The Canary's Song (6)
Bang!Baaang—!Bang, bang!Baaang—!
Even as Private First Class Cha screamed at the top of his lungs, Jinwoo advanced in silence, firing only his bullets.
Rat-tat-tat—!Bang!Bang!Rat-tat-tat—!
Wherever his muzzle pointed and spat fire, zombies had their heads pierced and blown away without fail. The destructive power was on another level compared to the MP5’s 9mm rounds, and the accuracy and speed were enough to send a chill down the spine.
Whirrr—!
The Black Hawk that had set Jinwoo down and risen again to hover at low altitude began hovering at an angle between the special forces team and Jinwoo. Then… click—!
The forward gunner’s window opened, and the muzzle of the M240 machine gun mounted on the swivel protruded from the aircraft.
Rat-tat-tat—!Rrrrrrat—!Rrrrrrat—!Rrrrat—!
In mere seconds, dozens of 7.62mm NATO rounds tore out at nearly Mach 2.
Sssshk—!Sssshk—!
The sharp cracks of countless projectiles breaking the sound barrier rang out right after the gunfire. Zombies charging from the rear of the horde were swept away like fallen leaves. The Black Hawk’s gunner wasn’t satisfied; he kept pouring on the machine-gun fire.
Rrrrrrat—!Rrrrrrat—!Rrrrrrrrr—!
On the road where the red rain of bullets hammered down, a single line of dust columns rose. Any zombie that crossed that line had its bones and flesh explode outward in every direction.
Bang—!Bang, bang, bang—!Rat-tat-tat—!Crack-crack—!Boom—!Baaang—!
Even then, the ground continued to echo with a symphony of different gunshots. As the special forces team and Jinwoo advanced slowly in a perpendicular formation while the Black Hawk’s suppressive fire cleared the rear, the number of zombies visibly plummeted. That seemingly endless wave was finally beginning to thin out.
“Special Agent Jinwoo!”
When Jinwoo didn’t turn, the excited Private First Class Cha struck another victory pose and shouted even louder.
“Hey! Calm down! He can’t hear you from over there!”
Bamtol yanked the man’s arm down. Between the helicopter’s rotor blades, the constant gunfire, the zombies’ furious roars, and the distance, there was zero chance of Private First Class Cha’s voice reaching Jinwoo as he walked across the playground. The only thing it accomplished was making Bamtol’s own eardrums feel like they were about to burst.
“Yes! Sorry, Sergeant Jo! It’s just… my heart’s so full I can’t help it!”
Private Kim clutched his chest and answered in a hoarse voice.
“I feel the same way… I suppose.”
Watching that overwhelming display of firepower, Bamtol nodded. Just six men had stepped forward… and in the blink of an eye they were erasing the very zombies that had forced Bamtol’s squad of nine to run for their lives. This was the difference in combat power between the special mission group and ordinary infantry.
One could argue the helicopter’s machine-gun fire had been a major buff, but Bamtol’s squad had used barricades and grenades too, so the gap wasn’t as huge as it looked.
It was simply that the five who had landed on the ground were on another level. Astonishing. How could they maintain such incredible accuracy? And what was even more wondrous…
“…How does the same person end up rescuing you twice? We’re not even in the same unit. This has to be some kind of insane fate, right?”
Bamtol blinked, still unable to believe it. Come to think of it, the first time he had seen Jinwoo, he had also been sitting on top of an armored trailer much like this container. The image of Jinwoo calmly watching the oncoming zombie horde from the passenger seat of a car with its door ripped off was a visual shock he would never forget.
“…He really is a special agent!”
Private First Class Cha shouted into Bamtol’s ear while still staring at Jinwoo gunning down zombies.
“Looks like it. The Ministry of Defense must have plenty of secrets even a sergeant doesn’t know about.”
Bamtol agreed in a dazed tone, perched on the container like a spectator in the stands.
Bang—!Rat-tat—!Bang, bang!Bang!Rat-tat—!
