Chapter 294: The True Reason for the Free Assistance

Director Griffin's private jet spent about two hours in the air before safely landing at a Philippine Air Force base located in the northern part of Mindanao Island.

Following Griffin down the boarding stairs, Jiham spotted Defense Minister Fernando and Director Santiago warmly welcoming the arrivals. After exchanging brief greetings, everyone quickly boarded the minibus waiting for them.

As soon as the driver pulled away, Jiham asked Defense Minister Fernando,

“Why the rush? We're speeding off as though someone's chasing us.”

“There's a high risk that we're being watched.”

“I'm not quite sure what you mean, Minister.”

“There's too great a chance that an Abu Sayyaf spy is hiding among the base's civilian personnel.”

Most of Marawi's residents were Muslims. And the Air Force base where Director Griffin's plane had landed was located in the immediate vicinity of the city. For that reason, the Philippine Air Force had to employ local residents as civilian personnel. And Abu Sayyaf had most likely already recruited some of them to gather intelligence on the government's and military's activities.

That was precisely what Minister Fernando was talking about. Wanting to confirm his assumption, Jiham cautiously asked,

“So you believe the spies may have reported our arrival?”

“Director Cha is absolutely right,” the minister confirmed.

“Then Abu Sayyaf may already know we're here?”

“Only an extremely limited number of people know about your visit. But we can't completely rule out a leak.”

Those words made Jiham's temples throb. If the militants learned of their presence, the entire plan he had devised would amount to nothing. They needed to prepare a Plan B for the worst-case scenario, but they were catastrophically short on time.

Jiham asked Fernando whether they had a solution for that.

“Director Santiago will answer your question,” the minister replied.

Everyone's eyes turned toward Santiago. Feeling their attention on him, he immediately said,

“At the moment, FBI and National Bureau of Investigation agents are wiretapping the phones of Carlos and the key commanders.”

“I see.”

“If they receive information about Director Cha's group's arrival, we'll be the first to know.”

“And what's the situation right now?”

“According to our information, they don't suspect anything yet.”

“That's already a relief. But if anything unexpected happens, we'll have to change the plan on the fly, so let me know immediately.”

“Agreed. Your rooms have been prepared right here on the Air Force base.”

Marawi was a high-risk area closed to visitors. The appearance of Koreans and Americans here would inevitably attract unwanted attention from the local residents. Understanding that, Santiago had arranged for them to stay on the military base.

“Understood.”

“The accommodations are modest, but you'll have to bear with them for a while.”

“There's nothing to worry about. Safety is what matters.”

While they were talking with Director Santiago, the minibus unexpectedly drove into a huge hangar. Before Jiham could wonder why, the driver brought the vehicle to a stop.

As though he had been waiting for that moment, Defense Minister Fernando explained,

“To protect ourselves against possible Abu Sayyaf attacks, we've established a command post in an underground bunker directly beneath the hangar.”

“I see.”

The minibus doors opened. As they got out, they were greeted by a formation of soldiers snapping off regulation salutes. Minister Fernando returned the salute with equal precision and led the guests into a single-story technical building inside the hangar.

Inside was a stairway leading underground. After descending about ten meters, they found themselves in a long corridor lined with numerous doors. The soldiers escorted the group into the room at the far left.

A massive U-shaped table stood in the center of the room. The Philippine delegation led by Minister Fernando took the central seats, while the Korean and American sides sat opposite each other.

Taking a sip of water from a bottle, Defense Minister Fernando said sternly,

“Keep this in mind: if even a single word spoken within these walls leaks out, the consequences will be catastrophic.”

“Yes, sir!” the meeting participants answered in unison.

Satisfied with their response, the minister continued,

“Very well, let's begin the discussion.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a Filipino man in his forties rose from his seat and walked to the center of the room. After giving a restrained bow, he began speaking in an even voice.

“Hello. I'm Senior Team Leader Ales Bruno, an FBI representative.”

“For the record, Officer Bruno is an undercover operative,” Director Nevers clarified.

Bruno gave his direct superior a slight nod and continued,

“All FBI agents working on the ground are Philippine citizens.”

“I see.”

“We maintain continuous surveillance of Vice Chairman Chen Zhihui, Carlos, and the upper ranks of Abu Sayyaf.”

Bruno nodded once more, the lights in the room gradually dimmed, and a detailed map appeared on the screen. Pointing a laser pointer at one area, he said,

“The Abu Sayyaf base is hidden in the jungle north of the Agus River.”

“I see. How many people are at the base itself?”

“It's difficult to determine the exact number, but we estimate around three thousand.”

“According to our information, the group's total strength is between six and seven thousand,” Director Santiago interjected.

