Chapter 1461: Charging In (1) |
“What a waste of my time this is!”
Phil Burton didn’t even bother to hide his displeasure while glaring outside the car’s window. Was it because of his current mood? Despite traveling on a familiar road leading to his residence, everything he saw irritated him to no end.
His aide cautiously asked, “Sir, was it okay to green-light this demonstration? Spencer seemed a little too confident, after all.”
“But that’s all he has, his confidence.”
Burton furrowed his brow.
Martial arts, in this day and age? What old-fashioned nonsense that was!
Did Merlin from the ancient times come back to shoot magic or something? Who in their right mind would try to bring to reality fantastical things belonging to TV shows and movies?
Even mages and knights from those shows and movies… Hell, even the scary dragons would turn into Swiss cheese under the barrage of modern weaponry, anyway. So, to think some people wanted to nurture such people strategically and scientifically and deploy them as a part of the military!
I really want to meet the people who came up with this stupid idea all those years ago.
Of course, what mattered wasn’t that, but the fact that the program was still ongoing.
…While wasting an inconceivable amount of funds in the process, no less!
The money those martial artists ate up would’ve been enough to equip and operate at least five new divisions. And not just any divisions either, but mechanized infantry divisions!
There had been growing disquiet over the ever-ballooning defense budget lately. No wonder Burton felt displeased by this money- and time-wasting program.
Burton brusquely replied, “Those idiots are too confident for their own good.”
The aide nodded in agreement. “Yes, I think so, too.”
“Everyone’s equal before God and the barrel of a gun. It doesn’t matter how much a person trains, they can’t remake their body with reinforced steel. But modern weapons can penetrate steel armor with ease. Knowing that, why would anyone want to go back to how things were done centuries ago?”
Humans needed to have common sense.
Plenty of comic book superhero movies were being made these days. However, none of them depicted the scenes of the heroes fighting against the United States Army. Was that because the audience wouldn’t enjoy such set pieces? Of course not!
In Burton’s opinion, that was because such scenes would’ve lacked realism. Anyone who knew the power of modern weapon systems and the United States Army’s might would never be able to imagine the military tasting defeat against superheroes, even if it was merely a movie.
That’s right! Well, maybe things could get dicey if aliens decide to invade us.
Even ordinary people thought that way, so for a career military man like Spencer to even dream of something so stupid!
Burton chuckled weirdly. “Looks like we might as well invest in astrology or something with next year’s budget allocation. Hopefully, we’ll get our money’s worth this time.”
“I recommend tarot card reading, sir.”
“Yeah, that is not a bad idea, either.”
Burton reclined against the seat cushion while mouthing a cigarette.
A man should know when to quit, thought Burton.
It wasn’t as if something like this event hadn’t happened before. That shouldn’t come as a surprise, since the American government rarely hesitated when it came to experimenting on things, after all!
Decades ago, the government spent a considerable amount of money to nurture a unit filled with superhuman abilities, but all they achieved was turning perfectly normal people into cripples and lunatics. And it even destroyed a perfectly functioning warship in the name of teleportation research, too. Besides these two, there had been many other experiments of similar absurdity.
…And this mock war against martial artists would be yet another one of those, a final remnant of the illogical past. The past when humans couldn’t fully trust the answers provided by science!
Back then, people believed science wasn’t quite enough to explain the laws of nature. Burton’s irritation ballooned even more when he thought about how the remnants of the illogical past had somehow managed to survive till this day.
“This is for the best, actually. Let’s use this chance to wipe the slate clean,” said Burton. “I was thinking that our military has been feeding way too many useless mouths these days, after all!”
“Indeed, sir. They aren’t being helpful at all.”
“That’s right. Totally unhelpful.”
Burton continued to stare at the passing scenery, his expression much harder to read now.
“If only Mister President was a little more level-headed… We wouldn’t have had to come this far.”
After muttering that, Burton’s expression hardened slightly.
Of course he understood why the President of the United States went along with this charade. Humans instinctively wanted to believe in the illogical at certain times, after all!
The aide furrowed his brow. “I’m certain that Mister President isn’t convinced by the martial artists as well.”
Burton turned his head to look at his aide. “Is that so? Then, why?”
“Even if that’s his opinion, you know he can’t just randomly terminate a program that his predecessors in the Oval Office have been overseeing for decades, sir. It’s not about what’s right or wrong at this point. Without a doubt, the dinosaurs within our political sphere will raise a stink if he does that.”
