21st Century Goguryeo

December 1st, 2023, 21:00 (Russian time 22:30)

The city of Primorsky Kray Vladivostok, Russia

Two hours after the artillery units of the two countries started firing at each other, the 3.5th generation C-2 black Panther tank gradually overwhelmed the 100 T-90 tanks, which were classified as third-generation tanks with excellent performance. The 33rd SS Armored Brigade's T-90 tank, which was hit by the formidable firepower of the 8th Corps' FAH-91SP Peregrine Falcon attack helicopter, was forced to retreat to the Vladivostok city area.

As a result, the 33rd tank battalion moved to the city area to pursue the retreating T-90 tank, and the 131st Mechanized Infantry Battalion C-21 infantry armored vehicle, which had been waiting in the rear, rushed into the city and dropped off the fighters as soon as they arrived. In addition, the 58th tank battalion, which had been moving on the southern end of the Ussuri Expressway, was now attempting to enter the city center.

The troops of the First Heavy Armored Brigade had been engaged in nonstop battles all over the city since last night. Russia's four mobilization divisions had been under attack from the 11 o'clock and 2 o'clock directions. The Russian forces began to collapse quickly, and several troops from the main camp surrendered to the South Korean army, apparently having lost their will to fight.

Although, unlike in other cities, it took a long time to locate and apprehend the Russian army, which was carrying out a surprise attack and hiding in the maze-like streets and various buildings, the First Heavy Armored Brigade was able to take over the majority of the city center and the southernmost areas.

The combat infantry squad that got off from the infantry armored vehicles went forward on a one-way three-lane road leading to the city center, searching the buildings on both sides one after the other. They were followed by two C-2 Panther tanks and the two C-21 infantry armored vehicles.

Roar! Crack!

Cars were parked all over the road, obstructing the platoon's movement. The C-2 Black Panther tank, which was at the lead, rolled over the parked cars and passed on by. Under the weight of the tank, the cars were crushed and turned into scrap metal.

"Move to the next building!"

The voice of the squad leader was heard through the Turkion-Xa communicator mounted on the squad member's helmet. As a result, the squad members quickly made their way to the main entrance of the next building.

The members of the squad who entered the four-story building built in Russia's distinct style began searching one floor at a time. On the third floor, several brightly coloured spots that resembled people were identified through the glass shield.

After completing their search on the second floor, they stood in front of the stairs leading to the third floor under the cover of their colleagues.

"Lily Zero, this is Lily Two. We've identified six people. No personal weapons have been detected. That's all!"

Before starting the operation, squad leader Sergeant Oh Won-joon informed the platoon leader of their current situation.

"Lily Two, this is Lily zero. They could be Russian troops disguised as civilians, so be careful when overpowering them. If they are civilians, be careful not to hurt them. That's all!"

"Lily Zero, Lily Two, check!"

Sergeant Oh Won-joon raised his palm and pointed forward after ending the communication. As a result, the squad members climbed the stairs to the third floor. Then, as they walked down the hall, they leaned against both sides of the front door, where the sensors had picked up the brightly colored spots.

Sergeant Kim Joon-il, the captain's assistant, counted with his fingers and at the count of three, Corporal Na Myung-joon kicked the front door with all his might.

Bang!

With the powerful kick, the front door opened and the squad members moved quickly inside, shouting while pointing their weapons.

"Everyone, raise your hands! If you rebel, we'll shoot you. Don't move! Stay still!"

The squad members shouted in Korean and raised their guns. Whether or not they understood the command, the Russians, who appeared to be family members, held their hands up high, looking terrified.

After a while, Sergeant Oh Won-joon, who returned after searching the rooftop, looked at the Russian family who still had their hands raised, and asked the captain assistant.

"What about weapons?"

"There are none. They appear to be a normal civilian family living in this house."

The Russians shaking nervously while still raising their hands appeared to be a typical Russian family, which consisted of a grandmother, a middle-aged man, a middle-aged woman who appeared to be his wife, and three children who seemed to be their children.

"Put down your guns!"

Sergeant Oh Won-joon ordered the squad members as if he felt sorry for the Russian family.

"Leader! Shall we move to the next building?"

"Okay!"

Sergeant Oh Won-joon, who had given the orders, noticed that the middle-aged man's face was tenser than he expected.

"Hey, you! Get up!"

Sergeant Oh Won-joon activated the function of interpreting Korean into Russian by operating the controls of the X-K02 terminal mounted on his left arm. His words were heard as native Russian.

The middle-aged man who still had his hands raised, was taken aback when he heard this.

"Doesn't he appear suspicious? His clothes appear to be too big for him."

"Oh! That's true."

Sergeant Kim Joon-il, the captain's assistant, was also suspicious of the middle-aged man.

"You, get up."

The middle-aged man, who hesitated even after understanding what was being said, did not get up at first. When he was asked again in a fierce tone, he pretended to get up slowly before suddenly grabbing something from under the sofa, pulling it, and throwing it at the squad, before dashing toward the window. It all happened in the blink of an eye.

Jjuung! Jjuung!

The members of the squad reacted instinctively by firing laser beams at the sudden action. Several laser beams pierced the man's back as he attempted to escape through the window. Meanwhile, Sergeant Oh Won-joon's voice rang in the living room.

"It's a grenade. Avoid it!"

Sergeant Oh Won-joon, who saw the grenade spinning around after falling on the floor, threw himself on it without thinking and covered it.

Boom!

