Zamboanga Beach.
Sin Jung-gi was running through the rain.
Smiling brightly.
He wore the expression of a man who had everything in the world.
Sin Jung-gi had never thought a day like this would come in his lifetime.
For Sin Jung-gi, today was his birthday, a picnic, Children’s Day, and payday all rolled into one.
Not long ago, Dennis and Simon had come to see him.
And they had said one thing.
“They’re going to invade. You can stop them, right?”
“Of course.”
Sin Jung-gi brought out the weapons he had made over time.
The thought of using those weapons in actual combat made his heart pound as if it would burst.
Despite the sheer number of weapons produced, there were not many opportunities to use them.
In particular, it was extremely rare for the person who made a weapon not merely to test it, but to use it in actual combat.
Researchers did not go to war.
And yet, such an incredible opportunity had come to Sin Jung-gi.
He could never let it slip away.
He came up with a plan.
As befitted a brilliant psychopath, he made a Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, Plan D, and even Plan E.
Following variations on past exam questions, he even created Plan A-1, Plan A-2, Plan B-1, and Plan B-2.
He had made so many plans, but the more he thought about it, the simpler this operation seemed.
There were only two ways for the Philippine military to enter Mindanao.
By plane or by ship.
If they needed to carry out a special operation with a small number of personnel, they would use planes, but this was something that required a large-scale force.
They would come by ship. One hundred percent.
They needed a weapon that could attack ships.
Unfortunately, they had nothing like that.
It would have been nice to have a weapon such as a torpedo, but for the rebels, a torpedo was something they could hardly even dream of possessing.
So he made one.
It was not some amazing weapon.
He had merely modified an old mortar a little.
The greatest problem with mortars was their accuracy.
It was difficult to predict where a mortar shell would land.
You had to keep firing and make adjustments.
On top of that, it was a weapon that fired shells in a curved trajectory, causing them to fall from above.
Hitting a target was difficult.
It was also greatly affected by temperature, humidity, and wind.
That was why operators often had to rely on their instincts.
Naturally, that meant poor accuracy.
But the world had changed.
Many things had emerged that could compensate for a mortar’s inaccuracy.
First, drones were used to determine the enemy’s position precisely in real time, while weather sensors provided the current weather data.
The drone sent back the target’s location.
The weather sensor supplied the wind speed, temperature, and humidity.
Using those values, a ballistic calculator performed the calculations.
They had created a ballistic calculator app.
Chen Zihao had made the app for them.
Once the readings from the drone and weather sensors were entered, it calculated everything automatically.
Then it produced the precise angle.
After that, it was easy.
All they had to do was tell the men operating the mortars the angle.
They just had to fire as instructed by the app.
Everything was linked together.
Check, then fire.
If they missed, they could make adjustments and fire again.
They did not need a direct hit.
Making the enemy stagger would be enough.
If they destroyed even one antenna or broke even one window, they would still come out ahead.
One advantage of mortars was that the shells were cheap.
They could simply rain down shells that cost around two hundred thousand won apiece.
In the world of weapons, a shell costing two hundred thousand won was not even pocket change.
Then there were the suicide boats they had prepared.
They installed explosives in the bows of small speedboats and modified them to be controlled by remote.
Trained rebels piloted the speedboats as though they were operating RC cars.
Several were shot and exploded along the way, while others had their engines stop.
It did not matter.
Even if only one made it through and rammed the enemy, that would be enough.
The frigate standing over there cost around two hundred billion won.
If it could be taken down with a speedboat costing less than five million won, they could send as many as they liked.
And it was not just speedboats.
They also had smaller, faster jet skis.
Because they were small, they were difficult for radar to detect.
The enemy would not notice them until they confirmed them with the naked eye.
On a rainy day like today, they were the perfect weapons.
Every time a mortar exploded, every time a suicide boat blew up, Sin Jung-gi could not contain the dopamine surging through him.
It was so thrilling.
Sin Jung-gi himself had not known.
He had never known he could enjoy something this much.
He had wanted to make weapons that truly acted like weapons, and now that he had made them, he wanted to use them.
That was all.
But he had never imagined it would be this much fun.
It felt as though the weapons were fulfilling their true purpose.
Seeing the weapons he had made being used on an actual battlefield made him feel like he was going insane with joy.
He wanted to hide it, but he could not conceal the smile at the corners of his mouth.
Even amid all that, he could see the parts that needed fixing.
He could see where a little improvement would produce an even greater effect.
As expected, you had to deploy something in actual combat to discover its true value.
