Clearing the Game at the End of the World

My biggest achievement wasn’t that I found just a single edible plant.

It was the fact that I succeeded in removing the soldiers’ fear of eating it raw before they reached a critical point of starvation. Lieutenant Colonel King had thanked me, saying that if this had continued for just a few more days, then the soldiers might have been completely blinded by their hunger and died by eating something poisonous.

First of all, when the food problem was solved, the guard troops, which had been rotating on one-hour shifts from hunger and lack of stamina that made it impossible to concentrate for prolonged periods, started to change shifts in three-hour increments, so there were now troops left over.

With those extra troops, we scoured around the jungle, collecting any plant that looked edible and setting up traps on whatever ground we set foot on using wines and tree branches. It wasn’t for the already extinct source of wild animals in the area, but the enemy.

After coming back to the barracks, the plants and roots were all poured out onto the ground, then were each tested for edibility. First, I would place them against sensitive parts of the skin like the lips or cheek to check for a reaction, then cut off a pinch of the plant and submerge it in water for 24 hours, then drink a couple of drops of that water, and if it’s fine even then, bite off a tiny piece.

[DAY-17]

Every single member of the unit experienced an extreme fever or excruciating stomachache and diarrhea at least once. Still, as a result, our unit was able to attain several more edible plants I’ve seen some time on TV before, like the cassava, jackfruit, and wild sugarcane. Of course, this was only an assumption made from the fact that we knew cassava tasted like potatoes and sweet potatoes, and sugarcane had a sweet liquid contained in its stem. We didn’t know exactly what we were eating. But what was important was that we were now full and content, and there was enough food for everyone to eat that there was now a pile of these plants in the corner of every single squad’s barracks.

[DAY-74]

It’s been over two months since I’ve been here, five more operations I participated in, with fourteen dead and twenty new transferred here. The higher-ups must not have liked that we survived because one day, they gave the 14 Special Ops a ridiculous command to raid the enemy’s air defense observation point while also reclaiming the civilian area that the enemy was occupying. Squad 1 and Squad 2, who went ahead in the helicopter, which was our only means of reinforcement, returned with only half of them alive after the two-week operation. It felt like the good people died especially quickly. Rather than mourning, I used that time to put more effort into my training.

Managing to survive this long, I came to learn that their saying, ‘one time of real experience is better than a hundred times of training,’ was indeed true, and at some point reached a level of skill in shooting and combat where I can work together with John.

Watching the soldiers come to me with an armful of plants and fruit every single day to ask me whether each of them was edible or not, the new people started calling me the supplies soldier, and since it wasn’t completely wrong, I was treated as a supply soldier from then on. That was because, around that time, I succeeded in growing cassava.

While I had been trimming the cassava roots, one of the squad members who was walking by mentioned that ‘these have one hell of a stubborn life, the leftover stems we threw away rooted down again in the soil’, and without much thought, I had the idea that it would be possible to plant them and regrow them. I replanted several of them in the corner of the base.

After close to a month, I dug up a little bit of the soil to find that there was a new cluster of roots, which made the other squad members yell out cheers, and even Lieutenant Colonel King, famous for his ability to stay calm, said he was thankful that Maditch sent me to them.

A few days later.

On the day when a wetland snake we thought went completely extinct in the area was caught in our ‘tactical ambush ankle trap for humans…’

Lieutenant Colonel King stood in front of the expanded cassava farm and officially announced that the 14 Special Ops Unit no longer had a food shortage.

[DAY-81]

When the daily radio calls from the 14 Special Ops that requested supplies, or even just food, stopped coming, a few soldiers from the higher-rank units came to check if we were all dead.

Since we had already evolved beyond just allied troops into Tarzans, we greeted them warmly, and as a meaning of gratitude to the high-ranking units for worrying about us, we showed them our traditions. The newest grade of military uniforms were squeaky clean, and sturdy, and the military rations they brought almost made us faint from how good it was.

With that, we had completely recovered our vitality, and I knew that our unit was ready to move on to the next stage.

“Hey, Luwil. You busy?”

Day 89.

Luwil, who was plowing the field with a plow (made by tying a barrel of a gun mangled up by a grenade to a tree branch), stopped what he was doing and straightened up to face me.

