4.
*Boom!*
After securing the supplies, Kim Seojun's group used explosives to collapse the entrance to the Hongwon Mining Site. Afterward, they waited at a considerable distance from the entrance of the Hongwon Mining Site. It was so far that even with binoculars, it was impossible to distinguish who had arrived at the entrance. Yet, no one asked, "Staff Sergeant Kim, your eyes aren't *Hawk Eye*, how can you see this?" Wasn't Kim Seojun the one who had shown countless miracles until now? And Kim Seojun thought.
He thought he just needed to confirm their numbers.
Around that time, he wasn't planning to engage; he just needed to confirm the number of enemies. The fact that he was aiming his Gauss Sniper Rifle with *Hawk Eye* wasn't because he intended to attack. It was merely a simple, basic precaution in case of an unforeseen situation.
*Whirrrrr!*
Something moved rapidly across the quiet wasteland of Planet Amotia. It was a Hoverbike.
"Huh?"
Private First Class Park Boseop exclaimed the moment he saw it.
Park Boseop noted that the speed was insane and that it was not a regular Hoverbike.
Major Jan Zabłocki felt the same way. Even he, who had ridden Hoverbikes his entire life, knew that this Hoverbike was no ordinary machine.
It looks like an Uryong.
Kim Seojun answered his question, and the eyes of the two vehicle enthusiasts changed at his reply.
They asked if it was really a Uryong. They found it unbelievable.
Among Hoverbikes, the Uryong was China's secret weapon, ranked among the top five in performance. To vehicle enthusiasts, it was like an expensive supercar, an incredible existence. Their surprise was natural.
Major Lee Hyena wondered if he had seen that.
Major Lee Hyena, who had no such interests, was surprised by Kim Seojun's ability to identify the moving Uryong. And Kim Seojun himself was surprised.
He realized that if it was a Uryong, it was for VIP evacuation.
Of course, the reason for his surprise wasn't the greatness of the vehicle itself, but the context of its appearance.
It was just as he had expected.
Its appearance meant that Kim Seojun's prediction was correct. At the same time, it meant it was time to leave.
I can't get him.
If an opportunity arose, Kim Seojun had intended to snipe, but the situation had changed. Dealing with the Psycher who appeared on the Uryong was impossible, even for Kim Seojun. More importantly, the Psycher would undoubtedly turn back without a second glance the moment he saw the entrance to the Hongwon Mining Site blocked.
He'll return to headquarters at top speed without looking back. I need to move before that.
Any Psycher on the battlefield with a modicum of common sense would do so. That's why.
*Huh?*
Kim Seojun's eyes changed.
Major.
Then he said.
Mount up.
5. In the Space Era, the value of a Psycher was immeasurable. However, nothing exists with only advantages. The process of operating Psychers involved far more problems than anyone imagined. And most of those problems stemmed from the Psychers' lack of competence. It was unavoidable. If a soldier who had trained his or her entire life became a Psycher, that would be one thing, but most Psychers were people who had lived ordinary lives, and it was strange to expect them to display proper competence when suddenly trained and sent to the battlefields of space. Even that training was rarely done properly. No Instructor could ever say to a Psycher, "Is this all you can do? Aren't you taking this seriously? Get your head in the game!" The same went for field experience. While there were Psychers who rolled through the thick of it, most Psychers avoided hardship. Major Jiang Wei was one such person. The moment he became a Psycher, he had only one goal.
Earn as much as I can!
He pursued only money. That was all. He had never trained or made any effort to improve his abilities. Nor had he ever experienced a dangerous situation. It was no exaggeration to say that Major Jiang Wei had only fired his weapon against a Mog a handful of times since being deployed to the battlefield as a Psycher. Despite this, he was brimming with confidence. He possessed a very rare trait among Psychers, and his ability was lethal to Regular Soldiers. Regular Soldiers had no way to contend with him. So he didn't know that the moment a problem arose that deviated from the plan, the first thing to do was to get out of there as quickly as possible.
*What is this?*
Major Jiang Wei, unaware of this, stopped his Uryong the moment he saw the entrance to the Hongwon Mining Site blocked. He then dismounted from the Uryong.
*Why is it blocked?*
Even after dismounting, he lingered in front of the blocked entrance. It wasn't just due to bewilderment.
The Psycher supplies are in here!
The lingering attachment to money prevented him from retreating easily.
Those damn bastards!
Then, Major Jiang Wei erupted in anger.
How dare they! How dare they!
