Chapter 145

Rajin, Hamgyeongbuk-do.

This was a place designated as a special economic zone by North Korea, a place they had invested considerable effort into.

Along with the Seonbong region directly above it, it was a place where many investments were maintained and efforts were made for its development, but in truth, things didn’t go entirely according to plan.

Moreover, it was a city whose economic support had been abruptly cut off due to the Mega Shock.

However, Major General Lee Gyeong-guk of the Red Flag Unit, who occupied the city, was known to have managed the city quite well, keeping it prosperous.

Of course, that, too, would only last for a short while now.

It was towards this very place that the unit led by Kang Yuseong was heading.

In fact, Kang Yuseong had previously infiltrated North Korea with Kim Do-jin during the Pyongyang raid operation.

So now, crossing into North Korea was not particularly difficult.

Furthermore, back then, he had to deceive even the South Korean military, but now it was different.

He was the legitimate commander of the Integrated Security Command.

Since he was crossing under that authority, entry itself was not difficult.

And the National Intelligence Service’s North Korea division provided full support.

They had already co-opted North Korean military units near the Demilitarized Zone.

Thus, ironically, a bizarre scene unfolded where the head of South Korea’s strongest military force entered North Korean territory, even receiving guidance from North Korean military units.

Thanks to this, their scheduled arrival date in Rajin was significantly moved up.

‘I wonder if Ji-yeon is doing well…’

His current concern was Gil Ji-yeon.

However, the person assisting her was Baek Yong-woo, the Guild Master of the Hwarang Guild.

A man renowned for his meticulousness and wisdom.

With him in charge, there shouldn’t be any major problems.

And while they advanced north, a large-scale force was to be assembled down south and move northward.

The core of the operation was to strike and devastate the entire North Korean territory in a single push, and Rajin and Sinŭiju had to be completely secured before the northern advance began.

‘Two more days. We break through within that time.’

That was why the attack unit was composed solely of Hunters.

Time was of the essence in this operation.

If they were even slightly late, or if their movements weren’t perfectly coordinated, a troublesome situation would arise.

Before the news of the northern advance reached the People’s Army commanders occupying Sinŭiju and Rajin, they had to control their minds.

Tat-tat-tat!

As Kang Yuseong kept his mouth shut and sprinted forward, the other members of the attack unit also remained silent, following closely behind him.

They had easily advanced up to the vicinity of the Demilitarized Zone with the help of the North Korean People’s Army units, but the problem lay beyond that.

Above that point, military unit positions were scattered haphazardly, making them difficult for even the National Intelligence Service or external intelligence departments to ascertain. There were also countless Hunters who had become outlaws, and others who had formed their own factions.

If they were to clash with them on their way to Rajin, it would be quite a headache.

It was precisely because of this point that Kang Yuseong had been worried about Gil Ji-yeon.

In any case, Kang Yuseong decided not to provoke them.

After all, those who opposed the South Korean government would be neatly dealt with by the main force coming up from behind.

“Full speed ahead. Everyone, watch your surroundings.”

At Kang Yuseong’s radio call, the attack unit members remained silent, simply moving their legs incessantly.

Climbing mountains and choosing deserted rural areas, their superhuman stamina allowed them to swiftly pass Wonsan and reach Hamhung.

Everything was possible because their abilities far exceeded human limits.

Considering that the average distance a military unit covers in an hour during a march is three to four kilometers, they were advancing several times faster.

But there was still a long way to go. Even after arriving in Hamhung, Rajin was still quite far.

Their figures, climbing the mountains under the cover of night, were still full of vitality.

“This is Osprey, Squirrel, come in.”

After how long had they been climbing? Kang Yuseong took out a satellite phone equipped with special security features, which he hadn’t used until now, and attempted to make a call.

‘Osprey’ was Kang Yuseong’s call sign, and ‘Squirrel’ was Gil Ji-yeon’s.

He was now trying to ascertain Gil Ji-yeon’s location and progress.

As the commander of the Integrated Security Command, he needed to know the situation to respond appropriately.

“Static… This is Squirrel. Osprey, speak.”

Fortunately, the reception was good.

Judging by the voice, it was definitely Baek Yong-woo, the Guild Master of the Hwarang Guild.

“Osprey has arrived in Sinpo. Repeat, Osprey has arrived in Sinpo. What is Squirrel’s progress?”

“Squirrel has arrived in Songrim. Enemy density is high, making entry quite difficult.”

Kang Yuseong took out his map and located Songrim.

Their progress was unexpectedly slow.

‘Hmm…’

It seemed to be because prominent warlords had begun to establish themselves in the cities near Pyongyang after Kim Jong-un’s assassination.

Fortunately, the eastern part where Rajin was located was further away, so he thought they could still manage the timing.

“Advance north as quickly as possible. Over.”

“Understood. Osprey, I wish you good fortune. Over.”

Kang Yuseong hid himself in the shade and put away his satellite phone.

Actually, what if Kim Jong-un had still been alive?

They would surely have become China’s pawns and invaded South Korea.

At that time, quickly eliminating Kim Jong-un was proving to be a great help now.

‘But that’s that…’

Kang Yuseong stood up after finishing the call.

The place directly before his eyes was Sinpo.

Though much further north than Hamhung, there was still a considerable distance to Rajin.

Roughly the same distance they had already covered.

“Let’s move.”

There was no time to waste even for a moment.

As long as China’s 125 Black Wind Unit hadn’t shown itself yet, they had to succeed in the operation as quickly as possible.

The first defense line of Sinŭiju-Rajin.

Whether they could establish it or not was the key to the Northern Conquest.

* * * * *

Integrated Security Command.

