BRDM 128

chapter 128

Suwon Air Base.

An SUV pulled up and the passenger door swung open.

Creaaak.

“I’ll be back, honey.”

“Mingi, you have to tell mommy to come back safe, right? Say, ‘Come back safe~’”

Oh Su-heon laughed as she waved her baby’s hand together with her husband, who was sending her off.

Unlike herself, clad in full combat fatigues, her husband and baby looked every bit the ordinary civilians.

Because of their sudden child, they hadn’t even had a proper wedding. It had only been a year since they moved in together.

Even though parenting was hard, the couple always felt like they were still newlyweds.

“Come back safely. Don’t get hurt, okay?”

“Mm. I’ll be fine.”

Su-heon was deeply grateful. Her husband never lashed out, never asked how she could go to such dangerous places. Instead, he always tried to understand her from her own perspective.

Like the light kiss they always shared at the door before work—

Su-heon brushed a kiss across his lips, then turned toward the airbase.

She had her family’s blessing. Now, all that was left was to run forward.

The dawn air was chilly.

“I wonder what the weather will be like today?”

A faint smile played across her lips.

* * *

Inside the transport plane headed for Tianjin, the noise was overwhelming.

“Bwahaha! What the hell! You still fit into that uniform?”

“Damn right I do. Look at this washboard abs, huh!?”

“It feels weird, riding one of these again after so long.”

Some men laughed as they looked at their old uniforms, reminiscing. Others ran their hands across the fuselage of the C-130, lost in sentiment.

‘I’d heard the atmosphere was laid-back, but I can never get used to it.’

From the outside, they could have been mistaken for a group heading out on some team-building retreat.

Chief Eom Gi-seon shook his head. He was remembering the first time he’d met these men face to face.

‘And yet, once an operation actually began… the atmosphere turned lethal.’

As someone who had also served with Astra, he felt firsthand how different they were from Cheongroe Unit.

Cheongroe was freer in atmosphere. Each soldier had more discretion. They were expected to make their own decisions in sudden situations.

But the responsibility that came with that was immense.

In Astra, strict hierarchy and top-down command left no such leeway.

‘I guess we’ll see in this operation which approach has the stronger side.’

With that thought, Gi-seon glanced backward.

There, his old colleagues from Astra sat silently, armed and expressionless. They were backup members.

What thoughts could be running through their minds?

At that moment, he caught Michael Shepherd’s eye. Michael gave him a small wave.

Gi-seon only dipped his chin slightly, then closed his eyes.

There was still time before they reached the mission zone. He intended to review the lessons he’d learned from Executive Ho.

* * *

Wooooong!

The four turboprop engines roared to life, shaking the C-130 with noise and vibration.

Takeoff began.

“……”
“……”
“……”

As if a switch had been flipped, Z-Team fell completely silent.

Everyone sat along the side benches, checking the gear on their laps or exchanging brief coded words with the person next to them.

A heavy tension hung in the air.

Kim Min-jeong welcomed it.

Now, it really felt like Cheongroe had been reborn.

She was also deeply grateful to Gi-seon and Seo Ae-ri. They might have felt like outsiders intruding, but they blended in seamlessly, as if they had always been part of Cheongroe.

‘It’s a blessing to meet people like this. And it’s a blessing that people like this have gathered here.’

This place was full of blessings.

She prayed, for the first time, that every single teammate here would return safely.

To her new guardian deity—

‘…No, not a god. More like a demon king? But what is he, really?’

Day by day, her mana was deepening at a frightening pace. Her bullets, too, carried greater weight.

Her skills had advanced far beyond what they had been when she first ranked.

And yet, despite that growth, the myth she expected to unlock still hadn’t revealed itself. It was troubling.

Each time, Lee Hyun reassured her that she would know soon enough.

Min-jeong shook off the tangled thoughts.

For now, focus on the mission.

As he said, the myth would come in due time.

It was then—

Chhhk.

『Commencing a short pre-briefing.』

Lee Hyun’s voice came over the headset intercom.

All eyes turned to him.

『You already had a briefing before departure, but I’ll give you a reminder along with new directives. As mentioned, we’re splitting into three call signs: Storm, Bolt, and Cloud.』

These were the same call signs Cheongroe Unit had often used in past operations.

• Storm handled explosives and heavy weapons.

• Bolt handled infiltration and reconnaissance.

• Cloud handled sniping and overwatch.

