June 13, 2020, 15:00

  Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jongro-ku, Seoul

  Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Jae-hak had tried to call the Chinese ambassador after he finished the cabinet meeting, but he was unable to reach him because the ambassador was on a business trip to China. So, he summoned the ambassador to his office on the day of his return, the 13th. The Minister was seated across the ambassador, Cha Yao Ke Ming, who was a typical Southern Chinese gentleman with a wide face.

  “I will ask frankly,” Minister Kim Jae-hak said. “What is the reason behind neglecting the safety of the Korean corporations that are being threatened by illegal protests within China?”


  “What are you talking about? The Chinese government and police are maintaining security for the Korean corporations and people with all its power.”


  “Please give me lies that are at least believable, Ambassador Cha Yao! The financial damages that have been reported are in the millions, and more than 50,000 people have been hurt by the protesters’ violence. The factory workers have also participated in illegal protests. They’ve damaged factory equipment, and aren’t they committing arson and theft to Korean-owned stores?”


  Ambassador Cha Yao’s face was calm, and he seemed to disregard Minister Kim Jae-hak’s angered words.

  “Please calm down, Minister. The Chinese government is proactively dealing with the anti-Korea protests. But aren’t these protests the result of the death of four Chinese crew members in Korea’s illegal arrest of Chinese fishing boats?

  “You’re walking on eggshells, Ambassador. Two of our coastguard passed away in the line of duty. Also, are you not going to address the Chinese fishing ships that illegally come to our seas and fish, driving most species toward extinction? You dare tell me to calm down after saying such things?”


  Slam! Slam!

  Minister Kim Jae-hak acted differently than usual, scolding the ambassador as he slammed the table with his fist. The Chinese ambassador, who looked down on Korea as a country, noticed that Korea’s escalated attitude showed that the flow of conversation was going differently than expected. He coughed a few times before speaking again.

  “Anyhow, since four of our crewmen passed away due to the Korean Coastguard’s illegal arrests, if the Korean government makes an official apology, then I will speak with our government about not only relieving the trade war policies, but also quelling the anti-Korea protests.”


  “My, I guess what I’m saying is not getting through to you, Ambassador Cha Yao. Do you still think the Korean government is the same one from a few years ago? You’re dead wrong.”


  “Yes, I am aware. Korea’s economy has grown frighteningly fast. However, just because of problems likes this, if you keep a hostile attitude toward China, then no good will come……”


  Slam!

  Ambassador Cha Yao stopped speaking, surprised by the sound of the minister slamming both his fists against the table.

  “Ambassador Cha Yao! You will regret what you said about keeping a hostile attitude. I see there is no use conversing with you. From now on, the Korean government will act sternly toward Chinese government officials and small business owners who are in Korea! Time for you to leave my office!”


  “They treat our superior nation with contempt just because of their economic growth,” the ambassador thought. “Fine, good. Let’s use this chance to teach the bangzi a lesson.”


  Ambassador Cha Yao Ke Ming stood up from his seat, but before he left, he said shortly, “Minister Kim Jae-hak! I would like to tell you that China has only just begun to show its power.”


  “Stop speaking nonsense, and get out of my office!”


  Kim Jae-hak reported his conversation with the Chinese ambassador to the Blue House. Outraged, the president ordered the Chinese ambassador to be deported. In response, China also had all Korean embassy staff and ambassadors deported. Both nations’ actions showed how much the diplomatic war had escalated.

  * * *

  June 18, 2020, 13:00

  Underground Research Facility of the 17th Fighter Wing, Chungju-si, Choongbook.

  Numerous official vehicles entered the main building of the 17th Fighter Wing.

  Bodyguards poured out of the vehicles surrounding the one in the middle and then formed a tight net of security. A man got out of the official vehicle in the center. It was the secretary of the Labor Party, Kim Young-chul.

  To help realize the goal of the unification of Korea, the Korean government had brought the secretary to the SS-rank confidential underground research facility. When the president had suggested this, the Blue House’s national security director, NIS secretary, and the minister of national defense, all strongly opposed the idea because it could seriously threaten national security. But the president’s will was so strong that their opposition was useless. The president’s hope and resolve for unification was that great.

  At first, North Korea also showed a bit of doubt about the unofficial visit request of Party Secretary Lee Byung-chul, but because he had nearly lost his life in the Lee Byung-chul incident, they accepted the request.

  “It was stuffy during the whole ride. The outside air is very refreshing,” Party Secretary Kim Young-chul said after getting out of the car.

  Because the windows were tinted and the divider between the back seat and driver’s seat obstructed the front window, Party Secretary Kim Young-chul was unable to see outside the car for the duration of the entire trip from Seoul to the 17th Fighter Wing. When he was able to get out of the car and escape its stuffy confines, the outside air never felt better.

  “Welcome. I am General Oh Seuk-myung.”


  “Welcome. I am Kim Young-chul.”


  After the commander of the 17th Fighter Wing, Brigadier General Oh Seuk-myung, shook hands with Kim Young-chul, they headed to the main building, where government officials related to the event were waiting.

  “The air in the country is very refreshing compared to Seoul’s.”


  “Right? Seoul’s air quality is very poor.”


  That day, when Kim Young-chul entered the underground research facility, he received a shock that almost made him faint. Alien spacecraft he had never seen before and amazing new equipment made from the latest technology all had him in wonder. He was able to spend four hours looking at all the results of the research facility with his own eyes.

  * * *

  June 18, 2020, 23:00

  A hotel somewhere in Seoul.

  “Am I dreaming?” Kim Young-chul thought. “This was the reason why South Korea had made such advancements over the past few years.”


