Extra, Chapter 435: Everything Went Smoothly (2)

Wait, what's going on? What’s the problem?

Kang Chan thoroughly scanned their flanks.

Thump thump. Thump thump.

A chill ran down his arms and back as if ice water had been poured over him.

Am I going crazy? Is it because I’ve been too tense?

He had to know why his heart was suddenly pounding.

After a few more steps, his heart began to pound so hard that he felt as if someone was punching his chest.

If I could go back to my first day—to when my heart started beating like this before an RPG hit our truck—what would I do differently?

Without a doubt, he would have screamed to stop.

Forget certainty; it’s better to be cautious for now. Stopping the march doesn’t require much effort or cause significant losses.

Kang Chan raised his left hand, then yelled, “Stop!”

The soldiers relayed the order to those in front and behind, bringing their advance to a complete halt. They then looked at Kang Chan with mocking eyes, seemingly asking, “What now?”

We stopped. Now what?

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

Damn it! Don’t just beat; tell me something!

Kang Chan slowly surveyed their surroundings, but nothing stood out.

The low hills flanking them were not dense enough to hide in, so they didn't seem particularly dangerous.

Wait. Behind us?

Kang Chan glanced back.

Damn it! No wonder there were no signs of combat!

“James! I want you halfway up that hill! Hurry! Get in position and prepare to fire! Gegen! Go to the opposite side with Maxon!”

“Oui!”

Instead of running, the three walked as if it were just another boring drill.

“Those in front, follow James! Those in back, follow Gegen!”

Clomp. Clomp.

The soldiers looked disgruntled. If Kang Chan hadn’t fiercely beaten the disobedient soldier from the truck, someone would have surely rebelled by now.

Where did that guy go?

Kang Chan looked for the soldier he had beaten up, finding him hunched over, clutching his neck as he struggled to follow Gegen.

Even a low hill was still a hill. And the soldiers were climbing with complaints as if they were being forced into an unwanted drill. From an observer's standpoint, it was frustrating, but there was nothing Kang Chan could do about it now.

Five minutes later, the soldiers finally got into position.

“

Haaa

.”

It was maddening.

If nothing happens after all this...

Kang Chan stood alone on the path, looking back and forth.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

His heart pounded harder and harder, yet the soldiers positioned on either side found nothing suspicious. Enduring the blazing sun and the soldiers' gazes, he held his rifle up and prepared to fire.

Being a commander is too fucking exhausting. Should we have just kept walking even though we risked being hit with an RPG?

He took one last look behind him. They clearly hadn’t checked the cave.

‘Could someone be hiding inside, waiting for us to lower or guard?’

Considering the enemies had cleaned up all traces of combat, this was his most confident guess.

Damn it!

Kang Chan took a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. If nothing happened by the time he finished smoking, they’d have to move on.

Click. Ssssss!

“

Hoo

.”

He smirked as the smoke curled up into the humid air of Nudle.

This is fucking embarrassing.

His men were probably starting to think that he was just overreacting. Glancing up, Kang Chan saw the soldiers looking down at him, some even lying down comfortably.

“

Hooo

.”

As Kang Chan exhaled his second puff of smoke, a head appeared from the path behind. He quickly tossed his cigarette and moved to the side. At the same time, he heard the soldiers at the hills lifting their rifles and taking aim.

The figures eventually came into full view. To his surprise, they were just children.

One, two, three, four... eleven in total, along with three frail women who seem to be their guardians.

It was impossible to guess their ages. They wore old, faded clothes and loosely wrapped cloth around their waists.

Someone whistled playfully. They were about a hundred meters away, continuing to walk hesitantly. The children kept looking back at the three women.

I didn’t hear any truck engine, though.

The only place they could have come from was the cave. If they had arrived in a truck later than Kang Chan and his men, these civilians couldn’t have kept up with their pace. Moreover, even if they had been in the cave, they still couldn’t have matched the Foreign Legion’s marching speed.

Kang Chan tilted his head in confusion. Meanwhile, the women and the children continued to approach him.

Was it because they lived in an area like this? They shuffled as they walked, yet they moved faster than expected. In no time at all, they narrowed the gap down to a mere thirty meters.

Kang Chan focused on the three women. They had curly hair, gaunt cheeks and necks, narrow shoulders, and thin arms and legs. More importantly, two of them were crying. He could see their tears glistening in the bright sunlight.

When they covered another ten meters, Kang Chan shouted, “Stop!”

The children huddled around the three women.

“Maxon! Ask them what’s going on!”

As ordered, Maxon interpreted his question in English. However, they clearly didn’t understand.

“What’s going on? Do they speak English or French?” Kang Chan asked, but the women didn’t respond.

Maybe they were just passing through. This was their home, so they likely knew paths that Kang Chan didn’t. Kang Chan motioned with his hand for them to pass.

Hesitantly, the three women resumed walking, and the children closely followed as if bound to them. Now that Kang Chan saw them, his heart had returned to normal. One of the women turned her head when she was about 10 meters from Kang Chan. Her eyes were filled with terror, which seemed to be the reason she was crying.

“Stop!”

Click!

Kang Chan raised his rifle and aimed it at the woman.

“Send the children away!”

Though they couldn’t understand them, the look in their eyes showed that they got the message.

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

“Children!”

Kang Chan pointed at the children with his left index finger.

“One at a time!”

