Chapter 1469: Toying Around (4) |
“…”
Reggie Mercer didn’t have enough energy left to get shocked anymore. All he could do was stare at Kang Jin-Ho’s leisurely approaching gait with half-dead eyes.
The bunker was behind Mercer, so if Kang Jin-Ho wanted to get to it, he must go through the command center with Mercer and his adjutant in it.
Clomp.
Clomp!
It was like staring at an approaching grim reaper. Even if he wasn’t wielding a lengthy scythe but a longsword, and his face wasn’t a skull, Kang Jin-Ho emitted the same vibe as the messenger from the afterlife.
A grim reaper’s “definition” was a creature that handled humans’ passage to the netherworld, which perfectly fit Kang Jin-Ho to a T in this situation. Because the life of every person in this place depended on Kang Jin-Ho’s whims, after all!
“C-commander…?”
The adjutant’s trembling whisper sounded like a thunderclap in Mercer’s hearing.
Mercer couldn’t help but chuckle just then. His adjutant had asked a rather funny question, after all!
An enemy was getting closer, yet a trained soldier asked if he should shoot at this enemy. Even though Mercer had repeatedly told his soldiers to fire at will!
Yeah, I already know you wanted to ask me something else. I really do.
The adjutant most likely didn’t want to resume firing. Because, if they did that… This strange little lull in action would come to an abrupt and violent end. And the carnage would resume.
The adjutant was probably terrified by that idea. And he was most likely not aware of the implication behind that question, too. The adjutant must’ve asked reflexively and without giving the matter too much thought.
Obviously, that was not a positive sign. If anything, it signaled something bad. Really bad. The adjutant was inside the commander center all this time, yet still couldn’t make rational judgment due to the naked terror. That implied that the soldiers on the frontline battling that monster must be half out of their minds by now.
As if to prove Mercer’s hypothesis…
Well, everything is eerily quiet, isn’t it?
The only noises filling up this area were things burning and sizzling, plus the injured soldiers moaning and gasping in pain. None of the explosions and gunshots from earlier could be heard now. In their place…!
Clomp.
Clomp!
Kang Jin-Ho’s still footsteps suppressed all the other noises and dug sharply into Mercer’s hearing.
This, all of this, was pointless. Meaningless.
All these thick layers of armor, developed through research after research, to withstand enemy bombardment, and all these anti-tank rounds that required exorbitant money to develop just so the allies could penetrate through the enemy armor…
All these things proved inconsequential before a human being made of flesh and blood!
It’s over.
Mercer’s head subtly fell. The movement itself was so subtle that the people around him failed to notice it. But it still happened. And it only happened because his will to fight had finally been broken.
Clomp.
Clomp!
Even as so many thoughts swirled in Mercer’s mind, Kang Jin-Ho got closer and closer to the command center, his expression one of disinterest.
The adjutant and other soldiers in the command center began stumbling back reflexively. But not Mercer; he still stood firm.
He was a soldier, wasn’t he? And his mission this time was to stop Kang Jin-Ho’s advance. Giving up and not fighting back meant he had already disobeyed his orders.
Mercer chewed on his lips.
Was he scared of dying? Did he value his life above all else? Not exactly.
Of course he was scared of dying. But what scared him even more was the prospect of his subordinates potentially getting massacred.
He didn’t resume attacking in the hope of saving his own life. And if he wanted to prove that, he could not afford to take a single step from this very spot.
Kang Jin-Ho steadily closed in.
With the tanks in flames and pitch-black plumes of smoke rising to the desert skies acting as his backdrop, Kang Jin-Ho closed in one step at a time. Eventually, he had come close enough for Mercer to get a good look. And the American soldier’s impression was…
He’s more ordinary looking than I thought.
That should have been obvious, but it didn’t feel so obvious right now.
Mercer had seen plenty of Kang Jin-Ho in this battle, so the latter not sporting a pair of horns felt wrong and awkward. Because he couldn’t have been a human being after all he had done.
How should I describe his demeanor…?
Mercer didn’t have to think too hard to find a suitable description: Kang Jin-Ho was out on a stroll.
