Chapter 14
1.
When Humanity first encountered the Mogs, they were surprised.
Combat was not easy either.
Yet, Humanity was confident.
“Though the Mogs are formidable, there is no reason Humanity cannot prevail!”
Humanity's technology was now advanced enough to traverse Space.
Furthermore, Humanity saw no need for an all-out war with the Mogs.
After all, Humanity's goal wasn't to leave Earth and migrate to a new Planet.
“Protecting the Mining Site is enough. It’s not difficult. Build walls, arm yourselves, and those damn Mog bastards won’t be a problem.”
Protecting the infrastructure for resource extraction was deemed sufficient, and they believed it wouldn't be an issue.
However, that belief was shattered by the appearance of a single Mog species.
“That’s a Tank Beetle!”
At Private First Class Park Boseop’s words, Kim Seojun and Major Lee Hyena didn't answer.
They didn't ask questions.
They simply stared.
Thump-thump-thump-thump!
At the source of the ground tremors they now felt.
Looking in that direction, 4 kilometers from the Mining Site where Kim Seojun's group was, they saw three incredibly massive insects moving rapidly.
At first glance, the insects resembled grubs.
However, unlike ordinary grubs, their exteriors weren't soft, as if something liquid would burst out if poked; instead, they were incredibly hard, reminiscent of a tank.
Their bodies were 40 meters long, 5 meters wide, and stood about 9 meters tall from the ground.
They boasted a terrifying size, like a large trailer doubled in scale.
It was an astonishing size.
Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump!
Such colossal creatures were moving at approximately 70 kilometers per hour.
They were formidable beings in every respect.
But what was truly terrifying was this:
“Their bodies are maximally swollen. They’re clearly filled with Bomb Beetles.”
Tank Beetles carried Bomb Beetles, insects about 1 meter long, inside them.
And those Bomb Beetles, true to their name, exploded.
This was the horror.
Against those powerful explosions, Humanity's defenses were utterly helpless.
Armored units, including tanks, suffered the same fate.
For that reason, every Space Marine who saw a Tank Beetle said the same thing without exception.
*We're screwed.*
Moreover, Tank Beetles didn't move alone.
There were three Tank Beetles themselves, and surrounding them, 77 Thorn Snakes and over 2,000 Mogdogs were moving together.
It was truly a massive army.
Of course, Tank Beetles weren't some kind of all-purpose solution for the Mogs.
Tank Beetles also had a few weaknesses.
Firstly, they required long periods of rest as they expended a lot of energy in a single movement.
Secondly, without Bomb Beetles, a Tank Beetle was just a large, hard insect.
And Tank Beetles were very few in number.
From a Hatchery that produced Mogs, for every 1,000 Mogdogs, only about one Tank Beetle would emerge.
Therefore, Tank Beetles never moved without a clear objective.
“They are clearly moving to target a Headquarters.”
And on Planet Amotia, it was highly likely to be a Headquarters Destruction.
Furthermore, at this moment, External Support from Space was virtually impossible.
Unless a Headquarters possessed considerable power, there was no chance of withstanding that horde.
At that point, Kim Seojun immediately unfolded a map and traced the Tank Beetles' direction of movement.
After that, he confirmed.
“If they go this way, it’s towards the Poland Headquarters.”
At the mention of Poland, all three of their expressions hardened.
Korea, in particular, had a good relationship with Poland in many ways, especially in the defense industry, where they shared a deep connection spanning a century.
That connection remained strong, and the two Nations provided mutual support even in Space.
They were even referred to as a *Brotherly Nation*.
Even on Planet Amotia, records from the Korean Headquarters showed significant support received from the Poland Headquarters.
This was especially true for Kim Seojun.
During his time as an active duty Soldier, he had quite a few connections with Polish Soldiers.
So deep was their connection that Kim Seojun swore better in Polish than actual Polish people.
In any case, leaving things as they were felt ambiguous.
At the very least, they had to inform the Poland Headquarters.
It was then.
Vwoooom!
Three transport ships appeared with a whooshing sound above the formidable Tank Beetles and their Mog forces.
From each transport ship emerged five motorcycles, or rather, Hoverbikes with drone-like wings instead of round wheels.
Moreover, everything that appeared bore the Polish flag.
The moment he saw that, Kim Seojun's expression hardened.
“The Suicide Squad has appeared.”
2.
Living as a Space Marine, experiencing all sorts of bad situations was commonplace.
But for everything, there was always a worse worst-case scenario.
That worst-case was when an operation was launched with death as a fundamental premise for achieving the objective.
