Chapter 21 – The Wolf’s Fangs (2)

Chapter 21 – The Wolf's Fangs (2)

General Zhang Yang visited the medical barracks with Su Mu.

This place was much noisier than they expected. This was because lawmakers who were considered powerful in Hanzhong came together to help each other. There were medical soldiers in the corps, but there were not many of them and the level of medical care was not high. Although it was a place where entry to the general public was prohibited, there was currently no choice but to welcome help from civilians with open arms.

The medics who discovered General Zhang Yang quickly stood up. The lawmakers didn't know what to do, so they made awkward gestures and made a sweeping gesture. Yang Yang held the hands of each member of the National Assembly and repeatedly expressed her gratitude.

“Thank you, thank you so much.”

Su Mu followed Zhang Yang into the depths of the barracks. To the left and right, there were over a hundred wounded soldiers lying on wooden beds receiving treatment. Although it was painful, most of the wounded soldiers' faces were bright. This may be because he survived with honor in a hopeless situation.

And the end of the barracks. There, they saw Manager Wi Jin-cheol, whom they were looking for. Without noticing them coming, an old man was stitching up his abdomen. So-mu's eyes, looking at the congressman, glowed slightly but quickly faded.

“How is your condition?”

When Jang Yang asked behind his back, the congressman was shocked and shouted.

“Oh, what a surprise! Are you telling me to pretend to be popular?”

Zhang Yang smiled sheepishly and answered.

“Heh heh. I’m sorry.”

The lawmaker, who finally realized who the opponent was, bowed his head repeatedly.

“Oh, general, are you here? I thought you were a medic….”

“Never mind. Will you be able to recover?”

“Usually, when you get a penetrating wound like this, not only the injured area but also nearby organs are damaged, but surprisingly, all other parts were fine. There wasn’t as much bleeding as expected… Whoever provided first aid, if it wasn’t for him, he would have died right away.”

After hearing the old man's words, Zhang Yang asked Su Mu behind him.

“Now that I think about it, who did the first aid?”

“Well, I got caught up in a melee right away…”

“It’s a shame. I want to give something back to him, but I don’t know who he is….”

So-mu naturally gently grabbed Wi Jincheol’s hand. This was to secretly confirm his details.

‘I’ve passed the critical point, but my energy and blood were unstable. Since your body was trained in martial arts, you will be able to recover quickly as long as your internal energy was replenished.’

So-mu let his true energy flow through his whole body and asked the lawmaker with a calm expression.

“Councilor, how long will recovery take?”

“Maybe it will happen in about a month.”

“This person is a very important person in our corps. Please do me a favor.”

“Cancer, then you must survive!”

While exchanging a few words, So-mu was able to finish the work. Yang Yang was already preparing to leave the barracks. He muttered softly to Wi Jin-cheol, who was losing his mind.

“I am relieved to see that you are safe. I have a lot of work to do now, so I will come back later.”

So-mu silently followed Jang Yang. When they reached the middle of the passageway of the barracks, an unidentifiable sound suddenly flew into So-mu's ears.

– You're hiding something. Controlling another person's energy and blood was possible only after reaching at least the peak.

It was the voice of the doctor who was treating Wi Jin-cheol. So-mu reacted calmly, as if she had already expected it.

– The congressman was also a good actor. I wonder what Mr. Mo Cheong, the new doctor of his life, was doing here.

Rather, the person who was embarrassed was the lawmaker called Mo Cheong.

– It's already been more than fifteen years since I left Kangho, so how can you know me?

– Hehe. I think the teacher has presbyopia. We would have already seen it once before.

The old man hesitated for a moment at So-mu's words, and after another breath, he asked in a trembling voice.

– if… … Are you who I think you were?

– It would be best to pretend that we don't know each other.

– Are you going to stay here?

– If you don't have a different opinion than me, we will see each other again.

There was no further conversation.

As we left the barracks, Zhang Yang said goodbye.

“I have to go check the interrogation process of the prisoners.”

“Are they going to become regular soldiers too?”

“They are people whose hometown has been occupied and who have nowhere to go. If you want, we should accept you. Come to think of it, you must be busy for a while too.”

* * *

There were a few more days left before the enemy forces coming through Seokcheon County in the east could arrive.

The sixteenth corps of the sword army was disbanded and reborn as an independent unit called the Rang-a-dae . For the time being, outdoor training of all combat units was prohibited by corps ordered. The members of Ranga University were concentrating on internal training in the barracks.

“Oh, damn it! I’m going to get sick from staying in the barracks for a few days.”

Perhaps exhausted from eating breakfast all day, Il-gwang grumbled and flopped down on the floor. The blood pressure of his entire body was damaged, and the speed at which his internal energy was accumulating was incredible. The consumption of mental energy was bound to be greater.

Il-gwang, who was lying on the floor, opened his eyes. I saw a crew member chatting in front of me. A cute face with big eyes and a small body. A member of the royal family named Songhwa, he was one of the youngest members of Wolf Fang Squad along with Cheong-hae.

“Songhwa, come up behind me for a moment.”

"yes?"

“No, come up behind me for a moment.”

Songhwa knew very well what Il-gwang was asking for. Songhwa climbed up behind his broad back and pressed the soles of his feet in various places. However, there was no way his small size could be properly conveyed to Il-gwang.

“Run!”

At Il-gwang's request, he started jumping up and down like a rabbit.

thud-! thud-! thud-!