“Oh… So, he can’t do it openly.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Hmm…” Burton slowly nodded. “I didn’t think about that. Yes, you have a point there.”
“That’s why this demonstration will prove crucial for him, sir. We do this right, and Mister President will finally have the justification to terminate this nonsensical program once and for all.”
“Right… And we’d be able to save a lot of our taxpayers’ money on top of that, too.”
“Yes, sir. It will be great news for our country overall.”
Burton weightily nodded. However, before he could say anything, the aide’s phone buzzed quietly.
The aide answered the phone, his expression stiff. After discussing something at length with the caller, he covered the receiver with his hand and asked Burton.
“Sir. They want to know if you’re okay with holding the demonstration in two days.”
“Hmm… Yeah, that’s fine. Tell them I don’t mind.”
“Understood. Then, the demonstration will proceed in two days in Nevada.”
“Hmm…!”
Burton smirked softly while watching his aide reply to the other side on the phone.
What a bunch of stupid bastards they were! This was not how one should gamble. Going all-in on a gamble would inevitably bring you ruination, after all.
A man wouldn’t risk everything unless he had already been driven to a dead-end. This gamble served as irrefutable proof that the other side knew they had crossed the point of no return.
“Sir. They’ll send a courier with the detailed information later. But in summary, we’ll set up defensive lines, while the opponents will try to break through our men to reach the target.”
“I see. I’ll let you handle this, then.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Burton smirked. “So, they want to break through our defenses with a handful of people? Hah!”
Of course, nothing in this world was impossible, and what they proposed might be doable somehow. If they were aliens, that was!
As his smirk deepened, Burton lowered the window and let the cigarette smoke drift outside.
***
“It’ll be like this,” said Spencer, while spreading a map of the operations area on the table. A large dot could be seen in the center, which was surrounded by rows upon rows of other symbols of varying sizes.
Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow. “What’s this?”
“It’s the planning map, Assembly Master. Please note that we drew this up under the assumption that you will be facing four divisions.”
Kang Jin-Ho’s frown deepened. “I see. Then, this must be tanks, and this is self-propelled artillery? And these must be auto-cannon positions and infantry… Hmm? Where will the observation post be?”
Spencer tore his eyes away from the map and stared at Kang Jin-Ho in pure shock. “Assembly Master, you… actually understand this map?”
“Is there a reason I shouldn’t?” Kang Jin-Ho quizzically tilted his head.
That was when Lee Hyeon-Su leaned in closer and whispered to Spencer. “He served in the Korean army for almost two years.”
“Huh-uh? Really? I didn’t know!”
Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow again at Spencer’s surprisingly energetic response. Was him serving in the army such big news?
Kang Jin-Ho had overlooked something about Reynold Spencer just then. And that was…
Spencer was an American. And in America, being a soldier was one of yet another career paths one could choose. Which was starkly different to South Korea, where all healthy-bodied young men were expected to serve.
While feeling unsure, Kang Jin-Ho tried to explain. “All South Korean men have some experience serving in the army.”
“Ah, that’s right. I’ve forgotten about that. Then, what was your MOS code, Assembly Master?”[1]
“I was… an artillery operator.”
For a moment there, the fading memories from Kang Jin-Ho’s military days brushed past his brain.
“Aha! I see, I see! That’s why you even knew about the observation post! Well, it will be…”
Just as Spencer got ready to explain, Lee Hyeon-Su elbowed him in the side.
“Mm? What is it, Mister Lee?”
“The Assembly Master knows nothing about stuff like this because he was just an enlisted soldier. He’s simply reciting military terms he heard of in passing, so my advice to you is to consider him as yet another civilian and save yourself some energy.”
Kang Jin-Ho suddenly began wondering if he could smack Lee Hyeon-Su in the head. He felt a bit triggered just then, but kept his silence since Lee Hyeon-Su was technically not wrong!
Besides, if he tried to pretend that he knew what was what, Spencer might lose his mind to the excitement and spend the next several hours trying to explain the strategy! Now that was something Kang Jin-Ho wanted to avoid at all costs!
“Kuh-hmm!” Spencer awkwardly coughed away. “I-in any case! Please note the arrangement and placement of each unit. Assembly Master, your mission is to lead your allies and break through these defensive positions.”
Lee Hyeon-Su intently scanned the map, then smirked deeply. “Break through, you say?”
“Yes, Mister Lee.”
“Through all these positions?”
“…? Yes, that’s what I said.”
