WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Little Prince in the Ossuary

Chapter 80

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Hardening Ground (2)

The assembled police came from all kinds of backgrounds. City police, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), SWAT, county sheriffs, and U.S. Marshals were all mixed together, and in rare cases there were even State Park Rangers and officers from the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Because of that, they could not move right away. Their duties and tactics were all different, so a large headcount could actually become a weakness. They had to define each unit's role and movement route in advance. That stage ate up a lot of time. This was exactly when command post control mattered most.

Before deployment, supply officers opened the warehouse and pulled out the required gear. They moved as fast as possible, but receiving and distributing equipment still took another thirty minutes.

Gyeoul also got a pump-action shotgun loaded with less-lethal rounds and an ammo belt. He did not need to give up his existing weapons. He could switch based on purpose. On top of that, he was issued tear gas grenades, an expandable baton, a reinforced plastic shield, and handcuffs.

The SWAT commander assigned to move with him flashed the boy officer a grin.

"Awful weather, but perfect for this kind of operation. Most commotion gets blown away in the wind."

He was right. The edge of the typhoon was a cauldron of rain, wind, and thunder. Even people just four or five steps apart struggled to talk. The police could use radios, but the Chinese gangs could not. Considering how wide the Chinese residential quarter was, that was a plus for the search.

SWAT was assigned as a reserve force. They sat packed inside the troop compartment of a dark gray armored vehicle, a BearCat, staying on standby in case things went bad.

Even on standby, the SWAT officers seemed more interested in Gyeoul than in the possible firefight ahead. One of them asked:

"Lieutenant-nim. I heard people in Korea get military training from childhood. Is that true?"

He did not even understand the question. Gyeoul asked back,

"No way. Where did you hear that?"

"Newspapers and TV news and stuff. I heard military service is ten years, women get drafted too, and it is a dangerous country with terror attacks or nuclear tests sometimes."

"That is North Korea. Me and the other Koreans in the refugee district are all from South Korea. You are not mixing up South and North Korea, are you?"

"Oh, is military law different by state? I guess that could happen. But then who lives in the north?"

"..."

Gyeoul had meant South and North Korea as different countries, but the officer took it as different regions within one country. A very American misunderstanding. The U.S. had many states spread east to west and north to south, each enforcing different laws. Gyeoul cleared it up.

"It is not like that. South and North Korea are separate countries. They were split by an ideological war between communism and capitalism. That became the Korean War. Have you heard of it?"

South and North had actually already been separated before the war, but there was no need to explain that far. The officer who asked looked embarrassed.

"Guess I said something stupid. I had no idea and thought it sounded plausible."

"What part?"

"What you said, Lieutenant-nim. Your record is so unbelievable. I figured it would not be strange if you had trained since childhood. But that was not it..."

The officer looked oddly disappointed. The others burst out laughing.

There was barely any tension. Did they think there would be no callout at all?

From the comms, it sounded like searches and weapon seizures were going smoothly in most sectors. As he listened to the radio, he also caught officers panicking now and then over narcotics they kept finding.

[Hell, this is enough to get all of LA hooked.]

One kilogram of heroin was enough for over thirty thousand doses. And they were finding that stuff by the bag. It looked like Chinese drug dealers had risked their lives to bring those supplies during evacuation.

Still, things did not stay quiet to the end. An urgent transmission cut through the net.

[Command, George 14188, Code 10! Firefight at 73rd Street! One officer wounded! Multiple subjects armed with deadly weapons! We are surrounded! Request support, over!]

[Code 10 confirmed. David 20, move to 73rd Street.]

[David 20, copy.]

David was the SWAT callsign.

The engine noise surged. Even seated inside, Gyeoul felt the wheels spinning uselessly. The vehicle accelerated heavily.

The officers looked outside through the ballistic glass. But rain was pouring so hard that streams of water blinded everything. The transport compartment windows had no wipers. In the end, they used gun ports instead of windows. Those ports were built for firing from inside the vehicle, with round covers that could open and close at any time.

