Chapter 78
6.
Soldiers had different tendencies, goals, and ideals depending on their nationality.
However, there was one commonality among the soldiers working in the field.
"Those with stars? They're trash!"
There was no such thing as a decent human being among general officers.
And it was actually true.
In any military group, earning a star was the result of politics rather than individual capability.
In fact, it was even more common for soldiers who gave their all in the field to fail to earn a star because they had no time for politics.
The Space Age was no different.
There were many general officers, but fewer stars than one might think were respected by those who worked directly in the field.
"Brigadier General Lee Yeong-Jun? He's a true star."
One of them was Brigadier General Lee Yeong-Jun.
"He's an incredible person."
To the soldiers of the Korean Space Force, Brigadier General Lee Yeong-Jun was someone who had undeniably earned his star through sheer skill, and so not a single person questioned his rank.
In any case, the Space Marines and Psychers working in the field respected Brigadier General Lee Yeong-Jun.
Lieutenant Colonel Kim Jin-Seok was the same.
He also knew Brigadier General Lee Yeong-Jun's abilities well and respected him.
So when they met in person, traveling to the mission area aboard Brigadier General Lee Yeong-Jun's battleship Sejong, they had quite a long conversation.
That was when he heard the story about himself.
"Me? What's so great about someone who just gives orders from the back. The truly incredible guy is someone else."
"Pardon?"
"Back when I was a Company Commander, a guy who was my subordinate was a real monster back then."
A story about a certain Space Marine.
When he heard that story, Lieutenant Colonel Kim Jin-Seok thought Brigadier General Lee Yeong-Jun was exaggerating quite a bit.
No matter how he thought about it, it was hard to believe that a mere Space Marine, not even a Psycher Agent, could survive in such a place.
So he just listened half-heartedly and let it go.
He didn't think deeply about it.
He didn't engrave the name in his memory, and so he can't even remember the name he heard very well now.
But not anymore.
"I am Staff Sergeant Kim Seojun."
To Lieutenant Colonel Kim Jin-Seok, that name had now become one he would never forget until the day he died, even if he were to get dementia.
That was how phenomenal the results Kim Seojun produced were.
Eliminating 10,000 Mogdogs in less than an hour.
Of course, it wasn't that there were no units capable of making that possible.
Space was vast, and in that Space, there were units that established truly nonsensical military achievements.
However, there was no one, at least in Lieutenant Colonel Kim Jin-Seok's memory, who could produce such results with just one military driver, two people holding guns, and one psycher agent, as Kim Seojun's group did.
In particular, Lieutenant Colonel Kim Jin-Seok saw it.
Kim Seojun's shooting was on a nonsensical level.
'Thank you, God.'
"I am Lieutenant Colonel Kim Jin-Seok! Thank you so much for the rescue support!"
So Lieutenant Colonel Kim Jin-Seok was able to smile while thanking God for the first time in a long while.
On the other hand, Kim Seojun was different.
"Lieutenant Colonel, is there any reason to remain on the Antarctic Continent?"
"Pardon?"
"If there is no reason, I suggest an immediate retreat."
Kim Seojun did not want to be on the Antarctic Continent any longer.
"What do you mean..."
"The number of Mogdogs indicates that there is a hatchery somewhere in the Antarctic. And it's not just Mogdogs that are born in a hatchery. If there are 10,000 Mogdogs, there will definitely be Thorn Snakes and Tank Beetles as well."
The Antarctic is not a safe zone right now.
Of course, Kim Seojun's group had no problem.
No matter how many Mogs appeared, Kim Seojun's group could escape from here at any time.
However, the situation was different for Lieutenant Colonel Kim Jin-Seok's group.
"We need to get out of here as quickly as possible. The Antarctic is not a very advantageous place for survival."
Crucially, the Antarctic was not a stage where running away would provide an answer or allow for a next-best option.
"Ah, understood."
Lieutenant Colonel Kim Jin-Seok, who finally grasped the situation, moved immediately.
The survivors who had just begun to settle down at the Jangbogo Science Base hurriedly started packing their bags again.
Afterward, they boarded a ship at a small port adjacent to the Jangbogo Science Base and moved toward a warship in the distance.
They set off on an evacuation journey.
The expressions of Kim Seojun's group, watching the process from a distance, hardened even more.
"I didn't expect to see something I'd only seen in movies, in person like this."
