Chapter 81
6.
One of the secrets to Kim Seojun's surviving the absurd Space Battlefield was his quickness to give up.
Kim Seojun was never the type to grit his teeth and stubbornly tackle the impossible.
At the same time, he weighed things with certainty.
He wasn't the type to risk the sacrifice of another Comrade just to recover a Comrade's corpse.
It was the same on Earth.
The reality of Korea that he saw was miserable.
And what was surprising was that such a Korea was actually among the better-off nations in the world.
Seeing that, Kim Seojun didn't entertain thoughts of moderately hunting Mogs and gathering a Survivor Group.
"We need to gather the Space Force scattered throughout Space through the Gate."
He didn't bother considering a difficult path when a certain one was available.
"At the very least, we need to gather the Space Force from Gate 7."
Moreover, even if they couldn't reach other places, Kim Seojun's Group could bring back the Space Force from where Gate 7 was located.
In addition, that military power was very significant.
The Resistance on Planet Kingclench alone was by no means a small force, and they were veterans with experience far exceeding their numbers—experience in dealing with Mogs.
On top of that, the Space Force on Planet Amotia could also be of great help.
Crucially, bringing them back wasn't just about an increase in military power.
"If the Gate operates, Humanity will also harbor hope."
A stopped world moving again—that was clear evidence of hope, and at that moment, everything on Earth could be reorganized around the Gate.
The Gate would soon become the center of Earth.
Just as Kim Seojun said, Busan would become the new Colonization Headquarters Base for the planet called Earth.
No one refuted this fact.
"Yeah, I understand all that. That sounds great. But Seojun."
Instead, they only raised a problem.
"About the Zero Gate, you know, right? How tight the security is there!"
Gate 0, that is, the Zero Gate located on Earth, had the most thorough security among all the Gates spread throughout Space.
It was natural, as the Zero gate wasn't just a simple gate.
For adventurers traveling the distant reaches of space, it was the only door through which they could return home.
Even if all other Gates were ruined or destroyed, the Zero Gate alone could not be allowed to suffer that fate.
For that reason, the Zero Gate's very location was on the Far Side of the Moon, and it moved in sync with the Moon's orbital period.
In other words, from Earth's perspective, it was designed so that the Gate was obscured by the Moon, making it impossible to see.
Doctor Space had said it.
Humans are animals that develop greed when they see something, so keeping it out of sight is the best security.
And naturally, a Lunar Base was established on the back of the Moon, ready to protect the Zero Gate at any time.
That was the reason that the rich and powerful spent exorbitant amounts of money to purchase condos on the Moon.
The back of the Moon was the safest place anywhere humanity existed, while also being the closest place to Earth.
Anyway, going to the Zero Gate was by no means easy.
Furthermore, the purpose of Kim Seojun's visit was Core Cube Acquisition.
The goal was to take the Zero Gate's Core Cube and bring it to Busan to use.
The officials of the Zero Gate and the powerful figures around it would never just sit back and watch that happen.
"You know why those high-and-mighty bastards go there and act so bold, right?"
Crucially, that Zero Gate was the most certain fallback for the powerful figures who had now evacuated to the Moon.
They weren't fools either.
They knew that if they abandoned Earth, they would be shunned, condemned, and even threatened with death from those remaining on Earth.
Even so, the reason they went to the Moon without the slightest hesitation was their belief that as long as they secured the Zero Gate, the Earthlings wouldn't be able to do anything—a certain fallback.
Moreover, the current situation was one where Doctor Space was not stepping forward.
If Doctor Space continued to lay low like this, it meant that the powerful figures who went to the Moon could now get their hands on the Zero Gate!
In many ways, it was not an easy task.
"If they block us, we just fight."
Of course, from Kim Seojun's perspective, there was nothing difficult about it.
"Uh, right."
And no one could refute those words.
Far from being refuted, everyone thought.
I am wondering just how many hours it would take for Kim Seojun to secure the Core Cube from Earth.
At that point, Noah Winston spoke up.
"I'd bet all the cola I have that it'll be over in 24 hours. What about the rest of you? What do you think?"
"Would that even be a bet?"
"Right?"
Everyone agreed with those words.
It wouldn't take much time.
Then there was only one problem.
"But what if we get caught?"
If they were caught with the Core Cube, the people on the Moon, those powerful figures, wouldn't stay still.
"You don't have to worry about that."
Kim Seojun already had an answer for that.
"I have a very good method."
7.
Most Nations, quite naturally, had manuals for a national crisis situation, and the most critical matter handled in those manuals was securing the safety of VIPs.
