BRDM 133

chapter 133

Operation Name: “Crevasse” (3)

Pingxin Headquarters Command Room.

On the giant tactical map, red lights were rapidly going out.

Pingxin’s deputy commander, Chen Hengyu, gripped his radio so tightly that his hands trembled.

“South Gate post, respond! Respond! Damn it, all I hear is static!!”

At that moment, a scream-laced report burst in from another channel.

Chhhhk—

『This is 3rd Platoon! Requesting support! This is 3rd Platoon! Requesting support! The east wall has been breached! Qinglei has—!』

Gunfire and explosions tore the transmission apart like paper ripped by a blade.

Then silence.

Chen Hengyu’s trembling worsened.

Another channel cut in.

『West hangar wiped out! Enemy has taken the runway!』
『East Gate has fallen! A sniper— kugh!』
『Commander, this is HQ Direct. South Gate has been overrun!』
『…All tanks have gone up in flames…!』
『Astra! Astra spotted as well! Please give the order! Give the order!!』

Screams and static filled the radio, one after another.

“……”
“……”
“……”

A suffocating weight pressed down on the room.

Not just Chen Hengyu—even the staff officers nearby couldn’t breathe properly.

“This can’t be happening… How could Qinglei push through this fast…!?”

When they first received intel that White Burn’s Z-Team, successors of Qinglei, were targeting them, the command had been confident.

Sure, their operation in Korea had failed, but to think they’d march straight into China to strike them here?

With fewer than twenty people?

Pingxin had thought Z-Team insane.

Even with Astra’s support, attacking a base manned by hundreds was like an egg smashing against stone.

That was why HQ had judged the intel from Guoanbu (China’s intelligence agency)—about “ten-plus White Burn teams secretly moving en masse”—to be the real deal.

They thought Z-Team’s threats were just bluster, while White Burn was bringing its full force against them.

So they prepared their defenses accordingly.

But the enemy… had truly followed through on their bold words.

They’d been blindsided.

And the strike had been so sharp, so ruthless, that it pierced them straight through the throat.

There was no way to salvage the situation.

“So this is the kind of havoc only an elite few can wreak…? But the gap in strength is too vast. What kind of monsters are they?”

It was beyond his comprehension.

And their commander… terrified him.

“If it was going to come to this, I should’ve listened to the Colonel properly…!”

Just as Chen Hengyu squeezed his eyes shut—

“See? If you’d just handed us operational command when we asked, this wouldn’t have happened. But no, you had to cling on, and look what a mess you’ve made.”

A mocking voice came from the door.

The pronunciation was sloppy, the Chinese heavily broken.

Chen Hengyu opened his eyes and glared toward it.

Five Hunters stood there, crooked grins curling their lips.

Their styling was markedly different from the Chinese. Koreans.

“The blitzkrieg Qinglei’s launching right now is a decapitation op. Looks like Twinshot is commanding instead of Jet. No wonder you’re losing.”

They were specialists Xu Changyou had personally recruited from Korea.

Former Qinglei officers, who’d commanded before Jet took over.

They had been instrumental in building Pingxin.

“You mean… you know how to handle this?”

“Well, somewhat.”

One of them, a woman who had been Qinglei’s sub-leader, answered with a cold smile.

“So what will you do?”

“…I will return operational command to you.”

Chen Hengyu, once a member of Peng Jinghao’s faction, despised the sight of these Gaoli Bangzi (a Chinese slur for Koreans) rising in power.

But his pride meant nothing here. If he let Pingxin be destroyed under his watch, his fate later would be far worse than simple purging.

“You’ve made the right choice, even now. You won’t regret it.”

The woman smiled faintly.

Chhhhk—

『East and West Gates secured. Moving to next target.』
『Tank depot destroyed.』
『Advancing from east toward command control room. Resistance weakening.』

Even amidst the nonstop reports, Kim Minjeong used her infrared scope to track enemy movements.

It was overwhelming, juggling so much at once.

And yet her mind felt perfectly clear.

She could see exactly how to move, how the enemy would react. It was almost dazzling.

Lee Hyun had been right.

Command suited her like a tailored uniform.

“But how did Senior Jang know about a talent I didn’t even know I had…?”

The enemy was in complete disarray. They couldn’t exploit the advantages of home ground, nor of superior numbers.

To her, it was exhilarating.

The battlefield sat in the palm of her hand, malleable at her whim.

“But don’t get conceited, Kim Minjeong. This is still a lucky break, thanks to Senior Jang striking HQ directly.”

Her gaze hardened.

“Still… the atmosphere just shifted. Subtly, but definitely.”

Lee Hyun always said: when the “smell” changes, counterattacks come.

“The commander has changed. Who…?”

Flashes of pre-mission briefing surfaced in her mind.

Several former Qinglei officers and NCOs had defected to Pingxin at Xu Changyou’s invitation.

Among them was someone she had once idolized as a rookie.

“Senior Seo… It can’t be you… can it?”

Just then—

Chhhhk—

『This is Bolt 1, Cloud 1, do you read?』

It was Oh Suheon.

His voice was heavier than before, weighed with something grim.

Minjeong felt the prickling sense that something was wrong.

“This is Cloud 1. Go ahead.”

During ops, all formalities were dropped.

Chhhhk—

『Something’s off.』

“Explain.”

『The enemy’s started reading our tactical signals.』

“…!?”

She whipped her scope toward Suheon’s location.

But cover blocked her view.

『They’re even reading our operation patterns—cutting off chokepoints, preempting our routes.』

“…It’s them.”

