The Little Prince in the Ossuary
Chapter 80

00080 — #Hardened Earth — 17:40

#Hardened Earth, Fort Roberts (3)

A mixture of city police, drug control, gun control, SWAT teams, county sheriffs, and federal marshals, among others, made up the members of the State Park Patrol. The Department of Fish and Wildlife had also been included.

This strange composition made it difficult for them to act right away. Each team’s tactics were different, and their numbers were a weak point. Therefore, they had to clearly define their roles and movements in advance, which meant that a lot of time was wasted. The control of the situation at the command center was simply that important.

Before the dispatch, the police in charge of supply opened the warehouse and brought out the necessary equipment. Although they proceeded as quickly as possible, it still took about thirty minutes to distribute the equipment.

Gyeo-ul received a pump-action shotgun and ammunition belt loaded with non-lethal bullets in addition to his existing weapons. He also received tear gas grenades, trident rods, a reinforced plastic shield, and handcuffs.

The captain of the task force, who was accompanying Gyeo-ul, smiled at the young officer. “What a bad day. But it’s a good one for this operation. The commotion will blow away in the wind.”

It certainly would. The edge of the typhoon was full of rain, wind, and thunder. A distance of just four or five steps away would interfere with conversation. The police could communicate by radio, but the Chinese couldn’t. It was a positive factor in the search, given the size of the Chinese residential area.

The SWAT team played the role of reserves. They sat tight in the dark grey bulletproof vehicle (BearCat) and remained on standby.

Even though they were waiting to be dispatched, the task force was more interested in Gyeo-ul than in any imminent skirmish. A member spoke up.

“Lieutenant, in Korea, people get military education from an early age, is that true?”

‘I don’t understand…’ Gyeo-ul thought before responding, “It’s not true. Where did you hear such a story?”

“In newspapers and on the news. I heard they get ten years of military service and that it’s a dangerous country where women are conscripted and sometimes terrorize.”

“That’s a North Korean story. The other Koreans in the refugee zone and I are all from South Korea. Are you sure you can tell the difference between North and South Korea?

“Oh, the military service law differs from state to state? That’s possible. But who lives in the north?”

“…”

Gyeo-ul explained that South and North Korea were different countries, not different regions within a country, as believed by the members of the group who’d asked the question. It was a common American misunderstanding. The United States had several states with different laws, but the Korean situation was much more complex.

“It’s not like that. The two Koreas are different countries. The ideological war between communism and capitalism divided them. That was the Korean War. Have you heard about the Korean War?”

South and North Korea had already separated before the war, but it wasn’t necessary to explain in such detail. The crew member who’d asked the question answered with a little embarrassment.

“I must have said something stupid. I didn’t know and thought it was natural.”

“What?”

“You. You’ve done a great job. I thought you’d been training since you were young. But that’s not the case.”

The crew looked somewhat disappointed. The other members laughed out loud. Perhaps they were nervous. Had they thought they wouldn’t be on the move?

When Gyeo-ul heard the communication, the report was that most of the search and seizure missions seemed that have gone smoothly. As he listened to the radio, he could also hear the police’s embarrassment over the occasional drugs that were being found.

[Wow, this would poison the whole of LA.]

One kilogram of heroin was enough for 30,000 people. That much was found lying in a bag. It seemed that these were the items that the Chinese drug dealers had left behind when they ran for their lives.

However, it wasn’t quiet until the end. There was an urgent communication on the radio.

[Command Post, George 14188, Code Ten, 73rd Street. One officer injured! A large number of men armed with deadly weapons! We’re surrounded! I need your support. Over!]

[Check, Code Ten. David, go to 20th and 73rd.]

[David 20, copy.]

David was the call sign for the SWAT team. The engine noise increased rapidly. Gyeo-ul could feel the spinning wheels while sitting in the car. The car accelerated steadily.

The squad members looked outside through the bulletproof glass. However, it was raining so hard that they couldn’t see anything because of the flowing water. There wasn’t even a wiper on the vehicle’s windows. Eventually, the crew used the gun holes instead of windows. These had circular covers that allowed them to open and close at any time.

“Wow. That’s a real arrow! I’ve been in a lot of gunfights, but I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

Kang, Kang! The sound of rocks and arrows hitting the car rang throughout. Perhaps they were targeting the gun holes, but that in itself was useless. First, their skills were terrible, and second, the wind was too strong. Arrows were, after all, strongly affected by the wind.

Everyone put on gas masks just before they reached their destination. Even if the rain and wind were severe, they could use tear gas inside the tents.

After arriving at the scene, Gyeo-ul was the first to get out.

Tung!

As soon as he did, a stone flew in, and Gyeo-ul deftly blocked it. Stones poured intensively toward the departing troops. Gyeo-ul blocked all of them in a row and then made way for the following crew.

One of the riot police warned him, “Arrows can pierce the plastic shields. Be careful.”

“Yes, I know.”

Gyeo-ul took a few steps further, wary of the surroundings. His shield was transparent, so it didn’t block his view. Its strength was a little lower, though, so a shot from a strong bow could have penetrated it.

The quality of the bows or crossbows that the Chinese had would be bad, but this did not mean that their power would be low.

The Aiming Line had been drawn.

Snap!

Taking a step back and avoiding it, Gyeo-ul saw an arrow under his feet. Arrows covered half the ground. That was where the shots had been fired. The Chinese, who protected themselves, would never show up in that direction again.

[Injury secured; life is not affected]

The injured man was carried on a stretcher to a vehicle.

After that, the task force responded systematically. When a person with a shield moved forward, the following two people divided up and stood guard. This was the way to get rid of any blind zone.

The shields they carried were far different from Gyeo-ul’s. Except for a small transparent plastic rectangle to see through, the rest was all black, bulletproof material.

