Chapter 62
3.
The dawn of every era usually involves some sort of process.
But the Space Age was different.
Its dawn was far too sudden, and so every process was carried out by rule of thumb.
Among them, the most haphazardly handled task was none other than naming the things that would define the Space Age.
At this point, one person offered an opinion.
"Since it's come to this, instead of giving us a headache by having each nation making up names only it knows, how about we unify the terminology? The standards, too. Especially you bastards in America and England, you absolutely have to use the metric system this time. Don't use yards or miles."
Of course, normally, even if someone said that, most nations would respond with, We're going to do it our way, so what are you going to do about it? Are you going to impose economic sanctions? I'm America! I'm China! If you're mad, just follow our lead! But this time, they couldn't do that.
"If you use them, you're really dead."
That one person was Doctor Space.
Anyway, under his warning, the nations gathered and unified the terminology for things used in space.
One of the very first things to come up was regarding the Space Fighters that would be used in space.
"It's impossible to give them all the exact same names, so let's just decide roughly what to call them and how to determine their classes."
"Let's call them birds."
"Birds?"
"How about birds, in the sense that they should do a good job eating up those bug bastards, the Mogs?"
Space Fighters began to be called Birds.
After that, things progressed smoothly.
"As for the classes, well, let's divide them by birds."
Starting with the highest Eagle-class, they established five classes: Falcon-class, Hawk-class, Crow-class, Magpie-class, and Sparrow-class.
The Crow-class was a very high class.
It was no exaggeration to say that it was practically the most cutting-edge craft among the fighters in Combat Deployment.
"How did you get it?"
It wasn't something you could get just because you wanted it.
"There was an English Space Battleship that got destroyed, so I moved there and luckily found it. It was still in its case, too."
It was truly something only possible with luck.
"After that, I just roughly checked the craft's condition and didn't really touch it. I just left it like trash and periodically checked on it in secret. I figured if I had nothing to do later, I'd put on a show against the Chinese."
And Brigadier General Lee Yeong-Jun had saved that luck to screw over China in the future.
Of course, the moment they heard that, everyone knew.
"Does the engine work?"
It had never undergone a proper test flight.
"English goods always tend to break down in important situations, but it's still better than their acting up in a Rescue Spaceship."
Furthermore, English-made goods could not be trusted much, whether it was cars, fighters, or food.
Anyway, the Rescue Spaceship piloted by Brigadier General Lee Yeong-Jun moved to the designated point, and soon reached the front of a large container.
"I will check it out."
The moment they were in front of the container, Kim Seojun immediately went outside the Rescue Spaceship.
"Ah!"
Seeing that, Brigadier General Lee Yeong-Jun said something.
"I put a padlock on that!"
It went without saying, but the moment Brigadier General Lee Yeong-Jun discovered this, he personally placed a padlock on the container's door.
So that no one could take it.
A very sturdy one.
"I just cut it."
"Huh? What do you mean? How did you cut that?"
However, that measure didn't work on Kim Seojun.
"I cut it with a monofilament cutter."
"What?"
In response to that question, Kim Seojun showed himself opening the door after cutting off the padlock instead of answering.
"Huh?"
While Brigadier General Lee Yeong-Jun was startled by that fact, Kim Seojun could see it.
England's Crow-class Space Fighter.
The exterior of the Space Fighter was similar to the fighters seen on Earth.
The difference was that it had three wings.
This was also a characteristic that most Space Fighters had.
"It's a Spitfire."
Furthermore, the model name was Spitfire, the most cutting-edge craft currently used by the British Space Force.
"A Spitfire? Oh, it really is!"
It was a craft that boasted powerful firepower, and it had one distinct feature.
"This has two gunner's seats, doesn't it?"
That two gunners could ride and attack in one craft.
"As expected, even if England can't make things well, it knows style. America lacks a bit of that. Anyway, this is great! What is everyone doing? Aren't you getting in?"
The moment they saw that Space Fighter, everyone immediately came out of the Rescue Spaceship and boarded the Spitfire.
The first thing they did, naturally, was to start the engine.
"Good, it started!"
Fortunately, the engine started right away.
"I checked last time, and it wasn't even locked. It's perfectly fine to use it right away like this!"
Wuuuung!
The Spitfire immediately let out a sound announcing that it was ready to spew flames at any moment.
At that moment, everyone's eyes changed.
Especially Brigadier General Lee Yeong-Jun's eyes.
To him, a former space pilot, the sound of a fighter was like the sound of a beating heart.
"It's been a while since I sat in a bird's beak."
Furthermore, ever since earning his star, Brigadier General Lee Yeong-Jun had never flown a Space Fighter in the field.
He couldn't fly one.