Lee Hyeon-Su suddenly cracked his neck from side to side. “You know… If you have some kinda hostile agenda against us, we could’ve talked it out like civilized men, you know? You didn’t have to go this far to arrange your own bloody military to kill us!”
“…?”
“What the hell?! You expect human beings to break through something like this?! Seriously? If this was possible, why would we be staying on Earth, then?! After all, we should be able to travel to the moon with one leap, no?! What was that? Four bloody divisions? Maybe I should hit you four times, too?!”
“…Please calm down, Mister Lee!”
“You expect me to calm down after looking at this nonsense?!”
Kang Jin-Ho silently reached out and grabbed Lee Hyeon-Su’s shoulder, pushing him down. That forced Lee Hyeon-Su to sit back down on his chair, although his expression still conveyed how enraged he still was.
He glared sharply at Spencer before pointing at the map. “What the f*ck, where’s your conscience, man?! Mobilizing one division is already going overboard, but what was that? Four?! Four American Army divisions should be more than enough to occupy most countries, okay? But that’s who we must face?!”
Spencer grimly replied, “For now, this is just a speculation.”
Of course it was nothing more than a speculation for now. Because the odds of seeing five divisions being deployed were rather high, after all! Spencer was smart enough to know that divulging such information right now wouldn’t be helpful to their discussion.
…Because Lee Hyeon-Su might pounce on him and rip his throat out if he did that!
“Hmm…”
Kang Jin-Ho studied the map for a while, then mouthed a cigarette.
Click…!
After lighting it up, Kang Jin-Ho lazily puffed away while pointing at the center. “So… The undersecretary will be here, right?”
Spencer nodded. “Yes. However, I haven’t confirmed if a special bunker will be constructed.”
“And my job is to break through all these things and kill the undersecretary?”
“No, sir. You… must not kill him.”
“I see. Then, how about some light injuries?”
“That’s also, uh…” Spencer nervously swallowed his saliva. “I sincerely apologize for asking you to do this. But can you do it under these conditions?”
Kang Jin-Ho smirked softly. “You want to know?”
“As expected, this might be a little too…”
“I won’t even need three seconds.”
“I… I’m sorry?”
Kang Jin-Ho placed his finger on the edge of the map, then slowly dragged that finger toward the dot in the center. His expression seemed to indicate his general lack of interest.
“Let’s see. The distance from here to here is around five kilometers, is it not?”
“Yes, that sounds about right.”
“If it’s only that much, I can just snipe the target from afar.”
“…”
“Blowing up a bunker shouldn’t be too hard for me. Which means I don’t even have to break through these defensive positions, to begin with.”
Lee Hyeon-Su dazedly nodded. “Heol… You’re right, sir.”
Considering Kang Jin-Ho’s abilities, unleashing enough demonic qi to blow up a building was a simple-enough affair for him. Lee Hyeon-Su had forgotten about that since most of Kang Jin-Ho’s battles so far had been him trying to defend, not going out of his way to attack.
To Kang Jin-Ho, attacking an encampment of this nature should be incomparably easier than defending against waves upon waves of bloodthirsty martial artists with no back-up other than his two trusty swords.
For example, he now had the freedom to choose his method of attack.
“However, doing things that way is pointless, isn’t it?”
When Kang Jin-Ho said that, Spencer hurriedly nodded. The point of this demonstration was to prove the existence, the worth, of martial artists to the skeptics in the American government. If Kang Jin-Ho blew up the target from afar, those skeptics would say they should’ve just resorted to missiles instead.
“No need to fret. I’m also not interested in such a tactic, anyway. In fact, you could say my strategy is as straightforward as it can get.”
“I see. Can you tell us what you’re thinking of?”
Kang Jin-Ho used his finger to draw the same line on the map as before.
Spencer furrowed his brow slightly. “Assembly Master, that’s…?”
“I’m going to follow this line, and…”
“…And?”
“Go in by myself.”
“…!”
Spencer’s eyes powerfully quaked. By himself? Even though that line went past densely packed pockets of infantry?
“H-hold on! Are you thinking of breaking through the front?”
The corners of Kang Jin-Ho’s lips curled up suspiciously as he stared into the eyes of the freaking-out Spencer.
“That’s right. Only then will this event mean something, wouldn’t you agree?”
“…!”
Spencer felt his blood run cold when he saw the smirk etched on Kang Jin-Ho’s face.
1. “MOS” is an acronym for “military occupational specialty” code. This is a term used by specific military branches to refer to jobs within that branch. ☜