Chapter 46

Change of Mission

"···."

Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je, who was looking down from the riverbank, was also considerably shaken. However, his expression remained unchanged.

He couldn't let the battalion members see even the slightest sign of unease. While everyone remained silent, Bong-tae's and Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je's radios sounded simultaneously.

- This is the Military Police. Please confirm whether there are any threats nearby.

- The area near the bridge is quiet. Proceed as planned. Out.

Immediately after Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je replied over the radio, the sound of vehicles came from the opposite bank of Wangsuk Stream.

Vroooom—

Three two-and-a-half-ton trucks and one infantry fighting vehicle crossed the bridge and approached. Two of the trucks were empty, while the third was packed with troops.

The 33rd Battalion considered the moment the vehicles arrived to be the most dangerous. First Platoon watched the surroundings from above the riverbank, while Second Platoon maintained security below. Fortunately, the area remained quiet.

Military police officers and escort troops quickly dismounted from the vehicles. The military police immediately ran toward 2nd Platoon.

Captain Han Myeong-jo of the Military Police, whom Bong-tae had met yesterday, climbed out of the infantry fighting vehicle. Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je greeted him with a slight nod. Bong-tae didn't salute either.

Exchanging salutes in a combat zone was strictly forbidden. Unless, of course, they wanted to inform the North Korean soldiers who their superior officers were so they could kill them first.

Captain Han Myeong-jo smiled broadly at Bong-tae. Bong-tae thought, as always, that Captain Han didn't look like someone who belonged in the middle of a battlefield. He gave a wry smile and dipped his chin slightly.

"You're working hard out here."

"Not at all, sir."

"Our Sergeant Kim has brought us another treasure. An entire bundle this time."

Captain Han Myeong-jo gazed at the prisoners as though he were looking at a sumptuous feast. Bong-tae tilted his head slightly.

"Well···. Are prisoners really that useful? They're all privates, sir."

"Haha! Of course they're useful. Incredibly useful."

"They said they didn't want to tell us anything···."

"Naturally, that's how they feel now. But give them a little time, and their minds will change."

"···Are you going to torture them?"

Bong-tae spoke quietly enough that only Captain Han Myeong-jo could hear. The captain covered his mouth and laughed.

"Haha! What century do you think we're living in? Who gets people talking through torture these days? Besides, the Republic of Korea doesn't inflict physical harm on prisoners. Probably."

"Then···. How do you get information out of them?"

The military police soldiers and NCOs began the prisoner transfer procedures. They removed the belts the 33rd Battalion had used to bind the prisoners' hands and securely restrained them with the ropes they'd brought.

Several North Korean soldiers whose injuries prevented them from climbing into the trucks received basic first aid before being carried on stretchers into the rear of the infantry fighting vehicle. Everything was done under the strict supervision of the military police and infantrymen.

"North Korean soldiers are young men just like us."

"That's true, sir."

"Three things are all it takes."

"Three things, sir?"

Captain Han Myeong-jo held up three fingers. He folded them down one by one before Bong-tae's eyes.

"Safety. A definite reward for the information they provide. And a secure way to reconnect with their families remaining in the North after the war."

"Oh···. That sounds convincing."

"Not all the information they provide will be useful, but right now, even the smallest detail could help."

Captain Han Myeong-jo leaned slightly toward Bong-tae.

"Oh, right. And everyone, if by some very small chance you find yourselves captured by the North Korean Army···."

"···Yes, sir."

Bong-tae grew slightly tense at Captain Han Myeong-jo's words. It wasn't something he'd never considered. It was entirely possible.

The most important thing was to avoid being captured in the first place, but he also thought it was something he shouldn't remain completely ignorant about. What advice would a Military Police officer give on how to behave if taken prisoner?

"Just tell them everything you know."

"···Sir?"

"Whatever information you people know isn't going to be anything particularly important anyway. Don't get yourselves broken trying to hold out because of patriotism or loyalty. You can lie to them, too. Whatever."

"···Sir?"

Hearing a Military Police officer say something like that was a little absurd, but it also sounded strangely realistic, so Bong-tae nodded.

Captain Han Myeong-jo raised his voice toward the military police.

"Move a little faster! Are you planning to advertise to the North Korean Army that we've captured their men?"