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“I dunno… not really?”

“Then come with me for a sec.”

“Oh, did you find something new again?”

To Luwil’s question, I just nodded instead of answering.

Yesterday, something was dropped off at the supplies area by a transport plane. Not another soldier, but real provisions.

I opened up the crate, grateful that they even sent us anything…

‘What? This is it?’

‘They never leave out those damned beans, do they.’

Its contents made it hard to believe that the provisions were for a unit that was combating the enemy on the battlefield.

Two boxes of canned beans.

One box of canned herring with some of them oddly swollen up.

Ten varying, ununified rifles. Four of them were unusable because they weren’t compatible with the ammo given to them.

Two bundles of grenades, 16 in total.

Three portable anti-tank firearms, nine cartridges.

Twenty bulletproof vests.

And the most important one, ammo. 900 rounds.

Looking at the crumpled notes I had on the unit’s supplies, among the unsystematic notes such as ‘Cassava – 140 roots’ and ‘Reeds – ½ tent worth’, was the date when they sent the last supply. It was exactly 6 weeks ago.

With three new soldiers dying from the last enemy’s ambush, there were currently 37 soldiers.

Since that makes it around 24~25 rounds per person, they didn’t even give enough bullets for each soldier to fill a single magazine.

A decent number of vests and not enough bullets.

For some reason, that sounded like they were telling us to go out and die for me.

“What did the higher-ups say? It’d be better to go scream at a wall, but we should still curse them out until their ears bleed.”

“That’s obviously what I went to do first, but Lieutenant Colonel was already screaming into the radio when I got there.”

Our composed, stoic Lieutenant Colonel had been talking in a flat, low tone while grinding his teeth to dust. I couldn’t hear what they were saying on the other side, but with the few words that leaked out and through the Lieutenant Colonel’s tone, it was more than enough to figure out what they were saying.

“They were saying something like… why aren’t you dead yet?”

“What? Who?”

“How would I know? Probably the one that sent Lieutenant Colonel here in the first place. They must be pretty darn annoyed that the guy they sent out to die is still alive. When he mentioned the provisions, they started talking about the next operation.”

“F**k… we’re gonna get another mountain of corpses. What is it this time? It should be doable if it’s raiding a key observation point like last—”

“We’re attacking. A head-on battle against the captured enemy territory, Tarel Ground.”

After hearing what Gyosu said, Luwil’s face made an expression of disbelief. That was only natural. Since I made the same face when I heard it too.

‘This order is beyond absurd. This is unreasonable! Colonel! A total war? We do not have the people nor the supplies to do such a thing!’

[That-tzzt! Incompetence of Lieutenant Colonel-tzt! There- no change to opera-tzzt!]

‘Please reconsider! If we do not change the strategy immediately…!’

It was only after hearing that I realized just how s—ty of people we were working for. To think that it wasn’t just one person like Maditch, but multiple of them holding the power up top. To think I’m their underling. It felt like the heavens were falling on me.

“Apparently, the flies had a pretty big fight a few days ago, and we got a pretty good hand over them, so we temporarily have the right to air for a while. Said they’ll flash their wings to us too. After the Air Force’s bombarding passes, then the 14 Special Ops Unit blocks the main advance point of the enemy, so the front, and in the meantime, our ally’s main unit is going to move their equipment and flank the enemy in the midst of the chaos.”

Total war. That meant the allies and enemies were going to pull out every single card they had stocked up to have a fight.

Even if our unit is the master of guerilla battles and sabotage, not even we could block the enemy’s mechanized artillery division with airsoft guns and a couple of grenades.

The news that came through the radio was basically an execution order for the entire unit.

“…Lieutenant Colonel. What did he say?”

“He said that if they continue to come out like this, then we will have no choice but to prioritize our lives. What he said was basically saying we’re switching sides to at least a Colonel, but the answer was even worse.”

“And that is?”

“They apparently planted mines in the direction of the enemy’s advance in case the front was breached to the ‘14 Special Ops Unit’s incompetence’. Since they left the road to the main entrance clean for the vehicles, they told him to escape there if we wanted to. But if we do, it was going to be treated as disobedience of orders and desertion. Considering it’s during wartime, it’s highly likely going to be punished by execution, is what they said.”