Sergeant Oh Won-joon was shaken by the explosion and smoke slowly rose from his body.

"Oh, shit! Squad leader!"

"Are you okay?"

"Damn!"

Sergeant Oh Won-joon, who blocked the grenade with his body in a split second, said nothing and lost consciousness.

"Lily Two, this is Lily Zero, what was that? What's going on? What exploded?"

When the explosion on the third floor occurred, the platoon leader, who was waiting for the combat infantry to finish the search, immediately made contact.

"Lily Zero, this is Lily Two! The squad leader blocked the grenade with his body."

"Grenade? Are they Russian troops?"

"We think so."

"Is Sergeant Oh okay?"

"We are checking right now."

While Sergeant Kim Joon-il informed the platoon leader of what had happened, another squad member examined Sergeant Oh Won-joon, who was lying on his back, facing the ceiling, as smoke rose from him with the smell of gunpowder.

"Cough! Cough!"

When he was about to self-diagnose Sergeant Oh Won-joon with the control X-K02 terminal, the sergeant woke up coughing.

"Hey! That's good! I'm fine."

Sergeant Oh Won-joon, who was unconscious because of the instant shock, woke up with the help of the squad member.

"Oh! I don't want to experience that again."

He joked with the squad members who were looking at him with worry after removing his bulletproof vest.

"Ah! The squad leader just woke up. Fortunately, I don't think he's hurt."

"Is that true? That's a relief. Slowly complete your mission and come down! That's it!"

"Lily Zero, Lily two, check!"

After ending the communication, the captain assistant, Sergeant Kim Joon-il, approached Sergeant Oh Won-joon and said.

"Oh, I was worried. Squad leader!"

"Sergeant Kim! I almost went to the other world with only two months left before my discharge. Haha."

"Woah! Are you laughing now?"

"Then, should I cry? I should laugh as I am still alive."

Sergeant Oh Won-joon's body could have been riddled with holes if he hadn't been wearing a protective suit and a bulletproof vest.

"Who the hell is this b*stard? This crazy b*stard was trying to kill everyone here."

Corporal Na Myung-joon expressed his anger by tapping the middle-aged man lying upside down. Then the middle-aged woman, who was trembling, said something in Russian.

"What did the lady say?"

Private Kim Gil-soo, the youngest member of the squad, turned on the translation function on the X-K02 terminal. Everything the middle-aged woman had said, appeared in Korean on the terminal's screen.

"Oh! This guy, he's not a member of my family. He's a deserter who broke into our house this morning, threatened the children, and hid here."

Private Kim Gil-soo read the translated text.

"That crazy b*stard! Does he have the right to kill anyone since he is a Russian soldier? This little brat…Search him! Though there would be nothing since he is a deserter."

"Yes, squad leader!"

After a while, Corporal Na Myung-joon shook his head and said.

"There's nothing."

"Yes, I thought so. Let's wrap it up and get out of here. There are more than just one or two buildings left to search and we're wasting our time here."

Leaving the quivering Russian family behind, Sergeant Oh Won-joon's squad moved on to search the next building.

* * *

December 2, 2023, 07:00 (Russian time 08:00)

Watching Primorsky Kray Vladivostok, Russia

The street fight, which had taken place the entire night, did not end until 5 a.m. About 50 soldiers from the 102nd Armored Brigade and the First Heavy Armored Brigade deployed in the city battle were injured. Fortunately, there were no casualties.

City Hall and its neighboring buildings were lined with Russian troops who had surrendered or been captured during the battle. The majority of them were soldiers from the mobilization division, totaling around 5,000.

As there were more prisoners than expected, the command of the 102nd Armored Brigade and the First Heavy Armored Brigade, which were currently deployed in the Vladivostok occupation operation, found themselves in a difficult situation. Considering that there was no suitable prisoner camp, they were temporarily housed in City Hall and the neighboring buildings, which were being monitored. This will, however, be a problem in the future.

In addition to food procurement, they had to feed up to 5,000 inmates. Furthermore, when the first Heavy Armored Brigade returned to its home country, the 102nd Armored Brigade had to carry out the surveillance missions.

The proposal to solve this was to release the criminals from Vladivostok prison and hold them there instead. This was rejected due to concerns that releasing the criminals would make it difficult to keep the city safe.

Accordingly, the Joint Chiefs of Staff issued an order to release all general soldiers except those at the executive level. This was because it was not a regular force but rather a mobilization division force that was recruited during the war and thus did not pose a significant threat in the current situation.

Currently, over 5,000 prisoners with their hands tied stood in the square in front of City Hall. Using the badge of rank attached to their chests, they were divided into two lines: soldiers with sergeant ranks or higher executives and general soldiers. There were approximately 800 that had sergeant ranks or higher. The remaining 4,000 were general soldiers.

A while later, the sergeant-ranking prisoners and higher executives returned to the building next to City Hall, while the remaining soldiers were released. The prisoners rubbed their wrists and gazed at the South Korean military official holding a loudspeaker in front of them.

"Ah, test, test, you guys are now free. Return to your home on your own and don't point a gun at any Korean army personnel again. If we see you again on the battlefield, you won't have the same luck as you do now. Everyone, please go home."

When the South Korean military official announced that they would be released after being apprehended just hours before, the captives looked puzzled.

"I am saying you are free. Go home and have a nice warm rice meal. Oh! Is it bread, not rice? Anyway, you guys are free. Go home."

After several shouts into the loudspeaker, the prisoners finally understood the situation and slowly turned away.