Chapter 76
Chapter 76
Episode 76. Mission CHINA (3)
【38.810098, 114.686246】
【Western Baoding, China – 23:32】
Baek Shin-woo was on a plain about 2 km away from his destination.
Behind him, Lu Xian's team leader and his bodyguards followed, maintaining perimeter security.
"Who is that guy, really? Butler Hwang tells the team leader to hand over command when you're here..."
The bodyguards had been complaining from the start. Lu Xian responded to the question with a sharp glare from his eyes, visible above his mask.
"It's the Chairman's order. So, focus on the operation for now."
Everyone had no choice but to shut their mouths.
Meanwhile, Shinwoo, after checking the surroundings for safety, moved forward more quickly, muttering into his earpiece instead of the radio.
"Hii ni LOX. Usambazaji wa MANDU.(This is LOX. Transmitting to MANDU.)"
It was Swahili mixed with slang, used only by Triad Eye unit members.
Jang Man-soo's voice came through the earpiece.
[This is MANDU. What's the situation?]
"Arrived near the target coordinates and approaching. Are you ready?"
[Almost there. I never thought I'd be unlocking LEUCO's coordinate lock with my own hands.]
Until now, LEUCO's code virus was designed to not leave South Korea. Jang Man-soo was bypassing that to hack into a US military satellite used for monitoring China.
The sound of a keyboard continued.
[Got it. At the coordinates you gave me… there are a total of 24 people detected. 14 outdoors. 10 inside the building. I'll link it right away, check it out.]
A thermal imaging camera screen appeared on his phone. On one side of the screen was a red dot. It was the signal from the tracking device Shinwoo had attached to Im Hee-yeon, in case of an emergency.
"Not bad."
[You said there are 7 people including you. Do we not need to send Lillian? It'll be a little delayed, but it'll definitely be safer.]
"No time. I need to move properly for once."
[It's going to get pretty noisy. Are you sure it's okay?]
"Azure Feather Group will take care of it. The operation will be SA(Silent Attack)."
[Ok―! The operation time limit is 40 minutes from now. After that, the Pentagon might notice LEUCO.]
"No problem."
Shinwoo checked for safety and continued running. Reaching the top of a high hill, he could see the abandoned factory site at a glance.
Click— Click—
"Check your equipment."
"Who have you been contacting since earlier?"
He had been seen talking on the phone intermittently. It was impossible not to notice, especially since he had just used a foreign language that no one could understand.
"An informant."
"Did you find that place with that informant?"
"That's right."
"Are you sure that's the place?"
Lu Xian, who had checked below the hill with him, was dubious.
"I'm sure. There are a total of 24 people inside. One of them is our target, so the other 23 are enemies."
"How do you know that?"
"I can't explain that far, so even if you're curious, please bear with it. And for the internal entry, I'll only take one person with me. Someone with good stamina and agility."
"Only two of you are going inside?"
"Please follow my instructions for the safety of everyone. After the two of us enter, call for the helicopter and start covering fire at my signal."
Lu Xian, who had been quietly following, frowned.
"I can't do that."
"With the number of enemies I mentioned earlier, we might be able to divert their attention for now, but it might be difficult to secure the target's safety."
"Going in alone without even securing the internal blueprints is suicide."
"I know all that, so you don't have to worry."
"...Excuse me?"
"I have the command. Time is running out, so please choose quickly."
Lu Xian hesitated for a moment before saying.
"I'll go."
"Then how will you command here?"
"Tzuen, the deputy team leader, can do it. So, let me go in with you."
Time was still passing, so he couldn't hesitate for long.
"Alright. Let's go right away."
Shinwoo immediately went down the hill with Lu Xian.
* * *
Inside the abandoned factory, Im Hee-yeon was sitting on a chair, bleeding from various parts of her body.
Cui Xun, who had been quietly watching the scene, frowned deeply.
"How did you find out about SHASS? If you just tell me that, I can kill you without pain."
"...Just kill me."
Yang Ji-chen stabbed her thighs and upper arms with a knife, but she kept giving the same answer.
Of course, he didn't intend to kill her right away, so he avoided stabbing major blood vessels. In addition, he even had a blood transfusion pack ready that matched Im Hee-yeon's blood type, just in case he accidentally killed her.
Then, Warren, who had gone outside for a while, came in and approached Cui Xun.
"Baek Shin-woo's location is still not confirmed."
"No reply to the message either?"
"No, sir."
It was a cliché method, but it was intended to lure Baek Shin-woo out by using Im Hee-yeon as a hostage.
But since they couldn't even connect, there was no opportunity to communicate with Baek Shin-woo.
"We can't send a message to MH Group either..."
"If that happens, Director Kwak Chi-young will move."
Cui Xun had been paying attention to the major fluctuations in the Korean project. In particular, MH Group, one of the targets of the TSF Korean branch, was growing rapidly in a short period of time, which was bound to catch his eye.
Naturally, he looked into the situation in Korea, and in the process, the existence of Im Hee-yeon and Baek Shin-woo was revealed. At the same time, he learned that Kwak Chi-young had tried to get rid of those two people but failed...
"That crazy bastard has no control once he loses it."