"Yes, sir! Understood!"

As the prisoners began climbing into the trucks one by one, the members of the 33rd Battalion finally breathed a sigh of relief. Bong-tae suggested to Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je that they take a short rest. Kim Hong-je approved.

"Hey, leave just two sentries on watch! Everyone else, sit down where you are and rest a little!"

"I'll take watch."

"Me too."

"Okay."

The corporals of 2nd Platoon volunteered for guard duty. They were Kim Se-jin and Lee Hwan. Two soldiers from 1st Platoon also stood watch above the riverbank.

The members of the 33rd Battalion dropped onto the ground. The breeze blowing from the stream quickly cooled the sweat on their bodies. Some drank from their canteens, while others ate energy bars or chocolate they'd kept in their combat vests.

"Phew···."

"Are we finally done?"

"The sun's only just come up. Feels like something else is going to happen···."

"Do you have to jinx it?"

Although they hadn't searched every single building, they had eliminated the main concentration of North Korean troops they'd initially discovered. Everyone thought their search operations would at least be somewhat safer in the afternoon.

There had been no enemy attack when they captured the prisoners, and the journey back here had been quiet. Even during the handover, the enemy's final opportunity to rescue the prisoners, not a single shot had been fired.

For that reason, most of the 33rd Battalion began believing that the Toegyewon-eup area had been secured to some extent. They thought the North Korean forces had already withdrawn, or that organized resistance had at least ended.

But a radio transmission soon arrived that shattered the 33rd Battalion's hopes.

- Beep.

- Report your unit's location.

It was Choi Pil's voice. Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je picked up his radio and replied.

- At the operational deployment position. Currently transferring prisoners.

- Well done. Effective immediately, the 33rd Battalion's mission is changed. A friendly helicopter has crashed at a location four kilometers northwest of your current position.

Bong-tae whipped his head around to look at Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je. Kim Hong-je's expression rapidly hardened.

- Aircraft type is AH-64E. While returning to Pocheon, it was attacked by a drone, damaging its tail rotor assembly and forcing an emergency landing.

Choi Pil's radio transmission could be heard throughout the quiet area around Wangsuk Stream.

The members of the 33rd Battalion, who had been talking among themselves, all fell silent. They listened quietly to Choi Pil's transmission.

- Both pilots survived, but both are injured and unable to move. The 113th Infantry Battalion was urgently deployed to the crash site, but heavy North Korean attacks have them pinned down.

Every member of the 33rd Battalion silently rose to their feet.

- The 33rd Battalion is currently the only unit capable of providing rapid assistance. Reinforcements are also scheduled to depart from the encampment. Move to the crash site as quickly as possible and support the 113th Infantry Battalion. Out.

Not only the members of the 33rd Battalion but also the Military Police personnel who had come to collect the prisoners heard the mission details. The scattered members of the 33rd Battalion began gathering by platoon.

"Fuck."

"Looks like we need to hurry. Should we take the trucks?"

"Yeah. Check the equipment first, then get everyone aboard."

"Yes, sir."

Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je studied the digital terminal containing a map of the operational area and began considering where to deploy his forces.

He thought about the helicopter's crash location and the enemy's anticipated movements, trying to determine how far they could safely travel by vehicle.

Ordinarily, devising such strategies and tactics would be the responsibility of an operations officer or intelligence officer, but at present, Battalion Commander Choi Pil and 1st Platoon Leader Kim Hong-je were handling all of it themselves.

'I really need to ask them to send us some more officers soon···.'

Behind Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je, Bong-tae shouted.

"I'll check First Platoon's equipment too!"

"All right. Thanks."

"33rd Battalion, assemble!"

Bong-tae called the 33rd Battalion together. Fifty soldiers gathered quickly. The previously quiet banks of Wangsuk Stream became bustling again.

"Hey! You all heard that, right?"

"Yes!"

"Check your ammunition and equipment. We need to balance the ammunition loads, so raise your hand if you've fired a lot."

Captain Han Myeong-jo, who had been watching the 33rd Battalion prepare to move, called together his senior military policemen.

Except for the few still loading prisoners into the vehicles, the military police soldiers who received Captain Han Myeong-jo's instructions ran toward the battalion members.