“Like this?”

“Higher~.”

A smile slowly appeared on Il-gwang’s face.

Songhwa's eyes, which had been running around without thinking, turned to the entrance of the barracks. Because someone was entering the barracks. And the moment he lost his mind, the soles of his feet deviated from their direction.

Kuuk-!

“Ugh! What if I step on your neck?”

As Il-gwang grabbed her neck and threw her down like a shrimp, Song-hwa's face turned white.

“Oh, sorry!”

Il-gwang, who had stumbled several times, staggered to his feet.

“Okay, get out of the way.”

Those entering the barracks were about a dozen soldiers. Each of them seemed to be holding a box in their hands. Il-gwang, who was bored at that moment, became interested in the car and stomped over to it.

“What? Are we giving it to you?”

“It’s a gift from the general to you.”

The soldiers put the box down in the barracks and then turned around and left. As the surroundings became noisy, several new recruits finished their fortune-telling breakfast and asked.

“Brother Il-gwang, what is it?”

“What is it?”

Il-gwang, who was squatting down and looking inside the box, continued to exclaim in exclamation.

“Wow. Isn’t this a joke? Look at how soft it is!”

What Il-gwang took out of the box was a specially made black armor. Unlike the armor of ordinary soldiers, which barely covered the upper body, it had complete protection up to the shoulders and knees. The connection part was made of string, making it easy to move around and light in weight. The black helmet issued together had a shape similar to bamboo ribs.

“Try them on one at a time.”

The excited team members each received a pair and quickly started putting them on. Among them, two sets of black armor had the character “ten ” embroidered on the right shoulder. It would be for Il-gwang and Cheong-hae, who were appointed as captains of the ten divisions. In that case, there would also be centurion armor.

“Captain So-mu!”

One of the crew quickly found his and handed it to him. So-mu's black armor had the character Baek embroidered on the right shoulder. And even the helmet decorated with red tassels made him look different from others.

Wearing the newly issued armor, they looked at each other and let out an exclamation. The way they clung to the body looked so convincing that it could almost be said that they were assassins. So-mu asked silently, looking at the crew.

“You don’t like it? If it’s uncomfortable, let me know. Why not just wear the existing armor?”

The crew quickly waved their hands and vehemently denied it.

“Absolutely not!”

“Haha! I love it!”

“It’s the best!”

So-mu smiled slightly, as if she was proud to see the group members liking it.

“From now on, our Wolf Fang Squad is a special attack force of the Legion. This means that we have to carry out the most dangerous missions on the front line. In order to survive, we must increase the intensity of our training. Are you prepared?”

These were crew members whose confidence had already soared to the sky. His words didn't even reached my ears. The crew members were busy looking around to see if they liked the black armor.

It was then. Suddenly, the sound of drums signaling a summons began to be heard outside the barracks.

Sniff-! thud-! thud-! thud-!

“Looks like we’re finally heading out.”

Wolf Fang Squad's members, who were already wearing armor, did not need to prepare separately. As I go out of the barracks, I see about a dozen soldiers walking around and beating drums. One of them spotted So-mu and came up to him.

“The captain of Wolf Fang Squad asks you to come to the military conference room immediately.”

After becoming a centurion, So-mu was able to move freely. Within the military camp, wherever and whenever he wanted to go, he was never stopped.

When we arrived at the military conference room, all the generals, including Zhang Yang, were already there. When So-mu bowed at the entrance, Lieutenant Jinrip of the archers gestured and said.

“Please sit over there.”

There was a seat for So-mu in one corner. Su Mu, who sat silently, looked at Zhang Yang.

“Everyone is gathered, so let’s get started right away. The enemy has arrived 30 miles away. They probably don’t know yet that we have defeated Muka’s army.”

Deputy Yang Yeon-jeong nodded and agreed.

“The two legions were advancing in opposite directions, so you wouldn’t know it yet. If so, you must have let your guard down. Is this a field battle again?”

“Our total army is 7,000, including the soldiers who surrendered. In contrast, the enemy’s number is 15,000. Although we are outnumbered, it can be said to be a very encouraging situation compared to the previous battle. Moreover, the morale of the soldiers is very high now, so there is no need to go to the defensive battle.”

“If we fight head-on, the damage on our side will be significant.”

“If it’s the front, of course it is. I’m thinking about a night attack tonight. What do you guys think?”

Director Baek Moon-hwi, who commanded the advance guard, said.

“We are probably still a ragtag bunch in their eyes. The enemy certainly cannot even imagine being attacked by surprise. However, our advance guard specializes in search and reconnaissance, and is not yet trained for night attacks.”

“So we didn’t create Lang-a-dae? Please tell me, Captain So-mu.”

Su Mu's thoughts also coincided with Zhang Yang's. If the force was weaker than Muka's corps, there was no need to drag it all the way to the defensive battle and increase the damage. But to convince them, a little lie was needed.

“Our Wolf Fang Squad has already completed training for night raids under the leadership of Commander Wi Jin-cheol. When we make a surprise attack and the enemy's position begins to shake, if the main camp storms in and attacks, we will be able to easily defeat it.”

Manager Baek Moon-hwi asked back with an expression of disbelief.

“Commander Wi Jin-cheol has prepared thoroughly without us knowing. But do you think a surprise operation is possible with only 100 people?”

“Wolf Fang Squad is not that weak.”