The Little Prince in the Ossuary

00060

Captain Capston smiled lightly.

“If that’s your way of convincing me, I’m a little disappointed. I can endure personal loss if I have to. That’s my real duty. The service regulation can’t be more important than duty, can it?”

“I’m sorry.”

The captain shook his head slightly. “You don’t have to apologize. I’ve been promoted thanks to you. I could be demoted, too. I’m not doing this for recognition or personal gain, I’m just worried about the people.”

After saying all this, he returned to their original topic.

“You seem to have thought only of mobilizing troops, but don’t you also think you’ll need enough ammunition to be ready for combat? I don’t think we have enough. Assuming you’re right that the Trickster has already infiltrated us, the damage we take won’t be small.”

“It’s not that I didn’t take that into account…” Gyeo-ul had just thought that keeping guard at all times would be enough.

“If a man who’s been caught intends to do something, he’ll wait for the dawn when vigilance is weak. I thought the biggest enemy at that time wasn’t the mutant but our soldiers’ confusion. If you had prepared in advance, it wouldn’t have happened. Additional ammunition… We have no choice but to secure it then.”

“In some cases, sacrifices are inevitable.”

“That’s the realistic limit. We can’t really revolt.”

“Well, maybe there’s a way.”

The captain thought for a long time and then got all of the company’s executives within the jurisdiction on the line. It took quite a while to get them all together since it was, after all, Christmas Eve. One platoon leader in the civilian area didn’t arrive until thirty minutes after the initial call.

‘I don’t have much time.’ Gyeo-ul repeatedly checked the clock. They didn’t know when things would break up. It would be best if it didn’t happen at all, but they were preparing on the premise that it would.

Nobody looked happy. No matter how urgent it might be, there was still a minimum amount of personal time they preferred to be respected. Christmas week was the biggest holiday in the United States, so calls outside of working hours were not desirable.

“Oh… this guy is here, that means this is gonna be rough.”

It was Jeffrey lamenting. After looking at Gyeo-ul, he sighed deeply and restrained himself. He’d just come back from fighting when everyone else had been playing, but of course, that applied to Gyeo-ul as well. That was why Jeffrey’s lamentation did not last long.

The captain asked Gyeo-ul to speak, marking his third explanation of the situation today. He felt a little tired but plowed through, ending by saying, “…For that reason, I want you to stay on maximum alert tonight. It’s not really a big deal. If the attack doesn’t come, we’re just spending the night waiting. I hope you will help.”

Sergeant Lieberman was smirking at this point. “You know, I’ve been thinking that you’ve been acting a little weird. This is what you’ve been worrying about? Honestly, I think it’s a little too much, but…”

Was it an objection? As it turned out, it wasn’t.

“If it hadn’t been for you, half of my platoon would have died in the hospital. When everyone was off guard or thinking wrong, you made the right decision by yourself. I’m going to believe you again.”

“Thank you, Sergeant.”

In general, noncommissioned officers expressed their support easily. Unlike the South Korean military, which began its ranking at sergeant, the U.S. military’s vice-commissioned officer turned out to have risen from a trainee. As a thoroughly competitive group, their mindset was also very practical.

In practice, soldiers and noncommissioned officers often had conflicts with higher-level troops over the radio. They also tended to complain that they did not know the scene. That might be why it was easier for them to understand Gyeo-ul.

Pierce, the first-class noncommissioned officer, also took Gyeo-ul’s side.

“Son Tsu said, ‘The true leader leads not by power, but by example.’ A good soldier’s sense is trustworthy. We can’t ignore the opinion of the young lieutenant, based on what he’s done so far.”

‘Sun Tsu? Oh, the Chinese philosopher.’

After pondering for a moment, Gyeo-ul felt a little awkward. He didn’t think that was what Sun Tsu said. Still, there was no need to break the mood.

‘I think he’s just proud that he managed to memorize an old saying…’

The sergeant held on to his blunt expression, but Gyeo-ul, who had a good sense for people, observed that there was a fine feeling.

Everyone had a desire to be cool, no matter how serious they were.

While this happened, the remaining three platoon leaders and other senior soldiers, excluding Jeffrey, considered their positions. Sergeant Pierce stared silently at them, making everyone feel burdened by his gaze. The U.S. military’s supervisor was higher than a lieutenant colonel.

Second Platoon Captain McCoy sighed.

“I can’t help it. I don’t want to look like I’m pulling out alone… Let’s do it. If everything turns out fine, it’s just one night. You said if the incident doesn’t happen, there’s no risk…”

After that, the rest of them raised their hands, saying they agreed. Lieutenant Sullivan, the third platoon leader, scratched his head.

“Home Alone is on T.V. right now…”

“…”

Were the Americans spending Christmas with Kevin?

Finally, the chief of the firearm department agreed.

“Now that I know about this, I’m not going to relax. It’s going to bother me and make me feel uncomfortable, right? I won’t be able to sleep even if I lie down. Since I’m just going to stay up all night anyway, I’ll go with you.”

When everyone had come to an agreement, Lieutenant Capston drew their attention.

“The problem is ammunition. Without ammunition, no matter how thorough the preparation is, it won’t be enough. Is there any way to get the bullets out without going through the control room?”

It was a question for Pierce. The sergeant nodded.

“I’ll try.”

“How?”

“Let’s just say we’re going to release tomorrow’s firing drill in advance. We’ll just submit the documents later. I’m sure the captain won’t like it, but it’s not an altogether uncommon practice. Ammunitions are often released without documents in emergency cases.”

He had a point. This was a situation where people used ammunition day and night, just as in the fight they had just come back from.

