Humans were humans, not fork cranes. Black Mamba realized his mistake. He’d rushed to move without much thought.

  “Why’s this so weak? They don’t even know how to set up a pillar.”


  “Oh, tabiki[1]. What can they do with their hamster brains? They don’t know anything despite the teachings of Turki[2] that lasted over 1,000 years.”


  “Those golden hamsters only know how to dig holes. Everything they made is poorly constructed.”


  The three agents raised their chins at the same time and clicked their tongues. It was an act of contempt. The agents strongly sympathized with his weak excuse. He had once heard that the ethnic tension between Turkey and Syria was beyond Korea and Japan’s, and that seemed to be right.

  The Turks referred to the Syrians as hamsters. The highlands, where the golden hamsters were often raised as pets and test subjects, were located in Aleppo, Syria. The Syrians referred to the Turks as saffah[3], which established their mutual resentment.

  Syria had been under the Ottoman Empire’s rule for a long time and had suffered several holocausts. In recent years, their precious Hatay was seized by the Turks. The Turks looked down on the Syrians, and the Syrians’ hatred festered into torment. It was just like Korea and Japan.

  Boom—


  His resonance waves spread across the surface. He checked the areas where there were buried mines and began shoving the sticks down. There was no need to mark the anti-tank mines. They didn’t budge, even if he jumped on them. Whether anyone would dare to do that on top of a mine was questionable.

  “Can humans see through the ground?”


  The MIT agents were in disbelief. The madman was jumping around everywhere while poking in sticks attached with red ropes. The two other men, who had followed him without hesitation while carrying backpacks, were also mad.

  “Don’t bother. He must be one of those people with sensory abilities. There are plenty of people who can find things underground in Istanbul. We only need to do our job.”


  “Well, he’s the hamster leader that brought along a herd of hamsters, so he should be familiar with the underground.”


  When the agent, who had a rifle slung over his shoulder, spoke as though it was nothing, the other agent, who was holding onto the mine detector, also shrugged it off.

  Even the agents couldn’t escape the Turks’ arrogance. Turkish men with their resolute machismo tendencies didn’t like acknowledging other people’s talents.

  It didn’t take 20 minutes for him to mark the mines. Black Mamba checked once more with his resonance waves and raised the wireless radio.

  “Mohammad, send them group by group, in intervals of 10 seconds.”


  “I understand, sir.”


  100 men and women carrying wrapped luggage rushed out of their hiding place and crossed the hills. Black Mamba’s eyes grew alert. There were approximately 900 meters of exposed distance to get to the barbed-wire fences. He had already cleaned out 300 meters on both sides and tapped over 1,000 meters, but it was still not time to relax. He raised his dimensional sight to its utmost.

  “If you insist on visiting Allah, I have no choice but to send you off.”


  Clang clang—


  The Dragunov fired away. The RPG gunner and finder that were 500 meters away collapsed forward.

  “Sir Ddu-bai-buru-pa, everyone in group one has arrived,” the religious guard-in-charge reported while panting.

  “Friends, lead them.”


  “Got it.”


  One of the MIT agents led the first Orthodox Christian group and disappeared.

  “Sir Ddu-bai-buru-pa, everyone in the second group has arrived.”


  “Good job. Friend, take care of them for me.”


  The second group also disappeared along with another MIT agent. By the time the third group arrived, nine MIT agents in farmer attire had appeared.

  “Sin Bay[4]. I’m Ocak Bir.”


  A sturdy man, who looked like he was in his early 40s, requested a handshake. Ocak was January in Turkish. Bir referred to the number one. That meant 12 groups were dispatched to assist him, and that guy was the one in charge. The Turks’ class consciousness was no exception to the intelligence agency. Aside from assigning a temporary code name, the MIT also assigned a temporary number for every operation. The nickname “Alarek On” referred to the youngest of an operative team.

  “Ange de la Mort.”


  “Ha, you’re more like the angel of salvation rather than the angel of death. It’s astounding how you’re helping that many people to escape. Refugees to be transferred into limousines, ha, it’s unbelievable.”


  “Limousines?”


  “There’s no need to head directly to Camuzk??las?. Limousines await you once you cross the DMZ. We’re moving according to orders, but greeting hamsters at the border with limousines? Hahaha!”


  Bir laughed as though he couldn’t believe his own words.

  “Well, I suppose that’s true.”


  Black Mamba didn’t like how Bir looked down on the Syrians by calling them hamsters, but he understood the animosity between the two countries. It wasn’t much different from how the Koreans referred to the Japanese as Jjokbari. For someone who’s on the receiving end of help, he didn’t want to cause problems, either.

  “Are you Japanese?”


  “Non, Coréen,” Black Mamba replied instinctively and flinched.

