October 27, 2020, 23:00

  An underground bunker at the Blue House National Emergency Situation Center in Jongro-ku, Seoul.

  D-1

  Inside the Blue House’s National Emergency Situation Center, the President’s family and many high-ranking officials were gathered to await the outbreak of war with China, which was five hours away. In the situation control office across from the situation center, various staff members from the Blue House were looking at multiple monitors and exchanging information with the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

  To the President, who was seated in the center, everything felt like a slow-motion scene from a movie. Each second felt like a minute.

  The President wasn’t sure whether he was feeling anxious or bored from waiting, and asked the Minister of National Defense, “Are our forces on land preparing without issue?”


  “The land forces are planned to conduct a swift movement toward the border at the Ap-rok river with the start of the war. We’ve just received word that they’ve finished making preparations.”


  “What about the Navy and the Marines?”


  “The Maritime Flotilla 7, which is docked at Pohang Naval Base, and the 53rd Amphibious Group have the entire 1st Marine Division aboard.”


  *At the end of 2018, the Navy’s command center absorbed the 53rd Amphibious Group under the 5th Division into the 10th Amphibious Fleet. Later, through continued production of amphibious ships, they officially deployed four LPH-class-strike amphibious ships, eight LST-II armored vehicle ships, four SLT-I armored vehicle ships, and four 60,000t full load displacement-class LPH multi-purpose amphibious ships by June 2020. The 56th Amphibious Group, as well as the 53rd Amphibious Group, were integrated into the 10th Amphibious Fleet.

  * * *

  October 28, 2020, 03:30

  Underground bunker at the Blue House National Emergency Situation Center in Jongro-ku, Seoul.

  D-30 minutes

  The final checks were being made, and time seemed to be running slow, but there were only thirty minutes left before the war would begin. A secure call from the Joint Chiefs of Staff Headquarters came in to receive final approval to declare war-

  Mr. President. Requesting final approval for war, sir.

  It was the voice of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff.

  “I approve. No changes here.”
-

  Understood, Mr. President.

  The President, who ended the phone call, leaned his chair back and closed his eyes. After some time passed, he opened his eyes when he heard the report from the Minister of National Defense that war had broken out.

  * * *

  October 28, 2020, 04:00

  Underground bunker at Blue House National Emergency Situation Center in Jongro-ku, Seoul.

  D-ZERO.

  When the digital clock on the center of the wall at the Joint Chiefs of Staff Command Center showed 04:00, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ordered in a calm but strong tone, “All forces escalate from DEFCON 2 to DEFCON 1. Transition into wartime.”


  The Korean military, which was under tight security under DEFCON 2, declared DEFCON 1 for the first time since the Korean War. Many of the operators in the room began to use secure lines to relay the information to the military commanders across the country.

  “Commence operation ‘Rise of Goguryeo.’ Get the Aerospace Force Command Center on the line.”


  “They are on the line, sir.”
-

  Sir! This is Aerospace Force Commander Lieutenant General Lee Gyung-hyun.

  “Lieutenant Lee Kyung-hyun! Commence operation ‘Rise of Goguryeo’ as planned.”
-

  Yes, sir. Bringing Zeus 1 online.

  “Stay vigilant.”
-

  Yes, sir!

  * * *

  October 28, 2020, 04:01

  CC tanker in Yongsan-ku, Seoul (tactical strike satellite Zeus 1 mission control)

  Colonel Lim Soo-ho, the operator of the Zeus 1, received the order from the Aerospace Force Commander, put down the phone’s receiver, and gave the order while staring at the center screen.

  “Commence the first stage of operation ‘Rise of Goguryeo.’ Check target coordinates.”


  “Target coordinates confirmed.”


  At the operator’s order, the 500-inch center screen focused in on an area 90 km away from China’s Jinhzhou province, where the 38th Army Group and its subordinate forces had formed a tight encampment in an 80 km radius. The camps determined to be the headquarters of each division and brigade came up on a target list, and eight targets were designated.

  “Zinog missile standby.”


  “Zinog missile standby.”


  ‘K-SH Zinog missile (Plasma amplification bomb)’


  Launch system: KS-1 Zeus 1 tactical strike satellite

  Diameter: 220 mm

  Length: 3 m

  Weight: 1,200 kg

  Range: 1,000 km

  Maximum speed: Mach 68 (including falling speed)

  Warhead: Plasma amplification (No radiation)

  Propel method: Plasma rocket

  Price: 32 million dollars

  “Fire!”


  “Fire!”


  Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

  At the operator’s order, the missile operator repeated the order, and then the launch operator pressed the launch button, firing the eight Zinog missiles aboard the Zeus 1 satellite 36,000 km above China. Eight Zinog missiles popped out from the sides of Zeus 1, and from the two four-rocket launch pads, they flew out, spitting out blue flame, to fall toward their targets at the speed of Mach 40.

  “Eight Zinog missiles have successfully launched toward their targets. Target one is 25 minutes and 36 seconds away from impact. Target two is 25 minutes and 38 seconds away. Target three and eight are 25 minutes and 42 seconds away.”


  When the missile operator made his report, the operator gave another order. “Check the coordinates for the second round of targets.”


  “Confirming coordinates of the second round of targets.”


  The Zeus 1 used its thrusters to change directions, and the screen changed to the 39th Army Group and its subordinate forces, which were near the Ap-rok river, along with the commanding headquarters of each force. Just like before, six targets were designated.