After an operation, the remaining ammunition was not recovered. Instead, the troops requested and received as much as necessary, and each company managed the extra ammunition separately. They had wanted to keep strict procedures as usual but found that they couldn’t.

Instead, they thoroughly checked the current status of the guns. They would have to worry about the riot if it flowed into the refugees.

“Will that excuse work? Shooting training on Christmas day. Who would believe that we’re doing it then?”

While the captain reacted skeptically, the sergeant smiled softly.

“The captain’s famous for being strict. So, if you say that he’s being stubborn for no reason, people will believe it. I apologize in advance for what I’ll have to say.”

“…”

At this, Captain Capston touched his temple.

Still, it was easier to say than to do. It was something that could only be attempted because there was a network.

The sergeant then turned the conversation to Gyeo-ul.

“The little lieutenant needs to help, too.”

“What? Me?”

“The ammunition locker security is under the charge of Able company. Your crew loves you so much, it’ll be easier if you go with them.”

It seemed that the sergeant understood the atmosphere among the soldiers quite well. Gyeo-ul recalled the words of Corporal Amy, who had chosen to stay at the checkpoint for Chinese residents.

「Be careful. If you get bitten by a crazy dog, our company might go crazy too.」

‘Depending on which people are asked, there’s a high possibility of them helping even if they explain it as it is.’

Gyeo-ul nodded coolly. “Yes, I suppose so. I see.”

Since there was little time left, the discussion went very fast once everyone’s position was set. Senior soldiers rushed out to rally their troops while the remaining executives started planning the operation.

“We don’t know anything about the enemy’s plan, so we should focus on adapting to the situation, with the exception of our key plan. I think we should be satisfied now with the allocation of positions and boundaries to occupy in case of an emergency.”

When the lieutenant opened the camp map, the sergeant promptly agreed.

“Don’t mind that. The first thing that’s going to die when the battle starts is the plan.”

It was concluded that the initial troop input could be made within three minutes, no matter which direction the situation started from, provided that they responded properly.

“What about your men?” the captain asked Gyeo-ul, who promptly presented his opinion of the matter.

“I think it would be hard to expose them to the front because they lack practical experience. I’d like to set them up together and use them to calm the refugee zone in case of an emergency.”

“I agree. That’s a good idea.”

As he had said before, confusion might yet become the biggest enemy. Given the population density of refugee zones, the number of people crushed to death would also be enormous if they panicked.

In addition to this, if a group of refugees recklessly tried to escape, it would become a problem. A mishap could occur in which the defense line was trampled from the rear.

It would be too much to handle with only two squads of Winter Alliance combat groups.

“There’s only a low chance of encountering the enemy, but it’s not going to be an easy task regardless.”

Gyeo-ul fully understood his concerns. “There are soldiers who used to keep their checkpoints. I wish I could give them a heads-up. For now, I will warn the refugees within my reach; that’s more important than ammunition. I’ll be right back. We’ll take care of the rest of the preparations.”

At this point, Sergeant Pierce stepped in.

“You should come to the ammunition storage after it’s done.”

“Okay. I’ll be as fast as I can.”

According to the clock, there were thirty minutes left until midnight. The soldiers at the checkpoint looked at the rushing Gyeo-ul with curious expressions.

The large tent, which he had left hours ago, was still in a lively mood. Lots of people didn’t even notice Gyeo-ul coming. However, Jang Yeon-chul recognized him at once and went to welcome him.

“You’re back. I don’t know what happened, but you did a good job.”

Gyeo-ul shook his head. “It’s not over yet.”

“Sorry?”

“Manager Jang. Please gather all the alliance officials, including Yura and Jin-seok.”

Jang Yeon-chul seemed to be embarrassed when he read Gyeo-ul’s demeanor, this being the first time he had witnessed one of his urgent moods. However, he nodded quickly and called the aforementioned people. The audience, which was in a state of excitement, quieted at once upon witnessing this scene.

Finally, the people Gyeo-ul had asked for arrived. Such was the result of Yeon-chul’s moderate interpretation of the executive’s scope. It wasn’t bad overall.

Gyeo-ul explained the situation as concisely as possible. Min Wan-gi coughed a few times as he did so, and Jang Yeon-chul’s expression gradually hardened.

“Uh, little captain… So you’re saying there might be an attack at dawn?”

“That’s right. I’m not sure, but I think we need to be vigilant. Yura and Jin-seok, go to the barracks right now. Arm yourself and wait in the training ground. Charlie Company will send one or two appropriate people in with you after the ammunition is released, so if anything happens, do your best to calm the refugee zone.”

Yura and Jin-seok still lacked the ability to judge the situation. Because of this, it would be essential for them to receive support from Charlie Company’s senior soldiers.

Now Gyeo-ul’s eyes were on Jang Yeon-chul and Min Wan-gi.

“And the chiefs.”

Before Gyeo-ul could say anything else, Min Wan-gi nodded. “That’s all right. Leave it to us and go. You can’t always take care of everything; that’s why you chose us to work at this time.”

“…”

Gyeo-ul accepted his words with a natural smile. “Okay, I’ll trust you two.”

Then the boy officer ran toward the ammunition storage. In fact, he arrived earlier than Pierce, who was a little surprised to see Gyeo-ul already present when he did appear.

“I didn’t think things would be that simple, but you got here sooner than I expected.”

“That’s because some good people are helping me.”

“Haha.”

The sergeant smiled briefly and walked ahead of him, greeting the soldiers guarding the ammunition post. One of those soldiers, Sergeant Matthew Cohen, couldn’t hide his surprise when he caught sight of Gyeo-ul.