God of Blackfield - Chapter 403: Right Under Our Nose (2)

Kim Hyung-Jung had the cord of their telephone draped over his shoulder and a cell phone on the other ear.

“The entire Foreign Legion is on high alert right now due to an emergency decree. Yes, sir. France’s intelligence bureau and the DGSE have stopped working on foreign affairs. They seem determined to hide their true intentions. I’ll report to you as soon as anything new comes up.”

After finishing the call with Go Gun-Woo, Kim Hyung-Jung turned to his monitors and talked into the phone that was still draped over his shoulder.

“We’ve already been notified of Russia and China issuing an emergency alert. Focus on how the troops in America and the Middle East are acting. Yeah, that’s right! Make sure the information Russia and China have given us won’t be leaked! Keep up the good work!”

Click.

After placing the phone down, Kim Hyung-Jung hurriedly looked at the monitors again to check the intel from the agents stationed abroad.

After Kang Chan had left for Cuba, all of Europe, China, Russia, and even the United States started to take military action—they started to mobilize their special forces and aircraft carriers.

Kim Hyung-Jung never imagined the day would come when France’s intelligence bureau and DGSE—both of which never shared information—would secretly hand over intel to South Korea or that Russia and China would give South Korea intel in the form of reports a dozen times a day.

Moreover, the moment Uzman from Saudi Arabia exerted his influence, the atmosphere in Africa and the countries in the Middle East completely and astoundingly changed.

Nobody could have ever imagined the Shiites protecting South Korean informants from the Sunnis and giving South Korea information.

When Kim Hyung-Jung first met Kang Chan hoping to connect South Korea to the Eurasian Rail, he never expected things to become this big.

If it weren’t for Kang Chan, the dream of joining the Eurasian Rail project would’ve gone out the window. Right now, the National Intelligence Service would’ve simply been busy gauging the moods of the other countries, wondering why they were acting that way.

Kim Hyung-Jung didn’t expect this operation in Cuba to be big enough of a deal for the United States, Russia, France, China, the UK, Germany, and almost every other country to mobilize their troops.

Kang Chan, the assistant director of the National Intelligence Service, was at the heart of this operation, and South Korean special forces were protecting him.

Kim Hyung-Jung picked up the cup that had been pushed to the corner of his desk and drank his cold coffee. Since he couldn’t fight with the others on the frontlines, he instead strengthened his resolve and did his best at what he could do.

After placing the cup down, Kim Hyung-Jung looked at the monitor again, his eyes burning with his sense of duty.

***

Brrr.

Following the deep whirring sound of its engine, the aircraft rose to its usual altitude.

Kang Chan sat in the first-class seat that had been prepared for him, which was close to the entrance of the commercial aircraft, and began making calls. Soon, he put his phone down. Lanok, Vasili, and Kim Hyung-Jung had informed him of the situation.

Hearing that the United States had mobilized one of its aircraft carriers perplexed him, but this situation did have Sherman involved, a man who would resort to such drastic methods as many times as he liked if the benefits outweighed the costs.

Unfortunately, the moment an aircraft carrier was deployed, the possibility of a world war occurring at any moment became real.

Exhaling softly, Kang Chan looked outside the window. His heart started to beat faster the moment he left France, warning him that he was heading into danger.

Kang Chan had expected as much. After all, every time he had lain in bed or tried to relax, he had felt antsy and ill. Moreover, as Gérard and Daye had said, an operation he was a part of would never end without surprises.

He had felt agitated and his heart had pounded countless times in the past. However, it had never been this intense—he felt so disquieted and leery that it felt as if death was approaching them.

He leaned on the table and looked outside the window.

What does Ziegfeld really fucking want? What is he plotting? Would Sherman really let this meeting end peacefully?

Kang Chan had never participated in this kind of operation before, which was a problem in itself.

To be fair, I doubt anyone’s experienced something like this before, though. This is the first time the Star of David officially showed itself to the world.

Kang Chan glared at the clouds outside the window as if he were looking at their enemies.

Seok Kang-Ho suddenly appeared, interrupting Kang Chan’s thoughts.

“Here. Have some coffee.” Seok Kang-Ho placed a large plastic cup in front of Kang Chan. It was evident that he had poured two packets of coffee into it.

Kang Chan glanced up at Seok Kang-Ho.

“Is your heart pounding again?” Seok Kang-Ho asked. He sat next to Kang Chan, his eyes sharply glinting with ferocity. “Phuhu.”

