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LOCATION: PRIORITY MILITARY EXPRESS TRAIN
CITY: NAMPO, NORTH KOREA
DATE: APRIL 17, 2026 | TIME: 0600 HOURS
Shortly before 0600, the train Li Wei had engineered to be labeled as non-stop military express straight from Sinuiju to Nampo pulled into the shoddy station at the end of the line.
Grim and his team were ready.
Minutes ago, he'd received a report from Mountain Teams Alpha and Bravo of their success on the east coast.
That meant Grim and his team were on the clock now.
There was no time to waste. The east coast of North Korea was about to erupt into a shitstorm of epic proportions within minutes.
With comms cut off, it would take some time for word to reach the Nampo naval shipyard, but not that much time.
Li had told Grim that all six of the cars would contain munitions.
And by munitions, in this case Li meant the big stuff.
Not ammo crates and small arms. No, these cars contained torpedoes, anti-ship missiles, depth charges and naval mines.
All disguised as gifts from the Chinese government.
During the seven hour ride from the port city, Grim's team had rigged the entire inside of car three with C-4 on a timer to go off a half hour after they arrived in Nampo.
In the early morning dusk, Grim and his team slipped out of the rail car before the crew at the shipyard arrived to inventory and offload their new haul.
Vanessa had already found an armored van in the yard by the time Grim and the rest piled inside.
He and Brick had to take out two guards on the way because they'd been spotted. Hiding the bodies only took a minute, but every minute counted right now.
Vanessa took the ID badge Brick handed her and scratched the picture up enough to make it passable.
Within minutes, they were through the gates and on the road heading northeast toward Ryonggang.
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LOCATION: PRINCIPLE RESIDENCE OF THE SUPREME LEADER
CITY: PYONGYANG, NORTH KOREA
DATE: APRIL 17, 2026 | TIME: 6:30 AM
The North Korean dictator awoke at 6:00 AM. Nobody was allowed to interrupt his sacred morning until he emerged from his bedroom.
He dressed in his standard black military shirt and stepped into the hallway at precisely 6:30. The maids and other house staff were lined up in front of him, wishing him a good morning.
He returned their deep bows with a curt nod as he descended the grand staircase and entered the dining room.
Two military aides stood waiting for him with a morning briefing. They knew better than to speak before they were called upon, so they waited.
The scent of rich Italian coffee drifted through the air of the spacious room. A latte swirled to perfection sat on the table in front of the Supreme Leader.
Beside it, a silver tray bore five croissants still warm from the oven, a dish of blueberries gleaming like polished gems, and eggs folded with black truffle shavings.
The guard on the left was embarrassed when his stomach growled loud enough for the dictator to hear.
He only had a single bowl of rice yesterday with a small piece of dried fish. The smell of the eggs and bread were intoxicating.
The Supreme Leader's head snapped up at the insolence. He pointed at the culprit with his polished fork.
"Leave. You'll receive new orders later. You," he said, pointing to the second aide, "give me the briefing."
One man left, dejected, while the other stepped forward.
Sweat formed on his forehead.
"Dear Leader, the details are spotty, but it seems the Americans have struck the eastern seaboard."
The dictator slammed his fork down and stood.
"What? Why didn't you start with that, you fool!"
The aide was flustered.
"You… you told us to never speak until you call upon us, Dear Leader. I apologize if—"
The leader sat back down.
He was sure he hadn't overplayed his hand. It was the sacred Day of the Sun. And China had ensured him he had their full backing if things escalated.
How did they let this happen?
The aide interrupted the dictator's thoughts.
"Supreme Leader," he started, "we recommend relocation to Ryonggang. The reinforced bunkers there are the safest place for your protection."
"What's the weather going to be today?"
"Sir?"
The dictator looked at his top military aide.
"What is the weather going to be today? It's a simple question."
"Uh," the aide said, "a little chilly, but clear skies."
"Good," the Supreme Leader of North Korea said, "I'll get in a round of golf before we head into the dingy bunker. I need to clear my head."
"Dear Leader—"
"Don't try to tell me what I can and can't do," the dictator said firmly. "You're my advisor. I do what I will. And the heavens will always protect me. Now get me the damage assessments from the east and have the staff prepare the transport to Ryonggang."