Someone let out a sound halfway between a sigh and admiration.

"Huh. So arrows really are flying around. I have been in plenty of gunfights, but this is my first time seeing this."

Clang, clang! Stones and arrows struck the vehicle body.

They were probably aiming at the gun ports, but it was pointless. First, the shooters were terrible. Second, the wind was too strong. Projectiles like arrows were heavily affected by wind.

Close to the destination, everyone put on gas masks. No matter how bad the storm was, they could still use tear gas inside tents.

After arrival, Gyeoul volunteered and got out first.

Thud!

A stone flew at him the instant he stepped down, and he deflected it with his shield. A concentrated rain of stones hit toward dismounting personnel. Blocking them one after another, he opened a path for the officers coming down behind him. One SWAT officer warned him:

"If an arrow hits that plastic shield, it might punch through. Be careful."

"Yeah. I know."

Gyeoul moved a few steps forward, scanning around.

The reinforced plastic shield was fully transparent, so it did not block vision. In exchange, it was less durable, and strong-draw bows could penetrate it.

The quality of bows or crossbows made by the Chinese was obvious, but low quality did not always mean low power.

A diagonal warning line sliced in.

Thunk!

Gyeoul stepped back and dodged, then watched the trembling fletching by his feet. A long arrow had buried halfway into the ground. Concentrated fire went in that direction. The Chinese shooter ducked and never showed himself there again.

[Wounded officer secured. Non-life-threatening.]

The injured officer was loaded onto a stretcher and moved to a vehicle.

After that, SWAT responded systematically. A shield bearer advanced while watching the front. Two trailing officers split left and right to cover. It was a method to eliminate blind spots.

Their shields were different from Gyeoul's. Aside from a small transparent plastic rectangle for seeing ahead, the rest was solid black ballistic plate.

Clang!

The SWAT officer with the shield staggered for a moment. An arrow was stuck in the shield edge. He muttered a low curse. The muddy ground had made him slip.

Gyeoul estimated how often the powerful arrows were coming in.

'One dangerous shooter, maybe two.'

The rest were nothing special.

The real problem was numbers.

[Drop your weapons and surrender! If you surrender, you will not be shot!]

Warning broadcasts continued alongside gunfire. But the hit rate was lower than expected. Mist from shattered raindrops was one reason. Also, the gangsters used terrain and cover aggressively. They moved through rows of tents, or lay prone on scaffolding at the construction site.

The police pushed in with shields, vehicles, and overwhelming firepower.

Gyeoul also raised his rifle. He planted the shield diagonally into the ground, braced it with his body, shifted slightly to the side, and took his sight line.

Then he tilted his head.

He saw something ridiculous.

The Chinese were dragging out wooden shield walls. They were too big and heavy to carry, so they solved that by attaching wheels. It looked like siege equipment from another age.

'They will try anything.'

Gyeoul dropped to one knee and aimed at the small gap below.

Bang!

The sharp report cracked through the wet air and stung his ears. Through the rain, a short scream tore out.

Gyeoul kept targeting Chinese shoes in succession.

Bang, bang, bang!

The grandly advancing shield wall stopped almost instantly.

Another shield wall coming from a different direction got smashed by police. An armored vehicle rammed it. The driver did cut speed before impact, but to the Chinese gangsters it was still brutal.

Then Gyeoul suppressed the dangerous shooters. When he had a clean shot, he broke only the bow. If that was not possible, he put a hole in a shoulder.

From the start, this fight was never on equal footing. Basic firepower and defense were too far apart, and the armored vehicles were decisive. The key question was whether they could suppress without extra casualties.

Gyeoul slung his rifle behind his back and pulled the shield from the ground. Rain-softened mud clung to it in thick layers. He did not bother brushing it off. He liked the weight. Holding it, he ran and traced the most dangerous arrow lane in reverse.

Stones flew from every direction.

Blocking or dodging, he smashed one man in his path with the shield.

