Chapter 21 · 8 min

Chapter 21

Yi-hyeon was now inside the jungle of Papua New Guinea where heavy rain was pouring. An island country right below the equator. Though called an island the area of Papua New Guinea occupying half of this New Guinea island exceeds 460,000 square kilometers more than twice the Korean Peninsula.

Unlike chilly Korea where autumn has started this place is tropical rainforest. He has come out on operation together with the US military in this harsh jungle.

Though absurd Yi-hyeon was receiving rain in the swamp of the jungle like this due to General Jimmy Kruger’s childish retaliation. Now he does not even get angry. Military life has somehow entered the third year and when next summer comes he will be discharged.

Not long ago he was also promoted to sergeant. But what is that?

Whether the medal the US military gave had some effect he was promoted a little faster than others. But to Yi-hyeon it has almost no meaning. A junior also entered below but that does not make himself comfortable either.

The special forces organization is different from ordinary soldiers so when the specialty is decided there are many people who serve more than 15 years from sergeant to master sergeant with one specialty, intelligence/operations, demolition, firearms, communications···.

So even if a junior enters if oneself is communications specialty it is the same that one still runs holding communications equipment. Of course 707 has a slightly different specialty concept so all team members run as multi players. Even if oneself is firearms specialty one has to know communications and medical etc. too.

So when the Delta team leader said to take charge of intelligence/operations in this operation he just let it be. Beside still half of the Delta agents are crawling. Because a little while ago he informed that he was getting close to the destination.

Unlike the tense Delta the actual Yi-hyeon is not crawling tightly prone in water puddles like Delta. He is just lowering his posture a little and walking gradually.

Sure enough, soon the receiver of the helmet rings.

“Sergeant! Lower your posture.”

Aigoo! That guy’s nagging.

Delta’s team leader Hesse shouted almost in a low but forced voice that sounded more urgent, but Yi-hyeon inwardly sneered. He calls him sergeant but in English just Sergeant. Originally it should be called Sergeant First Class which is the US military rank name but in actual units there is no one who calls like that. As long as it is not an official place.

That person also has not been long since becoming Delta team leader so full of spirit. He who is a typical African-descended black man unlike his rough appearance boasted around that he was ROTC graduate and went through Green Beret and even mastered Ranger training. Whether he did or not Yi-hyeon did not pay much attention, but looking now he is considerably prickly and chicken-hearted.

Is this the third time? The operation run together with that team leader Hesse whose name alone is cool. During those three operations whether luck was good there was no rough situation of directly encountering the enemy and spraying guns. But this time the atmosphere is different.

It is an incident where big shots of oil majors ConocoPhillips and Total were abducted so it rode the media worldwide. Though a hostage rescue operation it became an extremely burdensome operation even for Delta.

Already the media made a big fuss, so such an operation if done well is break-even and if the abducted persons die by mistake one immediately gets dragged around. Precisely the entire Delta.

* * *

The incident happened 3 weeks ago.

Last summer it became known that there was a possibility of large-scale oil deposits in this Papua New Guinea which was nothing special in the tropical rainforest. Naturally oil majors worldwide rushed with eyes blazing, and after fierce competition the consortium of America’s ConocoPhillips and France’s Total obtained preferential negotiation rights for the block.

Though called preferential negotiation rights this is considerably exclusive rights so if large amounts of oil come out from that block ConocoPhillips and Total will hit a jackpot. With the world’s oil resources drying up now the oil of this poor country Papua New Guinea could not help but have all majors eyeing it.

And the relatively relaxed ConocoPhillips and Total seeing it as fully ripened rice decided to send vice president level big shots from each headquarters to make a definitive contract with the Papua New Guinea government. That was one month ago.

But at the point ahead of the main contract suddenly an incident occurred where executives of ConocoPhillips and Total were abducted in the middle of the capital Port Moresby. The number of personnel dragged by the abductors was. They were all vice president level executives responsible for each business division of ConocoPhillips and Total.

Well, big shots of this level were abducted in broad daylight, so the matter grew big.

The abductors who revealed themselves as ‘Hope of Indonesia’ demanded ransom for the hostages and that amount was a full 30 million US dollars. It was 10 million dollars per person.

The organization that revealed itself as Hope of Indonesia was an armed faction that for the past few years claimed independence of the west of New Guinea island from Indonesia. Of course one has to confirm whether these guys are those guys.

