Ch. 9: A Demon's Game
5:09 PM, July 9th, 1918, Busan, Chōsen
Already making preparations for the upcoming attack, Lelouch and Kim Gu were staying in a local inn in the port city of Busan. Kim Gu was laying down on of the two beds in the room reading the daily newspaper. Lelouch was sitting at the table in the room, putting together some small contraption. The table in front of him had small screws, gears, springs, empty bullet casings, a small clock, and parts of a disassembled pistol spread all over.
"So how's your little "project" going?" asked Kim Gu.
"Oh pretty well." responded Lelouch. He then used a pair of pliers in his hand to carefully take out the firing pin from the pistol. After putting the firing pin down, Lelouch grabbed the small clock on the table, which had it's internal gears exposed and tampered with. Using the same pliers, Lelouch grabbed a small spring and connected to it one of the levers connected to the gears in the clock. "Pretty nice room we got huh?"
"Well you did geass those wealthy looking men we passed outside to give you their money." said Kim Gu jokingly. "But did you have to geass the owner of that clock store and that soldier we passed by?"
"It was necessary for my plan. I needed their services." responded Lelouch as he was twisting some screws into the back of the clock. After adding a another gear, Lelouch carefully took firing pin and connected it to the spring mechanism attached to the back of the clock. A percussion cap was also added and positioned carefully. He then proceeded to put the tinkered clock into a small box. Using the cordite he collected from the many bullets he emptied, Lelouch put the cordite in the box with the clock.
"By the way, how will we be able to get across the water with our weapons? It's not like we can take a local ferry while carrying rifles, ammo, and grenades." asked Kim Gu.
"Don't worry about it. I'll pull some strings at the harbor tomorrow." answered Lelouch. Lelouch then put a lid on the small box containing the clock mechanism, along with some sticks of dynamite he had gotten from a black market dealer in town.
10:13 AM, July 11th, 1918, Busan, Chōsen
A train whistled loudly as it came into the train station. When the train stopped, Capt. Gang and his men, posing as merchants, came out of the car and headed towards the baggage car. Inside the car were various large wooden boxes. Three of them had the words "METALWARES" painted on them. Capt. Gang and the others took the three wooden boxes and carried them out of the station.
Once they exited the station, they put down the heavy boxes and scanned their surroundings.
"So where were we supposed to meet him Capt.? asked Roh.
"All he said was to arrive here, wait in front of the station, and someone will be here to meet us." responded Capt. Gang.
"Well I hope we don't have to wait too long." responded Yi.
As they were looking, a Japanese military truck stopped right by them. When the passenger door of the vehicle opened, the seven men suddenly saw Kim Gu step out of the vehicle. They then immediately headed towards him.
"Hey. How did you manage to arrange this truck?" asked Capt. Gang.
"Let me just say that Zero is pretty crafty when it comes to pulling strings behind the scenes." answered Kim Gu. "Alright, I want you guys to get in the back of the truck."
The seven men then grabbed the three wooden boxes and lifted them into the back of the truck. Once the boxes were in, the seven of them then jumped into the back of the truck. Fortunately the truck bed was covered with a canopy, allowing them to be unseen.
Once everyone was in or on the truck, Kim Gu directed the Japanese soldier driving the vehicle where to go. No one apparently noticed that the Japanese soldier's pupils slightly glowed red.
When the truck started up, the engine started rumbling while thick smoke puffed out of the exhaust. The truck then proceeded to drive them to the designated point.
When Captain Gang and his men felt the truck stop, they immediately got out and found themselves at the city harbor. They were then amazed with what they were looking at.
In front of them was a large steam yacht. It had a large smokestack pointing upwards along with two poles used for holding sails. The seven men ran onto the ship via the ship's boarding ramp. The ship was even more amazing since it had a two-floored luxurious cabin. The cabin had clean furniture, elegant tables, and all the navigation equipment and maps they will need.
"I see you like our new command center." said Zero as he walked into the cabin. As Zero, Lelouch decided to wear his dark coat once more.
"Alright the military truck was one thing, but how did you manage to get your hands on something like this?!" asked a shocked Myo.
"Here's a lesson for you guys, if you play the right moves, then you can persuade someone, even a wealthy tycoon, to do anything." answered Zero with a smirk on his face.
