Chapter 238
Encirclement
*”Hungry, hungry, hungry… I’m really hungry…” (Luo Tian, “Hungry Song”)
The sound from Seong Geon-woo’s small speaker filled the jeep.
Yet to Yong Yeo-hong, the same lyrics somehow sounded different:
“Thirsty, thirsty, thirsty… I’m really thirsty…”
In the mountainous terrain, water was truly scarce. And now, with winter bringing hardly any rain, the situation was even more severe.
The rescue team had already drunk all the water they had stored the previous day and still hadn’t found a source. They had checked two locations following traces, but the water they found was heavily contaminated. Some contamination levels exceeded the safety standards several times over.
At least they managed to quench their immediate thirst with tiny amounts of moisture extracted from a few trees, but that didn’t mean they were free from the risk of dying from thirst.
“Just a little further, and we’ll find a water source.”
Jang Mok-hwa said confidently as she studied the landscape outside the window.
“Yes,”
Baek Sae-byeok agreed.
Yong Yeo-hong exhaled in relief. Only now did he realize that thirst could be more agonizing than facing a wild mountain monster. The former lasts, but the latter ends in mere minutes, making the pain brief.
Yong Yeo-hong didn’t even speak, swallowing hard just to wet his dry throat. Meanwhile, Seong Geon-woo, hands on the wheel, seemed unaffected by the serious water shortage. Only his slightly chapped lips hinted at the struggle.
“Ah, I should’ve brought the Dragon King mask. Then I could’ve prayed for rain,” Geon-woo muttered regretfully.
Since leaving Redstone Market, the four of them hadn’t worn masks anymore. Only Geon-woo occasionally wore a cheeky monkey mask to tease Yong Yeo-hong, sometimes even making monkey sounds while calling him foolish.
“The Dragon King can make it rain himself. No need to pray,” Jang Mok-hwa quietly corrected him.
The rescue team bypassed a high cliff and entered a valley where the brown soil looked damp.
“Slow down. The visibility isn’t clear here. If we rush in, who knows what could happen,” Jang Mok-hwa instructed.
Her and Geon-woo’s senses weren’t limitless; distance imposed constraints.
Geon-woo took his foot off the accelerator and slowed the jeep, obedient to the team leader’s order.
The olive-green jeep carefully navigated around the cliff along the dirt path.
Then, suddenly, Geon-woo and Jang Mok-hwa felt their view open wide.
First, they saw a small, winding stream. The clear water revealed pebbles and gravel beneath.
Large rocks lined both sides, and mud and sand filled the gaps, giving the area its earthy tone. Beyond that were trees, some withering but others still lush, with a muddy path winding through them.
Jang Mok-hwa’s gaze moved upstream. About 100 meters away, dozens of people were gathered. Mostly men, dressed in various outfits and carrying different weapons—worn cotton jackets, dirty down jackets, and greasy leather coats. Among them were several vehicles and tents.
Some armed men leisurely fetched water, prepared lunch, or sat on the ground laughing and chatting. It seemed like an ordinary scene.
But then Jang Mok-hwa’s eyes turned icy. The group was harassing women whose hands were tied and slapping the male prisoners who glared at them in anger.
“They’re bandits,” Baek Sae-byeok said from the back seat, observing through the windshield. The group looked like a large gang that had recently raided merchant or nomadic outposts.
As the rescue team got recognized, one of the bandits on watch spotted them too.
“Boss! New prey!”
A bandit with black hair and blue eyes shouted excitedly to the leader.
Winter had thinned the merchant teams, and each stronghold was tightly secured, leaving the bandits with little to loot. Survival had been difficult. But today, fortune seemed to smile on them: the bandits had already plundered a merchant caravan in the morning and now stumbled upon a jeep that had wandered into the valley in search of water.
The bandit leader was a man in his 30s. About 175 cm tall with long, unkempt blond hair, a solid, muscular build, and pale blue eyes. A spiked helmet, seemingly scavenged from some ruined city, adorned his head.
He laughed heartily at his subordinate’s report.
“No different from a lamb entering a lion’s den. Go fetch them. I want to see who dares cross these mountains in winter.”
This was one of the rugged mountain ridges.
Pausing briefly, he added, “Send four vehicles. They might be an advance party of a merchant caravan.”
More vehicles, more men, and more weapons could be hidden ahead.
“Yes, boss!” The subordinate called out loudly, gathering the others.
At that moment, the olive-green jeep began reversing out of the valley. They were so shocked that they seemed to have forgotten how to turn around.
“Ha ha!”
The bandits laughed, waving weapons as they rushed toward their prepared vehicles. They loved prey that panicked like this—it saved them bullets.
The prisoners’ hopeful eyes dimmed. They thought salvation had arrived, but it was just a single jeep that had wandered in, seemingly by chance.
The dozens of excited bandits split among two SUVs and two pickups, racing around the corner to trap the prey.
As the lead vehicle turned, the driver’s eyes froze. The olive-green jeep stood calmly just tens of meters away, its slanted body like a low wall.
Behind the jeep, a tall man was wearing a black exoskeleton with a teammate’s help. On the side, a shorter woman braced a rifle against the hood. On the opposite side, a ponytailed woman in gray uniform crouched slightly, carrying a heavy personal rocket launcher on her shoulder.
‘A rocket launcher…?’
The approaching drivers and bandits’ eyes widened in shock.
Then a bright light erupted.
KRAK!
The bandit leader, about to light his handmade yellowish cigarette, heard the deafening blast before the cigarette even reached his mouth.
A fireball quickly expanded in his eyes, engulfing the front of the pickup truck that had tried to turn first. The sight was etched like an oil painting in every witness’s memory.
BANG!
The second SUV collided with the already burning pickup before it could brake.
KRAK!
Glass shattered from the impact, and a bullet pierced the driver’s seat, spraying blood.
The bandit leader, observing from afar, seemed halfway to madness, realizing, ‘It’s a trap! We’re surrounded!’
The pursuing SUVs and pickups stopped just in time, kicking up sand dust from their wheels. The bandits scrambled out, seeking cover. Remaining inside was nearly as dangerous as being a moving coffin after witnessing the explosion ahead.
Upstream by the stream, the bandits except for the prisoners rose to their positions, aiming at the corner while following protocol despite the unexpected situation.
Then, suddenly, loud, fast, rhythmic music echoed from around the corner, sending their blood racing.
Amid the pounding drumbeats, a figure appeared.
About 175 cm tall, with neck, chest, and abdomen covered in black armor, limbs encased in metallic exoskeleton, a huge energy pack on the back, and goggles flashing red light. Military-grade exoskeleton.
All the veteran bandits recognized it. Fear surged through them uncontrollably.
At the same time, a rough male voice carried through the valley:
*”The beacon rises, look north…” (Do Hong-gang, “Loyalty to the Nation”)
Following the rhythm, Yong Yeo-hong leapt upstream, dodging all bullets aimed at his previous location.
Floating, he raised one hand and let the other hang, his left arm wielding a light machine gun, the right equipped with a grenade launcher.
Rat-a-tat-tat!
Bullets pierced cars and shattered glass, while the bandits dared not raise their heads. Grenades flew between vehicles, exploding and swallowing several bandits.
Flags with dragon emblems fluttered, horses cried, and a chilling aura of sword energy rose.
The explosions subsided, and Yong Yeo-hong, moving according to plan, landed on the cliff and leapt upstream.
The bandits tried to stop him, even using grenade launchers, but with the exoskeleton’s assistance and a comprehensive alert system, he dodged them effortlessly.
Yong Yeo-hong’s tension eased considerably. The military exoskeleton displayed its full power on this battlefield.
