Chapter 22

The Battle of Mount Cheonju (3)

That disgraceful bastard who'd been living the easy life at an Armed Forces hospital until a news article exposed him and forced him to enlist again. The bastard who'd become the most widely used meme on the internet in 2028. The influencer bastard most hated by men in their twenties and thirties.

Recently, whenever someone in South Korea said 'that bastard,' they were usually referring to Kang Min-jun.

Although they hadn't said anything, the members of 1st Platoon had felt some anxiety and dissatisfaction when Lieutenant Colonel Choi Pil incorporated Kang Min-jun into the unit.

But once the battle actually began, Kang Min-jun was the one assessing the situation most calmly. He was also the one fearlessly sticking his head out from behind cover to identify the places where the North Korean soldiers were most concentrated.

"W-wasn't that bastard just here to slack off?"

"He's actually living up to his looks, huh?"

"Why don't you ugly bastards live up to your faces too! Just keep an eye on the enemy!"

Bong-tae shouted at the soldiers muttering behind him. Claymore number three, which Kang Min-jun had pointed out, had exploded precisely in the center of the North Korean formation.

But no sooner had the black smoke cleared than the North Korean soldiers resumed firing. They abandoned their attempt to rush the defensive position and instead took cover along the lower slope and behind rocks, trying to engage in a firefight.

Ratatatat—!

Rat-tat! Rat-tat!

"Take cover!"

"Don't stick your heads out! Keep your whole bodies covered and only expose yourselves when you shoot!"

Bullets tore entire chunks of bark from trees and ricocheted off rocks, scattering in every direction.

Keeping his body low, Bong-tae scanned the North Korean formation. Then he spotted a North Korean soldier carrying equipment slightly different from that of the ordinary soldiers.

Two long antennas protruded above his backpack. He was obviously a communications operator.

Their defensive position had been hastily established just below the mountain's summit. There were no camouflage nets and no trenches to hide in. Fortunately, there were plenty of trees and rocks, making it possible to withstand gunfire from the front. But if their position was pinpointed and artillery shells started falling from above, the situation would change completely.

What if that bastard obtained their coordinates and requested fire support?

Artillery shells could land here in less than a minute. For North Korean artillery positioned north of Pocheon, this wouldn't be a particularly difficult target.

Bong-tae watched the North Korean communications operator. The bastard was hiding behind a rock, fiddling with his radio.

"Song Min-jae!"

"Y-yes!"

Bong-tae sprinted over and slid to a stop beside Song Min-jae. He pointed toward the North Korean soldier he suspected was a communications operator. Only the man's head was slightly visible behind the rock.

"See that bastard over there? The one with Piccolo's antennas sticking out of his back!"

"Ah! Yes! I see him!"

"Only aim for the bastards wearing shoulder insignia and the ones carrying something on their backs!"

"Yes, sir!"

Song Min-jae met Bong-tae's eyes and nodded. Bong-tae was about to return to his position when he noticed Song Min-jae's rifle. It was a K2C1, but every accessory intended to assist with shooting had been removed.

"Hey, why'd you take all this stuff off?"

"Well···. It was too uncomfortable."

Song Min-jae, who had been the quietest new recruit in Headquarters Company, had one particular complaint.

Having competed in air rifle shooting until high school, he believed a gun should be as simple as possible. A barrel, front sight, rear sight, and trigger were all a gun needed.

The vertical foregrip that the unit strongly recommended attaching was especially unbearable. It forced his wrist into an awkward angle whenever he fired.

Song Min-jae had wanted to remove it, but he'd only recently joined the unit, and his naturally timid personality had prevented him from even bringing it up.

And today. Before departing, Song Min-jae had removed that detestable vertical foregrip. His aim had become sharp enough to accurately hit a 500-won coin from meters away.

BAAANG—!

BAAANG—!

"That's it."

"W-what's it?"

"Now I can shoot properly."

"You were already a good shot!"

Without hesitation, Song Min-jae pulled the trigger repeatedly. The head of the North Korean communications operator, who had just taken out his radio, snapped backward as a bullet struck his forehead.

Another North Korean soldier who had slightly exposed himself from behind cover to throw a grenade was also struck without fail by Song Min-jae's bullet.

BAAANG—!

The North Korean soldier's upper body jerked backward. The grenade slipped from his hand, rolled down the slope, and exploded somewhere completely unintended.

