Chapter 355: What’s Happening?

The car slowly began to move towards the capital.

To get from Kabul Airport to downtown Kabul, we had to pass through the desert for about twenty minutes.

“Igor, have you met Ahmad?”,

Igor, who had been surveying the surroundings through the window, responded.

“Yes. I met him as soon as I arrived.”

“How was he?”

“Well… he’s a bit of an enigma.”

“Were you able to communicate? I heard he doesn’t speak English at all; how’s his Russian?”

“It’s hard to say he’s good at Russian, but he can hold a conversation. We managed to talk without any hiccups.”

Good to hear. I was worried we might need an interpreter.

I looked out at the desertified land beyond the window.

“It’s a wasteland even close to the capital.”

“It’s not just here; downtown Kabul is pretty rough too.”

The imposing Hindu Kush mountains loomed in the distance.

Kabul, the capital and largest city of Afghanistan, located in the plateau of the Hindu Kush mountains.

Kabul was a crucial city, connecting Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

However, with the successive invasions by the UK, the Soviet Union, and the U.S., its former glory had faded, leaving the country devastated.

A bitter smile spread across my face as I asked,

“Do you have any idea why he wanted to meet with me?”

“It seems nobody knows but Ahmad. He hasn’t mentioned anything to us either.”

“Not even to the bodyguards? What could possibly be the reason for this meeting?”

The conversation continued as we discussed the current situation in Kabul and Ahmad’s movements.

Suddenly, an explosion reverberated in the air.

KABOOM!

The sudden loud sound made the driver slam on the brakes.

As a result, our bodies lurched forward in the backseat.

“What’s going on? What’s happening?”

I shouted, struggling to regain my balance. Igor quickly scanned the area and reported.

“Boss, it seems we’re under attack.”

Only then did I see the armored vehicle that had been in front of us flip over, spewing black smoke.

“The lead vehicle was hit by explosives. Keep your heads down. Do not come out under any circumstances.”

Igor said firmly, then began issuing orders over the radio.

“What is going on? Who could be behind this? Is this meeting a trap? No, Ahmad has no reason to kill me.”

Thoughts whirled in my mind, but they vanished in an instant as I heard the series of deafening blasts.

Igor, looking out the window, drew his weapon and said,

“They’re using RPGs… they’re really after us, Boss. We have to…”

Igor couldn’t finish his sentence.

Out of nowhere, I felt a massive jolt, and the SUV began to rock violently.

Gunfire and explosions echoed all around us, making my ears ring.

I felt disoriented with a sense of chaos enveloping me.

My heart raced uncontrollably, making it hard to breathe.

However, Manager Ma and Igor seemed unnervingly calm.

Igor turned to the trunk in the back and began retrieving weapons.

He pulled out an assault rifle and handed another weapon to Manager Ma.

“Boss, it seems we have to get out. If we take another RPG hit, we might not survive.”

Getting out? To be honest, I was terrified.

Outside, the ground shook violently, and horrendous screams filled the air.

But there was no time to hesitate. I reached out to Igor.

“Give me a weapon too.”

“Boss…”

“Just give it to me; I know how to use it.”

Another explosion sounded, followed by the crash of another security vehicle.

Several mercenaries getting out of the destroyed vehicle were engulfed in flames.

A chilling tension sent sweat trickling down my palms.

Tightly gripping the assault rifle that Igor handed to me, I said,

“We have to get out. We can’t just sit here and die.”

Manager Ma opened the car door. He looked around and nodded.

I followed his lead, and Igor got out last.

Once outside, the situation looked even worse. I never imagined I’d see the battlefield I’d only seen on screen before me.

Igor, spotting a fallen enemy, quickly said,

“Looks like Taliban or Al-Qaeda forces.”

Hearing Igor’s words, I let out a small sigh.

Facing my concerns, I actually felt calmer.

I began to assess every situation around me as quickly as possible.

Fortunately, the armored vehicle remained intact.

Igor suggested we move toward the armored vehicle, surrounding me with Manager Ma as they began to move cautiously.

Though it was a short distance, it felt like an eternity.

Suddenly, bullets ricocheted off the ground, and it seemed like indiscriminate firing had begun.

“Run!”

Igor shouted urgently, pushing me toward the armored car. Even while firing back, he yelled for us to run.

Manager Ma grabbed me as I stumbled, pulling me toward the armored vehicle.

“Ha…”

I could finally breathe a sigh of relief when we reached the armored vehicle.

Igor followed closely behind.

“I’m sorry, Boss. It was a frantic situation.”

“It’s fine. Focus on the fight for now.”

Igor reassured me that even an RPG-7 wouldn’t penetrate the latest American armored vehicles, but my racing heart wouldn’t settle.

Igor asked the mercenary next to him,

“What’s the enemy’s location?”

“About 70 meters ahead, on a hill at a 45-degree angle. We’ve identified around 50 of them.”

Igor contacted the U.S. military outpost via radio.

Hearing that support was on its way, I finally felt a bit relieved.

“The reinforcements will arrive soon.”

Igor needed to direct operations, but he couldn’t leave my side for my safety.

Noticing this, Manager Ma spoke in a lower voice than usual.

“Igor, I’ll protect the Boss. You handle the mercenaries and lead the defense.”

Igor nodded to Manager Ma’s words and moved to a different position.

Manager Ma also peeked slightly out from the left side of the armored vehicle and began firing back.

I tried to maintain an overview of the situation while watching Manager Ma’s back.

Despite the sudden attack, Igor’s mercenaries were maintaining a steady fight.

With Igor joining us, it seemed we were ready for a counterattack.

Four mercenaries followed behind as one armored vehicle slowly moved forward.