  He answered that he was Korean after he was assumed to be Japanese. He must have relaxed too much nearing the end of a complicated problem. However, Ocak Bir was also strange. Informants usually didn’t ask others for their personal information.

  “Nice to meet you. Turkey and Korea are brother nations. My father participated in the Korean War. I’m Havu? from the MIT’s operations department. It means carrot in Turkish.”


  “Kuk, call me Dong-bang-bull-pae.”


  Black Mamba silently laughed at Havu?, whose face flushed like the color of carrots. Havu?’s code name suited him. As he was talking to Havu?, the last group, who were the Kurd tribe, escaped with the agents’ help.

  Havu?’s eyes followed the stream of people who avoided the sticks with red ropes. He had already received the report that the Ange de la Mort had marked all the mines, ensuring a safe passage. He was surprised that the man could sense that many mines.

  What an amazing guy.

  There were several people with unique abilities among the operative agents. Some operatives could smell things several times better than others, and like a seal, some could even stay underwater for more than 10 minutes. It seemed like the Ange de la Mort was an operative with unique abilities too.

  Boom—


  Boom—


  Intense explosions were continuously heard from the north.

  Bang—


  Bang—


  The brief explosions were from tanks. That meant the battle had progressed.

  “Won’t there be any problems?”


  “No, there won’t. We have stronger tank power. The M48A3 Patton and M60 Patton will overwhelm Syria’s tanks. We’re a tier above them when it comes to both weapons and technology.”


  Tutututu—


  A Heliborne Battalion flew in from the east. They were the reinforcements from Tell Rifaat.

  “The battle’s intensifying.”


  “No problem. Attack helicopters will be coming in from Hatay. Assad will surely pay the price for provoking Hatay.”


  “I thought it was originally Syria’s territory.”


  “Less than 10 percent of the Syrians live in Hatay. They are mostly the Turks. I heard there are mostly Koreans in the far east region of Manchuria. I don’t understand why Korea’s staking a claim over that territory.”


  “Hah!”


  Black Mamba was rendered speechless. Havu? spoke factually, as though his concept of territories were like tables having four legs.

  “The self-propelled artillery shootings will start soon. This place isn’t safe. We need to leave this place as soon as possible,” Havu? urged.

  “Bakri, what are you doing? You need to leave quickly,” Black Mamba spoke to Bakri’s group, who were still moving slowly.

  Jamal approached and whispered into Black Mamba’s ear.

  “Master, Bakri and his family have been guarding your wealth.”


  “Aha!”


  Black Mamba exclaimed even if he was late to the game. He was so busy that he had entirely forgotten about the papers, videotape, the bunch of dollars, and gold. It was careless of him since there were over 4,000,000 dollars and 400 kilograms of gold. Bakri and Jamal must have struggled while trying to carry all of that.

  He took off his backpack and threw it at Jamal. 400 kilograms worth of gold was approximately 21,000 cubic centimeters. It was 27.5 centimeters in length, width, and height. His backpack was more than enough to fit that capacity, but the weight was impossible for ordinary people to bear.

  “Jamal, you can do whatever you need to do with the money.”


  “Yes, sir. I’ll protect it to the best of my ability.”


  What does he mean?

  Black Mamba had meant for Jamal to use it on the Orthodox Christians and the Kurd tribe, but his reply was unusual. However, he should be able to use it wisely since he’s friends with Bakri.

  “Master, it’s ready.”


  Jamal couldn’t do anything to the heavy backpack and had to call Black Mamba over. Black Mamba lifted the backpack, as though it was light, and slung it around his shoulder. Jamal shook his head. It was about time he got used to it, but the sight surprised him every time.

  “Master, the camera that was used in Kaparja and other small things are in the outer pouch.”


  “Good job.”


  The heavy backpack was reassuring. The gains he obtained from this Syria trip couldn’t measure up to what he had obtained in the Sahel. He was definitely compensated for his labor.

  Once they escaped the DMZ, 15 limousine buses were waiting for them in a line.

  “Why aren’t you boarding?”


  The 540 Orthodox Christians and the Kurd tribe, who were standing in line, kneeled together. Bakri was the first to open his mouth.

  “Allahu Akbar!”[5]

  “Allahu Akbar!”


  540 people chanted after him.

  “Akbar ha-da!”


  “Akbar ha-da!”


  “Afdal yaumin pi-hayati-duh shuduh Ddu-bai-buru-pa! Wa sadi!”[6]

  “Afdal yaumin pi-hayati-duh shuduh Ddu-bai-buru-pa! Wa sadi!”


  “Oh!”


  Black Mamba’s eyes started watering. It had been complicated and challenging, but it was rewarding. The warmheartedness of 100s of people rushed toward him. He felt as though something in the corner of his mind broke. The pressure, which seemed to hound the corner of his mind at all times, disappeared.