He then held up his finger to indicate the number.

“Maxon!”

“Oui!”

“Take the children away! One at a time!”

“Oui!”

As Maxon descended from the hill, Kang Chan repeated, “Children! One at a time!”

Just as Maxon slipped down the hill, an eerie mechanical sound came from the woman.

Beeeeeeep—!

“Aaaaaaaah!”

Along with the piercing scream, a massive explosion and a powerful shockwave hit Kang Chan. They blasted him through the air and slammed him to the side.

Thud!

“

Uughh...

”

The impact left him dazed. His skull felt as if it had been broken to pieces, making him feel as if he had just faced a typhoon head-on.

He could see the children scattering and soldiers on the hill opening fire, causing the dirt around the children to spray up into the air.

Thooom! Thoooom! Thoom! Ratatatatatat!

After what felt like a long delay, Kang Chan finally started hearing the gunshots, though they still sounded stretched and muffled. He shook his head to clear up his mind and rolled to the side of the path.

Thud! Ratatatatat! Thud! Thud! Ratatatatat!

Rebels swarmed up from behind, shooting wildly.

“Sniper! Take out the RPGs!” Kang Chan shouted.

Fwooooosh!

A white streak shot from the rebels toward the path. Two more followed shortly after, causing explosions powerful enough to shake the ground and rock the hills flanking them.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Ratatatatat! Thud thud thud! Ratatatat!

Dust and bullets fell like rain.

Thud! Thud thud thud! Ratatatatat

Bullets struck the hillside and the children’s corpses, making them jerk violently.

Thud thud! Ratatatatat! Thud thud thud! Fwooooosh!

Kang Chan lowered his posture and climbed up the hill, causing his chest, thighs, waist, and shins to ache. Blood seeped from the torn parts of his uniform, but it didn't hinder his movement.

Reaching the top, Kang Chan moved back toward where the soldiers were. He could now clearly see the enemies positioned on the path. There was no time to waste.

Click! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

It doesn’t matter when they come or how many they send over. I'll fucking kill them all.

Thud thud! Ratatatatat! Thud thud thud thud! Ratatat! Ratat!

The rebels continued shooting at the Foreign Legion with their AK rifles. Having regained their senses, Kang Chan’s men returned fire.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

With each pull of the trigger, Kang Chan sent a rebel tumbling backward with a bullet in their forehead. He quickly took one who tried to fire an RPG, causing them to spray a thin mist of blood.

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

Instead of paying any attention to his men’s astonished stares, he quickly replaced the magazine, chambered a round, and continued his killing spree.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

As the five remaining enemies retreated and disappeared down the path, the soldiers looked at Kang Chan with respect.

Crazy bastards!

“Gegen! Bring the wounded down!” Kang Chan shouted, then scanned the surroundings.

At least four were dead on his side alone—one with a grotesquely twisted neck, another with a charred upper body, and two with chests drenched in blood.

“Take care of the wounded!”

The soldiers quickly executed his command. Groaning, the injured were carried down.

“

Ugh

.”

The aftermath was devastating. As Kang Chan approached the soldiers coming down from the other hill, he was quickly greeted by an unbelievable sight. Gegen, whom he had ordered to carry the wounded down, was lying on one side of the path with his right temple blown off. His left eye seemed to reflect the painful realization of his fate.

“How did you know...?” Gegen asked as Kang Chan approached.

“Just hang in there a bit.”

“As a farmer, you learn that there's a time for everything... Time to sow, time to bloom, and... time for everything to end.”

Kang Chan sat down beside Gegen.

The survivors tended to the wounded, most of whom were severely injured. Unfortunately, their supplies were scarce.

A soldier across the way coughed up blood. Soon after, he passed away.

“Captain...”

Kang Chan looked back at Gegen. A moment of silence followed.

Crazy bastard. Why call for me when you’re just going to stare and die?

“

Haaa

.”

Did I make the wrong choice?

Kang Chan took out a cigarette from his pocket. He already expected to face countless battles when he joined the Foreign Legion. However, he never thought he’d find himself in a place so full of death.

Clank. Hiss!

"Hoooo."

Clank. Clank.

James, looking as battered as his uniform, approached Kang Chan with an agitated expression. He glanced at the dead Gegen, who still had an eye open, and then turned his gaze back to Kang Chan.

“Seven dead, including Gegen. Three severely injured,” James reported.

“The sniper?” Kang Chan asked.

“He’s over there.”

James gestured with his chin.

“Assign a soldier to cover the rear from the previous position, and let the rest take a break. Make sure the sniper eats in shifts up top.”

“Oui.”

No matter what others thought, in James’ eyes, this battle had cemented Kang Chan as their leader.

Kang Chan looked back at Gegen.

Are you asking me how I knew the rebels were coming? Is that why you can’t close your eyes?

“

Hooooo

.”

Having a smoke right after surviving a deadly battle sometimes felt like the best thing in the world.

How did they follow us so precisely?

If they waited in the cave, they had to have known that he and his men would come this way.

Kang Chan looked down the path that the rebels had taken. The fractured rays of light seemed to shake off Ndulele’s humidity, giving him a clear view of the scattered and mutilated corpses of the children.

Why did they have to make the children walk with the women? It served no purpose!

“

Hoo

.”

Kang Chan dropped the cigarette and crushed it under his boot, venting his frustration.