Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Haewon bit hard on the inside of her cheek. To think the emergency exit’s location had also been exposed. Could it be a betrayal from their own side?

“Drop your weapons!”

A rough English accent, typical of Southeast Asians, reached her ears. She softly asked, speaking to Yeonwoo’s back as he had already stepped out of the bunker.

“Who are they?”

Yeonwoo looked around and then, incongruously, burst out laughing. Suddenly, he reached his hand back and handed something to Haewon. It was his cell phone.

“I’ll buy us some time. Call the direct line.”

Before Haewon could even ask what he was talking about, he threw the rifle he was holding to the ground and raised both hands in surrender. Then he walked closer to them and spoke in English.

“Friends, why this hostility? Does Wei Yan know about this?”

Haewon concealed her hands inside the bunker. With just her fingertips, she discreetly opened the phone. She fumbled with the keypad, pressing the familiar five-digit number. It was a direct line, connecting to the National Intelligence Service no matter where she was.

“Yes, this is Shinhwa Aronia Farm.”

The call connected, and Haewon immediately dropped down the ladder. She heard soldiers shouting something outside, but she gripped the phone and quickly relayed her message.

“This is Black 241. I’m with Echo One. Initiate immediate location tracking and request backup.”

“Understood, Senior Agent!”

Jung-in, pretending to be the farm operator, answered the call. It was incredibly fortunate that someone Haewon knew was on the line. Jung-in sounded like they had a lot to say, but they held back and gave the requested confirmation.

“Report confirmed. Please wait.”

After hanging up, she hid the cell phone in an inconspicuous corner. The door above her opened almost simultaneously.

“Hands up! Drop your weapons!”

Haewon swallowed dryly and threw her rifle to the ground. Just as she raised her hands in surrender, a massive explosion ripped from the bunker entrance. It was the blast Yeonwoo had forewarned. Simultaneously, the ground beneath her vibrated, and one side of the bunker wall instantly crumbled.

“…!”

Haewon pulled a pistol from her back pocket and successively shot two soldiers in the head who were disoriented and milling about from the explosion. Then she quickly snatched the rifle she had dropped, ascended the ladder, and fired rapid bursts at the soldiers standing outside.

Tat-tat-tat! Bang! Tat-tat-bang! Bang!

The soldiers, already startled by the sudden bomb blast, were further shocked by Haewon’s gunfire and frantically scanned their surroundings.

Haewon targeted the soldiers aiming at her and shot them one by one. She ducked back down the ladder, replacing her empty magazine. Click-clack. Thud. It was an action ingrained in her, as natural as breathing.

She couldn’t kill all twenty or so men immediately, but her goal was to inflict as much damage as possible on the enemy forces. The moment Haewon leaned out from the ladder again to fire, she saw the soldier who appeared to be their leader seize Kwon Yeonwoo as a hostage.

He pressed the muzzle of his gun against Kwon Yeonwoo’s temple and shouted loudly.

“Drop your gun and come out, you bitch!”

“…”

For a moment, her eyes met Kwon Yeonwoo’s. Held hostage, he remained utterly calm, showing no signs of agitation in this situation. Judging by his expression, it wasn’t a situation where a bullet might pierce his skull, but rather one where he was simply arm-in-arm with a friend.

To think he was the only one completely unfazed in this chaos. Did he have some hidden ace up his sleeve?

It was frustrating, but with Yeonwoo held hostage, further armed resistance was impossible. She finally tossed her rifle to the ground and emerged completely from the ladder.

The moment she stepped out, a soldier standing nearby struck Haewon on the head with the butt of his rifle.

Thwack. With that sound, Haewon’s body tumbled to the ground.

“You damn bitch. Do you know how many died because of you?!”

Her forehead felt torn by the blow, and a warm, wet liquid streamed down her cheek. Haewon spat the blood pooling in her mouth onto the ground, then braced herself and lifted her head.

The soldier who had hit her seethed with anger, and began arguing with the leader who was holding Kwon Yeonwoo hostage. Haewon couldn’t understand the Burmese, but she gathered he was asking if they could just shoot her dead right then.

Whether fortunate or not, the leader cut him off with an impassive face. Haewon narrowed her eyes. If they weren’t killing her immediately, did that mean she still had a use?

The leader, having stopped his subordinate, then delivered a powerful kick to Kwon Yeonwoo’s leg, making him collapse. As Kwon Yeonwoo stumbled and fell, the leader aimed his gun and forced him to his knees. The surrounding soldiers, as if on cue, bound Yeonwoo’s hands.

