Soho

Chapter 236: < Protect – Episode 226 – Wild Africa [1] >

A silent smoke screen filled the area...

“Cough, cough!”

Until the people started getting off the bus while coughing smoke, that was.

“Ugh!”

“Over here! Somebody help!”

People asked for help here and there.

‘It was definitely Al Shabab.’

Seeing from the flags on the disguised cars, they were Al Shabab, which took over the south of Somalia. Ahn Soo Ho wasn’t close with Islamic groups. However, just like how everyone knew a star or two, everyone knew an Islam terrorist or two. And of course, they were all bosses. Just like how the celebrities he knew were top stars.

The Al Shabab that was active in southern Somalia and northern Kenya wasn’t at Ahn Soo Ho’s level. They were a bunch of scumbags that crossed the Kenyan border. They kidnapped tourists and killed natives. They were no different from thugs.

Somalia did have a government, but in reality, they were in a state of anarchy. Even if the northern region claimed their land as an independent nation, no one could do anything about it.

The aftermath of a war zone.

Ahn Soo Ho checked if any of the enemies were alive, but they weren’t. His bullets cut through all of their lungs. He slowly looked around him. The people were still laying on the ground. Among the medical professionals and people staring at him blankly, it was Han Chae Kyung who approached him first.

“Are you okay?”

“Are you hurt?”

“No.”

“Then gather everyone who got injured. And as for the dead... just leave them.”

“Oh, okay.”

She called the guard in charge and gave him the command.

But the one in charge was too busy glancing over at Ahn Soo Ho to listen carefully. He had heard about the legendary man who was originally from the military.

The one man military.

The SSS-level mercenary

Ghost protocol

There was even talk about how sending Ahn Soo Ho was more effective than sending the military. When rumors about how the pentagon labeled him as a dangerous individual, the Korean military laughed. In any case, he was a straggler who dropped out of the Naval Academy.

‘It was no exaggeration.’

Actually, the rumors didn’t live up to the truth. Ahn Soo Ho called the head of the mercenaries over.

“How many soldiers remain?”

“7... I mean, 8.”

“Report the ones that ran away.”

“Yes, Sir!”

The missing mercenaries were nowhere to be seen.

“Transport the injured! And you! Get in the cars!”

As soon as Ahn Soo Ho pointed his finger, the two mercenaries ran over and got into the bus.

“Aren’t we going to get moving?”

“That’s even more dangerous.”

The head of the mercenaries wanted to escape, but Ahn Soo Ho shook his head. If there was another group, it was best to annihilate them.

“Anyway, that’s strange. What were they thinking, attacking in such a deep place?”

“I thought it was weird, too.”

“What about the headquarters?”

“I can’t contact them.”

“It can’t be the signal. Is the communication network cut off?”

The communication infra was fairly good in Africa.

Not even the rebels or terrorist organizations messed with the infra. Because if they did, that was like declaring war. This country wasn’t so doomed that an Islamic terrorist group would declare war so openly. But they got attacked? That was the reality. A mercenary ran over from one of the cars.

“I got a radio channel! There’s been a bombing in Nairobi!”

The sad news didn’t end there.

“Mombasa, Malindi, Purah, Garissa, and Dadab are in chaos as well!”

“Oh, my god!”

The head of the mercenaries was shocked.

This was a region where the UN operated. Did all of Al Shabab get shot in the head? If they started making provocations before the US military left Africa, it was possible for a Somalian war to break out.

“Again?”

Ahn Soo Ho put pressure on the hesitant mercenary.

“The rescue teams, foreign tourists, and the filming team were all attacked!”

“It was planned.”

It was a well-planned out attack.

“Mister!”

He called Ahn Soo Ho mister because he didn’t know what else to call him. But those who were used to handling guns easily recognized each other. The head of the mercenaries confirmed with his own eyes that Ahn Soo How was no ordinary man. Not anyone could just bring down a troop in a matter of minutes.