"Man is there something this guy can't do?" whispered Park.
"I don't know, and maybe I don't want to know. So far this guy has shown some skill." responded Seo.
"Oh yes, one more question." asked Zero. "I presume at least one of you is familiar with steamships."
"Of course we do. You see, before I joined the resistance, I used to work on a steamship. I was overseer of the boiler." said Roh. "Yi and Park also used to work on fishing boats, so they have some familiarity with water transportation."
"Very well. Roh, Yi, Park. I'm hereby delegating control and maintenance of the ship to you three. Seo, Myo, Jeong. I want you to handle observation and defense of the ship in case we are every discovered." commanded Zero. He then turned his head towards Capt. Gang. and Kim Gu. "Capt. Gang, due to your background as a commander, you will be by second-in-command. Kim will be assigned as my assistant and the council's eyes on this battalion."
"Wait, does that mean I'm not technically a member?" asked Kim Gu.
"Correct. If I recall, you are still a sitting member on the Resistance council, which doesn't want to shed blood on their hands. With you not being a member of my independent battalion, the council can still maintain it's position of nonviolence. However, you can serve this battalion well by acting as our communication line to the council directly." explained Zero.
"I see. I clearly understand the reasoning sir." replied Kim Gu.
Once done talking, the team immediately went back to the dock to retrieve the three large wooden boxes labelled "METALWARES". Zero told them to put the boxes right by one of the couches in the cabin. A sudden "THUD!" could be heard the men dropped the wooden box onto the floor.
Roh then grabbed a crowbar he had brought with him so he could pry open the lid of the wooden box. Once the lid flung open, everyone gathered towards the box. Instead of metalwares, the boxes were filled with some bolt-action rifles, three Madsen machine guns, pistols, grenades, and a decent amount of ammo. Zero took a close look inside the box and grabbed a pistol.
"Excellent. We have everything we will need." said Zero as he cocked the gun he was holding. "Everyone, prepare the ship for departure."
"Sir, yes sir!" saluted all the men simultaneously. Everyone then proceeded to either unhooking the ship from the docks, heating the boiler in it's underbelly, or monitor the controls. The large smokestack on protruding from the ship started bellowing black smoke. Meanwhile the ship's propellers started to spin rapidly, causing the ship to propel forwards. Yi, who was at the steering wheel, then steered the ship towards the Southeast.
6:30 AM, July 12th, 1918, Port of Tokuyama, Japan
The Port of Tokuyama was mostly quiet. The only noise you could hear were a few foghorns in the distance along with soldiers patrolling the various warehouses located along the harbor. A thick fog hovered over the docks and made it very difficult to see far ahead.
Guarding one of the warehouses were a few Japanese soldiers, who decided to pass the time by briefly talking to one another.
"Can you believe we get the early shift?" asked one of the soldiers.
"I know right. It's unbelievable." replied another soldier.
"Hey at least it pays the bills right." said a third soldier. The soldiers then proceeded to laugh at the comment.
"Speaking of money, did anyone manage to notice that luxury yacht docked nearby?" asked the first solider.
"Yeah I did. Must've came into the bay last night. Does anyone know who owns it?" asked the second soldier.
"No. But whoever it is, that person must be living the high life." said the third soldier.
Suddenly the three soldiers stopped talking when they heard footsteps coming towards them. With the heavy fog surrounding them, seeing things at a distance was almost impossible. The soldiers then grabbed their rifles, loaded them, and aimed them forwards, waiting for any potential attackers.
However, all three soldiers were confused when someone wearing a dark coat along with a worker's cap to cover the top part of his face came walking out of the fog and into their line of sight.
"HALT! THIS AREA IS DIRECTLY UNDER JURISDICTION OF THE IMPERIAL JAPANESE ARMY RAILWAYS AND SHIPPING SECTION. IDENTIFY YOURSELF IMMEDIATELY!" yelled one of the soldiers as he aimed his rifle at the mysterious figure.
Suddenly all three soldiers suddenly saw the mysterious figure lift his head up, resulting in them staring directly into the mysterious figure's eyes. Before they could react, they suddenly saw a glowing bird-shaped symbol coming towards them.
