Chapter 56
Chapter 56
The paint was peeling in places, revealing rust marks.
Triple Canopy's New York training facility, a private military company, was a remodeled former large cargo warehouse.
The exterior walls clearly showed the marks of age, but the interior was different.
The urban tactical training sector, occupying half of the warehouse, was a perfect recreation of a mock battlefield.
Narrow alleys, ruined rooms, walls climbed by ladders, and vehicle wreckage.
Countless spent shell casings were scattered on the floor.
Traces of trainees simulating real combat situations before the pandemic.
I bent down and picked up one of the most noticeable casings.
'Judging by the structure of the thinning neck and the thickness of the rim...'
It's a 5.56×45mm round.
The standard ammunition used in the main rifles of the US military and NATO forces.
Commonly used in models like the M4A1 rifle or HK416, but given the nature of the training ground, this casing was most likely used in an M4A1 rifle.
I rolled the casing between my fingers and looked around.
The location and distribution of the casings told a story. It didn't seem like simple shooting practice. Besides, there was a separate shooting range.
A pile of casings was stacked behind the vehicle wreckage.
At least 60 rounds.
Also, casings were scattered at regular intervals along the side of the vehicle and near the ruined wall. That was where mobile shooting took place.
Following the direction of fire, casings were scattered, and judging by their distribution, more than 120 rounds were fired.
Assuming each trainee used three or four magazines, it perfectly matched the size of a squad in a typical tactical unit, nine people.
Isn't it interesting?
It was the same as in front of the computer.
Casings scattered on the floor, concentrated traces behind the vehicle wreckage, the direction of fire leading to the end of the alley.
Those puzzle pieces come together to create a perfect picture.
Crack!―
The first Fire team of four was behind the vehicle.
They took turns firing, using cover.
The second Fire team of four was on the side of the vehicle.
The lead rifleman advanced quickly, watching for the enemy's position.
The grenadier following him provided cover with short bursts, helping his comrade move.
There was a squad leader in the center.
Moving between the two teams, giving instructions with hand signals.
In that way, the training image of a squad with M4A1 rifles began to reconstruct itself in front of my eyes in an orderly fashion.
Until the moment the casing rotated and fell in the air.
As vividly as if I were standing in the middle of the scene that day.
My heart was pounding at some point.
The sound of gunfire erupting, dudududu-
I had an M4A1 in my hand.
The cold metallic feel on the palm of my hand, the blurry sight picture seen through the sights.
The moment I took my first step with that gun in my hand.
I melted into them as one.
* * *
Logan Steel passed through the iron gate of the Triple Canopy New York training facility and entered.
The training facility was quiet. It even felt empty.
Operations had been suspended due to the pandemic, but the lights were on. Rows of white fluorescent lights lined up on the ceiling brightly illuminated the sector.
Logan entered the sector and looked around.
But instead of seeing Hyun-woo, he could only hear low footsteps. There was also the subtle rustling of clothes brushing against obstacles and the sound of breathing.
Logan narrowed his brow and followed the sound.
And he saw it.
A young man was roaming alone in the urban tactical training sector.
The VIP of this dispatch mission.
It was undoubtedly Hyun-woo Na of AlphaMind.
'...?'
Logan didn't call out to Hyun-woo, but quietly kept his mouth shut.
Hyun-woo's movements were not just to relieve boredom.
Swish―
Hyun-woo lowered his body behind the vehicle wreckage. It was followed by a precise cover position. Then he slightly raised his head as if to check something on the other side.
And the next moment.
Ta-tat.
He quickly got up and advanced to the next position.
Logan couldn't help but admire the smooth, flawless movements.
The movements Hyun-woo was showing now were perfect movements that only someone who had been trained for a long time and had it ingrained in their body could make.
It was so good that it could be transferred to a regular textbook as it was.
So Logan was convinced.
'He's not just a civilian. A veteran... from a special forces unit.'
It was not in the VIP's profile that he had already learned.
As Hyun-woo lowered his body again and moved to the next position, Logan was even more engrossed without even having time to continue his doubts.
It was because Hyun-woo was turning the training ground into his own battlefield.
It was natural that the outstanding comrades with whom he had carried out operations during his Green Beret days overlapped with Hyun-woo's appearance.
Then he realized.
Hyun-woo wasn't holding anything.
Just empty hands.
Nevertheless, both hands maintained a perfect grip as if pulling the trigger.
The arms and shoulders showed the delicacy of controlling even the recoil after firing a bullet.
It was that of a veteran who finds and moves against the enemy in real combat.
Even though he wasn't holding a gun, Logan felt like Hyun-woo was holding a real gun.
Logan doubted his eyes.
