Chapter 46
"Do you know why nuclear war doesn't happen on Earth?"
When Kim Seojun asked that question, his comrades were surprised.
It wasn't because they didn't know the answer.
"That's because if I shoot, they shoot too. Was the slightly more technical term Mutually Assured Destruction?"
Rather, they knew it well, and that was why they were surprised.
"So you're saying we're going to do that against China now—'We have nukes too, so go ahead and shoot, we'll shoot too,' something like that?"
Because the reason Kim Seojun was asking this question was obvious.
It was exactly as expected.
Kim Seojun nodded at Noah Winston's words.
At that point, Noah Winston spoke.
"Instead of doing that, why don't we just launch a nuke at China? Usually, getting hit by a nuke is a surefire way to bring someone to their senses, isn't it?"
At those words, the rest of them looked at Noah Winston.
With expressions that seemed to ask if she was joking to lighten the mood.
But nowhere on Noah Winston's face was there any sign saying, “This is a joke.”
Kim Seojun was the same.
"I did keep it in mind."
The moment he secured the nuclear weapons, he too had considered dealing a Fatal Blow to China as his top priority.
Because, one way or another, the biggest obstacle in the Queen Hunt was the Chinese Headquarters.
"Then why not do it?"
"There is a problem. First, there is a possibility that the Chinese Headquarters has additional nuclear weapons. Unless we can annihilate the Chinese Headquarters in one fell swoop, there is ultimately a risk of being attacked."
However, to proceed with that plan, Kim Seojun's Group did not clearly know the status of China's nuclear arsenal.
"If we use all three nuclear weapons to attack China like that, then the Queen becomes a problem."
Furthermore, in a situation where nuclear weapons were currently the one and only weapons capable of taking down the Queen, it was far too wasteful to hastily use those three sole opportunities.
"Crucially, if we enter a nuclear war, all the Survivors on Planet Amotia will fall into despair."
*Above all, Kim Seojun had seen closer and more often than anyone else what kind of choices humans made when they fell into despair.*
It didn't matter if it wasn't everyone.
On Planet Amotia, just a few people losing their minds and detonating a few bombs in their own headquarters out of desperation was enough to kill a significant number of the Survivors in that headquarters.
"If that happens, the only ones laughing will be the Mogs. And as you know, the Mogs here are not ordinary Mogs. It's a personal feeling, but if we fail to eliminate the Queen, this will become a Calamity for Humanity."
When he explained up to this point, there was no one left to refute Kim Seojun's words.
And the same went for Major Jan Zabłocki.
Having heard the returning Kim Seojun's story, Major Jan Zabłocki nodded.
To that Major Jan Zabłocki, Kim Seojun spoke one last time.
"If the Poland Headquarters provides a nuclear umbrella, the moment that happens, the Poland Headquarters will become China's primary target."
The moment this operation was executed, the Chinese Headquarters would mobilize every means and method at their disposal to attack the Poland Headquarters.
Upon hearing Kim Seojun's words, Major Jan Zabłocki smiled and said.
"I don't know about anything else, but you don't have to worry about that."
With those words, Major Jan Zabłocki tapped the left side of his chest once.
"Anyway, Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun, if it weren't for you, everyone here would be dead. We can give those lives up anytime!"
The moment he heard those words, Kim Seojun bowed his head.
"Thank you."
"No, it is not something to be thankful for. Rather, I express my gratitude to you, who risked your life for all of Humanity here."
No further discussion was needed there.
"I will proceed immediately!"
The story that the Poland Headquarters was providing a nuclear umbrella quickly spread to the national headquarters on Planet Amotia.
Of course, when they heard that story, most nations had the same thought.
"Poland has nuclear weapons?"
"Nonsense! How could they?"
"We're supposed to believe that and turn our backs on China now? It's a Crazy Act."
Most did not believe it.
Only one place was different.
"Poland is persuading other nations by offering a nuclear umbrella in exchange for cooperating in the Queen Hunt?"
The moment the Chinese Headquarters heard that story, they were certain that Poland possessed nuclear weapons.
"Yes, the England Headquarters relayed it as such. They also sent the Communication History."
"How dare they!"
And naturally, Major Lin Jia'ai could also figure out where the nuclear weapons they possessed came from.
“Are they playing a joke on us with our own things?”
Because, logically speaking, the possibility of the Poland Headquarters possessing nuclear weapons was infinitely low.
Of course, she didn't think the Poland Headquarters had infiltrated the Chinese Headquarters on their own.
“To use Poland as a shield here, they are not ordinary.”
