Chapter 72
5.
The People's Republic of China had been dreaming of space even before the Space Age began.
What blocked their dream was none other than Dr. Space.
When Doctor Space opened up space with his overwhelming technological prowess, China waited for only one thing.
"The day Doctor Space dies, that is the day China will soar into space!"
And there was a basis for that wait.
That is, China knew.
"No sun burns forever! The day the sun goes out will soon come!"
Doctor Space's lifespan was not that long.
From then on, China prepared.
Preparations to dominate space.
The very first thing they researched for that purpose was the Mog.
While everyone else saw the Mog as an enemy, China viewed the Mog as a highly valuable existence.
"It would be foolish to research anything else when we have a powerful bio-weapon that multiplies its population just by being fed Beta Gas!"
From then on, they devised ways to use the Mog, and as a result, they succeeded in creating the Kiklops using a special Cyclops individual.
After that, everything seemed laughable.
Lieutenant General Zhao Ming-De, the Commander-in-Chief of the Chinese Headquarters on Planet Kingclench, thought so too.
He thought that while problems might arise during the process, looking back, they would ultimately be nothing more than trivial matters.
"W-We have an emergency! The K-Kiklops isn't working!"
However, when a problem occurred with the Kiklops, it could not be dismissed as a trivial matter.
It was a massive issue.
An event that required revising all the plans they had prepared thus far, right from the start!
At that point, Lieutenant General Zhao Ming-De did not show signs of losing his mind in panic or anything of the sort.
Rather, the moment he received the report, Lieutenant General Zhao Ming-De stood up from his seat.
Afterward, he headed to the air-raid shelter located in the deepest underground part of the Kingclench Planet Chinese First Headquarters.
He established the command staff there.
That was why China was terrifying.
Whenever China did something, the very first thing it did was to create a place where the high-ranking officials could hide perfectly.
They believed that as long as the head survived, the people—who were merely limbs and fingers—could be replaced at any time.
They considered the Chinese populace as consumables, and while despicable, it was a highly rational and efficient judgment in extreme warfare.
It is the same now.
Having evacuated to a safe place, Lieutenant General Zhao Ming-De and the rest of the command staff did not fall into a state of panic.
"From the Second Headquarters to the Fifth Headquarters, all contact has been lost."
Even in the face of this disastrous news, Lieutenant General Zhao Ming-De spoke with an entirely unwavering expression and gaze.
"What is the situation at the First Headquarters?"
"We can hold out for ten years."
There was no reason to waver.
"And this place where you are right now, Commander, can hold out for over a hundred years."
Just as Senior Colonel Wu Yuanbo said, the place they were in right now was perfect.
"Even if a meteor strikes, this place is safe. No one can enter here without your permission, Commander."
Senior Colonel Wu Yuanbo spoke with a voice more brimming with confidence than ever before.
"I can bet my head on it."
Bang!
At that moment, with a short gunshot, Senior Colonel Wu Yuanbo's head burst open.
At that moment, everyone gathered in the air-raid shelter froze in place.
"Huh?"
It was the same for Lieutenant General Zhao Ming-De.
He, too, stiffened.
It was at that moment.
Smack!
Suddenly, something struck Lieutenant General Zhao Ming-De's chest, and he flipped backward, still in his chair.
"Uwaaagh!"
At that, Lieutenant General Zhao Ming-De let out a scream.
At the same time, he instinctively braced himself.
He was prepared to endure the intense impact that would hit the back of his head.
However, contrary to Lieutenant General Zhao Ming-De's instincts, the sound of a heavy crash did not ring out.
"Ah, careful."
Instead, a beautiful voice was heard.
"That was almost a disaster. You nearly hurt your head and suffered memory loss."
Along with that, Lieutenant General Zhao Ming-De could see.
A beautiful blonde woman had caught him.
And that beauty spoke.
"Now then, which do you prefer, coffee or chocolate?"
6.