“Why are you laughing?” Kang Chan asked but broke into laughter as well. He strangely found himself laughing along with the fucker whenever he had heard his signature laugh.

“It just dawned on me that we’ve accomplished quite a lot of crazy feats,” Seok Kang-Ho explained.

“Motherfucker.”

“Phuhu.”

Kang Chan sipped the hot coffee. Instant coffee and ramyeon really did wonders comforting them at times like this, especially during a flight.

“Let’s do our best to live through this,” Seok Kang-Ho commented.

“Hey! If we were going to die, we would’ve died in Afghanistan or Africa already.”

“That’s true.”

What’s up with this bastard?

Seeing Kang Chan looking at him, Seok Kang-Ho said, “When I heard you died to your wounds just recently, I felt as if I was going to lose my mind. Phew! I’d rather not go through that fucking awful experience again, so we all better survive.”

As they snickered, Kang Chan wondered if their conversation was even funny. On the other hand, though, could he really blame himself for finding Seok Kang-Ho’s expression and delivery funny?

“Get some sleep,” Kang Chan said afterward and gestured at Gérard—who was sleeping—with a glance.

“What about you, Cap?”

“I’m done making calls, so I’ll be getting some sleep too. War’s about to start.”

“Alright.”

Seok Kang-Ho returned to his seat and reclined the chair.

There was no need for words anymore. To handle what Kang Chan’s heart was warning him about, he needed to sleep and eat properly.

***

They arrived at the Jose Marti Airport at 3 pm in Cuba’s local time.

The aircraft turned on the runway and headed toward the airport’s maintenance department. Right after, soldiers dressed in a way that was reminiscent of the communist party surrounded it. However, instead of being threatening, their presence was reassuring. It was as if Kang Chan and his men were simply being escorted.

The aircraft door opened, and Kang Chan got out first.

Seok Kang-Ho and Gérard exited the aircraft with him, and Cha Dong-Gyun and Kwak Cheol-Ho—who were fully armed and had their faces covered—followed right behind.

As the blazing heat and the intense sunlight rushed toward them, an agent among the Cuban soldiers approached Kang Chan.

“I’m Lua, the agent in charge of the DGSE’s Cuban branch. It’s an honor to meet you. We have already prepared your transfer.”

“Where’s the other aircraft?” Kang Chan asked.

“Over there, sir.”

The DGSE had prepared another commercial plane for them for the two-hour flight to Playa Santa Lucia. However, due to the Playa Santa Lucia Airport’s poor condition, it was smaller than the one they had just exited.

A Cuban soldier with a scruffy mustache kept glancing at Kang Chan and the DGSE agent.

“Cha Dong-Gyun, secure the path to that aircraft and have our men guard the perimeter,” Kang Chan ordered.

“Yes, sir!”

Cha Dong-Gyun immediately issued commands to his men through the radio.

Clunk. Clunk. Clunk.

Three soldiers got off the plane behind Kang Chan. Together with Kwak Cheol-Ho, they surrounded the one that the DGSE had prepared for them.

Kang Chan turned his head to the DGSE agent again. “Move the cargo.”

“Oui.”

After the cargo loader unloaded the cargo, it was moved and loaded into the smaller aircraft.

It might be too heavy for the plane.

Kang Chan watched them anxiously, but neither the DGSE agent nor the person moving the cargo brought up such a problem.

The process took thirty minutes.

“Cha Dong-Gyun,” Kang Chan called, then nodded at the smaller aircraft.

Cha Dong-Gyun once again relayed his orders on the radio. Everyone immediately got off the plane and boarded the smaller one.

“Good work,” Kang Chan told Lua.

“We’ll be on standby.”

Kang Chan nodded, then got on the aircraft with Seok Kang-Ho and Gérard. Once Cha Dong-Gyun had boarded with the soldiers keeping their perimeters safe, the plane drove to the runway.

***

It was a shitty two-hour flight.

Kang Chan could understand the turbulence due to the winds from the sea. However, when they arrived, they immediately learned that the Playa Santa Lucia Airport’s runway was just about the size of a four-lane road on a vast plain.

Du du du du du du!

The aircraft endured harsh vibrations, wearing out the tires, until it finally managed to stop near the end of the runway. They would likely have to replace the tires before flying off again.

Seok Kang-Ho groaned, then shook his head. He wasn’t the only one suffering from this flight—even Kang Chan had trouble thinking.

That son of a bitch! Why would Sherman want to meet in a place like this?

Kang Chan stopped himself from swearing out loud as he got off the aircraft.