Still, when he was a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel, he could have gone out and said, Haha! I'll just take it for a spin! and gotten some fresh air, but if a general did that, the unit would be turned upside down.
It was the same even after this incident broke out.
He only piloted the Rescue Spaceship; there was no occasion to fly a Space Fighter.
The moment his long-stopped heart began to beat again, Brigadier General Lee Yeong-Jun's sense also changed.
He now became a space pilot and spoke.
"Take your seats."
The moment those words came out, Kim Seojun immediately looked at Private First Class Park Boseop and said,
"Private First Class Park will take the backseater position."
"Yes? The backseater? Wait, so you're telling me to sit in the rear seat right now?"
Private First Class Park Boseop was startled by the word backseater.
A rear seat pilot is literally the position responsible for the rear vision of a space fighter soaring through space.
It was a seat that only those who had received proper training could sit in.
"I-I've never flown a bird before."
Even Private First Class Park Boseop, who until now had always shown competence with vehicles, couldn't express confidence in this.
Regarding that, Brigadier General Lee Yeong-Jun spoke.
"Private First Class Park Boseop, do you not have a pilot's license?"
"Yes? Ah, yes! I don't have one!"
At those words, Private First Class Park Boseop naturally expected the General to act like a general and say, Then do something else.
"Is that so? That's great. Think of this as license practice."
"Pardon?"
"Originally, everyone snuck out on a Bird, wrecked it, and built up experience that way."
At that moment, Private First Class Park Boseop could finally feel it with his entire body.
The man named Lee Yeong-Jun over there wasn't just a simple star, but someone who had soared through space alongside the human named Kim Seojun.
His line of common sense lay somewhere beyond space.
So he didn't complain.
"Oho, then where should I ride, Brigadier General?"
Noah Winston, who had been watching the situation as if it were amusing, threw out a question, and at that question, Brigadier General Lee Yeong-Jun looked at Kim Seojun and spoke with his eyes.
A look that said, She was a soldier? Wasn't she a civilian you rescued from somewhere?
That was how much Noah Winston, on the outside, lacked any sort of soldier-like feel.
She just seemed like an incredible beauty.
"She's a psycher agent."
"Ah!"
However, at the following words, Brigadier General Lee Yeong-Jun spoke.
"Then you should take a seat. What is your specialty, by any chance?"
"Me? Guns."
"Is that so? How well do you shoot?"
"I shoot a bit."
At those words, Brigadier General Lee Yeong-Jun nodded.
"Then you and Staff Sergeant Kim can each sit in a gunner's seat."
That was all.
He didn't ask any unnecessary questions, and Kim Seojun didn't say much to him either.
He knew.
If he said, That woman over there is Hawk Eye, it would only complicate Brigadier General Lee Yeong-Jun's mind.
And anyway, that wasn't what was important here.
The positions needed to move the Space Fighter were decided.
Now, there was only one thing to keep in mind.
"We're short on ammo, so let's conserve it."
The objective was accomplished with an extremely limited amount of ammunition.
"You don't have to worry about that."
"Huh?"
Of course, that was only Brigadier General Lee Yeong-Jun's worry; it wasn't a worry for Kim Seojun and his comrades.
"Before coming up to space, I packed as much ammunition as possible."
"How much?"
"Probably as much as you've shot in your entire life, Brigadier General."
"......Hey, that space thing of yours, how big is it?"
To that question, Kim Seojun answered.
"It's big enough to fit this Space Fighter."
The moment he heard those words, Brigadier General Lee Yeong-Jun didn't ask any more questions.
Wuuuung!
Like that, the Spitfire spewed flames and crossed through space.
4.
The squads' combat method was simple.
They soared through space like squids soaring through the sea, and when a target appeared, they stuck right onto it.
After that, they mercilessly bit into whatever they were stuck to with the teeth attached to their tentacles.
That was all.
However, that attack was like despair from humanity's perspective, even as its cutting-edge weapons soared through space.
It wasn't simply because its power was terrifying.
"When a squad sticks to something, you eventually have to use weapons to detach it. That means you have to aim your gun muzzles and pull the triggers on our own space battleship that the squad is stuck to."
Having even one sticking to you was a massive headache.
But right now, there weren't just one such squad stuck to Gate 7, but tens of thousands of them.
It was a staggering number.
A situation where they practically already had to give up on the Gate's functions.
It was a situation where there seemed to be absolutely no room to do anything about it.
That was why Kim Seojun pulled the trigger here without the slightest hesitation or reluctance.
Tutututu!
"Huh? Uh, uh!"
At that sudden offensive, Private First Class Park Boseop, who was sitting in the backseater position, was startled and said,
"E-Excuse me, Staff Sergeant Kim! The G-Gate is being attacked!"
It was understandable, as the penetrating bullets were also affecting the main body of the Gate, apart from Kim Seojun's attack accurately hitting the squads.
