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The perimeter’s security was definitely tighter than normal.

Kang Chan didn’t think too much of it. After all, they were probably just trying to ensure that no information was leaked.

Lee Doo-Hee presented his identification, and the barricades were opened. They then drove around the main building and straight onto the runway.

A large civilian airplane came into view, then three buses.

As they pulled up behind the buses, they swiftly noticed the soldiers and agents standing rigidly in front of them.

Why are they so stiff?

Kang Chan stepped out of the car and stood in front of the group.

However, nobody turned to look at him.

Kang Chan immediately realized why they were standing at attention and why there was so much security.

Moon Jae-Hyun was shaking hands with each of them and patting them on the shoulder.

Behind him were Jeon Dae-Geuk, Go Gun-Woo, and Kim Hyung-Jung.

After shaking everyone’s hands, Moon Jae-Hyun headed over to Kang Chan.

“Assistant Director Kang.”

Moon Jae-Hyun held out his hand, and Kang Chan took it.

“Thank you for leading this brave men into battle, Mr. Kang Chan, and I apologize for putting our nation on your shoulders. I look forward to your safe return.”

Moon Jae-Hyun locked gazes with Kang Chan for a while longer, then shook hands with Seok Kang-Ho, Gérard, Choi Jong-Il, Woo Hee-Seung, Lee Doo-Hee, and then the interpreter.

Next to the 606 stood Kang Chul-Gyu and the rest of the DMZ team.

“Assistant Director Kang.”

Go Gun-Woo wordlessly took Kang Chan’s hand. There was no need for words. Even if he wanted to say something, he wasn’t someone who was good with words.

“Please return safely.”

“Yes, sir.”

The president and the director of the NIS would be waiting for him.

Kang Chan nodded at Cha Dong-Gyun.

“Attention!”

Thud!

“Salute the president!”

Thud!

Moon Jae-Hyun returned the salute and lowered his hand.

“At ease!” Cha Dong-Gyun commanded.

Thud!

Moon Jae-Hyun slowly looked at the team.

“As both the president and a fellow citizen of the Republic of Korea, I swear never to forget any of you. I have entrusted you with a difficult task. The least I can do in return is to do my best to make sure this day changes the reputation of Korea.”

Moon Jae-Hyun’s determination and sense of mission seemed to have moved the soldiers. By the time he was done speaking, his eyes had turned red.

After a few moments, Moon Jae-Hyun, Go Gun-Woo, and Jeon Dae-Geuk turned and headed toward the airport building.

“Let’s go!” Cha Dong-Gyun ordered.

In response, the soldiers headed to the airplane trap.

The counter-terrorism team was the first to climb aboard, followed by the Jeungpyeong special forces team, the 606, and, finally, the DMZ team.

They saw no need for conversations. All they did was exchange nods and briefly lock gazes before climbing aboard the plane.

Seok Kang-Ho, Gérard, Choi Jong-Il’s team, and the interpreter went up next.

Before climbing up the trap, Kang Chan looked back. Moon Jae-Hyun was watching them from the entrance of the main building.

Kang Chan bowed to him before heading inside.

***

The plane drove down to the end of the runway.

Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding.

The signal to fasten seatbelts lit up, but no one seemed to care.

Civilian airplanes couldn’t be compared to military transports. It was like comparing the back seat of a van to the back of a truck.

The plane gained altitude and settled into position. Afterward, they heard another ding.

The operation was finally starting.

Taking a cue from Choi Jong-Il, Kang Chan stood up and picked up the flight attendant’s microphone.

“I’m Kang Chan, Assistant Director of the NIS.”

The soldiers, who had settled into their seats, immediately focused on him.

According to the regulations, he was supposed to give them the emergency evacuation instructions first. However, no matter how many times he said it, no one would listen to them anyway.

Choi Jong-Il pressed a button on his laptop, making all the screens on the airplane display a map of Afghanistan. It looked exactly like the one that had been used during the briefing in the underground conference room of the NIS. Kang Chan provided an explanation for every piece of information that popped up afterward.

He began by telling them that special forces teams from Russia, China, and Germany would be joining them and that the US would also send a special forces team to hunt down the two leaders.

“The Rukha district is off the Saricha Road and has the Panjshir River flowing in front of it, which puts us at a strategic disadvantage.”

The men squinted at the map. A view of the mountain, shot as close as possible, came up on the screen.

“UIS combatants are holding up every inch of that mountain you see, and sixty of them are snipers from special forces.”

Their expressions turned grim.

“We’re going to meet with the three foreign special forces teams in Bazar. We’ll start the operation once we’ve rendezvoused with them.”

