December 26, 2020, 22:40 (China Standard Time 21:40), the X-2 bunker, Beijing Province area, China

  Four entrances led to the X-2 bunker. There’s one elevator inside a five-story building disguised as an office building, one freight elevator, and one stairway. The final entry was a secret elevator connected to an outside building.

  The numerous armored vehicles and midsized sedans parked outside the building was up in flames. The men from the heavy-weapons company under the 1st Aerial and Land Forces Battalion used their 60mm plasma pressure grenades and tore the vehicles like pieces of paper.

  The 1st Aerial and Land Forces Battalion’s men did not fear to lose their lives and charged toward the Chinese Special Forces Regiment. The Chinese defensive line was broken through, and the Korean forces began to charge toward the five-story building as they fired laser beams.

  Meanwhile, in the underground X-2 bunker.

  Boom! Booooooooom~

  A shock coming from the upper levels shook the entire bunker. The elevator that has President Xi Jin Ping on board stopped at the 50-meter mark from the emergency protocols. The Captain of President Xi Jin Ping’s bodyguards, Shu Lungun, contacted the surface through the intercom.

  “All right. Try to hold them back as long as possible. You must not let them through. Got it?”


  Captain Shu Lungun finished speaking with the men at the surface and spoke quietly to General Chiu Ji Liang Ji after walking up to him.

  “General Chiu Ji Liang Ji, sir! The armored vehicles and sedans standing by on the ground surface have been destroyed by the Korean special forces, they have reached the building’s entrance.”


  “Are you saying the way is shut?”


  “It seems it will be difficult to leave through the main entrance, sir.”


  “We are going back down and using the emergency exit then.”


  “Yes, sir.”


  Captain Shu Lungun after talking to General Chiu Ji Liang Ji sent a signal to one of the bodyguards. The immobile elevator began to move back down.

  “What is it, General Chiu?”


  President Xi Jin Ping asked in a worried tone.

  “Our forces are under attack by the Korean special forces, sir.”


  “What? How could the Koreans . . . How did they know about our location?”


  “It seems the Commanders of the 12th Army Group leaked the information, sir.”


  “Wu Weian—that bastard! What are our remaining forces and guards doing? How could they allow the Koreans this close to our doorstep?”


  President Xi angrily muttered Wu Weian’s name while frowning.

  “Didn’t I suggest that you leave the area a moment ago, sir? Since you hesitated—”


  “Vice President!”


  Vice President Li Yuan chao complained but fell silent when President Xi shouted at him.

  “Are you saying this is all my fault?”


  “No, sir. I apologize.”


  “We are unable to contact the forces stationed within downtown Beijing, sir. I think you should go back underground and move via the emergency elevator.”


  The elevator moved back down to the bunker’s Command Center as the sounds of explosions rang across the entire area. The Chinese political leaders, who had all been waiting to board the elevator, sensed something was wrong when they saw President Xi returned back down from the elevator.

  President Xi ignored the leading political members’ stares and hurried to the stairs leading to the emergency elevator. Captain Shu Lungun spoke to an officer under him and followed the President behind. The officer notified the other political leaders about the situation.

  “This elevator is no longer operational. Everyone, please move toward the emergency elevator.”


  After this announcement, the high-ranking government officials all rushed over to the emergency elevator and started a commotion. The guarding forces shut down the elevator and freight elevators and closed off the stairs leading to the other pathways by closing the steel doors.

  A crowd had gathered in front of the emergency elevator. The X-2 bunker had 500 people including President Xi Jin Ping but the emergency elevator had a 30-person capacity. First, President Xi, 7 high-ranking officials, the bodyguard’s Captain, and 12 other men boarded first.

  “When you reach the ground surface, hide at the nearby building. We will move together once we reach the surface, understood?”


  General Chiu Ji Liang Ji said to Captain Shu Lungun.

  “Yes, sir.”


  The elevator doors closed, and it rose to the surface at high speed.

  Meanwhile at the X-2 bunker’s surface.

  “These bastards, they shut off the elevators, sir.”


  Captain Na Kang-soo, who was first to enter the building, checked the elevators and reported to the Battalion Commander.

  “Of course, they did! Have your fastest men infiltrate through the stairs!”


  “Understood, sir.”


  Captain Na Kang-soo, Commander of the 5th Company, gave orders to his fastest platoon members.

  “Lieutenant Kang Hyuck! Take your platoon and go down the stairs, the rest of you will follow after we lock down the entire building.”


  “Yes, comrade Commander!”


  As gunshots and explosions rang across the building, the 30 men from the 1st Platoon under the 5th Company followed their Commander and swiftly ran down the stairs. It would be more accurate to say they were flying down the stairs.

  “This is the Battalion Commander! Excluding the 5th Company, the rest of you will begin to lock down the surrounding buildings. There must be an emergency exit somewhere! Search everywhere. The bastard Xi Jin Ping is bound to be nearby and unable to escape our search net! Do you get it?”


  * * *

  December 18, 2020, 22:50, Yongsan-ku B2 bunker (ROK Military Joint Command Center), Seoul

  Like a scene from a movie, the 1st Aerial and Land Forces battalion’s movements were being broadcast on-screen. The footage from the 1st Platoon was a sight to behold. The video was often shaking around, but the anxiety the men in the field must have felt traveled through the footage to affect the men at the Command Center as well.