The moment the battle ended, Kim Seojun gained over a million points and a Skill Upgrade Ticket that could raise one skill to the Transcendent Rank.
Naturally, Kim Seojun did not spare those points.
He immediately purchased 100 Gold Tickets, and Kim Seojun heard the system messages.
[Strength has increased by 34 points.]
[Stamina has increased by 33 points.]
[Magic Power has increased by 30 points.]
[Skill Upgrade Ticket (C) has appeared.]
[Skill Upgrade Ticket (B) has appeared.]
[Talent Upgrade Ticket (A) has appeared.]
He also used the Skill Upgrade Ticket right away.
There was no hesitation.
After all, the Transcendent Skill wasn't something Kim Seojun could choose; one would be selected at random.
Therefore, what Kim Seojun needed to consider was the situation after all the results came out.
Just like that, Kim Seojun heard the notification.
[Congratulations!]
[Teleport Skill has risen to the Transcendent Rank!]
[You can use Teleport even if there are obstacles!]
And the moment he heard that, the other worries in Kim Seojun's mind vanished.
It was inevitable.
Until now, the drawback of Kim Seojun's Teleport Skill was that he couldn't bypass obstacles.
So even when infiltrating a building, it was only possible after a door opened, after waiting for someone to enter and after slipping in with them.
But now he could just enter as he pleased?
Furthermore, Kim Seojun also had the Clairvoyance Skill. He could enter knowing exactly what was beyond the wall.
So Kim Seojun immediately came up with the answer.
"We are moving to the Chinese First Headquarters."
We will occupy the safest headquarters base on Planet Kingclench right now.
"The command staff has surely hidden in the air-raid shelter. In other words, they are all gathered in one place right now. They've become rats in a trap, in a place where they can't receive help no matter what happens."
It was exactly as expected.
All the commanders of the Chinese First Headquarters were gathered like rats in the air-raid shelter, and Kim Seojun entered that very air-raid shelter.
There, he secured Lieutenant General Zhao Ming-De and extracted information.
After that, naturally, everyone prepared.
"Staff Sergeant Kim, we will support you."
Prepared to clean up the massive number of troops remaining in the Chinese First Headquarters alongside Kim Seojun.
"There is no need for that."
To that, Kim Seojun gave a very simple answer.
"Emptying the headquarters base is simple."
Afterward, from the air-raid shelter, Kim Seojun issued an order to everyone in the Chinese First Headquarters.
"This is an emergency situation. All troops are to move to the Japan Headquarters Base where the resistance is. Move as quickly as possible. I repeat. This is an emergency situation. Equip only minimal armaments and supplies and move to the Japan Headquarters Base."
"Ah!"
The moment they heard those words, a flash of realization hit everyone.
‘To think there was such a method!’
It went without saying, but at that command, the troops of the Chinese First Headquarters moved as quickly as possible.
Just as ordered, they headed toward the location of the Japan Headquarters Base equipped with only minimal armaments and supplies.
There were no questions asked.
Because that was China.
A place where you had to do whatever a high-ranking official told you to do.
After the troops cleared out in an instant like that, Kim Seojun issued another order.
He spoke to the non-military personnel.
"This is an emergency situation. A powerful entity is coming to the First Headquarters Base right now."
He sent them out as well.
"A battleship is on standby at the designated location. Evacuate there."
Giving them hope.
In that way, Kim Seojun turned the incredibly formidable Chinese First Headquarters into an empty place in just half a day.
Of course, not everyone disappeared.
There were always people who didn't listen, no matter where you went.
"I will begin the cleanup."
Kim Seojun began moving through the Chinese First Headquarters Base to catch them.
This, too, was not difficult.
"Minimap."
He had one more very good ability that could perfectly pinpoint well-hidden enemies.
And so, Kim Seojun went around cleaning up.
There was no hesitation or reluctance in the process.
Not only was it crystal clear who was in the wrong first, but China was no longer in Kim Seojun's mind.
