It was a huge accomplishment to enter Africa’s largest rebel base and take out its top commander. When Kang Chan stepped out of the truck, covered in blood, he looked toward the sky of Mangala, his shoulder, arm, and waist bleeding.

The wounded, including Dayeru, had been carried away.

“Mazani. Cigarette.”

“Captain! You have to get your wounds treated first!” Mazani insisted. However, Kang Chan’s gaze made him immediately dig through his pockets.

The Foreign Legion soldiers on the tarmac moved ahead of Mazani, handing Kang Chan a cigarette and lighting it for him.

“

Hoo

!”

The 9th and 10th units lined up behind Kang Chan, as if escorting him, and the Foreign Legion soldiers surrounded them.

Everyone could tell that Kang Chan was thinking of Éiric and the men he lost in Mangala.

Five minutes later, the blood that had soaked Kang Chan’s sleeve dripped down his fingers and onto the ground.

“Captain!” Mazani called again.

As Kang Chan reluctantly turned around, the men opened a path for him.

The 9th and 10th units saluted as Kang Chan walked by, followed by the Foreign Legion soldiers.

Click. Click.

Kang Chan walked in silence.

This was probably why the blood of the saluting soldiers boiled in their veins, why they passed on legendary stories about him, and why soldiers were resolved to join Kang Chan’s unit after hearing the stories.

Kang Chan couldn’t even look back; he couldn’t let go of the men who had found their way into his heart. Still, seeing him like this made the soldiers feel respect and pride.

***

It took Kang Chan about two months to move properly again. No special assignments came his way, but the sticky unpleasant feeling still stuck to him like a scab on a wound.

He felt like a student who hadn’t done any homework even though the first day of school was approaching.

He wanted to do the summer vacation homework, but he had no way of doing it.

If it weren’t for the fact that he felt so uncomfortable and sticky, he would have been happy to stretch out and relax.

Dayeru approached him.

“What are you doing?” Kang Chan asked.

“Two packets,” Dayeru said clearly in Korean as he set down the mugs and raised his index and middle fingers in a victory gesture. “Me! Two packets!

Phuhuhu

!”

Though he was laughing, Dayeru had a glint in his eyes that made it seem as though he was going to take a sip of coffee and chomp down the mug afterward.

Now that Kang Chan thought about it, this bastard used his inability to speak French as an excuse to speak informally to him. Mentioning it would make Kang Chan sound petty, though.

“Cigarette?” Dayeru offered, also in Korean.

Kang Chan smirked at him.

How could he hate a man who knew how good a cigarette tasted with sweet coffee? Together, they put a cigarette in their mouths, lit them, and then drank coffee. 𝖗ÅNꝊᛒƐŜ

“

Hoo

!”

The sun had just risen, making for a relaxing atmosphere. Getting to spend it with another lonely bastard he could rely on only made it even better.

“

Ggrrk

!

Kegh

!

Kegh

!”

Disgusting bastard!

***

A secret room on the second floor of a ramshackle diner.

Sharlan was impressed with how the British intelligence had managed to create such a place in Africa. Still, he kept his disgruntled eyes on the man sitting across from him.

Too much time had passed. It was making him wonder if the British intelligence was taking a different route.

“We were just waiting for the French to turn their attention elsewhere. If we made a clumsy move, the DGSE would have caught onto our plans. We needed time for that unit commander who keeps getting in your way to recover too.”

𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

“France has never taken its eyes off Africa,” Sharlan retorted.

The man remained composed. “They were distracted by the experiments that they were conducting with the Eye of Ndulele. They don’t even have time to pay attention to us because they’re too busy hiding those. Now, the time has come.”

Sharlan glared sharply at the man. He could never tell if the man was telling the truth based on his expression, though.

“There is one man we fear the most—a faction within France even seeks to eliminate him. Right now, his attention is focused on the experiments with the Eye of Ndulele. This is the very moment we have been waiting for.”

The man glanced outside and began to speak again.

“You’ll receive a mission soon. When the DGSE isn’t looking, you will end everything.”

“I can’t deal with everything myself.”

The man nodded. “We’ll bring in Arab mercenaries. That will distract the French.”

“What experiment are they doing that’s making you so confident?”

“To be honest, we’re curious too. What is it that they’re so focused on that they’re willing to turn a blind eye to the Blackheads, which they have been searching for so desperately? They’ve announced that they’re testing the Big Bang theory. Technology that can create worlds—isn’t that amazing?”