To be able to do this much in solo training!
'What am I looking at right now...'
Eventually, an exclamation escaped Logan's lips.
"Hiss."
In fact, it was just a short, surprised breath.
But even that subtle sound was enough to stop Hyun-woo's movements.
Swish.
The moment Hyun-woo turned his body, the atmosphere changed in an instant. He hid behind the nearby vehicle wreckage without any hesitation.
Hyun-woo's eyes quickly scanned the direction where Logan was with minimal movement.
And then the aiming posture. Two short bursts as if pulling the trigger―
At that time, bullets were not actually fired, but Logan's eyes, filled with shock, widened greatly.
He had just died.
The voice from the other side began to approach with rough breathing.
Huff― Huff―
"...Are you Logan Steel?"
The voice from the other side began to approach with rough breathing.
* * *
I was out of breath.
I never thought I would sit down so pathetically in front of someone I was meeting for the first time.
The moment my butt touched the ground, a stinging pain ran up my thighs. Muscles that I didn't usually use were screaming.
'If it's this bad now, what about tomorrow?'
As if foreshadowing tomorrow, all sorts of places started to ache.
Tomorrow, I would definitely have trouble even lifting an arm.
Aside from the muscle pain, my stamina was too poor.
Then, Logan's face, looking down at me with a serious expression, came into view.
"It's quite... difficult."
I forced a hollow laugh and spoke. My voice cracked and my throat was parched.
"Excuse me, but just for a moment... I'll stay like this."
Several ragged breaths rose and fell roughly in my throat.
I hadn't even realized how immersed I had become until my body was in this state.
Even when Logan appeared, I thought a soldier had infiltrated.
That's how the boundary between reality and virtuality had collapsed.
The simulation that was only running in my head broke through that boundary and was realistically reconstructed in front of me.
Amazing!
Amazing!
This brain!―
It had truly amazing other abilities.
Soon, after regaining my breath, I got up.
A thick hand reached out to support me.
"Take a little more rest."
"No. I was just a little out of breath from running too much. I'm fine now."
"I understand. Then let's move slowly."
Logan withdrew his hand and stepped back. His gaze, however, was still carefully watching me.
He had watched me immersed in the virtual training.
Just by looking at his eyes, I could fully guess how the previous me looked to this veteran.
Confusion, doubt, and shock.
I had received such gazes from the security team of four as well.
"I don't understand."
He followed me and asked in a cautious voice.
"Were you in the military?"
"I just tried to imitate something I saw on YouTube, and you saw that."
"YouTube..."
Logan muttered quietly and narrowed his brow.
"But Mr. Na. There's something I want to make clear. If you have received special training or have combat experience in the past, I must know that."
His voice became more and more firm.
"The most important thing in VIP security is being able to predict. I'm telling you that it may be difficult to respond properly in an emergency.
It's also difficult to develop an appropriate plan for the training you requested."
He doesn't seem like a talkative person.
But the fact that he's talking this much means he's completely convinced.
"Really... you have no military experience?"
"No, I don't. But as you saw, I think I have talent."
Logan didn't bother to argue.
Still, his expression said it all.
You're definitely a trained person, and at the highest level, with that judgment made, he silently followed me.
We came out of the urban tactical training sector, which recreated a rough wasteland.
We entered the office used by the manager of this place.
The floor was clean, and old maps and a few decorations reminiscent of military operations hung on the walls.
I walked to the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down. I put the bag I had prepared on the table and took out documents and a pen.
Logan also sat down in front of me, sensing the situation.
His gaze naturally shifted to the documents presented in front of him.
「 Non-Disclosure Agreement
This Non-Disclosure Agreement is entered into between Hyun-woo Na and Logan Steel.
1. Contracting Parties
Disclosing Party: Hyun-woo Na (hereinafter referred to as "Client")
Receiving Party: Logan Steel (hereinafter referred to as "Bodyguard")
2. Purpose
This agreement is entered into to ensure that the Bodyguard does not disclose or divulge to any third party any information, data, observed actions, conversations, etc. learned while performing bodyguard duties for the Client or participating in the Client's training process.
3. Definition of Confidential Information
Confidential information includes, but is not limited to, the following:
① Personal information related to the Client.
② Documents, data, plans, and conversations encountered during work.
③ All words and actions of the Client observed during guarding and training, and related information.
④ All information that the Client specifies to be kept confidential or that is considered confidential due to its nature.
…… 」
"You can think of it as a natural procedure."
It was a contract that I had already signed with the dispatch company, but I wanted to make it clear again directly between the parties.
I mean, I, this brain, am so unique.
"And what I want from Logan is not guarding."
I added as I checked that he was holding the pen.
"It's training."