A War Hero With No Regrets

23 – Killing the Sprout (5)

62Km southeast of Branberg, Eastern Military District, above.

02:00 AM.

“We will arrive at the destination in 5 minutes. “Report after inspecting each echelon equipment.”

“Nothing above 1st echelon.”

“Nothing above 2nd echelon.”

“There is nothing wrong with the 3rd echelon.”

“Good.”

It was a dark dawn without any moonlight.

Five stealth helicopters move at high speed through the now completely cold late autumn air.

Operation name: Marionette.

The goal was to subdue high-ranking members of the Revolutionary Front spread throughout the Eastern Military District in one day and take complete control of the organization.

The war between the Empire and the Titans continued for over 10 years.

Werner enlisted as an officer after the war when he turned 18.

The country was already on the verge of devastation, and in the face of the Titans’ powerful power, the President, the revolutionary faction, and the Imperial faction had no choice but to unite to survive.

And when the war finally ended.

It was right after people lost more than they thought.

I am not just talking about macroscopic things such as precious people or property.

Individual thoughts and beliefs, which were once boiling everywhere, have become lukewarm.

The wisdom and knowledge passed down through failure and experience have faded, and the elders who were supposed to guide young people down the right path have disappeared into a handful of dirt.

The value of pursuing constant change is disappearing.

The courage to say that something that is not right is not right has been buried in reality.

Such changes could not be resisted by the revolutionary front or even the remnants of the revolutionary faction.

Why did the Nationalist faction and the Imperialist faction, which had been growling at each other before the war, join hands and punish the revolutionary faction?

It was because of the stronger cohesion that the revolutionary group possessed than others.

They possessed the democratic ideology promoted by the Nationalist faction, the united nation promoted by the Nationalist faction, and the stable society promoted by the Hwangtao faction.

Of course, it cannot be said that the Imperial Workers’ Party, which is the predecessor of the revolutionary faction, does not have problems, but would anyone care about such things when the entire empire was in trouble?

However, all those who would properly carry on their will died on the battlefield against the Titans.

The average daily death count across all regions is approximately 2,500.

Even if we consider it as a standard for 10 years, approximately 10 million people died.

Since everyone was killed equally, the lineage of the revolutionary faction was also sentenced to complete death along with the war.

After the end of the war, his heart suddenly began to beat, but his arms, legs, and even his brain were necrotic.

The Revolutionary Front was one of the necrophilized right arms of the revolutionary faction.

Then wouldn’t emergency surgery be necessary?

All you have to do is replace all the rotten brains, arms and legs, and reorganize the revolutionary faction into a faithful ‘cooperating’ organization with the Security Bureau.

“Director.”

At that time, Karin’s voice was heard from Werner’s communicator.

It was a personal communication channel.

“If you really entrust such an important operation to me….”

“I already said it once. “He’s not as qualified as a second lieutenant.”

Since he could roughly guess what she was going to say, Werner cut her off and dismissed her concerns.

“Well, then, this is really a test. “Ensign Karin, this is a test to determine whether you are a good fit for our Security Bureau.”

Although Werner Grime accompanied the scene, the person who would actually engage in combat was Second Lieutenant Karin Maven, the guard platoon leader.

She had been entrusted with such an important task without realizing it, so as Karin, she couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.

Of course, considering Karin’s experience and pure fighting skills, it was natural.

It was Werner who initially entrusted the position of guard platoon leader to Karin.

Reaper Karin Maven.

The nickname never left her, even as she acclimated to Fort Emerald Lake with the help of her best friend.

Instead of being a reaper who brings death to her allies, she has changed into a reaper who brings death to titans.

Her other people were not killed because of her.

She ‘survived’.

The orphanage was invaded by the Titans. At the age of less than 16, she killed two titans with a meager weapon.

It would be ridiculous to say that it was a small object the size of a human.

It was the same after that.

Even after she finished her time in a military shelter and the training camp where she enlisted was attacked, she managed to kill a titan without even receiving proper firearms training.

She was the same in the supplementary unit.

She quickly fled the scene in a supplementary unit that suffered severe shelling damage due to a friendly fire accident.

This is why Werner selected her as her combat officer as soon as he read her combat report related to Karin when she first arrived at the Security Bureau.

Even her grime, Werner, who was the immediate Grave Yard Commander, was a name she had heard of in her previous life, so there was no telling what her status was actually like.

The Karin Maven I met in person was a person whose innate sense of battle was exceptional.

When she was born, it was said that she was born to be a fighter.

Werner Grime knew several such people in the Graveyard.

She may be hesitant at first, but once you start pushing her properly, she will definitely shine.

Even in Branberg, where I took him for testing purposes, I did my part well.

