Ratatatatatat! Ratatatatatatat! Ratatatat!

Along with ear-splitting gunshots, the machine guns unleashed white beams of light that tore apart hostiles. However, the machine gunners consequently became the center of the enemy’s attention.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

That was why someone needed to cover them from the side.

Soldiers covered every room and window on the second floor. If any of these areas were breached, the enemies would come rushing in, and they would all die.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Ratatatatatat! Ratatatatat!

Oh Gwang-Taek fired three times before hastily ducking below the window.

This battle was different from the one in Libya—no, this was a scene from a warzone.

“Fuck!” Oh Gwang-Taek swore. He then raised his rifle out the window again.

Bang! Bang! Ratatatat! Ratatat! Pow pow pow! Peeeeew!

Bullets shattered the window frame and hit the cement wall, forcing him to quickly take cover.

“Don’t raise your head too much!” a soldier shouted.

It wasn’t like Oh Gwang-Taek wanted to look up.

This was terrifying. To be honest, he was scared. If one of those bullets had flown by an inch closer, it would have bore a hole through his head and sent it rolling on the ground.

Ratatatatatat! Ratatatatat! Ratatatatatat!

Still, how could he leave their machine gunners unprotected?

Woosh! Click! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Ratatatat! Bang! Ratatat! Bang! Ratatatat! Bang!

After firing four bullets, Oh Gwang-Taek ducked back down again.

Does he not get scared?

The soldier with Oh Gwang-Taek had said that his little boy, who took right after him, was starting to babble. Didn’t he think about what would happen to his son if he died?

Just then, Oh Gwang-Taek saw the Taegeukgi on the soldier’s arm.

All these soldiers were willing to fight to the death for South Korea and the Taegeukgi.

Oh Gwang-Taek didn’t know what to do in this fight. As a total novice in these kinds of battles, he really had no idea what he was doing.

Fuck! It’s not like I ever knew what I was doing in the first!

In a fight like this, it was best to just be himself and retaliate Oh-Gwang-Taek style.

First, I’ll cover my little bro here!

Swoosh! Click! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Ratatatat! Bang bang bang! Ratatat! Bang! Ratatatat! Bang bang!

“Hyung-nim! Get back!”

Oh Gwang-Taek ducked behind the wall again.

Ratatatat! Bang bang bang!

The soldier manning the machine gun fell backward, blood splattering from his face.

“Jin-Su! Hey! Man! C’mon, punk!”

Oh Gwang-Taek pulled the soldier over.

Had he not been providing enough cover? Should he have been more aggressive in protecting the soldier even if it was scary?

“Fuck! Fuck!”

Oh Gwang-Taek tightly gripped the soldier, whose face had been mangled beyond recognition.

“You bastard! How could you die like this?”

Ratatatat! Ratatat! Bang bang bang! Bang!

Seemingly taking advantage of the lack of machine gun pressure, bullets rained down through the windows.

Chk.

“Second-floor machine gunner! Status report! Hey, do you read me?! I need someone from the next room to go take his post! And haul ass! If we lose the machine gun, we’re all dead!” Kwak Cheol-Ho radioed.

Ratatatatat! Ratatatat! Bang pew pew! Pow pow! Pow pow pow pow!

All the while, enemy bullets pounded the window frames, ricocheted off the machine gun, created sparks, and smashed the wall opposite the window.

At this rate, they would all die.

Oh Gwang-Taek looked at the dead soldier. The man had sacrificed himself and his son’s babbling for the Taegeukgi on his forearm.

Do you not regret fighting like this? You said I also have a Taegeukgi on my arm, didn’t you? You told me you could man the machine gun with confidence thanks to me!

“Fuck! I have to go back with bananas!” Oh Gwang-Taek swore. With his gaze still on the dead soldier, he pressed the Push-to-Talk button on his radio.

Chk.

“I’ll man the second-floor machine gun! Leave this place to me and guard your posts!”

Oh Gwang-Taek laid the soldier down and immediately grabbed the handle of the machine gun. With both hands on the heavy weapon, he pressed down the buttons with his thumbs.

Ratatatatatat! Ratatatatat! Ratatatatatat!

Shit!

Startled by the recoil, he ended up wasting bullets in the air. The enemy immediately targeted him, too.

Ratatatat! Bang bang bang! Ratatatatat! Bang bang bang bang!