10:36 AM
With the sun now in the sky, the fog had dissipated, resulting in the skies to be mostly clear. At one of the docks was the Kawachi, a long, large metal ship equipped with several naval guns of various sizes. Three smokestacks and two long masts protruded from the ship. Hundreds of crew members were either working on the deck or the inside of the large battleship.
On the dock adjacent to the ship were some warehouses. Various soldiers and sailors stationed on the docks were carrying boxes from the warehouses to the crew of the Kawachi.
Walking along the bridge of the ship was a middle-aged Japanese man. He had a dark, long goatee beard and was wearing a dark blue, high stand-up collared, single-breasted uniform, along with long blue pants, a peaked cap, and white gloves. Sewn on the man's collar and wrist cufflinks were insignia indicating he was a captain. The captain also carried a katana along his side with pride.
"Wonderful day for inspection isn't it Commander?" said the Japanese captain.
"It sure is." responded the Japanese commander, who was younger than the captain and had a clean-shaven face. The commander also wore a uniform similar to the one worn by his superior, except with different insignias sewn on it.
Suddenly the two men saw a luxurious car in the distance stop right by the docks. The driver of the vehicle stepped out and opened the passenger door. Out of the car came a bearded, somewhat elderly Japanese man in a white, single-breasted, high stand-up collared, uniform. The elderly man wore golden epaulettes on his shoulders and a white peaked cap on his head. Similar to how the captain carried his katana with pride, the elderly man wore his three medals with as much pride.
The captain and the commander on the ship walked off the ship via a ramp and immediately headed for the elderly man. When the two of them were in front of the elderly man, they both saluted him.
"Admiral Ono Toshio! Captain Wada Kazuo sir!" saluted the Japanese captain.
"Commander Noguchi Akio at your service sir!" said the Japanese commander.
The elderly Admiral then saluted back before the three of them started walking back towards the ship.
"How was your trip here Admiral?" asked Captain Wada.
"Very comfortable." responded Admiral Ono. "Now how's the ship been?"
"Fortunately no damage. The main reason we had to dock was because we needed to refuel and make sure the engine was cleaned up." answered Captain Wada.
"Just to show you that we're a reliable crew sir." added Commander Noguchi.
"Yes of course Commander. Anyway, Captain, there's been rumor around high command that you might be promoted to Rear Admiral. If it's true, then I will personally advocate on your behalf." said Admiral Ono.
"Wow really?" responded a shocked Captain Wada. "I only say that because me and my crew are in awe of your past record."
"We've all read about the determination and strength shown when you deliberately rammed your already damaged ship into a Russian ship during the Russo-Japanese War." said Commander Noguchi.
"Ah yes that maneuver. It might of cost me a fraction of my ship, but it manage to prevent the Russians from fully regrouping." said Admiral Ono. "Anyway, can I take a closer look of the vessel?"
"Of course Admiral. Right this way." said Captain Wada.
On a pier parallel to the one the Kawachi was docked at was Zero and his team preparing for their upcoming battle. The men were all loading their guns with ammo and reviewing the plan Zero had mentioned earlier. Behind one of the many boxes lining the pier's edge was Yi observing the Admiral via a pair of binoculars.
"Looks like the inspection is still on schedule as mentioned in the paper. The arrival of a high ranking officer seems to confirm this also." replied Yi.
"Good." responded Zero. "Now team, you understand your roles right?".
Everyone then nodded before they realized someone was missing.
"Wait, where's Kim?" asked Seo.
"Kim Gu has been given another assignment. But don't worry about him. Your main focus should be this battle. Do you understand?" asked Zero.
"Sir, yes sir!" said everyone as they saluted Zero. All seven men then went to their positions while Zero walked closer to the pier that was holding the Kawachi.
As he was calmly walking towards the next pier over, Zero saw some soldiers patrolling the area. He then hid himself behind a wall corner before the soldiers could spot him. As the soldiers passed him, Zero then came out of his hiding spot, aimed his pistol at the soldiers' back, and pressed the trigger.
"BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!" could suddenly be heard across the whole entire bay. The soldiers in front of Zero immediately fell down while other nearby soldiers started to scramble. Zero then immediately ran back to the pier the team was stationed at while soldiers who came to investigate the shooting sound spotted him.