‘The Behemoth is coming.’
That unfathomably massive existence did not allow the word 'China' to wander around in his head.
‘I can't find an answer.’
Furthermore, no matter how hard Kim Seojun racked his brain, he couldn't find a way to deal with the Behemoth.
In truth, trying to find a way to deal with it was laughable.
To a Space Marine, the Behemoth was like the relationship between an aphid and a lion—no, an even more distant relationship than that.
In reality, proper manpower was not deployed to hunt a Behemoth.
Preparing a massive quantity of specially manufactured shells—Behemoth Buster Rounds, which were unfathomably more powerful than your average Bunker Buster—and dropping them relentlessly until it died, that was the Behemoth Strategy.
In that process, a few highly elite Psycher Agent Teams would merely play the role of drawing the Behemoth's attention.
That was the role Hawk Eye had played last time.
Someone was irritating the Behemoth's nerves like a mosquito, luring it so it couldn't head toward where people were.
In any case, from Kim Seojun's perspective, no suitable method to hunt the Behemoth came to mind.
Of course, running away was not a problem.
He could do that as much as he wanted.
Kim Seojun's Group had even secured the spaceship that was on standby at the Chinese First Headquarters.
If push came to shove, they could just escape into space.
Even if they didn't, playing tag with the Behemoth for years was also possible.
And that was the biggest reason that troubled Kim Seojun.
‘No matter how I think about it, I can't see a scenario where I die to the Behemoth.’
Why had he died by the Behemoth?
It was around then.
- Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun.
Major Lee Hyena, who was operating outside the headquarters base, contacted him.
- I don't see anything.
The moment he heard those words, Kim Seojun's eyes narrowed.
He put aside all his thoughts and looked at the Minimap.
On the Minimap he was looking at, a red dot was clearly visible.
"Are you sure?"
- I don't see anything.
The moment he heard her follow-up, Kim Seojun did not deliberate for long.
Flash!
He immediately used Teleport to pass through the wall and go outside the headquarters base.
After moving a few more times, he saw Major Lee Hyena.
She was not wearing her usual Agent Suit, but the Red Goblin Suit she had received from Lieutenant Colonel Hikari.
Seeing that, Kim Seojun asked.
"Major Lee Hyena."
- I will prepare for battle.
At his call, Major Lee Hyena also immediately took a combat stance instead of saying unnecessary words.
It was then.
The red dot on the Minimap Kim Seojun was watching began to move rapidly, and at that moment, Kim Seojun could see it.
BOOM!
With a deafening roar, Major Lee Hyena in her Red Goblin Suit was launched high into the sky.
The moment he confirmed her soaring like a soccer ball, Kim Seojun did not offer words like 'Are you okay?' to Major Lee Hyena.
Sssshk!
He immediately injected a stimpack.
Then, the world stopped.
It was no exaggeration.
With the Talent Upgrade Ticket he obtained this time, Kim Seojun had even raised his Dynamic Visual Acuity Talent to A-Rank.
Therefore, the world he was seeing now was bound to be an even more distinct world than before.
In that world, Kim Seojun's eyes moved rapidly to find the entity that had attacked Major Lee Hyena.
And he could see it.
‘That's it.’
An invisible entity is moving toward Major Lee Hyena right now.
Kim Seojun was astonished by that fact.
It wasn't because of the fact that it was invisible.
Among the Psycher Agents, there were those with a Stealth Ability, and there were also a few weapons with such capabilities.
What surprised him was that he could see it moving at that moment.
To be precise, he could see it because it moved.
Even in a Stealth State, the moment it moved, the surrounding environment—like sand or dust—was bound to move under physical influence.
And as mentioned earlier, Kim Seojun's world is practically at a standstill right now.
Yet it was moving in that world?
It meant that the entity's speed was incredibly fast!
At that moment, Kim Seojun could be certain.
That was it.