“A Suicide Squad?”
The decision made by the Poland Headquarters on Planet Amotia was just that.
“Wait, then what about them?”
“They’ve come to somehow change the Tank Beetles’ direction, or at the very least, buy time.”
“Huh?”
Private First Class Park Boseop gasped at those words.
So, three transport ships and fifteen motorcycles—they're going to deal with that enormous army with just fifteen Hoverbikes?
That was a Crazy Act.
A Crazy Act that would sober up even those high on stimpacks!
“That’s impossible. That’s a Suicidal Act.”
Even Major Lee Hyena was aghast.
Kim Seojun, however, was different.
Rather than being surprised, he understood and empathized.
“If you’re going to die anyway, you might as well not die for nothing.”
He had seen and experienced how, when pushed to the worst possible moment, death itself could become trivial.
So, he had a question.
*For a Suicide Squad, there aren't enough troops. If they're going to do it, they should do it properly, but fifteen hoverbikes are too weak.*
Hoverbikes had excellent Mobility but couldn't carry heavy loads.
Meaning their firepower was bound to be weak!
*The Poland Headquarters on Planet Amotia is quite large.*
Moreover, unlike Korea, the Poland Headquarters on Planet Amotia ranked 9th.
The number and quality of their stationed troops were incomparable to Korea's.
But they only sent that many troops?
It was one of two things.
Either the Polish Soldiers there were ignoring orders from above and acting independently.
Or the current situation at the Poland Headquarters was so dire that this was all the force they had.
“Staff Sergeant Kim.”
Whatever the case, Kim Seojun's group now had to make a decision.
“What should we do?”
Private First Class Park Boseop, who asked the question, and Major Lee Hyena, who observed the situation, both had the same answer in mind.
The option to run away.
The Tank Beetle unit was a bulldozer. Stopping them with just the personnel here was impossible.
Furthermore, Kim Seojun's group had not yet been detected by the Tank Beetle unit.
They only needed to hold their breath and wait for this storm to pass.
“We’ll provide support.”
“Huh?”
“What?”
At those words, both of them gasped.
Kim Seojun first conveyed with his expression.
*I don't want to do this either.*
*I don't want to do this Crazy Act.*
With that expression, he said.
“First, we need to look at this calmly. Currently, Poland is the only place on Planet Amotia that might accept Koreans. If the Poland Headquarters falls, the only places we could turn to are Nations like China, Japan, France, Germany, the UK, or America.”
At his subsequent words, they were half-convinced.
Certainly, Korea had many allies on the surface.
More precisely, all Nations that sent spaceships in the Space Era proclaimed, *Humanity is One!*.
However, the situation on the ground was different.
“And right now, External Support to Planet Amotia is virtually impossible. We can’t hope for everyone to help each other, but at the very least, many people need to remain to keep the Mogs in check.”
Furthermore, Planet Amotia was in a situation where a Queen might soon be born.
Watching a fire should be done from across the river; watching a fire and exclaiming *'It's warm!'* while carrying a backpack full of gasoline near the blaze was a Crazy Act.
“If those Mog bastards went to China, I wouldn’t be saying this.”
Of course, there were exceptions to everything, but this was not one of them.
“And there need to be many Survivors here. If the number of Survivors here decreases, Space will never show humanism.”
Crucially, the moment the value of rescue dropped below the risk, there was a high probability that those above would change the operation from rescue to extermination.
By the time he finished explaining, no one opposed Kim Seojun's opinion.
In fact, whether they opposed or not, Kim Seojun held the command authority now.
If he said jump, they had to jump.
The problem was that.
How were they supposed to jump?
At that point, Major Lee Hyena's expression became very stern.
Ultimately, no matter what, if a battle ensued, she would have to lead the charge against that horde.
Gulp!
However, even Major Lee Hyena, who had always charged forward like a bulldozer, lacked the courage to confront those Tank Beetles.
Private First Class Park Boseop was even more terrified.
This was his first time seeing a Tank Beetle.
And the moment he saw them, Private First Class Park Boseop, not metaphorically but literally, wet himself.
Even just seeing the horde 4 kilometers away, merely passing by, he was overwhelmed by terror.
But they had to fight *that*?
“I, I, I…”
At this, Private First Class Park Boseop was about to say, *I can't do it.*
Beyond the order, he had no confidence he could do it properly.
He was only confident that he would be a burden and hold them back.
To Private First Class Park Boseop, Kim Seojun said.
“Park Boseop.”
“Yes? Yes?”
“I need your help.”
Kim Seojun’s eyes, as he spoke, were sincere.