They took magazines from their combat vests and stacked them on the ground one by one.

"Hey, if any of you are running low on ammunition, we'll give you our spare magazines."

"Huh? Is that really okay?"

"Yes. We're heading back, so the captain said we don't need to carry so much ammunition. He told us to give the 33rd Battalion anything they need."

Bong-tae glanced toward Captain Han Myeong-jo. The captain was watching him with a smile.

"Do you have grenades too?"

"Yes, we do."

The Military Police personnel began replenishing the 33rd Battalion's depleted supplies. In particular, the battalion had used a considerable number of grenades while searching the city buildings one by one, so the resupply was like welcome rain after a drought.

Hwang Gi-tae tucked the fragmentation grenades he'd received from the military police into his combat vest one at a time. Beside him, the platoon members were emptying their remaining ammunition from partially used magazines onto the ground, assembling full thirty-round magazines one after another.

Hwang Gi-tae let out a deep sigh.

"Phew···. And here I thought things were finally going smoothly."

"Seriously. Even if we weren't going back to camp, I thought we'd at least be staying here to defend this place."

Lee Jin-gu, who was crouching nearby, raised his head slightly. A faint smile played across his lips.

"Doesn't this remind you of Black Hawk Down?"

"What's that?"

Hwang Gi-tae asked without even looking at Lee Jin-gu.

"A movie."

"When did it come out?"

"Was it 2000? Or 2001?"

"That's a thirty-year-old movie. How would I know it, you brat?"

"But it's a classic···."

Lee Jin-gu scratched his cheek vigorously. He'd assumed that even if it was an old movie, everyone would have heard of it. But not a single member of 2nd Platoon knew the film.

"Well, what's it about? Rescuing a helicopter?"

"Yes. A Black Hawk is a UH-60, you know? And that helicopter was involved in this really famous battle, the Battle of Mogadishu, where—"

Hwang Gi-tae quickly cut off Lee Jin-gu as his explanation began growing long-winded.

"Bottom line? Do the guys who go to rescue them get fucked or not?"

"···They get a little fucked."

"A little?"

"Ah···. Maybe I should say they get pretty seriously fucked?"

Just then, Bong-tae, who had been listening from behind, tapped Lee Jin-gu's ballistic helmet and joined the conversation.

"I have absolutely no intention of getting fucked."

Quiet chuckles escaped the members of 2nd Platoon. Bong-tae pulled back the bolt of his K2C1 and checked the chamber.

There was a fair amount of powder residue inside, but the weapon still had some lubrication, and no sand or other debris had gotten into it. Its condition was good.

Click.

"Everyone checked your equipment? If anything's wrong, report it immediately!"

"No problems, sir!"

First and Second Platoons answered together. Bong-tae approached Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je from behind. Kim Hong-je had also just finished operating his terminal.

"Staff Sergeant, everyone's ready."

"Good. Let's go. Board the vehicles. We're heading straight into the operational area."

"Second Platoon, board the vehicles!"

Bong-tae naturally headed toward the cargo bed of the two-and-a-half-ton truck. Seeing this, Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je called him.

"Sergeant Kim."

"Yes?"

Kim Hong-je lightly gripped Bong-tae's shoulder.

"Why does the man in command always ride in the back? Get in the passenger seat."

"Ah···. Yes, sir! Understood!"

Bong-tae scratched the back of his head. It wasn't that he'd kept riding in the back because he wanted to set an example for the soldiers. It had simply become a habit.

Bong-tae climbed into the open passenger-side door. His body felt light. His mind was clear, and thanks to the chocolate he'd just eaten, he wasn't hungry either.

Bong-tae poked Nam Gi-baek in the side. Nam Gi-baek was sitting in the driver's seat with a tense expression, nervously biting his fingernails.

"Let's get going. Know the way?"

"They said we just have to follow First Platoon's truck."

"Phew···. So after searching, now we're rescuing people?"

"Fuck···. Every day's something new."

"Agreed."

Morning had arrived before they knew it. The weather was clear and sunny. The flowing waters of Wangsuk Stream glittered. Trees along the riverbank swayed gently in the breeze.

Three two-and-a-half-ton trucks carrying the 33rd Battalion drove out of Toegyewon-eup.

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