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Chapter 148.2: May Luck Be On Your Side (1)

“So, how many of our men…?” Jeon Dae-Geuk asked, trailing off.

“We haven’t been able to confirm that information yet,” Kim Hyung-Jung reassuringly replied.

“The intelligence you gave them was certain, correct?” Jeon Dae-Geuk prodded on.

“An emergency decree was ordered on all of France’s Foreign Legion, but it was canceled just moments ago. The president of Russia has also expressed his desire to pay a covert visit to South Korea,” Kim Hyung-Jung answered with confidence.

“Those bastards! They did it! They managed to do it!” Jeon Dae-Geuk shouted gleefully.

“We received intelligence that although the Spetsnaz tried to ambush the team, they managed to push them back and defeat them without any casualties. According to a detailed report that the DGSE surprisingly gave to us of their own volition, only four members of the Spetsnatz managed to survive,” Kim Hyung-Jung said.

Jeon Dae-Geuk vehemently shook his head. He looked as if he couldn’t believe the news.

“What about their return?” he asked earnestly.

“We haven’t received any information regarding that. However, we did hear that they are going on another operation first,” Kim Hyung-Jung stated.

A tear soon dripped down Jeon Dae-Geuk’s cheek.

“I no longer have any regrets in my life. I have never felt so proud and rewarded to have been a member of the South Korean special forces,” Jeon Dae-Geuk declared through tears.

Kim Hyung-Jung nodded with his lips pressed together.

***

“Is that true?!” Choi Seong-Geon exclaimed.

-General Choi, don’t speak of this to your men yet.

“Mmmmh. Mmmh! Mmmmh!”

-It’s okay! You can cry. The section chief and I cried as well.

“An active member of the special forces cannot cry, sir!” Choi Seong-Geon replied.

-I see. I understand. I will contact you again when I receive more information.?

Choi Seong-Geon put down the phone and left his barracks with a face so red it seemed as if he would soon explode.

It was currently four in the morning.

Vroom!?

Choi Seong-Geon got in a jeep and drove it all the way to the entrance of the makeshift city.

“Hey! You bastards! Stay alive! You better return home alive, punks!” Choi Seong-Geon shouted to the void.

Choi Seong-Geon’s voice echoed loudly in the city.

“You did a good job! So none of you better die! You are all to come back alive!” he burst out.

A thick tear dripped down Choi Seong-Geon’s tanned cheek.

“Thank you!” he muttered to himself as he stared at the dark morning sky. “From the bottom of my heart, thank you, Mr. Kang Chan!”

***

The teams were divided into four. Kang Chan, Seok Kang-Ho, Cha Dong-Gyun, and Choi Jong-Il each led a group. Before leaving, they carefully reviewed the area the operation would take place and the path each team would take to infiltrate the area.

Kang Chan would take the front, and Seok Kang-Ho would handle the rear.

They began the trip at 2330.

About twenty minutes in, Kang Chan paused and raised his hand. During the morning of the previous operation, he had turned away from this area with Seok Kang-Ho.

The soldiers all sharply scanned their assigned territories. Kang Chan gestured with his hand for two soldiers to take about three steps back.

Kang Chan turned his head again and gave Kwak Cheol-Ho a knowing look, making the latter carefully advance. Kang Chan pointed his index finger at the long line that was lying on the ground.

Kwak Cheol-Ho nodded.

‘Can you do it?’?

‘I know I can, sir.’

Kang Chan nodded back at him.

Based on what Kang Chan’s instinct was telling him, it didn’t seem like any of their enemies were nearby. Nevertheless, it wouldn’t hurt to stay alert, especially considering letting their guard down could get them killed.

Kang Chan pointed his left index finger backward at one soldier and put his right index and middle fingers next to it, signaling the soldier to cover Kwak Cheol-Ho.

Immediately after, he had the rest of the soldiers retreat about twenty meters back.

A heavy, palpable tension hung over the forest, making it hard to breathe.

Around fifteen minutes later, Kwak Cheol-Ho returned with the soldier who had covered him. In Kwak Cheol-Ho’s hand was a claymore and its triggering mechanism. If the team had taken a single misstep with those in place… Kang Chan didn’t even want to imagine what could have happened.

‘Good work.’

‘It’s nothing, sir.’

When Kang Chan nodded at Kwak Cheol-Ho, the latter an admiring gaze at him for having discovered a claymore in pitch-black darkness. What made it even more amazing was that he even found the thin line that was tied to the trigger mechanism.

They could do this. This operation was possible.

As Kwak Cheol-Ho brimmed with confidence, Kang Chan began to push forward again.

Rustle.?

After about thirty minutes, they found a path easier to walk on. Although it allowed them to pick up the pace, they still couldn’t put their guard down.

Birds were starting to chirp.

