The clothes had long since been eroded by the cold.
The sweat-soaked fibers froze hard, and in the process of moving, they rubbed against the skin to the point of creating scars.
In particular, the condition of the inner thigh was the worst.
It was a few hours ago that it stung every time I moved, but now I was bleeding beyond the soreness.
Even with a disposable dressing bandage attached, it wasn’t very good.
That said, it wasn’t that the other parts that didn’t bleed were fine.
Pain was no different.
It was because of constant exposure to the cold and wind of Moscow.
In particular, the extremities such as the nose, chin, fingertips, and toes were freezing due to the continued temperature drop.
It was not an analogy.
As if paralyzed, the sense of touch had become dull.
And that wasn’t all.
flinch.
I felt a sharp pain in the knuckles of my gloved fingers resting on the trigger guard.
It’s like an awl has been stuck.
And this was something I had experienced a long time ago, and it was a symptom I knew well because I studied before being put in.
frostbite.
Fortunately, the symptoms did not last long, and frostbite had just begun, but this was not something to be taken lightly.
This was because, from now on, there is a high possibility of tissue necrosis if proper measures are not taken.
If severe, it could be amputated.
If this condition persists and things go wrong, life could be in danger.
Of course, I hadn’t been prepared for death since I was put into operation, but I didn’t know that the cold would make me consider life.
Even if you die from bullets or bombs.
As a result, there was a risk of bleeding and frostbite, but the most serious was the other.
my two legs.
“Whoa… … .”
Just thinking about it made me sigh.
From the soles of the feet to the ankles, calves, knees, thighs, and hip joints, all body parts used for movement were under tremendous load.
It was swollen to the point of swelling, the flesh was swollen as it repeatedly went from hot to cold, each joint was more than throbbing and painful as if it had been shot.
really the worst.
It was on a level I had never experienced before, but it wasn’t unexpected.
The distance of 270 km was covered in only 17 hours.
I slept for two hours, and took a rest for the remaining hour, so the pure travel time was 14 hours.
In other words, he continued to maintain the speed of a marathon runner running 20 km per hour.
It didn’t make sense to be fine.
Thanks to the characteristic of super physical strength, the body recovers quickly and resists abnormal conditions, but that doesn’t mean that joints and muscles are invincible.
The moment I endured the rising pain, I heard a radio as if I had waited.
– Alpha, this is a hotel. Currently, the decrease in basal body temperature and the increase in blood pressure on the Alpha side continue for a long time, so please respond after checking for poor contact with the device or damage.
At that, I lowered my gaze to the smart watch I was wearing on my wrist.
Unlike the ordinary design, it was military tactical equipment that could collect various vital signs including my location.
It was something I had received while doing a physical examination at the diplomatic mission, and the upper management was figuring out my location and condition with it.
There was an error in the location of the dog, so they were calling the coordinates, but there was nothing wrong with the vital signs.
would have been reflected.
He responded by taking a step forward.
“Hotel, this is Alpha. The machine is fine.”
– … Alpha? Very poor physical vital signs. Deliver the detailed coordinates of your current location, wait for a while, and rest.
Instead of answering the word to rest, I asked right away.
“What is the distance from the enemy?”
It was the most important thing to me.
I didn’t even want to sit down, let alone dig a beat to rest.
Because the enemy was chasing me.
To be precise, some of Pikal’s enlisted men found my traces about 100 km away from the starting point, and based on that, they were tracking me.
It hadn’t caught up to my back yet, but that didn’t make it safe.
It was because I greatly expanded the search range as if I realized that my movement speed was not normal.
If more Russian soldiers or enlisted soldiers were added to my route, the odds of being discovered would increase exponentially.
They’ll probably engage first before escaping.
Before I could think further, the answer came back from the superior.
– 20 miles (approximately 33 km) in the southeast direction from your current location.
At that, I reflexively looked back to the southeast, but there was nothing to see.
The distance is also a distance, but it was thanks to the sun setting.
Sunset time is 16:01.
It would have been a bright afternoon in Korea, but since it was winter in Moscow, it was getting dark everywhere.
It was already a black night in the east where the sun had passed.
Simply put, tracking has become difficult.
The enemy also uses thermal imaging equipment, but even the military satellites couldn’t see me because of the heat-reflective cloth they wore.
In addition, the amount of snow that had fallen since the morning was quite large, so it covered the footprints and traces that had passed, and even the smell of body and blood that was shed little by little was covered, so it wasn’t bad.
In addition, because the sunrise was late and the sunset was early, it was advantageous for infiltration and exit.
It was a good day for operations as long as the body was in good shape.
However, I couldn’t hide or rest because my body was uncomfortable.
I had to move on.
Although 33 km is not a short distance, this was because it was quickly caught up when moving by car.
Above all, I had to exceed the enemy’s expectations.
That said, I had only one answer.
“A little more… I will move.”
It was time to take a breath and move my heavy, sore feet.
– Alpha, radio wind when unable to move. We’ll ship right away.
“… … ?!”
I flinched at Harry’s unexpected voice and reflexively checked the time.
December 24, 18:07.
Our operation team shouldn’t have been left now.
Everyone on the team except me had decided to get out of Russia by car.