Vroom. Vroom. Vroom.

A truck and an SUV drove toward the plane. The vehicles seemed to have been waiting for them.

Soon, a lean, dark-skinned agent with a mustache respectfully walked over to them. He looked Cuban.

“I’m Rico, the agent in charge of helping you here in Playa Santa Lucia.”

The look in Rico’s eyes made him seem as if he was hiding something.

It took them about forty minutes to unload the cargo.

While Cha Dong-Gyun and the soldiers kept watch, Kang Chan slowly looked around the airport. Everywhere he looked, he saw barren lands with only a few assorted trees growing.

If he had been sent here without any explanation, he would’ve had a hard time distinguishing Playa Santa Lucia from Africa, Afghanistan, and Mongolia.

Even now, he wouldn’t have known that they were in Playa Santa Lucia if it wasn’t for the smell that rushed toward him when they lowered the aircraft’s ramp. Most of the time, Africa, Afghanistan, and Mongolia smelled like the ginger they respectively grew. There were also times when they simply had an earthy smell.

Kang Chan softly exhaled. “Phew.”

Cuba—no, Playa Santa Lucia smelled like strong cigarettes that were soaked in seawater.

Kang Chan looked at Kang Chul-Gyu. His heart was now warning him of the impending danger even more strongly than before.

‘The battle’s about to begin.’

Meeting Kang Chan’s gaze, Kang Chul-Gyu briefly nodded. He already looked as if he was on a battlefield.

The soldiers loaded the weapons and got on the truck bed of the truck in groups of five. The others got in the SUV.

They drove down a bumpy road for about twenty minutes before finally reaching a lone two-story cement building that stood out like a sore thumb in the middle of the barren land. It had outdated gray walls, drooping electrical wires that made Kang Chan wonder if people used it to commit suicide or torture others through electricity, and an air conditioner that was halfway outside the window. It also had satellite antennas.

“Feel free to rest here, sir,” Rico said.

After getting out of the car, Kang Chan looked around their surroundings. Meanwhile, the soldiers checked the building and installed weapons on the roof.

A cloud of dust rose whenever the unique wind from the sea swept past them.

The smell of wet cigarettes in the cloud of dust once again reminded Kang Chan that they were here in Playa Santa Lucia, Cuba for war, not sightseeing.

“We’ve secured the building and the roof. I’ll have six soldiers cover the perimeter,” Cha Dong-Gyun said through his mask.

After listening to the report, Kang Chan headed inside.

Honestly, Kang Chan was a little surprised. Although the old home appliances got on his nerves, its interior was decorated like a luxury hotel.

“Daye, assign rooms to everyone,” Kang Chan said.

“Alright.”

Seok Kang-Ho went up the stairs on their right with Choi Jong-Il.

There were a total of eight rooms. Kang Chan, Seok Kang-Ho, and Gérard used the room in the middle of the second floor, and Kang Chul-Gyu, Nam Il-Gyu, and Yang Dong-Sik were assigned to the room next to them. Choi Jong-Il and the Jeungpyeong soldiers were given the rooms across from them.

Can we be shot from outside the building?

Kang Chan looked out the window of a second-floor room and examined the building’s exterior. Just then, Rico entered. He seemed curious about what Kang Chan was doing.

“What would you like to have for dinner?” Rico asked.

For some reason, Rico looked as if he wanted to mooch off what Kang Chan was going to have for dinner.

“Is there anything prepared for us?” Kang Chan asked back.

“We’ll prepare whatever you wish. We can prepare a Cuban meal, spaghetti, pizza, or even an American-style steak.”

“One second.”

Kang Chan went to the door and leaned down toward the first floor. “Daye! What do you want to have for dinner?”

“We have cup ramyeon, instant rice, and kimchi. Let’s have that!” Daye immediately responded from below.

“We’ll have the food that we brought here. What about you?” Kang Chan asked Rico.

“I’d also like to have the same if that’s okay with you.”

Kang Chan had guessed as much. Smirking, he agreed to have Rico join them for dinner.

They made cup ramyeon in a large pot and took out the instant rice. They also prepared kimchi. No one would skip dinner just because the flight was strenuous.

During the meal, Rico vigorously ate three cups of instant ramyeons even though he claimed that it was his first time having them. He also had plenty of their spicy kimchi.

Kang Chan normally didn’t have much to say about how a person ate, but Rico just looked too detestable when he did.

After dinner, they turned on the faucet only for it to let out motor sounds, making it seem as if it was pulling up groundwater. Fortunately, the flow of water was strong enough for three soldiers to clean up the rest of their dinner.

