Chapter 97
Chapter 97
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: Trial by Fire
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[Target compound identified ahead.]
As the target came into view, Captain Kim Soo-hwan quickly radioed in.
The Polar Bears all halted their advance in unison.
He then repeated the orders he had received from high command to the American team members.
[We detonate stun grenades upon entry. Note that the floor of that house is packed sand, so expect a lot of dust.]
*Static!*
[That will make it difficult to distinguish between hostages and hostiles. Isn't the risk too high?]
One of the American operatives listening on the radio retorted.
[That's why I told you to remember what I said earlier.]
[Get down! You mean that?]
Halting Korean immediately came through the radio.
The pronunciation wasn't perfect, but it was understandable.
Still, just in case, he corrected their pronunciation a few more times before ending the transmission.
‘But will the vehicle really hold up…?’
In the brief moment it took for the vehicle's engine to restart, doubts about the orders from above flooded his mind.
It was easy to say, but to charge a vehicle straight into that wall, which surrounded the compound like an outer fortress—
It was more likely the vehicle would be smashed to pieces before the wall gave way.
[You seem worried the vehicle won't hold up, but there's no need. The Polar Bear weighs a solid six tons, and its frame is sturdy enough to withstand most impacts. Besides, you call it a wall, but isn't that just made of packed mud?]
As if to dispel his concerns, the American sergeant in the driver's seat offered a boost of confidence.
Where did their confidence come from?
To Captain Kim, their almost excessive trust in the Polar Bear was strange.
[Using the 40mm would endanger the hostages… All right, let's move out.]
Finally, having made up his mind, Captain Kim signaled the start of the operation.
*Vrooom!*
Simultaneously, the heavy roar of the Polar Bears' engines filled the air as they began to disperse in all directions. The enemy, now aware of their approach, unleashed a hail of gunfire.
*Ting! Ting!*
His body flinched involuntarily at the sound of bullets continuously striking the vehicle.
Fortunately, the numerous blind spots rendered the enemy's RPGs almost useless.
*Boom!*
As expected, the explosions mostly damaged nearby trucks and houses, not the Polar Bears.
*Boom!*
Of course, they weren't entirely unscathed.
A Humvee, riddled with machine-gun fire, finally lost mobility.
The operation was starting to run into trouble due to the enemy's tactic of persistently targeting only the Humvees.
*Static!*
[The Polar Bears will cover the Humvees to prevent further damage.]
Assessing the situation, Captain Kim Soo-hwan immediately radioed his comrades.
*Screech!*
The Polar Bears moved to block the Humvees.
Another barrage of bullets flew at them, but the Polar Bears calmly rescued their comrades from the Humvees and pulled away.
[There won't be any major injuries. All personnel are wearing new model bulletproof vests and pants.]
The American sergeant driving spoke as if to reassure Captain Kim.
[Get ready!]
With a short cry, the sergeant floored it, and the vehicle was soon right in front of the compound's outer wall.
*Crash!*
The vehicle slammed into the wall with a tremendous noise.
Just as he felt the seatbelt tighten sharply, pressing against his chest, the vehicle was already inside the compound.
*Thump!*
Other Polar Bears then smashed through the walls from all sides.
[Go!]
The soldiers disembarked and quickly ran to the positions they had memorized through simulations. They kicked open the doors of their assigned buildings and threw in stun grenades.
*Bang!*
As expected, a flash of light was followed by thick dust scattering in all directions.
What followed was the sound of soldiers shouting "Get down!" in Korean and gunfire erupting from all over.
Without delay, Captain Kim also opened the door to his designated area and tossed in a stun grenade.
*Bang!*
The scattering sand obscured his vision more than he had anticipated.
But he didn't forget to shout a warning to the hostages inside, and he soon saw several people ducking low to the ground.
*Rat-a-tat-tat!*
The first to take a bullet was the man pointing his gun at the hostages.
*Bang!*
Next, a shot for the one who was still holding a gun, flailing about in shock from the flashbang.
The last one was quick-witted enough to mimic the hostages and duck down, but his fatal mistake was that he, too, was holding a gun.
*Bang!*
[Clear!]
Just as he could no longer see anyone he identified as an enemy, a voice from the other building announced that the situation was over.
He quickly ran to support the other team, but the remaining two buildings had already been cleared.
He immediately approached the hostages to check for injuries.
“Is anyone hurt?”
“No, we were a bit startled, but I don't think anyone's injured.”
“You’ve all been through a lot.”
After reassuring the hostages, Captain Kim reported the mission's success to headquarters.
He then ordered his team to set up a perimeter and listened to the radio, but there was still no news about the eight hostages held in Sector B.
[Sector B is clear!]
About three minutes later, a transmission came in from Sector B, reporting their success.
All that remained was to get out of there as quickly as possible before enemy reinforcements arrived.
[We're pulling out!]
With no time to breathe a sigh of relief, he shouted to his troops and practically stuffed the hostages into the Polar Bears.
*Ping! Ping!*
*Tsk!*
Just then, enemy bullets started flying in from somewhere.
It seemed their reinforcements, having been contacted, had arrived.
From now on, they had to focus all their efforts on survival.
*Boom!*
The remaining enemies unleashed their firepower to block the team's escape.
A jolt shook the vehicle, a sign that a tire had been blown out.
But the American sergeant, gripping the steering wheel tightly, focused solely on pressing the accelerator, and miraculously, the vehicle maintained some of its mobility.