While Kang Yuseong, the commander, was absent, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Vice Commander, was holding the fort. In the absence of the commander, the Vice Commander, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, held full decision-making authority, but this was a very special case, so he couldn’t issue commands as he pleased.

However, he could activate emergency command authority in an contingency, so he couldn’t leave his post for a single moment.

Even during the subjugation of Japan, he had exhausted all his energy, but the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was a man of extremely strong will.

He stared at the monitor as if glaring, checking and rechecking every situation.

This was also a matter that Kang Yuseong had emphasized and requested before he left.

“What’s the situation with the United States?”

“There’s no particular activity yet. We’ve already set up a smokescreen, so they’ll interpret the armored unit movements as a preemptive defense measure in response to North Korea’s collapse.”

“I see. Conquering Japan must have had a significant impact.”

“That’s right, Vice Commander.”

In fact, the military had formulated an operational plan to move all armored forces from the south to the north, reasoning that since Japan had been subjugated, this was a preemptive measure based on a projected North Korean collapse scenario.

But this was a meticulously planned deception.

The real objective was the Northern Conquest.

Almost all of South Korea’s forces were being mobilized for it.

Hunters would also have been secretly incorporated into the Northern Conquest attack unit and received their call-up orders by now.

All of this was being treated as top secret, and there was no way for the United States to know about it. The Hunters who received the call-up orders were specially managed, so there was no chance of the operation leaking from them.

“Alright, assuming there’s no interference from the Americans… Still, keep checking on those guys. We never know when they might start questioning things.”

“Understood.”

“The Commander and Miss Gil Ji-yeon’s locations are…”

“Sinpo and Songrim, respectively. Miss Gil Ji-yeon’s unit’s progress is unexpectedly slow.”

“Hmph, when did the Commander get all the way to Sinpo? Hunters truly are incredible.”

Even if an armored unit roamed through undefended territory, advancing all the way to Sinpo in this amount of time would be difficult.

Yet, Kang Yuseong had achieved it.

On the other hand, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff frowned, looking at Gil Ji-yeon’s unit, which was still in Songrim.

“It seems things are quite tough for them. I hope things go well for them.”

As expected of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he accurately saw through the situation there.

Then, he briefly rubbed his eyes with his hand.

The accumulated fatigue was considerable, making him quite tired.

“I’ll close my eyes for a bit, report immediately if anything happens.”

“Yes, Vice Commander.”

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff leaned back in his chair and lay down for a moment.

However, less than five minutes later, his adjutant suddenly shook him awake.

“V-Vice Commander!”

“What is it?”

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who had just been about to fall asleep, sat up with an annoyed expression, but his face hardened when he saw the monitor.

“That! That’s them, isn’t it? Those bastards!”

The adjutant also nodded with a grim expression.

On the monitor, a purple dot had appeared near the Yalu River.

“That’s right. Those bastards…”

The adjutant answered through gritted teeth.

“It’s China’s 125 Black Wind Unit!”

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff swallowed a dry gulp.

“Damn it all…”

And he picked up the receiver.

Kang Yuseong stopped walking, receiving a sudden emergency satellite call.

“Is that… really true?”

The 125 Black Wind Unit had appeared.

And just as Kang Yuseong had expected, near the Yalu River.

The timing was extremely bad.

Neither Gil Ji-yeon’s unit nor his own had reached their destination yet.

But those bastards had shown up.

“Are they the only ones?”

From beyond the receiver, the voice of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff could be heard.

Kang Yuseong listened carefully to his words, slowly nodding.

“Then we still have some time. Understood. Please continue to monitor them.”

If there was one thing Kang Yuseong had emphasized and requested most before leaving, it was the location of the 125 Black Wind Unit. He had asked to be contacted immediately if their whereabouts were confirmed.

So, intelligence agents had been deployed throughout the Yalu River vicinity and Manchuria, dedicating all their efforts to pinpointing the Black Wind Unit’s movements, and now, those bastards had finally revealed themselves.

There was only one reason why those who had been moving in secret until now had shown themselves.

They intended to swallow North Korea whole.

This meant they no longer felt the need to hide their ambition.

Kang Yuseong let out a cold laugh.

“You bastards… laugh all you want now. Soon… I’ll build your graves.”

Rajin was still far away.

But instead, Kang Yuseong felt a sense of relief wash over him.

Because he understood their intentions, it became easier to counter them.

The only problem was that they had very little time.

“Attack unit, full speed, advance!”

Rajin.

Not much further now.

* * * * *

“Understood.”

Meanwhile, Baek Yong-woo’s unit, which had left Songrim, also received the radio message.

It meant they had to hurry.

Baek Yong-woo stretched his neck, then looked at the guard unit and said,

“Alright, let’s hurry. We don’t have much time left.”

The guard unit nodded in response instead of speaking.

Baek Yong-woo looked at Gil Ji-yeon and spoke.

It was astonishing how such a delicate woman could endure such a grueling journey.

Hunters, of course, were awakened, but Gil Ji-yeon was a Psychic User, not a Chakra User…

However, knowing who Gil Ji-yeon’s father was, Baek Yong-woo thought it made sense.

Gil Hyeok-jun.

If she was the daughter of that monster, she would naturally be quite different.

“Are you alright?”

Gil Ji-yeon smiled faintly and nodded.

She had endured countless hardships so far, but she was fine.

“Yes.”

Baek Yong-woo also nodded briefly and said,

“From now on, it will be an incredibly strenuous march. Keep up.”

The smile vanished from Gil Ji-yeon’s lips.

Instead, a strong light shone in her eyes.

“Don’t worry.”

Baek Yong-woo looked at her for a moment, then turned his head.

And he said,

“Guard unit, full speed ahead!”

Sinŭiju.

They raced towards Sinŭiju.