Harry asked reflexively.
“Haven’t you gone yet?!”
As I got stronger at the end of my words, I heard Harry’s voice as if he was trying to comfort me.
– Wow, no. Went and came back, safely on the new route.
“Are you going to pick me up?”
– It’s a little different. It came out of nowhere.
“Who is to judge? Top?”
– No, of course it’s Charlie.
Charlie only nodded, as it was an obscene language for Jake.
As far as tactical judgment and commanding ability, he was the person I trusted the most, so there was nothing to talk about.
His decision was respectable.
Although they are bound by friendship thicker than blood, he was not the kind of person to make a light decision based on that alone.
It would have been prepared in a range that was sufficiently movable and practicable.
The answer came back as I expected.
– We have arrived near the new rendezvous and are currently on alert, so request assistance at any time. I’ll do anything.
I laughed out loud at that.
It made me feel better just by knowing that all of my colleagues who I thought had left were waiting at the new rendezvous point.
Perhaps it was a very difficult situation, so my emotions reacted easily.
As I tried to answer, Harry’s voice continued.
– Alpha, we will prepare necessary first aid upon request, so please let us know what you need.
“It is necessary… … .”
I asked briefly to look down at the lower body, which was difficult to answer.
“Do you have a stretcher?”
– I have it, but… Has it gotten that bad… … ?
Harry paused and asked.
A hint of concern was evident in his voice.
Perhaps he realized the seriousness of my condition.
I was probably surprised too.
In training and operating with him, I never once asked if a stretcher was ready.
I answered this briefly.
“Not yet.”
I had a chimney wanting to be carried on a stretcher right away, but I didn’t need it until I got there.
So it didn’t work.
Because I was the only one who could travel the remaining 80 km to the rendezvous point at high speed, exceeding the enemy’s expectations.
Just as complete darkness had fallen, the snowfall was getting stronger.
It was difficult to track.
Of course, it was difficult for me to move as well, but I was better than those who followed.
It would be enough for me to move to my destination, but they had to search while moving.
He spoke briefly and took a step.
“See you later.”
* * *
GRU (Russian Intelligence Service) duty control room around midnight.
“Where did the vigilance report I left here go?!”
“Get the vehicle access record! Check the vehicle that just entered the scene!”
“What the f*ck, what are you doing not blocking personal calls in the operation area? Who posted pictures on the internet?! Find it now!”
Amid shouting and swearing under the guise of orders, the situation officer, who was holding onto the phone, was shaking the most since being commissioned.
It wasn’t just because the inside was more noisy than usual.
There were a lot of people from related ministries who came and went, most of whom were higher than situation officers, and even the presidential secretary’s office was visited by a high-ranking official in a suit.
There was too much to do there.
As a situation officer, he had to take care of all kinds of information, such as first receiving various intelligence, reporting or transferring it to the upper level, contacting troops near the border to find out the current situation, and so on.
In addition, his hands were exhausted from following the instructions of an unknown superior.
However, the Situation Officer did not lament or get annoyed.
All I could do was get nervous and tremble.
This is the result of his personality, loyalty to his superiors, and patriotism, but the most important thing was different.
The current situation he hears and knows.
This was beyond belief, it was an impossible story.
It was said that there was only one person who shot dozens of people at once, and that one person covered 100km in just a few hours.
But it was not an unbelievable story.
Not only did high-ranking officials from related ministries come here for no reason, but the situation officer, who had been on duty until morning, was taken away by the superiors.
I heard that he still couldn’t sleep, and he was writing various reports requested by the upper level.
Perhaps he, the current situation officer, will also be dragged away.
While I was getting more nervous and trembling at that thought, just in time, a call came in from a nearby guard unit.
as well as an emergency net.
“… … !”
The situation officer, who was contacting another unit, hung up the receiver and hurriedly answered the incoming call.
And then again, I heard something unbelievable.
– Discovery of behemoth, behemoth… ah! A helicopter just… Two unknown helicopters are invading after menstruation! The direction is from northwest to northeast, the altitude is… … .
“… … .”
The situation officer’s lips moved at the words that followed, but no words came out.
Since the first sniping, nonsense has continued to occur, as now enemy helicopters have crossed the Russian border.
But that time is short-lived.
The circumstance officer flinched as the shouts came flying.
It was different from the loud talk heard in the office.
Although it was an abusive language, it was because he had correctly pointed out the situation officer and mentioned an important report that had just come in.
“Sound the siren, you bastard! Enemy helicopters have infiltrated! What are you doing without broadcasting?!”
“Ahh! yes!”
The situation officer responded belatedly, and by the time he moved.
High-ranking officials also received calls at the same time.
There were calls to report or respond to enemy helicopters crossing the Russian border, but one or two of them received other reports.
Kang-tae, an Asian who was a suspect who infiltrated as far as Moscow, and whom Pikal had issued a wanted order, was witnessed.
Those who heard the news rolled their eyes.
This was because the location was at least 350 km away from the location of the first sniping.
that just a day ago.
The same thing happened to the situation officer’s ears.
That behemoth is the wanted person, Kang Tae.
The disbelievable news made the situation officer’s lips quiver.
“Oh God… … .”