Sharlan nodded.

He didn't know the exact nature of the experiment, but if British intelligence was this convinced, then it was clear that there would be fewer eyes on this operation.

“This is our last chance. If you get your hands on the Blackhead that the rebels have, this long fight will be over.”

“What happened to the weapons I asked for?”

“I'll send them to you before we set out for the target.”

“How?”

“You don’t need to worry about that.”

Shahran exhaled heavily out of habit.

He'd been waiting a long time for this.

Still, hearing that the time had finally come was heavier than he expected.

***

Kang Chan sat across from Sharlan at his desk and looked at him.

“I will send Gérard away as I promised. You will also be getting these two new reinforcements.”

Kang Chan looked at the two documents that Sharlan had handed him.

There hadn’t been any unilateral assignments like this recently. Whatever; it didn’t matter. However, he refused to go on a mission short-handed.

“Decide if you’ll send Gérard away and take this operation or turn this operation down.”

What is he saying?

Kang Chan looked at Sharlan fiercely. However, Sharlan looked weary and fearful. Kang Chan supposed Sharlan was also just a soldier who had to obey commands and struggle over them.

The silence was urging Kang Chan to make a decision.

If Kang Chan turned the operation down, it would mean that the entire unit, including Gérard, would go on an operation under the command of another leader.

Should he still send Gérard elsewhere?

It felt as if the sticky, uncomfortable feeling had dug a trap that he was rushing into.

Kang Chan recalled Gérard’s wavering eyes. He also remembered the moment he became certain that Gérard was meant for his unit.

“Do you have to go that far?”

“You know full well that I have no choice but to follow orders.”

Sharlan’s gaze dropped down. He was pretending to look at the documents, but he was clearly avoiding Kang Chan’s eyes.

“Very well. Send Gérard away.”

Sharlan nodded faintly.

***

Back at his own table, Kang Chan stared at the blood-red sunset to pass the time.

“What are you doing?”

Dayeru walked over, a sweet scent trailing behind him.

“Two packets! Me! Two packets!”

With this guy, Kang Chan didn’t get to think for too long.

Dayeru sat down on Kang Chan’s left and glanced at the sunset.

“We got a mission.”

Dayeru stopped halfway through lifting his mug and turned to Kang Chan.

“I’m sending Gérard away.”

Dayeru said something to himself.

“I have a bad feeling,” Kang Chan confessed.

Dayeru sighed. Somehow, he seemed to understand Korean. It was strangely reassuring.

***

Sharlan announced once more that Gérard was getting transferred, making the latter furious again.

“Captain! Why me? What have I done to deserve this?”

Kang Chan waved his hand, calling Gérard over and making him sit next to him at the table.

How nice would it be if he could explain his emotions or gut feelings at times like this? If only he telling Gérard that a sticky anxiousness was out to get him was enough to explain everything.

“Trust me.”

Gérard scowled at Kang Chan.

“Trust the person you’ve been observing all this time.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Kang Chan didn’t know how to answer, so he just chuckled. He then pulled out a cigarette, handed it to Gérard, and put another in his mouth.

Clink! Hiss!

The two lit their cigarettes.

“Follow your orders this time. I’ll be sure to bring you back after a mission or two.”

“Why the hell are you doing this?” Gérard asked, this time more calmly.

“Gérard.”

“Oui.”

“What do you think I think of you?”

Gérard likely thought it was a ridiculous question. He laughed out loud, making the scar on his cheek twist.

“I’ll call you back no matter what.”

“Do you promise?”

When Kang Chan grinned, Gérard raised his cigarette to his mouth with a displeased face.

***

With a gust, a blast of heat and dirt wafted into the barracks.

“Today’s operation is to neutralize the leadership of the SISS—the Sunni extremists. We have forty-nine men divided into five units against three hundred to five hundred heavily armed rebels.”

Sharlan pointed at the map with his baton.

“Your target is Massallan, their leader. If you succeed, withdraw no matter how many enemies remain. We leave in half an hour. Questions?”

Kang Chan raised his hand. Sharlan expected as much. The man never let anything he didn’t like get past him.

Sharlan nodded at Kang Chan.

“Is the drop-off time the same as before?”

Sharlan nodded.

