The Little Prince in the Ossuary
Chapter 76

00076 <– #After the Rain –>

#After the rain, Fort Roberts (6)

Ten kilometers from Fort Roberts, down the Salinas River, a small village called Bradley was located. Today, Gyeo-ul’s mission was to capture it. If the mission were a success, engineers and refugee workers would soon be deployed to this village to begin the base’s expansion.

Gyeo-ul watched as troops approached the village entrance. Most of them were volunteers from the Triad, and an additional squad and driver soldiers had been added to Able Company for management and support. The latter’s supervisor was Sergeant Arturo “Al” Rivera.

In other words, no one other than Gyeo-ul was in charge of the operation. No matter how trivial the operation was, the change in the attitude of the U.S. military signaled by their leaving the command of the operation to a boy officer was very impressive. Even if it was mainly volunteers, the size of the troop was equivalent to one company. In fact, Gyeo-ul was even able to play the role of a temporary company commander.

The condition of the promotion, which had been suspended at the time of receiving the Silver Star Medal, was a formal completion of officer education. Therefore it could be assumed that they recognized Gyeo-ul’s ability to command even though he had not completed his education. Still, it was necessary to go through a formal curriculum for the future.

‘There may be some recommended progress in the near future.’

The control AI was recommending certain types of progress in case of a situational operation. This one was called recommended progress. It was okay to refuse, but there was nothing good about doing so.

Gyeo-ul then radioed the company channel. “All units on standby.”

At one word of instruction, all the troops split from side to side across the road and entered the boundary before dipping right into kneeling positions. It was not so different from the days when they’d fought against humans because the technique was still effective. It resulted in a reduction of the exposure area and an increase in the hit rate. Of course, if the environment were to change, the revised doctrine would be followed.

Gyeo-ul walked toward the cathedral, with soldiers peeking at him. It was the first building at the entrance to the village. From the unique cross with decorations on each branch and the statue of the Virgin Mary on the wall, it was possible to guess that it was a Catholic church, not a Protestant one.

‘Well, California has a strong Catholic community.’

It was a fact that Gyeo-ul had learned from experience. Perhaps because there were many Latin immigrants, one in three people in California believed in Catholicism.

The cathedral was a white, single-story building. A dainty size, less than that of a normal house. If they filled up the chapel, Gyeo-considered, they could perhaps fit thirty people in. The round bell tower was not much higher than the roof.

Gyeo-ul, stopping a short distance from the entrance to the cathedral, beckoned for the leader of the troops.

“First company, first squad. Search and secure the cathedral.”

This operation was to be the first practical experience of the Triad combat forces that Gyeo-ul had chosen. Therefore, the colors of practice and training had been mixed. This was also why the line of vehicles was not entering the village.

Li Ai-ling ran slowly with her squad. This was a proper tactical shift, keeping vigilant while moving. It was proof that they had been enthusiastic about training in their own way.

In the meantime, Ai-ling looked fresh. She wore a rank-free combat uniform, had tied her hair in a ponytail, and wore a pair of sunglasses. The tempered black glass reflected the landscape, contrasting sharply with her white skin. It was not a violation of the dress code, and aside from his feelings about Ai-ling as an individual, Gyeo-ul thought she looked quite cool.

“I should get Yura and Jin-seok sunglasses, too.”

It would be more helpful for Yura, who lacked authority between the two.

Surprisingly, the message logs were not flooding. Every time he faced Ai-ling, a beauty of a rare level in the world, he found her to have changed a lot. Audiences from other worlds might now be used to the boy.

As Gyeo-ul watched, Ai-ling’s squad clattered onto the outer wall of the cathedral. They were still doing as they had been trained, but there was a clear sign of nervousness. Everyone’s hands were shaking, regardless of gender, and Ai-ling kept looking back at Gyeo-ul. Even though the sunglasses covered her eyes, he could read her expression.

It was a natural reaction in a first fight. Hadn’t the combatants of the Winter Alliance looked similar in San Miguel?

‘You may have killed a man, but you’ve never fought a mutant yourself.’

With this in mind, Gyeo-ul pressed the radio receiver.

“There is no support. Go by the squad leader’s judgment. You just need to do what you’ve been trained to do.”

Ai-ling bit her lip when she was urged to act. Was it out of frustration? She must have been looking forward to something.

The criminal gang’s executive looked around the building, trying to find a way to peek inside. However, he couldn’t find one. The door was tightly closed, and the window turned out to be opaque glass.

