Chapter Seven
The M2 Anti-Infantry Landmine.
It weighed about 2.9 kilograms, was pressure-release activated, with a metallic fuse chamber, and the mine leaped 2 meters high upon detonation.
Effective kill radius: 10 meters.
To put it simply: if Chen Nuo were to stand up now, he would be dead for sure!
The fuse probe had already been triggered, and the pressure spring was engaged.
If he moved his knee now, the mine body inside the casing, like a released compressed spring, would jump up and then...
BOOM!
Chen Nuo thought for over ten seconds, then carefully shifted his body to kneel upright, his left knee still pressed firmly on the mine, not moving a hair!
Chen Nuo began to take off his jacket!
He removed the ugly blue and white school uniform, cautiously took out scissors, and cut a piece of fabric from it. Then, bit by bit, he slipped it under his knee.
The process was excruciatingly slow, taking a full five minutes.
His hands were incredibly steady the entire time. Even though his nose was running from the cold wind, Chen Nuo's hands remained as steady as a rock!
With that done, he began to feel for the largest paper clips in his bag.
He straightened each one, then used the paper clips to fix the edges of the fabric under his knee to the ground, driving them deep into the soil!
He used a total of sixteen paper clips before confirming that the fabric was firmly pinned to the ground.
This created a pressure sling.
Chen Nuo pondered for a moment, took several deep breaths, and did not move recklessly. Instead, he took out a mechanical pencil.
He carefully extracted a piece of lead.
The first time, his hand finally trembled, and the pencil lead broke.
Chen Nuo's expression remained calm as he pulled out a second piece.
After completing this, he held the thin lead between two fingers and, feeling along the ground beneath the fabric, found the landmine's casing.
He needed to insert this lead back into the mine's safety pin slot, to replace the trigger probe.
This would, hopefully, put the activated landmine back to sleep.
This process took him a full fifteen minutes.
Beads of sweat dripped from his forehead, falling into the dark soil...
「The next performance was a chorus of 'The Same Song', performed by the JN No. 8 Middle School Choir!」
In the small auditorium, built in a Soviet architectural style, School Belle Sun and her classmates walked onto the stage in single file.
Below the stage, the seats were packed with students from Yucai.
School Belle Sun was somewhat distracted.
She hadn't seen that annoying guy for two days.
During the roll call on the first morning, Teacher Liu had said everyone was present, but she didn't seem to recall seeing Chen Nuo's face, which always carried that unhurried smile.
Well, maybe I just missed him.
But today, during roll call in the small auditorium, she was certain that guy simply wasn't there.
And then Teacher Liu had said he had sent Chen Nuo out to buy mineral water for everyone.
Hmph, I'm the first to disbelieve that! Buy mineral water? That annoying Teacher Liu must have sent Chen Nuo out to buy cigarettes for him! That annoying guy! When I get back, I'll definitely tell Dad about him! How could he bully a classmate like this!
「CLACK!」
This faint, almost inaudible metallic clink sounded like heavenly music to Chen Nuo's ears!
He finally let out a sigh of relief.
The piece of lead had been reinserted as a makeshift probe.
Well, the landmine should be dormant again now... Uh... in theory.
However, Chen Nuo had a second failsafe: the pressure sling made from the piece of his school uniform.
It should, as much as possible, keep the spring on the mine's casing suppressed, preventing the mine body from leaping out and detonating.
"Double insurance. Heaven shouldn't be playing tricks on me," Chen Nuo whispered with a laugh, looking up at the night sky. "Heaven, you sent me back to this era; surely you wouldn't let me die so quickly."
He held his breath, gently moved his knee away, and then, quick as lightning, leaped to the side!
His tactical maneuver was exceedingly agile.
Then...
His heart hammered so hard it felt like it would burst from his chest.
Chen Nuo heard no explosion.
He knew he had survived.
"Fuck! M2 mines, American-made. Must have been planted by those bastards from the south. I'll remember this."
Chen Nuo slowly got up, rubbing his half-numb body.
A minute later, he was out of the minefield, sprinting low across the open ground.
Two hundred meters later, he jumped into a foxhole.
These types of foxholes were abundant along the border, remnants of cyclical infiltrations by both sides.
However, this time, the unexpected happened again!
Chen Nuo had just leaped into the foxhole and hadn't even stood up when, suddenly, two figures jumped in from the south!
Black special ops uniforms, imitation American helmets, and M-series automatic rifles...
Uh... White Tiger Group... Tch, more like Descendants of the Sun.
Both sides seemed stunned for a second.
The two guys opposite probably hadn't expected anyone to be in the foxhole at all!
Fucking hell, there must be hundreds of these pits along the border! And yet, we all had to jump into the same one! Talk about fate! What are the odds?!
"FUCK!" one of the Descendants of the Sun growled, raising his gun towards Chen Nuo...
「"Starlight filled all of childhood; wind and rain have traveled to the corners of the world."」
In the choir, School Belle Sun listlessly mouthed the words—but she wasn't actually singing.
"The same feelings, give us the same longing..."
Damn Chen Nuo! That annoying pest!
School Belle Sun's gaze still searched the audience, hoping to spot that familiar and annoying smiling face in some corner...
「Before the gun could be raised, Chen Nuo had already spun, pressing close.」
He slammed into the chest of the Descendant of the Sun who had jumped in, knocking the rifle to the ground! Simultaneously, Chen Nuo backhanded a military spike, sending it flying.
The other Descendant of the Sun, two steps away, hadn't even managed to draw his weapon when the military spike embedded itself in his forehead. He collapsed!
The first soldier, whom Chen Nuo had knocked down, scrambled up. Too late to grab his rifle, he drew a military knife instead.
Seeing that his opponent didn't shout an alarm, Chen Nuo immediately understood. They're obviously on some infiltration mission too and don't dare make a sound, otherwise, if they attract attention, their mission will fail.
It was standard practice worldwide: when infiltrating personnel from opposing sides encountered each other in such clandestine situations, it always led to a silent, bloody slaughter!
The man's face was contorted with ferocity as he brandished the military knife, gesturing at Chen Nuo.
Chen Nuo understood his gesture: Come at me!
This can't be tolerated! Motherfucker! So what if I come over? Think you're some kind of tough guy?!
Chen Nuo felt in his pocket and pulled out a ballpoint pen.
It couldn't be helped; controlled knives were simply unavailable in the country, especially for a high school student.
As for the North Goryeo sentry he had knocked out earlier... apart from a handgun, the man had only carried a military spike, and Chen Nuo had just used that.
The Descendant of the Sun's military knife slashed fiercely, his movements sharp, his footwork quick and aggressive... forcing Chen Nuo back step by step...
Ten seconds later, he collapsed, clutching his throat, his body convulsing. The ballpoint pen was lodged deep in his windpipe, his fingers grasping it.
Chen Nuo picked up the fallen military knife.
"Nice knife," he said, tucking it into his belt.
Comparing the two soldiers' builds, Chen Nuo chose the one closer to his own size, stripped off the man's combat uniform, and put it on. Then he quickly departed, disappearing into the night...