She could immediately tell that some Special Organization, a Special Forces unit composed of Psychers, was currently making a move and hiding their existence by putting the Poland Headquarters at the forefront.
"Attack the Poland Headquarters."
"Pardon?"
Of course, from Major Lin Jia'ai's perspective, she had no intention of leaving the cooperating Poland Headquarters alone.
She had to punish them.
"W-What did you just say..."
"I said to attack the Poland Headquarters."
At those words, the Subordinate Soldiers were terrified.
"U-Um, M-Major. T-Then the n-nuclear umbrella..."
It was understandable, as the Chinese Headquarters had their nuclear weapons stolen and currently possessed no nuclear weapons whatsoever.
But to attack the Poland Headquarters here?
Then, naturally, retaliation via nuclear weapons would follow!
No matter how great the military power the Chinese Headquarters possessed, they were bound to be weak in the face of a weapon like a nuke.
Major Lin Jia'ai knew it too.
That they could be hit by a nuclear weapon.
That the moment they were hit, even if it wasn't an annihilating blow, they would suffer a very Fatal Blow.
That they would face massive casualties.
However, she did not hesitate here.
She simply spoke.
"Is everyone here not prepared to lay down their lives for the People's Republic of China?"
Implying that refusing orders would rightfully result in Summary Execution.
The moment they saw the look in Major Lin Jia'ai's eyes, no one dared to raise a question here.
Gulp!
They merely swallowed their saliva.
The look in Major Lin Jia'ai's eyes as she watched them was burning more viciously than ever.
It was filled with rage.
Apart from that, her mind was calculating very rationally.
“Sending troops is dangerous.”
The Poland Headquarters weren't fools; there was no way they wouldn't know that showing this kind of movement could invite an attack from the Chinese Headquarters.
'There's a high chance it's a trap.'
In fact, the possibility of it being a decoy was not small.
“Because they have nukes.”
And in their arsenal, there were as many as three Uguangs stolen from the Chinese Headquarters.
They had Overwhelming Destructive Power.
Sending troops to such a place?
It was nonsense.
They, too, knew that, which was why they were showing such blatant moves.
Then what should be done?
When she reached that point, Major Lin Jia'ai came up with an answer.
"Send the Mogs."
The moment they heard that answer, the Subordinate Soldiers thought.
That sending a half-baked unit when the Poland Headquarters' military strength was unknown would gain them nothing.
Major Lin Jia'ai wasn't unaware of that either, so she said.
"The maximum number we can send, a number exceeding hundreds of thousands."
"Then?"
"Yes, that's right. Issue the command to the Mogs there."
And the moment they heard the number hundreds of thousands, everyone could figure it out.
"Move the Mogs in the Queen's Nest."
The Rocky Mountain where the Queen's Nest was located.
The Mogs filling the place were incredibly silent.
All the Mogs were lying flat on the ground, perfectly still, showing no movement whatsoever.
They were as if dead.
The fact that so many monsters could be this silent was a chilling sight in many ways.
What was even more chilling was the moment these hundreds of thousands of Mogs reacted simultaneously the instant a single command was issued.
And now, that moment had come.
Screee!
All the Mogs raised their heads at the same time.
Screee!
After that, they stood up.
Screee!
And then, without exception, all the Mogs began to run madly toward a single location.
It wasn't on a level that could be expressed with words like “a Mog Group is moving.”
It was on a level that deserved to be called an uncontrollable natural disaster, where expressions like “a tidal wave is moving” were fitting.
It wasn't just visually so.
RUMBLE—!
The moment that massive horde moved, Planet Amotia began to shake as if vomiting out a cry.
Those watching the distant sight clicked their tongues in awe.
"We're the ones who did it, but it's an unbelievable sight."
Chinese flowed from their mouths.
In other words, they were people from the Chinese Headquarters.
Furthermore, they weren't just simple Space Marines.
They were Psycher Agents belonging to China.
"We've faced quite a few Mogs, but this is really..."
And they weren't just any riffraff, the kind of Psycher Agents who merely soaked up all sorts of benefits just for being Psychers, but elites belonging to the Space Peace Committee!
And that was only natural.
"The Kiklops, it's truly amazing!"
Because the compact-car-sized device they were carrying around, the Kiklops, was a ridiculous Strategic Weapon created by China that could issue commands to Mogs just like a Cyclops.
Of course, it goes without saying, but just because it was China didn't mean it was a device they could mass-produce at will.
First of all, the production itself was extremely difficult.
Because the material needed to produce this was none other than a special Cyclops entity.
That alone already presented an immense level of difficulty.