The leadership of both companies that judged it was not a problem to resolve clumsily by negotiation immediately requested resolution from their own country’s government, and after consultation between the US and France it was decided that the US military’s Delta would step forward.

Judging that Delta would be useful because the place the abductors hid was the dense jungle of Papua New Guinea. Externally the strategy of dragging time pretending to negotiate and Delta striking when the abductors are careless.

So the decided operation name is Save New Guinea!

* * *

Delta’s leadership was tense. Because they know that if such an operation that not only the US and France but the whole world is watching fails it will not end with one or two people taking off clothes.

In the midst of this Team Leader Hesse actually deployed to the site was in a feeling of blood drying from tension. Himself and the team members are all nerves on edge, but that young guy from Korea from the first expression was a pathetic indifferent appearance and even after entering the operation site is that shape.

Who on earth called a bastard like that?

Team Leader Hesse gritted his teeth inwardly. According to the rumor he heard there was no failure among the operations that guy participated in so they called him in this operation too. But he thought that would be because that guy’s luck was good.

This would be the third time operating with that guy but he has not properly seen that guy shooting guns and running so far. Because before such close combat occurred it was somehow resolved luckily.

When a squall passed, the day becomes humid and hot enough that even breathing is hard, moreover these mosquitoes and flying insects have no countermeasure. Everyone applied a lot of mosquito repellent cream but it is not very useful. Now not much time left until the sun sets so one has to hurry.

When the sun sets one cannot wander the jungle. The dark jungle becomes not the domain of humans but the paradise of beasts and poisonous snakes and insects.

Team Leader Hesse called Yi-hyeon once more.

“Sergeant, is this way correct?”

There is a map made by satellite on the coordinates the satellite took, but entering such a jungle it is all useless. Even looking at the surrounding mountain terrain it is covered with dense forest so it looks the same and one cannot be sure. Catching direction only with the sun setting and walking, the lead naturally Yi-hyeon stood.

Because headquarters confirmed that for various reasons no one can follow in catching direction in such rough terrain. Still the worrying cannot be helped.

“Correct, Hesse. Not even 500 meters left ahead.”

Words Yi-hyeon says while roughly cutting tree branches and tough grasses obstructing the path in the jungle road at the lead.

If 500m it is almost as if all arrived. The team members’ tension began to rise to the maximum.

Then,

Yi-hyeon tensed and lowered his posture. When he signaled everyone silenced and stopped.

“Someone is making a fire at a point about 100 meters ahead.”

At Yi-hyeon’s words everyone including the team leader was engulfed in suspicion.

In this harsh jungle one can know that a fire is being made 100 meters ahead? It is still daytime so the firelight is not visible and smoke was not seen either?

When Yi-hyeon turned back, all team members had similar expressions so he additionally explained.

“Wind is blowing from the front. It is the smell of burning leaves and branches wet with humidity. The smoke is scattered moderately through the dense trees so one cannot see it. They did not make the fire large.”

Knew because wind was blowing from the front? Then, you smelled the smell?

Hesse was dumbfounded, but now there is no particular countermeasure. Anyway it is talk that someone is there. On the way going to that place where the abductors are.

Yi-hyeon who turned to the team members sighed inwardly. The team Hesse leads has changed a few personnel in the meantime and is this shape. Veterans dropped out and newcomers filled that place but they still lack level.

Hesse could not endure and asked Yi-hyeon.

“Look, Sergeant. Do you smell even smoke coming from 100 meters away?”

Lacking team members the team leader also lacks. Even now looking with a sullen expression Yi-hyeon became frustrated.

If so in the end he has no choice but to step forward himself. In this operation he was supposed to take only reconnaissance and guidance, but having to step forward directly like this.

“I will go and resolve it. If they are abductors I will take care of them. Though looking at making a fire they do not seem like them.”

“Good.”

Hesse nodded and shortly approved.

Since the person who found out the fact that someone is making a fire ahead is him there is no way there is other opinion.

In fact Hesse is still uncertain. Because he said he smelled the smell coming from 100 meters away and it was not believable at all.

That guy is not even a shepherd dog.

Anyway since he is so confident it is a matter of him going and seeing directly. Then if some dangerous thing happens that yellow monkey will suffer, and if it is not that someone made a fire··· this bastard, just wait.