– It is an honor to meet you.
It was the helicopter pilot’s words.
Wearing a lieutenant colonel’s epaulets, he looked back from the cockpit and greeted me.
– Our helicopter is about to take off. We will transport you comfortably and safely to the operation site. Please make sure to wear the belt.
For a moment, imitate the nuances of an airliner pilot as if trying to lighten the mood.
Soon the helicopter took off and the body began to shake.
The intense rotor sound leaked into the headset and made my body tremble, and at the same time, I could clearly feel the power of the aircraft rising and moving.
It’s the helicopter I rode when I came to the aircraft carrier, and even if it wasn’t that, I often rode it, but today I felt strange.
Fortunately, I wasn’t nervous, but miscellaneous thoughts popped into my head.
For example, the ending of Lareple that I knew, the nuclear missile button pressed by Pikal, and even the cinematic video of parts of the earth exploding.
It was obvious why such thoughts came to mind.
Just Pikal.
It was because the opportunity to meet him in person had come.
‘Now you really see… … .’
In the midst of a new feeling, the sound of pongong came from the left and right.
Outside the window, I caught a glimpse of the back of a fighter jet.
I couldn’t see it exactly, but I heard a brief explanation before riding and knew what it was.
The carrier-based F/A-18E Super Hornet.
It was a fighter that would protect us as we moved by helicopter.
And that’s not just one squadron, but one squadron.
Because it was difficult to cover it until after landing, auxiliary personnel to get off with it were also following in another transport helicopter.
Agents from the intelligence agency in black sunglasses and suits, as well as heavily armed Devgrew and Marine Raiders regiments.
Unfortunately, the number was not very large.
All in all, it was at the level of only one platoon of infantry.
So the mission was also limited.
It was to guard the landing site and route, and only our team had access to the operation area.
There was also a desire to push it out with quantity and firepower like the US military, but realistically it was not possible.
It was because the operation area was a private house.
I followed Pikal’s path to make sure he couldn’t attack, but the answer was contrary to my expectations.
– Command confirmed again. As long as the Tango (an abbreviation for target) stays on the path, a move raid is impossible. There’s a good chance he’ll arrive first. I’ll explain a possible preliminary, so check the navigation board.
At that, I unfolded the navigation board installed on the plate carrier, and Jake’s explanation continued.
What to do when detouring or passing through a route.
To put it simply, it was a change in the area of operation, which was also unlikely.
Even in the command center, the main operation was looking at western Pakistan, the border area between Iran and Afghanistan.
To be precise, a small town with a population of 2,400, Asizif.
Unfortunately, it was an unfamiliar place for me.
It was a place that had never been mentioned in Lareple.
Through the information memorized in advance, the environment, such as climate and soil, and the living and floating population were identified.
Yes, I was worried about it.
It was because, like Asisif, he operated in many unknown places, but the situation was very different from that time.
The presence or absence of none other than Pikal.
Pikal was about to appear in Asisif, where we were going straight ahead.
If there was any luck, it was the fact that Pikal’s location was being identified in real time thanks to Pakistan’s cooperation, but that alone did not put my mind at ease.
It was because fanatics who cut off the throats of civilians while spreading dissimilar ideas were not the same.
A human who creates and launches dozens of nuclear missiles and eventually destroys the world.
‘I wish I had something more… … .’
I was hoping for more information or news, but nothing came.
Instead, Jake’s voice was heavy.
– First of all, reconfirm the information you have grasped and prepare.
“All right.”
By the time I answered his words and grasped the data of my personal PDA again.
In the midst of going for a while, aerial refueling took place, and I heard that it was 10 minutes before landing.
After that, Andrei’s voice added.
– It’s f*cking time. damn fast
I nodded my head at the similar words of grumbling.
If it was 10 minutes before arrival, it meant that two hours had passed, but it was because I was not even aware that it had passed.
It was a situation that passed in the blink of an eye.
– Are you nervous, too?
“A little better than before.”
– Probably because of the tango, right? I’ll finally be able to face him… … .
I nodded briefly at Harry’s words, but I heard Jake’s voice from the side.
– Check out the Tango image.
– Wow, you only check this right before the operation. what the hell did it look like… What is this? Are you saying this guy is really a terrorist?
I looked at the screen of the PDA while I could hear Jose’s voice.
Inside were several photographs taken by satellites and unmanned drones and augmented with images.
And Jose had a face that would make him embarrassed.
It was because he gave off the impression of a middle-aged, dignified actor with a sense of weight.
He seemed trustworthy and charismatic.
If it weren’t for some flaws, I would have made him a boss or a leader.
That’s what happened.
‘Hey… It was like this… … .’
There was admiration inside.
It was the first time I had seen it properly like this, because it was more wonderful than I could have imagined.
He was a character whose face was not properly revealed even in Lareple’s game video.
In the first place, he was a character who never appeared in the play video that was played from the main character’s point of view.
A cinematic video, even for a short time in the mid-to-late half, appeared at the end with a shadow on his face, and all he had to do was press the nuclear missile button.