Just as Noah Winston said, to the humanity of Earth, this kind of sight, the sight of setting off on an evacuation journey, was now something only seen in movies.
In particular, there were quite a few children among those refugees.
And most of those children were being led by people who were not their parents.
The reason for that was also obvious.
The number of people who could board the prepared warship was limited, and before boarding, parents with children pleaded desperately.
Please, at least take our child.
Please save this child.
Kim Seojun did not bother to imagine it.
He couldn't.
The moment he imagined it here and now, it was obvious that his family's faces would be painted over those faces.
If that happened, Kim Seojun's judgment would inevitably be shaken.
'There is a lot to do.'
And right now, not even the slightest wavering is acceptable for Kim Seojun.
"Everyone has boarded."
When everyone had finished boarding the warship like that, Kim Seojun's group also boarded the warship along with Lieutenant Colonel Kim Jin-Seok.
After that, Kim Seojun asked.
"What happened?"
7.
The story Lieutenant Colonel Kim Jin-Seok told was shocking in many ways.
"Right now, the survivors are each fending for themselves."
The moment he heard it, the situation was so dismal that he couldn't even begin to guess where to start fixing it.
"No government is functioning properly."
On the other hand, there were also questions.
"I know the appearance of the Mogs is threatening, but is there a reason they collapsed this quickly?"
It was an undeniable fact that humanity had become more steeped in peace than ever since entering the Space Age.
It was also true that the military power remaining on Earth had weakened because all weapons and supplies were now concentrated in Space.
But even so, how could humanity collapse so helplessly and one-sidedly?
The answer to that was simple.
"They ran away. I mean, the high-ranking government officials and the military top brass, the leadership, ran away to Space as soon as the problem erupted."
And the moment they heard that answer, everyone understood.
It was entirely plausible.
From the perspective of high-ranking officials in the Space Age, there was no reason to remain on the dangerous Earth.
Even when people were just going to the Moon, there were plenty of mansions for high-ranking officials and the wealthy.
Anyway, with that, everyone understood the situation.
Then there was only one thing left.
"Seojun, what are you going to do?"
To that question, Kim Seojun answered.
"We are going to Korea."
That wasn't an answer that came out simply because his family was in Korea.
First of all, survivors were gathering in Korea, using Busan as a stronghold to build a line of resistance.
"There is a high probability that hatcheries are located where there are oil or natural gas resources. From that perspective, Korea is the safest place in the world."
In addition, Korea was a place that truly produced not even a speck of energy resources, and at this point in time, that was literally a godsend.
Crucially, Kim Seojun thought.
"Once we secure a solid base of operations in Korea, we will immediately move to China. And we will clean up China."
Ultimately, in order to resolve this whole situation, they had to deal with China, the main culprit.
They couldn't do anything while leaving China alone.
"After that, we will activate the Gate."
The Gate was opened to gather humanity scattered throughout space after all those matters were settled.
That was the plan Kim Seojun had established.
And naturally, Kim Seojun's group had no intention of taking a slow, long voyage from here on a warship.
"We will depart in 30 minutes."
"Pardon?"
At those words, Lieutenant Colonel Kim Jin-Seok asked in surprise.
"Right now, there is nothing here worth riding..."
The warship everyone was currently riding was a warship in name only, and it wasn't even equipped with proper weapons.
There were absolutely no fighter jets or helicopters capable of flying somewhere from the open sea.
But they were departing right away?
It was an impossible task according to common sense!
However, it was different for Kim Seojun.
"I have something."
With those words, Kim Seojun entered his Inventory.
8.
As soon as he entered the Inventory, Kasaknat was the one who welcomed Kim Seojun.
He was standing still.
Blankly.
But he wasn't truly standing there blankly.
It was the meditation of the Xeno species, and Kasaknat, who had been meditating, moved his body as soon as he saw Kim Seojun's presence.
"Thank you for staying here."
To Kasaknat, Kim Seojun first thanked him for quietly holding his breath and staying put.
[The unknown is fear. I understand.]
Of course, Kasaknat fully understood his situation in this Inventory.
If he suddenly went out and encountered humans?
The humans would inevitably be terrified.
Following that, the rest of the group came in immediately, and they prepared to move the fighter jet right away.
Brigadier General Lee Yeong-Jun climbed into the cockpit.
It was around then.
"Seojun."
Noah Winston, who had popped open a can of cola, handed it to Kim Seojun.