I know I’m their target! I know it’ll be hard to survive in this position! What else am I supposed to do, though?!

The soldier with him had died manning the machine gun. Another soldier would have come to take his place.

Am I supposed to just lay low until then?! I’m Sinsa-Dong’s Oh Gwang-Taek, motherfuckers!

‘Dad! Buy bananas when you come!’

Oh Gwang-Taek had bought tons of them and fed his daughter bananas daily when he was in the hospital.

Ratatatatat! Ratatatatatatatat! Ratatatatatat!

An injustice in his life was that he was born without book smarts. Nevertheless, he did well in life by gambling while he was a gangster, meeting his wife, having his daughter, and meeting Kang Chan.

Kang Chan had everything to be the perfect gangster. Impeccable fighting skills, venom in his eyes, and relentless tenacity.

Then, Oh Gwang-Taek saw how Kang Chan lived.

Ratatatatat! Ratatatatatat! Ratatatat!

As Oh Gwang-Taek blew away parts of the enemies’ bodies, he noticed some aiming their rifles at Kang Chan from behind. He quickly turned the machine gun toward them, and bullets flew out of its muzzle half a tempo later.

Swish! Ratatatatatat!

If his daughter saw him working hard, she would grow up kind and beautiful like her mother and meet a nice man.

‘Dad! Buy bananas when you come!’

Other kids at kindergarten would no longer ask her, “Is your dad a thug?”

Ratatatatat! Ratatatatatat! Ratatatatat!

The men here were all crazy. On top of that, they were dumb and couldn’t do math, especially.

How could they think they could take on an army of five hundred with barely thirty men? Yang Dong-Sik, who had become his sworn brother in Mongolia, had been killed, and Kang Chul-Gyu was as pale as a corpse.

Ratatatatat! Ratatatatatat!

Why did he even come here? He even went as far as begging their captain, who was crazier than everyone else.

Ratatatatat! Baaaang! Ratatatatat! Bang bang bang bang!

He ducked down to avoid the bullets, then swiveled the machine gun. The smell of gunpowder filled his nostrils.

He missed his daughter.

How could a kid smell so good? Was it because she was his daughter? Her eyes were so big, too. She probably got them from her mother.

I don’t think it’s because she’s my daughter, but she really is special.

Ratatatatat! Bang bang bang bang!

That was it.

Thud.

Oh Gwang-Taek crashed to the ground bottom first.

Shit. I have to get some bananas.

‘Dad! Are you a thug?’

You’ll have to get bananas with your mother…

‘She won’t touch them unless you brought it.’

But from now on… you have to…

Thud.

Oh Gwang-Taek fell to his side.

***

Raphael had never seen Lanok’s eyes glinting so darkly.

“And the results?”

- As the deputy director-general ordered, everyone involved has been assassinated. All that remains is CIA Director Sherman and DGSE Director Romain.

“What about the reinforcements from the Foreign Legion?”

- They are scheduled to arrive in two hours.

“I see. After this call, report Romain’s dismissal to the President for approval. You may call me for confirmation if necessary.”

- That will remove the current Deputy Director-General’s authority as well.

“Hugo.”

- Yes, sir.

“Since when did the DGSE start questioning my instructions?”

- I will do as you say, High Commissioner.

“Good. Let me know what happens.”

- Understood.

Lanok ended the call and then quickly dialed another number.

- Louis speaking.

“Where’s Romain?”

- In his office, sir.

“I want you to detain Romain in the break room on the second floor immediately. Be ready to kill him on my command.”

- Yes, sir.

Lanok hung up and put the phone down on the bed, staring out the window.

“The United States is going to have to pay dearly once Monsieur Kang returns.”

Raphael just remained standing politely. He knew full well that, at that moment, he shouldn’t dare offer the ambassador any tea or cigars.

***

Bang! Bang! Ratatatat! Bang bang bang! Ratatat! Bang!

Kang Chan crouched low at the front door and squeezed the trigger. He knew the first machine gunner had been killed, and he had heard Oh Gwang-Taek’s determined radio call.

However, he couldn’t offer any help. If he was pushed away from the front entrance, then machine guns be damned, they would all die.

Ratatatat! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Ratatatat! Baaaang!

Kang Chan gritted his teeth as a sharp pain ripped through the nape of his neck.

Bang! Thud! Bang! Bang bang bang!

