Extra, Chapter 436: We’re Following the Map (1)

Though they followed the designated path on the map, they still encountered women strapped with bombs and rebels lying in ambush.

Only idiots wouldn’t find this situation suspicious.

Kang Chan organized his thoughts, then took out the map and slowly examined it.

There was a long red line on the map to mark a route, but it wasn’t there to tell them how to reach their destination. Even during their training in the training center, the instructors only marked their target location on the map and told them to go there. They never gave specific orders on how the trainees should get there.

The route indicated by the red line on the map was likely infested with rebels and all sorts of shitty situations.

“Damn it! We’re not here to play fucking Donkey Dong!” Kang Chan muttered to himself.

Kang Chan remembered the arcade game machine that he had played in front of the convenience store back when he was young. To complete a stage, the player had to climb the ladders all the way to the top while a gorilla threw various things at them from above.

He couldn’t understand why Donkey Dong would throw obstacles at them from above when they were just following orders. It wasn’t like they could earn bonus points for going up all the way or revive deceased soldiers by putting a coin into a game machine.

Kang Chan had to think of another way to get there. Otherwise, they’d just be marching to their deaths.

One of their options was to climb the hills straight from their current location until they reached their destination. Since the hills weren’t that high anyway, it could be the easiest path for them

“

Tsk

!”

However, that was only true if they were fresh out of the base and were still in good condition. Unfortunately, he had three injured soldiers to consider now.

Clank. Clank.

James approached Kang Chan and handed him C-rations and water.

“One of our injured has passed away, sir,” James said.

Kang Chan accepted the C-ration. He then sat down and had some water first.

Gegen was still right next to them. They had just drank coffee with him this morning, yet now he lay on the ground with a swarm of flies buzzing around him.

After having some water, Kang Chan opened the C-ration and ate the biscuit.

Looking around, he found the bodies of the children scattered on the ground with innumerable flies feasting on them. The bombs that had been strapped to them had blown them all apart, and the rebels’ bullets only further tore them up.

They would’ve liked biscuits more than Kang Chan did.

It took about three minutes for Kang Chan to finish the C-ration. He drank water again before slowly standing up.

The surviving soldiers gauged Kang Chan’s mood.

“Gather ‘round!” he ordered.

Clank. Clank.

Perhaps because they had finally seen Kang Chan in actual combat, the soldiers no longer seemed defiant.

They departed with eighteen people total, Kang Chan included. Eight fell in battle and two were wounded, leaving them with only eight combat-capable soldiers. To make matters worse, even those eight were injured. One of them was even walking around holding the back of his head, making it clear he wouldn’t be much help.

Kang Chan unfolded the map again and placed it on the ground. With his index finger, he traced a line from one part of the map to their destination.

“This is where we’re currently at. I don’t know why or how, but the rebel forces definitely know that we’ll be taking this route. The fact that women and children strapped with explosives blocked our way should be clear enough evidence that they’re aware of our movements.”

A soldier cocked his head in confusion.

What a fucking idiot!

“If the rebels had been chasing after us since we left the base, we should’ve at least heard engines following us all the way here. The lack of any vehicular noise means they waited for us here in advance and only made the women and children follow us after we’ve gone past their hiding spot,” Kang Chan explained.

The soldier still looked as if he didn’t understand, but the look in Kang Chan’s eyes overwhelmed him so much that he reluctantly nodded anyway.

Kang Chan continued, “There are two ways we can go about doing this. We can either climb the hills and head straight to our destination or continue marching through the route marked on the map.”

The soldiers listened so intently that it made Kang Chan wonder if they were the same people who had looked at him with dissatisfaction just moments before the battle.

“The problem is the deceased and the injured.”

The other soldiers followed Kang Chan’s gaze and looked around their surroundings. The sniper and another soldier had gone up the hill, so only six of them had gathered.

“

Capitaine

,” the soldier holding onto the back of his neck called. He had raised his left hand respectfully, making him seem obnoxious. “I have experience serving in the military, sir. May I say something?”

Perhaps it was because Kang Chan was only staring at him, but the guy urgently continued, “I’m Smithen, sir. I served in the US Army before enlisting in the Foreign Legion.”

“Go ahead.”

“We should take care of the deceased now,” Smithen suggested.

What the hell is this crazy bastard saying?

They felt a cold breeze sweep past them for some reason. Eight people were able to move, and eight people died. Was there anything else they could do other than follow Smithen’s suggestion?

Fine! Smithen’s suggestion does sound logical! It’s my fault for not asking how we should take care of the deceased anyway.

Since Kang Chan had allowed Smithen to speak his mind, Kang Chan would look like an asshole if he hit Smithen now for what he had said.