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LOCATION: NAMPO NAVAL SHIPYARD
CITY: NAMPO, NORTH KOREA
DATE: APRIL 17, 2026 | TIME: 6:30 AM
While the Supreme Leader lingered over his truffle eggs, events to the southwest had taken a sudden turn.
Inspectors had finished their inventory on the first rail car, and were moving on to the second.
A crew of dock workers followed behind with forklifts, removing the long crates housing torpedoes. They drove a hundred feet toward the docks and began staging the boxes to be unpacked so the torpedoes could be moved to the ships waiting in the harbor nearby.
Slowly they made a line of crates, starting a hundred feet out and running back toward the train. Once they completed offloading the first car, they started on the second, which contained anti-ship missiles.
One of the inspectors slid open the door to the third car. He only had a minute to stare inside before the timer on the shaped charges reached its limit.
Recognition dawned on him in the final seconds of his life. A spark lit inside the car, and the C-4 erupted. The last thing he remembered was the smell of his own burning flesh, just before his head and body were broken into a thousand tiny bits.
The explosion began with the naval mines inside the third car. The mines exponentially increased the damage of the initial blast both backward and forward.
The last two cars included depth charges and more anti-ship missiles. When the car with the missiles went off, they shot forward, blasting through the side of the rail car and into the nearby fuel depot. The depot punctured the steel siding and the fuel erupted in an inferno that seemed to instantly reach the clouds.
Forward of the third car, the anti-ship missiles and torpedoes were ignited, and shot forward toward the ships moored in the bay.
Captain Park Jin-tae was late for work that morning. His wife had just given birth, and with the baby up at all hours, it was hard to get enough rest.
He drove along the Young Hero Highway, and as he drew closer, he saw black smoke consuming the sky in front of him.
He accelerated. When he got to the checkpoint, no guards were on duty and the gate was open.
"What the hell happened here?" he muttered as he parked and ran to find someone who could give him a comprehensive report.
He found a junior officer and stopped him.
Soot filled the kid's face, and the arms and legs of his fatigues were signed.
"What happened here, soldier?" Park asked.
"I…I" the young man stuttered.
"It's ok," Park said reassuringly. "Tell me from the top."
The soldier told his Captain what he knew.
Crews were unloading the train, and the munitions went off. From what he could tell, there weren't any ships left in the harbor that were seaworthy.
Park told the young man to return to his work.
He went into his office, which was somehow unscathed, and sat at his desk. He leaned back in his chair and put his feet up on the desk.
Park reached for the bottom drawer on the right. He pulled out a bottle of American whiskey he'd been gifted. He opened the cap and took a deep pull, coughing as the burn worked its way down his throat.
He knew if he reported this incident, they'd take his life.
Incident…
He looked out the window at the destruction. The Americans could have hardly done a better job at crippling the North Korean navy if they'd struck Nampo directly with everything they had.
Captain Park Jin-tae took one more swig of the whiskey.
Then he said goodbye to his wife in his heart, and raised his sidearm to his temple.
"For the Dear Leader," he said aloud as he pulled the trigger.
Through that day and late into the night, fire crews still struggled to get the blazes under control.
But with Park gone, nobody reported the destruction of the Nampo Naval Shipyard up the chain of command.
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LOCATION: ARMORED VAN
CITY: RYONGGANG, NORTH KOREA
DATE: APRIL 17, 2026 | TIME: 0700 HOURS
Grim and his team's armored van continued northeast on the Youth Hero Highway. As they neared the outskirts of Ryonggang, he received a System message from Li.
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Headed to Pyongyang Golf Course
5th hole is surrounded by forest cover
Good hunting
---
Grim read the message to everyone, and Vanessa continued further north, until she saw the turnoff for the Mirim Golf Club.
"Mirim?" Aria asked.
"It's the only golf course in the region," Vanessa explained. "The locals call it Mirim, and the rest of the world just calls it the Pyongyang Golf Course."
Knowing they'd be turned away if the dictator was on his way, they took the next exit and parked the van out of sight from the road.
"Gonna need to double-time it from here," Brick said.
Aria had the sniper rifle, but everyone was armed. Vanessa had her bow, Nightweaver, and had already asked to take the shot.
Grim said it all depended on the distances. They didn't know how much cover the forest would offer, and that would determine how close they could get.
By 0830, they had found the fifth hole and were fully camouflaged and in position, lying in wait.