A military base in North Carolina that has already become December.
“It’s filthy cold today.”
muttered Andrei, who was smoking a cigarette.
As he said, the temperature was lower than usual today.
In the morning frost had settled down, and even as the sun rose, grains of snow like millet were falling.
It was good to see him shining white in the morning sunlight, but Andrei’s expression when he met those eyes looked bad on the contrary.
He frowned as if he had seen something he couldn’t see.
He didn’t have to sweep and clean the snow like he did during his active duty in the special forces, but he could guess why Andrei was doing that.
Perhaps it has to do with his personal history.
Because December is my son’s birthday.
It was one of the things I heard in many conversations over the past two weeks.
“Did you talk to your son?”
I lucked out carefully.
He has a son born to him through speeding, because his divorced ex-wife took him.
At this, Andrei frowned and shook his head.
“I didn’t.”
“why?”
“Because it sucks to be watched.”
At the end of his words, Andrei lit a bright red flame with a cigarette.
I nodded too.
There was nothing to be controlled because I had no family to talk to, but it was because all calls made here were confirmed and recorded.
It was a natural move since it was a classified base, but Andrei didn’t seem to like it.
Of course, to some extent, I understood.
His personality is also a personality, and it was because he stayed in the detention center for quite a while in the past.
It was because he killed the robber in self-defense, but he said he would have escaped if he hadn’t been acquitted during the retrial.
While nodding his head at the turbulent and complicated life that never appeared in the game, his mouth opened.
“you? Didn’t you say you had relatives?”
“There is, but it must be said that there is not. I never contacted you in the first place.”
“Life must have been as difficult as mine. Being Asian and being an orphan… Was there any racism? This floor wouldn’t have been that warm.”
“Well, even if it was, it wasn’t too bad. Am I getting a little bigger?”
“No, you are too skinny. You’re taller than me, but the weight is the same, right? If you don’t want to hear the sound of the scarecrow, you need to make it thicker.”
“I gained some weight. Now it weighs 90 kilograms.”
“Hey, Scarecrow. I am over 90 kg. I am five centimeters shorter than you.”
“It took me a year to gain 5kg. I didn’t gain as much weight as I thought.”
while chatting like that.
Before I knew it, people wearing various equipment and holding firearms gathered in front of the training ground.
There were dozens of Delta Force and dozens of TF members, but those classifications were meaningless now.
It was because everyone trained hard and persevered.
Now that we are colleagues who have been eating dust together for the past two weeks, our relationship and everything are better than when we first met.
In particular, the training results were good.
Despite the adverse effects of the drop in temperature in December, the time in the process of infiltration and exit was greatly reduced.
Even the steps he took and the way he reached his hands were corrected.
Thanks to that, everything was concise and quick.
However, the record that our team first introduced in mid-November did not change significantly.
It was a difficult number to update from the beginning, and it was physically impossible to dynamically reduce it.
The reduction was only 7 seconds.
The highest record thus created was 2 minutes and 1 second.
It was still the 2nd squad, but I was satisfied.
It was because life and death depended on the difference of 1 second on the battlefield, so it was safe to say that 7 lives were saved in 7 seconds.
In addition, it was nice to be able to help other teams during the reduced time, so it was good to efficiently carry out the entire operation.
As such, other teams have also undergone major changes.
It was greatly reduced from 5 to 6 minutes to 3 to 4 minutes.
There were various reasons such as correcting behavior and reflecting feedback, but the biggest reason was the joining of our team.
I help as much as the remaining time, but the time used to be greatly shortened there.
No matter how well the Delta shot, it was very difficult to pierce the target’s head with a simultaneous detonation.
“I wish you well today.”
A member of the Delta Force approached me before I knew it and spoke to me in a friendly way.
I smiled and accepted his words.
“Yes, let’s do our best.”
So, as they were getting ready to pack their equipment and go into training, Andrei muttered.
“… Then we’ll have to go into the damn refrigerator.”
“Okay, everyone, be careful and don’t get hurt. Especially Lee, you shouldn’t be hit by ricochets, let alone sprained. know?”
As Jose listened, he spoke as if he were asking me.
It was a word that had in mind minor bruises and abrasions that occurred during training.
As much as it moves like a real battle, injuries are bound to occur, especially in this cold weather, because it is more likely to get hurt.
But the most important reason was different.
The fact that today is the last.
The training, which was scheduled for four weeks and was in progress step by step, was suddenly cut in half.
It was scheduled to go to China tomorrow and be put into practice.
I didn’t hear a separate explanation of why this happened, but I could roughly guess why.
change in timing.
There was a possibility that over time it would turn more unfavorably on our side or that now would be the best timing.
However, it was more likely to be the former of the two.
It was because there had been no word so far, and the last training was suddenly notified, and the operation was usually carried out safely.
That means, to put it simply, that it could get worse.
And it was as you guessed.
