God of Blackfield

The fog settled as dawn broke and the sun rose.

Having gone quite far up the mountain, the air around them was starting to become extremely cold. At five minutes past eight, they started going up the second peak.

Even though they had been walking for over five hours and had only drunk water once, none of the soldiers had fallen behind.

They had the patience and physical strength that Choi Seong-Geon would’ve been proud of.

Chk.

“Squads up front, stop.”

Upon hearing Kang Chan’s orders on the radio, everyone felt a strange nervousness.

Chk.

“Daye, secure the area beyond the rock and have some of the men guard the perimeter,” Kang Chan said again.

“Alright.”

Kang Chan could see a boulder on the mountain’s slope, which had a sunken area in front of it. What Kang Chan liked the most about it was the huge pile of leaves on it.

Soek Kang-Ho and the rest of Team Two went around and stepped on the leaves. He then had three of his subordinates guard the area from three different positions.

Kwak Cheol-Ho’s Team Three and Kang Chan’s Team One, which brought up the rear, all gathered in one place.

“Kwak Cheol-Ho, station two soldiers up there. Everyone else, eat,” Kang Chan said.

At Kwak Cheol-Ho’s signal, two soldiers quickly went up the part of the mountain where Kang Chan was pointing. Since the area both in front and behind it went downhill, the soldiers could easily spot anyone who approached them.

The soldiers sat back against boulders and drank some water.

Thud.

Seok Kang-Ho took off his military gear and sat near Kang Chan.

This time, they shared the water that Kang Chan was carrying. Afterward, they had C-rations composed of sandwiches, biscuits, chocolate, and thinly sliced ham. They had to eat and sleep whenever they could.

From guns to C-rations, the special forces team was equipped with everything they would need in this operation.

Kang Chan looked at the soldier sitting next to him. He was eating a biscuit with his hand, which had gone from blue to black due to his finger injury.

“How’s your finger?” Kang Chan asked.

The soldier swallowed the remaining biscuit in his mouth, then said, “It’s bearable.”

“Put a twig next to it and tie your finger to it. Get a shot of morphine if the pain gets too much.”

“Yes, sir.”

Finishing their meal in five minutes, some of the soldiers replaced those on guard duty so the latter could eat and rest.

“Kwak Cheol-Ho, split your team into pairs of two. They’ll each rest for ten minutes,” Kang Chan commanded, and Kwak Cheol-Ho skillfully relayed his instructions to his men.

At times like this, they felt much better even if they slept for just five minutes. The soldiers lay down on the leaves and turned to the side.

When the sun rose, they felt their damp body drying up.

“You’re not going to sleep?” Seok Kang-Ho asked Kang Chan.

“Sleep first—let’s switch in ten minutes.”

“Sure.” Seok Kang-Ho lay on his side and curled up.

Kang Chan leaned back against a rock.

He already expected that they would be discovered the morning after they infiltrated North Korea, but he didn’t expect they would face a battle so early into the operation as well.

They reached this area exceptionally quicker than he planned since the soldiers were so well-trained. If they kept going at this rate, then they would likely reach Sinpyeong within a day, which was where Jang Kwang-Taek was.

Even if their enemies sent their troops in the right direction to chase after them, Kang Chan and his team would still have at least two hours of extra time before their enemies could get to where they were.

Moreover, since they were deep in the mountains, their enemies would find it difficult to guess Kang Chan and his team’s next move. Could they even imagine that only twenty-four people came to North Korea to take down Jang Kwang-Taek?

They would come across two anti-aircraft forts before reaching Shinpyeong: One past two mountaintops and another past the third summit.

The best they could do was to keep things simple, accomplish their goals, and return alive as fast as they could.

Those sons of bitches have to be punished for messing with someone dear to us.

As Kang Chan took deep breaths, he heard a soldier say, “Time to switch.”

In response, another soldier woke up Kwak Cheol-Ho.

Rustle. Rustle.

The soldiers near him, including Seok Kang-Ho, also woke and sat up.

“Phew!” Seok Kang-Ho said as he twisted his neck.

Crack. Crack.

This fucker is surprisingly good at that.

