Chapter 180
Chapter 180
Episode 180. Hell Island of the West Sea (1)
【AM 03:15】
【Coordinates: 36.625265, 125.589516】
It was in the middle of the sea, about 25km west of Taean, Chungnam.
On a boat cutting through the sea at that location, Kwak Chi-young, Bastian, and four members of the 666 Unit under his command were on board.
“How much further is it?”
Bastian, who had been staring at the sea with boredom, asked with an uncomfortable expression.
“Looking at the current coordinates, we should be arriving at the point soon.”
“They’ve set up camp in quite a secluded spot.”
“It had to be a place that was both secret and safe.”
Just then, the boat slowed down and eventually stopped.
“Why are we stopping here? Didn’t you say we’d arrive soon?”
“I didn’t get a chance to mention it, but from here, we need to transfer to a boat that will pick us up from the island.”
“We were hiding like stowaways earlier, isn’t this process too unnecessarily complicated?”
“South Korea is a small country, so there are many inconvenient procedures. This boat is also a licensed fishing vessel, so if the GPS deviates too far from the route, it could raise suspicion.”
It was a mercenary camp that had been hidden and nurtured for years. Naturally, everything from the internal facilities to the travel routes was designed to be as inconspicuous as possible.
“So, is it the same way back?”
“That’s right. And if you need to stow away towards China, it’s possible via container ships going from Incheon or Mokpo to Weihai.”
Bastian nodded naturally.
“It’s a thorough method. Not bad.”
“We put a lot of thought into it.”
As they were talking, a black boat approached from a distance and pulled up close to their boat.
“Oh? Is that a Japonica with stealth function released by Lifemarine?”
He mentioned the boat’s model name.
“That’s correct.”
“They must have spent quite a bit of money.”
“It’s a job that requires caution, so we have to invest. More importantly, there isn’t much time left before the scheduled patrol, so let’s get on board quickly.”
Kwak Chi-young and Bastian, along with the others, moved to the boat. The boat they had been on started its engine again and departed.
Meanwhile, the black boat began to pick up speed and accelerate.
They sped through the waves for about 15 minutes. Then, they approached an island, about 1.5km in diameter, surrounded by cliffs.
As the boat went around the back of the island, a large cave was visible at the point where the cliff met the sea.
“Is that the entrance?”
“Yes.”
From protrusions on the left and right inside the cave, members of the 666 Unit, armed with rifles, poked their heads out and saluted the boat.
They knew that Kwak Chi-young, the owner of the Bigeukdo Camp, had arrived.
The boat went further inside and docked at a small pier within the cave. Kwak Chi-young and his companions could finally disembark.
Bastian couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration as he looked around.
“Ho? It’s more spacious inside than I expected. How on earth did you find a place like this? Looking at the island from the outside, it seemed like a place where no one could possibly live.”
Anything can be discovered if people set foot there.
But this uninhabited island was completely useless, making it all the more astonishing.
“We found it by chance. Thanks to that, we were able to build the camp like this.”
They left the pier and moved further inside.
As they walked, Kwak Chi-young continued his explanation.
“The interior is no different from a cave. However, since there’s quite a bit of space, we’ve equipped it with the basic necessities like electricity and plumbing, and for accommodation, we use tents and cots.”
“It’s not much different from Cerberus’s camp.”
“I came from there, after all.”
As they continued walking, they came to a large cavern. There, about 20 trainees of the 666 Unit were engaged in combat, wielding daggers at each other.
“Is this all the personnel?”
In response to the question, a man in combat fatigues approached Kwak Chi-young and whispered in his ear.
“Two recently died during water training, so this is all of them. The current number of trainees is 24.”
“They train that intensely?”
“It’s a place where you must kill if you don’t want to die.”
Bastian, hearing this, looked at the man who had spoken to Kwak Chi-young.
“More importantly, who is that friend?”
“He’s under my command and is responsible for the Bigeukdo trainees.”
As if to introduce him, Kwak Chi-young looked at the man.
The man then introduced himself in English.
“I am Oh Jae-seong, belonging to the 666 Unit.”
At that answer, Bastian looked back and forth between Oh Han-sung, who was standing behind Kwak Chi-young.
Kwak Chi-young, knowing the reason, explained immediately.
“They are brothers. Oh Jae-seong is the older brother, Oh Han-sung is the younger. Both are Black from Cella.”
“Oh! Brothers who are Black? More importantly, do siblings usually enter Cella?”
Cella was an orphanage under the camp that raised 666 Unit members. It was difficult for siblings to be there, as they only brought in orphans who wouldn't be tracked anywhere in the world.
“They were children with exceptional potential. So I kept an eye on them and nurtured them.”
“Indeed, if they both rose to Black, they must have been extraordinary. So, was that friend raised here?”
This time, Bastian’s gaze shifted to Ahn Deok-chil, who was standing a little further away.
“That’s right. Seeing his potential, I trained him for about 10 months.”
“I’m quite curious about the level here. So, who are the recommended weapons?”
At Oh Jae-seong’s cue, he moved.
The trainees wielding daggers in the training ground stopped. Then, at Oh Jae-seong’s call, four young men in their early twenties stepped forward and followed him to a nearby area.
“23, 43, 51, 66. They are the most useful ones in the camp.”