“I need *your* help.”
At those words, Private First Class Park Boseop’s trembling subsided.
He was still scared.
But when he was needed so much, he couldn't say, *I can't do it.*
More than anything, Private First Class Park Boseop owed Kim Seojun his life several times over, didn't he?
“I, I… I’ll try.”
He finally uttered his resolve, and the moment Major Lee Hyena heard it, she too prepared herself.
In her mind, she began to imagine charging at the Tank Beetles and bringing her axe down.
Both of them began to envision intense battles, the most horrific situations imaginable, and to them, Kim Seojun said.
“First, the Polish Hoverbikes will launch an offensive and draw their attention. Then, the Mogdogs will react first. I don’t know how long the Polish forces can withstand that reaction, but their speed will slow down. That’s when we provide support. Our target is the Tank Beetles.”
At the mention of Tank Beetles, their expressions crumpled further.
“Private First Class Park Boseop, you’ll take me and approach the Tank Beetles. We need to provide Supporting Fire.”
At his next words, Private First Class Park Boseop could no longer even answer, merely rolling his eyes.
“The distance is…”
In front of Private First Class Park Boseop, Kim Seojun began to calculate.
“One, two, three… no, three might be too difficult.”
The moment he heard the subsequent numbers, Private First Class Park Boseop’s mind automatically calculated.
*One hundred meters? Two hundred meters? Three hundred meters?*
*That unit must be in hundreds of meters.*
*Meaning he had to drive the Military Truck within 300 meters of the Tank Beetles.*
“Two. Two should be certain enough.”
“Y-you mean two hundred meters?”
At Private First Class Park Boseop’s words, Kim Seojun looked at him.
With raised eyebrows.
“What are you talking about?”
With an expression that said, *What the hell are you talking about?*
“Huh? No, I mean, you’re telling me to approach within 200 meters of those Tank Beetles…”
“There’s no reason to make it such a difficult Suicidal Act. I’m talking about 2 kilometers.”
“Huh? 2 kilometers?”
“That’s right. If you can get me within 2 kilometers, then I’ll give it a try.”
At those words, Private First Class Park Boseop pictured the situation.
“B-but those are Tank Beetles, sir?”
And no matter how he tried to visualize it, he couldn't imagine an ordinary rifle penetrating the Tank Beetles' exoskeletons, which were several times tougher and thicker than a Mogdog's.
Kim Seojun knew that too.
That's why he launched this operation.
“Fortunately, we have a weapon that can damage the Tank Beetles right now.”
“A weapon? We had something like that?”
To the unspoken question of *If we had something like that, why didn't we use it before? Why bring it out now?*, Kim Seojun replied.
“I borrowed it for a bit. Just use it a little and return it.”
It was then.
KABOOOM!
The sound of bombs exploding echoed from a distance.
It was the sound of the Hoverbikes dropping the bombs they carried.
Whoooosh!
And no sooner had that sound occurred than a Cyclops moving above let out an intense cry.
Screeeeech!
At that sound, the Mogdogs, who had been charging madly forward, began to change the direction of their Charge.
Crunch!
The Thorn Snakes also stopped and began to embed their tails into the ground.
“Move now!”
Confirming that, Kim Seojun gave the order, and Private First Class Park Boseop immediately got into the vehicle.
Then Kim Seojun and Major Lee Hyena got into the cargo bed.
Vroooom!
The Military Truck began to speed towards the Tank Beetle horde.
At that point, Kim Seojun closed his eyes.
*Damn it.*
It went without saying, Kim Seojun didn't want to do this either.
But what could he do?
If he wanted to live, he had to.
And that was Kim Seojun's life.
He had never once volunteered to go to hell.
More precisely, he went because they offered more money, but he never expected it to be *this* much of a hell.
*Am I entering hell, or am I the one who turns a place into hell?*
That lament began to fade the moment the distance to the Tank Beetles grew shorter.
“It’s 3 kilometers!”
And the moment the distance to the Tank Beetles became 3 kilometers, Kim Seojun picked up *Hawk Eye’s* Sniper Rifle.
He prepared for battle.
It was that moment.
[Battle Begins.]
[An Event Mission has occurred!]
[Reward will be granted upon one-shot, one-kill elimination of a Tank Beetle!]
A notification sounded, and the moment he heard it, an incredulous expression appeared on Kim Seojun's face.
*What the hell is this nonsense? How am I supposed to take that down in one shot?*
*That's ridiculous.*
To Kim Seojun, the status window said.
[Mission Reward is the Platinum Rank skill ‘Inventory’.]