"HALT OR WE WILL SHOOT!" yelled the soldier. Zero, having no intention to stop, kept on running. A few more shots could be heard behind Zero as a few bullets passed by him.
"Good I have I've got them on my tail and I'm near the first checkpoint. First phase: Move King, complete." thought Zero. Though Zero was not the best when it came to endurance, Zero managed to find the strength to run slightly faster since soldiers brandishing rifles were trying to shoot him. Once Zero reached the pier where his team was stationed at, he immediately ran down an alleyway between two warehouses. Half the soldiers chasing Zero followed him down the alleyway while the other half went to look for any other small passageways or hiding spots.
Zero, starting to get tired from running for his dear life, saw a bunch of wooden boxes positioned as barricades within the narrow alleyway.
"Next move: Rook takes Knight." thought Zero as he suddenly rolled onto the ground. The soldiers chasing him went further down the alleyway and saw him on the ground up ahead. As they were preparing to take aim, Yi and Seo, both holding rifles, popped up from behind the wooden boxes and shot all the soldiers. Zero then proceeded to get back up, climb over the barricade, and meet up with the two.
"Good job guys. Just keep shooting any soldier that you see coming down here. These alleys are narrow, which gives us an advantage." said Zero.
"Will keep on at it." said Seo as he shot a few more Japanese soldiers.''
Pier near the Kawachi
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT SOUND?!" yelled Admiral Ono as the sound of gunshots echoed through the air. After he said that, more gunshots could be heard coming from the adjacent pier across the water from them.
"Admiral you need to find safety. I'll make sure I'll find whatever scoundrel is behind this mess." said Captain Wada. "Commander! Dispatch some of our forces to Pier 4A! Also put the ship's crew on defensive alert. I don't want to see my precious ship being destroyed by a bunch of animals!"
"Yes sir!" said Commander Noguchi as he saluted both officers.
With the order now sent, soldiers equipped with rifles starting running towards the pier across the water. The Kawachi's crew meanwhile prepared all of it's defenses while the Admiral and the Captain fled onto the ship for safety.
Zero continued running down the alleyway so that he could prepare his next move. He turned left and immediately saw a group of soldiers heading his direction. Zero immediately withdrew his head as a barrage of bullets ricocheted off the corner edge of the warehouse.
To find out where he was, Zero looked at the numbers painted on the warehouses. Due to the alleyways being arranged in a grid-like pattern, each individual warehouse became a "space" in Zero's mind.
"Warehouse 4A10." thought Zero as he looked up at the warehouse next to him. Zero then proceeded down the alley until he reached Warehouse 4A15. Suddenly he saw another group of soldiers coming out of another alleyway. "Damn it! They've already got me in Check!"
As Zero hid behind some machinery, the two groups of soldiers pursuing him started shooting at him. Bullets ricocheted all over the place as the soldiers tried to shoot Zero. When he got the opportunity, Zero would aim his pistol at the soldiers and shoot. However, the pistol wouldn't be able to kill all the soldiers heading towards him.
"I could play that move. It would be a valuable loss, but I can at least counter their advance." thought Zero. Opening the pocket in his jacket, Zero took out a small spherical object, squeezed it, and rolled it towards the soldiers. The sphere then instantly let out large jets of thick smoke, giving Zero enough time to escape down another alleyway. "That should hold them for a few seconds. But I must reach the Warehouse 4A18."
Hearing the soldiers catching up to him, Zero turned down an alleyway that had two boxes blocking the path. "Perfect." Zero then turned around and saw the two groups of soldiers behind him blocking the alley's entrance. "NOW!" yelled Zero as the soldiers prepared to fire their rifles. Suddenly, Roh and Myo, both carrying Madsen machine guns, popped out of the two wooden boxes and started firing into the soldiers.
Due to the fact that the machine guns were heavy and therefore hard to have full control over, the stream of bullets from both guns were sprayed everywhere. Fortunately, the close quarters of the alley made most of the shots direct hits. After firing their guns for about 10 seconds, both groups of soldiers were a pile of dead corpses.
"That was sweet! These guns just annihilate them." said Roh with much enjoyment.