‘I’ll be in the same predicament soon enough.’

As expected, the soldiers who had bound Yeonwoo approached Haewon. They pressed their rifle muzzles into her back and roughly shoved her towards where Yeonwoo was.

Haewon walked slowly, as if frozen with fear, observing the men’s faces. They all appeared to be Southeast Asian. The insignia on their uniforms indicated they belonged to the Myanmar government army.

Last time, they were chased by rebels; this time, it was the government army.

What on earth had Kwon Yeonwoo been doing in this country to be pursued by both sides? A headache throbbed behind her temples.

The soldiers forced her to her knees beside Yeonwoo and began searching her body. The men’s hands patting her down made her feel disgusted. The most sickening moment, of course, was when their hands discovered the pistol she had tucked into her back pocket and the dagger hidden in her pant leg.

Once her hands were bound as well, she was left with no usable weapons.

What more could she possibly do in this state?

Haewon took a deep breath, her emotions complex. But enemies, having taken everything, often grew complacent. She didn’t let down her guard, scanning her surroundings and continuously searching for an opening.

Just then, Yeonwoo, who was beside her, asked quietly.

“Did you make the call?”

“Yes, I did.”

A considerable number of personnel would be stationed in Myanmar to locate the vanished VVIP, so it likely wouldn’t take long for them to reach this forest. The only problem was there was no guarantee they’d still be alive when backup arrived. If these men simply shot them now, it would all be over.

“Is there any way out?”

Haewon lowered her voice, asking barely above a whisper. Fortunately, the soldiers guarding their backs were deep in discussion, loudly chattering among themselves.

Yeonwoo replied, his gaze fixed straight ahead, not looking at Haewon.

“They’ll probably fake an accident. If government army bullets are found in our bodies, it could escalate into a diplomatic issue.”

Haewon laughed internally. An accident… so they’d take them to a cliff somewhere and push them off, she wondered?

“Don’t we have any other bargaining chips?”

Instead of answering, Yeonwoo’s mouth curved up on one side.

“There were some, but they seem to be useless now. Are we really going to die like this?”

His casual tone, as if speaking about someone else’s misfortune, was baffling. She had somehow thought he would have a secret move left, but it didn’t seem to be the case.

Just then, soldiers from behind forced Haewon and Yeonwoo to their feet.

“Follow us.”

Five armed soldiers led Yeonwoo and Haewon deeper into the forest. Haewon glanced back. The remaining soldiers, including their leader, stood there smoking. A leering smile on their faces.

Drip-drop. Plink.

From the rapidly darkening sky, a steady rain began to fall. The two were led deep into an isolated forest, where no clear path existed. The terrain was rough and steep; it was worrying whether the agents would even be able to find this place.

The only consolation was the small number of soldiers surrounding Kwon Yeonwoo and herself. Five men might be manageable.

As she held her breath, watching for an opportunity, the soldiers stopped. Haewon keenly scanned her surroundings. There was nothing special about the spot. Except for the pit visible ahead.

No way…

Just as Haewon tried to dismiss the thought that had flashed through her mind, two soldiers from behind walked towards the pit, shovels in hand. They jumped down into the pit and immediately began digging it deeper.

“Ha.”

A hollow laugh escaped her without her realizing it. They weren’t actually going to… bury them alive, were they?

The soldier beside her, hearing Haewon’s hollow laugh, grinned, revealing his yellowed teeth. He then gestured to a soldier behind them. A young, disciplined soldier immediately ran over.

In one of his hands was a heavy sack, which, to her unease, squirmed continuously. The young soldier occasionally swayed, barely able to manage its weight.

The yellow-toothed soldier stared at Haewon’s face and grinned menacingly.

“Present.”

His mocking tone made her blood boil. She didn’t even need to look to know what was inside. A hissing sound came from within the sack. It was unmistakably a snake.

Kwon Yeonwoo was right. Their plan was to throw them into the pit, release the snakes, and make it look like an accident.

Bastards.

Just then, a faint chuckle came from beside her.

She turned her head to see Kwon Yeonwoo with a chilling smirk, one corner of his mouth tilted upwards. He fixed his cold gaze on the sack, then spoke, spitting the words from his reddish lips.

“Fuck, you take it.”

In the blink of an eye, his long leg shot out and delivered a solid kick to the young soldier’s torso.

“…!”

The soldier, caught by surprise, stumbled backward and dropped the sack he was holding. What was inside was instantly revealed.