Ahn Soo Ho caught on to what he wanted to say. Despite his pride as a head of guards of Rosette Group, he was willing to yield to Ahn Soo Ho.

“We’re camping out.”

“We don’t have enough resources.”

“I’ll take care of that.”

“We don’t have any blood, surgical tools, or any doctors.”

“I’ll take care of it so prepare the camp.”

The doctors that came with Rosette Group weren’t specialized doctors but just a regular one and a nurse. They probably only volunteered to get some easy time off. It was possible that some of the mercenaries were more experienced.

He didn’t refute Ahn Soo Ho’s direct answer, but he didn’t surrender either. How was he supposed to resolve this issue? He left him behind. He pretended to take out his phone and then connected to his supercomputer. There was no communication problem anywhere in the world.

“Soo Ho?”

“Henry. Send some things over.”

That was Henry’s specialty.

“Okay. Where are you?”

“Trace my signal.”

“Wait... Kenya? What are you doing there?”

“I need some medical supplies and an experienced nurse if that’s possible.”

“Are you planning to go to war... Oh yeah. Kenya is in chaos right now.”

“As soon as possible.”

“Hm. Even if I send a helicopter from Nairobi, I need at least two hours.”

“One hour.”

“Tsk. Okay.”

Ahn Soo Ho looked back at the head of the mercenaries.

“They’ll be here in an hour. Secure a large vehicle.”

“Yes, Sir.”

He was still suspicious, but he did as he was told. As soon as Ahn Soo Ho approached Han Chae Kyung, she answered a question that wasn’t even asked.

“2 dead, 9 injured, and one person on both the guard team and filming team.”

“Han Chae Kyung!”

Ahn Soo Ho’s calling brought life back into her eyes. She seemed fine not long ago, but she must have been a child after all. Ahn Soo Ho held down Han Chae Kyung’s arms and waited for her to calm down. Color came back into her pale face.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes.”

“How many are dead?”

“Two.”

They were hit by accident while being on the bus.

“What about the injured?”

“They were just cut with bullets. The rest were scratched by glass.”

Ahn Soo Ho walked toward the doctors.

They flinched and avoided him, but their bodies followed him instinctively. There wasn’t a single person who was actually shot. They were lucky indeed.

If the bullet had been just a few centimeters to the side, it would have cut through their brain. There were only 2 humans that died, but it was different for mercenaries. Half of them ran away, and among the ones that remained, 8 died.

“Which PMC are they signed with?”

“One moment.”

Han Chae Kyung looked through her tablet PC.

“North Mist.”

“North Mist?”

There was no way. That company wasn’t any small hole in the wall that would hire such rookies. Following the downfall of Aragon Company, North Mist continued to climb to become a frontline company.

Considering that there were more than 1000 PMCs around the world, that meant they were a major conglomerate. In order to sign a contract with the governments and companies with each country, one had to have mercenary insurance, and in order to do that, they needed at least a certain number of mercenaries.

‘Allen, this bastard.’

Was he manipulating the mercenary ranks?

“Um...”

Ahn Soo Ho turned his head. He saw a man wearing outdoor gear that many Koreans were known for wearing. Ahn Soo Ho asked what he wanted with his eyes.

“Hello, CEO Ahn. I’m sorry I didn’t introduce myself earlier. I’m the Korean ambassador to Kenya, Kim Jong Hyun.”

“Oh, they came from the Kenyan Embassy to help us, Uncle.”

Han Chae Kyung butt in. Since the scale was large, even the Kenyan embassy had to join in. They said they wanted to help, but they only wanted to come and boost their performance evaluations.

“What is it?”

“Oh, I was just...”

The man trailed off and stepped back. He didn’t see the actual killings, but the sight of the aftermath was shocking. He thought he was used to it after seeing the Nairobi bombing as well as multiple riots, but what he saw today was more fearful than anything he had seen in 10 years.

“Hey!”

After parting with the ambassador, Ahn Soo Ho called over the guards and the head of mercenaries. Once they made a line with buses and cars, they made a safe zone that was just theirs.

The sun had already set.

