The Little Prince in the Ossuary
Chapter 77

00077 — #After the Rain–

#After the rain, Bradley (7)

Gyeo-ul watched how the uncontrolled Chinese moved.

They continued to gather and scatter together. It was like watching a gang fight.

Real-life tension could make one’s mind go blank. Those members who had no experience were bound to forget their training during real-life practice. Only weeks of training could craft someone into a skilled warrior. The foundation for a reflexive response to orders could only be set by engraving the instructor on the body.

And so, they needed someone to show leadership. Although Li Ai-ling was very clumsy, she played the role well. Sergeant Rivera spoke up.

“She’s like a new chick from West Point.”

That was an unfair assessment. Not about Ai-ling, but to the military cadets.

West Point was the location of the United States Military Academy. American cadet education seemed to be very practical; military education in the world’s most warfaring country could not possibly be lax. However, the problem was that even the most intense training could not replace real-life experience.

Despite his thoughts, Gyeo-ul said little. It was just a self-interested joke, anyway. U.S. noncommissioned officers came from the ranks of the soldier. No wonder the foolishness of the lieutenant was uncomfortable to someone with rich practical experience.

‘It’s not a fake feeling. It’s due to your own life.’

The Chinese people would also grow further with this experience, for the U.S. military education system was specialized in this regard. A combat camera on a helmet recorded all operations. Later, anyone could objectively reflect on their performance from their own perspective and that of a third party.

He shouldn’t have been like that over there. He could do better next time.

Gyeo-ul only gave them advice when it was needed.

Despite this, the operation had gone well because Bradley was a small town. According to the briefing, Bradley’s population had been around ninety before the infection. Air reconnaissance had not found any significant threats.

Li Ai-ring seemed to have developed some suspicions. As soon as her squad went to take a break, she approached Gyeo-ul and asked, “Why does the U.S. military need this town?”

Her voice sounded a little tired. Gyeo-ul kept his eyes on the ongoing search of the building.

“What do you mean?”

“I was wondering what the point of the operation was. The town doesn’t have important facilities, and the surrounding terrain doesn’t seem advantageous for defense. Is this for practical experience…?”

A great commotion interrupted her. The Chinese were shouting—not an act to be praised in combat situations. However, it was a big improvement compared to the beginning when they could not move at all.

Someone slammed the door and threw the grenade. Boom! After the fire poured out along with some debris, two Chinese volunteers next to the door fired inward. They shot until they emptied their magazines.

Gyeo-ul radioed in. “Those who are firing now, shoot at different heights.”

The two men looked back hesitantly. Gyeo-ul pointed out again, “Don’t point your gun at your colleagues. Think of guns as always loaded and handle them accordingly. And you’re not training right now. You should keep an eye on the front. You’ll feel stupid if you die. Oh, reload, reload. Remember your training. You just have to stay calm.”

The two men looked flustered, as if they had made a big mistake. That was why Gyeo-ul didn’t bother giving them a hard time.

Li Ai-ring took off her sunglasses and covered her face with one hand. She felt ashamed. Perhaps she felt their performance reflected on her. Without having to look back, Gyeo-ul could see her behavior in his peripheral view. The boy had tried to tell her that she was far better than them, but he automatically quit on the idea of saying it again. It was likely to be considered a fake consolation. Instead, he talked to the people who had gone still.

“Squad leader. Any further instructions?”

[Yes, I’m sorry, sir! Hey, you lazy Nanmantz! Get in! Get in!]

“Be nice.”

[Oh. Yes, sir!]

Nanmantz meant south barbarian. Since the origin of the Triad was located in Hong Kong, and Hong Kong was attached to Guangdong, it might be a curse word that was customary among the Triad.

It was not strange that abusive language was common in the military, but one had to at least stop them from behaving like gangsters so they could play their new roles as soldiers. It was necessary for that context to use finer words.

The crew, who had managed to enter the inside with good cover for each other, dragged the two bodies out. They were ordinary mutants with eroded skin. After pulling them out, they rubbed their hands on their pants and made a fuss.

They had been instructed to pull out each body in order to make the performance visible. It was part of the effort to somehow help them gain confidence.

Gyeo-ul allowed the squad that had completed the search to rest on guard.

Ai-ring spoke up coldly. “I think I know how Atascadero’s brothers died.”

It was also a reproach for herself, but Gyeo-ul shook his head. “You shouldn’t say that. Anyway, what was the question you were going to ask?”

A moment later, there was another explosion. Under the control of U.S. soldiers and Sergeant Rivera, Chinese volunteers were searching several buildings simultaneously. They were almost done with the operation. It was such a small town that there were no more buildings left to occupy.

Waiting for the blast to subside, Ai-ring finally asked the delayed question. “Was this operation, by any chance, designed for us?”

“You know I don’t have the authority to do that.”

Gyeo-ul explained the purpose of the operation to the best of his knowledge. “As I heard it from Lieutenant Colonel Capston, all the U.S. military wants is to carve a way through. A little further downstream, there’s the San Ardo oil field. They’re planning to take over there and deploy and operate refugee workers. I heard it’s quite big. Bradley here is about halfway up the transportation route.”

The San Ardo oil field produced about 40,000 barrels a year during the early twenty-first century. At the beginning of the “After the End” worldview, oil depletion was just around the corner, but Fort Roberts had enough reserves to get by alone.