Taking Kang Chan’s glance as a signal, Choi Jong-Il changed the image on the screen. A red line appeared, stretching from the middle of the mountain to Rukha.

“Jeungpyeong special forces team, you’ll be transported by helicopter and enter through the mountain. You’ll be under Seok Kang-Ho\'s command.”

Another red line appeared afterward, following the river to Rukha.

“606, you will be moving along the river. Gérard will be your headman.”

Kang Chan then looked at Kang Myung-Gu and the counter-terrorism team. “Counter-terrorism team, you will be moving with me.”

A third red line ran between the paths that the Jeungpyeong special forces team and the 606 would take to Rukha.

“Finally, DMZ team.”

The image quickly changed as Kang Chan spoke.

“I need you to split into three squads. Eliminate all enemies in hiding, snipers, and the enemy leadership.”

Palpable tension filled the plane.

“The foreign special forces teams will be covering our six. Merging and mixing teams will make it harder to get the results we want, and leaving our rear open will give our enemies all the opportunity they need to surround us.”

Kang Chan looked at each of the seated troops.

“The UIS always uses civilians as meatshields. That’s why I assigned the Foreign Legion’s special forces commander to lead the 606 and Seok Kang-Ho to the Jeungpyeong special forces team. One more thing!”

The screen showed an Islamic man with a bomb strapped to his waist.

“Some of their hostages will be strapped with explosive belts similar to the ones you see on the screen. Even if you think you can save them, do not rush to their aid. Any questions?”

After a moment of silence, Jeong Won-Min of the 606 raised his hand.

“What if we encounter civilians like that when we’re not under orders?”

“It will be up to the soldier’s discretion whether to save or neutralize the civilian.”

Jeong Won-Min nodded.

Kang Chan added, “Be especially careful when dealing with women and children strapped with bombs. The moment you hesitate, your brothers die and the operation fails.”

The men had no further questions.

“If you have any more questions, feel free to ask anytime. Now, get comfortable until we land.”

Kang Chan handed the mic to Choi Jong-Il.

“I have an announcement to make.”

What was he going to say? He wasn’t going to say something like, “We have an emergency exit up front, to the sides, and…” was he?

“There’s ramyeon, coffee, and hot water in the galley up front and lunch boxes on the cart in the back. Feel free to eat whenever you want.”

After meeting Kang Chan’s gaze, Choi Jong-Il put down the microphone.

Kang Chan walked down the aisle to get to Kang Chul-Gyu, Nam Il-Gyu, and Yang Dong-Sik.

They had already run a mission together in Libya. Nam Il-Gyu, Yang Dong-Sik, and the others all greeted Kang Chan heartily.

Kang Chul-Gyu had the same stoic expression as before. Kang Chan expected nothing less of him.

“Is there anything you want to know about the operation?”

“How many snipers do we have?”

“Three per team.”

The other soldiers began mingling up front. Their noise soon filled the plane.

Most of the people here had once been in the 606, so they all recognized each other.

The smell of strong coffee wafted over to Kang Chan.

When Kang Chan turned toward its source, he saw Seok Kang-Ho approaching, his eyes still glinting. For some reason, Seok Kang-Ho was holding a large tray of paper cups, and Choi Jong-Il was following him with another.

A member of the DMZ team stood up and took the tray.

“This is Seok Kang-Ho, the one who’ll be leading the Jeungpyeong special forces team. Seok Kang-Ho, this is the DMZ King.”

“Seok Kang-Ho.”

“Kang Chul-Gyu. These are Nam Il-Gyu and Yang Dong-Sik.”

Shit!

Kang Chan never thought he would see Seok Kang-Ho bow. He remembered that Kang Chul-Gyu was Kang Chan’s father in his previous life.

The people around them looked at Seok Kang-Ho with surprise.

After being handed cups of coffee, Kang Chan tried to continue his discussion with Kang Chul-Gyu. However, Cha Dong-Gyun, Kwak Cheol-Ho, Yoon Sang-Ki, Jeong Won-Min, and Kang Myung-Gu walked over to them.

“Sunbae-nim!”

“Well, look who it is! How have you all been?”

Kwak Cheol-Ho and Yang Dong-Sik were overjoyed to see each other again. They looked like a father and his son reunited after a war had separated them. Cha Dong-Gyun greeted the seniors next, followed by introductions from Jeong Won-Min and Kang Myung-Gu.

They still had a long flight ahead of them.

The seniors were just as happy to meet their bright juniors as their juniors were happy to meet them.

Kang Chan didn’t want to interrupt them.

“I’ll come back later.”

When Kang Chul-Gyu nodded in response, Kang Chan returned to the front of the plane and glanced back.

