lead the soldiers down the mountain. We’ll meet you here,” Kang Chan ordered.

Chk.

“Yes, sir.”

Kang Chan looked at the mountain ahead. It was still quite a distance away.

“Are we strong or were those fuckers just stupid? They’re so easy to take down that it’s almost disappointing,” Seok Kang-Ho complained.

Looking down at the barracks below the mountain, Kang Chan smirked.

Even though the other soldiers were looking indifferent, they were waiting for Kang Chan’s answer.

“You just feel that way because, of all the teams in the world, ours is second to none when it comes to skill. We just hadn’t been this successful because our enemies kept ambushing us.”

Seok Kang-Ho nodded in agreement.

They’d finally get a view of Rukha once they had gone over that mountain.

You’re going to walk again? Right now?

Just the mere thought of walking seemed to be making his body groan in pain.

***

Standing on top of the mountain, Kang Chul-Gyu glared at the area in front of him.

Although his face was covered in blood and dirt, his eyes remained menacing enough to make people not want to look at him again.

Soon, Nam Il-Gyu approached Kang Chul-Gyu from behind.

“We’ve buried our men, sir,” he said.

Like what had happened in Libya, they had to say their goodbyes to their colleagues in a foreign country again.

“Il-Gyu,” Kang Chul-Gyu called, his voice void of any emotion.

“Sir,” Nam Il-Gyu nervously answered.

“Dong-Sik,” Kang Chul-Gyu said.

“Sir,” Yang Dong-Sik replied.

The two stared at Kang Chul-Gyu’s back.

Not long after, Kang Chul-Gyun turned around. “Thank you.”

This was Kang Chul-Gyu, a man stronger than anyone in the world and the commander of the DMZ team. No matter their opponent, he would always emerge victorious.

He had never been the type to express his emotions, though.

The other soldiers unexpectedly felt like they were watching their mentor—who had been protecting them like the sky keeping them safe from the sun—suddenly aging.

Moreover, they felt as if they could feel Kang Chul-Gyu’s sadness. The pain he carried was unbearable, yet he had never shown it until now.

It must have been painful suffering in complete silence, never once letting anyone know about how he truly felt.

Unable to control their emotions, tears welled up in the eyes of Nam Il-Gyu, Yang Dong-Sik, and the soldiers nearby.

“Sunbae-nim, we only managed to get this far because of you. No matter the hardships that we have to face moving forward, I’ll never regret following you,” Nam Il-Gyu said.

Refusing to let Kang Chul-Gyu see that he was tearing up, Yang Dong-Sik dropped his head. He then glanced at Nam Il-Gyu.

‘Fuck.’

Yang Dong-Sik swallowed down the only word he could use right now to express himself. He wanted to open up like Nam Il-Gyu, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t think of any other word.

Those motherfuckers dare cause our Kang sunbae this much pain? I’m going to cut all of your necks and bring you bastards to Suwon so you can look around there!

Yang Dong-Sik gritted his teeth. Seemingly sensing his determination, Kang Chul-Gyu patted his shoulder.

Yang Dong-Sik gritted his teeth even harder.

Look, you motherfuckers! Kang Chul-Gyu is this kind of person!

***

Jeong-Wook and his men walked across the river.

Although his arm had been wounded, Jeong-Wook had killed all of their enemies’ nineteen snipers in return.

Jeong Won-Min went across the river, then immediately approached the two soldiers that had been laid next to Choi Cheol-Han.

First, he cleaned Choi Cheol-Han.

He went down on one knee in front of Choi Cheol-Han, then used his wet sleeve to wipe his nose and the blood around his mouth.

Swoosh.

Afterward, he took out his bayonet and cut off a piece of Choi Cheol-Han’s military uniform. He covered Choi Cheol-Han’s nose and ears with it.

Swish!

Jeong Won-Min then untied and removed the laces of Choi Cheol-Han’s military boots and used them to tie Choi Cheol-Han’s hands together, which were placed above his chest.

He did the same for the two soldiers as well.

The other soldiers simply stood guard, their eyes glinting.

Once done, Jeong Won-Min stood up.

Clunk.

The pistol, magazines, and the bayonet he had strapped to his body seemed to be telling him that the operation wasn’t over yet.

“We’ll get going,” Jeong Won-Min softly told their fallen brothers.