  The men blew up the steel doors with a P-01 bomb and charged through when the path was clear. The men, although out of breath, continued to run in fear of failing the mission.

  The commanding Generals in the Joint Chiefs of Staff were all watching the footage while holding their breath. Lieutenant General Na Tae-yoon exclaimed, watching with is eyes wide open.

  “I think we could get Xi Jin Ping at this rate, sir.”


  “It’s not a matter of could or could not. Our men must, no . . . will get Xi Jin Ping.”


  “You’re absolutely right, General Choi, sir!”


  The 620th Artillery Corp’s Commander, lieutenant General Youn Gi-yoon spoke in agreement with General Choi Ho-il, Commander of the Northern state military. The two men were full of excitement after seeing their forces in action rather than the Korean ones.

  “Yes, I hope they do as well. Then this war can finally come to an end.”


  While Lieutenant General Na Tae-yoon answered and smiled, Chairman Kang silently stared at the screen.

  * * *

  December 26, 2020, 22:55 (China Standard Time 21:55), X-2 bunker, Beijing Province area, China

  Boom!

  The final steel doors tore open from the P-01 bomb’s blast like a piece of paper, and four flashbangs rolled down from the staircase.

  The flashes of light from the flashbangs filled the entire bunker, and the guarding forces ducked down while covering their eyes. Using this opening, the 1st Platoon’s men entered the underground bunker and began to spray laser beams.

  The white beams of light shone across all directions and the Chinese soldiers did not have a chance to retaliate before falling like leaves in an autumn storm.

  With a single blow, the 1st Platoon’s 2nd squadron took down the Chinese guardsmen. They began to move toward the Chinese operators still in the bunker and sprayed their laser beams at them. The enemy tried to retaliate with their pistols, but they were no match for the skilled aerial and land forces men and fell before firing a single shot.

  An hour ago, the bunker was full of Chinese military commanders, watching over the war, but now it was full of dead bodies and the smell of blood.

  The laser beams destroyed the numerous computers, monitors, and the large screen within the Command Center.

  “Xi Jin Ping is not here, sir.”


  “That bastard. There must be another exit. Find it.”


  The 40 men from the platoon began to search every corner of the bunker and took out every Chinese soldier and bunker operators.

  – Comrade! It’s here. Hurry.”


  A report from one of the platoon’s soldiers came through the headset.

  “Where is it?”


  – Follow the left corridor. These bastards are all cooped up in here.

  “All right. Check if any of them is Xi Jin Ping!”


  – Yes, sir.

  After the Commander and his men ran along a corridor to the left for 50 meters, an elevator door opened and seen were 100 Chinese soldiers with arms raised and on their knees.

  “What about Xi Jin Ping?”


  “He’s not here, sir.”


  “Fuck, he must have escaped. Does the elevator work?”


  “No, sir. It seems they cut the power from the surface.”


  “God damn it!”


  Platoon Commander Kang Hyuck grabbed one of the Chinese soldiers shaking in fear the most and grabbed him by the cuff. He pointed a pistol to the Chinese soldier’s temple and shouted.

  “Where is Xi Jin Ping, you little shit?”


  When the Chinese soldier did not answer and cried out instead, Commander Kang Hyuck pulled the trigger.

  Pew!

  A small hole opened up on the Chinese soldier’s head with the sound of the laser beam, and he fell. Platoon Commander Kang Hyuck pointed to one of the other bunker operators and shouted at him after pointing his pistol at him.

  “Where is Xi Jin Ping?”


  The Bunker Operator was full of fear and could not understand Korean, but since his life was on the line, he surmised what the question was about, and pointed to the elevator with his shaking finger.

  “Who doesn’t know that, you idiot? Where does this elevator lead to?”


  Commander Kang Hyuck pointed to the small monitor screen on his wrist. The monitor had a small digital map shown on it. The bunker operator pointed to a location on the map with his finger.

  “Are you sure? If you are lying, then your life is forfeit as well, do you understand?”


  The Platoon Commander shoved the operator aside and zoomed in on the map. The location the bunker operator pointed to was another building 500 meters away from the one the elevator was connected to.

  – Battalion Commander! Company Commander! Xi Jin Ping has run to the surface through another exit, sir. I am sending you his location now.

  “Are you certain?”


  The Battalion Commander, who was controlling the movement from the buildings on the surface, asked.

  “I am sure of it, comrade.”


  – All right, clean out the bunker and hurry back to the surface!

  “Yes, sir.”


  Platoon Commander Kang Hyuck gave a signal to his men after finishing his communication. The men spread out and began to install bombs with timers.

  “Listen up. You bastards! If it were up to me, I would like to bury you all in the dirt, but my superiors ordered me to spare your lives. Consider yourselves lucky. You may all run away after we leave! Understood? We are not responsible for you after that.”


  One of the men moved toward Platoon Commander Kang Hyuck, past the Chinese soldiers and operators shaking in fear, and spoke to him.

  “Comrade Commander! The bombs have all been installed.”


  “Is that so? Let’s move out.”


  The men from the 1st Platoon once again used the stairs and rushed back to the surface.

  Meanwhile, on the surface, the men began to tighten their search net and chased after President Xi Jin Ping who was located at a building 500 meters north of the exit, according to the location Platoon Commander Kang Hyuck sent over.