The individuals called by number, though disheveled, had sharp eyes.
Of course, it wasn’t just them. Everyone standing in the training ground had a fierce aura, as if they would pounce if given a target.
“I like that they’re full of fighting spirit.”
“They will be promoted to Blue soon.”
“Is this benchmarked against Cerberus’s camp?”
“Yes.”
At Oh Jae-seong’s reply, Bastian’s lips curved into a smile.
“It would be good to test them. Eugene.”
At the summons, a hulking man in black combat fatigues walked out.
Eugene Schwartz. He was a Black-grade 666 Unit member whom Bastian had urgently summoned from France upon hearing about the Bigeukdo schedule.
He was also the superior of Jonathan Moore and Shiobe Hisajiro, who had recently been severely injured.
“What should I do?”
Eugene asked in a deep voice, and Bastian didn’t hesitate.
“If their skills are decent, they’re people we should use, so just don’t break anything beyond repair.”
“Understood.”
Eugene looked at the four men standing in a row and said,
“Come on.”
It was simple English, but the trainees tilted their heads and looked at Oh Jae-seong.
“It means come at me all at once. This is a test for you, so you must do your best if you want to prove your worth.”
The four trainees exchanged glances, then spread out slightly before charging at Eugene.
Whoosh— Whoosh—
Eugene, standing at 190cm, easily dodged their coordinated attacks and landed kicks. Two of them, caught in the blows, rolled sideways before quickly regaining their stance.
“They’ve got some grit.”
The 1-on-4 battle continued.
Eugene stopped dodging and took a few hits, then grabbed one trainee by the neck and threw him.
Despite the rather sharp attacks, they didn’t inflict significant damage on Eugene.
At that moment, one trainee aimed for Eugene’s eyes with a spear-hand strike.
Shuak—
Eugene, who was blocking another trainee’s kick, narrowly avoided the attack that came from his momentarily obscured vision.
However, it was so brief that the trainee’s spear-hand grazed Eugene’s temple.
Eugene scowled and gripped the trainee’s neck with his wide-open palm, as if to break it.
“Stop—!”
Kwak Chi-young, who had been watching the situation, shouted.
Simultaneously, Eugene and the trainees had no choice but to stop.
“Eugene Schwartz. Are you trying to kill my trainees?”
“…I apologize.”
Eugene released the trainee’s neck, which he had been gripping tightly, as if throwing him.
“Gasp—!”
The trainee, unable to breathe, collapsed onto the floor, gasping for air.
Seeing this, Kwak Chi-young sighed and approached Bastian.
“I apologize for stopping you on my own.”
“Tsk! To make Eugene that agitated. You’ve raised your trainees better than I expected.”
“There are still many areas where they are lacking.”
Bastian honestly hadn’t expected much, as they hadn’t gone through Cerberus’s camp. But seeing the four of them corner Eugene, he was slightly surprised.
He genuinely liked the skill of those trainees.
“Take all four of them.”
“…All of them?”
In fact, Kwak Chi-young had expected him to take at most three.
“Is that not possible? I’ve lost six men because of you. Considering Jonathan and Shiobe, who are severely injured, and these four, aren’t you aware of the immense loss?”
He wasn’t asking for that many personnel. Bastian, having heard the situation, had personally mobilized two Black, four White, four Blue, and even an attack helicopter.
However, it was difficult to argue about that fact now.
“Understood. I’ll give you all four.”
“Good. And can I ask for more in the future?”
666 Unit members were like invisible bullets. And the person holding the gun would face many difficulties if those bullets ran out.
That was precisely Bastian’s situation now.
However, bullets were difficult to replenish within the organization.
This was because Cella and its owner, Cerberus, used them as leverage within the organization.
“It will be difficult in the near future, as they need to be trained to a level where they can complete their missions.”
“Well, I don’t mind as long as you promise, no matter when it is.”
“…Understood.”
Bastian smiled upon hearing Kwak Chi-young’s reply.
“Can I see the other facilities here as well? If you can handle it, I might want to send some useful individuals here myself.”
“You mean yourself? Would that be alright?”
In fact, Kwak Chi-young had siphoned off prospective trainees from Cella. However, he was cautious, as Cerberus could discover it at any moment.
“There are quite a few orphans in Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia in Africa that can be transferred to Southern Europe, so it might not be a bad idea.”
“…Orphans?”
“Wouldn’t it be good to expand the scale?”
Kwak Chi-young’s expression stiffened upon hearing the proposal.
“Are you suggesting I operate Cella directly? But if the higher-ups found out…”
Cella, operated by the 666 Unit mercenary headquarters, was the origin. And it was one of the facilities that absolutely must not leak out.
Especially if Cerberus found out, Kwak Chi-young would find it difficult to survive, regardless of his position.
“Haven’t you been doing well without being discovered until now?”
At that moment, only one thought crossed Kwak Chi-young’s mind.
‘He intends to take all the benefits and shift all the blame onto me if something goes wrong.’
He couldn’t help but see through Bastian’s disgusting intentions.
Kwak Chi-young’s mind raced. However, with the Bigeukdo Camp already exposed, it was difficult to refuse.
“That’s…!”
Just as he was about to answer cautiously, all the lights in the cave suddenly went out, plunging it into darkness.