Chapter 181
Chapter 181
181.
Hell Island of the West Sea (2)
1 hour before Kwak Chi-young's Bigeukdo Camp lost power.
The evening before, they were about 140km from Incheon Port, having departed from Weihai, when their speed began to slow.
Soon, a lift attached to the side of the container ship activated, lowering the black boat it was carrying.
The moment the boat's hull touched the sea's surface, its engine roared to life. Simultaneously, a man and a woman, clad in black head masks and military-spec dry suits, emerged. As soon as they detached the lift clips, they began cutting through the sea.
All six members of Triad Eye were aboard. Only when they had moved far from the ship did they briefly remove their head masks and exhale.
“MANDU. What’s the ETA?”
Shinwoo, like the others, removed his head mask and asked.
Jang Man-soo, gripping the boat's steering wheel, checked the GPS with his other hand and replied.
“Current speed 250 km/h. Estimated arrival at the nearby waters is 15 minutes. Considering silent approach afterward, total time is estimated at 25 minutes.”
“Good. Everyone, gear….”
Click— Click—
Before he could finish, Lillian, Wei, Hector, and Rick, who had been seated around them, began checking their pistols, rifles, and other equipment.
“Don’t get too excited. You’ll cause an accident.”
Lillian smiled from within her head mask at Shinwoo’s worried mumble.
“Why? LOX. It’s just been too long for me.”
The last time Lillian had a proper fight was at the party, against Lim Do-hwa of the Three Fiends.
Of course, even then, with Im Hee-yeon and the bodyguards present, she couldn’t go all out. Besides, Lim Do-hwa’s skill was far inferior to Lillian’s.
Shinwoo shook his head at the memory and continued.
“As you all know, there’s no intel on this mission’s target. For now, the minimum identified persons of interest are Kwak Chi-young and Bastian Marchion, along with his subordinates Oh Han-sung and Ahn Deok-chil, and Rosa Taylor. And Eugene Schwartz, who recently entered the country.”
His colleagues didn’t stop their equipment checks as they listened to Shinwoo’s explanation.
“We’ll split into three teams. Zero ONE diversion team will be me and SILVER.”
“Nice—! If it’s diversion, we’ll have a proper blast.”
Lillian replied enthusiastically.
“Zero TWO breakthrough team, KIRIN and RHINO.”
This time, Wei and Rick were called out.
“Fighting together after a long time. Isn’t that right, Rick?”
“It’s good, Hyung-nim Wei.”
Shinwoo chuckled at their replies, filled with anticipation.
“Zero THREE search team will be HOUND and MANDU.”
“Ok.”
“We’ll sweep it all, right?”
The last to be named were Hector and Jang Man-soo. Their responses were very spirited.
Shinwoo continued.
“Total operation time is 60 minutes. RHINO and I will create a diversion and then infiltrate. Afterward, we’ll search and eliminate the enemies.”
Everyone nodded, listening intently.
“If a retreat signal is given, abandon everything and withdraw, no matter the situation. And in case of civilian appearance, act on your own judgment after reporting. Never get hurt or die.”
The boat’s speed gradually decreased. They were nearing their destination, Bigeukdo.
As Jang Man-soo moved from the driver’s seat, Hector, as if waiting, took his place and began to drive slowly.
Meanwhile, Jang Man-soo retrieved a square bag from a corner and took out a drone.
“We’ll start moving now.”
It didn’t take long to set up the controls.
The drone ascended with only the faint hum of its propellers.
“Estimated time for reconnaissance?”
“The island isn’t large, so the exterior won’t take long. However, if there’s only one entrance, it might be tough.”
“That’s why I borrowed various things from Chairman Cheon.”
The drone heading towards the island began its search, its camera scanning the surroundings in infrared night vision mode.
After a short while, Jang Man-soo smiled.
“Found it. There appear to be entrances on the northeast and south. Since there are no facilities outside the island, only a satellite receiver antenna is mounted on the southeast side.”
The drone was now circling and focusing on the southern entrance.
The screen then switched from night mode to thermal imaging. Reddish shapes began to appear to the left and right of the entrance.
They could tell they were guards.
“There are two for now. Start immediately?”
“Approach. SILVER, we’ll get ready.”
“Ok. Captain.”
Shinwoo and Lillian placed their firearms into waterproof bags. Their attire, though resembling combat uniforms, was a submersible military-spec dry suit, allowing them to enter the water.
While they finished their preparations, the boat drew close to the island on the dark sea.
“Time Check.”
At Shinwoo’s shout, everyone brought their watches forward.
?—
The timer, set for one hour, began to count down with an audible beep.
“Our identities must absolutely not be revealed.”
“Naturally.”
Shinwoo then put on his goggles and, along with Lillian, slung the waterproof bags containing their gear across their chests before diving in. Not long after, they submerged near a cave on the island’s cliff face and entered.
The 666 Unit members standing guard on the cliff at the cave entrance did not spot the two.
Meanwhile, Shinwoo circled around from inside the cave and ambushed one of them from behind.
Crunch—
“Zero ONE LOX. One guard neutralized.”
[Zero ONE SILVER. Neutralized.]
Lillian’s clear voice followed through the radio.
Shinwoo then walked through the passage, continuing to check the cave’s interior.
“Interior CLEAR. Infiltration commencing. No CCTV confirmed.”
While Shinwoo secured the passage connecting to the interior, Lillian also scanned the surroundings, maintaining vigilance.