『Storm will be led by Eom, Bolt by Oh, and Cloud by Kim.』

Z-Team had three other rankers besides Hyun: Eom Gi-seon, Kim Min-jeong, and the newly joined Oh Su-heon. Each was given command of a squad according to their specialty.

But—

There was something Hyun hadn’t revealed in the pre-briefing.

Where was the team leader, the commander, going?

Gulp.

The sound of dry throats swallowing echoed here and there.

『To conceal this operation, the company has already mobilized ten domestic teams led by A-Team in large-scale movements. The NIS and CIA are spreading disinformation as well…』

The briefing rolled quickly onward.

『…Also confirmed among Pingxin’s members are ex-Cheongroe leaders Omen Wing and Despair…』

At those names, the team’s eyes hardened.

Omen Wing. Despair.

Both had been officers of Cheongroe before Hyun took command. They had since joined Pingxin under Xu Changyou.

When they first heard this, the rage had been indescribable.

But Hyun delivered it all in a calm, detached tone, as if it were unrelated to him.

『Our objective is annihilation. All Pingxin within the mission zone are to be eradicated and the site destroyed. I repeat—no hostages are permitted. Total annihilation, then detonation.』

Michael Shepherd stared intently at Hyun.

Cheongroe—the legend—and Pingxin, its heir. Soon, one of them would vanish from the world.

‘CIA’s analysis predicted Cheongroe would be wiped out. They said Cheongroe’s individuals may be stronger, but Pingxin’s numbers and Xu Changyou’s power outweigh Jet’s…’

The CIA classified “high-rankers”—what governments called national power or nuclear assets—into five detailed tiers:

• Transcendent

• Pinnacle

• Dominion

• Prime

• Frontline

Frontline were fighters a nation could field openly.
Prime represented national and societal influence.
Dominion extended beyond nations to entire continents.
Pinnacle were top-tier strategic weapons even among high-rankers.
And Transcendent… reached the level of moving the world itself, approaching demi-godhood.

Above even that were the nine Top Rankers—considered near-divine, beyond human measure.

The CIA assessed Xu Changyou’s level as between Dominion and Prime. Though the Chinese press painted him as a future Top Ranker, insiders knew it was mostly propaganda.

Still, Dominion alone made him a continental-level threat—China’s continental representative, effectively.

And Lee Hyun?

The CIA acknowledged his brilliance. He had, after all, single-handedly captured Jang Bai-en, a new Frontline-level high-ranker.

But that was all.

Their evaluation: Hyun’s leadership outstripped his personal combat ability. His successes—Ulleungdo, Gangneung—had come through command skill.

‘They can’t accept that a mere Ranker could surpass a High-Ranker. That would collapse their whole tier system.’

By CIA measure, Pingxin now rivaled Cheongroe of four years ago.

Even if Z-Team had recently shown dominance over them, Pingxin’s strength was still solid.

Their numbers alone made the odds bleak.

‘Eggs against a rock.’

And now, Pingxin was back under Xu Changyou’s control, bolstered by the reawakened Lu Wuchen.

So the CIA had asked—why even risk backing Z-Team?

But—

‘The Director dismissed them outright. And so do I.’

Michael’s lips twisted.

That very morning, he had received Gabriel’s prophecy.

[Gabriel cannot read any line of the future!]
[Gabriel advises you earnestly to follow Jang Lee-hyun.]

As a devout Catholic, Michael would obey. Even without prophecy, he would have.

‘Our little human categories don’t apply to him.’

He was certain—Hyun and Z-Team would carve a new myth today.

He’d seen Hyun’s eyes before: filled with conviction. People with such eyes always changed the world.

And now—

‘That same look has spread to all of them.’

Watching the whole Z-Team, their eyes burning like Hyun’s, Michael shivered.

‘These aren’t Cheongroe of four years ago. This is Z-Team.’

He wanted to see with his own eyes the myth they would write—greater even than Cheongroe’s.

As Astra’s analyst and chief of staff, as a fellow hunter chasing justice.

‘So, Jet—what disruptive move will you show us to pen that first page?’

Michael was convinced the surprise Hyun hadn’t revealed in earlier briefings was the key.

Heat flared behind his eyes as Hyun continued:

『…And I,』

After the long reminder, Hyun gave his final order.

『While you infiltrate and sow chaos from outside, I will strike directly at their heart in a diversionary attack.』

“……!”
“……!”
“……!”

In an instant, a strange fiery wind swept through the transport’s interior.

Michael’s lips twisted again.

Exactly as he had expected.