Sin Jung-gi was recording the entire scene on video.
For the purpose of collecting data.
That way, he could make precise modifications.
Though it was a gloomy, rainy day, inside Sin Jung-gi’s head it was springtime, a field of flowers.
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.
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Lakambini was in despair.
Mortar shells rained down from the sky, while suicide boats swarmed in from the water.
There was no way to respond.
He had never imagined they would be helplessly beaten like this.
He had come thinking they would be able to enter without shedding a drop of blood.
He had not expected them to possess an anti-ship weapon.
But mortars?
No—how could those mortars hit with such accuracy?
It was impossible to hit a target accurately with a mortar, yet these were astonishingly precise.
It was frightening.
They could not evade them.
The frigate and the transport ship had already been rammed by suicide boats and punched full of holes.
They were barely holding out by sealing off the bulkheads.
It was a predicament.
They could not even run.
The suicide boats had torn holes in the ships, while the mortars had damaged the external facilities.
The antennas had already been broken, cutting off communication with the outside.
Without repairs, normal navigation was impossible.
If they tried to flee recklessly from here, they were highly likely to sink in the middle of the Pacific.
If they sank while trying to escape, rescue would also be difficult.
After pondering for a long while, Lakambini finally issued an evacuation order.
“All personnel, prepare to evacuate. I repeat. All personnel, prepare to evacuate.”
If it became known that he had issued an evacuation order, he would be held accountable.
People would curse Lakambini for ordering them to abandon the frigate and escape without even engaging in a proper battle.
But he could not lead all his men to their deaths like this.
He could not have them buried at sea along with the ships.
When the evacuation order was given, the soldiers put on life jackets and jumped into the water from the rear ramps.
There were also lifeboats, but at the moment, wearing life jackets seemed like a better option than using the boats.
If they remained afloat, being rescued would not be difficult.
Most of the people here would be rescued.
Of course, their fates would differ greatly depending on whose hands rescued them.
They fervently hoped it would not be the rebels.
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.
.
The Philippine soldiers were jumping from the ships.
Watching them, Sin Jung-gi squeezed his eyes shut in disappointment.
He did not want to see this.
Escaping from the ships meant that the enemy had given up on the battle.
It was a signal that they had surrendered.
He wished this moment could last longer, but it was ending far too soon.
The enemy should have returned fire.
They should have fired their naval guns. It was such a shame he did not get to see that.
He could not help feeling disappointed that the Philippine military had surrendered too quickly.
They should have fought to the very end.
But once the enemy surrendered like that, they could not continue attacking.
He wanted to fire a few mortar shells into the people floating in the water.
He was so curious what would happen.
Even so, he could not do it.
Before the operation, Alex had said:
“We don’t kill people who have surrendered. That is absolutely forbidden.”
“They came here to die anyway, didn’t they? What’s the problem with killing people who came here to die?”
“They didn’t come here to die. They’re following orders, prepared to face death. They’re brave soldiers. So we can’t treat them carelessly.”
“Even so…”
“The same goes for you. You’re one of our brave soldiers. You’re doing your best to protect us. And we’ll do our best to protect you. So just fight. No killing or massacres.”
Sin Jung-gi was secretly surprised.
He had always thought Alex was just a psychopath and a hopeless case because he was constantly called a psycho, but he was still grateful that Alex had said they were all under the same fence.
With that gratitude in his heart, Sin Jung-gi looked at Alex.
“What? Why are you glaring at me? What? You don’t like it? It can’t be helped. If something’s forbidden, it’s forbidden.”
He had not been glaring.
Remembering his conversation with Alex, Sin Jung-gi suppressed the laughter threatening to escape and spoke into the radio.
“Begin collection.”
“The collection operation is beginning.”
A voice announcing the start of the operation came through the radio, and the ships moored at Zamboanga Harbor all departed at once.
The ships approached the people floating in the sea and began broadcasting.
“From this moment on, remove your uniforms and come aboard.”
“Take off everything except your underwear.”
“I repeat. Remove all clothing. Take off your shoes as well.”
The Philippine soldiers, floating around in their life jackets, began to undress.
They removed their life jackets, leaned against them, and took off their clothes.
The soldiers who had undressed were allowed to board the ships.
The reason they had been made to strip was simple.
They might have been armed.
They might have had guns or grenades hidden beneath their clothes, so they were made to take everything off.
The Philippine soldiers stripped and climbed aboard.
It was humiliating, but there was nothing they could do.