“Maybe a few drilling machines will meet the demand for fuel in Fort Roberts. In the long run, they might be in charge of fueling other bases. Of course, there’s a lot of pressure to keep the refinery going, but isn’t that a good reason?”

Ai-ring’s response to this seemed a little impatient. “But I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the Chinese were the only ones involved in this operation and that you were in charge of the command. Did you really do nothing?”

“I made a suggestion. You promised to do this from the beginning.”

“…”

This was the condition that Gyeo-ul had given in negotiations with Li Chinzen. Compared to Li Chinzen, who spoke grandly and had no influence on the U.S. military, Gyeo-ul was keeping his promise no matter what.

“I heard your men were quite the opposition.”

“They are not my subordinates; I’m just their elected representative. And, yes, there was opposition. The proportion of volunteers has never been so high in external operations, and that’s all the armed forces of the Triad. Even if there are U.S. troops, the number is small. To be honest, there are still a lot of people who can’t trust the Triad.”

Actually, it was a pointless worry. As the combat cameras began to be provided to volunteers when they were dispatched, the U.S. military was able to put less manpower into refugee management. This was because the camera also served as a black box. Refugee volunteers who knew that wouldn’t do anything to the U.S. military.

Lee Ai-ring nodded enthusiastically. “Anyway, despite the opposition, you’ve been loyal to us.”

Gyeo-ul was looking at her quietly.

‘What’s making you so nervous?’

The heroine of the Triad closed her mouth. Gyeo-ul wondered why she wanted to confirm his favor with the Triad.

[Lieutenant Han. We have secured all compartments. We have arbitrarily arranged three platoon units near the west ramp to monitor the area, but do you have any further instructions?]

The radio broadcasted the voice of Sergeant Rivera. Gyeo-ul responded to the communication.

“You did a great job. Under your judgment, determine the guard area for the rest of the platoon. And the first platoon is a reserve force. I’ll keep them. Call the engineers right after you’re done deploying your troops.”

[I see. Rivera Out.]

Being familiar with the operational procedures, Rivera did not hesitate to follow Gyeo-ul’s instructions. The support of augmented reality UI was not all that important.

Gyeo-ul had said he would use the first platoon as a reserve because of his unfinished conversation with Li Ai-ring. She had been pursing her lips while Gyeo-ul was communicating. She seemed to regret that she’d shown her feelings too easily. Of course, even he should be mindful of the possibility that she was acting. She was the daughter of a criminal, and Gyeo-ul was not willing to trust a woman who was in crime.

Ai-ring remained silent even after the communication was over. However, as long as it was clear that Gyeo-ul had been waiting for her words, it was difficult for Ai-ring to keep quiet. Eventually, she spoke.

“I’ll be honest with you. I’m afraid the Chinese will be the sacrifices.”

“Sacrifices?”

“Yes, isn’t it common to find a sacrifice on which to concentrate discontent when society becomes unstable? It has been said that the Morgellons may have been intentional.”

Not long ago, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had announced the Morgellons infection path and characteristics, which was all that had been revealed so far.

The fact that there was no air infection was already known, so it was not very useful information that infection was only caused by the bumps produced in the mouth of the infected mutant. However, the announcement was meaningful in that it gave people confidence.

Gyeo-ul was not without new information. It had been announced that Morgellons was not a single pathogen disease but was actually presumed to be complications of parasites, viruses, and other pathogens that formed symbiotic relationships.

A CDC spokesman had said the pandemic might have been artificially created. The disease was a multiform symbiotic relationship in which humans could only exist as hosts. This meant that it was unlikely to occur spontaneously.

Gyeo-ul said, “I know what you’re worried about, but I don’t think the United States is going that crazy. Did such a sense of solidarity work in the East in the first place?”

It was unlikely to happen in a multiracial country like the United States. However, Ai-ring was far different from Gyeo-ul.

“It’s a time when nothing can be the same as before. The same goes for Americans. So I thought, you have to prove the value.”

“To the zookeeper?”

Ai-ring paused. It was an expression that she had used in the past. She had warned that Gyeo-ul was only a good breed of livestock, and when a better breed appeared, he would be ruthlessly abandoned. It had been an actual threat. Ai-ring hesitated, removed her serious look as if she had lost, and then laughed awkwardly.

“It’s sometimes hard to tell whether Mr. Han has a good personality or a bad personality.”

“Everyone does. There’s a limit.”

“Limit?”

Gyeo-ul did not explain what he had just said. Ai-ring didn’t ask either, as she thought it wasn’t important. She just nodded and went back to their broken-off conversation.

“That’s right. If you don’t want to be slaughtered in anger, you have to prove that you’re useful livestock. Today, I was so disappointed in myself and my friends. It wasn’t enough for my resolution. So, I thought I’d find another way.”

“Another way? Is there such a thing?”

“I’m not confident right now, so I won’t tell you. I may not ever be able to tell you.”

There was a sudden surge of noise. Corps of engineers and refugees were collapsing unnecessary buildings and digging the ground with heavy equipment on the outskirts. It was not to make trenches but to lay the foundation of the barrier by inserting a steel frame and pouring concrete into it.

As the commotion came, the conversation naturally ceased.