Chapter 42
The following day, Kw.a.n.g Kwi visited the Gyeonggi Province Northern Government Building, Room 505. He greeted the president of South Korea before departing.
— “I’ll be expecting you.”
“Please be careful. We’ll get there as soon as we can.”
He spoke with some sincerity as he couldn’t have his goods be damaged, especially if they were going to make the Kw.a.n.g Hwi Faction grow bigger. When he exited the room, he was greeted by his men who wore carefree expressions. They were fully armed and ready to depart.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, sir!”
When he reached the first floor lobby, soldiers were already there on standby. Kw.a.n.g Hwi walked up to them and stood in front of the soldiers.
“Attention, everyone.”
“ATTENTION!”
Even at Kw.a.n.g Hwi’s low voice, the soldiers responded with vigor.
“Today, we’ll be using the helicopter to launch an a.s.sault. We shouldn’t encounter any issues if everyone follows my command. Let’s end this quickly and return back to HQ.”
“Understood!”
Kw.a.n.g Hwi didn’t speak much as his subordinates had given a briefing for the mission yesterday. He didn’t need to repeat what was already known, instead pointing outside.
“Go.”
“Embark!”
Following Kw.a.n.g Hwi, the soldiers exited the government building in an orderly fashion. In front of the building, the road had been cleared of abandoned vehicles and was now filled with helicopters. There were eight AH-6 Little Birds and a ma.s.sive Mil-26 transport helicopter. The soldiers embarked the helicopters and Kw.a.n.g Hwi got inside the Dragonfly at the front. His Dragonfly had only one autocannon to make room for additional fuel tanks so that he could command and guide his men from the helicopter.
Kw.a.n.g Hwi fastened his seat belt and wore a headset to protect his ears from loud noises. The headset also enabled him to communicate with his men. The pilot in front wore a custom made HMD. Depending on whether one wore the helmet or not, their ability to respond to situations and conduct combat differed greatly. While he needed to spend some extra MP, he knew it was a necessity.
The rotor blades began to spin and gusts of wind spread around. The flowers that had been planted in front of the building were shaking dangerously. The commanding helicopter that Kw.a.n.g Hwi was on was first to lift off, and the others followed soon after. The largest transport helicopter, the Mi-26, was last to take off. As they ascended, the helicopter made loud noises which filled the surrounding area. Even the headset was unable to block all of it.
Kw.a.n.g Hwi looked outside. It had been a long time since he last rode a helicopter. The cold wind brushed against his body and the clear blue sky captivated his eyes.
— “Boss.”
His subordinate tapped his shoulder and gestured below. Right beneath them, he could see a green billboard. They were pa.s.sing by Uijeongbu and entering Seoul.
Good bye! – Uijeongbu City.Welcome! – Dobong-gu, Seoul
Unlike the empty streets of Uijeongbu, the road leading up to Seoul was blocked by Mud Golems that were shouldering each other. Their gazes were fixed on what was in front of them, making them look like a ma.s.sive wall from a distance.
‘We could have been in trouble.’
The Dobong-gu road that bordered Uijeongbu was filled with Mud Golems. Their numbers easily surpa.s.sed scale three. If they proceeded with the operation by land, they would have had to get past all of them. It would have been c.u.mbersome to engage in such battle.
The helicopters continued on their path to Jongno-gu, where the Blue House was located; the nation’s largest city that had once been full of people was now filled with monsters.
— “Boss, we’ll arrive shortly.”
In front of them, Kw.a.n.g Hwi found a l.u.s.trous mountain. It was Bugaksan Mountain, located right next to the Blue House. Perhaps because it hadn’t been visited by humans for months, the mountain looked greener and more sacred than he remembered.
“Heron, report.”
— “So far, it’s quiet. We haven’t found any other monsters asides the scale three Keku horde in front of the Blue House.”
“Got that. Keep an eye out.”
In the meantime, the helicopter pa.s.sed by Bugaksan Mountain and the Keku horde came into sight. The monsters were on full alert, startled by the sound of the helicopter’s rotor.
— “We’ve arrived.”
“Proceed with the plan. Get in formation and launch a ground attack as a pair!”
— “Roger. Asides Mi-26, Dragonflies will enter combat.”
The Mi-26 from the rear stopped in its place with escort helicopters on each side. For the safety of the soldiers, the escort helicopter had to be next to Mi-26 at all times. The remaining helicopters were sent to attack the enemies on the ground. In pairs, the Dragonflies lowered their alt.i.tude. Only then did the Keku spot the Kw.a.n.g Hwi Faction from the sky above. While shouting, they pointlessly swung their weapons at the air even though the helicopters were far beyond their reach.
When the helicopters got close enough, they slightly tilted to the side and the HMD displayed their targets. The 25 mm autocannons spat fire and Keku turned into mincemeat. Their limbs were torn apart, falling onto the ground helplessly. Blood splattered across the green yard in front of the Blue House. The Dragonfly pa.s.sed by the Keku, mowing them down and leaving behind mutilated corpses. After a barrage of sh.e.l.ls, they shot up back into the sky.
Only a few managed to barely avoid the disaster. They raised their head to see if the enemy had left. Sadly, a new pair of helicopters were coming right after them. The helicopters drew a line right at the center of the Keku horde. Monsters who could not avoid the line of barrage died miserably. Some threw their weapons in vain, as they were unable to reach the Dragonflies soaring in the sky. It was a one-sided ma.s.sacre. Realizing they have no chance of winning, the frightened Keku turned their backs and started running away in haste.
“Jackson!”
— “Engaging!”
