Actually, Dad Was a Hero

Chapter 36: Withdrawal

“Oh dear― What should we do? Oh, what a shame. Oh―.”

“Ah, stop it already. Even the car owner is staying quiet.”

“Oh, this beautiful thing. . . .”

Despite Wraith’s dissuasion, Ogre kept caressing the hood of the truck with a mournful look.

Jin Beom-Min’s truck, which they had taken to get here, was still parked where they had left it.

The only difference was that it was now studded with forearm-sized thorns shot by the Manticore.

The sharp thorns, gleaming with a black luster, had pierced through the truck’s metal plates and glass, turning the vehicle into a literal honeycomb.

“Should we try starting it? It might still run. . . .”

Imp tried to get into the driver’s seat, but Jin Beom-Min grabbed his arm.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Those thorns are coated with poison. . . .”

“Huh, poison?”

“Yes. It won’t kill you just by touching your skin, but. . . it’ll hurt like hell.”

“Oh dear. . . .”

Imp shuddered and stepped back, raising his hands.

“But there’s someone who’s immune to poison. Right, Kuen?”

Jin Beom-Min asked the knight in blue armor who was curiously examining the truck.

“. . .What do you mean. . .?”

“I’m asking you to get in the car and try starting it.”

“. . .Start it. . .? You want me to. . . get in this carriage?”

“Yes.”

“. . .But. . . there’s no horse. . .?”

A look of confusion flickered in Kuen’s hollow eyes.

“It’s a carriage that runs without a horse. Just get in here and. . . try pressing that button.”

Kuen stared blankly through the window at the inside of the truck and then asked in a somewhat dissatisfied tone.

“. . .But. . . it’s studded with. . . Manticore thorns. . .?”

“Yes. It would be great if you could pull those out while you’re at it.”

“. . .Those thorns are. . . coated with poison. . . .”

“No, that’s why I’m asking Kuen. He’s undead, so it’s fine, right?”

“. . .It’s fine. . . .”

Kuen pulled open the half-opened driver’s door. He added in a grumbling tone.

“. . .But. . . I don’t feel very respected. . . .”

Kuen got into the driver’s seat, hesitated for a moment, and then pressed the start button. But nothing happened.

“. . .It’s no use.”

“. . .Is that it. . .?”

As Kuen was about to get out of the car, Sandman pointed to the bulky communication device in the middle of the back seat.

“Jin, we should check the communicator too. We need to contact headquarters and arrange for another way back.”

The DMZ was about 160km away from their current location as the crow flies.

It was quite a distance to travel without any means of transportation. Moreover, they were in the middle of North Korea.

Jin Beom-Min nodded and relayed his words in the common language of Jindar.

While Kuen was pulling out the thorns embedded in the seat and moving to the back seat, Sandman asked Jin Beom-Min.

“By the way, what happened? That knight. . . wasn’t he a Necromancer’s subordinate?”

Jin Beom-Min held up the white, skull-shaped ring on his finger and said.

“Not anymore. The Necromancer Guardian obeys the orders of the person who possesses this ring.”

“Is it the Necromancer’s item?”

“It’s the only thing left.”

Sandman stared intently at the Ring of Necromancy and said.

“. . .Dr. Oh will be envious.”

“It’s not something I can entrust to just anyone. . . .”

A moment later, Kuen came out with the broken long-range communicator.

Sandman fiddled with the communicator, but it was no use. It wouldn’t even power on.

“What should we do now. . .?”

Wraith asked with an anxious look. Jin Beom-Min and Sandman looked around at their team with grim expressions.

Everyone looked exhausted from lack of sleep and the sudden battle, and Reaper was struggling to treat his injured ear, clumsily wearing Jin Beom-Min’s Iron Troll armor.

No matter how they thought about it, there seemed to be no other way. Sandman declared resolutely.

“Let’s walk.”

“Huh? What’s walking?”

Only Reaper, whose hearing had just recovered, looked around, wondering what was going on.

******

[You’re saying they’re out of contact?]

“It seems the communicator was destroyed. Looking at the last satellite image taken. . . it seems they’ve dealt with the monster.”

[So what’s the problem? They arrived safely and completed the mission successfully.]

Lee Sang-Jun swallowed hard. This was the important part.

“The problem is their return. It seems their vehicle was destroyed.”

[What?]

Shim Jung-Min asked back, sounding irritated.

“It looks like it will be difficult for them to return on their own in their current state. We need your help, Minister.”

[What? Help? Haha, you’re funny.]

Shim Jung-Min’s following words were ice-cold.

[Do you know how much effort I put into preparing for this operation?]

“Of course I do.”

[And you’re asking for more help? Don’t you think that’s too shameless?]

“You’re right. It is shameless. But you have to help.”

[. . .Why?]

Shim Jung-Min was dumbfounded by Lee Sang-Jun’s audacity in asking for help. He asked back in a slightly softened tone.

“Because of the sunk cost. If we lose them now, everything you’ve invested so far will be for nothing.”

[Hahaha, look at this guy.]

“And there’s also the opportunity cost to consider. You need Jin to return safely to announce the UN resolution, don’t you?”

Lee Sang-Jun on the other side of the phone remained silent for a moment.

Lee Sang-Jun hoped this silence was a positive response. It seemed impossible to get the Ghost Squad back without his help.

[. . .You’re a smart fellow. Arrogant, but smart.]