That machine-like rhythm was almost beautiful. There was no longer any doubt. If he weren’t a special agent, how could he be running operations alongside the special forces team while dressed in that strange priest-like combat uniform? The special forces team itself operated in fireteams of four, yet Jinwoo moved alone. Like a lone wolf…
“Sergeant Jo!”
The squad members who had finally driven out of the alley shouted at the top of their lungs.
“What the hell is going on? Did a support helicopter really lift off from Chungju?”
It was too loud to hear clearly, but that was the gist of the question.
“No! We did get rescued…! Hey, park the vehicle there and stand by!”
Bamtol had been about to explain while yelling, but he quickly gave up and issued orders first. In a situation where a helicopter was hovering nearby and laying down machine-gun fire, trying to explain that the special mission group had arrived—and that Agent Jinwoo was with them—would burst his throat before he finished. His throat already tasted of blood from all the shouting earlier. That story could wait until things quieted down. Right now, the only thing that mattered was that they had all survived this crisis.
“Huh? Is that…?”
Private Kim, leaning out the passenger window, had a wild gleam in his eyes.
“Isn’t that Special Agent Jinwoo, sir?”
“Yeah… it is.”
Instead of raising his voice, Bamtol drew a circle in the air with his finger and asked the squad, “Anyone hurt?”
Everyone shook their heads. Bamtol let out a huge sigh of relief.
“Who’s in charge?”
A short while later, after the gunfire had ceased and the helicopter climbed higher, the one-eyed special forces soldier approached the container and asked.
“That would be me. Sergeant Jo Yul-doo!”
Bamtol jumped down from the container and snapped a crisp salute. He had no idea what the man’s exact rank was, but it was clearly far above anything four stripes could touch.
Clack—!
The rest of the squad quickly exited the vehicle and formed a neat line. No one had ordered it, but instinct told them it was the right thing to do.
“Remain at current position! I’ll return after checking whether any hostiles are still moving and ask questions then!”
The special forces soldier returned the salute, issued the order, and walked off toward the three-way intersection with the other three before Bamtol could even reply.
Whirrr—!
The helicopter turned its nose toward the bridge, providing overwatch from above.
Rat-tat—!Rat-tat—!
After the special forces team disappeared from view, occasional bursts of MP5 fire could still be heard. They were probably finishing off any zombies whose brains hadn’t been destroyed or those tangled in the barbed wire.
“But… what exactly is he going to ask, Sergeant Jo?”
Private First Class Cha asked cautiously. Bamtol shook his head.
“No idea.”
Still, he was prepared to answer almost any question. These men were their saviors, and they moved with Agent Jinwoo. They could not possibly be bad people… Bamtol believed that with absolute conviction.
“Sergeant Jo! Agent Jinwoo is coming this way!”
Private Kim, who had been staring only at Jinwoo regardless of the special forces presence, fidgeted as if he might dash forward to greet him at any second.
“Quiet, you idiot! Don’t act up and get yourself scolded! Did you see the special forces commander’s face and charisma earlier? The aura was practically rolling off him. Guys who act out won’t get a drop of mercy.”
Bamtol clamped a hand over the man’s mouth and pulled him back. Private Kim stared with his mouth wide open, clearly confused.
“Why would I get embarrassed, Sergeant Jo? We’re this close…!”
He pointed to Jinwoo’s autograph written on the side of his helmet. Bamtol let out a small sigh.
“Look, we remember him because he’s so cool. But to him, we’re just one of the thousands—no, maybe tens of thousands—of people he’s saved. Of course he wouldn’t remember every face.”
“That can’t be true, sir! Wasn’t I right about him being a special agent?”
“It’s the same as idols, you moron! Just because you got Jenny’s autograph at a fan signing doesn’t mean you can act all buddy-buddy and grab her hand the next time you meet her!”
“Ah…!”
The idol analogy instantly deflated Private Kim. Even he seemed to accept that Bamtol’s logic made more sense.