Werner’s appointment skills, which she had honed during her return, were still effective in the new environment of the Security Strategy Bureau.

But Karin still clearly looked anxious.

“If I don’t pass the exam… ?”

“I believe in you. So Karin you need to believe in yourself too. “Don’t even entertain such thoughts.”

“….”

“I will not allow any excuses. “Please finish the operation neatly and come back.”

Werner said that and ended her communication.

The view of a small village not far away began to come in through the helicopter window.

The cradle of revolution and the manor of revolutionaries where their seeds will grow in the future.

Revolutionary Front Headquarters, commonly known as the Hornet’s Nest.

“Security Bureau, lift the torch. “It is time to burn the hive.”

With those words, the helicopters running alongside the helicopter Werner was on all broke out of formation.

***

Operation Marionette has begun.

The outline was simple.

Capture and kill all the leaders of the Revolutionary Front and hand over their positions to executives contacted through Diane.

Diane Schmidt faithfully performed his role as a messenger and guide, and Werner Grime was able to naturally emerge as a key member of the revolutionary front that the Security Bureau would newly lead.

With the promise of appropriate carrots and compensation, internal information about the Revolutionary Front began to pour in like a torrent.

The ideology of the existing revolutionary front has long since faded.

As it is a group with the most extremist and violent tendencies among the revolutionary groups, there was no sense or rationality for them.

Of course, dissatisfaction was accumulating internally as well.

In the first place, what kind of terrorist group would suddenly attack the military headquarters where a banquet was being held?

To put it in a good way, it was determination and drive without hesitation.

To put it in a bad way, it was a traitor who did not think about what happened next.

They carried out the operation even though they knew that killing the Eastern Military District commander would not cause the Eastern Military District to collapse.

Not only that, the lower end of the organization was strictly managed as a branch organization, and the leadership lived together in one village.

The strategic vision of the Revolutionary Front could be seen as being at a truly hopeless level.

Thanks to this, the security platoon-striking team of the Security Bureau led by Werner was able to successfully infiltrate the Revolutionary Front’s stronghold.

All information was obtained through insiders and thoroughly analyzed.

Operation Marionette had already begun with half success.

Pew pew pew!

Puck, puck!

As if to prove it, the headquarters of the Revolutionary Front was suppressed in less than an hour.

I had just figured out the winding underground passage between houses in the village using the map provided by Diane.

Those who realized that an intruder had come and tried to escape were helplessly caught by the booby traps that had been set up in advance.

Of course, Werner Grime’s proper command and Karin Maven’s prompt on-site reporting also contributed to the success of the operation.

“The 1st echelon moves together to the wall where the bicycles of the red roof house are parked.”

“Headquarters, this is the 1st echelon commander. Observe a small barn behind the target point. “The door is open about 5cm, so there may be an ambush.”

“Permission to use heavy weapons. “It doesn’t matter if you burn it down.”

“Good reception, I’ll go with flying colors.”

“The 3rd echelon is currently deployed to our troops’ line of fire. So that we can move quickly in the 320 direction.”

“Opponent snipers and machine guns are expected to be deployed in the 2nd echelon, a duplex building in the front. Permission to use friendly attack drones. “I want to report after preemptive destruction.”

Werner even converted the helicopter to a manned control system instead of an unmanned control system to respond to the threat of enemy anti-aircraft weapons.

Stay above the operation area and directly observe the scene with the naked eye.

Detailed orders were even issued to each echelon.

Even the members of the security platoon, who had been intimidated even before belonging to the Safety Bureau, had no choice but to hold their tongues in response to the unrivaled and overwhelming command.

“The director flew the helicopter himself? “And yet you keep an eye on the situation?”

“You’re crazy. “War heroes are war heroes for a reason.”

“Shh, hey bastard. The director told me not to talk! “I want you to get into the habit of watching your mouth even when we’re alone.”

“But where has the director gone?”

“Ah… That’s…”

Right after the official operation ended.

Tadadadadang!!!

Werner placed those who surrendered in several areas and mercilessly shot them to death with weapons captured from the revolutionary front.

Because I couldn’t leave behind any regrets.

In addition, the reason for killing him with a captured weapon was to falsify evidence that a ‘rebellion’ by some reactionary forces occurred while insiders in collusion with the Security Bureau were clearing the scene.

Thorough yet merciless treatment.

“Huh.”

After taking care of the last captive, Werner exhaled and put a cigarette in his mouth.

No matter what, we have come too far to regret that killing those who surrendered is an act against humanity.

You should not have any regrets.

Once he had already decided, it was his credo to keep it.

In the meantime, in order not to dirty the hands of his subordinates, Werner just quietly accumulated the karma alone.

“… Director.”

Karin Maven just watched her in silence, clutching her breasts.