WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 159: A Bridge Too Far (7)

──────

The fog rolled in slowly. It took several minutes just to swallow a single house. Gyeoul worried the wind might change direction. In the late afternoon, San Francisco’s winds were usually westerly, but sometimes a north wind blew, and on rare occasions, a south or east wind came in instead. If that happened, their immediate escape plan would be finished. At the very least, they would have to wait for the darkness before dawn.

Environmental Adaptation would have helped. Gyeoul found himself missing that general survival-category skill. A high-level Environmental Adaptation granted resistance against hostile environments while also providing information about the surroundings. Weather data was one of the things it could provide.

For it to be useful, though, it needed to be at least in the realm of genius. Insight was another example of a general skill. The cost was enormous. In world settings where government systems remained well maintained, survival-category skills always felt like something too useful to throw away and too awkward to make proper use of.

The naval officer was also staring west anxiously.

“Will that even reach us?”

“Don’t trouble yourself over what you can’t control. Do all you can, then wait for heaven’s will. Rather than doubting whether the chance will come, it’s better to be ready to seize it when it does. Have you memorized the terrain and landmarks?”

“...I have, but now that you ask, I’m losing confidence.”

Once they moved through dense fog, it would be easy to lose their sense of direction. They needed a way to identify their position if they got lost. Before leaving, they had to fix the terrain and landmarks firmly in their minds. It was also their way to regroup if they lost track of each other.

The nearest landmark was a corpse. The name was Wei Jiaying. Rank, Corporal. A Marine NCO who had died at an intersection. The uniform and equipment set the body apart from the others. Unfortunately, before death, the Marine had no ammunition left. Wei Jiaying had committed suicide with the last grenade.

The body had burst apart and been eaten, leaving it gruesome. Looking at the first landmark, the officer muttered gloomily.

“Still, that one was someone I could trust. A shame.”

The sense of loss Tan Guosheng showed was surprisingly deep. But to Gyeoul, it sounded like a sigh held at a distance from grief. More than pitying the dead, he seemed to pity himself for losing them.

The troops assigned to this operation had probably been something like Vice Admiral Xieru’s personal guard.

‘For trusted armed personnel, they weren’t very strong in combat...’

They were called Marines, but they were not ordinary marines. In China, Marine only meant they belonged to the navy. Naval infantry existed separately as troops for land combat. According to communications intercepted by the CIA, Vice Admiral Xieru had no land combat forces under her command.

“Li.”

The officer called Gyeoul again.

“Yes, sir.”

“Could we possibly...?”

He stopped mid-sentence. He looked conflicted. Fear showed through as well. Guessing what he could not bring himself to say, Gyeoul calmly waited. The fog was still far away.

After hesitating long enough that the conversation almost seemed to have ended, Tan Guosheng barely managed to speak again.

“Could we carry out the mission by ourselves? We don’t have to blow up every bridge. If we could somehow bring down just one, the closest one, then the sacrifices of the subordinates who died here wouldn’t be completely meaningless. I’m too ashamed to return alive alone...”

It was a good excuse. One bridge alone meant nothing. No matter how naval an officer he was, someone of his rank would know that much. In the end, there had to be another reason. But Gyeoul was not foolish enough to point that out openly. There was also the matter of Chinese pride.

He only pretended not to notice and argued from practical benefit.

“I understand how you feel, Lieutenant Colonel-nim, but you need to think clearly. Our objective isn’t the destruction of the bridges itself, is it? It was to separate this island from the greater metropolitan area by doing so. If we’re going to cut it off, we have to cut off all three.”

“From our position, the innermost bridge is close. If we cut even that one, wouldn’t that reduce the burden on whoever comes next? The distance they need to infiltrate would be greatly reduced. The mission would become easier.”

The three bridges linking Alameda and Oakland were clustered on the eastern side of the island. That was because the docking facilities were on the west side.

By contrast, the two of them were in the central part of the island. Even then, they were closer to the west. The bridge the Lieutenant Colonel called close, Park Street Bridge, was more than four kilometers away. There were differences between land routes and waterways, but they would have to move more than twice the distance it would take to cross the island lengthwise.

Gyeoul shook his head.

“No. I think it would actually make things more dangerous.”

“Why?”

“As I said before, the plague ghosts probably know the value of the bridges. If we blow up one, it will only put them on alert. To be honest, I’m suspicious even now. Are the explosives we planted still where we left them? They’ve already grown more than familiar enough with human weapons.”

Bombs had been placed on two of the bridges. The current situation had been caused by their failure at the third bridge. For a safe withdrawal, the plan had been to blow every bridge at the same time. So for now, not one bridge had collapsed.

Tan Guosheng narrowed his brow.

“Even though our explosives look different from what the U.S. military uses?”

“It should be within a range they can infer.”

“That’s only a possibility.”