“Thank you.”

[So, what do you need me to do?]

“For now, just promising to help is enough. I’ll contact you again after we finalize the details of the withdrawal operation.”

[Alright.]

“. . .Thank you.”

[You know I don’t do favors for free, right?]

“Of course.”

[Good. Don’t forget.]

After the call ended, Lee Sang-Jun let out a long sigh. His hand holding the phone was damp with sweat.

“At least we’ve avoided the worst-case scenario. . . .”

For now, he had no idea how to get them out of North Korea.

But if he could count on Shim Jung-Min’s support, he would find a way.

No, he had to find a way.

Lee Sang-Jun straightened his clothes and then strode into the information control room through the conference room door.

A leader always had to appear confident.

******

The incendiary grenade erupted in a burst of white-hot flames.

The black steel, which seemed capable of withstanding anything, glowed red and burned like paper.

Ogre wailed in front of the remains of the truck, which were burning and emitting black smoke.

“Oh dear, my precious truck. . . .”

“Oh, come on. Let’s go.”

Reaper grabbed Ogre by the scruff of his neck and pulled, but Ogre wouldn’t budge.

“What a shame. . . . It was brand new. . . .”

“To be precise. . . .”

Jin Beom-Min glanced at his wristwatch and continued.

“. . .It’s been about 18 hours and 24 minutes since we bought it.”

“Oh my, it didn’t even last a day. . . . Poor thing. . . .”

“Oh, for crying out loud. Stop fussing and let’s go. What if someone sees the smoke and comes here?”

Only when Reaper kept pulling him by the scruff of his neck did Ogre reluctantly start walking.

“Let’s have Kuen lead the way.”

Jin Beom-Min suggested to Sandman, who was instructing the formation for their movement.

“The leader should be scouting the front. . . .”

When Sandman hesitated, Jin Beom-Min explained his reasoning.

“We might encounter civilians while we’re moving. Most civilians will piss their pants and run away just by looking at Kuen. And. . . .”

Jin Beom-Min lowered his voice so that Kuen wouldn’t hear him. Not that Kuen understood Korean anyway.

“. . .Wouldn’t it be better to have someone who can get shot in the front?”

“Ah, I see.”

Sandman glanced at Kuen’s hollow eye sockets.

Despite knowing he was an ally, his appearance was chillingly eerie.

“Alright. I feel a bit sorry, but then. . . let’s have Kuen-nim lead the way.”

And 30 minutes later, their decision proved to be the right one.

******

Boom!

With a deafening explosion, Kuen was violently thrown back.

“Get down!”

Before Sandman could even give the order, the Ghost Squad members lowered their stances and sought cover.

“Ugh. . . .”

Kuen, who had been thrown back and rolled several times, staggered to his feet.

Despite the sudden ambush, he seemed relatively unharmed, with only a few scorch marks on his shield and armor.

“What was that?”

Jin Beom-Min shouted as he looked around, but there was no sign of the enemy.

“Wraith, launch the drone!”

“I’m on it!”

Wraith opened the briefcase-like box he was carrying and took out a small drone, turning it on.

The reconnaissance drone soon took off with a whirring sound.

“What should I do. . .?”

Kuen, holding his shield in front of him, asked Jin Beom-Min as he prepared for the next attack.

“For now, just draw their attention.”

“. . .Am I bait again. . . . I guess I’m past my prime. . . .”

Grumbling, Kuen straightened up and slowly walked forward. If there were enemies hiding somewhere, they would attack him first rather than the Ghost Squad members.

“Found them! 700m ahead!”

“What? Is it a monster?”

“No, it’s the North Korean army! Three BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles! Infantry are disembarking!”

Hearing Wraith’s report, Jin Beom-Min asked.

“North Korean army? Why are they attacking us?”

But no one could answer his question.

“I told ya we shouldn’t have trusted those damn commies!”

“Captain! Let’s counterattack!”

Sandman was lost in thought. They had been ambushed. The enemy outnumbered them, and they had armored vehicles with significant firepower. Even if they fought back, victory was not guaranteed.

“Sandman!”

Jin Beom-Min approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Ghost Squad can’t counterattack. Kuen and I will handle this.”

“What. . .?”

Sandman wasn’t the only one surprised by Jin Beom-Min’s words.

“What are you talking about? You want us to just stand here after getting attacked?”

“We can overcome this difference in numbers, let’s fight!”

But Jin Beom-Min shook his head.

“We can’t fight against the North Korean army! If North Korean soldiers are found dead with Western bullets in them in the middle of North Korea, it will become a huge problem!”

Only then did Sandman reluctantly nod.

The fact that Jin Beom-Min and the Ghost Squad had entered North Korea to eliminate monsters was a secret known only to a very small number of people. Even within the North Korean authorities, only a handful of top-ranking officers were aware of it.

In such a situation, if North Korean soldiers were found dead from Western weapons, it would inevitably become a major issue.

It was obvious that the North Korean authorities would not reveal the fact that they had brought in a South Korean special forces unit.

It could even become a justification for war.

“. . .Will the two of you be alright?”

“No problem. You saw what Kuen did in France, right?”

However, Sandman shook his head and continued.

“That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m asking if you can really kill them.”

“What? What do you mean. . .?”

“Have you. . . ever killed a person?”

Sandman’s gaze was asking if he could truly commit murder.