"When are you going to look for your family?"
To that question, Kim Seojun drank the cola he received instead of answering.
That was his answer.
His chest felt tight just thinking about his family.
And rightfully so, the only reason Kim Seojun had reenlisted and gone out to Space was for one thing: his family.
He had willingly thrown himself into that hell for his family.
But now that he had returned to Earth, wasn't it a situation where he couldn't even guarantee his family's survival?
If he followed his heart, he would want to go to Korea right away and find his family.
But he couldn't do that.
So he spat it out.
"I will find them. Once everything is sorted out, I will find them no matter what."
His resolve.
"Seojun, don't do that, and let's split the team."
Noah Winston made a suggestion to Kim Seojun.
"Our team is overpowered anyway. So let's do this. Bo-Seop, Hye-Na, and I will go look for your family together."
At those words, Kim Seojun's eyes wavered.
First of all, Kim Seojun was so grateful for his comrades' hearts.
Would he willingly move to find his family in this kind of situation?
At the same time, it was entirely possible.
"We're moving together in Korea anyway, right? We can join up whenever necessary."
Just as Noah Winston said, they could just join up again if push came to shove.
At the very least, there was no way the three of them would die.
No, far from dying, most Mogs wouldn't even dare to be a match for the three of them.
"For my sake..."
Of course, from Kim Seojun's perspective, it was not easy to accept his comrades' taking risks for his family.
"Listen carefully, Seojun."
Regarding that, Noah Winston spoke firmly.
"humanity is in a crisis. A very big crisis. Earth has been attacked. What we need in such a situation is a hero. A hero who can accomplish something overwhelming. And out of everyone I know, there is no hero who can replace you, Seojun. Finding the family of such a Seojun is a much more important task than finding the US President who ran away over there to space."
Finding Kim Seojun's family was a very important task for humanity.
The moment he heard those words, Kim Seojun couldn't say anything.
His emotions were stirred.
Of course, Kim Seojun soon accepted it.
"Thank you for your consideration. However, I will decline."
He cut off the line of emotion, and the moment he spat out those words, Noah Winston also didn't say anything more.
Because she knew that Kim Seojun had made this decision with a feeling of tearing out a part of himself.
Saying anything more here would only cause Kim Seojun greater pain.
The other Comrades were the same.
Everyone became solemn as they listened to this conversation.
Only one person was different.
[Are you looking for your family?]
Kasaknat, who had been listening to the conversation, stepped forward, and at those words, Kim Seojun nodded.
"My family is here. Its survival has not been confirmed."
[I also have a family.]
At the words that followed, everyone, including Kim Seojun, made a surprised expression, and seeing that reaction, Kasaknat answered.
[The absolute law of the universe is that nothing is eternal. We are merely dust living in the moment, and the greatest joy of that dust is the existence that carries us on. To love that existence is another law of the universe.]
The moment he heard that answer, he could tell that Kasaknat loved his family very much.
At that, Kim Seojun smiled and said something.
"Thank you for the comfort."
He felt gratitude beyond joy at the fact that another being in the universe had comforted him.
[It is not comfort.]
At that time, Kasaknat said.
"Pardon?"
[We Xenos find comfort like this.]
As he spoke, Kasaknat opened his palm and showed it.
"Then?"
[Family is precious to us. That is why we have found a way to find our family at any time.]
After that, Kasaknat cut his chest with a knife, and then pulled something out from inside it.
What he took out was a round plate, and a single thin thread like a hair was on that plate.
[Sprinkle your blood. Then your blood will point the way.]
At those words, Kim Seojun did not hesitate.
He immediately took action.
He pricked the tip of his finger with a knife to draw blood, and dropped that blood onto the Black Compass that Kasaknat had taken out.
Everyone held their breath and looked at the compass.
However, the needle of the compass did not move at all.
Upon that fact, everyone's expressions hardened.
'Could it be?'
What it meant was that there was nothing to point to.
In response to that fact, Kim Seojun's expression also hardened.
A sense of despair washed over Kim Seojun's face.
It was then.
[Ah.]
Kasaknat said.
[It does not move in Subspace. I was mistaken for a moment.]
"Ah!"
The moment he heard those words, Kim Seojun, who remembered something, immediately went outside, and then came back into the Inventory and spoke.
"I have a favor to ask."
He said to his comrades.
"Would it be alright if we save my family first?"