"Good to see you enjoy it. But now we need to reposition ourselves in the secondary post. Got it?" asked Zero.
"Gotcha!" yelled both men. Zero, with Roh and Myo covering him, ran down another alley located between the many warehouses. As they were running, a few soldiers would appear in front or behind them. However most of them were either machine gunned to death, or were forced to go on the defensive.
"This is going well so far. My two bishops have managed to taken out a good deal of my opponent's pawns." thought Zero.
Meanwhile, down another alleyway, a group of Japanese soldiers gathered at the entrance.
"Alright men. Our opponent is heavily armed. Proceed with caution and use whatever force necessary!" commanded one of the Japanese officers. Like obedient dogs, the group of soldiers, ran down the alleyway looking for any hostile forces. As they ran, one of the soldiers realized for about a microsecond that he had set off a tripwire, which was connected to a grenade placed next to a box of ordinance.
"Oh what the f..." yelled the soldier before a giant ball of flame consumed him. Every soldier that was sent down the alley was instantly swallowed up by large flames. Even the commander and some of the soldiers from another group were caught in the inferno.
On the battleship Kawachi
A loud "KABOOOOOOM!" could be heard by everyone. The vibrations caused by the explosion was powerful enough to make some people feel shaken up. Everyone on the Kawachi saw a large fire rise up into the air in the distance.
"THIS IS INSANITY! WHY HAVEN'T WE MADE ANY PROGRESS!" yelled Captain Wada as his hand clenched the sheath of his katana. Suddenly Commander Noguchi came onto the ship to update the situation for the Captain. "WELL?! WHAT'S THE STATUS?! WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?!" asked an angry Captain Wada.
"We don't know who they are. But that isn't what you should be worrying about." responded Commander Noguchi. "According to our reports from the various units we sent over to the other pier, approximately 3/5 of our men are either killed or wounded."
"HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?!" yelled Captain Wada. "YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT 60% OF OUR FORCES ARE BEING DECIMATED BY A BUNCH OF THUGS?!"
"CAPTAIN WADA!" yelled Admiral Ono. "Do not let anger cloud your performance."
"Sorry Admiral, but I will not let down the honor of the Imperial Japanese Navy. If my army is defeated by a something as minuscule a this, then I couldn't live with myself anymore." responded Captain Wada.
"Understood." responded Admiral Ono. "Anyway I want you to recall most of your men and put them on the defensive."
"What? You want me to stop pursuing the enemy?" asked Captain Wada.
"Correct. Your primary duty here is to protect the Kawachi at all costs. All casualties so far have been caused by us sending in our forces. However, it seems that our enemy is on the defensive. If we loose too many men, then we won't have enough to defend the pier the Kawachi is docked at. We must gather whatever leftover resources we have and use them to buy us more time." explained Admiral Ono. "Commander Noguchi, have you sent out a call for reinforcements?"
"Yes I have Admiral. I've already alerted the nearest barracks and high command of this attack." answered Commander Noguchi.
"Good." said Admiral Ono. "Captain! Give out the order to regroup on the pier in front of the Kawachi! Every second we waste is costing us more lives!"
"As you wish Admiral." said Captain Wada as he saluted his senior officer. Captain Wada then told the various army officers leading the small groups of soldiers into battle to stop advancing towards the enemy, regroup on the pier next to the Kawachi, and to then fight defensively.
Still evading soldiers in the narrow alleyways between the warehouses, Zero, Roh, and Myo regrouped with Yi and Seo, who were still shooting their rifles from behind the wooden boxes. Another wave of soldiers could be seen up ahead, which prompted Roh to mow them down with his machine gun.
"Yi! Seo! What's your status!" asked Zero.
"Status is ok. Starting to run low on ammo though!" answered Seo. Suddenly coming from behind them were Captain Gang, Jeong, and Park. Each one was carrying a rifle and was apparently covered in what looked like soot and dust.
"What's the status with your unit Captain?" asked Zero.
"Managed to lead a few divisions of soldiers into the tripwire-grenade traps we set up on the other end of the pier." answered Captain Gang. When more soldiers were spotted, Captain Gang took out his pistol and shot them all until they were immobile. "Anyway, those ordinances managed to due the trick. In fact, a few of the warehouses managed to literally explode when the fires caused by our traps spread to the stored munitions."