And in the Space Age, the method for securing the safety of VIPs was simple.
"Put them on a spaceship and evacuate them as quickly as possible!"
They are sending them quickly to Space, specifically to the Safe Zone on the Moon.
There was nothing difficult about the process either.
In the Space Age, rockets that could fly into Space at any time could be obtained as long as you had the money.
In fact, one of the trends among the rich was to set up a Rocket Launchpad in the front yard of their mansions.
So on the day Earth fell into crisis, countless rockets launched into space from the ground.
And the launched rockets were escorted by spaceships waiting in space, safely moving to the Safe Zone located on the back of the Moon.
The Leaders and Social Elite who evacuated in that manner moved quite diligently on the Moon in their own way.
"What should we do about Earth?"
"Earth's future is dark."
Every day, the heads of each Nation gathered and worried about the unseen future of Earth.
Of course, they only worried and didn't exactly come up with any answers.
Furthermore, their worrying wasn't sincere; most of them were just pretending to worry.
Honestly, there was no reason to worry.
They, as well as their families, were on the safe Moon, and the Moon was stocked with enough supplies for them to eat and live on for the next 100 years.
Rather, the thought of doing something on Earth at this moment was a dangerous one.
Thus, the interests of those gathered on the Moon were twofold.
"So what happened to Doctor Space? Is there still no word?"
What happened to Doctor Space?
"There are rumors that Doctor Space is dead… If he is dead, what happens to the Gate?"
And if Doctor Space didn't appear like this, or if he was dead, who would hold the rights to the Gate?
In truth, everyone's interest was just that.
Holding the rights to the Gate!
For that purpose, all nations were continuing to meet behind the scenes, building alliances.
At the same time, they were watching for signs.
‘If push comes to shove.’
‘By force.’
‘We take it.’
Signs of occupying the Zero Gate by force.
In other words, everyone had a certain level of intuition.
‘Doctor Space is dead.’
Until now, whenever an issue arose, Doctor Space reacted to it faster than anyone else.
He was someone who willingly created issues even in situations no one knew about.
He was the center of the world, the Protagonist.
But such a being hadn't appeared even though a considerable amount of time had passed since this crisis occurred.
It had to be assumed that something had happened to Doctor Space.
‘Whatever it is, we can't just stay still like this.’
Furthermore, even if that weren't the case, everyone here had to make a bet risking their power and their lives.
‘If we stay still and another country preempts the Gate, then it's all over.’
If someone made a move, they couldn't just stare blankly at it.
So everyone was receiving reports on the situation at the Zero Gate with his or her tension pulled taut.
Then, soon enough, news arrived.
"What did you say?"
"A Space Fighter is heading towards the Zero Gate!"
The moment they heard those words, everyone on the Moon made an expression that said, This is it!
At the same time, they issued orders.
"Send all troops to the Zero Gate immediately!"
They sortied the Space Battleships currently stationed in Space to the area around the Zero Gate.
They were preparing to engage in combat immediately if necessary.
And at the same time, they thought.
"So who is it?"
Which nation attacked the Zero Gate?
The answer to that came soon.
8.
The moment Kim Seojun had a goal, he immediately put it into action.
He didn't waste time hesitating.
And the preparations were already complete.
Naturally, before using Warp on Planet Kingclench, Kim Seojun had placed a Single-person Emergency Escape Rocket into his Inventory, and he launched that very rocket from a suitable empty lot in Sejong City.
The launched rocket pierced through Earth's atmosphere in an instant and went out into space.
Of course, from here on, there were several problems.
Currently, around Earth and the Moon, Space Battleships and Spacecraft from various Nations are waiting in large numbers.
They were preparing for war, expected at any moment.
Moving between such battleships and spacecraft was an incredibly dangerous task.
However, moving while using Stealth would take far too much time.
Here, Kim Seojun didn't deliberate for long.
He opened his Inventory, went inside, and spoke.
"Brigadier General."
"Yeah, I'm all ready."
At those words, Brigadier General Lee Yeong-Jun gave a thumbs up.
"Just trust me, I'll take you straight to the Zero Gate."
Kim Seojun, instead of worrying needlessly here, chose to move by riding a Space Fighter—that is, a Forced Breakthrough.
Piloting a Space Fighter in a situation where the Space Battleships and spacecraft of all Earth's Nations were present was indeed a very dangerous thing.
But conversely, Kim Seojun thought.
"It's just my prediction, but there won't be any attacks."
