Chapter 35
During his Active Duty Days, Kim Seojun had entered a Mog Hatchery three times.
One time was by mistake.
It was a Cave he'd entered to survive, only to realize it was a Hatchery.
The other two times were for Rescue.
A transport ship carrying a High-ranking Official had crashed into the Hatchery, so he'd gone in for a Rescue.
That's when Kim Seojun realized something.
*‘A Hatchery is like a barracks for Mogs. It's safer than you'd think.’*
Just as even the most formidable Soldiers act like they've got a few screws loose in the barracks, Mogs in a Hatchery are surprisingly less tense and vigilant.
*“As long as there are no problems.”*
He realized that getting in and out of a Hatchery was surprisingly easy, as long as you didn't cause unnecessary commotion.
*“But problems always happen.”*
However, in both Rescue operations, Kim Seojun encountered problems.
*“The Rescued Individuals.”*
And the source of those problems was precisely the Rescued Individuals.
Of course, that was natural.
Most Rescued Individuals were in an extremely unstable Mental State.
But what if they realized they were in the middle of a Hatchery?
It would be best if they fainted, but usually, instead of losing consciousness, they'd scream or something similar.
In that state, they'd flail around like someone drowning, acting as complete Dead Weight.
And, quite naturally, he couldn't just abandon the Requester of Rescue.
After going through all that trouble to Rescue them, just to abandon them?
*“No matter what Escape Operation I planned, it would be meaningless anyway.”*
Anyway, Kim Seojun learned one lesson from that.
*“So, just run at full speed.”*
And Kim Seojun was more than willing to apply that lesson this time.
Vroooom!
As soon as he exited the building, he pulled out Uryong and started its engine.
Then, with Jennifer Jo secured behind him, he began to Charge across the Hatchery at full speed.
It was a Crazy Act in many ways.
First, the Hatchery was filled with all sorts of eggs.
Even if a Hoverbike could fly to some extent, many of the eggs in the Hatchery were enormous.
Furthermore, while not at full Alert Status as usual, the Hatchery was teeming with Mogs, including Mogdogs and Thorn Snakes.
There was also a high probability of Special Individuals among them.
Charging at immense speed while dodging them would be impossible with ordinary Reflexes and Dynamic Visual Acuity.
That was why Kim Seojun took the gamble.
*“The current me can do it.”*
Jennifer Jo, of course, was different.
The moment Uryong's Charge began, she felt like her mind was going to snap.
“Ughhhhhhh!”
In that situation, the best she could do was somehow suppress her screams.
She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed.
*“Save me, save me, save me.”*
Endlessly.
Jennifer Jo, who had repeated that prayer countless times, her memory ended there.
Vroooom!
The physical pressure from the immense gravitational force generated by Uryong's acceleration.
Kieeeek!
And the mental pressure from the terrifying cries of Mogs echoing from all directions.
“Ughhhhh!”
On top of that, the fatigue and stress accumulated from her time alone in the Air-raid Shelter finally shut down Jennifer Jo's Cognitive Function.
Her body went limp, and Kim Seojun, seeing this, actually brightened.
*“She finally fainted.”*
Now, he just had to drive without worrying about any more variables.
With that, Kim Seojun exited the Hatchery, and continued to Charge relentlessly.
Kieeeek!
Mogdogs clung to Kim Seojun, frantically trying to catch him.
And then, at a certain point, Kim Seojun stopped.
“Private First Class Park Boseop!”
“Here!”
He met Private First Class Park Boseop, who had been lying in wait at that spot, and Kim Seojun said.
“I've rescued Jennifer Jo. Take her to B Point!”
The moment he heard that, Private First Class Park Boseop didn't ask, “Staff Sergeant Kim, what are you going to do?”
He had already heard.
How the operation would unfold here.
“I'll handle the Mogs that come, as per the plan.”
“Yes, Sir!”
Therefore, the moment he heard that, Private First Class Park Boseop hoisted Jennifer Jo onto his back and mounted Uryong.
Then, Private First Class Park Boseop saluted Kim Seojun and began to Charge at full speed once more.
*Meanwhile, Kim Seojun turned his back.*
He saw Mogdogs rushing towards him from a distance.
Of course, it went without saying that no matter how fast Mogdogs were, it was impossible for them to chase Uryong.
Nevertheless, Kim Seojun stopped for a simple reason.
Uryong didn't have much time to Charge at full power.
And Mogs were incredibly tenacious.
Kim Seojun knew especially.
*‘Once they enter a Hatchery, they'll chase you until you die.’*
He knew what it meant to cause a ruckus in a Mog Hatchery.
So, Kim Seojun had to create as much chaos as possible here to completely divert the Mogs' attention from Uryong.