  Whoosh—


  Resonance waves swept past his entire body. He shivered. His body felt infinitely lighter. Something had changed.

  “Habibi! Let’s go together.”


  Wael hopped forward but nearly tripped over a rock.

  “Oh, you’ll fall, habiba.”


  Black Mamba teleported and picked the child up.

  “Look, this child is everyone’s hope. All humans need to be responsible for at least one life, and that is your own. You cannot take care of yourself when freedom is taken away from you. I give all of you your freedom. Now, you all must live to help this child and the next generation learn to take responsibility for their own lives.”


  Without leaving a single person behind, his baritone voice reached everyone who had crossed the line.

  “Huriyah![7]” Bakri shouted at the top of his lungs.

  “Huriyah!”


  All at once, the screams of 540 people echoed across the border. The morning sun rose. Like a waterfall, the bright sunlight poured over the backs of the people who were dressed in worn clothes. Those who had never been deprived of their freedom didn’t know how precious that was.

  Unlike most countries’ military culture, the Korean military suppressed the freedom of their soldiers. Those who didn’t suffer in the army would never understand why soldiers risked their lives to sleep outside the military for at least one night.

  Ahmad came forward, held hands with Idia, and kneeled.

  “Ddu-bai-buru-pa, ya hayati[8]! Thank you for the new life you’ve given us. We’ll serve you with our lives.”


  “Ahmad, I get sick when I hear someone offering their life. You’re responsible for Idia’s life. Value yourself. Idia, this is someone you’ve gained out of hardship. I hope you live happily with many sons and daughters.”


  “Thank you. You saved me, Sir Ddu-bai-buru-pa, and in return, I’ll devote the rest of my life to serving you! Uuh, hic!” Idia cried.

  Her father was executed because she had fallen in love with a heathen, and she was supposed to die by stones. Although she was unconscious during the rescue, she found love thanks to Sir Ddu-bai-buru-pa’s grace. Was there a greater blessing than this?

  “No, Ahmad is the one who saved you. If you’re happy, I’m happy. Bassel, I’ll find you a husband if there is no one you like. Aishe, I think you should calm down a little. What man would propose to such a scary person? There’s a lot of handsome men in France, but they all have tiny galls.”


  “Hahaha!”


  All the Orthodox Christians broke out in laughter. The solemn mood was lifted instantly.

  “Stand, everyone. You’ve all suffered. A passenger ship awaits you all at the ?skenderun Harbor. My Turk friends will guide you. When you arrive at Toulon Airport, French officials will greet you. I, Ddu-bai-buru-pa, reassure you that no one would be persecuted for their religious beliefs or ethnicity. No one would be arrested carelessly or punished without trial. All men and women in love can marry with their parents’ permission, and the children will receive education according to their abilities. No one would be subjected to brutal customs like honor killing[9]. No one would be executed by such barbaric customs. We’ll separate for now. Felicitations[10]. Je vous souhaite bonne channce l’ou vous se vivre[11].”


  Black Mamba waved his hand. His role was now over. The rest was up to Bonipas and the French officials.

  “Arak lahiqaan'[12]. Barakallahu Feek Ddu-bai-buru-pa![13]” the Orthodox Christians and the Kurd tribe shouted at the top of their lungs.

  Bassel rushed forward and rubbed her cheeks on Black Mamba’s cheeks.

  “Thank you for giving me a new life. I’ll wait for the day to serve you.”


  As if she didn’t want to lose, Aishe popped out from behind and whispered into Black Mamba’s ear.

  “I won’t be greedy, but please let me be near your side.”


  “Uhh, um!”


  Black Mamba didn’t know where to turn when other Arab ladies rushed forward to show their affections. The locals rushed toward him to rub their cheeks and grab his hand, creating general disorder. When the chaos didn’t end, Bakri and Ibrahim stepped forward to manage the crowd.

  “Amazing. A savior from the East, hm?” Havu? smiled widely.

  “Ha, my face is burning. Regardless, they’re honest people.”


  Black Mamba rubbed his face with his hand. He was unsure if they were naive or desperate. Compared to the Koreans, their customs were too different.

  [1] Of course.

  [2] It is how Turkish people refer to their country.

  [3] Butchers.

  [4] It means the term “Mr.” in English.

  [5] “Allah is great!”


  [6] “My master Sir Ddu-bai-buru-pa has returned! May the greatest day of my life be praised!”


  [7] Freedom!

  [8] My life!

  [9] A man’s right to kill a woman if she has brought shame or dishonor upon the family, regardless of the truth.

  [10] Congratulations.

  [11] I wish you good luck where you live.

  [12] We’ll see you later.

  [13] May God’s blessing be with Sir Ddu-bai-buru-pa!