Seok Kang-Ho stood up and examined their surroundings. He then told Kang Chan, “Get some sleep.”

“Got it. Don’t laze around.”

“Don’t worry.”

Kang Chan lay down on his side and fell asleep not long after.

***

Kang Chan woke up from the feeling of someone tapping him.

He felt much better than before.

With his rifle hung on his side, Seok Kang-Ho handed Kang Chan a water pouch.

How come those fuckers haven’t used even just one helicopter to look for us?

Kang Chan thought hiding under all this cover seemed useless now.

It was a quarter past eight in the morning.

A soldier with a receiver in his ear held up a small radio in the air and glared at the sky.

Two minutes went by.

The soldier looked from side to side for about another minute, turned off the radio, and took out the receiver in his ear.

“According to the intel I received, military forces in downtown Pyeongyang seemed to have attempted to assassinate their supreme leader with a car last night. The military authorities apparently identified us as the disruptive forces sent here by the North Korean leader.”

What on earth is going on?

“And because of that, Jang Kwang-Taek is now focusing the North Korean troops near Shinpyeong and the ceasefire line,” the soldier added.

“Then we’re at least sure that son of a bitch is in Shinpyeong, right?” Seok Kang-Ho suddenly asked.

“They didn’t specifically say anything about that,” the soldier replied.

“Gather around,” Kang Chan called everyone as he opened the map, put it in the middle, and pointed to a certain part of it.

“This is where we’re at right now. At our current pace, we should reach Shinpyeong in twenty hours.” Kang Chan then slid his index finger across the map. “This is Dokgeom-ri. If a problem occurs, then we are to rendezvous here. You’ll have to get here on your own.”

The soldiers looked up from the map as Kang Chan continued, “We have to be at Sinpyeong within fourteen hours. That means our estimated time of arrival is at ten this evening. We’ll carry out the operation in the dead of the night and escape before dawn.”

Kwak Cheol-Ho inhaled loudly.

“Our enemies are two hours behind us, and that gap will only keep growing since they have to get here first during their search. Now, our battle will be all about how quickly we can get to Shinpyeong. Any questions?” Kang Chan asked.

Silence.

Kang Chan picked up the map, folded it, and put it in his inner chest pocket.

“Team One and I will take the front. Kwak Cheol-Ho, have Team Three stay in the middle. Daye and Team Two will bring up the rear. We’ll head out once everyone is ready,” Kang Chan said.

The soldiers answered with their gazes.

We can do it. Let’s go!

Starting with Kang Chan, the soldiers patted each others’ helmets. Doing this made them strangely emotional.

Kang Chan then walked to the front and chose which path they should take.

The best option was to walk along the ridge, but that would make it easy for their enemies to see them. Fortunately, the mountain was tall and had large enough trees to negate that disadvantage for now.

Those who had no experience in increasing their pace—even a little bit—while walking or running didn’t know what it felt like. They wouldn’t notice anything at first, but as they picked up the pace, they would quickly tire out and their military gear would gradually feel heavier.

Those in front of the formation had to maintain their speed, keep their guard up, and choose the best paths to take all at the same time.

Clunk. Clunk. Crunch. Crunch.

The sounds of their rifle and military gear rang out in beat with their footsteps.

These soldiers had already gone on operations with Kang Chan before, so they already knew what to do during basic guard duty and were skilled enough to know how nervous they should be based on Kang Chan’s reactions.

They had been walking for about forty minutes when, for the first time, Kang Chan’s nerves stood on edge.

They were on a tall mountain, which made it difficult for their opponents to fend them off since they had no idea where Kang Chan and his team were. Nevertheless, he felt anxious.

When Kang Chan’s aura changed, the soldiers behind him started becoming nervous, causing a chain reaction all the way to the back of their formation.

Kang Chan slung his rifle off his right shoulder and put his index finger on the trigger.

Click.

Stopping in his tracks, he then raised his rifle and supported it with his left hand.

Whish.

Unlike when they were walking, Kang Chan could now hear the wind blowing and the threes shaking.

They were now on the ridge of the mountain. Trees and bushes were all around them.