Kim Seojun wasn't particularly worried about that.
*‘My actions haven't changed, whether it's Active Duty Days or now.’*
Because this was what a Space Marine did.
In fact, his situation was better now compared to his Active Duty Days, so Kim Seojun unhesitatingly aimed his gun at the approaching Mogs.
Click!
And at that moment, the status window appeared.
\[Combat begins in the Hatchery.\]
\[An Event Mission has occurred.\]
\[Points acquired in this combat will be tripled.\]
Jennifer Jo opened her eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling.
She blinked, doing nothing but staring at the strange ceiling.
Then, she smiled.
*“Even in a dream, I had a dog-awful one.”*
“Ugh.”
Believing everything she had just experienced was a dream, she let out a sigh of relief and closed her eyes again.
As she pulled the blanket back up, a wry chuckle twitched at the corners of her mouth.
*“This is truly ridiculous.”*
It had to be.
*‘I was trapped in an Air-raid Shelter, then suddenly someone comes to rescue me, pulls out Uryong from an invisible space? It's utterly absurd.’*
Everything she had seen, from start to finish, was utterly nonsensical.
It could never be explained by the Laws of the Universe.
To consider it reality would be to shatter every theory Jennifer Jo had ever established.
*‘I must really be stressed these days. Having such an absurd dream is the first time since I first met my grandfather. Ah, that was truly awful. He'd give me a problem to solve, and if I couldn't, he'd give me all sorts of grief...’*
That was when.
Jennifer Jo suddenly felt all her thoughts come to a halt.
Along with that, she felt the blood in her entire body turn cold, and she couldn't fall asleep anymore.
Her mind snapped awake, and she shot up from her spot.
She then turned her head to check her surroundings and saw.
A figure who appeared to be a Medical Officer was quietly watching her.
“Uh, are you awake?”
And then, the Medical Officer, who had been watching for Jennifer Jo to wake up to speak to her, cautiously said.
“This is Poland Headquarters. We have Rescued you as per your request.”
She told her that she had been Rescued, and the moment Jennifer Jo heard that, one person came to mind.
“Wh-where is he?”
“I am Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun.”
The moment Kim Seojun heard that Jennifer Jo had woken up, he immediately came to meet her and greeted her.
Jennifer Jo, receiving his greeting, nodded and said.
“Th-thank you for Rescuing me.”
Kim Seojun, having received her greeting, immediately looked at the Medical Officer managing the Infirmary and said.
“Could you please step out for a moment? I have something to discuss with her.”
At his words, the Medical Officer immediately nodded and left.
Afterward, with just Kim Seojun and Jennifer Jo alone, her eyes quickly scanned Kim Seojun.
To her, Kim Seojun said.
“I took a considerable risk to save you.”
“Huh? Oh, thank you.”
At his words, Jennifer Jo expressed her gratitude again.
It was sincere.
“This debt, truly this debt, I will repay it over my entire life. I'll repay it with anything.”
If it weren't for Kim Seojun, she would have suffocated in the Air-raid Shelter.
To her, Kim Seojun said.
“Everything you saw and heard during the Rescue process, please keep it a secret.”
“Huh?”
“Everything I showed you, it's all classified.”
The moment she heard that, Jennifer Jo's eyes wavered.
She realized then.
That Kim Seojun hadn't come to ask for compensation for saving her, or to say 'I'm glad you're alive'.
It was a warning, and a threat.
It was just as she expected.
Kim Seojun had no intention of hiding his abilities while rescuing Jennifer Jo. If he hid them, he wouldn't have been able to save her.
But that didn't mean he had any intention of publicly revealing his abilities to the world.
He knew they would be discovered someday, but he didn't want to rush that day.
And Kim Seojun was quite confident.
“Ah, I understand. I won't say a word. Even if my grandfather asks, I'll keep my mouth shut.”
That Jennifer Jo would keep the secret quite well.
It certainly wasn't because she was so beautiful that his eyes would spin when he saw her.
“Thank you.”
Nor was it because he had some information about her.
“And I have one more request.”
There was only one reason.
“Even as the American Space Marines were dying, they wrote down the location of your Air-raid Shelter on various walls in the American Headquarters corridors.”
The dead Space Marines had shown him firsthand.
“Please express your gratitude to them as well.”
That she was worth sacrificing their lives for.
“What?”
“Here are some photos.”
To Jennifer Jo, who was surprised by this fact, Kim Seojun showed the printed photos he had taken during the Rescue operation.
“Jefferson, Uncle Carlton······!”
Seeing them, Jennifer Jo immediately burst into tears, calling out the names of the gruesome Space Marine corpses in the photos, one by one.
“Thank you, thank you, truly thank you.”
The moment he saw her repeatedly expressing her gratitude, Kim Seojun let out a sigh of relief inwardly.
