Early in the morning, Romain looked around as his phone rang. Still not feeling reassured, he quickly glanced out the door before answering the call.

“Allo?”

- The DGSE is transferring a member of the 13th Regiment’s 11th unit this morning. I need you to cancel that order.

Why would an organization that limited making calls as much as possible call him so early in the morning just to prevent the transfer of a single soldier?

For a moment, Romain doubted his ears.

- Can you do that?

“Of course. Why bother with this, though?”

- There’s always more going on behind the scenes than in front of it. We want to make sure he has a part in this operation, which is why we selected the 11th unit. I’ll leave you to it.

The call ended.

Romain took a deep breath and stared at his phone. There was something he didn’t know.

‘Should I look into it?’

Though tempted to dig into the background of the soldier in question, he soon shook his head.

In the world of intelligence, examples of people whose futures and lives had been ruined by curiosity were as common as the sand on a beach. He got an order, and he would follow it. That was it.

Romain picked up the phone to call the head of the DGSE’s Central African branch.

***

Miguel’s morning began with a rather jerky start.

- Are you the one who decided to transfer the soldier? You’ve taken out the most important person in the unit ahead of an operation. Will you take responsibility for what happens next?

“It was a request from their commander.”

- The commander won’t survive if the operation fails. You shouldn’t blame him.

Miguel clenched his teeth.

- Put him back on the unit.

“Yes, sir.”

The call dropped.

Not even Sharlan and Kang Chan were as scary as the caller.

In Central Africa, Miguel was as powerful as the Grim Reaper. Still, even he didn’t want to talk to Romain.

Maybe this was why everyone wanted to go to the DGSE and why everyone who was in the DGSE kept moving up.

“Damn it!”

Miguel slammed down the receiver, which was solely meant for the French intelligence bureau.

“

Haaa

!”

However, he immediately picked it back up. Contacting Sharlan was far more important than his wounded pride.

***

Dayeru and Gérard stopped arguing and looked back and forth between Kang Chan and Sharlan with shocked faces.

Sharlan, who had just come by and ordered Gérard to leave, had come back before Gérard could even start packing his things to tell him that the order was canceled.

Sharlan, who had delivered the order with a straight face, and Kang Chan, who had been growling at Gérard, looked at each other with stiff faces.

An awkward, heavy silence ensued.

Sharlan turned around, and Kang Chan followed him into his barracks.

Sharlan slumped into a chair at the head of the table, looking exhausted.

“What happened?”

“I also just heard the news. The transfer request was approved, but…”

Sharlan clamped his mouth shut and glared at Kang Chan. He looked as if he was ashamed of himself for making excuses.

“Go back. I’ll make sure he’s sent away after this operation.”

“I’ll ask the DGSE myself.”

Sharlan’s eyes twitched.

“It was an order from the fucking DGSE. As much as I’m also displeased, I had no choice but to follow orders from the higher-ups,” he said through gritted teeth.

Kang Chan wasn’t one to back down, especially not with his instincts telling him that this operation would get Gérard killed.

Still, he couldn’t say anything else.

Sharlan was very prideful. Considering he seemed angry, he was likely telling the truth.

“Go back and do as you are commanded.”

Sharlan’s face was red with humiliation. He had acted like he was being great and generous by allowing Gérard to leave. Now, however, his pride was completely crushed, and he was left with no choice but to follow orders.

Kang Chan looked at him wordlessly and turned around. Saying more would only hurt both their pride.

***

Sharlan clenched his cheeks and lips, remembering the look in Kang Chan’s eyes just before he had left the barracks.

How dare he look at me with pity? He’s Asian!

His shame was quickly overwhelmed by the humiliation that had been thrown at him. He resented the DGSE.

How could the chain of command treat its top field commander? This incident disillusioned him from the life he had led enduring the battlefield.

‘That dirty fucking monkey!’

Sharlan glared at the entrance to the barracks, which Kang Chan had just walked out of.

An Asian commander who believed in his shallow name and disrespected his superiors.

Sharlan suddenly recalled when he met Kang Chan for the first time and the operations that had taken place since then.

It felt as if this incident summarized Kang Chan and Sharlan’s fates. No matter how much he tried to make it work, they would always end up going wrong.

Kang Chan definitely wouldn’t die in combat. He would never be on the same side as Sharlan either.

Sharlan needed a perfect plan that not even Kang Chan could escape from.

***

Kang Chan sighed quietly as he walked back to his barracks. Sharlan’s face, reddened by being crushed by his position, lingered in his mind.

However, the moment he saw Gérard and Dayeru, all thoughts about Sharlan disappeared.

The two men, who were like a cat and a dog, were unexpectedly giggling and smoking together.

“What are you so happy about?”

“Didn’t you see his face earlier?” Gérard asked.

Dayeru made a face that imitated Sharlan.

Ha, you bastards have no idea.

Kang Chan plopped down and took a cigarette.

“Do you want coffee?”

Kang Chan looked at Dayeru in disbelief.

This asshole only knew words like this because he had a reason not to learn French.

Kang Chan nodded. “Sure.”

Dayeru turned to Gérard.

“Why me?” Gérard asked.

“You’re not leaving anymore.”

“What does that have to do with this?”

Dayeru shrugged as if he couldn’t understand Gérard.

Kang Chan scowled. “You little…!”

Gérard immediately jumped to his feet. Still, he kept scowling at Dayeru.