"Perfect. My opponent has practically lost many of his pieces. Without them, his King will be in check in no time." thought Zero. His train of thought was suddenly broken when he heard loud whistles all over being blown.
"FALL BACK! FALL BACK!" yelled various Japanese officers. In the distance, Japanese soldiers could be seen running away from them, and not towards them.
"Stay here. I just need to see something." said Zero as he carefully paced down the alleyway with his pistol ready at hand. When Zero reached the end of the alleyway, he saw the pier across the water, the one the Kawachi was next to. Taking out his pair of binoculars, Zero hid behind a barrel and saw various Japanese soldiers heading back towards the warehouses near the battleship.
"Just as I figured. With so many pieces being lost, my opponent can't adequately defend the ship. His only logical response is to protect the ship, save whatever resources you have and go on defense. However, your defensive move will allow my Queen to put your King in checkmate." thought Zero.
He then took out a pocket watch he had recently bought and looked at the time. The watch read "10:54 AM".
"Six minutes left." thought Zero. After putting the watch away, Zero headed back to the group.
"Well, what did you see?" asked Park.
"Enemy forces are concentrating themselves in front of the ship. If I had to guess, they are using whatever forces they have to defend it until reinforcements arrive. That is why I'm ordering for our retreat back to base." answered Zero.
"What? We're just going to retreat? But what about the ship?" asked Captain Gang with some disbelief.
"Don't worry. Everything has been already set up. Now, does everyone have their smokescreen balls?" asked Zero.
Half of the group raised their hands, clutching a small ball in their palm.
"Activate them now!" yelled Zero. After squeezing the small balls with their palms, large jets of smoke came out and decreased visibility. "Everyone, retreat!"
Using the smokescreen as a cover for any remaining Japanese soldiers, Zero and the others traveled down various alleyways until they reached the other end of the pier. Once they were out of the maze of alleyways, they then immediately ran back to their ship.
10:58 AM, On the deck of the Kawachi
The crew of the Kawachi was still on full alert, while the soldiers prepared defensives along the pier next to the giant, metal, battleship. Admiral Ono, Captain Wada, and Commander Noguchi were all looking towards the pier across the water. All one could see was a bunch of warehouses, with smoke and flames rising upwards.
"I can't believe they managed to do this much damage." said a frustrated Captain Wada.
"Still, you fulfilled your duties, which is to defend this ship." said Admiral Ono. "I'm certain the Imperial Japanese Navy will be greatly impressed with your performance."
"Sorry Admiral, but I have a strange feeling in my stomach." responded Captain Wada.
"Captain, are you sick? I can call medical or..." asked Commander Noguchi.
"No, no, no. I'm fine. But something isn't right." said Captain Wada as he tightened his grip on the hilt of his katana.
"Are you talking about something wrong with the battlefield?" asked Admiral Ono.
"Yeah, I mean, our opponent clearly demonstrated capabilities to take out chunks of our forces. But ever since we've gone defensive, everything has suddenly stopped. Did they retreat? If so then why? Also, they never made any attempt to attack the ship. Was it because they didn't have the resources to take on the ship?" asked Captain Wada.
"But then why fight here. They could've chosen easier targets, such as trade ships or army outposts. But they chose here, meaning that the ship was most likely their focus." added Admiral Ono.
"Ok. Then my question is how come they didn't attack the ship if the ship was their target in the first place?" asked Commander Noguchi.
Meanwhile in a small wooden box, a rigged alarm clock connected to some cordite and dynamite was slowly ticking away. Like a beating heart, the clock slowly made a "TICK, TOCK, TICK, TOCK" noise. The time on the clock was 10:59. The second hand then ticked away 55...56...57...58...59...
When the clock hit 11:00, the gears within the clock activated, causing some spring mechanisms and levers to move, releasing a firing pin. The pin then striked a tiny primer at the end of a long tube, causing the cordite to quickly ignite. Within another second, the combustion caused by the cordite ignited the dynamite.
Zero and the others were running towards their boat, which was docked at a pier further down. While running, Zero looked at his watch once more.
"Checkmate." thought Zero as the minute hand moved to 12.