Immediately after reconfirming the route and completing the training safely to the end, the supervisor gathered them together and informed them of the reason.
“According to new intelligence, there is a high possibility that the target will cross over to Russia.”
“ah… … .”
After a few people let out an annoyed sigh, the overseer continued.
“I know that the upper management is also considering entering Russia, but since the destination of the target is expected to be in the interior of Russia, that method is being considered negatively.”
“Oh… … .”
After the sigh, I also shook my head.
It was because it was almost impossible to escape from the Russian mainland, while the Chinese city of Shenzhen, which was scheduled to enter now, was in contact with Hong Kong, so it was possible to exit in various ways.
It was no different in mainland China.
It was clear to me that it would not be easy to get in or out.
In Russia, it would be better to insert or infiltrate if it was on the coast or in a place bordering with other countries, but inland was shaking its head.
After a while, the supervisor spoke as if encouraging us.
“Currently, we are looking at infiltrating Shenzhen as our best option, so we have to inevitably end our training and infiltrate.”
“Then how about ambush the target while it’s in transit?”
“This is also under consideration, but we haven’t discussed it in detail yet because we don’t have accurate intelligence. There is no information on either the process or means of movement.”
In response to the words of one Delta Force member, the Superintendent responded.
Andrei, frowning, opened his mouth.
“Then let’s get ready to go to the f*cking commies’ lair.”
* * *
Early December in China, Guangdong Province, Shenzhen City.
Around the time when the bright red signboards in Chinese characters of the eight-story and four-story hospitals standing side by side became redder in the evening sun.
On one side of the darkened street, neon signs and lights began to turn on.
“… In reality, it’s even more f*cked up.”
Andrei shook his head, peering through binoculars in a Hong Kong hotel room across the border.
Harry, who was also in the same room, nodded as he picked up the rangefinder and checked it.
“I am of the same opinion.”
“Have you written a will? That red looks like dried blood or hellfire.”
“no. Instead, I write something like a diary.”
“… A diary is a diary, what is a diary?”
Harry’s nonchalant answer prompted Andrei to ask, frowning.
At the same time, Harry, who took his eyes off the rangefinder, answered with a stiff shoulder.
“I’ve never written a diary, but I’ve been writing it steadily ever since I first met my senior. I mainly use it to write down things I learned from my seniors or anecdotes worth recording. I’ve been writing it down since I first met you, and you can use it as a substitute for your will. Meeting with seniors has that value to me.”
“This madman… Hey Lee. Did you know that?”
Andrei asked Kang-tae.
with a wrinkled expression.
Kangtae, who was eating a sandwich, shrugged.
“No, I didn’t know.”
Then he drank the water, and Andrei, who was watching this, burst out laughing.
“You say it casually. Sounds to me like documenting a heroic biography with you… … .”
“I’m just saying that, what can I do?”
“hahahahaha, you can’t handle the fanatics either.”
Andrei laughed for a while.
smart smart
There was a knock.
At the same time, the three of them turned their heads to the door.
“… … !”
Then, I took out the Glock 19 in an instant.
It was like talking about when and eating a sandwich.
He was staring at the door with fierce eyes as if he had been put into action before he knew it.
As time passed, a familiar voice came from outside the door.
– Mr. Mike, the 8 o’clock reservation car is ready.
It was the voice of Philip, the liaison officer, and the content of the words was also one of the previously promised dirty words.
His gaze, which had soon become sharp, went down as if it were dull.
In addition to phone calls, text messages, and e-mails, the implied meaning of voice signals was also positive for the operation.
Before it was too late, Kang Tae’s mouth opened.
“Yes, I understand.”
Then he picked up the sandwich he had dropped while taking out his gun, and Andrei chuckled.
“You must have been nervous too, right?”
“I’m more concerned than nervous. This should be normal… … .”
Kangtae asked for a sandwich again as he answered.
His actions were unconcerned, but he was more concerned with his words.
Even the bullets in Kang-tae’s magazine were 7.62 mm armor-piercing bullets made in Russia, not American ones, and the flash grenade was also from Iran, a hostile country.
Tourniquets and plastic handcuffs were made in Israel.
This was a meticulous preparation by the US, taking into account the loss and capture of equipment.
Even if infiltration was discovered and related items were left at the site, it was to ensure that it would not be identified.
At this, Andrei laughed and muttered.
“Pay attention… … .”
He looked at Kang-tae with a strange face.
He dropped the sandwich and drew his pistol, but he didn’t look really nervous like he said.
I just put a sandwich to draw a gun.
All Kangtae did was move as he was trained and reflexively.
Andrei shook his head.
‘If doing special activities in China is like this, what on earth is this guy supposed to be nervous about? … ?’
He, who risked his life on the battlefield and lived without fear, was also nervous.
However, Kang-tae finished eating the sandwich and was rinsing his mouth with water.
It wasn’t a real operation, but it was like training ahead.