“Yes. Only a possibility. Lieutenant Colonel-nim, you should decide. That’s the role of a commander.”

He said that, but Tan Guosheng’s fear was on Gyeoul’s side. Assuming the guess that this mission had come from Faction infighting was correct, Tan Guosheng would not be particularly attached to the mission itself either. Gyeoul only urged him to decide so there would be no lingering regret.

‘It would be a problem if he started saying something else while we were moving.’

Of course, he might overturn his own decision. Still, it was better than Gyeoul forcing him. Showing respect would likely make things easier later too. Gyeoul needed to earn the officer’s trust. To carry out the real mission.

“You say that, yet you’ll follow my decision?”

The officer was suspicious. That was within the range the Intelligence Agency had expected. Gyeoul had already memorized the model answer. He played Kurt Lee.

“That was the job I accepted. Until we return, I’ll follow orders.”

“As a mercenary, you would go that far? I can’t understand it. You said you aren’t interested in women, so I can’t see why you would risk your life for a bit of food and ammunition and a few slaves.”

The slaves he spoke of were American citizens. Americans were known as the most valuable goods within Golden Gate. Everyone misunderstood. They believed supplies were frequently airlifted to Orca Black territory because Orca Black was protecting that many Americans and had negotiated with the U.S. military based on that.

Gyeoul answered again.

“As you said, those trifles aren’t worth risking my life over.”

“Then why? No, I’m not trying to doubt the man who saved my life. I’m only curious. Why keep faith even in a world like this...? To be honest, if I were you, I would have shot a cumbersome burden like me on the way here.”

He said he was not doubting him, but he was. The root of that doubt was fear. Fear that he might be abandoned during the remaining journey. Insight through Perception supported Gyeoul’s reading of him.

“What I want to protect is my bonds.”

“Bonds?”

“Yes. I have comrades who can no longer live anywhere but the battlefield. After being discharged, they were treated like dogs. After even their families abandoned them, the only places they had left to go were mental hospitals or prisons. Even if they wanted to return to the military, they were judged unfit.”

The officer understood Kurt Lee’s inner feelings.

“In other words, Black Tiger Security (Orca Black) is nothing more than a pretext to create a place for your comrades?”

“That’s how it sounds.”

Gyeoul agreed, revealing a life that was not his with fabricated emotions.

“Yes, that’s right. The times have changed, but comrades with criminal records will still have nowhere to go. Battlefields are always like this, after all. I won’t abandon them. We are people who saved one another’s lives. This gutter may be the only place where we can stay.”

Since he had previously shown feelings of betrayal toward his homeland, the officer seemed to believe Gyeoul’s words. No, he seemed moved beyond simple belief. The Affection he already felt toward the person called Kurt Lee must have had an effect as well. It was an irrational affection born from an abnormal situation.

A battlefield was a far more terrifying place than a swaying bridge.

The officer said, “Someday, I hope you’ll follow me not because of a contract, but because of loyalty.”

“If you show me enough reason to.”

Kurt Lee’s joke made the officer laugh. It was stiff, but still a decent smile.

“I think your opinion is correct.”

Tan Guosheng let go of his reckless desire.

“I’m sorry for unsettling you with needless words. I’ll give up on the mission. Let’s make getting out alive our top priority. Goujian, King of Yue, licked Fuchai’s dung and survived. As long as we live, another chance will come.”

His voice grew quieter as he spoke. The latter half sounded more like a vow spoken to himself than to Gyeoul.

The story behind it did not quite fit, unless it revealed a worry buried in his unconscious. Perhaps he was afraid that he would be condemned for the failure of this operation and fall behind in the Faction struggle. That was Gyeoul’s guess. A commander who returned alive alone after getting every subordinate killed had plenty of reason to be criticized.

While they talked, the wind strengthened. The rising humidity made the air feel cold. April was when spring should have been deepening, but with dusk approaching, the temperature was low.

‘It’s almost like late autumn, or early winter. I don’t know if he can endure it.’

What Gyeoul worried about was Tan Guosheng’s stamina. Even now, his cheeks were red, and his hands trembled faintly. At first Gyeoul had thought it was the aftermath of combat, but perhaps he had simply run out of strength.

“What is this?”

To the puzzled officer, Gyeoul offered the last remaining energy bar.

“Once we begin moving, we may not have time to eat.”

“No, I’m in no state to eat anything right now.”

“Please eat anyway.”

The officer sighed and accepted it. In any country, eating was a duty for soldiers.

He peeled the wrapper. A dry rustle. A lump appeared, the sort someone had once said looked like packed-together shit. The officer sighed again.

“The foreign devils really do have vulgar tastes.”

Nothing from combat rations could be expected to taste good. Looking at his dry lips, Gyeoul held out the canteen. Tan Guosheng had refused it once earlier, but this time, he accepted as if he had no choice.

While he forced the food down, Gyeoul kept fixing the terrain in his mind.

