A subtle undercurrent flowed among the trainees from the start of lunch. They were scheduled to depart for an uninhabited island in the afternoon for tactical and survival training, which made the atmosphere restless.
The training involved entering the island and rescuing hostages, but it was said that there were traps everywhere, and the content and process of the training changed every year, making it impossible to predict what would happen. They had to move in teams of five, divided into eight groups, and Ire became the leader of Group 3.
The group leaders were selected based on high scores, but the members could not be freely chosen. Fortunately, Seo Young-jun was in the same group, and the other members were not on bad terms with each other.
After a hearty meal, they packed their gear, which weighed nearly 30kg. Then, Ire put on the necklace with the cross that Matteo had given him when he was young, which he had to take off during training due to regulations.
Ire tucked the necklace inside his combat uniform and came outside, where everyone looked tense. Rifles were distributed in preparation for any possible situation, but they were loaded with paint instead of bullets, which trainees complained was useless.
When they gathered on the training field, military trucks arrived, and they boarded one by one. The truck started moving, and the interior was completely sealed, making it impossible to see outside.
“Now it feels like I’m really in the military.”
It hadn’t really hit him before, but now that he was leaving District A, it felt different. As time passed, the road conditions worsened, and the truck rattled more frequently, causing groans to erupt from various places.
“Damn it. I’m going to die of motion sickness before the training even starts?”
“Don’t be so weak. If you throw up, we’ll leave you behind.”
“I’ll spit it on your face. Come here.”
“That would be a sight to see?”
They exchanged silly jokes, but gradually spoke less and less. When they arrived and got off, tense expressions were evident on their faces.
“Okay, from here, only the trainees move. Everyone, board the boats.”
Following the Instructor’s instructions, they boarded the boats, two groups per boat, which were docked at the water’s edge. A cold wind blew as they cut through the water, and everyone covered their faces up to their noses with face masks. When they reached the middle of the river, Ire stared at the dark water. He couldn’t see anything. The trainees looked visibly flustered because it was darker than expected.
“Shit… It’s too dark.”
Ire patted Seo Young-jun on the shoulder in response to his worry. He reassured him that they had night vision goggles, but he was worried too. He was used to this kind of darkness, but his comrades were not. For the well-bred Young Masters, the darkness itself could be a source of fear.
As the boats docked one by one, the trainees began to disembark in order. The boats that had carried the trainees turned back towards where they had come from, cutting through the water. There were two locations where the hostages were presumed to be held. They gathered their group members, checked the GPS on their wrists, and planned which route to take.
At that moment, one of the trainees shouted.
“It’s not as bad as I thought. I was scared for nothing.”
In the midst of the agitated atmosphere, a green laser shot out from the forest. At first, they thought a trainee was playing around with a paint gun, but with a pshew sound, the guy who had been shouting loudly trembled and fell backward.
The trainees’ faces instantly froze. Soon after, dozens of lasers appeared simultaneously. An ambush! Run! At someone’s cry, the trainees scattered in all directions. Trainees fell one after another, and Ire took his group members and jumped into the water.
Submerged in the water, Ire waited for things to quiet down, holding onto each other to avoid being swept away. The Instructor always threw them into the water; maybe it was in preparation for a situation like this. How long did they hold out? Ire cautiously peeked out, seeing only the guys who had fallen on the sand.
He signaled, and his group members walked out of the water in unison.
“Wow, what was that just now? Is this training?”
“I almost pissed myself earlier.”
They examined the fallen guys and found small chips attached to their legs and arms. They were adhesive stun guns, and getting hit by one caused them to lose consciousness for about 20 minutes.
“No way. I never thought they’d shoot these at us.”
“What about them?”
“Leave them. They can’t get up right now.”
“Let’s go.” Following Ire’s command, the group members slowly entered the forest. As they followed the path, they saw dozens of footprints already imprinted. While walking, they unfolded the map and reconfirmed the location of the hostages. One was in the middle of the island, and the other was at the end of the island, a distance that would take at least three to four hours to cover even at a fast pace.