The FBI and the National Bureau of Investigation were both intelligence and law-enforcement agencies. Their data should have matched, yet the figures differed by more than twofold. Jiham decided to ask Santiago the reason for the discrepancy.

“The three thousand at the base itself are active militants ready for combat,” Santiago explained.

“And the rest?”

“Veterans and members of the older generation who have stepped away from active operations.”

“So they should be regarded as a trained reserve?”

“Exactly, Director Cha.”

Jiham nodded in understanding and turned back to Bruno.

“How large is the base?”

“About thirty thousand square meters.”

In other words, roughly three hectares.

“That's fairly extensive. Where are Vice Chairman Chen and the leadership staying?”

“In a fortified compound near the main camp.”

“I see. And how many civilians live in the surrounding area?”

“According to our estimates, around five thousand.”

“That many?”

“Most of the local residents have close ties to the organization.”

Abu Sayyaf could hardly provide itself with everything it needed on its own. That meant food and basic necessities were supplied by the local population.

“I see. How far are their homes from the base?”

“The nearest ones are about fifty meters away. Most are scattered within a two-kilometer radius.”

The Philippine Air Force planned to strike the Abu Sayyaf base using FA-50PH light attack aircraft. The GPS-guided KGGB bombs had a deviation of no more than one meter. However, if the pilots made a mistake, the consequences could be disastrous—civilians could be harmed.

Voicing his concerns, Jiham asked the Defense Minister about the precautions they were taking.

“Only experienced crews have been assigned to this mission, and they're currently undergoing intensive training. The risk of missing is virtually nonexistent.”

“Even so, the human factor can't be ignored. Get as much as possible out of the training.”

“You don't need to worry about that.”

Since the head of the Defense Ministry was expressing such confidence, there was no point in harboring further doubts.

“All right. But the base covers a huge area. Are you sure you'll be able to wipe them all out in a single strike?”

“The concentration of forces is located within a one-kilometer radius of the center of the camp. If we conduct a mass drop of KGGBs, there'll be nothing left of them.”

“But that will require pinpoint accuracy and destructive power.”

“We've tested the KGGB. A single bomb completely devastates an area the size of a football field.”

“Impressive.”

“Haha, I agree.”

It was time to get to the main point.

“I'd like the FA-50PH bombing strike to be recorded in its entirety on video.”

Minister Fernando understood perfectly well what lay behind Cha Jiham's request. KGGB aerial bombs possessed tremendous destructive power while remaining quite affordable. However, because they lacked a record of actual combat use, efforts to promote them for export had encountered difficulties.

The South Korean government had provided a batch of the bombs free of charge precisely to obtain real combat testing and actual video footage. Wanting to repay Korea for the assistance it was providing, Fernando agreed without hesitation.

“We'll deploy several drones equipped with thermal-imaging cameras above the base.”

“I'd be extremely grateful.”

“We need footage of the camp's destruction ourselves,” the minister added.

“That's true.”

At that moment, NIS Director Om Giyeon joined the conversation.

“Minister, even with the KGGB's destructive power, some of the militants are bound to survive. Do you have a plan for that possibility?”

“Don't worry. The perimeter of the base will be sealed off by special forces units, who will eliminate anyone left behind.”

“Then I have no further questions.”

“I have a question for you as well, Director Om,” Fernando said. “Where are the North Korean submarines now?”

“Before our departure, we contacted the Shin Chaeho submarine. They confirmed that the North Korean submarines had entered the waters of the Sulu Sea.”

The Defense Minister asked Officer Bruno to display a map of the region. Soon, an enlarged section of the Sulu Sea appeared on the monitor. Pointing at one of the islands, Fernando addressed Director Santiago.

“According to our calculations, they should currently be passing near Cuyo Island?”

“I believe so.”

The minister then moved the pointer lower and asked North Korean RGB Deputy Director Jo Ilcheol,

“When will the North Korean submarines arrive at the Port of Iligan?”

“Their submerged speed is around ten knots. Taking their nighttime surface passages into account, they'll reach the Iligan roadstead by six tomorrow evening.”

Fernando frowned. The FA-50PH strike on the Abu Sayyaf base was scheduled for midnight. But the submarines carrying the missiles and launchers would arrive as early as 6:00 p.m. Ideally, the airstrike would be launched as soon as the submarines arrived, but the pilots had yet to complete their training.

He looked hopefully at Cha Jiham.

“We need to make sure the North Koreans don't reach Iligan until midnight.”

“But how can we do that?”

“The latest Korean and American submarines are following them, aren't they?”

“You mean our submarines should block their path?”

“Exactly, Minister.”

With those words, Jiham turned his gaze toward Director Griffin. Understanding without needing anything explained, Griffin quickly left the room. A couple of minutes later, Griffin returned and took his seat.

“Minister, the North Korean submarines will arrive at their destination at exactly midnight.”