The waterway between the cities was very close in a straight line. Through the open area to the north, the abandoned construction site, they might be able to reach it in under a minute. But it was extremely dangerous. A few Grumbles holding their positions were visible. There were also plenty of things nearby to throw. Containers, or parked cars.

He had agreed with the officer to take a detour.

Seeing the abandoned positions and guard posts brought a new worry to mind.

“Lieutenant Colonel-nim. When was the last time you received a tetanus vaccination?”

“Hmm? I did receive one, but when was it...?”

Tan Guosheng stopped eating and thought. Gyeoul said, “The U.S. military and police may have scattered caltrops or a Spike strip to deny access. We’ll have to move through fog and darkness, so I’m concerned.”

A Spike strip was a spiked, lattice-like chain. Fort Roberts had also laid several rows of them as a defensive measure. Traffic police carried them, so they were not rare.

“Mm, I think it was when I entered Engineering University. Barely ten years ago, perhaps.”

Then it was dangerous. Gyeoul had been vaccinated when he enlisted.

“After we depart, I’ll take the lead again. Please follow only the path I check whenever possible, and be especially careful when entering stagnant water.”

“Entering stagnant water? When it’s that polluted?”

“Polluted?”

“The color isn’t normal. It’s full of green and red! It must be because of the chemical rounds the U.S. military used.”

The officer’s low shout came with a grimace. The water pooled in cracks in the road or in craters from exploded bombs was stained in abnormal colors, just as he said. But Gyeoul knew the reason. This too was an aftermath of the typhoon and flood damage.

“As far as I know, America has never used chemical weapons on the mainland. With bases of their own citizens still remaining downtown, there’s no way they would spray pathogens or poison gas.”

“Then what is that?”

“Water with high salinity changes color, doesn’t it? I heard it’s because of microbial growth. Since you’re navy, you must have seen salt fields often, so it’s a little strange that you don’t know.”

Large salt fields that required heavy machinery looked like a palette of primary colors spread out by a god.

This was the same. When the city flooded, seawater might have flowed in. After it dried, rainwater had likely gathered again, over and over, creating the cityscape they saw now.

Tan Guosheng looked embarrassed.

“Salt fields... So that was what they were like? I saw them all the time, but never paid them much mind. On the mainland, rivers and seas changing color was common. I thought some factory somewhere had dumped something again.”

“...”

It was not self-mockery, just something he said normally, so Gyeoul had nothing to say to the officer. Should he say it was fitting for a country where throwing a cigarette butt into a river made the river explode?

The fog carried on the wind finally swallowed the store where the two of them were hiding.

Even then, Gyeoul waited a long time. Until the sun set. After sunset, the wind still did not stop. It seemed they could expect blocked visibility across their entire route.

There was a protruding section on the east side of the store building. It connected directly to the warehouse inside. A trailer had been abandoned at the entrance. The gap was a little over one story, a height they could probably jump down from. At least, it was safe for Gyeoul.

“I’ll go down first and catch you.”

The boy hung from the edge, then came down as quietly as possible. Since the trailer bed was metal, he had to be especially careful. The officer came down next. While hanging, they matched their breathing, and he let go. Gyeoul caught the falling combat boots with both hands. Clunk. The vibration beneath his feet was not loud.

At last, the two of them moved into the city inside the fog. The opaque air held an unknown hostility. Visibility was less than twenty meters. The officer muttered, “It feels as if I’ve returned to my hometown.”

Gyeoul advanced with his rifle aimed forward. Sixteen rounds remained in the magazine. Even accounting for his pistol ammunition, one serious fight would be more than they could survive.

============================ Author’s Note ============================

#physical book

I think there’s been some misunderstanding, but the book coming out later is not a hardcover. Uh... It probably isn’t? No, this novel as a hardcover in the first place... I might die of embarrassment.

The part about stopping handgun bullets was just a joke. Just use it as a ramen coaster.

#Q&A

Q. OneChance-nim: @How many hours a day do you spend writing one chapter?

A. Well... I’m not sure these days. My daily rhythm is completely wrecked, so even the intervals between sleeping and waking up aren’t consistent...

Q. Nanananyang-nim: Author-nim, you didn’t stay up all night, right?

A. Is there any way I would be posting at this hour without having stayed up all night? :)

Q. rumen-nim: I don’t use Naver N Store... Will it come out on KakaoPage?

A. It will someday, but I don’t know when that will be.

Q. BlueWave2-nim: The Chinese pronunciation for tank seems a little closer to tanke or danke!

A. I thought about that too. Whether I should write tanke...

Q. SunshinePiece-nim: Huh, why Naver! Whyyy!!!! I guess I’ll buy it if it comes out on Ridibooks. Is the Author’s Note section only on Joara?

A. Yes. Putting the Author’s Note elsewhere is a little... awkward. Haha.

Footnotes:

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried