Actually, Dad Was a Hero

Chapter 15: Speculation

“It’s a Reaper. A US military drone.”

‘Wraith’ said, looking through the observation telescope borrowed from ‘Reaper’.

The plane, which had looked small, was still maintaining a certain distance, barely visible as if it was circling the area.

“It has the same name as our ‘Reaper’.”

“It’s a common name. But isn’t it a bit childish to call yourself ‘Grim Reaper’?”

“What did you say?”

‘Reaper’, the special agent, not the plane, retorted.

‘Sandman’ separated ‘Reaper’ and ‘Wraith’ who were about to bicker again and said,

“Then the US military will be here soon.”

“Probably. They’ve probably been watching for a while now. That thing has excellent reconnaissance capabilities.”

‘Sandman’ nodded at ‘Wraith’s answer.

It was almost a given that other Western countries would intervene militarily. Although it was close, the operation was a success since they had achieved their objective before they intervened.

“Everyone, pack your things. We’ll retreat to the volunteer camp and then evacuate by vehicle.”

“Are we leaving the hostages behind like this?”

‘Imp’ asked, examining the hostages’ injuries.

The hostages, who had been kidnapped by monsters, almost dragged to another world, and then rescued by a stranger in armor, looked physically and mentally exhausted. Seeing their condition, it seemed impossible to move even 1km with them.

“We can’t take them with us anyway. The US military and the UN Peacekeeping Forces will take care of it.”

“What if the rebels show up? The warlords in this area are experts in ransom business.”

Then ‘Wraith’ replied in a sarcastic tone.

“What’s there to worry about with Reaper up there? If any rebels dare to come near, they’ll get a taste of hellfire.”

‘Hellfire’ referred to the Hellfire missiles operated by the US military drone, Reaper.

The Ghost Squad members understood it in a literal sense, but Jin Beom-Min understood it figuratively. But there wasn’t much difference.

Because there was no difference in the meaning itself that the approaching rebels would get a very hot taste.

“Won’t they attack us?”

Jin Beom-Min asked with concern, but ‘Sandman’ shook his head.

“They’ve probably already figured out the situation through satellites and reconnaissance planes. And their goal is to rescue the hostages anyway. If we leave this place on our own, there will be no problem.”

“Then let’s go quickly. I’m about to die from the heat.”

With ‘Ogre’s grumbling, which would be a shame to miss, the group packed their things and left the village.

A few hostages who still had some energy left waved goodbye to them.

They got into the car parked at the volunteer camp and headed to the newly instructed coordinates via satellite phone.

The road was long, the day grew darker, and everyone was tired from the hard day.

When they arrived at their destination, it was already midnight, with ‘Imp’ and ‘Ogre’ taking turns driving.

It was the loud rotor sound of a helicopter cutting through the air that woke the group from their deep sleep, snoring in the back of the old van.

Jin Beom-Min and the Ghost Squad boarded the helicopter with their tired bodies and headed towards the black African sea as if they were being sucked in.

And an hour later, they landed on the helipad of the ROKS Dae Joyeong, a Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class destroyer, boasting its white majesty on the black sea.

“Six agents from the National Intelligence Service request permission to board the Dae Joyeong.”

‘Sandman’, who got off the helicopter, reported to Captain Choi Yong-Moon, the commander of the Cheonghae Unit, who had personally come out to greet them.

“Permission to board granted.”

Captain Choi Yong-Moon nodded and ‘Sandman’ saluted respectfully once again.

Then, Captain Choi Yong-Moon burst into a broad smile and clasped ‘Sandman’s arm.

“You, still causing trouble here and there. Are you hurt?”

“Yes, Captain. How are you?”

While Jin Beom-Min and the Ghost Squad members were busy packing their things and moving, ‘Sandman’ and Captain Choi Yong-Moon chatted like old friends who hadn’t seen each other in a long time.

Seeing this, Jin Beom-Min asked ‘Wraith’. He felt that ‘Wraith’, being the information guy, would give him a detailed explanation.

“I don’t really know either. They probably know each other from their UDT days… .”

“‘Sandman’ was in the UDT?”

“Probably. Well, we don’t really talk about our personal lives. But you can tell from the training they received or their habits, where they’re from, where they served, and things like that.”

“Ah.”

Jin Beom-Min nodded.

He could understand why colleagues who were responsible for each other’s lives would refrain from talking about personal matters. Because he and his colleagues had a similar relationship during his time at the Hero Academy.

On the battlefield, where they could lose their lives at any moment, they had to refrain from personal emotional exchanges to a certain extent in order to trust and rely on each other.

Otherwise, they could be swayed by emotions and do reckless things, or even cause tragedies due to personal grudges.

Therefore, Jin Beom-Min also kept a certain distance from his colleagues at the academy and the soldiers who supported them.

Apart from intimacy and trust, it was about leaving each other’s private space as professionals. Those who couldn’t do that usually didn’t last long and lost their lives.

As if to protect their secret identities, there was no one on the deck of the destroyer except for Captain Choi Yong-Moon. Even the helicopter pilot and crew who had brought them so far pretended not to see them with a polite attitude.

It was a response befitting the flagship of the Cheonghae Unit, which often utilized special forces due to various circumstances.

Jin Beom-Min and the Ghost Squad comfortably moved their luggage, took a hot shower in their assigned cabins, and then fell into a deep sleep.