"Should we just get rid of Im Hee-yeon right away?"
The question of how she knew SHASS, the real name of the 666 Unit, was also a problem.
If the source of that information leak was Kwak Chi-young, an opportunity to get rid of him could be created this time.
"Hey, Im Hee-yeon. You know you can't get out of here alive anyway, right?"
"......"
"From now on, if you just say what we tell you to say, we'll kill you cleanly. Say you heard about SHASS from TSF Korean Branch Director Kwak Chi-young."
He wasn't trying to manipulate it with the expectation of a big effect.
But it was enough to provide a basis for appealing to the higher-ups that Kwak Chi-young had crossed the line.
"......"
"Why? You don't believe me..."
At that time, one of his subordinates rushed in from outside.
"Director! We've lost regular contact with the internal patrol team."
"Intruders?"
"Not yet confirmed. We're searching now."
The atmosphere in the room instantly stiffened.
Then, Yang Ji-chen, who had been waiting for the moment to kill Im Hee-yeon, let out a bitter laugh.
"Could it be... from the Korean branch?"
The current abandoned factory was a hideout owned by TSF under a borrowed name. It was mainly used when carrying out illegal activities or when needed.
Of course, the TSF Korean branch also knew the location of the abandoned factory, so it was difficult to rule out the possibility.
"If it was them, they would have come openly instead of a surprise attack."
Cui Xun also nodded.
"That's right. There's no way that guy would come quietly to hit us, especially not like this... especially not this quietly."
"We'll start searching right away. Shouldn't the director leave, just in case?"
"Why? You don't think you can handle it?"
"We haven't identified the enemy. We need to be able to respond to any situation."
It was a decision that revealed his thorough nature.
But Cui Xun didn't want to accept his suggestion.
"I'm curious to know who it is. Catch them and bring them here."
"It could be dangerous."
"You and Yang Ji-chen are here."
Cui Xun had no doubt about the two men's skills.
"We'll move right away."
As Warren was about to step forward, Yang Ji-chen blocked his path.
"You stay here with the director. I'll catch the guy."
"Are you sure?"
"No matter who they are, do you think they can beat us?"
At the same time as his answer, Yang Ji-chen radioed.
"This is Mad Jackal, this is Mad Jackal. Team A move to F point. All other personnel gather at D point. Start hunting the rats."
Currently, neither the number nor the location of the enemy had been confirmed.
It was a move to confirm the number of allies and surround them. Yang Ji-chen gave the order and started checking his firearms before running to the D point he had just mentioned.
.
.
.
Shinwoo infiltrated the abandoned factory and, after dealing with three people with Lu Xian, continued searching.
[...This is Mad Jackal. Team A move to F point. All other personnel gather at D point. Start hunting the rats...]
Yang Ji-chen's voice came through the radio of the mercenary he had taken out first.
But it was a familiar voice to Shinwoo.
'Mad Jackal? Could it be... Mad Jackal Yang Ji-chen? The voice sounds right.'
At the same time, Jang Man-soo had also linked the radio to the earpiece, so he heard the voice.
[Was that Yang Ji-chen's voice just now?]
[Is that Yang Ji-chen?]
Lillian must have been next to him, as she asked back together.
"I think so."
[If that bastard's there, we need to be more careful.]
"Anyway, as expected, they've started moving. How much time is left?"
Even now, Jang Man-soo was hacking into the US military satellite to monitor the abandoned factory in thermal imaging mode.
[19 minutes and 38 seconds. Is it possible?]
"Just keep a good check on the movement situation."
[Boss! Be careful! Don't kill too many!]
Shinwoo continued to communicate in Swahili.
Lu Xian, who didn't know the contents, quietly watched from the side before opening his mouth.
"What exactly is your identity?"
Shinwoo had taken out the first three people. They were patrolling without ever letting their guard down.
But Shinwoo quietly appeared from the darkness and silenced them in an instant with just a knife. In addition, he moved as if the blueprints of the abandoned factory were engraved in his head.
"What do you mean? I'm just someone who came to save his boss."
Lu Xian also knew that Shinwoo was a former Korean soldier and the CEO of MH Future Security under MH Group.
But Shinwoo's skills that he had just seen were definitely not those of an ordinary person.
"You expect me to believe that?"
"What if you don't believe it? More importantly, let's move quickly."
The abandoned factory was quite large. A total of 5 floors. The area was also enormous, so it was difficult to find Im Hee-yeon at once with just the location seen from above.
First, they started from the top and finished checking the 4th and 5th floors, so they headed down. And soon, they were able to find a passage guarded by about 4 people.
So, they stepped back for a moment and discussed with Lu Xian.
"Is it there?"
"I think so."
It was because there were people who were not moving in the thermal imaging video confirmed by the military satellite.
"What are you going to do?"
The four foreign men were fully armed with rifles and pistols, just like the ones they had dealt with earlier.
Shinwoo recalled their location and the inner door he had checked earlier and said.
"I'll attack from the back. Attack from the front at my signal. And tell the external waiting team to start entering."
"Is it possible?"
"No problem."
With his answer, Shinwoo went out the window and disappeared.