*Static!*
[Confirming Sector A is not a civilian residential area. Commencing air support shortly.]
Just then, the radio crackled with news of support from headquarters.
He was thinking they would be lucky if an RPG didn't hit them before then when a whooshing sound came from somewhere, and something flew past overhead.
*Kaboom!*
An enormous explosion followed, and the compound they had just escaped from vanished without a trace.
What on earth just happened?
A bewildered Captain Kim looked back to see the American soldiers cheering.
[Hellfire!]
No sooner were the words spoken than countless more missiles streaked past overhead.
He wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes.
It took only a few seconds for an entire village to disappear without a trace.
‘Were the Apaches already on standby?’
Captain Kim immediately looked out the window.
But of course, he couldn't see anything.
Realizing his mistake, he shook his head with an awkward smile. Just then, the sergeant driving began to do something peculiar.
[What are you doing?]
he asked the sergeant, who was repeatedly kissing the steering wheel.
The sergeant flashed a grin, tapped the steering wheel again, and said,
[Paying my respects to the Polar Bear.]
[…]
******
[Yesterday at 5 PM local time, all members of our military's medical support team, who were being held by armed militants, were rescued.]
The next day, the news broadcasted the success of the operation in Afghanistan.
Since I already knew the outcome, I wasn't particularly moved.
However, I found myself rewatching the interviews with the American soldiers praising the Polar Bear, the vehicle used in the operation.
“Commander Jeon Tae-ik said he will keep his promise soon.”
Secretary Kim’s face was full of curiosity as she relayed the message from the Special Forces Commander.
As if she was dying to know what that promise was.
For a moment, I also wondered, ‘What was the promise?’ Then, I suddenly remembered what he had said before the operation began.
—If it succeeds, I’ll kiss Chairman Jin’s feet.
“Tell him he doesn't have to.”
Secretary Kim tilted her head again at my vehement refusal.
Just as she was about to leave the room, having finished her business, she seemed to remember something else and turned back.
“Oh, and General Michael has informed us that he will be visiting Korea again soon to discuss joint development of infantry weapon systems.”
Secretary Kim looked quite excited as she delivered the news.
She had probably already figured out the real purpose of his visit.
The official reason might be "to discuss the progress of the joint development of infantry weapon systems," but the Polar Bear was likely his main objective.
Well, after picking apart, testing, and now seeing the Polar Bear's definitive performance in actual combat, it was about time even the most stubborn higher-ups started to take notice.
‘Still, this result is surprising even to me…’
To be honest, even I was surprised by the testimonials about the Polar Bear's performance during the operation.
The reason the vehicle was still mobile after being hit by an RPG.
This led me to one possible conclusion: fortunately, the warheads the enemy used might not have been shaped-charge munitions.
‘In other words, they miscalculated.’
They must have thought there was no need to use shaped-charge warheads on what looked like a mere tactical vehicle.
But contrary to their expectations, the Polar Bear was more than capable of withstanding the blast pressure of a high-explosive round. The enemy had clearly paid the price for their misjudgment.
‘That’s why they say that properly assessing the enemy is a fundamental of tactics.’
Though I say that, it probably wasn't easy for the insurgents.
We had only supplied twenty Polar Bears to the U.S. military for operational testing.
With such a small number, it was unlikely to have been caught in the insurgents' intelligence network. And even if they were aware of it, its appearance was that of a simple tactical vehicle.
[The Special Forces operatives who succeeded in the hostage rescue mission returned this morning.]
A few days later, the deployed Special Forces troops made a triumphant return.
According to reports, the Special Forces Commander, who was summoned to the Blue House to be commended for his service, strongly advocated for the adoption of the Polar Bear. Perhaps because of this, we'd been getting frequent calls from the Joint Chiefs of Staff requesting related data.
“The car is ready.”
The Polar Bear was important, but today, I had an even more crucial event to attend.
It was the day of the armament test for the attack helicopter we had spent so long developing.
By now, the President and other military officials were probably getting ready to head to the event site as well.
*Screech!*
“At least I’m the first one here today.”
Thanks to an early departure, none of the other VIPs were in sight yet.
I walked straight to the parked aircraft and asked about the preparations. Representative Yoon, who was sweating profusely while discussing something with the engineers, brightened up.
“You’re here?”
“There won't be any problems, right?”
“We’ve done over twenty independent tests. What could possibly go wrong?”
For a man I considered more cautious than anyone, his confidence was overwhelming.
It meant the helicopter’s level of completion was that high.
Well, considering its specs far surpassed the Longbow Apache, it wasn't surprising.
“By the way, I got a call from the CEO of Nokid this morning. They said the retrofitting for the first batch of about 300 U.S. Air Force F-16s is scheduled to begin soon.”
“Looks like the budget was approved. But why are they telling us? It was already decided that Nokid would handle the U.S. Air Force's units.”
“Well, it seems things have gotten a bit complicated.”
“Complicated how?”
I asked, puzzled.
For some reason, the corners of Representative Yoon’s mouth twisted slightly as he leaned in and whispered.
“They’re saying they’re short on space and manpower to retrofit the F-16s right now.”
“…That can’t be right. It’s not like they’re doing all 300 at once. Given the size of Nokid's facilities, they shouldn't have any trouble carrying out the retrofits sequentially.”
“That’s what I thought too, but it seems some other problem has come up. Anyway, they want KAI to handle about 100 of the U.S. military's units.”
“…”