Chapter 139

The Ark Unit soldiers were already watching the enemy from above via UAV, tracking not only the location of Captain Lee Hyun-jong and the other hostages, but also the positions of the terrorists stationed near the parked vehicles being used for cover.

It was sheer luck the terrorists had not taken shelter inside a building and were instead in open ground.

“Alpha, in position.”

“Beta, on.”

“Gamma, on.”

The Ark Unit had maneuvered into positions where they could mark every sentry one-to-one. The darkness was still absolute, and the terrorists were keeping only the most perfunctory watch.

“Breach, go.”

Captain Ahn Byung-joo raised his hand, then dropped it. To some, it was the signal to storm in; to others, it was the sign of the guillotine. Who was who needed no explanation.

‘Bang.’

‘Bang.’

There was no chaotic gunfire—each shot was precise. The sentries fell without a sound, never getting the chance to scream.

Almost simultaneously, movement stirred.

“W-what the hell!”

Other terrorists, who had been sleeping, scrambled to their feet. Suppressors didn’t make things silent like in the movies; in a place this quiet, even muted gunfire was noticeable.

‘Bang.’

‘Bang.’

But the Ark Unit had rehearsed for this in their heads countless times. They dropped every man who moved and pushed forward toward the hostages.

“Shit!”

Not everything went to plan. Three terrorists jumped into the back of a truck with Captain Lee and three other soldiers, then took off.

The truck bed was draped with fabric—perhaps for sleeping—which had looked like a crude tent on the infrared feed.

“Enemy escaping! Helicopters, pursue!”

Ahn barked over comms as he secured the other hostages.

The two Lynx helicopters closed in fast, their searchlights flashing across the ground.

“Target confirmed, moving to intercept.”

Designed for naval combat, the Lynx wasn’t ideal for long distances, but in short-range chases, it was unmatched—especially with no enemy anti-air weapons in play.

They caught up quickly, firing warning bursts.

‘Brrrt.’

The gunfire was more pressure than these thugs, used to preying on helpless civilians, could handle. Startled, a terrorist slammed the brakes, and the truck rolled uselessly across the open ground before coming to rest.

“Enemy truck overturned.”

Hearing that, Ahn left the rescued hostages in his team’s care and sprinted toward the crash site with others.

“Status of enemy and our hostages?”

“Checking now.”

“Copy. We’re on foot and moving.”

“Copy.”

The Lynx helicopters circled above and spotted a terrorist holding a soldier at gunpoint.

“Come any closer and he’s dead! Back off!”

The man was clearly rattled, but that only made him more dangerous. These were people who had slaughtered hundreds of civilians already—anything was possible.

“Hostile using hostage as shield,” the helo reported, pulling back slightly.

“Can you take the shot?” Ahn asked.

“Too close to the hostage. And it’s not just one—three hostiles have guns on him.”

Somehow, all the terrorists from the truck had their weapons trained on one soldier. Simultaneous sniper kills weren’t feasible.

“Understood… we’ll approach.”

“Copy.”

Ahn and his team ran hard, soon seeing the spotlit scene: three gunmen over one hostage, others lying on the ground—too soon to tell if they were injured from the crash, but likely so.

“Spread out.”

At his signal, the Ark Unit fanned out, forming a perimeter. But unlike before, no one rushed in.

‘One wrong move and he’s dead…’

Ahn wasn’t worried about his own life—once deployed, that was a given—but the captive soldier’s.

‘Hm?’

One of the prone hostages moved—Captain Lee Hyun-jong.

‘What’s he trying to do?’

His fingers twitched persistently, as if signaling. Looking closer, Ahn realized he was tapping out Morse code with his bound hands.

It was hard to read at this distance in the poor light, but Ahn persisted, managing to piece it together:

‘He’ll… attack—rescue the others.’

‘No. That’s suicide.’

The terrorists were visibly agitated; any sudden move could trigger them to shoot. But the next part of the code gave him pause:

‘If we stay, we all die.’

True enough—the enemies had their fingers ready on the triggers. They’d already seen comrades gunned down at the base. None here intended to let these terrorists live, and even the President had made the policy clear:

‘”The Republic of Korea will not pay ransom to terrorists. The only thing we give them is death.”‘

Ahn agreed wholeheartedly. He met Lee’s eyes; Lee’s expression was resolute.

“Stay back!”

The terrorists still hadn’t noticed Lee’s slow movements—they were too busy shouting at the unseen Ark Unit soldiers in the dark, one even jabbing his rifle into the hostage’s gut.

“Ugh…”

The captive clenched his eyes shut, unable even to scream from the tension.

‘Damn it…’

The terrorists were at their breaking point. Two military helicopters hovered overhead; it was only a matter of time before they snapped and fired. The choppers’ interpreter kept urging them to surrender, but they refused—this was their so-called holy war.

“Surrender! You’ll be spared!”

“Screw you, dogs!”

The taunt seemed to push one over the edge; he opened fire wildly, forcing both helicopters to pull back to avoid even a stray round hitting the rotors.

“This’ll turn bad if we wait any longer.”

Ahn signaled his team to be ready to breach. They nodded, eyes locked on their targets. But they still couldn’t just rush in—not with the hostages in the line of fire.

“Kill them all… then we die too.”

One terrorist’s grim words were met with nods from the others, who began to tighten their fingers on the triggers aimed at the hostage’s head.

“Should we breach?” a soldier asked, sensing the shift.

Ahn shook his head—Lee had just met his eyes again. He was ready to sacrifice himself.

‘All three die… or just one…’

He gave the hold signal. The Ark Unit stayed frozen, just as trained.

“Alright… time to go,” one terrorist muttered, pressing his gun to the hostage’s temple.

It was clear from his tone and face—this wasn’t a bluff. The soldier shut his eyes.

And then Lee moved.

“Run! No need for you to die too!”

He shoved the captive soldier away.

“You bastard!”

Gunfire erupted, muzzle flashes lighting the night.

“Aaagh…”

Lee collapsed, riddled with bullets.

It wasn’t a meaningless death—the gap he’d created was long enough.

“Breach! Kill them all!”

Ahn roared, and his soldiers surged forward.

‘Bang!’ ‘Bang!’

They fought like men possessed, enraged by the loss of a comrade, their shots louder and messier than in the earlier rescue. Each terrorist took a dozen rounds before crumpling.

Aside from Lee, every hostage was unharmed—just as he’d wanted.

“Protect the hostages!”

Ahn sprinted to Lee, intent on closing his still-open eyes if nothing else.

But when he reached him and pulled him close, he shouted to everyone:

“He’s alive! Move—evacuate, now!”