KABOOOOOM—!

After witnessing Song Min-jae's almost supernatural shooting, Bong-tae decided there was no longer any need to give the bastard advice and returned to his position.

Ratatat—! Ratatat—!

"Platoon Leader! Number four! There are lots of enemies near number four!"

"Sergeant Kim! I think my barrel's caught fire! Fuck!"

"Should we throw grenades?"

Bong-tae felt his head throbbing. He was only commanding twelve soldiers, yet there was so much to do.

If he was this busy, how on earth was Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je managing to command more than twice as many men in 1st Platoon?

"Fuck! Am I your mother? Figure it out yourselves!"

Ratatat—! Ratatat—! Rat-tat—!

The North Korean soldiers advancing from below the forest road remained hidden behind cover and refused to emerge. The members of the 33rd Battalion pressed their advantage and poured fire onto them.

"They're not coming out?"

"Keep shooting! Don't even let them show their faces!"

Vroooooom—

At that moment, a North Korean vehicle entered the forest road in an attempt to break the stalemate. They realized that dragging things out any longer would put them at an overwhelming disadvantage.

"Vehicle!"

"It's got a machine gun! Watch out!"

A machine gun capable of pouring out 7.62mm rounds was mounted on top of the vehicle. The 1st and 2nd Platoons simultaneously opened fire on it.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

But the bullets couldn't penetrate its thick body. Sparks flew as harsh metallic impacts rang out. Without slowing down, the vehicle became a shield for the North Korean soldiers behind it on the forest road.

Drrrrrrrrat—! Drrrrrrat—!

The vehicle's machine gun opened fire. Heavy bullets erupted from its barrel and rained down on the 33rd Battalion.

The soldiers hurriedly ducked. A large boulder shielding several members of 2nd Platoon was struck by a stream of bullets and split in half.

"Fuuuuuck!"

"Get down! I said get down!"

"Don't shoot at the vehicle! Hold your positions!"

Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je darted out from behind cover like an arrow. Perhaps because he wore a black combat uniform, he looked almost like a leopard.

"Staff Sergeant Kim!"

In his hands as he ran down toward the forest road was not his usual HK416, but a weapon of a type they had never seen before.

A short, thick barrel and a large revolving cylinder. Lee Jin-gu's eyes widened the moment he saw it.

"Grenade launcher!"

M32 MGL. Multiple Grenade Launcher.

The revolving cylinder containing six 40mm grenades rotated smoothly in rhythm with Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je's trigger pulls.

Thump! Thump!

KABOOOM—!

The first grenade exploded against the front of the vehicle. The windows covering the driver's and passenger's seats shattered instantly, and the fragments tore the bodies of the North Korean soldiers inside to pieces.

KABOOM—!

The second grenade exploded beneath the vehicle. Its heavy body lifted slightly into the air. Fierce flames erupted inside.

The machine gunner desperately tried to pull himself out, but a bullet fired by the 33rd Battalion struck his head, sending him tumbling down.

Having destroyed an entire vehicle with just two shots, Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je threw a grenade toward the North Korean soldiers hiding behind it on the forest road.

"G-grenade!"

"Get down!"

"Scatter! Gaaaaagh!"

As the North Korean soldiers turned their backs and fled, Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je raised his rifle and calmly fired aimed shots.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

They had to avoid the sparks constantly bursting from the burning vehicle, escape the blast radius of the grenade that had landed at their feet, and dodge Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je's bullets.

Doing all three simultaneously would have been impossible even with the goddess of fortune on their side.

There had been at least two squads of North Korean soldiers behind the vehicle, but now, because of Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je alone, they had become nothing more than helpless plastic targets.

Lee Jin-gu, who was watching Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je from near the defensive position, stood with his mouth hanging open.

"Whoa, fuck···."

"Don't just stand there gawking! Give him covering fire!"

"Yes! Yes!"

The initiative in the battle had already shifted completely to their side.

Bong-tae's impulsive actions might catch his opponents off guard, but they were still reckless gambles. Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je's assault, on the other hand, was genuine tactical maneuvering worthy of appearing in a special warfare textbook.

The hundred North Korean soldiers had somehow fallen silent. They abandoned their attempt to enter the forest road. The remaining troops waiting at the foot of the mountain turned around and retreated downhill.

"They're retreating!"