A chill shot down Minjeong’s spine.

How to respond?

Her mind raced—

Then Suheon’s voice returned.

Chhhhk—

『This is Bolt 1, engaged with enemy. The ability used is familiar.』

Before Minjeong could ask—

『Suspect it’s Howl. Bolt 1, attempting elimination.』

Howl.

The codename of Park Dohoon, a Qinglei NCO for years.

Gifted with natural combat sense, and after defecting to China, empowered into a full-fledged Ranker.

Suheon’s voice brimmed with tension.

Kukoom!

Explosions rumbled faintly in the distance. Similar reports followed.

『This is Cloud 3, here we—』
『This is Storm 2, enemy is—』

Chhhhk—chhhhk.

The counterattack had begun.

Moves only possible for those who knew Qinglei inside and out.

And then—

Rrrrumble!!

The ground of the entire base shook violently.

[Uma-sal senses crisis approaching!]

Minjeong snapped her head up.

She didn’t even need the scope.

The source was visible from afar—clear as day.

The base’s center.

As the control room collapsed, something colossal was rising.

It was a giant—towering over 20 meters high.

Chhhhk—

『That’s a Giant-class mob!』
『Damn it! I was afraid of this!』
『Even after all “that”… you’d really sell out your own country like this!?』

Voices spilled from the comms, tangled with shock, confusion, betrayal.

Because every Qinglei veteran knew whose skill this was.

Seo Yuna.

Codename: Despair.

She had once embodied despair for their enemies, hope for their allies.

A pillar of strength.

Kim Minjeong’s old idol.

Qinglei’s psychological warfare officer. Former sub-leader.

“This is Cloud 1. All units, hear me.”

Chhhhk—

“Hold your positions. I’ll take on Despair myself.”

『Order confirmed.』
『Order confirmed.』
『Order confirmed.』

Nervous replies.

But no dissent.

Minjeong returned to her scope.

If the summoning skill hadn’t changed, she knew what would come next.

Sure enough—

The giant began to lumber forward.

Its form was grotesque—not like ordinary giant monsters.

It was a swarm—tens of thousands of small monsters mashed together.

They had no unified mind. Their limbs moved separately, their actions slow and clumsy.

Despair’s method: summon countless small monsters and mold them into a giant.

For two reasons.

One: to overwhelm foes with sheer intimidation.
Two: to scatter the horde across terrain, raining bombardment from above.

And indeed—

The giant tore off its own left arm, twisted its massive torso, and hurled the limb skyward like a pitcher’s fastball.

Chhhhk—

『It’s been a while, everyone. Strange, isn’t it, meeting juniors abroad like this?』

Seo Yuna’s voice flooded Z-Team’s channel.

『So here’s a little gift.』

Unlike the giant’s sluggish movements, the arm shot upward at terrifying speed.

Shreeeek—!

『Hope you enjoy it.』

Bwooooom!

The arm exploded midair.

Shhrrshhh—!

Keaaaak! Kyaaaahk!!

Thousands of monster fragments poured down like rain.

Friend and foe alike would be crushed, devoured.

It was an act of pure malice, to annihilate both base and intruders.

Already, the giant was preparing to rip off its regrown arm again.

“…We don’t need gifts like that.”

Minjeong steadied her rifle toward the sky, muttering for her old idol to hear.

And when her breathing calmed, she pulled the trigger.

“I’ll return it to you.”

[Sha (煞) fully charged.]
[Triggering Uma Daesha (牛魔大煞)!]

Meanwhile, outside the central base, Lee Hyun sensed multiple high-rank legacies clashing violently.

Park Dohoon versus Oh Suheon.
Seo Yuna versus Kim Minjeong.
Um Giseon had locked blades with another foe.

Even Astra, who had only provided backup so far, began to intervene as the tide shifted.

And here—

The very one who had turned the tide revealed himself.

“So even you’ve stepped in, Lieutenant Colonel. I had hoped you wouldn’t.”

Han Cheolwoo.

Codename: Omen Wing.

Named for the cursed bird he inherited—a human-faced omen bird.

“Well, we’re Pingxin too. Even if they treat us like mercenaries here.”

Cheolwoo smirked, adjusting his insulated gloves.

His combat uniform was the same as Qinglei’s.

As if declaring himself the true Qinglei. It made Lee Hyun seethe.

Bzzzt—!!

[Dokkaebi’s Deep Breath (SS) surges at maximum output!]

Blue-white lightning filled the corridor in an instant.

The opponent was one of the few true high-rankers, even back in Korea.

If this dragged out, victory wasn’t assured. He needed to end it fast.

Cheolwoo smiled at him, almost proud.

“You don’t even ask why I’m here?”

“I’m sure you have your reasons. I just don’t care. I hate sob stories. So—”

BOOM!

“Die.”

Shreeeeek—!

Lee Hyun shot forward, the Yeoise trailing like a whip behind him.

Shrrrk—!

[Dokkaebi’s Trust activates!]

Cheolwoo spread wide a pair of wings made of blazing yellow fire.

“I really did raise one hell of a junior. You’re right—on the battlefield, there’s only life and death.”

He wrapped a wing around his arm—then slammed not at Lee Hyun, but into the wall beside him.

“So let’s all die together.”

KRRAAACK!!

Cracks tore across the already weakened base.

『Self-destruct system activated. Evacuate immediately.』

The computer’s flat voice was followed by detonations throughout the base.

BOOOOM!!

Rrrruuummble—!

A scorching storm of yellow fire and blue lightning swallowed everything.