The possibility of the Space Fighter piloted by Brigadier General Lee Yeong-Jun being attacked was not high.
It wasn't just Kim Seojun's thought; everyone had a similar thought.
"The ones gathered here are a rabble. They have no justification, no experience, no resolve; they're just gathered together. No one will be able to take responsibility and make a decision."
If this Space had been owned by someone, they would naturally have taken appropriate measures and responded swiftly, but the Space they were in now had no owner.
There were only visitors.
But suddenly a Space Fighter passes by, and it just pours attacks on it?
Of course, there was a Nation that could do that—to put it nicely, boldly—to put it poorly, it was an arrogant Nation that didn't know how to read the room.
"There is China, though."
This was exactly why Kim Seojun's Group had no worries.
"Yeah, I know. There's China. That's why I said there's nothing to worry about."
The Space Fighter currently sitting in Kim Seojun's Inventory is China's Hawk-class Space Fighter, the Vermilion Bird.
"Because of this, it's a different story."
At the current point in time, it was the most cutting-edge Space Fighter China had put out, and its performance was also incredibly outstanding.
Above all, it is currently officially the fastest Space Fighter among all Hawk-class and lower Space Fighters.
And naturally, it was something very hard to see.
It was a precious piece of equipment.
Even in the Chinese First Headquarters on Planet Kingclench, only a single unit existed.
Naturally, from the perspective of the Chinese Space Force, it was something they wouldn't dare touch.
Of course, the reason they brought this out wasn't simply because they could avoid the attacks of the Chinese Space Force.
"If we ride this into the Zero Gate and secure the Core Cube, the Chinese guys are going to freak out."
"Yes, they will, because everything that happens from now on will become something China did."
In other words, Kim Seojun intended to frame China as the culprit for everything that would happen from this moment on.
"Isn't that actually the case anyway?"
Furthermore, from the perspective of the Chinese Space Force, there was nothing strange about being called the culprit.
Rather, it was almost strange that their true colors hadn't been revealed to the world until now.
Given China's nature, it wouldn't be strange for it to occupy the Gate right away, and that was also why it was keeping quiet in this situation.
If the Gate opened, and the things China had done beyond Space, in other parts of Space, became known, the Chinese People on Earth would truly become the enemies of Humanity.
The Chinese leaders on the Moon would likewise be placed before the offensive of all humanity.
Anyway, the preparations were finished.
"Alright, then we're launching! Everyone to your positions!"
The Space Fighter Vermilion Bird, with Brigadier General Lee Yeong-Jun holding the control stick, came out of the Inventory.
After that, it moved at full speed towards the back of the Moon, towards the Zero Gate located there.
The moment it moved, naturally, the Space Battleships and Space Fighters waiting in Space reacted.
"Space Fighter detected!"
"It's heading for the Zero Gate!"
"Identity?"
"It's judged to be the Vermilion Bird, a Space Fighter of the Chinese Space Force!"
They confirmed its identity.
"The Chinese Space Force?"
That was all.
"What should we do? Should we open fire?"
"…Stand by."
No one could issue an Attack Order.
It was natural.
What if they issued an Attack Order here and a war broke out?
They would become the culprits of a Space War!
Above all, what was moving right now wasn't just a simple Space Fighter, but the Vermilion Bird, the most cutting-edge Space Fighter of the Chinese Space Force.
To attack, they had to be prepared for more than just simple resolve; they had to be prepared for political ruin.
And there were no true Soldiers in this Earth's Space at that time who could harbor such resolve.
There was no way there could be.
Anyone who could willingly do anything for justice with such resolve wouldn't have become the dogs of the Leaders who had fled to the Moon.
They would have aimed their naval guns at the mansions of the ugly Leaders on the back of the Moon, not at a flying Space Fighter.
In that silence, the Space Fighter Vermilion Bird reached the Zero Gate surprisingly quickly.
By that point, everyone, even the leadership on the Moon, had already received the report.
And everyone thought.
‘Could they have another purpose?’
That this might not be an attack after all.
Perhaps the Zero Gate had made some sort of Support Request to the Chinese side, and they were moving to help with that.
For example, the help of a Scientist or an Engineer is a resource.
Of course, those thoughts didn't last long.
Everyone watching the Zero Gate could see it.
- An explosion has occurred at the Zero Gate!
An explosion occurred in one part of the Zero Gate, the massive circular structure situated in the silent Space.
And a moment later, they could hear the contents of a broadcast transmitted from the Zero Gate.
- As of this moment, the Zero Gate is owned by our great People's Republic of China!