Chapter 120.2

Chapter 120.2

“You have a maximum of 0.2 seconds to lift your foot and place the object. If you’re even slightly late, it’ll detonate. If the weight is off, it’ll detonate. Considering all that, let’s make it 20 kilograms.”

Lee Wooshin’s instructions became even stricter. But where could they find a 20-kilogram object, let alone 10, in a place like this?

Yoo Dawit pulled a portable flashlight from his uniform pocket and scanned the surroundings. Ki Taemin swept the field with his scope, but neither found anything useful.

Only Lee Wooshin, standing firmly on the mine, acted as though it wasn’t his problem. He stared endlessly at a spire swallowed by darkness.

With his hands clasped behind his head, he allowed his eyelids to droop until the distant hoot of an owl startled him awake. Suddenly alert, he gestured with his chin.

“Bring that over.”

“…!”

“How blind can you be to miss what’s right under your nose?”

Two pairs of stiffened eyes turned toward the direction he indicated.

“Yoo Dawit, can you take responsibility for retrieving that?”

What he pointed to, as if it were no big deal, was an overturned truck.

Silence hung in the air, and muffled groans of disbelief escaped the team members.

“Team leader… Are you telling me to stand that thing upright, drive it, and crush your foot with it?”

“It didn’t detonate when it slid down, so just follow the same path backward.”

“Team leader…!”

“Would you prefer it if your bones were the ones crushed?”

“…!”

“You owe me, Yoo Dawit. Stop complaining and get moving. We’re short on time.”

Lee Wooshin pressed them coldly. This plan had been in his mind from the moment he turned to switch places with Yoo Dawit.

He knew this extreme solution wouldn’t be easy for the team to accept, especially with so much uncertainty. To skip the drawn-out arguments, he shouldered the risk himself while planting guilt in Yoo Dawit. It wasn’t a self-sacrifice, it was a calculated strategy.

Sometimes, facing the fact that his life revolved around such meticulous manipulation left him hollow. Yet, this was his reality—a series of choices shaped by necessity.

The only exception had been Han Seoryeong, who had pierced through him like a nail.

“If you miss the timing, your foot will be obliterated!”

“Do it anyway.”

His gaze remained distant.

“I’ll handle lifting my foot. Just hurry up and get me out of here.”

“…”

“I can’t leave without removing it.”

He exhaled deeply and glanced at them, his patience clearly worn thin. Bloodshot cracks spread across his weary eyes.

Ki Taemin contacted the base and completed the rescue request. He used a small flashlight to carefully trace the footprints and memorized their positions before carrying Jin Hojae to safety inside the trailer.

Meanwhile, Ki Taemin and Yoo Dawit braced themselves, gritting their teeth hard enough to crack, and flipped the overturned truck back onto its wheels.

Broken glass scattered onto the ground, and the roof had caved in, making it difficult to climb inside. Yoo Dawit squeezed into the driver’s seat and tried starting the engine, but the vehicle shuddered without turning over.

Frustrated, he slammed the dashboard with his slippery, dirt-smeared hand. Finally, the engine coughed to life, spewing gray smoke from the exhaust.

“Keep the speed below 60 km/h,” Lee Wooshin instructed as he adjusted his posture, preparing for the next step.

“If you don’t stop properly at the mine’s position, it’ll detonate.”

“Phew! Yes, sir.”

“Don’t worry. Just make sure you press down hard on my foot.”

Yoo Dawit took a deep breath and shifted gears. He carefully began reversing along the visible tire tracks.

As the headlights illuminated the path, Lee Wooshin, standing a few meters ahead, squinted slightly. His expression was etched with extreme tension and concern—fear had no place there. Yoo Dawit stepped harder on the accelerator as if charging straight at him.

“Damn it. Amen!”

Despite all his experience in the field, this was the first time he’d encountered such a reckless approach. If Lee Wooshin moved his foot even a fraction too early, the mine would detonate. If he moved too late, his foot would be crushed into pulp.

Either way, it was the worst-case scenario—an outcome no one could guarantee. The jolting truck barreled forward, seeming as though it would collide with Lee Wooshin at any moment.

“Ugh—!”

A groan escaped involuntarily, almost like a scream. Please… please! Fighting the urge to clamp his eyes shut, Yoo Dawit forced them wide open instead. He watched as the truck hurtled toward Lee Wooshin and stopped dead at the exact position, almost like a phantom.

“――!”

For a brief moment, the tires pressed down on something, crushing it with a violent vibration. Then, the darkness gave way to blinding red flames, illuminating Lee Wooshin’s face as though it were broad daylight.

Boom!

The deafening explosion shook the ground, instantly drowning out the hoots of the distant owl.