Nothing could be felt from Kang Jin-Ho just then. He didn’t have the demeanor of an agitated man engrossed in a battle, nor did he radiate the heightened emotional state with adrenaline coursing through his veins. Hell, he didn’t even have the expected hostility toward his enemies.
No, he… He simply existed there. That was it.
The corners of Mercer’s lips curled up in a self-deprecating smirk. He suddenly grew curious about something. How did Kang Jin-Ho view the American soldiers?
In Mercer’s view, Kang Jin-Ho was undoubtedly a monster. A creature with a human appearance, but definitely not a human. That was Kang Jin-Ho.
Mercer couldn’t believe that this monster breathed the same air as him, ate the same human food, and slept like everybody else.
Since that was how he felt, how would this monster view other human beings?
Did he see them as fragile plastic toys he could break at any time he wanted? Or some random little clay dolls fashioned out of cheap clay?
Mercer had no way of knowing, though, since he couldn’t view the world in Kang Jin-Ho’s shoes.
However, he was still convinced that the way Kang Jin-Ho viewed humanity starkly differed from how Mercer viewed humanity.
Right. He must view us as insects.
Indeed, small, insignificant insects that he could squash to death with a finger! Insects that could speak and think, but if Kang Jin-Ho wanted to, he could kill them in such a way they wouldn’t even know they had died. That kind of insect!
Mercer helplessly chuckled. Yes, he was an insect.
However, who said that an insect must tremble in fear before a human being? Insects had their own pride, after all!
Mercer’s eyes grew more bloodshot as he glared at the approaching Kang Jin-Ho.
Clomp.
Clomp!
Kang Jin-Ho’s emotionless eyes locked on Mercer. That was enough for Mercer’s legs to almost lose all their strength.
Mercer could sense it. He could feel that there was no one behind him.
His adjutant and soldiers assigned to protect him had fled, knowing they could never stop the incoming monster. But Mercer didn’t feel like criticizing them for doing so.
If he had been an adjutant and not a field commander, he, too, would have fled from here without a moment’s hesitation. But he was the commander. His rank was higher than everyone here, and he got paid better because of it. That meant he must take responsibility in times like this.
Mercer tightly clenched his fists. He forced his trembling legs to stand straight. His eyes kept glaring at Kang Jin-Ho and nobody else.
Clomp.
Clomp!
Eventually, Kang Jin-Ho reached where Mercer was.
The monster in human guise, who had been walking with his head slightly drooped, slowly looked up at the lone American soldier in his way. The distinctive dark eyes of an Asian revealed themselves under his long, dark hair.
Mercer held his breath. Here stood the undeniable death. The death that no one could escape from!
That was when the death lazily broke his silence. “Are you going to try and stop me?”
“…”
For a briefest of all brief moments there, Mercer was lost for words. Not because he hadn’t made up his mind yet, but more like he was taken aback. He didn’t expect the monster to speak to him first.
A human wouldn’t talk to an insect he was about to crush, after all.
Mercer’s surprise at fluent-sounding English coming from Kang Jin-Ho didn’t last for long. He tried his best to stand tall and replied.
“…I’m not sure.”
No one besides the two of them were here. Others had already fled from the scene, after all. And that was why Reggie Mercer could respond honestly.
“I’m not stupid enough to think I can stop you here. However… I also know I cannot back down like that.”
Kang Jin-Ho smirked softly, baring his pearly whites.
Mercer thought that was a pretty cool smirk, which didn’t really suit the current situation.
“Yes… A man should respond like you,” said Kang Jin-Ho with a nod. He genuinely liked this soldier’s reply. “However, this is not the right time for that.”
He reached out slowly, then lightly grabbed Mercer’s shoulder. And with a gentle push, he ushered Mercer out of the way. From how cautious he was, it was as if he was trying to pick up an ant with his fingertip and not hurt it in the process.
Mercer couldn’t resist. He could have struggled all he wanted and still not affect Kang Jin-Ho in any appreciable manner. Since he knew that, why would he waste his energy and resist?
After ushering Mercer aside, Kang Jin-Ho patted the soldier on the shoulder a couple of times before resuming his stroll toward the bunker.
“…!” Mercer bit his lip when Kang Jin-Ho walked past him. “Are you… Are you trying to dishonor me?”
Kang Jin-Ho abruptly stopped walking and slowly turned his head to look back at Mercer.