Nevertheless, he couldn’t stop shooting their enemies’ foreheads. He had to keep defending against those who were pushing through the front entrance.

“Changing mags!” Yoon Sang-Ki shouted urgently.

“Reloading!” Gérard also shouted at Kang Chan frantically.

Kang Chan immediately pulled out his bayonet and dashed forward. He then stabbed it right into an enemy’s neck. A pitiful scream followed.

“

Argh

!”

Wasting not even a second, he shoved the dying man with his shoulder to block the enemy coming from behind him.

Meanwhile, as soon as they had finished reloading, Gérard and Yoon Sang-Ki resumed shooting the foreheads of anyone who dared enter. There was nothing else they could do. In this crucial moment, someone had to step up to block off the enemies.

Bang! Bang!

Kang Chan slit the throat of the enemy in front of him twice. He then used the opening to retreat.

Fheeeeew!

As blood spurted out like a fountain from the knife wound, a muzzle popped out from behind the bloodied bastard.

Swoosh! Swish!

Just like him and his men, their enemies refused to just die easily.

Kang Chan quickly used the body of the enemy he had just eliminated as a shield. Bullets would probably go through, but it would be better than being hit directly.

Gritting his teeth, he braced himself and prepared to be shot in the stomach.

Thwack

!

However, at that moment, someone knocked the rifle away and slit its owner’s throat with one swift stroke.

Shing! Spurt! Spurt!

The man’s skills with a bayonet made it easy for Kang Chan to identify who had just helped him.

Fheeeeew!

As blood spurted from his enemy’s neck, Kang Chul-Gyu twisted the head of the one next to him.

Kang Chan had more space to breathe now. Getting into position, he resumed stabbing foes to death. The two slashed through whoever stood in their way. It was as if they were simply standing in front of a conveyor belt.

From behind them, Seok Kang-Ho, Gérard, and Yoon Sang-Ki blew heads off mercilessly.

C’mere, motherfuckers!

Grip! Crack! Bang! Shing.

While Kang Chan grabbed his next target by the neck, Kang Chul-Gyu twisted the head of another and slit his throat. Kang Chul-Gyu was still so pale that his pastiness was visible in the dark.

Crack! Jab! Jab! Swish! Crack! Bang! Shing!

Kang Chan felt hurried. Although Kang Chul-Gyu was spectacularly neutralizing their enemies, he could see him slowing down.

Grip! Crack!

He grabbed the helmet of the enemy who had stuck his head out in front of him and spun him around. Right after, he slammed the enemy’s helmeted head into the nose of the enemy running in from behind.

Thud! Bang! Pow!

Without missing a beat, Gérard then put a bullet through their foreheads. Kang Chan couldn’t help but admit that they had some good teamwork.

The front entrance was starting to become more organized.

Combat certainly had a rhythm to it. It was dangerous to miss opportunities like this.

“Daye!” Kang Chan shouted. Even though he didn’t say anything else, Seok Kang-Ho still understood.

A moment later, he heard two gunshots from behind.

Yeah, that’s it.

Kang Chan plunged his bayonet into the chest of a charging enemy and shoved him with his shoulder.

Bang! Shing! Crack! Shing!

Kang Chul-Gyu cleared the area around them.

Bang! Thud! Bang! Thud! Bang! Thud!

As more rifle gunshots came from behind, they heard a loud crash and felt the floor shake.

Crash! Boom!

Kang Chan and Kang Chul-Gyu were thrown to the ground.

Thud! Crash!

For the first time, the enemies fell back.

“Haah! Haah!”

They were out of breath. Their bodies were damped with the enemies’ blood, its pungent odor entering their nostrils.

Beside Kang Chan, Kang Chul-Gyu forced himself to his feet.

“Gérard! Left flank! Yoon Sang-Ki! Right!” Kang Chan commanded.

The enemies definitely seemed to have retreated. At least for now, the firefight had stopped.

Kang Chan pressed the Push-to-Talk button on his radio.

Chk.

“Status report!”

Chk.

“Rooftop here. Four dead, two critically injured.”

This wasn’t a situation to report minor injuries.

Chk.

“Second floor reporting. Three dead, President Oh critically injured.”

Kang Chan gritted his teeth. It was painful to hear about deaths and injuries, but he hadn’t been able to help that novice at all on this battlefield that must have been new for him.