"Ghakh!"

A cracking vibration climbed through his fingertips. Mud that had acted as extra weight scattered off. Probably four ribs broken. It would hurt like hell, but he would live.

Another warning line slashed across. This time it missed badly. Gyeoul guessed the shooter had boosted raw power and lost control.

Seeing the boy alone and sticking out ahead, Chinese gangsters pushed out from cover. It was a dirty, seasoned move. With Gyeoul there, police could not fire recklessly. Twisted faces carried both confidence and desperate resistance. Some sped up their spinning slings, others held clubs or wooden spears.

They rushed all at once.

Because of the gas mask, they did not recognize him.

Gyeoul grabbed the shotgun hanging at his waist with one hand. If he lowered the shield and pulled it toward his body, he could rest the shotgun on top and fire. With the shield tip touching ground, it became a strange but stable shooting posture.

The moment he swept the muzzle half a circle, the clustered Chinese panicked and scattered. They did not know it was loaded with less-lethal rounds. At this distance, it could still kill.

Two stones fired from slings struck his body armor. Then he aimed at the nearest threat.

Boom!

A heavy recoil very different from a rifle.

The Chinese man who had come within five meters dropped flat with a strangled groan, clutching his shoulder.

A spear then stabbed in from the side.

Gyeoul deflected it with the shield, closed distance, and swung the shotgun like a club. The loaded shotgun's weight, combined with a diagonal upward strike, shattered the gangster's jawbone. The rattled Chinese man flailed, unable to keep his balance. Gyeoul kicked him down, stepped on him, spun around, and smashed his shin with the shield.

"Kheuk!"

The gangster clutching his jaw shrieked from fresh pain. His eyes rolled back and foam spilled from his mouth.

The next gangster rushed in immediately. Gyeoul lowered his shield and slammed into him with his whole body. A heavy impact that shook his gut. While the man fell backward, Gyeoul hooked the shotgun's pump handle on the shield edge and racked it by pushing with body weight.

Clack.

At one meter, aimed at point-blank range, the man's face drained white.

Instead of firing immediately, Gyeoul shifted position with the man at center. It was because of those two wavering warning lines that had been jumping around this whole time. They were likely holding fire because of their own man.

Once positioned, boom!

The shotgun spat fire. The shot hit below the knee from the side, twisting the leg in the wrong direction.

A desperate scream.

Two arrows came in at once.

One missed. One slammed into another Chinese man instead of Gyeoul.

Gyeoul stepped forward and blocked the trajectory. He swung his shield like a punch and met the arrow head-on.

A sharp scraping sound ran across the plastic.

Leaving a long white scar, the projectile ricocheted far away.

The gangster whose life had just been saved stared in shock. When Gyeoul looked at him, he panicked.

Gyeoul kicked him in the crotch.

The man collapsed convulsing, so just in case, Gyeoul kicked him once more.

Every Chinese man trying to approach was now down, either unconscious or with broken bones.

When Gyeoul looked up at the construction scaffolding, the shooter who had been firing arrows until now was panicking. Police carrying shields and batons were closing in from behind. Cornered, the gangster archer jumped off the scaffolding. He fell from third-floor height. There was no way he came out fine. He rolled on the ground clutching his ankle.

Suppression entered its final phase. Armored vehicles charged into tents where gangsters had hidden. Subduing Chinese gangsters who came crawling out from under collapsing tents was easy.

The SWAT commander called for Gyeoul.

[Lieutenant-nim, I think you need to come over for a moment. 74th Street, Tent No. 1.]

============================ Author's Afterword ============================

1. I will think a bit more about the Donation Account issue. I am not sure whether I should even accept that...

2. Please be lenient even if the police radio traffic is a little rough. If I write things like Central, 10-30 10-44 to station, readers will not understand anything and it will be hard for the writer too... hehe, honestly the second reason is bigger.

And in the case of the Los Angeles police, they do not use standard ten-codes, they use separate radio codes. I do not have the ability to match that perfectly either. Sorry. I only imitated it a little.