That invisible entity was what had killed him.
Tat-tat-tat-tat!
By the time his thoughts reached that point, Kim Seojun's fingers were already moving rapidly, spewing out bullets.
At that moment, the engagement began.
Actually, it was hard to even call it an engagement.
BAM, BAM, BAM!
Far from a proper counterattack, Major Lee Hyena was being hit and sent flying relentlessly like a soccer ball.
"Damn it!"
The only fortunate thing was that Major Lee Hyena was wearing the Red Goblin Suit.
If it had been the Agent Suit she usually wore, she would have burst apart long ago.
Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
Meanwhile, Kim Seojun's muzzle relentlessly spat fire.
The only thing that could offer any comfort was that every bullet fired hit its mark without exception.
Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang!
Of course, just as the expression 'only thing that could offer any comfort' implied, the gunshots only let out worthless sounds upon impact.
However, Kim Seojun did not care.
Firing guns at nonsensical things was what Kim Seojun had been doing all along anyway.
Above all, what Kim Seojun wanted was not to deal damage.
It was a courtship.
A courtship saying: Look at me, not Major Lee Hyena.
‘It's coming.’
And the invisible entity responded to that courtship.
It charged, aiming for Kim Seojun, instead of Major Lee Hyena, whose suit was already destroyed and had lost half her combat power.
From that, Kim Seojun could roughly estimate.
‘Four meters, no, five meters.’
The opponent was a massive giant.
It was incredibly fast.
However, he did not feel fear of it.
There was no reason to feel it.
"Haste."
Kim Seojun, for one, possessed a speed fast enough on its own to react to that speed.
Above all, Kim Seojun had that.
"Teleport."
The Teleport that could now effortlessly bypass even walls!
Just like that, Kim Seojun vanished in an instant, and the moment it lost Kim Seojun, the enemy began to scan the surroundings.
Creak!
Then, the enemy sensed something and turned its head toward that presence.
And it could see.
The Xeno Suit.
KABOOM!
That Xeno Suit slammed straight into the invisible enemy's face, and the struck entity was sent flying.
At the same time, Kim Seojun moved again.
‘I will finish this for sure.’
There was no hesitation.
That entity right now is undoubtedly the one that had killed him!
If so, taking care of it as quickly as possible before any problems arose was the best course of action.
That was the only way to change the date of his death.
Ssssss!
Then, the stealth of the entity, struck by the Xeno Suit's fist, unraveled, and soon, Kim Seojun could see it.
At that moment, Kim Seojun flinched.
He couldn't help it.
What appeared before Kim Seojun's eyes right now was an entity that looked exactly like the Xeno Suit he was wearing.
‘…I see.’
Only then did Kim Seojun finally understand.
Why was the creation of this suit the Xeno Project?
It wasn't a name for this suit.
‘That was the Xeno.’
That alien being from an alien civilization was named Xeno.
At that moment, a chill ran down Kim Seojun's spine.
In the Space Age, he had heard the story countless times.
This universe was far too large for there to be only one civilization.
A civilization similar to or surpassing Humanity must surely exist.
There were quite a few Adventurers wandering space in search of an alien civilization, expecting to find one.
But for that entity to exist as an enemy right before his eyes?
That fact filled Kim Seojun with dizzying terror.
‘Somehow.’
At the same time, he steeled his resolve.
‘I will eliminate it no matter what.’
With that resolve, Kim Seojun was about to launch another attack, when he saw the Xeno moving.
The Xeno raised both its arms toward the sky, and seeing that, Kim Seojun was certain.
The Xeno was about to show something incomprehensible to human civilization.
Grrrnd!
Realizing that, Kim Seojun clenched his teeth tightly.
He harbored the resolve to endure it no matter what.
With that resolve, Kim Seojun, his eyes glaring fiercely, could see it.
[I surrender!]
The alien he encountered for the first time on the distant Planet Kingclench declared surrender in Korean.