  North Korea’s Labor Party Secretary Kim Young-chul lay in a hotel bed in Seoul prepared for him by the NIS. He tried to sleep but kept murmuring to himself. The things he had seen at the event were burned into his eyes, and they kept coming back to him.

  The alien spaceship he had seen was engraved in his mind, and the Hocula super artificial intelligence computer the researcher, Namgoong-won, had shown him made a lasting impression as well.

  “The more I think about it, the more I’m amazed,” he thought.

  Namgoong-won had initially exchanged texts with the Hocula when conversing with it, which was very mechanical, but he had upgraded the method to voice conversations, and to Party Secretary Kim Young-chul, that was a very shocking and new experience.

  Party Secretary Kim Young-chul ate his breakfast at the hotel the next morning before visiting another location with the government officials.

  * * *

  June 19, 2020, 10:00

  CC Tanker, Yongsan-ku, Seoul (Strategic Strike Satellite Zeus Control Room).

  This time, under the request of the government officials, Kim Young-chul wore a blindfold before entering the deep underground building. After the blindfold was removed, the place he found himself in looked like a control center from an American sci-fi movie. In the center was a large screen, and twenty or so agents were sitting in front of their own large or small screens and hard at work, staring at the LED monitors.

  “Hello? I am the head of staff here, Commander Lim Soo-ho.”


  Party Secretary Kim Young-chul shook hands with the commander of the strategical strike satellite Zeus and began to ask questions out of curiosity.

  “Yes. Nice to meet you. I am Kim Young-chul. Could I ask what this place is?”


  “I can explain within the confidentiality parameters that my superiors have set for you.”


  “I would be grateful if you did.”


  “If you take a seat here, we will begin explaining.”


  “Thank you.”


  Kim Young-chul sat in the upper commander’s chair, which gave a view of the entire mission control room. Then, the commander looked at the screen to his side and began to explain.

  “This is the mission control for the KS-AD Zeus geostationary satellite, which is at an orbit of 36,000 km above the earth’s atmosphere.”


  “A satellite? What kind of satellite is it that it requires a facility like this with this many people?”


  “Yes, Zeus is a strategic strike satellite.”


  Party Secretary Kim Young-chul tilted his head at the word “strike.” With a curious look on his face, he asked, “Did you say strike?”


  “Yes.”


  “Strike what, exactly?”


  “The strike system atop Zeus was originally designed to intercept ballistic missiles, but it’s capable of striking down anything that’s a military threat to Korea. For example, enemy ships, fighter jets, various missiles, and facilities on land are the targets.”


  “That’s all possible from a satellite? This is out of this world.”


  “Please direct your attention to the largest screen in the center.”


  Kim Young-chul shifted his attention to the large center screen, and when the commander gave some orders via his headset, the large screen changed to an image of earth. Then, the screen began to zoom in, and the entire Korean Peninsula could be seen. After a few more zooms, a high definition video of Pyeong yang, which seemed to have been filmed from only a few meters in the sky, appeared. Then, after a few more zooms, cars on roads could be seen, along with citizens of Pyeong yang walking in the streets.

  “With the maximum zoom capacity, we can identify car license plate numbers and even information about the bodies of the people walking by.”


  Party Secretary Kim Young-chul didn’t express his shock on the surface, but he gripped both arms of the chair tightly and was shaken to his core. The things he saw yesterday were refreshingly shocking, but what he saw today gave him a shock of fear.

  “It’s capable of that as well?”


  “To explain it in simpler terms, if we use the inverter function, then we can check inside buildings as well.”


  As soon as commander Kim Soo-ho finished speaking, the image on the center screen changed to a view of the Presidential Palace, and after the screen flickered, the vision mode changed, revealing the inside of the building. Even First Vice-Chairman Kim Yo-jung’s office could be seen.

  Party Secretary Kim Young-chul shouted to the commander to stop after he saw the First Vice-Chairman Kim Yo-jung herself show up on the screen. “Stop. Please stop.”


  “Understood. Now we will demonstrate an actual strike.”


  After the commander said this, the center screen changed to pre-planned coordinates, and an island could be seen on screen.

  “This is a deserted island off the coast of the Western Sea. We have already prepared three targets on the island. Take a look.”


  The center screen zoomed in further, showing three targets marked with an “X.”


  “If you choose one of the targets labeled 1, 2 and 3, then we will perform a strike demonstration.”


  Party Secretary Kim Young-chul must have thought this whole video was a ruse by the South Koreans to threaten North Korea, because he pointed toward a small formation of rocks instead of the three targets.

  “I would like to choose the small black rocks over there. Is that possible?”


  “Of course.”


  When Commander Lee Soo-ho gave a short order via his headset, the operators of the mission control all began to shout and prepare for the strike.

  “Plasma output at 100%.”


  “Target scan normal, ready to strike.”


  “Fire.”


  Woosh~ Boom~!

  The laser cannon beam struck the black rocks at the speed of light, and the rocks broke into thousands of pieces, the fragments flying up in all directions. A moment later, the dust settled, and the black rock was nowhere to be seen within a 1m radius. Only a crater remained.

  “What do you think?”


  Party Secretary Kim Young-chul must not have heard the commander’s question, because he was staring blankly at the center screen. After a short while had passed, he regained his senses and asked the commander a question.

  “Commander comrade, what is South Korea’s reason for showing me such things?”


  “I am not in a position to answer that question. I am only following my superior’s orders. I heard you’re scheduled to meet with the president later. I think it would be best for you to ask then.”


  “I understand. Thank you for showing me such an amazing weapon.”