Surprisingly, the enemy’s shooting accuracy was low.

They seemed untrained, firing aimlessly.

Maybe it was because they were guerrillas and not regular troops? I wasn’t sure, but it felt like the tide was slowly turning in our favor.

As the machine gun mounted on the armored vehicle began to fire, the bullets coming our way began to decrease.

At that moment, Manager Ma turned his head toward the armored vehicle in a hurry.

“Are you okay?”

Blood was trickling down Manager Ma’s ear.

“I’m fine. Just a graze.”

His reply seemed to radiate a strange vitality.

It almost felt like Manager Ma was smiling, which was absurd considering the seriousness of the situation.

“You fit right in here, Manager. Don’t worry about me; just unleash your fury.”

However, Manager Ma shook his head at my words.

“No. Your safety comes first, Boss.”

“It seems relatively safe here…”

“No way.”

Seeing the firmness on Manager Ma’s face, I decided not to press further and nodded obediently.

“Alright. Then move once the reinforcements arrive.”

The armored vehicle halted midway between where we gathered and the enemy’s hill.

Mercenaries began to move toward that direction slowly.

Igor shouted orders, and the gunfire from the hill began to diminish.

At the same time, I spotted soldiers from the U.S. approaching from a distance.

“Ha… they made it.”

I looked at the U.S. soldiers and laughed, leaning against the armored vehicle in relief.

Manager Ma’s eyes reflected a sense of relief. While it worried me in Pyongyang, this must have been a huge concern in Afghanistan as well.

“The enemies on the hill are starting to flee.”

Manager Ma remarked as he saw the enemies fleeing, getting into their vehicles.

Igor and the mercenaries prioritized my safety, so they didn’t pursue the enemies, but the U.S. soldiers coming toward us began their chase.

About half of them pursued while the other half headed toward us.

Soldiers dismounted from the halted U.S. vehicles, approaching us while maintaining their tactical awareness.

“Who is the commander here?”

When a middle-aged man inquired, Igor stepped forward.

“That would be me.”

“What exactly happened here?”

“We were escorting a VIP when we came under sudden attack. I’m a guest of Ahmad Shah Masoud.”

“Hmm. I’ve not received any report regarding that…”

The commander eyed us suspiciously as Igor spoke.

“Please verify. We’re Black Bear Mercenaries.”

“We can tell by the uniforms. But who is this VIP? Coming to a warzone takes real guts.”

I approached Igor.

“That’s me. Charlie.”

I extended my hand, but the commander did not take it.

“Michael Bradley.”

Introducing himself, Michael continued looking at me, scanning me from head to toe in a way that felt unsettling.

“You look like you’re from the East… where are you from?”

“I’ve come from Korea.”

“Korea? What brings you all the way here?”

Just then, Michael’s radio crackled to life. He picked it up and responded.

“This is Lieutenant Michael.”

― This is Headquarters. Situation report, please.

“Engagement is over. We’re in pursuit of the fleeing enemies.”

― Ah, Lieutenant Michael. This is Colonel Seth.

“Loyalty!”

― Loyalty. Now, is Charlie safe over there?

After glancing at me, Michael replied.

“Yes, he is safe.”

― Thank goodness. Have him move to the outpost along with you. His safety is top priority now.

“Excuse me?”

― Did you not hear me?

“Oh, no, I didn’t.”

Michael stumbled over his words, looking flustered.

― I’ll say it again. Kindly escort Charlie to the outpost respectfully. Got it?

“Understood!”

As the radio communication ended, Michael looked at us and said,

“Did you hear that?”

I nodded. His tone remained stiff, but his demeanor had softened compared to before.

“Then let’s move together.”

The SUV I had been in was practically a wreck, riddled with bullets.

Even though it was a bulletproof vehicle, it was now barely holding together after so many attacks.

It made me wonder what would have happened if I had stayed in that vehicle.

The battered car displayed the chaos of this ambush.

Riding in the wrecked vehicle, Michael and I headed toward the U.S. military outpost, about ten minutes away.

They had made themselves a kingdom in a location with a clear view of Kabul.

The barracks I entered seemed like a different world from the outside.

The tent had air conditioning that made it feel cool, with a refrigerator and various electrical appliances that made me question whether I was in the U.S. or in the midst of a war in Afghanistan.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Colonel Seth Moses.”

The man who introduced himself as Seth extended his hand to me.

“Charlie Kim. Nice to meet you.”

I shook his hand and said.

“I’m glad to see you’re safe.”

After shaking hands, we took our seats.

Seth’s aide walked in and set down two glasses of iced coffee.

It was a war zone, yet here I was enjoying such luxury. It showcased how much the U.S. was investing in this war.

“You must be surprised. Please drink a cup of coffee and calm your nerves.”

“Thank you.”

As I sipped the chilled coffee, I tried to relax.

After waiting a while, Colonel Seth emptied his glass and began to speak.

“The attackers have been identified as Taliban remnants.”

“Is that so?”

The Taliban. Just as Igor said.

But how did they know I would pass through here at this hour?

The only ones who knew were the Afghan government, the U.S. military, and Russia.

Russia was definitely my ally, so let’s set that aside; the U.S. had no reason to ambush me.

If they were aiming to kill me, Afghanistan was the perfect place to stage it as an accident.

That meant the Afghan government must have leaked the information, likely from factions opposed to Ahmad.

“It’s likely that the faction within Afghanistan opposed to Ahmad passed the information to the Taliban.”

“…”

Seth revealed the same thoughts I had.

I set my coffee cup down and asked,

“What’s your reason for telling me all of this?”

Seth smiled at my question.