‘How can he keep doing that?’?Kwak Cheol-Ho wondered in amazement as he followed after Kang Chan.

Leading squads from the very front were so exhausting that it made one feel as if they would be worn out to death. However, Kang Chan never lost focus—not even for a moment. Rather, he just kept advancing while keeping track of their pacing.

Wolves standing behind a lion… Kwak Cheol-Ho couldn’t agree more with the metaphor that the soldiers had made at dinner.

They walked for about an hour longer when Kang Chan suddenly stopped, scanned their surroundings, and turned back to the men.

Kang Chan spread his left hand apart and pointed his right index finger toward his open palm. That was the signal for the soldiers to rest but keep their guards up.

Kwak Cheol-Ho headed over to the position he had been assigned to guard without having to receive any command. He was determined to do his task to stand watch perfectly so the other soldiers could catch a break, no matter how short, and so Kang Chan could relax even just a little.

***

The South Korean special forces reached their target location at around 0410. Kang Chan had the soldiers guard their vicinity, then summoned the squad leaders to issue them commands.

“If a problem arises here, you are to take your men and gather at point Beta,” Kang Chan ordered them.

The three men nodded curtly in response.

“The enemy will be taking extreme precautions. The moment you think the SBS is easy to deal with is the moment our men start dropping like flies. They will be more than aware of the fact that the Spetsnatz retreated, so I’m sure they are on very high alert. Keep calm and collected, and we’ll steadily surround them from the outside,” Kang Chan stated. The resolve in his eyes was clearly visible to the three men.

“Once your snipers have reached their positions, give me a signal with Morse code. I will give send a signal to begin the attack, but if necessary, you are free to open fire. Remember, if I can only do one thing right in this operation, it would undoubtedly be the safe return of all the men. If you’re in danger, make sure to request help through the radio. Any questions?” Kang Chan finished.

All of the men stayed silent.

Kang Chan patted Cha Dong-Gyun and Choi Jong-Il on their helmets, one time each.

“Daye,” Kang Chan said.

“Yes, sir,” Dayeru replied.

“Don’t run wild and move with caution. Stay calm,” Kang Chan reminded him, half-joking.

“Got it, Cap,” Seok Kang-Ho answered.

After Kang Chan tapped Seok Kang-Ho’s helmet, Seok Kang-Ho began to head toward his position.

The operation was officially coming to a start. Point Alpha was in a basin-like area that was stuck between two mountains, one lower than the other. They could only ever be aware of the presence of any nearby enemy, and even then, it would be difficult to know exactly where the enemy was located.

Considering the sun would rise at about 0530, the team only had a little over an hour left to go.

From his position, Kang Chan searched for areas that would be advantageous to assign the team’s snipers to. After all, areas that were favorable to them were also favorable to the enemy. Hence, if the SBS was nearby, their snipers could be in those places. That was why each of the special forces team had to have at least one sniper with them.

Leading the soldiers, Kang Chan slowly began to proceed forward.

The branches that were hidden under dry, fallen leaves were some of the scariest things they could step on. After all, stepping on them the wrong way could break them with a loud snap. Hence, the soldiers had to tread forward with care. There could also be more claymores in their vicinity, so they could never let their guard down.

In special operations, putting up claymores in a foreign territory was practically suicide. Considering soldiers were bound to die if they weren’t careful, the team had to always stay alert.

The next path was uphill. They would have to walk for five minutes and scan their surroundings for thirty seconds. In that short span of time, they had to locate any hostile movements and let the soldiers catch their breaths if necessary.

Even after putting their snipers in position, they would still have to keep examining the thirty-meter vicinity around them.

Their current pacing was so exhausting that it was quickly draining them. They were using up far more of their stamina since they were going slow, which meant they were basking far longer in this tense and nervous atmosphere. At this rate, their guard could suddenly ease up without them meaning to.

While on the way up, Kang Chan suddenly paused and pointed behind a rock to Kwak Cheol-Ho. It meant that from this moment on, Kwak Cheol-Ho would be responsible for the most basic method of covering the team.

The place that Kang Chan pointed to for the next soldier was about six steps ahead of where Kwak Cheol-Ho was going to be positioned.

Rustle. Rustle.?

No matter how slowly the soldiers tried to walk, the dry leaves still made noise.

The soldier exhaled visibly in the cold air, still not having reached his position.

Huff. Huff.?

The sharper Kang Chan’s senses, the slower time seemed to flow. From the leaves that the soldier was stepping on, a star that suddenly twinkled, to a bird’s cries that randomly came from the thick darkness—Kang Chan noticed it all.

With his rifle aimed, Kang Chan sharply looked from side to side.

Just as the soldier arrived at his position…

Whoosh.?

A gunshot echoed from quite a distance away. When Kang Chan turned his head to look, he found sparks endlessly lighting up the dark from across the other side of the basin.