"Don't shoot! They're too far away! Save your ammunition!"

A sudden silence descended over the mountain. The forest road, which moments earlier had been filled with gunfire, explosions, and screams, grew quiet.

Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je returned to the defensive position, wiping the sweat from his chin.

"That's fucking insane."

"So that's what twenty years of special forces experience looks like···."

"Fuck···. Even if I wanted to learn from watching him, I couldn't."

The soldiers muttered among themselves, their faces still flushed with excitement. It was understandable. He had single-handedly reversed a situation that could easily have turned against them.

But Kim Hong-je seemed to regard it as only a small victory. He called Bong-tae over and gave him instructions in a low voice.

"Bong-tae."

"Yes, Staff Sergeant."

"Have everyone maintain their vigilance. Check for wounded personnel, and count the remaining ammunition and grenades. Report back to me."

"Yes. Understood."

Bong-tae ran over to the members of 2nd Platoon. Their faces were already glistening with sweat after the brief but intense battle. Bong-tae shouted loudly.

"Hey! Anyone wounded?"

"Everyone's fine over here!"

"No one, sir!"

Just then, Lee Jin-gu, who was standing beside Hwang Gi-tae, suddenly shouted in alarm.

"Uh, huh? Sergeant Hwang! Your neck's bleeding!"

"What···?"

Hwang Gi-tae casually touched his neck. Sticky blood stained his palm. His eyes widened.

"What the fuck···. When did I get hit?"

"Did you get shot? Are you okay?"

Lee Jin-gu grabbed Hwang Gi-tae's shoulder with a worried expression. Hwang Gi-tae grinned and pushed Jin-gu's face away.

"I'm fine. Don't overreact. It just grazed me."

"W-wait a moment. Let me take a look."

Kang Min-jun hurried over. He examined Hwang Gi-tae's wound, taking a pair of disposable medical gloves from his pocket and putting them on.

"What's with the gloves now?"

"I carry them just in case···. The wound isn't deep. No blood vessels were damaged either."

He took out the medic's first-aid pouch attached to his waist, soaked some gauze with antiseptic, and carefully cleaned around the wound.

"Where'd you get that, too? You're not a medic."

"Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je got it for me."

"He brings us weapons, brings us first-aid kits, and flies around the battlefield like that···. Isn't he a monster?"

"I'm not a monster."

Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je suddenly appeared behind them. Startled, Kang Min-jun accidentally touched Hwang Gi-tae's wound.

"Ouch!"

"Fortunately, you weren't badly hurt."

"Y-yes."

"No one in 1st Platoon was wounded either. We were lucky."

Bong-tae looked at the North Korean corpses scattered across the forest road and spoke.

"They'll come back, won't they?"

"Yes. That was only their advance party."

Bong-tae turned back toward 2nd Platoon.

"Hey! Check your ammunition! Make sure the twelve of us have roughly equal amounts."

"I-I have about five magazines left!"

"I've got about that much too!"

"I-I only have ninety rounds left!"

On average, each member of 2nd Platoon had used three or four magazines in the engagement. Bong-tae had fired the fewest shots of anyone in the platoon. He'd been so busy running here and there, issuing instructions and giving orders, that he'd barely had time to shoot.

Before being put in charge of a platoon, he'd vaguely assumed he could just keep doing things the way he had yesterday. That had been a complete miscalculation.

"Ah!"

Suddenly remembering something, Bong-tae spoke to Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je. Among the North Korean soldiers Song Min-jae had shot and killed, there had definitely been a communications operator. Before collapsing, the bastard had raised his radio to his face.

"Staff Sergeant Kim! Those North Korean soldiers were using radios. Would it help us if we brought one back?"

"We already captured several when we were with the 3rd Division and sent them to the rear. We'll probably get an answer soon."

"Ah, I see."

"Yes. They'll be busy enough to pull their hair out back there too."

At that moment, Lee Hwan, who had been drinking from his canteen, suddenly pricked up his ears. He had heard the engine noise of another vehicle approaching their position.

"They're coming! I hear a vehicle!"

"Everyone, back to your previous positions!"

It hadn't even been thirty minutes since the 7th Corps had decided to advance.

"Today is going to be fucking long···."

Bong-tae tossed two spare magazines in front of Song Min-jae and sighed.

© Jungle Pocket#22844

Author's Note

Thank you for reading!