They were making holes.
"I know."
However, Kim Seojun didn't show any particular reaction to that fact.
And surprisingly, Brigadier General Lee Yeong-Jun didn't show any reaction either.
In the first place, Brigadier General Lee Yeong-Jun knew Kim Seojun would act like this.
More accurately, he knew Kim Seojun's personality.
"If we leave them be, the squads will bite it apart anyway, so what's the problem with leaving a few bullet marks?"
His calculations were faster than anyone else's, and just as he said, the Gate was in a situation where it would be destroyed if left alone anyway.
Furthermore, compared to the squads sticking to it and relentlessly biting the Gate apart, the bullets would merely make a hole or two.
"I would be thankful if they stick to it."
"Yes?"
From Kim Seojun's perspective, it was actually something to be thankful for if those squads stuck to it without falling off.
Because hitting things stuck like that was far too laughable a task for Kim Seojun right now.
"You're thankful for that?"
In other words, the squads were absolutely not Mogs that would just stay stuck like that forever.
"They're going to swarm us now, so stay alert. Watching from the rear seat is the scariest."
Sssssss!
And the moment those words ended, the squads that had been stuck to Gate 7 began their space flight.
The bastards moved their legs vigorously and began to speed up, rushing toward the Spitfire that Kim Seojun's Group was riding in.
Their speed wasn't that fast at first.
Sssss!
However, as their movements repeated, and as the squads began to clump together, their speed began to increase exponentially.
From a certain point, their speed began to approach the speed of the Spitfire.
Furthermore, there weren't just one or two squads.
The tens of thousands of squads weren't simply coming from one direction; they were scattered in all directions, chasing the Spitfire while forming an all-directional encirclement.
"Oh my god."
Astonishment flowed from the mouth of Private First Class Park Boseop, who was watching the sight while sitting in the rear cockpit.
He had faced all sorts of situations against Mogs until now, but a sight like this was new.
It couldn't be helped.
On a Planet, even if you faced Mogs, you would at most be surrounded on all sides, in your vicinity, but space was different.
You could see a staggering sight where all directions, meaning all space, were filled with Mogs.
"Private First Class Park Boseop, don't get distracted by those squid bastards, and watch closely."
Through that sight, the Spitfire began to charge.
Meaning, right through the swarming flock of squads.
"Huh?"
To Private First Class Park Boseop, who was astonished by that fact, Brigadier General Lee Yeong-Jun said,
"The awesome thing about Space is that there are plenty of holes to escape through."
Tututututu!
During the weaving through the flock of squads like that, the two Gatling Guns relentlessly spewed flames.
The sight of the Spitfire moving and spewing flames in the pitch-black space looked as if it were wearing a dress and dancing a waltz, showing an appearance that went beyond incredible and was endlessly beautiful.
Kwakwakwakwa!
Of course, what was truly surprising was that amidst the Spitfire's ridiculous movements, the two Gunmen showed a perfect hit rate.
At that part, even Brigadier General Lee Yeong-Jun was surprised.
‘I can understand Staff Sergeant Kim, but who is that woman? She shoots that well?’
The Shooting Ability Noah Winston displayed was at a surprising level even from Brigadier General Lee Yeong-Jun's perspective.
However, that admiration, that dance, did not last long.
Beep beep beep beep!
One of the Spitfire's instrument panels, which had been quiet until now, suddenly began to fluctuate wildly, and everyone knew.
"It's that bastard!"
The welterweight individual had appeared.
And the one who confirmed it first was none other than Private First Class Park Boseop, who was sitting in the rear cockpit.
He saw it, and the moment he saw it, he froze.
It couldn't be helped.
What appeared was a squad of staggering size, its body length reaching a whopping 200 meters including its legs.
What was even more surprising was its body color.
Its pitch-black body color made distinguishing its form in Space even more daunting.
It made its presence even more staggering.
Soon, everyone who confirmed its presence through the cameras also shut their mouths right there.
Silence fell, and in that silence, Brigadier General Lee Yeong-Jun thought.
‘I didn't expect this.’
Brigadier General Lee Yeong-Jun, who had overcome all sorts of hardships, thought that his death had now come.
It was such a staggering entity, an entity they couldn't possibly oppose.
With only one exception.
"We're lucky."
"Huh?"
The moment those words came out of Kim Seojun's mouth, Brigadier General Lee Yeong-Jun spoke with a dumbfounded expression.
"Hey, Staff Sergeant Kim, I think I heard something strange. Didn't you just say we're lucky?"
"Brigadier General, I'm going to detonate a bomb."
"A bomb? What bomb?"
To Brigadier General Lee Yeong-Jun's question, Kim Seojun answered.
"A nuclear bomb."