He thought his subordinates had taken the goods and fled. In truth, it was an absurd thought. This was Planet Amotia, not Earth, and escaping with goods from here was extremely limited. Hadn't the Gate itself become inoperable? However, Major Jiang Wei's common sense was different. It was only natural to flee if you possessed valuable items, from his perspective, which held the belief that if you grab someone else's belongings first, you should run.
They must have moved to another headquarters with the goods!
Furthermore, betraying one's Nation was always a good option for Major Jiang Wei. For whatever reason, Major Jiang Wei stood blankly in front of the Hongwon Mining Site entrance. Then he realized.
I'm going to get an earful.
Senior Colonel Wang Lei would be incredibly annoyed, hysterical even, over this mission failure.
Damn it.
The moment he voiced his anger at that fact was the moment.
*CRACK!*
Major Jiang Wei's helmet shattered, scattering its contents.
6. In the War against Mog, it was very easy to see soldiers, including Space Marines, dying. But Psychers were different. It was very difficult to see a Psycher die. There were two reasons for this. One was that the durability of the Agent Suit worn by Psychers was on a different level from a regular Battle Suit. The other was that if a battlefield was severe enough for a Psycher to die, it was the worst-case scenario where regular soldiers would have already been annihilated. That's why it was so difficult to see a Psycher die.
*Swoosh!*
When light erupted from Kim Seojun's muzzle and the distinctive sound of the Gauss Sniper Rifle echoed, everyone froze, but Kim Seojun was not flustered. He had seen it many times: the death of a Psycher on the battlefield.
"S-Staff Sergeant Kim. D-did you attack a Psycher?"
"Yes," Kim Seojun replied. "I aimed for the helmet, and thankfully, it was a direct hit."
A confused "Huh?" came from the group.
Kim Seojun continued, "The biggest reason Psychers die on the battlefield is asphyxiation. They often die from their helmets being destroyed rather than their Agent Suits. No matter what, there are limits to reinforcing helmets, especially the visor area that needs to maintain visibility."
So he deliberately aimed for the visor, and everyone understood from Kim Seojun's explanation. This wasn't a mistake; it was a perfectly aimed shot. And now, there would be no more friendly relations with China on Planet Amotia. Of course, Private First Class Park Boseop and Major Lee Hyena weren't surprised by this fact. They had no intention of being friendly with China before coming to Planet Amotia, and they wouldn't in the future either.
Did you just attack China?
The problem was that Major Jan Zabłocki's circumstances were bound to be different.
A Chinese Psycher? My God!
To actually do something this *crazy*!
And then he said very emphatically.
I respect you!
Kim Seojun's group all knew the moment they heard that this incident wouldn't immediately cause problems because of Major Jan Zabłocki. Major Jan Zabłocki, separately, spoke excitedly.
I've wanted to get proper revenge on China for a long time, and to think an opportunity like this has come!
He expressed intense anger towards China.
It seems you've suffered a lot from China. Is there any nation that hasn't?
Of course, in the current Space Era, that wasn't particularly unusual.
There will be no problems because of this! Poland Headquarters will repay this favor to the very end! Thank you.
At Major Jan Zabłocki's words, Kim Seojun immediately nodded. The conversation ended there.
Then, since our objective is complete, we will move.
There was no reason to stay any longer, and Major Jan Zabłocki nodded at that fact. Then he said:
It's a shame to leave that behind, but it can't be helped.
As he spoke, in Major Jan Zabłocki's eyes lay the corpse of the dead Chinese Psycher and the Uryong. And rightly so, the value of what was there was immeasurable. First, the items the Chinese Psycher wore, including the Agent Suit alone, were unobtainable with money. And what about the Uryong? Its inherent value was one thing, but it was also a clue to China's secret technology. Crucially, Psychers invariably possessed a Prophet's Relic. Without it, a Psycher was no different from an ordinary person. However, taking those items was naturally impossible.
The moment I take it, I'll be tracked.
The Uryong, as well as the Agent Suit, was packed with Location Tracking Devices for emergency situations. Unless they could remove those Location Tracking Devices in a space that completely blocked radio waves before moving, transporting such items across an open wasteland was tantamount to telling Chinese Headquarters, "Please kill me."
Ah, I really wanted to ride that Uryong just once.
Major Jan Zabłocki felt regret at that fact.
I really wanted to ride that Uryong. Sigh.
And Private First Class Park Boseop, who was moving to start the Military Truck, also felt regret.