Kang Chan stepped away from the table and went out of the building. He wasn’t sure if it was because of the humidity or the salt in the air, but the sunset near the sea cast a burgundy veil over them, making the clouds look red.

Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

He didn’t tell anyone about it, but Kang Chan only had a light dinner. After all, when they placed a cup of ramen in front of him, his heart started pounding a bit stronger.

He took a look at their surroundings.

Are our enemies aiming at us right now?

Not only were the soldiers on the roof thoroughly examining their vicinity, but they had assigned six soldiers to guard areas where their enemies could shoot them. Most snipers wouldn’t be able to get past their defenses.

What on earth is making my heart pound, then?

Kang Chan softly sighed.

Screech.

At the same time, the door opened, and Kang Chul-Gyu came outside. His eyes were glinting, just like Kang Chan’s.

Kang Chul-Gyu stood next to Kang Chan.

“It’s been a long time since I felt this anxious. I’ll examine the area with Il-Gyu and Dong-Sik once it gets dark,” Kang Chul-Gyu said. Slowly looking around their surroundings, he softly continued. “I’d also like to request for you to stay armed. Have your radio with you at all times as well.”

“Okay.”

Considering this crisis could make Kang Chul-Gyu nag at him for this long, Kang Chan thought he should at least be prepared for any circumstances.

The darkness was slowly enveloping the sunset that Playa Santa Lucia likely enjoyed every day.

Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

Kang Chan looked up and around their surroundings with glinting eyes.

What’s going on? Are there bastards out there playing a trick on us?

Kang Chan was about to go crazy from frustration and curiosity, but there was no way he could know what was about to happen until it already had.

As he surveyed the area two more times, the darkness cruelly engulfed the remaining light.

“I’m going back inside to get ready,” Kang Chul-Gyu said.

“Be careful. Don’t overdo it.”

Kang Chul-Gyu, who was already turning around, looked back at Kang Chan in hesitation. After a moment, he nodded as if to say that he understood.

Was this really a good idea? Should Kang Chan put this many people in danger just to meet Ziegfeld, an untrustworthy man?

By the time Kang Chan went back inside, Kang Chul-Gyu, Nam Il-Gyu, and Yang Dong-Sik had already finished getting ready.

They had pistols, magazines, and bayonets attached to their waists and ankles. They also had rifles slung across their back. Unique to their team, they also had a bayonet strapped to their left shoulders.

The atmosphere on the first floor was as heavy and fierce as the look in Kang Chul-Gyu’s eyes. Moreover, Kang Chan entered looking on edge, making the situation even more like they were just about to head into battle.

“Cha Dong-Gyun—prepare weapons and a military uniform for me, and raise our security to the maximum. I want Daye, Gérard, Choi Jong-Il, and Woo Hee-Seung armed and ready as well,” Kang Chan said.

Kang Chan’s expression and the look in his eyes made Cha Dong-Gyun and Choi Jong-Il move quickly.

While Kang Chan was changing into his military uniform, Kang Chul-Gyu stood in front of the door with Nam Il-Gyu and Yang Dong-Sik.

Chk.

“This is Command. Kang sunbae will be heading to the perimeter with two other people. Teams on the outskirts, be advised,” Cha Dong-Gyun radioed in.

Chk.

“Team One—copy.”

Chk.

“Team Two—copy.”

Chk.

“Team Three—copy.”

Screech.

Kang Chul-Gyu, Nam Il-Gyu, and Yang Dong-Sik said goodbye with their eyes and then went outside.

Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

The warnings that Kang Chan’s instincts were giving him intensified as more time passed. Eventually, it started making him feel as if a sharp knife was being stabbed into his eyes and neck.

Kang Chan armed himself with pistols, bayonets, magazines, rifles, and even his radio. With his nerves on edge, he looked at the soldiers.

Rico looked around, surprised at the sharp atmosphere that started from Kang Chan. Only he didn’t know the meaning behind the look in Kang Chan’s eyes.

Pew! PEW! Pew!

Familiar gunshots frighteningly penetrated their ears.

“I want more soldiers on the roof! Daye! Gérard!” Kang Chan yelled. He then charged toward the door.

PEW! Pew! Pew! PEW!

Chk.

“It’s North Korea’s 8th Special Forces Brigade! I repeat. It’s North Korea’s 8th Special Forces Brigate! The rest of our men should remain at base!” Kang Chul-Gyu softly radioed in. He sounded as if he was gritting his teeth.