Kang Chan sent the soldiers to different positions. Two hid behind the trees a few steps down the ridge while those at the back hid on either side of the mountain and waited for Kang Chan’s orders.

It was always the most dangerous when their enemy showed up where they shouldn’t and when they fell into traps that they couldn’t see coming.

With his rifle still up and ready, Kang Chan slowly moved forward.

Swish.

Their pants brushed against the branches of small trees.

Whish.

The wind then blew, then stopped as if it had gotten surprised.

What’s going on? Why did my senses suddenly heighten up? Is there a sniper?

Kang Chan slowly swept his rifle from left to right.

They would have heard anyone coming up from the bottom of the mountain. Their enemies couldn’t possibly hide from them in this terrain either.

Are the enemies lying in an ambush?

Kang Chan slowly swept his rifle again, this time from right to left.

Badum. Badum.

Damn it!

His heart was sending him warning signals.

Are the enemies behind us?

Seok Kang-Ho was in charge of their rear. He was the only soldier that Kang Chan trusted.

Still, no one knew what could happen.

As Kang Chan looked behind him…

Du-du-du-du-du-du-du.

They heard a helicopter coming up the mountain.

How could those fuckers come here?

Kang Chan quickly gestured to the soldiers behind him; he pointed to the trees just below their formation.

Rustle. Rustle. Crunch. Crunch.

The trees, leaves, and rocks made noises whenever the soldiers moved.

They descended a few steps down the mountain as the helicopter grew louder and got closer.

Seok Kang-Ho got into position beside Kang Chan. With his eyes, he asked, ‘Are they coming this way?’

Kang Chan understood the question behind his gaze.

Badum badum. Badum badum.

Kang Chan nodded, his instincts yelling at him to be careful.

The damn helicopter moved based on how the fucking pilot pulled the lever.

Du-du-du-du-du-du-du.

Damn it!

Kang Chan quickly looked back at the soldiers. All of them had to have heard that—there was more than one helicopter.

‘Get ready!’

If the helicopters just flew past, then they wouldn’t spot Kang Chan and his team. No, even if the enemies were here to search for them, they would have trouble finding them.

The sound of the helicopter gradually got closer.

Du-du-du-du-du-du-du.

What? Why are the choppers getting so close?

The helicopter noises were now loud enough to make them feel as if their ears were going to burst.

Swoosh!

Violent winds rushed toward them from the front.

Could it be?

Grumble.

Before they knew it, a helicopter soared up before their eyes. It was a Mi-2, a Russian helicopter[1].

Click. Pew! Pew!

BANG!

The moment the pilot’s head snapped, the helicopter closest to the South Korean special forces team let out loud mechanical noises as it fell down the mountain.

Du-du-du-du-du-du-du.

Ta-da-da-da-dang! Pew! Pew! Pew! Pew!

Pew! Pew! Pew! Ta-ta-ta-tang! Ta-da-da-dang!

There were five helicopters in total.

Enemies were rappelling from the farthest helicopter down to the mountain.

Pew! Pew! Pew! Pew!

With each pull of the trigger, Kang Chan sent a soldier on the ropes dangling to the ground.

Ta-da-da-dang! Ta-da-dang! Ta-da-da-da-dang!

The enemies in the two other helicopters provided intense cover fire.

Pow-pow-pow-pow! Pow! Pow-pow-pow-pow-pow!

The bullets shredded the trees that the soldiers were using to hide and the rock that Kang Chan was leaning on.

Pew! Pew!

BANG!

The second helicopter flew away when Kang Chan started shooting at it. The helicopter at the back also did after dropping off soldiers.

Kang Chan urgently looked behind him.

About three to four of his subordinates had their heads limply hanging down. Among them, two had their upper bodies covered in blood.

“Kwak Cheol-Ho!” Kang Chan called and quickly pointed to the fallen soldiers, signaling him to keep them safe.

Three of the helicopters successfully dropped off enemy soldiers. Considering Kang Chan had killed about seven of them, they still had at least twenty-three enemies right in front of their noses.

“Daye!” Kang Chan called Seok Kang-Ho with a nod as he changed magazines.

Haah. Haah. Haah. Haah.

How did these sons of bitches know our exact location?