“Are you all okay?”
While they were bickering, Jinwoo approached and asked the squad.
“Ah, yes! Thank you for rescuing us! No one was hurt thanks to you!”
When Bamtol spoke for the group, Jinwoo recognized him and his mouth fell open.
“Ah…!”
The soldier who had told him that Terra had gone to Yongsan with Mingu that day! He remembered the face shape.
“You were… at the Konkuk shelter…! Are you stationed here?”
A smile spread across Jinwoo’s face. He had known a forward observation team was posted here, but he hadn’t realized it was Bamtol’s squad.
Meeting again by chance was nice, but the fact that this man had survived the brutal marches of the past several months made him even happier. It must have been hell…
“Uh, Agent! Me! You remember me?”
Bamtol asked, slightly flushed at the unexpected reaction.
Agent…
Ah, right. That was how these people knew him… The embarrassing title he hadn’t heard in a long time made Jinwoo’s face turn faintly red. But right now the joy of reunion outweighed such trivial concerns.
“Yes! Of course! You’re the one who carried a Pink Punch photo in your helmet! Since I did the same, it stuck in my memory. And…”
As Jinwoo laughed and nodded enthusiastically, Private Kim shook off Private First Class Cha’s restraining hand and leaped forward.
“See, Sergeant Jo! Wasn’t I right? Special Agent Jinwoo! Do you remember me too, sir?”
Private Kim’s chest heaved with a mixture of hope and anxiety as he removed his helmet to show the autograph. Jinwoo nodded again.
“Of course. You were at Konkuk with us that day.”
How could he forget the person he had given his first and last autograph to in his life?
“Heh!”
Private Kim barely held back an overflowing grin and thrust out his left fist. After bumping it, Jinwoo turned to Bamtol and bowed deeply from the waist with genuine gratitude.
“That day… thank you so much for telling me Terra’s destination. If not for you, Sergeant, we would never have met.”
What would have happened if this man hadn’t come for Jenny’s autograph that day?
It was a truly horrifying thought. Mingu might have died. Terra could have been dragged off to Busan and subjected to all kinds of horrific experiments. Even if things had gone that tragically, Jinwoo and his friends would have had no way of learning the truth.
“Huh? No, well… that was only natural. Um…”
Bamtol smiled awkwardly and lowered his voice.
“But… Jenny and Terra are both doing well, right?”
“Yes, they are! Both are healthy and safe!”
Jinwoo nodded immediately. This man was one of the few who deserved to know about their safety. He couldn’t reveal details such as her immunity, Big Island, or JL, but he at least wanted to set the man’s mind at ease.
“Phew…! That’s wonderful!”
Bamtol smiled brightly, genuinely relieved. Smiles bloomed on the other squad members’ faces as well. Simply knowing those two angels were safe seemed to bring them immense comfort.
“I heard from Sergeant Go that the two Pink Punch members had met safely, but I was dying to know what happened afterward. Have you seen them recently, Agent Jinwoo?”
“Yes.”
He swallowed the rest—I’ve been teaching Jenny marksmanship. She had good instincts from the start and trained like hell, so she shoots pretty well now—because firearms training didn’t exactly fit the image of safety.
“Aha! So the special agents are looking after them. Then… what about Brother Mingu? Have you met him again since then?”
After confirming Pink Punch’s safety, Bamtol asked about Mingu.
Thud—!Crack—!
The sporadic MP5 fire was growing rarer. The zombie sweep and confirmation kills were nearly finished. That meant Yubin and Mingu would soon disembark from the helicopter and join them, so Jinwoo pointed at the Black Hawk currently searching beyond the mountain after passing over the South Han River.
“That brother is riding in that one. He’ll be here soon.”
“Really?”
Bamtol’s voice rose an octave. He had no idea what the story was, but although he liked Brother Mingu a lot, the man didn’t seem like the type to associate with institutional figures like special forces or special agents… Still, the prospect of seeing a welcome face after so long made Bamtol’s heart race.