The boat then entered and docked inside, allowing the other teammates to disembark.
Dududududu—
A strange noise echoed within the cave.
Jang Man-soo, having located the source, chuckled with his head mask on.
“Hearing this sound, they’re using a ship’s diesel generator as their power source. But with this much power, it’s natural that using CCTV would be difficult.”
He had spotted a ship docked in a corner of the cave.
“Power cutoff is immediate, right?”
“It’ll take 1 minute.”
“Then, on signal, cut it and prepare for demolition.”
“Ok—!”
Lillian, about to depart with Shinwoo, said, looking at Jang Man-soo.
“Don’t mix up the setting buttons.”
The explosives had been made by Lillian during transit.
“You think I’m you?”
“I don’t.”
“Hurry up and go do a good job!”
Everyone laughed at their exchange before attaching voice changers to the upper chest area of their necks.
“Ah, ah—!”
The changed voices of the testing colleagues emerged. This, along with the head masks, was a measure to leave no trace of their identities.
“Then let’s go.”
Lillian followed behind Shinwoo. The corridor was lit only by a line of wires running along the ceiling and occasional hanging bulbs.
When they reached a fork, Wei and Rick, who had naturally followed alongside, made eye contact and split off in opposite directions.
“It’s quite spacious inside, more than I expected.”
“For a natural cave, the scale is considerable.”
“Left? Right?”
Another fork appeared.
Shinwoo concentrated, listening for any sounds other than the ship’s generator echoing through the cave.
“I hear people from the left. And the sound of clashing swords.”
“Ok—!”
Shinwoo spoke into his radio.
“Ready.”
Simultaneously, Shinwoo and Lillian closed their eyes.
About 60 seconds passed. Shinwoo, counting in his head, spoke again.
“Fire.”
With the mumbled words transmitted over the radio, the lights of the bulbs dimly illuminating the cave all went out.
At that moment, Shinwoo opened his eyes and, with Lillian, rose from their crouched positions and ran swiftly.
“Sector E! Requesting power check! Sector E!”
A voice boomed through the cave in the darkness. It seemed to be contacting the guard responsible for the entrance, due to the power outage.
Shinwoo’s eyes, now accustomed to the darkness, detected movement emerging from a side of the cave.
Thud— Thwack!
Crunch!
“Ugh!”
Shinwoo covered the man’s mouth with his gloved palm, struck a vital point on his torso, and then twisted his neck.
The man, with only a muffled scream, slowly slumped to the ground.
“This is Zero ONE. One neutralized. Three so far.”
[This is Zero THREE. Ok.]
Jang Man-soo’s voice came over the radio, counting.
Meanwhile, Lillian, who had moved beside him, exclaimed.
“LOX, your combat skills are still sharp.”
“It’s thanks to the opportunities I had to move properly in China. Let’s move faster than this.”
“Roger.”
Chijijik—
[This is Zero Two. Two neutralized.]
This time, it was Wei’s voice.
[Notebook found, commencing data acquisition.]
[This is Zero THREE. Nice shot.]
The operation was proceeding without issue.
Shinwoo entered deeper with a satisfied expression. While data acquisition was a significant achievement, he hadn’t yet figured out the purpose of the island, Bigeukdo.
Of course, his colleagues speculated it was a mercenary camp, but he harbored doubts, as such a thing didn’t exist in Korea in his previous life.
Shu-ack—
At that moment, something sprang out from ahead and swung.
Thanks to sensing the presence beforehand, Shinwoo dodged to the side, intending to counter.
But Lillian sprang out from behind and lunged with a knife towards his neck. However, the man dodged backward, evading it.
‘What is it?’
His face was only a silhouette in the darkness.
Seeing this, Shinwoo retreated outward and swung his fist towards him. And again, the man, his eyes accustomed to the darkness, dodged to the side, trying to create distance.
“Are you the ones who interfered with our business?”
Shinwoo recognized the voice that echoed in the darkness.
‘…Oh Han-sung? No. It’s a little different. His hair is long, too.’
It was a long-haired man. However, the voice had a similar quality.
In reality, it was Oh Jae-seong, who had come to check the situation when the training facility suddenly lost power.
But Shinwoo, not dwelling on his identity, pressed close to prevent him from widening the distance.
Puh-puh-puh— Puh-puh—
“Kuh!”
As Shinwoo’s attacks intensified, Oh Jae-seong narrowly defended himself and swung his knife.
Ka-gak— Kak—
The knife, slicing through the air, clearly met his fist. Yet, only the sound of scraping metal echoed loudly as the knife was deflected.
“Breath Knuckle?”
“……”
Shinwoo offered no reply.
Seeing this, Oh Jae-seong frowned and increased the speed of his knife.
Pa-pa-pak— Ka-ga-gak!
But his trajectory was blocked, and the metallic screeching grew louder. Then, a momentary gap appeared, and Shinwoo’s fist and knee struck Oh Jae-seong’s abdomen and neck area.
Puh-puk—
“Kuh—!”
Oh Jae-seong grunted in pain and hastily retreated.
‘He looks similar to Oh Han-sung too.’
Shinwoo, watching him intently, drew a silenced pistol and aimed.
Judging by his skill just now, he determined that subduing him easily in the narrow cave would be difficult.
“…A pistol? Who the hell are you people?”
Again, Shinwoo said nothing. And just as he was about to pull the trigger, a presence was felt from behind Oh Jae-seong.