Jackson’s Dragonfly chased after the ones who were escaping. The circular pod fired a Hydra rocket towards the monsters, which flew and landed precisely near a Keku. An explosion swept through the surrounding area and the shockwave swallowed all the Keku nearby, instantly killing them. A few at the outer ring of the explosion managed to roll away. Naturally, they were not safe, as another helicopter chased after them. From the sky, they could see a dainty helicopter. However, nothing was dainty about its mounted weapons. The helicopter’s autocannon mowed past the Keku, further reducing their numbers.
From Sangchunjae, Kw.a.n.g Hwi slowly expanded the operation area. He ordered his men to find Keku hiding inside buildings. When they did find the monsters, they showered those Keku in a hail of bullets, raining empty sh.e.l.ls from the sky. During the entire operation, Kw.a.n.g Hwi kept a close eye at the surrounding area and reports from the Heron. Only after he confirmed Sangchunjae was cleared did he issue a new order.
“Descend.”
— “We’ll prepare for landing.”
The helicopters landed in order and the Mi-26 opened its rear door. Soldiers of the Kw.a.n.g Hwi Faction exited the helicopter, lowering their heads on the way out. Keku blood soaked their military boots as they stepped on the ground.
“There may be monsters who are still hiding! Don’t lower your guard!”
“Stay on alert!”
The soldiers combed every corner of Sangchunjae. When Keku came out of their hiding spots, in an attempt to ambush them, they were shot down immediately. In the meantime, the last Dragonfly landed.
— “Commander has landed on the ground. I repeat. Commander has landed on the ground. Focus on the operation!”
Kw.a.n.g Hwi extended his arms after unfastening his seat belt. On request, his subordinate handed him an AA-12.
『AA-12』
『A fully automatic shotgun, similar to the USAS-12. It’s durability and reliability improved thanks to its gas system with a locked breech. Improving on the Ultimax 100, it has reduced recoil to automatically fire 12 gauge rounds at once without loss of accuracy. Can use 8 sh.e.l.l box magazine or a 20 ~ 32 sh.e.l.l drum magazine.』
It was the same automatic shotgun that appeared in a certain action movie, famous for its firepower at close range.
— “Boss. It’s Soo Min.”
Kw.a.n.g Hwi, who was about to leave the helicopter, stopped. He heard Soo Min from a separate radio he used solely for the operation. The second radio used a different channel from the one connected to the Blue House.
— “Right now…”
Listening to Soo Min’s report, Kw.a.n.g Hwi made a grim face.
“Boss! We found a pathway connected to the bunker!”
“Let’s go.”
Kw.a.n.g Hwi and his subordinates led the way. Keku with visible gunshot wounds were scattered everywhere. It was a sign of the skirmish that took place while the soldiers were searching for the bas.e.m.e.nt entrance. They found it relatively quick as it was being forcefully torn apart by the Keku.
The pathway leading to the underground bunker was like a maze. It had many twists and turns. On their first corner, a Keku ambushed them out of nowhere. Soldiers from behind quickly rushed to the front.
“Commander! It’s danger…”
Kw.a.n.g Hwi simply pulled the trigger and 12 gauge round flew to shred the Keku and the wall behind it. The monster’s blood mixed with the cement powder.
“… or not.”
Rather than their commander, the soldier thought the Keku were in danger. Grinning, Jackson tapped on the soldier’s shoulder.
“Who do you think our boss is?”
With the AA-12, Kw.a.n.g Hwi and his men made quick progress. After walking for a while, the flat tunnel started slanting downward and became steeper.
“We can see the end of the tunnel, boss!”
A wide room greeted them, blocked by a blast proof door that looked thick enough to withstand a nuclear explosion. Sadly, it couldn’t do anything about the deep hole being carved right next to it. Keku were sieging the thinner walls with a metal pole. Sensing Kw.a.n.g Hwi Faction’s arrival, they turned their heads. When they spotted the new enemy, the monsters dropped the pole to grab their weapons.
“You think I’ll let you?”
The entrance to the bunker quickly turned into a butcher’s, the floor and walls covered in black blood. Unable to withstand the rounds, the walls were painted with chunks of flesh from the Keku. An empty drum magazine dropped to the floor, along with an eerie silence. Kw.a.n.g Hwi waved his hand at the camera on the ceiling.
“You can open up now!”
Immediately after, the door opened. Despite its large size and thickness, the door wasn’t slow. Across the entrance, he could see a group of people. Immediately, he recognized a familiar face, the president. A middle aged man standing right next to the president slightly moved forward to cover for the president. The Chief Security Officer’s eyes were fixed on the weapons Kw.a.n.g Hwi and his men possessed. Grinning, Kw.a.n.g Hwi pa.s.sed the shotgun he was holding to his subordinate.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. President. I’m Kw.a.n.g Hwi Baek.”
“… Nice to meet you. I’m Shin Myeong Lee.”
After the simple greeting, the two shook hands.
“May I ask who they are?”
“A-ah. They are representatives of each party.”
The president beckoned the politicians to come and introduce themselves. As expected from a politician, they wore professional smiles while shaking hands. Kw.a.n.g Hwi shook hands with them without saying a word.
“This is our Chief Security Officer.”
The Chief squinted his eyes.
‘He’s not the type to sit back and issue orders.’
The Chief had combat experience and knew Kw.a.n.g Hwi was just like him. The man before him had calluses on his hand and smelled of gunpowder mixed with sweat.
Kw.a.n.g Hwi swept his eyes across the group of politicians. The Chief was immediately filled with a strange sense of uneasiness.
‘Why?’
Then he realized that Kw.a.n.g Hwi’s eyes were filled with murderous intent.
“Wait….”
Kw.a.n.g Hwi grabbed his Glock 17 from the leg holster. His subordinates from behind pulled out their personal firearm and pointed it at the politicians. Even for the experienced Chief, it all happened in a flash. Soon after, gunshots rang out.