Still, Smithen looked so shameless that Kang Chan couldn't help but want to hit him.

Kang Chan calmed himself down. After taking in his surroundings for a moment, he came to a decision.

“Smithen.”

“Oui,” Smithen answered. He looked proud that Kang Chan called his name.

“Take care of the deceased, including the children over there.”

Only when Kang Chan turned to him did Smithen quietly reply, “Oui.”

“I want everyone on this task,” Kang Chan added. “I’ll think about which route to take in the meantime."

The soldiers scattered again.

Walking away from the busy soldiers, Kang Chan went up the hill that Gegan had been assigned to.

Rustle. Rustle.

The dirt crumbled under his boots as he climbed the hill. Eventually, he reached a high enough vantage point to get a clearer view of their surroundings.

Since he had already come all the way here, he decided to climb all the way to the top. It was slightly larger than most hills in the area, but it still didn’t take him long to reach the top.

Across the hill, Kang Chan could see the sniper and another soldier. Below him, the others were moving the bodies of the deceased soldiers and children.

The area around them looked so repetitive it was as if someone had just copy-pasted one part of it multiple times.

They had covered about three kilometers in the morning, which meant they were only seven kilometers away from their destination now if they followed the route on the map.

I’m already on top of a hill. Might as well have a smoke.

He took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth.

Chk chk. Chkk. Chkkk.

The smell of gasoline and oil rushed into his nose. The strong cigarette smoke quickly followed.

“

Hooo.

”

What on earth am I doing here?

A person’s environment definitely affects their train of thought. Normally, whenever someone tried to attack him, he’d immediately think about hitting them twice for revenge. However, since he arrived in Africa, he had become a lot more philosophical.

“You bastards have already predicted that we’d grow suspicious and choose to cross the hills, haven’t you?” Kang Chan asked himself.

He glared at the direction that they’d take if they were to make a beeline for their target location.

“You motherfuckers have prepared even worse situations for us on that route, haven’t you?”

Still smoking, he looked at the path that led down the hill. Whoever marked the route on the map had probably sent Donkey Dong to wait for them at the end of it as well, ready to throw things at him and his men again.

Kang Chan exhaled more cigarette smoke.

He made up his mind.

Rustle. Rustle! Rustle!

When Kang Chan went down the hill, he found the soldiers' and children’s corpses neatly laid on the ground. The soldiers untied the shoelaces of their fallen colleagues, one to tie the corpses’ sleeves and the other to bind their boots.

Why on earth did the instructors in the training center teach them something this cursed?

“Sniper! Get over here!” Kang Chan yelled.

“Oui!” the sniper answered loudly and then headed down the hill.

Catching onto Kang Chan’s plan, the other soldiers gathered around him without being ordered.

Kang Chan took a look at his men, then declared, “We’re following the map.”

The soldiers looked confused by his decision, but they didn’t question him.

“We’re going take turns carrying our injured on our backs. Rebel forces could come at us from the front, so keep your weapons ready and stay on your toes.”

“Oui,” the soldiers obediently answered.

“Sniper! Take another soldier with you and scout ahead. I want the area twenty meters ahead of us secured at all times.”

“Oui.”

They answered him so often that Kang Chan was starting to get annoyed.

“James! Cover our rear with Maxon!”

James answered affirmatively, then headed to the back of their formation.

Including Kang Chan, only four combat-ready soldiers remained unassigned. Considering one of them was the soldier he had beaten up, they technically only had three unscathed men left.

Kang Chan approached the injured soldiers. One of them had been shot right above the chest on his right side, and the other had been shot in his stomach and thigh. Their wounds had been tightly bandaged, but in all honesty, it was difficult to say how long they would last.

Kang Chan crouched in front of the soldier who had been shot in the stomach. In turn, the soldier tilted his head toward him with difficulty, gasping for breath. Kang Chan hadn't noticed how old the soldier was before because he was Caucasian, but they seemed to be around the same age.

“We’re going,” Kang Chan said.

The soldier looked at him with sorrowful eyes.

“I’m going to carry you on my back, so hang in there for a little longer.”

“Water...” the soldier trailed off, seemingly hoping to quench the dryness of his lips.

Kang Chan briefly shook his head.

He remembered being taught in the training center not to give any drinks to those who had been shot in the stomach or chest.

“Water... please...” the injured man weakly pleaded again.

Kang Chan felt as if he was listening to the soldier’s last wish. Would this soldier be able to survive if he didn’t give him any water? Like Gegen, the soldier already knew that he wouldn’t make it. Hence, it didn’t seem right not to grant his final, desperate desire.

Kang Chan looked behind him and demanded some water. Soon after, a soldier held out a small bottle toward him. After accepting it, he held up the injured soldier’s head with his right hand and slowly poured some water into the soldier’s mouth.