It was the only way to survive.
The Philippine soldiers who boarded the ships were taken to a warehouse somewhere in Zamboanga.
When they arrived at the warehouse, they were handed towels, with people telling them they would catch cold.
They were given slippers and clothes.
Without knowing what was going on, the Philippine soldiers removed their wet underwear and changed into clean ones.
They sat in the warehouse wearing tracksuits.
The enormous warehouse was soon filled with Philippine soldiers.
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.
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“The collection operation is complete.”
Looking out at the sea, not a single one of the countless people who had been floating there could be seen.
The place where they had been was covered with the military uniforms they had taken off.
The other ships were gathering up all those clothes.
“Just in case, take the ships out to the open sea once more. There could be people who were swept away by the current.”
“Understood.”
“And move the floating warships into the inner harbor.”
“Understood.”
I turned my gaze toward the inside of the warehouse.
The people who had been floating in the water only moments ago were now sitting in orderly rows, all wearing identical tracksuits.
No one had told them to sit in rows, but perhaps because they were soldiers, they had automatically lined themselves up.
More than a thousand people filled the warehouse.
I took a microphone and climbed onto the platform.
“Hello. My name is Alex.”
The Philippine soldiers showed no reaction to my greeting.
No—instead, they wore expressions that seemed to ask what this was supposed to be.
“Are the clothes uncomfortable?”
I lightly asked about their condition, but they still remained silent.
I turned my gaze and briefly surveyed the warehouse before continuing.
“I would have liked to accommodate you in a better place, but we had to gather so many people in a hurry, and there wasn’t a suitable location. I ask for your understanding.”
“If anyone has been injured, please receive treatment.”
“We’ve prepared a meal. I don’t know whether it will suit your tastes, but please enjoy as much as you like.”
At that moment, the doors opened, and food began to be brought in from one side.
Tables were set up, and the prepared dishes were placed on them.
Everything was arranged so they could eat buffet-style.
Stacks of plates were placed on one side.
Unlike my show of goodwill, the eyes of the Philippine soldiers were filled with suspicion and hostility as they looked at the food.
“Why are they doing this? Did they poison the food?”
A question flew in from somewhere.
I found those Philippine soldiers adorable.
It was admirable how they seemed determined to preserve their pride until the very end.
Good grief, what would I gain by killing you?
“Ha ha ha ha. If you’re uneasy, you don’t have to eat. If you’re uncomfortable here or don’t like it, you can leave. No one will stop you.”
“What?”
“If we intended to kill you, we wouldn’t have gone to all this trouble. We would have simply sunk the ships you came on, or shot you while you were floating in the water wearing life jackets… We are always grateful for the dedication of soldiers. We respect and honor those of you who came all the way here to carry out a mission that required you to risk your lives. That is all. We want nothing from you. Rest here for a while, then go.”
I had been a soldier myself.
When soldiers receive an order, they deploy and carry it out.
It was simply their duty as soldiers.
Even if the mission went against their will, even if it was an unjust mission, they had to carry it out for the time being.
In a way, they were soldiers who had deployed after receiving orders.
Nothing more, nothing less.
I had no desire to treat even people like them as enemies or take them prisoner.
I didn’t want to use them as hostages and threaten them.
Besides, they must have suffered a great deal after spending more than twenty hours on a ship.
They had even fallen into the water that morning.
At least a bowl of hot soup would make things better.
I stepped down from the platform and picked up a plate.
Then I filled it with food.
I thought it would be better if I showed them first.
I put several kinds of food on the plate and began to eat.
There were no chairs or tables.
I simply sat down on the floor and began eating.
Several people on our side picked up plates, filled them with food, and began eating.
That was as far as it went.
The Philippine soldiers did not pick up their plates.
They merely watched the situation, gauging our reactions.
Seeing them so concerned with our reactions simply irritated me.
If they wanted to eat, they should just eat.
Why were they being so cautious?
“Hey! Just eat. It’s not like you’re paying for it, so why are you being so careful? I heard that during the World Wars, soldiers from opposing sides even played soccer together and shared meals. You’re all soldiers eating one meal together, so why are you being so cautious? Just eat. Eat and rest, or leave, or have some fun. Do whatever you want. I won’t say anything.”
At my words, a few of them shifted awkwardly before standing up and taking plates.
They began filling them with food.
Once a few people started moving, everything happened automatically.
Everyone stood up, lined up, and filled their plates.
We kept refilling the food.
At the very least, they couldn’t be allowed to run out of food.