Kaang! The man holding the shield stumbled for a moment. There seemed to be an arrow in the corner of it. The shield crew spouted low curses; the muddy, slippery floor was only going to make their endeavor harder.

Gyeo-ul calculated how often powerful arrows were flying.

‘There are only one or two threatening shooters.’

The rest were not special. However, it was still a problem because they were many in numbers.

“Drop your weapons and surrender! If you surrender, you won’t get killed!”

The warning was accompanied by shooting. However, the hit rate was not as high as expected because of the fog caused by the rain. In addition, the gangsters were also taking advantage of the terrain and cover, walking in and out of rows of tents or lying on the ground at the construction site.

The police pushed in with shields, vehicles, and overwhelming firepower.

Gyeo-ul also held a rifle. He tilted his shield at an angle and stuck it into the ground, supported it with his body, and then aimed sideways. Next, he tilted his head and saw something strange.

The Chinese people were behaving oddly. They were pulling out a wooden shield. It was of a difficult size and weight for them to carry, but they had solved the problem by attaching a wheel to it. It was almost like looking at an old siege weapon.

‘They are crazy.’

Gyeo-ul knelt down and sought a small gap underneath. Bam! The sound was loud because of the wet air. A scream pierced through the sound of heavy rain. Gyeo-ul aimed at the Chinese members. Bam, bam, bam! The big shield came to a quick stop.

Another shield from another direction was smashed by the police, who’d hit it with an armored vehicle. They’d slowed down just before the crash, but for the Chinese gang, it was a tremendous move.

Gyeo-ul turned his attention to keeping the threatening snipers in check. At times, he broke only their bows, and at others, he punctured their shoulders.

It was an easy fight from the start. The difference between the two sides’ basic firepower and defenses was great, and the armored vehicles were crucial to the fight. However, it was important to suppress without causing additional damage.

Gyeo-ul placed the rifle on his back and pulled the shield out of the ground. The ground, which the rain had softened, was covered with shields. Gyeo-ul did not shake off the soil. He jumped, carrying his shield, in the direction of the most dangerous arrows. Stones flew at him from all sides.

Gyeo-ul shielded one person who was in the way, alternately preventing and avoiding hits.

“Akkk!”

He felt the vibration of a break in his fingertips. Mud continued to drip down as he calculated that he’d broken as many as four of his ribs. It might hurt a lot, but he wouldn’t die.

Gyeo-ul took aim once more. This time, his shot was off, and Gyeo-ul speculated that this might be due to an accidental boost in power.

The Chinese gang members who had seen the boy officer eventually came out from cover. Perhaps they assumed that, with Gyeo-ul there, the police wouldn’t dare shoot them recklessly. Their faces were distorted with confidence and a sense of hopeless resistance. Some sped up the slings they were spinning, and the rest picked up clubs or branches.

They were coming at once. Because of the gas masks, they hadn’t recognized Gyeo-ul as he’d thought.

Gyeo-ul held the shotgun he’d hung around his waist in one hand. When he pulled the shield toward his body, he could put a gun on it and shoot—with the bottom of the shield in the ground, he would have a stable shooting position.

He turned the gun halfway around, and the Chinese who were gathering became frightened and scattered. They didn’t know there were non-lethal bullets loaded in there. And, regardless, at so close a distance, non-lethal bullets could kill.

Two stones shot with slings hit Gyeo-ul’s bulletproof clothing. He targeted the closest threat. Bam! There was a loud report from his shotgun. A Chinese man who’d been approaching from a distance of five meters fell with a groan and gripped his shoulder.

An arrow found its way through a gap and shot towards Gyeo-ul. He blocked it with his shield before approaching the shooter and swinging the shotgun like a club. The weight of the loaded shotgun, diagonally raised, broke his jaw. The Chinese were floundering. Gyeo-ul kicked over the shooter, stepped on him, spun around, and shot him in the shin.

Kuuuk!

The gang member grabbed his shin and yelled in pain. He was now foaming at the mouth.

Another gang member approached immediately, and Gyeo-ul lowered his shield and smashed it into his body, shaking even his stomach. The man fell backward, and Gyeo-ul hung his shotgun on the corner of the shield, pushing his weight onto it to reload. Clip. The man, who was only a meter away, turned pale.

Instead of shooting immediately, Gyeo-ul shifted his position to the man. This was because the two Aiming lines were fluctuating. He couldn’t shoot for fear of hitting a colleague. Finally, he took the shot, aiming below the knee and twisting his target’s leg in the wrong direction.

There came a terrible scream, and then two arrows flew immediately. One missed; the other flew toward the wrong target. Gyeo-ul took one step to block the arrow’s trajectory, swaying his shield like a fist. The sound of the arrowhead cutting through plastic was sharp, but then the projectile bounced off into the distance.

Thanks to him, the gang, who had saved his life, looked puzzled. Gyeo-ul felt embarrassed when he faced him and kicked him in the groin.

He fell over and twitched, so Gyeo-ul kicked him one more time.

All the Chinese who had been approaching found that they could not move. They either fainted or had broken a bone.

Gyeo-ul looked up at the construction site, and the sniper, who had been shooting arrows, felt embarrassed. Police with shields and riot batons were fast approaching from behind. Without knowing what to do, the gang sniper jumped out of there. He fell from the third floor, from which he wouldn’t escape uninjured. After he landed, he rolled around, gripping his ankle.

The suppression was almost over. An armored vehicle rushed toward the tent where the gang had hidden. It was pretty easy to suppress the gang members who floundered out of the collapsing tent.

The captain of the task force then contacted Gyeo-ul.

[Lieutenant, I think you’re needed here. We are at tent number one on 74th Street.]