The soldier opened his mouth. Although he couldn’t swallow the water, Kang Chan noticed happiness filling the brown eyes below the soldier’s blond eyebrows.

“Thank you, Captain,” he said.

He then closed his eyes as if he was satisfied. Afterward, his head dropped and fell out of Kang Chan’s right hand.

Although Kang Chan had shared a cup of coffee with Gegen, this soldier’s death hit him harder than Gegen's for some reason.

Kang Chan placed the deceased soldier’s head on the ground and then took out the bayonet that he had attached to his ankle. He cut the shoelaces of the soldier’s right boot, made a hole in the soldier’s sleeves, and then tied the sleeves together. Next, he tied the soldier’s boots together with the left boot’s shoelace.

Afterward, Kang Chan glanced over to one of the men standing behind him. In response, the man grabbed the dead soldier by the feet and helped Kang Chan place him next to their other fallen brothers.

The other injured remained conscious.

“Put him on my back!” Kang Chan yelled.

“I’ll carry him, sir.”

The soldier who had helped him stepped forward and crouched down.

That wasn’t a bad idea. They would take turns anyway.

With the help of another subordinate, Kang Chan put the wounded man onto the soldier’s back. He then held up his hand, turned it in a circle, and then pointed at the front.

As he had gestured, their group began to walk in silence. He couldn’t help but think that they had just sacrificed nine lives just to cover three kilometers.

Fine. We’ll follow the route you guys told us to take. I'll take this path even if Donkey Dong or some other fucking monster will be waiting at the end of the line to eat us. I’ll just shoot them all in the fucking head!

***

Their next twenty minutes were fortunately uneventful.

“Switch,” Kang Chan said.

As ordered, the wounded was transferred to another soldier’s back. Meanwhile, the soldier whom Kang Chan had beaten up discretely glanced at them while pretending to keep an eye on their quiet surroundings.

It seemed a detestable fucker would always be detestable.

They spent another twenty minutes walking.

“Switch,” Kang Chan ordered.

Smithen looked at Kang Chan with surprise. For some reason, it looked as though Smithen’s head moved quickly even though the back of his neck hurt.

Kang Chan had a feeling that if he ordered Smithen to carry an injured soldier on his back, he would put on an act to show how much pain he was in. Not that it mattered since Kang Chan also didn’t want to entrust their wounded to someone who wasn’t feeling well.

Kang Chan crouched, and two soldiers placed the wounded on his back. The man’s burning heat pressed against him, and his foul odor quickly hit Kang Chan’s nostrils.

Having the injured soldier on his back reminded him of the time he had to carry Enzo. However, the weight of the soldier was a bit easier to bear since he was still conscious. Moreover, unlike back then, Kang Chan only had to carry one rifle.

After about fifteen more minutes of walking, the soldier accompanying their sniper quickly approached Kang Chan.

“We see a village about seventy meters ahead, sir.”

Kang Chan couldn’t see anything from here.

“We think it’s occupied by natives. The houses look like they’re made of mud.”

“Did you see anyone?”

“No, sir.”

“Keep an eye out. Secure a place for us to hide as well.”

“Oui.”

Kang Chan resumed walking.

The soldier on his back was trying hard to hold in his groans. The smell of his sweat and the nauseating odor from his wounds was difficult to endure, but Kang Chan pushed through anyway. He constantly reminded himself that this was better than carrying the soldier’s corpse.

After walking for another five minutes, their sniper signaled that they should lower themselves.

Clank. Clank.

Kang Chan went behind their sniper and lowered the injured soldier from his back.

They had stopped at a good area. It was densely populated with trees that offered them a lot of cover, and it also had a path that led further toward the village. Since people had to walk uphill to get to this position, it wasn’t a bad area to watch both sides from.

“

Haaa

. I need water,” Kang Chan commented.

The moment he quenched his thirst, he felt so light that it was as if he could jump a hundred meters into the sky.

Kang Chan turned his arm widely toward the back and called James and Maxon.

The path ahead of them curved widely to the right and then to the left. At the end of it was the village that the soldier had told him about.

It looked a bit strange to Kang Chan. The mud huts all over the hill looked more like gravestones, making it difficult to determine whether the village was a residential area or a graveyard[1].

If it was actually a village, then it should have been filled with people. They couldn’t even see goats, let alone people.

Kang Chan sighed.

Did whoever marked the route on the map know about this place?

Clank. Clank.

While he was mulling over his thoughts, James and Maxon ran over.

Kang Chan turned toward the flustered men.

1. In South Korea, the deceased were traditionally buried in burial mounds built on hills or mountains ☜