“Do we just keep following this path?”
“There might be an ambush, so let’s go around the back.”
“That’ll take too long.”
“Rescuing them quickly is important, but our safety is also important. I don’t want to lose anyone.”
Seo Young-jun spread his arms with an impressed expression, but Ire brushed him off. They set the GPS and moved forward, when they heard a rustling sound from the opposite side. Everyone simultaneously pointed their guns in that direction. After a moment, someone walked out of the bushes.
“Wow! Who is this? I’m so glad to see you. I’m finally alive!”
The person who came out of the forest was one of Park Mu-jin’s cronies, named Lee Ga-ram. He approached, gasping for breath.
“Sorry, but can you let me join you? I got left behind.”
The group members looked at Ire at the sudden appearance. Most of them were unhappy because they didn’t have good feelings towards Park Mu-jin.
“I don’t know. It doesn’t seem like anyone welcomes you.”
Lee Ga-ram pleaded with a pitiful expression.
“Don’t do that, let me come with you. It’s too scary to be here alone.”
They ignored him and tried to pass by, but Lee Ga-ram shouted.
“I know where the hostages are being held!”
“What?”
“I overheard Park Mu-jin talking to another guy. I don’t know where he got the information, but he knows everything…”
The group members’ opinions were divided after hearing the story.
“Do you believe him? What if it’s a trick?”
“Yeah. The enemy within is always the scariest. How much resentment does that Park Mu-jin hold against you?”
“He doesn’t seem to be lying from his expression?”
“Oh, you can tell everything from his expression? Then what does my expression look like?”
“Get your fucked up face out of here.”
After calming down the group members, Ire approached the guy.
“Where is it?”
Lee Ga-ram asked for the map and pointed to location A. It was the closest place from here, their destination. Since they were going there anyway, it was a win-win situation. Ire stared down at his fingertip with his lips tightly shut.
“It’s true… I’m not lying… I can’t be here alone, even if I die. So please, can you take me with you?”
Lee Ga-ram lowered his head with a tearful expression, and Ire left him standing there and took the group members to a slightly distant place. He asked for their opinions there, which were divided exactly in half. In the end, Ire was given the choice. After hesitating, Ire pulled out the knife he was wearing on his waist and walked towards Lee Ga-ram.
The guns were fake, but the knife wasn’t.
Lee Ga-ram’s face contorted as the knife was pointed under his chin.
“When we get close, Young-jun will check on the hostages first. If it’s a lie, I’ll slit this bastard’s throat.”
Lee Ga-ram’s lips trembled.
“Hey, are you kidding…?”
“Does it seem like I’m kidding?”
“……”
“In District B, slitting someone’s throat is nothing. You guys said it yourselves. Those bastards eat people like pigs.”
“……”
“You can kill someone and disguise it as an accident, so think carefully.”
Lee Ga-ram swallowed hard and looked at the other group members behind him. They were silent, either agreeing with Ire’s intentions or at a loss for words, and Ire touched the guy’s Adam’s apple with the tip of his knife.
“Last chance. Is what you said just now true?”
Lee Ga-ram bit his lip tightly and slowly nodded. His eyes were filled with fear, but he didn’t seem to be lying. Ire stared at him intently for a long time before getting up. He reorganized the formation with Lee Ga-ram in the middle and moved forward, with Seo Young-jun coming to his side and lowering his voice.
“Are you really going to slit his throat?”
Ire frowned.
“Are you crazy? What do you think of me?”
Seo Young-jun smiled awkwardly. But at that moment, it felt real. It was the same as before he threw a punch at Park Mu-jin in the cafeteria. A deadly look in his eyes. Another side hidden behind his calm face sometimes made Seo Young-jun’s heart race.
He wouldn’t like him as an enemy, but as a comrade, Ire was the most reliable type. That’s why he was already looking forward to how much fun they would have together in real combat after completing the training.