Kang Chan stood up, which the men took as a sign that the meeting was over. They murmured among each other as they rose from their seats.

Sharlan gritted his teeth and glared at the soldiers as they left. At some point, this damned regiment had started to revolve around the Asian unit commander. He could even decide when the briefing was over now.

‘Today’s the last of that.’

Sharlan turned his glare to his lieutenant.

***

Half an hour had passed.

Sharlan walked over to his radio and picked up the transmitter.

Chk.

“Time to leave.”

The command that would define the rest of Sharlan’s life had been issued.

Sharlan exhaled quietly. He then picked up his binoculars and looked around, finding two Foreign Legion soldiers. In the worst-case scenario, he’d have to eliminate them. He’d brought as few as possible for that reason.

He also saw Kang Chan puffing on a cigarette.

‘That cheeky bastard!’

Smoking a cigarette before an operation?

No matter. Kang Chan just had to keep going toward the muzzles that were going to be aimed at him.

Sharlan had deliberately sent only nine of Kang Chan’s unit on the operation. He had even acted high and mighty, assigning Gérard elsewhere.

Now, the rebels would put an end to him. The SSIS weren’t going to be anything like the rebels they’d been fighting until now.

Even so, Sharlan felt strangely uneasy.

He felt like even if he shot that Asian unit commander through the neck, the man would still somehow survive.

They just had to go a little further. They were two kilometers away from their destination, so they didn’t have to be careful either.

Yes! Just like that!

Sharlan watched Kang Chan take two puffs of his cigarette. At that moment, he and the rest of the crew stopped.

A chill ran down Sharlan’s spine and spread throughout his body.

‘What…? How…?’

Kang Chan exhaled cigarette smoke. He then assigned his men to their positions one by one.

Sharlan couldn’t believe his eyes.

Whoosh!

A cloud of dust caused by Smithen rose in the air.

‘Hmph!’

That damn Asian unit commander was born with a sense of combat.

Sharlan gritted his teeth as he calmed his thumping heart.

Kang Chan spread out the eight men like a bow. He then lowered his stance behind Dayeru.

He seemed to be planning to hold their position for now, disobeying the order to move forward.

Sharlan still didn’t understand how Kang Chan could do that.

‘Did the British intelligence communicate with the Asian unit commander?’

He tilted his head.

Baang! Baang! Baang! Baang!

Suddenly, most of the soldiers were killed by sniper fire. Sharlan quickly turned his binoculars to look.

Dayeru grinned as Kang Chan gave orders. The Algerian seemed to be aware that Kang Chan was furious too.

‘He’s making me get my hands dirty in the end.’

Sharlan glanced around and took out a weapon he’d kept hidden in cloth.

Baang! Bang bang bang! Baang! Bang bang bang!

As the enemies charged toward Kang Chan in unison, Sharlan neatly disposed of the two soldiers who were trying to understand the situation using the same weapon that the enemies had.

Sharlan just had to write a report that they had been shot on the retreat, and it would be taken care of.

He pulled out a sniper rifle next.

In his scope, Kang Chan was taking down the enemies at a frightening speed.

‘Get up! Come on!’

Sharlan aimed the scope at Kang Chan’s head. However, gunshots echoed at that moment.

Baang. Ratatatat! Baang. Ratatatatat! Baang.

Smithen fell to the ground.

Bang. Baang. Baang.

The enemies stopped charging and crouched down.

‘Good going, Smithen!’

Kang Chan closed in on Smithen with his gun cocked to the side.

Sharlan could now see Kang Chan’s head, which had been hidden until now.

He aimed for the man’s neck.

Sharlan swallowed dryly and inhaled slowly. From this moment, he’d hold his breath. The moment he pulled the trigger, this would all be over.

If he made a mistake here, the unit commander would definitely escape with the rest of his crew. He would then throw Sharlan to hell.

‘Goodbye.’

Sharlan squeezed the trigger.

Baang! Pow!

Blood poured out of the Asian unit commander’s neck.

‘Hah!’

It was over! That was also the end of the arrogant Asian’s name, God of Blackfield!

Sharlan put Dayeru’s head in his rifle’s scope this time, trying to shake off the anxiety that was strangely coursing through him.

If he killed them all, everything would really be over.

The god of death? That was for tribes in Africa, not a soldier like Sharlan.

Baang!

He watched Dayeru’s head explode through his scope.