"Huh?" "Huh?"
At that, the two looked at each other and then nodded, as if to say there would be plenty to talk about in the future, so they wouldn't be bored for a while.
Major Jan, speak.
Kim Seojun asked Major Jan Zabłocki.
"Is there a place at Poland Headquarters where Location Tracking Devices can be safely removed?" "There is." "Can you access it?" "It won't be difficult."
The moment he heard that answer, Kim Seojun looked at Private First Class Park Boseop and said.
"Private First Class Park Boseop." "Yes, sir! We'll depart for Poland Headquarters immediately!" "Wait a moment." "Huh?"
Leaving the surprised Private First Class Park Boseop behind, Kim Seojun immediately ran to where the Chinese Psycher's corpse lay. Everyone watched from afar, and then they saw it. Kim Seojun was placing the Chinese Psycher's corpse on top of the Uryong.
*Whirrrrr!*
Afterward, Kim Seojun started the Uryong, rose slightly, and then landed again.
"Huh?"
And the Uryong gradually disappeared.
"Whoa!"
Major Jan Zabłocki's eyes widened like saucers at the sight. Afterward, Kim Seojun put the Uryong and the Chinese Psycher's corpse into his Inventory and approached his companions.
Major Jan.
Then, getting into the already started military truck, he looked at Major Jan Zabłocki in front of him and said.
Everything you've seen here is classified. I ask for your discretion."...Of course."
Kim Seojun's mind wasn't particularly complicated as he heard the answer. As always, the trouble caused by his abilities would only come after leaving Planet Amotia. And Kim Seojun was quite confident that Major Jan Zabłocki was not the kind of person who would make choices that would greatly harm him or his comrades. No, even before that, he was the type to risk his life for someone, not to inflict harm. If he weren't, Major Jan Zabłocki wouldn't have risked his life leading his subordinates as bait. Nor would he have become the final bait to save his remaining subordinates the moment the mission was complete, and thus wouldn't have encountered Kim Seojun's group. Considering that, giving up the Uryong and other items to hide his Inventory ability here would have been too wasteful a choice. Above all, Kim Seojun had one more important concern.
I just hope Poland Headquarters are safe. Vroooom!
With that conversation, the military truck headed for its destination, Poland Headquarters. The journey was not difficult, and the truck was able to arrive at the expected time near Poland Headquarters thanks to that.
I see Eagle Rock over there!
Major Jan Zabłocki's face brightened as he saw the giant rock shaped like an eagle's head near the Headquarters. He couldn't help but be happy.
Everyone will be surprised when I return.
He was now returning from a situation where he had prepared for death, with good news instead of death.
I'm stopping now.
With Poland Headquarters about 5 kilometers ahead, Private First Class Park Boseop stopped the military truck. If they drove the Military Truck directly to Poland Headquarters without proper communication with Poland Headquarters, it was obvious that Poland Headquarters would respond with artillery and gunfire. Of course, there was no worry.
I'll send a radio message.
With none other than Major Jan Zabłocki, who would now be a hero to Poland Headquarters, what was there to worry about? He grabbed the radio with an excited heart and sent a message to Poland Headquarters.
This is Major Jan Zabłocki, Major Jan Zabłocki.
There was no answer to his message. No one was particularly surprised by that. Planet Amotia was a place where radio communication was often poor. So, after waiting for about 10 minutes, he sent another message.
This is Major Jan Zabłocki.
After that, they waited another 10 minutes, but still, no answer came, and at that point, their expressions began to change.
Kim Seojun spoke.
"Private First Class Park Boseop, change the direction of the vehicle." "Huh?" "To the opposite side." "Ah, yes."
The Military Truck, which had been facing Poland Headquarters, turned around. By then, Major Jan Zabłocki's expression had also hardened. Even with poor radio reception, not getting a response repeatedly from a distance of about 5 kilometers clearly indicated a problem. And Planet Amotia was a place where nothing unusual would be surprising if a problem arose.
That can't be, that can't be.
At the moment everyone was worried about that fact; that was the moment.
*Static!*
Another radio signal was picked up, and Major Jan Zabłocki's expression changed.
- "H-here, here is H-Headquarters!"
And the moment he heard the voice, Major Jan Zabłocki smiled and said.
- "The Radio Interference must be bad! It's Major Jan Zabłocki! I've arrived!"
- "...M-Major, d-don't come!"
The man on the other end of the radio replied urgently.
- "Th-this place is i-infected!"