Thunk!

Luwil, who had his eyes closed as he rubbed his temples, threw the plow on the ground when he heard the last things I said.

“Just when it looked like things were getting better… Do they really have to kill us all for this to end?”

“More like they want to suck out every last drop of blood from us since we’re going to die anyway.”

The reason why they sent the anti-tank firearms they never sent before was so clear that it was disgusting. Since we’re going to die if we run away, we might as well attract the enemy using these. Since if we get lucky and manage to make not just the artillery but the enemy’s tanks turn to us too, then the main unit would be able to attack the enemy’s flank when it’s wide open.

“…Alright. Well, everyone’s funeral date’s been set. Then what’s this about going somewhere? Do you want to get ready to desert this place?”

“Even if we’re lucky and get past that minefield, we’ll either be executed for desertion or get dragged back here.”

“…What about surrendering?”

“As if that would work?”

The 14 Special Ops force was known to be an infamous unit to the enemy’s army. Experts of guerrillas working in pairs of two or three to kill allied guard troops with just a few shots before retreating. In reality, they were just waiting to ambush them for the right time to shoot, whether that was a day or two days, because of their lack of bullet rounds, but to the enemy, it was pure terror, as if the enemy could come out of anywhere at any time. Even if they manage to find a trace and track it down? All sorts of snares and toxic plant powders linked to the traps are awaiting them.

If they try to raid them properly? The guys ditch all of their unusable gear and move the entire unit, and then the main unit rains down mortars on the invading troops like they don’t care if any 14 Special Ops soldiers are left there.

Thanks to that, the enemy’s vengeance towards the 14 Special Ops Unit was through the roof. If they surrendered, the enemy would eagerly greet them, then chop off our heads and show us into the fire.

“Both our enemies and allies hate us. So there’s only one way for us to survive.”

“And what’s that?”

“We just need to expand the reason why we’re alive a little more.”

Before I came to Luwil, I barged into Lieutenant Colonel’s tent after he finished talking on the radio and told him my idea.

The reason why we weren’t already executed was because the public had an opinion positive enough about us that they couldn’t remove us right away.

If we expanded on that to the point where everyone knew the 14 Special Ops, then they might not be able to throw us out like trash.

“There are some like Maditch, but some of the commanders are normal ones who see war as just war. If we show them enough skill and achievements, then they’ll definitely get interested. That’s the only way we can get out of this damned situation. To make the 14 Special Ops Unit too valuable to throw away. We’ll spread our fame wide enough so that it becomes an obviously stupid choice to use the 14 Special Ops Unit as mere bait.”

It wasn’t actually that grand of a plan. Just like how we’re not being executed right now because of the other soldiers, let’s try to get noticed by the commanders this time. It was doing the same exact thing.

Hearing that, after a long moment of thinking, Lieutenant Colonel agreed to my suggestion, and aside from Luwil, who had been out on patrol, he called the Squad Leaders for Squad 1, 3, and me, who proposed the idea and spent all night coming up with a plan.

“Making a name for us with just a few anti-tank firearms, not enough bullets for a full magazine, and around thirty troops against a division-level army… Is that even possible?”

“Not like this, no. That’s why I called you. We’re making another squad with you, me, Shepherd, and a few other aces from the 14 Special Ops Unit. Before fighting the enemy, we have something we need to do.”

Gyosu pulled the blueprint that the Lieutenant Colonel completed last night through immense contemplation and continued to talk to Luwil.

“For the operation commencing three days later, the main unit already took out their equipment from the base and is taking a long way around. Since there’s only a limited number of paths through the jungle with heavy equipment, they probably have the idea to take a far detour to close in some distance without the enemy noticing. Naturally, that means both the operating and maintenance personnel went with them too. But all of the supplies piled up at the headquarters. They wouldn’t have had time to move all of that, right? It isn’t like their dirt poor like us either.”

“No… don’t tell me.”

Luwil said as he saw a big red X drawn over our ally’s storage building on the Lieutenant Colonel’s map.

“We’re infiltrating our troops… and stealing?”

“Don’t call it stealing. It’s just a little enthusiastic means of requesting provisions. Even if we are their bait, our bio codes still identify us as an ‘ally’, so we won’t be swiss cheesed by the stationary turrets.”