The phonetic codes police use are different from the military's. A phonetic code is how you read letters over radio, and police use Adam (A), Boy (B), Charles (C), David (D)... George (G). When each code is used as a unit identifier, it distinguishes affiliations. So George 14188 in the chapter is not a person's name. The unit code for METRO ANTI-GANG TASK FORCE is G. 14188 is a police badge number.

If readers who know more in detail point things out, I will reflect it immediately.

3.

Q. Clinen-nim: @It is afternoon and winter here, and over there it is dawn, as expected from an author who lives in another galaxy

A. Heh heh... if I uploaded at dawn and you say it is afternoon and winter there... that would have to be the opposite side of Earth and opposite by the equator too... Clinen-nim, are you in Brazil right now? Wow, I am jealous...

Q. Harurururu-nim: @By the way, when will you do mass updates? For the 100th chapter celebration?

A. Not sure. Maybe I can do one soon as a birthday event?... I cannot promise.

Q. Ca-mo-nim: I hope Gyeoul fights soon.

A. You will have to wait a little longer for fights that really test the author's ability.

Q. Cheongnyuryeon-nim: @Thank you so much for posting even on the weekend you said you would rest♥ But still, I hope you take care of your health too. I do not want this great work to end up with long gaps because of condition or health issues. Better work conditions produce better output, so I hope author-nim also invests in yourself a bit.

A. Thank you for worrying about me. I will keep my condition at a level where I do not die. If possible, while occasionally playing some good old Overwatch too.

Q. Ghozt-nim: @Even higher childishness lifeforms like author-nim still suffer in the heat?

A. My childlike innocence is depleted, so I have weakened. Authors originally have more childlike innocence than the total mass of the solar system, but readers stole it all, so now it is endlessly close to zero.

Q. SteelSoul-nim: @Now I will only expect something around the level of Romance of the Three Kingdoms ~ Yeonhee, where people say you write only a prologue and then dream of ending it. You can do it, right? Health first, of course.

A. I do not really know what that novel is, so impossible. Hahaha.

Q. Dohwawon-nim: @Gyaaak guaak, the fact I know what that means proves even childlike-innocence life-forms were readers too...

A. Yes. I dyed all readers with childlike innocence.

Q. WindsAgent-nim: @I want to read this for a long time lol, take it easy

A. If I serialize one chapter every forty thousand years, you can read for over four million years. How is that, good method right?

Q. LucidDream-nim: @Do not die... if you die I will use necromancy to revive...

A. The author is already a being that revived once, so reusing the same skill is impossible.

Q. Inoino-nim: @Gyaaak gyaak guaak gyaak gyaaaak! (Please rest slowly and keep writing hard!) A.· - · · · · - · - · - · - · · - · · · - · · · · · · - · - · - · - · · - · · ( - · - · - · · - · - · - · - · · - · · - - - · · - - - · · · · · · · - - - · · · · · - · - - · - · · - · - · · · · - · - · - · · · · · · - - - · · · - - - · - - - · · - · - · · - · · · · · - - · - - · · · · · - - - · - - - · - - · - - · - - · - - · )

Q. Seno-nim: @I felt this since Sealve, but the story always seems to progress smoothly. You do have planned crises the protagonist cannot handle, right?

A. Correct. That is exactly what childlike innocence is. Seal Breaker is actually the same. Someone you thought had exited will show very fine childlike innocence. It feels pretty overwhelming to write until that point, though.

Q. Tantania-nim: @That Virtual Reality-based world setting, I mean the light cheerful dirty-cute fantasy vibe of dystopian capitalist reality mentioned in the intro, do you have any plan to write that kind of novel? This setting has so much serious content, but it also feels perfect for a story that cheerfully unpacks reality's bitterness through Virtual Reality.

A. It is possible, but I have no plan. Right now, even after finishing Ossuary, I am still debating whether to write The Road to Happiness, which is the future timeline in the same universe.

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