Another member of the organization had taken off his bulletproof cap and put his ear to the door. This was a dangerous act. What if the door suddenly opened? His colleagues needed to prepare for cover fire. However, Gyeo-ul just watched it on the wall. Ai-ling had been playing separately on the side of the building.

Because of the tension, all their training had disappeared. It was only because the level of threat detected in the “sense of survival” was low that Gyeo-ul was just watching, or he would have intervened right away.

“Squad leader! The vice squad leader! Control the squad! Do not disperse the squad without instructions!”

At Gyeo-ul’s strong warning, they shuddered as if they had been struck by lightning. They all looked so nervous that it was hard to think of them as criminals. Everyone was just the same person in the face of fear.

“But for a man with a sense of order, it’s better to be a soldier than a criminal.”

Anyway, it would soon be better after they got used to it. Gyeo-ul held the rifle stock firmly on his shoulder, with his gun stretched out toward the church in case of an emergency.

Then, he felt a little strange and turned around to find that everyone was looking at him instead of watching their direction. When Gyeo-ul looked at them closely, the Chinese turned their heads in a hurry. However, there were a few people who were just looking at each other.

They were the ones who proved that one actual battle was better than a hundred training sessions.

“Listen, all company personnel except for the first squad. Watch your direction carefully. Those who neglect their duties will be disciplined when we return.”

The punishment that Gyeo-ul would give was not a big deal. The second round of punishment within the Triad would be scarier. The spectators’ military discipline had already intensified.

In the meantime, Ai-ling split the squad into two. Gyeo-ul listened quietly to the radio between them; squad leader Ai-ling was now giving instructions.

[Kuntao, watch out for the left entrance to the church with Kanchuan! Well, and… yes, Zhong Qiu, Guo Jin! You two guard the exit to the right of the church! Zwie Ann! Zekwang! You guys… stick to the left and right at the entrance! As soon as the grenade goes off, go in! The rest of you, move with me!]

She stammered a little, but it was good enough.

‘You don’t have to use a grenade, though.’

Gyeo-ul didn’t bother to interfere. He needed to boost her confidence.

Ai-ling broke the window by hand. Her strongly-wielded rifle stock hit the window frame at first. On the second shot, she hit it right. Kwachang! As soon as there was a hole, an unknown member of the action team threw in a grenade.

Wait.

There was no explosion. At this, Gyeo-ul tilted his head.

‘…Did it fail?’

He could see Ai-ling and the other members exchanging a few words. It was too hard to hear because it was just a small conversation. However, he could see facial expressions and gestures. Ai-ling was angry for a long time and looked up at the sky with her hands on her waist. The scolded person only looked at the ground, his face red.

‘He must have thrown it without pulling the pin.’

Gyeo-ul sighed briefly.

Ai-ling now pushed a gun through the broken window and carefully looked inside the building. Everything was quiet. If there had been a normal mutant in there, it would have reacted to the noise and thrown itself through the window.

Ai-ling’s shoulders sagged. The tension seemed to have eased, but it was still early. There would be a couple of other rooms inside the health center. Gyeo-ul watched her and her men carefully.

They seemed to be trying to enter through the main gate. Li Ai-ling gathered the rest there, leaving troops on both sides to guard against each other. Gyeo-ul stood about five meters behind their backs, just in case. After confirming that the boy officer was behind them, they seemed to be more relaxed.

They burst through the front door. As soon as they entered, they spread from side to side to secure the flames. As the tension disappeared, their behavior proved to be rather flexible. Gyeo-ul then stepped onto the doorstep.

A grenade that had been thrown incorrectly was lying in the center of the floor. Ai-ling looked at the person who had thrown it with a frown. The moment the man approached to pick up the grenade, something white fell from above him.

Gyeo-ul immediately pulled the trigger.

Since he had been outside, he was able to capture the target for only 0.3 seconds. It was the shape of a human being who had spread its limbs. The boy’s shot quickly penetrated its head.

“Argh!”

The Chinese man lying under the body of the ghoul screamed and struggled. Gyeo-ul immediately shouted because the squad members had responded late and aimed at it.

“Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot! It’s already dead! Drop the guns!”

If they opened fire, the man underneath would die. The Chinese volunteers who had almost pulled their triggers looked back at the boy officer with pale faces.

After a glance at the ceiling, Gyeo-ul confirmed that there was nothing but a shaky chandelier, strode over, and pulled out the Chinese man who’d had the seizure.

The physical struggle proved to be too much for Gyeo-ul. The boy kicked his gun away. It was to prevent any accidents, but the man seemed even more frightened. He closed his eyes tightly and pushed Gyeo-ul away with a gesture.

“Get off! Get off me! Argh! Mom! Mom! I’m dying! I’m dying!”

“Wake up!”

Gyeo-ul slapped his cheek vigorously, then grabbed him by the collar with one hand and pulled him up, shouting in close reach.

“Changlong! Changlong! Open your eyes and look at me!”

Gyeo-ul had seen his name tag, and calling the name was effective. The man opened his eyes and looked up at Gyeo-ul. The scream disappeared, and only his rough breath remained. Gyeo-ul then spoke up.

“Calm down—it’s all right now.”

“…”

Gyeo-ul then let go of him slowly. As if his legs were asleep, he couldn’t stand upright, and he quickly collapsed. Gyeo-ul checked his watch. It had been thirteen minutes since the operation began.

‘It’s going to be a long day.’

That way, the number of buildings was not even small. Proceeding like a snail would not hinder the completion of the mission.

The boy carried out the search alone. The squad still looked pale, even though Gyeo-ul only wanted Ai-ling’s squad to give cover. He didn’t know what would happen if he were to turn his back on them.

[Lieutenant Han. Are you okay there?]

The radio emitted the voice of Sergeant Rivera, the vice-commander. Gyeo-ul replied immediately. “Yes, there was only one ghoul. It was hanging from the ceiling and fell. We shot him. No casualties.”

[Oh, my… They’ve gotten smart these days. I’m sorry to hear that. Is there anything else you want to tell me?]

“Not quite. It won’t take long, so wait a little while.”

[I see, over.]

After the conversation, Gyeo-ul approached the back of the chapel. There were two doors. When he stormed through one of them, he found an artifact storage room. The trapped air was stuffy, but there was no smell of mutant. Even if it was a ghoul that had avoided rotting by overcoming immune rejection, it smelled similar to a person who hadn’t washed for a long time.

Gyeo-ul stepped into the storage room, wary of the opposite door, looked around, and collected the small artifacts. They would be good gifts for those who believed in Catholicism among the allies.

He went over and kicked in the remaining door, rushing in this time. However, there was no mutant. Only a body that seemed to have died a long time ago was lying there.

A bottle lay beside him. It looked like he had committed suicide. It was the father’s residence, but it was not the father who had ended up committing suicide. Gyeo-ul didn’t know what the story was, but it seemed that he had visited the cathedral before he died and ended his life there.

After a quick search, Gyeo-ul gathered Ai-ling’s squad members close to the ghoul’s body.

“Come and see. You need to be more familiar with the mutants.”

The Chinese refused to get close to the already dead ghoul. After reading their fears, Gyeo-ul grabbed the ghoul’s head and made it face them.

Ai-ling covered her mouth. Anyone else could avoid it, but she knew that she shouldn’t. She was leading the way. It was the reason why Gyeo-ul kept it facing in her direction.

“Look straight at it. Just by looking at the dead, you become like this. So, how are you going to do with the actual fight?”

“Ugh…”

To be fair, the ghoul looked disgusting. It was as if the flesh had melted and hardened.

Gyeo-ul grabbed the bottom of its face with his free hand and pulled at its chin. This tilted the head back further, making the inside of the mouth visible. If you looked closely, the tongue that fell out was different from that of a human.

“Do you see it? The infection is in its mouth. In other words, you won’t get infected if you don’t get bitten or touch its mouth directly. So, come closer. Touch it. Assuming you don’t want to freeze and die when you’re caught in action.”

Since this was obviously aimed at her, Ai-ling was forced to come and touch the ghoul. Flinch. Gyeo-ul gave cold instructions.

“Take off your gloves.”

“…What?”

“You can’t get infected, so take off your gloves.”

“Do I have to?”

Gyeo-ul didn’t have to answer.

She took off her gloves.

A long, thin finger touched the skin of the crushed gray monster. Ai-ling closed her eyes tightly and shook. Even if it was not a mutant in the first place, it was dirty, smelly, and even ugly, so it was only natural to feel physiological rejection.

After a while, Ai-ling asked in a trembling voice, “Is that enough?”

“No.”

“…”

The work of “Teaching” had reduced the useless time consumption. Gyeo-ul only allowed the rest of the crew to go outside after giving them a terrible experience.

The operation then resumed.