Kang Chan approached the area where their enemies landed. If he and his team got surrounded here and the helicopters returned, they would definitely get killed.

With Seok Kang-Ho at the lower part of the mountain, Kang Chan climbed up the ridge.

Clank. Crumble. Clank.

No matter how careful they were, stepping on gravel and leaves inevitably made noises. Those sons of bitches only had to stay where they were, though.

Haah. Haah.

They had advanced by about ten steps when someone’s head momentarily came into view from between the trees.

Pew! Thud!

Ta-da-dang! Ta-dang! Pew! Pew!

Kang Chan shot an enemy right in the forehead, but others fired at him in retaliation. Seok Kang-Ho shot twice where the bullets were coming from.

Motherfuckers! We’ve done this so many times that we got bored of it!

Pew! Pew! Thud! Thud!

Ta-da-da-da-dang! Ta-da-dang! Ta-da-da-da-dang! Pew! Pew! Pew!

Do you really think we’ll let you hide and camouflage yourselves? We’ll be right in front of you before you know it!

Haah. Haah.

Whish!

Pew! Pew! Thud! Thud! Pew! Thud!

These sons of bitches!

If their enemies had seen Kang Chan and his team during live ammo training, they would’ve never approached them like this.

Kang Chan thought that he had gone crazy at first. Time slowed down around him and he could hear others’ breath whenever his nerves were on edge. He experienced it the first time during his second battle—when nine of the twelve members of his unit died and his subordinate’s head exploded next to him, sending blood splattering on Kang Chan’s face.

Kang Chan was the first in the history of the Foreign Legion to become a captain in his third battle and a captain of its special forces in his fifth battle. If he showed no shame when he lost his subordinates, he probably would’ve gained many stars by now.

Kang Chan saw an enemy moving in front of him.

Pew! Thud!

You dare kill my men while I’m still around?

Kang Chan’s senses were far more heightened than when he was in Mongolia, France, and China.

Ta-da-da-dang! Pew! Pew!

A thin spray of blood gushed out from the forehead of the soldier that Kang Chan shot. As if a faucet was turned on, blood also spurted out from the exit wound behind his head.

Pow-pow-pow!

Seok Kang-Ho leaned against the tree in front of him.

Pew! Pew! Pew! Pew! Pew!

Kang Chan shot five times.

If this was a mock battle, there would’ve been five consecutive ‘beeps' from a laptop. Instead, he put a hole in five of the enemies’ foreheads, causing them to collapse to the ground.

Rustle! Pew!

“Argh!”

Pew! Thud!

Kang Chan immediately sent a bullet flying to the forehead of the enemy whose eye Seok Kang-Ho had shot.

Tap tap.

Kang Chan lightly tapped the front part of his gun while hiding behind a rock. When Seok Kang-Ho quickly looked at him, he pointed in a direction with his thumb and turned his fist to the side, ordering Seok Kang-Ho to turn and go down the mountain.

Rustle! Rustle!

Pew! Pew! Pew!

Kang Chan shot down three more soldiers, each one spraying out blood.

You all must be frustrated to death by now. We approach if you stay still and kill you if you try to fight us, but you can’t just watch Seok Kang-Ho get around you either, can you?

People wouldn’t understand the way Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho hunted their prey if they didn’t know how much those two trusted each other. That was why all the enemies could do was wait for death to claim them.

We have been doing this for close to five years, motherfuckers!

So far, Kang Chan had saved Dayeru from certain death three times, and Seok Kang-Ho had stopped Kang Chan from killing the cocky member from the unit next to them more than five times. Only Seok Kang-Ho could do such a feat, considering he was the only one who had felt the same loneliness that Kang Chan did, and he was the only one in the entire world that Kang Chan could depend on.

Pew! Pew! Thud! Thud!

Ta-da-da-da-dang! Pew! Thud!

That’s it! You should at least fight back so we can kill you all faster!

Clank! Clank!

Ta-da-dang! Pew! Pew! Pew! Thud! Thud!

Grinning, Seok Kang-Ho looked at Kang Chan with glinting eyes.

1. The Mil Mi-2 is a small, Soviet-designed multi-purpose helicopter with three rotor blades ☜