"KABOOOOOOOM!"
Within a second, Zero and the others turned around and saw the Kawachi suddenly explode. All that was seemingly left of the ship was its hull, which was gushing out oil into the water and thick smoke into the sky. A piece of the pier also appeared to be blown apart.
"What the hell just happened?" asked Captain Gang.
"I managed to pull a few tricks or two. Let's just leave it at that." answered Zero.
Earlier...
"HALT! THIS AREA IS DIRECTLY UNDER JURISDICTION OF THE IMPERIAL JAPANESE ARMY RAILWAYS AND SHIPPING SECTION. IDENTIFY YOURSELF IMMEDIATELY!" yelled one of the soldiers.
Zero, wearing his worker's cap and coat, lifted his head up so he had direct eye contact with the soldiers. He then proceeded to activate his geass.
"I have a small box with me that I am going to give to you. While the Kawachi is being loaded with munitions, I want you guys to put this smaller box into one of the Kawachi's munition boxes. Once the box is stored on the ship with the other boxes of munition, I want you fill a truck with a few boxes of weapons and ammo and bring the truck to the designated point on the map I am going to give you." commanded Zero. He then proceeded to hand one of the soldiers a map with a marked location on it and the small box containing the bomb.
"As you wish sir!" answered the geassed soliders. They then saluted Zero before heading off to one of the warehouses full of munitions.
Zero then carefully walked back to the yacht anchored nearby. Suddenly a lone patrol officer walked out of the fog and was suddenly face to face with Zero.
"Hey! Who are you?" asked the officer.
"Hmmm. This guy could also serve a purpose..." thought Zero. Activating his geass once more, Zero told the soldier to hide in an isolated location when fighting breaks out on the pier and to stay there until someone found him. Before leaving, Zero told the officer to repeatedly say a certain phrase. Zero quietly whispered the phrase to the officer before he disappeared back into the dense fog.
Further down the pier
Zero and his team of seven managed to reach their steam yacht, which acted as their temporary base. If thought the yacht was anchored a good distance away from where the Kawachi was, pitch black smoke could be seen in the distance rising up and almost darkening a part of the sky.
"I can't believe it." said Captain Gang as he stared at the large plume of smoke. "I'm guessing you were behind it?"
"Yes Captain I was." responded Zero. "I managed to find a way to get a homemade timed bomb to be stored next to the ship's munitions located within the hull. I also managed to pull a few more things out of my sleeves too."
"What do you mean by that?" asked Park. In the distance, a large truck could be heard. It then parked itself right by the yacht. Kim Gu was then seen opening the driver's door and getting out of the truck.
"Hey guys! Do you expect me to carry this stuff alone!" jokingly asked Kim Gu.
"Where have you been this whole time?" asked Roh.
"Hey, someone had to oversee the transport of the merchandise while the Japanese were distracted." answered Kim Gu.
"Merchandise?" asked the team in unison.
After the team managed to carry the wooden boxes onto the yacht, they proceeded to open it up with the crowbar they had brought. All of them were amazed by what was in them.
"I told you I managed to pull some extra strings." responded Zero.
"But something like this?" asked Captain Gang with shock. "I mean, these boxes are full of top-class rifles and enough bullets to mow down whole battalions."
"Hey Captain! This box over here is basically filled with machine guns!" yelled Seo.
"And this one over here has a decent amount of food and medicine!" yelled Jeong.
"Well Zero, I guess you truly are the man who creates miracles." said Captain Gang.
"THREE CHEERS FOR ZERO!" yelled Yi.
"ZERO! ZERO! ZERO!" cheered everyone.
"Thank you. We have shown the Japanese that we are not a walk in the park. We are not a band of thugs and criminals. But we are coordinated fighters for justice, independence, and resistance towards tyranny. Many more battles will come up in the near future. But do not let that deter you. Let it invigorate you with the will to fight on." said Zero. "Now then, team, raise the anchor. We're heading back to the Korean Peninsula."
"Sir, yes, sir." everyone said before preparing the ship to disembark.
Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. Very long chapter as you can see. Lelouch/Zero now has the complete trust of the Korean Resistance. With more resources being available to him now, things are going to get bigger and messier. Remember, please review if you could.