With a look befitting a true black man and final boss.
There was never a single time in a game where his face was so clearly visible in broad daylight.
‘If the washbasin was like this, I’d just buy some, f*ck it… … .’
Cursing came to the fore.
It was because he knew well that not only his face was good, but also his voice.
– It would be nice to see him captured alive and publicly prosecuted. Maybe there will be a fandom.
Andrei said while Rachel’s worried voice added.
– Just thinking about it makes me cringe. I’d rather pull the trigger myself like Hitler before then. What kind of fan is a fan to this f*cker?
“If that’s the case… … .”
I agreed.
If you pull the trigger yourself, you won’t have to do a risky operation.
Then there would be less chance of killing or injuring our team or the people we would travel with.
It was good in many ways, but I had to erase that thought soon.
It was because reality, not imagination, was right in front of us.
– We will be landing soon, so please double check your belt. It was a great honor to meet you. I wish you a safe return.
Just like at departure, I heard the pilot’s words, so I reflexively retracted the bolt and rechecked the chamber.
I also pushed the bottom of the magazine in, and pulled the gun to see the condition of the suspenders.
And I looked at the view beyond the helicopter.
Perhaps it was because I was pretty close to the ground before I knew it, the gray dust wind blew away, and I couldn’t see anything properly.
As a result, the door opened soon after pulling the tactical mask to cover the bridge of the nose.
I was vigilant while quickly raising my gun, and at the same time narrowed my eyes to capture as much information as possible around me.
I had already grasped all the information related to the destination, but I paid more attention because it was different from seeing it with the naked eye.
Fortunately, there was nothing special about it.
everything was even
It was identical to the information I had memorized beforehand, and even if it wasn’t, nothing stood out.
Quite chilly temperatures and low humidity, gray sandy floors, flat terrain and deserted buildings.
Then I felt a familiar feeling.
‘uh… this… … ?’
Only the weather was slightly different due to the season, but the scenery and atmosphere were similar to the places I experienced.
2,000 km from here is the Middle East region, Al Jamash.
It was the town where Lareple’s tutorials started, and where I started the life of Lee Kang-tae.
‘Is it a coincidence?’
A faint laugh circulated in his mouth even while he was wary of his surroundings.
Of course, no answer came to mind.
I couldn’t tell if it was coincidence, fate, or something else.
I wondered if it was going to return to the body of the half-ass who came out of the stomach when it was all over, but there was no time to think about it.
I just had to let it go in the blink of an eye.
Because I was on a mission right now.
Finally, the signal to move forward was transmitted to my thigh.
Tuk-tuk.
Reflexively, my body moved forward and headed toward the abandoned building that was said to have hidden the vehicle.
Then, in the midst of hearing Jake’s voice in his ears.
Soon the hidden vehicle appeared.
This was a very familiar vehicle.
A Toyota pickup truck that was mainly used as a technical (civilian armed vehicle) not only in Al Jamash, but also around the world.
Of course, it was not an illegally modified armed vehicle or a used car used locally.
It was a usable car with a bulletproof function that blocks up to 7.62mm bullets.
In addition to simple vehicle functions, it was a great means of transportation with a little more extra ammunition and grenades.
Before long, Jake’s instructions came down.
“Get on board.”
“Yes, I understand.”
I followed his words and climbed into the vehicle.
With Harry in the driver’s seat, me in the passenger seat and Andrei in the back seat, Jake, Jose, and Rachel climbed into another Toyota pickup truck that was parked side by side.
Other than that, some of the troops who followed us boarded cars and wagons that could be ridden locally.
Then, along with Jake’s command, the start-up sound rang out.
rumble-
Several cars belched out exhaust fumes, and quickly pulled out of the abandoned building and onto a road covered in sand and dust.
rattle.
As the car shook, a familiar sight came into view again.
As expected, he resembled Al Jamash.
Of course, it was an insignificant size compared to Al Jamash, which formed a small city, but the atmosphere it gave off was similar to that time.
The days when I was at a loss as to how to deal with Pikal, and focused only on the situation that came my way.
Suddenly, Harry’s voice was heard.
“This is my first time in Pakistan… It’s like the Middle East here. That dust, that dust wind… … .”
“… I know.”
“Do you remember the old days?”
“A long ago?”
“Al-Zamash. I’ve heard so much. They say that from then on, seniors stood out.”
“It did.”
“Then, thank you again. Just like we cleaned up Al Jamash.”
He tried to lighten the mood by joking around, but he only answered briefly.
“Yeah, you should do well.”
Things were worse than Al Zamash.
It was because there were far fewer tall buildings to snip at, and most of them were low buildings with only one or two floors, so you had to get close.
I had to be extra careful as Pikal could set a trap for me.
The answer I just gave to Harry was rolling in my mouth.
‘… Yes, I should do well.’
I had no choice but to focus on the upcoming operation and react quickly.
In no time, the operation area was revealing itself.
Ashizif is located in the far west of Pakistan, on the border of Iran and Afghanistan.
It was where Pikal was.