Moreover, moving a special Cyclops entity to a place where research was easy was very hard.
Interplanetary Travel was difficult enough, but moving it through a Gate was absolutely impossible.
Because everything had to be inspected when passing through a Gate.
Also, even if a special Cyclops entity was secured, it didn't mean it could be made unconditionally; a lot of time and money had to be invested, and even after completion, Setting up had to be done to match the frequency of the Mogs on that planet.
Still, its value was beyond words.
"With this, Space will belong to our Chinese people!"
That was also why China had launched an Operation Risking National Fate to become the master of the new order.
Furthermore, what they had just done was no ordinary feat.
"To think we can even move Mogs under the Queen's control!"
Not just any Mogs, but even the Mogs guarding the Queen's Nest had been moved.
In other words, it was the same as China gaining a stronger command authority than the Queen, and the Psycher Agents were visibly more excited than ever.
"Do not act rashly."
Only one person, the Kiklops Unit's Unit Commander, Major Zhao Hao, had a different expression.
His expression as he watched the moving Mogs was stiffer than ever.
“This is too dangerous an act.”
Moving Mogs under the Queen's command was certainly a massive deal.
'There's no telling what side effects there might be.'
However, the Kiklops created by China was still a product that required improvement and research.
And Space was by no means a place to be trifled with.
A place where it wouldn't be strange no matter what happened!
“This wasn”t in the operation.'
It went without saying, but before being deployed for the operation, the higher-ups had explicitly told them never to use the Kiklops against a Queen.
Because there was no knowing what changes that might cause.
The fact that they used it anyway was proof that the Chinese Headquarters was currently backed into a corner.
And what could be done in a cornered situation was always nothing more than a stopgap measure.
It was the same now.
At the point they lost the nuclear weapons, the Chinese Headquarters already lacked the ability to properly carry out the orders handed down from above.
He couldn't dare to be certain of what would happen next.
There was only one thing he could be certain of right now.
"The Poland Headquarters will be finished."
That in the face of this Mog Legion, the Poland Headquarters' base would become something that never existed.
"Then we return."
Leading the Kiklops Unit and heading toward the Chinese Headquarters like that, Major Zhao Hao thought as he looked at the Mog Legion.
“I don”t know who they are, but they picked the wrong opponent. Major Lin Jia'ai is a woman sharper than a blade. Now that they've provoked her, they will never die a peaceful death.'
With that thought, the Kiklops Unit disappeared.
Twelve hours passed since then.
Vroooom!
A Military Truck arrived at the place where the Kiklops Unit had been.
"Um, Staff Sergeant Kim."
And the moment they arrived, the Military Driver holding the steering wheel, Private First Class Park Boseop, spoke in surprise.
"There are no Mogs! I really can't hear a single sound."
At that explanation, everyone looked at the Rocky Mountain, at a loss for words.
After that, they looked at Kim Seojun and recalled.
“To think that operation would actually work.”
Because Kim Seojun had said it.
That even if they offered a nuclear umbrella, there was no chance the other national headquarters would believe those words and follow them.
Rather, it would only enrage the Chinese Headquarters.
That the enraged Chinese Headquarters would use their method of moving Mogs to attempt to send the Mogs in the Queen's Nest to the Poland Headquarters.
And that attempt worked.
The Mogs that had filled the Rocky Mountain headed for the Poland Headquarters.
Now, all that remained was the Queen and a few Mogs guarding the Queen!
"Staff Sergeant Kim, this is amazing!"
At that fact, everyone, including Private First Class Park Boseop, sent their praises and admiration to Kim Seojun.
On the other hand, Kim Seojun was different.
His expression was not good.
"This is the worst."
"Pardon?"
It couldn't be helped.
"Because this means China can now move even the Mogs under the Queen's control."
Because this sight right now could never be a source of hope.
Furthermore, Kim Seojun knew.
"And there's no way China, having obtained such an ability, would only do this on Planet Amotia."
That all the situations they were facing right now might be nothing more than a prologue.
At those words, everyone kept their mouths shut tight.
"So, worrying about what comes after..."
In that silence, Kim Seojun opened his mouth.
"...we'll do that after we catch the Queen."
As he spoke, Kim Seojun did not wait for an answer.
Because in a situation where they now had to carry nuclear weapons and enter the Queen's Nest, it didn't seem like anyone would be able to speak up.
However, an answer reached Kim Seojun's ears.
\[An Event Mission has occurred.\]
\[A reward will be given upon Eliminating the special Queen entity.\]
\[The Mission Reward is an Upgrade Ticket (Transcendence).\]
An answer he hadn't even expected.