“Do you not fear the possibility of me shooting you in the back?”
Kang Jin-Ho stared expressionlessly at Mercer, before the corners of his lips curled up. While smirking in satisfaction, he replied to Mercer.
“Go ahead and try.”
“…”
“We’ll deal with what happens afterward.”
“I… I am…”
Kang Jin-Ho slowly shook his head.
“You did pretty good today. I honestly got flustered a few times.”
“…”
“We are not on a battlefield, though. If we had been fighting seriously, you’d be dead already. However… I don’t see a need to kill someone when we’re not on a battlefield, and when you don’t deserve to die.”
Not on a battlefield, he said…
After creating this carnage, Kang Jin-Ho had no problem saying that with a straight face?
Mercer wasn’t sure whether to get angry at this brazenness or be impressed by Kang Jin-Ho’s sense of scale.
“A life isn’t worth much, but… No need to greet a meaningless death in a place like this,” said Kang Jin-Ho.
After bidding his farewell, Kang Jin-Ho walked away from Mercer and headed to the bunker. Mercer could only stand there in silence and stare at Kang Jin-Ho’s back.
Without a shred of doubt, this was the United States army’s complete and utter defeat. Such was the completeness of this defeat that Mercer actually felt refreshed. He had no regrets about it.
Whether it was one’s combat strength or the magnanimity, Mercer and his army had been soundly beaten. He was certain that he’d never feel this defeated again for the rest of his life. But this sense of defeat helped him to let go of his pride and acknowledge what should be acknowledged.
Mercer clenched his fists and tore his gaze away from Kang Jin-Ho. The battle might be over, but his job had not.
“What are you all doing?!” Mercer roared at the top of his lungs. “Assist the injured, now! And recover the fallen comrades, too! Put out the fires! Hurry the hell up and get our people out from those burning wrecks! Get moving!”
The soldiers snapped wide awake from Mercer’s roar and reacted immediately. Thanks to years and years of constant drills, they didn’t need their brains to comprehend the commander’s orders first. Their bodies were already doing what was necessary by then, after all.
“Over here! Medics! We’ve got injured down here!”
“I need assistance over here! Hurry!”
As if the dying body had regained its vitality, the paralyzed armored division began moving again. Mercer watched this scene unfold, then chewed on his lips.
All he could do right now was pray that the losses weren’t as catastrophic as his eyes could see.
He didn’t care much about those lumps of metal. But what tormented him was the fate of his soldiers trapped inside said lumps of metal. Machines could be fixed or replaced, but the dead couldn’t be revived, after all!
“…! I found survivors! Hurry!”
“Over here! There are more survivors down here! I need help! We gotta get these people out!”
“Hang in there! We’re gonna get you out! Help! I need help over here!”
Mercer’s eyes progressively grew wider and wider. There were survivors? Seriously?
But how could there be survivors inside all those destroyed tanks and vehicles? Even the ones that got cleanly sliced in half?
This bizarre, unexplainable revelation forced Mercer to snap his head and stare at Kang Jin-Ho again. But all he could see was Kang Jin-Ho leisurely approaching the bunker as if he hadn’t heard anything.
The adjutant hurriedly walked up to Mercer. “Sir! The bunker… We need to do something.”
Mercer shook his head. “No. It’s over.”
“C-commander?”
The adjutant stared in confusion, but Mercer was not the type to repeat himself if he could help it.
“Our role in this exercise is over. Besides, a defeated dog is supposed to tuck its tail and slink off from the arena.”
“…”
“They’ll take care of the rest, anyway.”
Kang Jin-Ho reached the bunker just as Mercer said that. Then, he slowly raised the Crimson Destiny, before…!
Paaaaaaahng!
A thin black horizontal line appeared mid-air before disappearing like a mirage. At the same time, the upper half of the bunker, constructed from special concrete, got severed and flew away.
“Ah… Ahhhk?!”
Phil Burton collapsed on his butt while looking up at where the ceiling was supposed to be. Kang Jin-Ho stared at the people inside the bunker before mouthing a fresh cigarette.
Snap.
He snapped his fingers to ignite the cigarette, then leisurely puffed away.
“So… Which one of you is the undersecretary?”