The volunteer group enjoyed their first village so much that they spent more time there than originally scheduled. Would things have been all right if they kept to the schedule? Likely not. Since Garissa was chaotic as well, they might have been attacked even more severely there.

“Is there anyone else who’s injured?”

“No one that needs immediate attention. And the rest...”

“That’s too bad.”

The mercenaries that didn’t run either got injured or killed. That was why guns were scary. Ahn Soo Ho looked back at the head of the guards.

“Any weapons?”

“We collected them and handed them out.”

They collected the weapons of the enemies and handed them out to the guards. They were different from K-series, but guns were all the same. All they had to do was pull the trigger to make them work.

“We’ll keep an eye out for a few days and then go back to Nairobi or Mombasa.”

“What if...”

Ahn Soo Ho interrupted the mercenary from talking about supplies again. He looked at his watch. It wasn’t long before the promised time, and his supernatural hearing heard the sound of motors.

Rattle, rattle, rattle, rattle-

He saw a helicopter in the darkness. The mercenaries followed their commander’s orders and went toward the landing pad. The first person to get out of the helicopter was someone Ahn Soo Ho recognized.

“Lee Sang Moon?”

“I heard you needed help.”

Lee Sang Moon gave him a playful salute. Ahn Soo Ho and Lee Sang Moon were both a part of the 80s Society.

“You were in Kenya?”

“They always need an extra hand here.”

Foreigners who wanted to see lions, elephants and the mother nature of Africa always came here 365 days a year. Even if there was no war, there was always a need for mercenaries. While the other mercenaries unloaded the helicopter with supplies, Ahn Soo Ho asked about the current state of Kenya.

Lee Sang Moon shook his head.

“Kenya is in chaos. Since even the UN refugee first aid station is at risk, it’s obviously very dangerous out there. Al Shabab attacked with an elaborate plan. It hasn’t been confirmed yet, but over 500 foreigners have been kidnapped.”

“What about you guys?”

“Luckily, we didn’t lose any clients, but nine of our guys lost their lives. We’re going to work with other companies and retaliate.”

“What about the Kenyan government?”

“I’m not sure. They still haven’t gotten it together.”

Al Shabab was always a headache, but they had never done something this big before. They were close to fighting in a full-on war.

‘What’s going on here?’

Not even Islamic terrorist groups were crazy enough to provoke the US military right in front of their noses. Ahn Soo Ho took out his phone. It took a while for them to answer.

“Soo Ho!”

Robert Aquilan’s voice hinted that something horrible had happened.

“What is it?”

“The terrorists have attacked the hotel! We’ve been seized!”

“Not a bombing but a siege?”

Ahn Soo Ho thought of a possible scenario.

“Wa... was he caught as a hostage, too?”

“Who? Bungee?”

“Yeah.”

“His room was attacked first.”

“They want nuclear fuel.”

“What?”

“James Bungee is their target.”

However, he couldn’t understand it. It was unrealistic to risk a military operation just for one man.

‘No way.’

What if they were two different groups? What if the ones who attacked the hotel weren’t the same ones that were causing terrorist attacks in Kenya?

“Luckily, Hirukawa Mai is safe, Soo Ho. Don’t worry.”

“No!”

Ahn Soo Ho cut him off. Ahn Soo Ho ran toward the helicopter while screaming.

“Find her, Aquilan! Right now!”

He had thought Hirukawa Mai was being tricked my James Bungee. But what if that wasn’t the case? She was bold enough to quit her job at the UN because it didn’t align with her beliefs.

Environmental terror always started with the good intention of helping mankind.

‘All changes begin with an event.’

She needed something impactful to gain sympathy. And death was something that could get the public’s attention. He heard Aquilan on the other end of the line.

“Why?”

Ahn Soo Ho got on the helicopter and gestured for the pilot to take off.

“Hirukawa Mai is a terrorist!”

It was possible that even James Bungee was being fooled.

“She’s the culprit!”

< Protect – Episode 226 – Wild Africa [1] > The end.