“Five dead and four critically injured,” Seok Kang-Ho reported. His eyes flashed violently.

Kang Chan turned to Seok Kang-Ho, finding two soldiers examining Cha Dong-Gyun, Nam Il-Gyu, and three other soldiers.

“Daye, take the machine gun on the second floor and set it up at the entrance over there.”

“Got it.”

Watching Seok Kang-Ho head up the second floor, Kang Chan called for the two soldiers.

“Let’s move the injured to the rooftop.”

“Yes, sir.”

Kang Chan hoisted Cha Dong-Gyun onto his back, while Kang Chul-Gyu came over and helped Nam Il-Gyu up.

Kang Chan was about to stop Kang Chul-Gyu, but the moment their eyes met, he quickly decided against it. How could he ask Kang Chul-Gyu to stay still when his eyes cleary showed the pain of losing Yang Dong-Sik?

Cha Dong-Gyun’s blood soaked Kang Chan’s back and waist, which constantly sent him sliding down as they headed up the stairs.

Kang Chan was just grateful that Cha Dong-Gyun wasn’t dead. Right now, that was all he could hope for.

Swiiiiish! Swish!

The wind continued to blow relentlessly.

On the rooftop, with the help of Kwak Cheol-Ho, Kang Chan leaned Cha Dong-Gyun against a wall. He then glanced at their enemies’ position. They had retreated about thirty meters away.

Despite looking even paler than earlier, Kang Chul-Gyu brought Nam Il-Gyu up, and the two soldiers carried their other two unconscious comrades up.

Kang Chan went back downstairs.

“Go take a break on the first floor,” he said.

“Yes, sir.”

As the two soldiers made their way down to the first floor, Kang Chan entered the hallway on the second floor. He passed the first room and entered the second.

Oh Gwang-Taek and the dead soldiers were lying inside.

Squelch, squelch.

Kang Chan approached Oh Gwang-Taek.

He knelt down on one knee and observed him closely. Oh Gwang-Taek had his eyes closed, making him look as if he were already dead, and his right ear had been completely blown off.

Kang Chan reached out and lifted Oh Gwang-Taek’s upper body onto his back.

Squelch, squelch.

Just then, Seok Kang-Ho entered and rushed over.

“I’ll carry him.”

“It’s fine. I got him.”

Instead of arguing with him, Seok Kang-Ho simply supported Oh Gwang-Taek’s back as Kang Chan carried him.

Squelch, squelch.

It was a good thing Oh Gwang-Taek wasn’t dead either.

“I’ve set up the machine gun at the entrance. How much time do you think we have before those bastards come back?”

“About ten minutes. They need to reorganize their men first.”

Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho spoke as they climbed up the stairs.

Swiiiiish! Swiish!

Upon reaching the roof, the wind immediately greeted Kang Chan. The soldiers came over to help him as well.

After laying Oh Gwang-Taek down, Kang Chan looked around and then pressed the Push-to-Talk button on his radio.

Chk.

“They’ll be back in about ten minutes. We won’t need men defending from the second floor from now on. We’ll leave the second floor clear from now on. Good fight so far.”

After a brief pause, Kang Chan pressed the button again.

Chk.

“Gérard. They’ll be back after their ritual. Until then, stay on the first floor and get some rest.”

Chk.

“Oui.”

Kang Chan turned to Kwak Cheol-Ho.

“Prepare a blood transfusion.”

While Kang Chul-Gyu looked at him questioningly, Kwak Cheol-Ho made a concerned expression.

“Hurry!”

With the look Kang Chan had in his eyes right now, they knew there was no stopping him.

Under Kwak Cheol-Ho’s instructions, a soldier rushed over and took out needles and plastic packs from his bag.

Kang Chan didn’t know how much was enough. Hence, to be safe, he decided to prepare at least half a pack for each of the wounded soldiers.

“Take it easy, Cap. You just got out of combat. You’re going to faint at this rate,” Seok Kang-Ho reasoned.

Kang Chul-Gyu sharply looked at Kang Chan, Seok Kang-Ho, and the soldier performing the transfusion. “Why is Kang Chan the only one giving blood?”

However, Kang Chan couldn’t reply. With so many people standing nearby, how could he say his blood would prevent the soldiers from dying? It was even harder to tell Kang Chul-Gyu, who had been the recipient of his blood in the past.