******

The next morning. After having breakfast with Captain Choi Yong-Moon in the officers’ mess, Jin Beom-Min and the Ghost Squad connected to the Monster Incident Response Headquarters in Korea.

Because the report had to be conducted inside the cabin for security reasons, a bunch of cables and communication equipment were tangled between the Ghost Squad’s weapons and luggage.

The cabin became quite messy, but thanks to the connection to the Dae Joyeong’s powerful satellite communication equipment, they were able to conduct a high-definition video conference. It was a world of difference from the handheld satellite phone where they could barely hear each other.

[Then why are the monsters kidnapping people? And only adults?]

Lee Sang-Jun asked after receiving a detailed report on yesterday’s operation.

“Hmm… Well, maybe they need slaves?”

‘Imp’ replied in an unsure tone. But Jin Beom-Min shook his head and said,

“Then there’s no reason why they wouldn’t take teenagers or children. They’re a workforce that eats less and is easier to manage.”

The Ghost Squad members looked at Jin Beom-Min with a look that said, ‘How would you know that?’, but he continued speaking without minding them.

“And with so many monsters that are superior in strength and stamina, there’s no need to use weak humans as slaves.”

[Then what do you think it’s for?]

“Information.”

[Information?]

“Isn’t it natural to gather information and assess the enemy’s strength before launching a military operation?”

Then ‘Sandman’ countered.

“How can they get information when they can’t even communicate? And there’s no way civilians or volunteers would know proper military information, right?”

“Here, the civilian and military sectors are completely separated, but that’s not the case in Jindar. There, civilians can know any number of militarily sensitive information. In the first place, there’s no concept of a professional soldier, except for a small number of knights, mercenaries, and monster hunters.”

The concept of a professional soldier was a very rare occupation in Jindar, which remained at the level of a medieval feudal society.

It wasn’t that there weren’t groups that made a living by fighting, such as knightly orders or mercenary groups, but they weren’t common, and even they were prone to turning into bandits when there was no work.

When wars broke out or when they had to fight large-scale monsters, the main force of the army was usually a militia formed by conscripting commoners, and knights or nobles served as officers to command the militia.

Therefore, ordinary people also had a certain degree of military knowledge, and there were quite a few commoners who knew operational plans or information that could be considered confidential.

Jin Beom-Min paced back and forth, trying to organize his thoughts, and continued speaking.

Six pairs of eyes, including Lee Sang-Jun’s on the screen, followed Jin Beom-Min’s movements from side to side.

“…And actually, language isn’t that important either. Because there’s magic.”

[Can magic translate too?]

“It’s translation, but… It’s a kind of telepathy. If you don’t know the language, you can just read their thoughts.”

“Read… their thoughts?”

‘Reaper’ asked in surprise. Jin Beom-Min recalled the magic lessons he learned at the Hero Academy and continued speaking.

“Among mental magic, there are quite a few spells that forcibly read the opponent’s thoughts. It’s advanced magic, but it has high military applications, so it’s been researched in various ways. And if you utilize this mental magic well, deciphering an unknown language is just a matter of time. The monster languages I learned were also discovered in this way.”

[Hmm… Then the monsters… No, someone behind them is gathering information to invade Earth?]

“…I think so. Of course, it’s still just speculation, but…”

Jin Beom-Min paused for a moment, reflecting on the past, and continued speaking.

“It’s already been… 28 years since I left Jindar. I have no idea how the war turned out or what the current situation is. But…”

Jin Beom-Min’s face became serious.

“If the war ended and the monsters took over the entire continent… They might be trying to invade another world this time.”

Silence fell over the cabin.

An invasion of monsters that are immune to modern weapons.

For now, it was just a kidnapping incident that happened every few days, so Jin Beom-Min and the Ghost Squad could handle it.

But if the monsters really invaded on a large scale, the story would be different.

No matter how strong Jin Beom-Min was, he couldn’t be everywhere at the same time.

It was a situation where a global catastrophe could occur.

‘Sandman’, who had been lost in thought with a serious expression, suddenly asked,

“But… would the monsters know that Jin Beom-Min is here?”

“Uh…”

It was a question that Jin Beom-Min had never thought of before.

He had already settled on Earth for over 20 years, so he had unconsciously thought of himself as an Earthling.

But thinking back, the very first life form from Jindar to come to Earth was none other than Jin Beom-Min.

He didn’t know how he came over, but it couldn’t be unrelated to the current monster invasion. However…

“…I don’t know. But… if they knew I was here, why would they send such weak monsters? They would know that it’s no match for me…”

But no one else could know the answer that Jin Beom-Min didn’t know.

Breaking the silence, Lee Sang-Jun spoke.

[Anyway, we’ll need more accurate information from now on. So next time, if possible, I’d like you to capture a monster alive.]

“Capture it alive?”

[That way, we can interrogate it, torture it, or whatever, to find out their purpose, right?]

“No, torture…”

Lee Sang-Jun replied to ‘Reaper’s protest as if it were a matter of course.

[Monsters are not subject to the Geneva Conventions, so it wouldn’t be a violation of international law.]

Lee Sang-Jun’s serious voice contained a chilling determination.

[Anyway, just bring it in. I’ll make it confess everything it knows.]