Only then did Kim Seojun finally release the tight grip of tension he had been holding.
In fact, Kim Seojun had been worried after encountering Private First Class Park Boseop and seeing the unconscious Jennifer Jo.
*“I was worried she might have lost her mind...”*
The possibility of her suddenly going insane.
It wasn't an exaggerated thought.
She had lived a difficult life, with fierce days, but to Kim Seojun, she was a hothouse flower.
She was a woman who had naturally held the thought, “Surely I won”t die in my lifetime?'
The experiences she had just gone through were too shocking, and many people couldn't maintain their sanity in the face of such shock.
Even Space Marines, who went around saying, “It wouldn”t be strange to die at any moment, that's our life!', often lost their minds after a series of accidents, and that was the reality of Space.
And if Jennifer Jo were to go insane, that would be a very serious problem.
If a Space Marine went insane, they could be given a Medical Discharge and a new Space Marine deployed, but there was virtually no one here who could replace Jennifer Jo.
*“Fortunately.”*
However, that worry turned out to be groundless.
Just then.
Knock, knock!
Suddenly, a knock sounded at the Infirmary door, and Kim Seojun turned his head.
“Come in.”
“Staff Sergeant Kim!”
And the moment he saw Private First Class Park Boseop enter, Kim Seojun immediately sensed another worry had arisen.
“What is it?”
“It's about Uryong.”
It was just as he expected.
“There's a problem.”
“What kind of problem?”
“It won't even start. It seems like something's wrong with it... and the Mechanics in Poland can't even touch it.”
The moment he heard that, Kim Seojun felt a throbbing in his temples.
In truth, it was somewhat expected.
For one, Hoverbikes themselves weren't known for their durability.
They sacrificed durability for speed, prioritizing lightweight construction above all else.
Uryong, in particular, was a highly specialized vehicle, a Hoverbike focused solely on performance rather than durability.
So, it was only natural for Uryong to break down after being handled so roughly without proper maintenance.
What was bound to happen, happened.
“I suppose we should be grateful it didn't break down during the Rescue operation.”
In fact, it was lucky that the problem only occurred after they had reached Poland Headquarters.
However, Kim Seojun couldn't help but feel a pang of bitterness.
Because there was no other Mobility that could replace Uryong.
Kim Seojun frowned at that fact.
“Excuse me.”
*At that moment, Jennifer Jo, who had been listening to the conversation, spoke up.*
“Uryong, that's the China Hoverbike, right?”
“That's right.”
“Could I perhaps take a look at it?”
At her words, Kim Seojun and Private First Class Park Boseop's expressions changed.
They wore expressions that said, “What are you going to do by looking at it?”, and to those expressions, Jennifer Jo said.
“My major is Mechanical Engineering, you see. What I do here is Weapon Development and New Weapon Experimentation, didn't you know? Oh, right.”
*At that moment, she spoke as if remembering something.*
“That was classified.”
*At that moment, Kim Seojun understood.*
Why the Space Marines cherished her.
From the perspective of Space Marines fighting on the Battlefield, someone who could make their weapons stronger was like a god.
Furthermore, he understood why the American Government hid her.
Because no one would like to have the top expert in Weapon Development on their Planet.
Naturally, Kim Seojun didn't hesitate at this point.
He said.
“Can you repair Uryong?”
“That's no problem at all.”
To his question, Jennifer Jo said with a dismissive air.
“Because some of the technologies used in Uryong are technologies I created.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
At that point, Private First Class Park Boseop asked in surprise, and to his question, Jennifer Jo said with a laugh.
“Quite a few of the technologies I developed went into it.”
“No, I mean, why would American-made technology be in a China Uryong······.”
“Is it really that unusual or surprising for China to use another country's classified technology?”
“Ah.”
The moment they heard that explanation, Private First Class Park Boseop, and Kim Seojun too, immediately understood.
And at the same time, they harbored anticipation.
The anticipation that she would repair Uryong.
“Let's go right now. I'll fix it for you immediately. It's a relief, I feel like I can earn my keep while I'm here!”
Jennifer Jo was even showing a very strong will, and Kim Seojun didn't pour cold water on her enthusiasm.
“I'm counting on you.”
*“That problem was solved nicely.”*
Just then.
Knock, knock!
Again, a knock sounded at the Infirmary door, and Kim Seojun said.
“Come in.”
“Staff Sergeant Kim.”
And Major Lee Hyena entered, and the moment he saw her, Kim Seojun knew.
That an even bigger problem had arisen.
“Japan Headquarters contacted us.”
“Is it a Rescue Request?”
“It's worse.”
His prediction soon became reality.
“A Ghost Bat has appeared.”
“······This is driving me crazy.”