“

Phuhuhu

!”

“What are you so happy about?”

“Want a cigarette?”

“

Hah

!”

Would Kang Chan ever have a profound conversation with him? Dayeru was getting more and more shameless.

Still, he accepted his offer.

***

Two days passed quickly.

Sharlan had been confined to his barracks most of that time, but on the morning of the third day, he left the base early.

Kang Chan and his eleven subordinates went into the woods near the base to practice their strategy.

They sometimes divided themselves into groups of three or pairs. There were also two-man drills. Regardless, Gérard was always assigned to cover Kang Chan’s rear.

The third day of Sharlan’s absence was no different.

The men all noticed, as did Gérard. Kang Chan was taking special care of him, but no one dared to ask.

Kang Chan’s menacing eyes were glinting.

***

Upon reaching the black market fifteen kilometers from the Kilima base, Sharlan pushed his hat down low. He then entered a stall of handicrafts made by African tribes and looked at the man sitting inside.

The shabbily dressed black man stared back.

“Can I have a cup of water?” Sharlan asked.

“You’re at the wrong store. There’s a nice one across the street.”

“Can I have two cups of water?”

The man quickly stood up and scanned the area outside. Then, he tugged on the centerpiece of the wall behind him.

Creak.

He gestured for him to go inside.

Sharlan stepped in, and the door slammed shut behind him.

Click.

The lights then turned on, revealing a small room with a table and two chairs.

A British man standing across from him pointed Sharlan to a chair.

“They’re leaving tomorrow. Do you have time to be here like this?” the man asked.

Sharlan raised his gaze sharply and clenched his teeth out of habit.

Even this man knew the date of the operation, yet he, the field commander, did not.

“What is the real purpose of this operation?” Sharlan asked, swallowing his pride, which the man seemed to find amusing. “You’re going to regret giving me that look.”

“I apologize if it appeared that way,” the man replied, seemingly not wanting to ruin Sharlan’s mood. “The purpose of this operation is insignificant. I’d rather discuss how to secure the object we’ve been searching for.”

“You know where it is?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure?”

“There’s no doubt about it. Once we get our hands on it, you can apply for a discharge afterward. You can then enjoy the rest of your life.”

Sharlan’s heart pounded. This was a heaven-sent opportunity. The opportunity he’d been waiting for had come at the exact moment he’d made up his mind.

“It won’t be easy to evade France’s eyes in Africa,” Sharlan said.

“That’s why we’re sitting across from each other right now, isn’t it?”

“

Haaa

.”

Even Sharlan’s sigh didn’t move the man.

“How far does your influence reach?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, how far does your influence extend within the DGSE or the French intelligence bureau?”

A moment of silence passed as the two men locked glares.

Sharlan broke the silence first. “I have two requests. First, before the next operation, I want you to send someone of my choosing elsewhere.”

The man nodded as if that wasn’t a difficult request.

“Second, I want to mobilize as few special forces teams as possible for the next operation, and I want them all dead.”

The man seemed to have difficulty understanding Sharlan’s request. His questioning eyes showed as much.

“I’m sure you’ll assign the troops yourself, but if things go wrong like last time, I’ll have to take matters into my own hands,” Sharlan said.

“That will arouse suspicion,” the man refused.

“I’ll take care of the rest. You just have to take what you want away from the eyes of the French, don’t you?”

“That’s a different story.”

Just then, the lights flickered as if the electricity was running low.

“Looks like a French agent is coming this way.”

The man glanced at the wall that Sharlan had entered through.

“The reason we need conflict to take the object is to avoid the French intelligence’s attention. Even so, if all the men die, you can’t escape an investigation from your bureau.”

“As long as that Asian commander is around, you’ll all just keep failing. That’s why I’m going to deal with him myself. The only question now is if you can stop the investigation.”

The lights flickered.

“I’ll decide after seeing the results of this operation.” The man rose to his feet. He then knocked twice on the wall opposite the one Sharlan had entered. “You can exit this way.”

Creak!

The lights turned off as the doors opened, and Sharlan was greeted by a different storefront outside.

He looked at the man once before stepping out.

***

As usual, Kang Chan woke up at dawn and ran around the base. When he returned, he saw Dayeru and Gérard sitting at the table like hungry bear cubs.

Why were they hanging around like this? Did they feel something too?

Kang Chan gazed at them.

“Water?” Gérard offered him a bottle.

Dayeru took out a cigarette with a face that seemed to say that he had been a step slower.

“Want a cigarette?” Dayeru asked in French. In English, he added, “Okay?”

“Nokay!” Kang Chan answered in Korean-style English.

Still sweating profusely, Kang Chan drank water.

“Hasn’t the operation been canceled?”

“We would have been notified already if so. It’s probably taking time to secure Absala’s location. Or maybe they thought they had him, but the location was wrong and they had to double-check.”

Gérard nodded. Dayeru tried to follow the conversation by reading their body language and tone.

“Gérard,” Kang Chan called.

Gérard just looked up.

“Remember our training. Don’t ever stray away from my rear.”

Kang Chan’s intense glare made Gérard quickly reply affirmatively. “Oui.”

Step, step.

Despite the early hours, Sharlan walked steadfastly toward Kang Chan.

He looked at Kang Chan differently than before.

“You’ll be joining two squadrons on the tarmac at 10 a.m. today. The briefing will be en route. Get ready.”

He then turned away before Kang Chan could respond.