Under the moonlight, the three soldiers remained unmoving on the ground, their faces pale. They seemed to be listening to Jeong Won-Min, though they offered no response.

Jeong Won-Min continued, “We won’t be able to visit you guys again, but until I wear my uniform to my own funeral, I will always keep you in my memories.”

He saluted the three, then turned around. His eyes had turned red with spite.

“We’re pushing forward, men. We’ll pick up the pace, so those who’ll be taking point, I need you to stay on your toes,” Jeong Won-Min ordered.

Clunk. Clunk.

Gritting their teeth, the soldiers turned away from their fallen comrades.

They couldn’t get sentimental right now. Their job wasn’t over yet.

The 606 had been trained to act this way. This was the reason they could be entrusted with such important duties.

***

Stab!

Cha Dong-Gyun stabbed an enemy’s neck, then pulled the bayonet toward him.

“

Keugh

!” the enemy groaned.

Blood splattered on Cha Dong-Gyun’s face as his heart sank. He didn’t want this to happen; he was hoping to pull the enemy with the bayonet and use their body as a shield.

However, when the enemy twisted their neck, the bayonet that was supposed to stay lodged in their bones sprang out.

Cha Dong-Gyun quickly wiped his eyes with his sleeve.

Everything looked red and distorted due to the blood that now covered his eyes.

Pew! Pow! Pew! Pow! Pew! Pow!

Meanwhile, his men shot the enemy in front of him, blasting away blood and chunks of flesh.

I can see again!

Although the moonlight and everything around him looked as if it was painted red, all that mattered was that he could now see the enemy rushing toward him.

At the same time, he heard Kwak Cheol-Ho’s gun click empty.

“Reload!” Cha Dong-Gyun yelled.

In response, Kwak Cheol-Ho stepped back and quickly took out a pistol.

Pew! PEW! Pew! Pew!

Afterward, with the snipers covering him, Kwak Cheol-Ho changed magazines.

PEW! Pew! Pew! PEW!

The soldiers assigned as their second line of defense had been shooting their enemies as if they had gone crazy.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Cha Dong-Gyun, with a pistol in hand, also opened fire. As he did, he felt goosebumps all over his body.

Kang Chan is fucking amazing! How could he kill his enemies with a bayonet and still find time to take out his pistol even while they were all pouncing on him from every direction?!

Did he also learn from someone like how Cha Dong-Gyun learned from him?

Strangely, the enemy that Cha Dong-Gyun was fighting right now felt a bit weaker than the Quds whom they had faced in Africa.

Pew! Pow! Pew! Pow! Pew! Bam! Pew! Pow!

When Kwak Cheol-Ho’s rifle began to spew out flames, the situation changed again.

‘Come here!’

Cha Dong-Gyun pulled an enemy crawling up the slope by his collar. He then relentlessly thrust his bayonet at the enemy’s neck.

Shhhk!

Can you guess what finger I stabbed you with? Wait, what? Why did I suddenly think that?

Cha Dong-Gyun pulled out the bayonet, allowing blood to spurt out.

Where’s the other enemy?

Cha Dong-Gyun looked away in search. Soon, an enemy with an AK-47 rushed past their formation.

I should’ve stopped him with the fucker I just stabbed in the neck!

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

As the enemy sank to the ground, Cha Dong-Gyun was thrown to the back and crashed into the slope on his butt.

Chk.

“Protect our captain!” Kwak Cheol-Ho radioed in.

The soldiers assigned to the second line of defense and their snipers shot at their enemies. They didn’t even seem to care if they gave away their positions.

Ting! Ting! Ting! Ting!

Those sons of bitches! I told them to save the grenades for later!

Cha Dong-Gyun dropped his head and then turned to Kwak Cheol-Ho just in time to witness his men throwing grenades amid gunfire. It looked surreal.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Crumble.

Dirt and small rocks fell on Cha Dong-Gyun, making him cough.

Whoosh!

Meanwhile, Kwak Cheol-Ho rushed towards him. “Captain!”

He then wrapped his arms around Cha Dong-Gyun.

A brief silence followed.

“The fuck? Did you really fall down just because you got shot on your bulletproof vest?” Kwak Cheol-Ho asked.

Finding the situation absurd, he glared at Cha Dong-Gyun.