Gyosu handed Luwil a poncho and a mask with 14 Special Ops Squad embroidered largely onto it, which Marti made last night.

“No matter what happens, you can’t kill the Allied troops. We have to stop at what’s considered embezzlement of supplies according to military law so we don’t give any sort of justification to the people who want to kill us. We’re going to proudly announce that we’re the 14 Special Ops Squad and enter the ally’s base. Then, after righteously and violently seizing the provisions, we will run back to our home before we get punished. Got it?”

“Hah, hahahahah…”

Luwil took the mask that looked like one a bank robber would wear and laughed at how ridiculous how this all was. They’ll confidently reveal their identity and go into the ally’s base to rob them.

“It’s so… brilliant!”

Putting on the mask that had a bad stench, it must have been made from torn uniforms. Luwil put on a smile that perfectly fit the role of a robber.

“Kid, fess up. Lieutenant Colonel didn’t think this up on his own, did he? His Majesty the King can’t think of something as crazy as this.”

“Mmm… Lieutenant Colonel planned everything except for this. Like sending a false surrendering document to the enemy and telling them all of the ally’s ambushing locations so they lose interest in us.”

“Then what about this?”

“Pwahah! The supplies are obviously the supply soldier’s responsibility!”

John, who came out of the tent with his mask on at some point, chimed in. Behind him, several more people wearing the same mask with the 14 Special Ops Unit embroidered on it followed him out.

“Our side’s all readied up. Kid, are you ready? We’ll die if we’re unlucky.”

“We’ll just have to pray that the guys up in headquarters were living under a rock long enough to think bio codes are everything.”

“No, not that. Even if we manage to rob them and arm ourselves up with those epic military shields, electronic firearms, and plasma grenades, we’re only one infantry company. The enemy is a battalion-sized unit with all that, if not more. Even if they lose interest in us, when a battle eventually breaks out, troops over 10 times our number are going to turn their guns to us.”

“…I know.”

They managed to create a plan where they’ll survive somehow. A plan they created, screaming curses all night at and with the Lieutenant Colonel and Squad Leaders.

No matter what they did, there wasn’t a way for everyone to survive. But…

“At least the people that survived will be honored in the name of the 14 Special Ops Unit. If we’re all going to be crushed down like trash anyway, shouldn’t we try to save at least some of the people?”

And so the squad set off boldly towards the main gate of the 394th Armored Regiment, the only path without mines throughout the entire minefield behind their base.

That night, one of the operators that had been watching over the base’s perimeters opened the door to eight soldiers from an advancing unit who were clearly identified as friendly forces according to the bio code, without even a single reaction from the metal sensor. And that night, the brigade was robbed of all their advanced equipment and supplies by several masked men yelling out, ‘We’re from 14 Special Ops!’ and ‘We’re taking some provisions!’ When the confused operator reported to the commander that ‘Allied soldiers are causing a commotion in the supply depot’, the commander, who had left the headquarters with the tanks, figured out what was going on and gave permission to open fire, it was already after two vehicles each loaded with two 2.5 ton trucks worth of supplies blasted open the main gate with plasma guns and were long gone.

Three days later, the main forces faced the enemy in a total war as anticipated. However, the enemy had no interest in the 14 Special Ops Unit’s direction but was instead fully prepared for the total war against the main units, and the battle had ended with a dramatic victory of one side when a small infantry unit that succeeded in breaking through the enemy’s rear sacrificed themselves.

Later, when Sergeant Gyosu Park stood before a military court, he claimed, ’ It was simply an embezzlement of provisions, and we just stole it because we thought we’d be much better at using them than those useless bastards’.

At the end of the trial, the command decided that instead of punishment, they would cancel the awarding of medals and special promotions that had been planned to be awarded to the three survivors of the 14 Special Operations Unit, including Gyosu Park, Luwil Batross and Doris Rishach, was concluded that the 14 Special Operations Unit will now be operated as a unit specializing in enemy sabotaging and infiltration from the rear with the allocation of special forces personnel under the command of Sergeant Gyosu Park, who continued to emphasize that the attack on Tarel Ground was a defensive battle for some reason.

Later, the 14 Special Ops Squad records their name in history as legends.

Gaiden – (End)