“So… is Brother Mingu operating with Agent Jinwoo now?”
Starting with Bamtol’s question, the soldiers crowded around Jinwoo, voices buzzing with excitement.
“Has that brother recovered from his injuries?”
“Did you scout him, Agent Jinwoo?”
Every time he heard the title “agent,” Jinwoo’s face grew redder. It was so cringeworthy he was terrified someone might overhear. Why on earth had Second Lieutenant Kang chosen the embarrassing lie “special agent” out of all possible words? Thanks to that he had saved the Konkuk shelter people, but… he wanted to shed this burden already. Jinwoo raised a hand to cut them off.
“Yes. But about that title of ‘agent’…”
Just as Jinwoo reached that point, Cho Cheol-woong’s voice came from behind.
“What’s this? Since when are you so chummy with them?”
It must have looked strange to see the usually quiet and unsociable Jinwoo chatting with nine soldiers.
“Ah, Major. These are people I owed a great debt to before.”
When Jinwoo introduced the squad, Cho Cheol-woong snorted.
“You, owe someone a debt?”
It was amusing to hear the miraculous sniper who had carved a path alone from Samcheok to Seoul say such a thing. Bamtol and the squad members waved their hands in denial when they met Cho Cheol-woong’s gaze.
“No, sir! We’re the ones who owe the debt! Agent Jinwoo rescued us from the Konkuk shelter…”
“Agent Jinwoo?”
Cho Cheol-woong frowned at the odd title. Unable to contain his excitement, Private Kim flared his cold-stuffed nostrils and shouted.
“I know what you’re worried about, Major! We also learned from Sergeant Go that the existence of special agents is a state secret! But we will never cause any trouble for Agent Jinwoo! So please don’t worry at all! Even if North Korean puppets or the CIA torture me, I will never reveal anything about Agent Jinwoo’s identity! It’s the truth, sir!”
Oh… fuck. We’re screwed.
Jinwoo covered his face with both hands. At that moment he couldn’t muster the courage to look at Cho Cheol-woong. He simply wanted to run away somewhere far away. However…
“There are no street trees here.”
Cho Cheol-woong casually ignored the “special agent” issue and asked something completely unrelated. The special forces soldiers behind him showed no change in expression.
“They block line of sight, and in case of urban combat they would interfere with shooting, so we were ordered to cut them all down and use them for barricades.”
Bamtol answered. Cho Cheol-woong nodded in understanding.
“Hm, that’s a good idea. Then why are all the first-floor windows boarded up?”
Every building in the small village had its first-floor doors locked and windows nailed over with wooden planks. Where that wasn’t feasible, they had at least been wrapped tightly with blue tape. All the street trees had been cut to stumps, and every first-floor entrance was sealed. To Cho Cheol-woong, who was seeing the village for the first time, it was a truly unfamiliar sight.
“It’s a precaution so zombies that might cross the river without us noticing can’t get inside the houses.”
Bamtol answered again. It was a bit of a hassle, but doing so greatly reduced the chance of being suddenly attacked by something that had been lurking inside.
“You’re an interesting bunch. Drawing lines on the bridge to create kill zones and everything… Not bad. But why didn’t such clever bastards evacuate a little sooner?”
Cho Cheol-woong stared at Bamtol with curious eyes.
“If we hadn’t spotted you on our way, it would have been extremely close. Especially you—you were in the most dangerous spot.”
“Well…”
Bamtol swallowed dryly and continued.
“Of course it didn’t work out and we ended up needing rescue, but if we had retreated hastily… we judged that far more comrade soldiers would be placed in even greater danger. So we wanted to do our best.”
“Hahaha, look at this guy.”
A smile spread across Cho Cheol-woong’s lips. He lightly pinched Bamtol’s cheek and pulled out a cigarette.
“Sergeant Jo, have you ever shared a smoke with a major?”