The expressions of the Philippine soldiers changed as they ate.
Once delicious food entered their mouths, their stiff expressions began to soften.
They looked more at ease.
That was enough.
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“Boss. There are still people left on that ship.”
Dennis, who had been moving the ship the Philippine soldiers arrived on to the harbor, came over and spoke to me.
When I looked out at the sea, everything had been cleaned up, and only one ship remained, standing precariously.
“Why’s that one still there?”
“He says that as the captain, he has to share the ship’s fate.”
“A damnable romantic has appeared. Let’s go.”
A little while later, we went to the bridge of the escort vessel.
There, a man who looked every bit like a soldier was holding out, with his waist bound to the bridge by a steel chain.
He held a gun in one hand and a cigarette in the other.
When we approached, a warning came from inside.
“Don’t come any closer. I can take two or three of you with me, at least.”
It was pitiful. He sounded like a wounded little cat baring its teeth.
He was on full alert.
“How long are you planning to stay here?”
“Why does it matter how long I stay? I no longer wish to speak with someone who doesn’t even understand the basic fact that a captain must share the fate of his ship.”
“The internet has ruined kids these days.”
“What?”
“Did you watch Titanic? Or some Japanese movie where they sink together with a battleship?”
“…….”
“That’s all bullshit. So you don’t have to do this. And this ship isn’t sinking. You’ll starve to death before this ship sinks. Why did you tie yourself up with that chain? Aren’t you going to use the bathroom? Are you going to shit right here?”
“……”
“Come on. We’re not enemies. We just happened to run into each other because of bad luck. Let’s call it a day and go.”
“I still can’t do that. As the commander, I must fulfill my duty.”
“What is your duty as commander? Is it to sit around guarding a ship that can’t even move? Or is it your responsibility as commander to look after and lead your men to the very end?”
“My men?”
“We took everyone who fell into the sea, fed them, and they’re resting now. Your men are waiting for you, Commander. You need to go show them that you’re alive and well. That way, they can get their revenge and do something, at least.”
Rakambini glanced at me and asked a question.
His voice was full of suspicion.
“Do you not hate me? Why are you doing this?”
“I told you. We just had bad luck. You only deployed because you were ordered to. Isn’t it best if we can get through this without fighting or anyone getting hurt?”
“……”
“If it were me, I’d rather spend my final moments with my men than meet my fate alongside a ship.”
Rakambini looked at the man again.
His speech and attitude were both cocky, but his eyes were genuine.
Rakambini decided to trust those eyes just once.
To be honest, he had known for some time that remaining on the bridge was not the answer.
If he stayed there, the only thing waiting for him was death by starvation.
If he returned, he would be unable to avoid punishment.
Even so, he had been obsessed with the idea that he had to do something as a commander.
Honestly, Rakambini had no other choice in the situation.
He thought it would be better to see things through to the end with his men than to remain aboard the ship.
That man had given Rakambini a choice.
Rakambini quietly began unfastening the steel chain tied around his body.
He moved to the warehouse where the Philippine soldiers were gathered.
He entered the warehouse.
Someone noticed Rakambini coming in.
The soldier shouted at the top of his voice.
“Unit, attention! Salute the commander!”
At the man’s command, all one thousand soldiers in the warehouse saluted Rakambini.
It was a magnificent sight.
Rakambini was overcome with emotion.
He was a defeated commander.
A defeated commander had no right to receive such a salute.
Even so, he felt sorry and guilty that his men still seemed to recognize him as their superior.
So that he would not be ashamed before the hands of those men, Rakambini raised his own hand and accepted their salute.
Then he turned around.
The cocky man was standing behind him.
Rakambini saluted him.
He raised his hand with all the respect, courtesy, and formality he could offer.
It was his thanks for protecting his men like this instead of killing them.
It was gratitude for changing his life.
The man also changed his posture and accepted the salute with a crisp, rigid stance.
That was when Rakambini realized it.
He had found someone he could respect.
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“Take it out carefully. Carefully.”
In one corner of Zamboanga Harbor, the ship the Philippine soldiers had arrived on was being searched.
All the weapons they had brought were being removed and transported to the rebel base.
Shin Jung-gi was examining the enemy’s warship with keen interest.
They were collecting its mounted weapons and small arms.
Then they went to the landing ship and discovered ten armored vehicles.
The ten armored vehicles were securely fastened, looking brand-new.
Shin Jung-gi’s eyes gleamed when he saw the armored vehicles still intact aboard the landing ship.