Seeing the soldiers lining up in the aisle to greet Kang Chul-Gyu and the DMZ team, whom they considered legends, he concluded that he had made the right decision.

“He has the same eyes as you, Cap. It honestly surprised me.”

“Yeah?”

That didn’t sound like a compliment.

As Kang Chan walked past the center countertop and into the business-class seat section, he found soldiers relaxing and chatting over coffee.

“Where’s Gérard?”

“He’s up front.”

Kang Chan walked further down the aisle. Seok Kang-Ho followed suit.

The plane was too big. He didn’t mind it, though.

Reaching the first-class seats, they finally saw Gérard, who was smoking with the interpreter.

Kang Chan settled in the middle seat.

“Captain.”

“What?”

Grinning, Gérard offered them a cigarette. “I think I made the right decision coming to South Korea.”

Taking one, Seok Kang-Ho said, “What’s that asshole saying?”

***

Underground prison of Loriam.

Lanok set down the thin current events magazine and stretched.

The only furniture he had was the bed against the wall, the desk next to it, and a couch.

Glug.

Lanok poured some black tea for Romain, who was sitting on the couch across from him.

“Why are you telling me this now?”

“If Monsieur Kang is after me, I cannot guarantee your safety, sir.”

“Drinking black tea often calms your emotions and helps you think clearly.”

“Sir.”

Click.

Lanok set down the teapot. He then puffed on his cigar as if to show disinterest in Romain’s concern.

Click.

Each time he sucked on the cigar, the flame of the lighter was sucked to the other end and back again.

“Hoo. There’s nothing I can do about Monsieur Kang’s temper.”

Lanok leaned back against the couch and gave Romain a stern look.

“He knows that you’re affiliated with the Star of David and that the Star of David was involved in the terrorist attacks in South Korea. Wouldn’t Monsieur Kang naturally seek to eliminate you?”

“We have the ability to eliminate him.”

“Do it, then.”

Lanok spoke as if the topic wasn’t even worth discussing anymore. He lifted his cup of black tea to his mouth.

“You’re making the same mistake as the other DGSE directors before you.”

Click.

Romain silently met Lanok’s gaze, which was sharper than ever.

“The moment you gained the power to control the world from behind, you started to believe you could also turn the handles at the front too.”

Romain was rendered speechless.

“If the DGSE cannot fulfill the needs of the president and his regime, if it cannot serve the glory of France, then it does not deserve to exist.”

“The President still trusts me.”

Lanok nodded. “Of course he does, but how long do you think his trust will last? Will he still trust you if something fatal to his regime or detrimental to the glory of France gets exposed?”

“I understand what you’re saying. I’ll follow my own judgment on this matter.”

Lanok smirked as he picked up the magazine again.

“Do you really think the DGSE can’t eliminate him?” Romain questioned.

Lanok looked up and tilted his head. As if he couldn’t care less, he then returned his attention to the magazine, seemingly having lost all interest.

With a determined expression, Romain coldly said, “If you have any last words, say them now.”

Lanok took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and put the magazine down.

“How much time do you think I have?” he asked.

“I’ll give you five days.”

“And Anne?”

“I won’t touch your family.”

Lanok nodded. He then went back to reading the magazine, which Romain found ludicrous.

“It doesn’t matter how much faith you have in the boy. He’s not coming back from this battle alive,” Romain added, obviously displeased with Lanok’s attitude. “When he dies, all the plans that Russia, China, Germany, and Switzerland have been preparing will be for naught.”

Lanok put down the magazine once more. “I see. That reminds me of something I’ve been wondering about.”

Romain looked at Lanok with curiosity.

“Was it you or the Star of David who ordered the assassination of Director Hwang Ki-Hyun and Director Song Chang-Wook?”

After a moment of silence, Romain answered, “It was the DGSE.”

Lanok sighed loudly and rubbed his face. It was an extraordinary display of emotion for a man who rarely showed it.

“Hwang Ki-Hyun was too outstanding for the NIS, and he paid the price for it.”

“You mean you dared do such a thing despite knowing how much Monsieur Kang respected him?”

“Like I said, he’ll die in this battle.”

Lanok and Romain stared each other down.

“I hope you enjoy the last five days you have left.”

“Next time we meet each other, one of us will be dead.”

Romain rose from his seat looking genuinely dumbfounded.

“Do you really believe that Monsieur Kang can survive this battle, defeat the DGSE, and compete with the Star of David?”

“Do you really believe that this battle can kill Monsieur Kang?”

Their eyes met again.

“Five days.”

“I’ll be waiting for the results.”

Romain turned away with a strange smile.