  “Epirus missile standby.”


  “Epirus missile standby.”


  ‘K-SE Epirus missile (Plasma pulse bomb)’


  Launch system: KS-1 Zeus 1 tactical strike satellite.

  Diameter: 130 mm

  Length: 2.5 m

  Weight: 320 kg

  Range: 40,000 km

  Maximum speed: Mach 65 (Including falling speed)

  Warhead: Plasma pulse bomb

  Propel method: Plasma rocket

  “Fire!”


  “Fire!”


  Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

  Spitting blue flame, the six Epirus missiles launched from the Zeus 1 satellite’s eight-shot launcher and began to fall toward their targets at frightening speeds.

  “All six Epirus missiles have been launched. Target one is 26 minutes and 50 seconds from contact. Target two is 26 minutes and 52 seconds away, target three 26 minutes and 53 seconds, target four 26 minutes and 55 seconds, target five 26 minutes and 57 seconds, target six 27 minutes.”


  “Check coordinates of the third set of targets.”


  “Confirming the coordinates for the third set of targets.”


  Just like with the second set of targets, the Zeus 1 satellite set the headquarters of the 16th Army Group’s command center and its subordinate forces as targets, and launched six Epirus missiles. The Epirus missile pierced the atmosphere and fell at the speed of Mach 65. The warhead of the Epirus missile glowed red from friction, and if anyone saw it, they would’ve thought a red metal pillar was falling from the sky.

  Twenty minutes later, the first plasma amplification bomb, the Zinog missile, fell to visible distances in an instant and hit the 38th Army Group’s command centers. The Zinog missile made a tremendous impact and penetrated dozens of meters underground.

  When the delayed fuse went off a few seconds later, the entire landscape within 5 km was distorted, and hundreds of flaming pillars rose into the air. Within the 10 km radius, the Chinese forces, vehicles, armored vehicles, tanks, and other equipment were all melted indiscriminately. The explosion, which rivaled a nuclear bomb, occurred seven more times.

  “The first set of targets have been eliminated.”


  The main screen at the Zeus 1’s mission control showed the landscape. Thirty minutes ago, the land was full of various mechanized divisions and other forces, but now it looked like an earthquake had hit it. Between the cracks in the ground, red flames rose up to light up the night sky, reminiscent of the flames from hell.

  The officers and soldiers who witnessed the scene, which was more terrifying than they had expected, all fell silent. They all stared blankly at the screen full of flames until the Epirus missile operator broke the silence.

  “Six Epirus missiles one minute away from reaching the second set of targets.”


  “Change screen to the target area.”


  “Changing the screen to the target area.”


  A moment later, the Epirus missile, which was falling toward the selected commanding forces of the 39th Army Group, blew up 1 km above the surface with a bright light and sent out a shock wave in the shape of a dome.

  boo boo boom~ Woosh~

  The shock wave spread out at the speed of sound and was strong enough to distort space.

  This shock wave occurred repeatedly at the location of the 39th Army Group and the 16th Army Group. The shock wave fried the Chinese military’s electronic devices and destroyed their motherboards and computer chips, rendering them useless. Car equipment, communication devices, radars, and other weapons systems all went dark, and the only functional pieces of equipment were personal firearms.

  Each army group’s commanding forces fell into chaos. They tried to reach their subordinate forces to find the reason for the blackout, but had no means to do so. If this were the past, they would have tried to report to superiors or give the orders to subordinates on horseback, but the present situation made the commanders confused, and they were unable to determine their next move. The forces that were outside the shock wave’s range were also in chaos, as they were unable to reach their superior forces.

  Above North Korea’s skies, four Phoenix jet and Black Phoenix bomber flight wings were flying northwest on supercruise. The Phoenix flight wings’ internal weaponry was four rounds of the air-to-surface gliding guided missile K-PSB plasma cluster bombs, while the Black Phoenix bomber was equipped with two rounds of the K-PAB plasma air-to-surface plasma cluster bombs. The Phoenix and Black Phoenix flight wings flew past Pyeong yang’s atmosphere and split into two flight wings, heading toward their assigned destinations. One headed toward the 39th Army Group, and the other headed toward the 16th Army Group.

  A moment later, when the two Phoenix and Black Phoenix flight wings assigned to the 39th Army Group came into range to attack, the commander for the Phoenix flight wing, Lieutenant Colonel Gil Hyung-soo, opened the communication line.

  “Postman, noise point distance 140. Fire independently at each allotted target!”
-

  Blue eyes 1, Copy that-

  Blackmoon 1, Copy that-

  Mountain 1, Copy that-

  Hurricane 1, Copy that.

  With the answer from each flight leader, each flight wing fired their plasma cluster bombs at their assigned targets. The launch was within a sufficient distance, and each gliding guided missile traveled to its target at the speed of Mach 8 and 10.

  A terrible punishment fell from the sky onto the subordinate forces, who were unaware of the situation and were trying to contact their superior forces. The small plasma amplification bomb blew a few kilometers to smithereens, while the plasma cluster bomb exploded 100 m above the surface. Thousands of plasma bombs flew down like a rain of steel above the Chinese military’s heads, causing a firestorm that destroyed the armored vehicles and tanks.

  While the colorful flames fell to the ground, the Chinese forces tried to save their lives and ran to hide in the nearest mountains and streams, abandoning their equipment.

  Ten minutes later, the Phoenix and Black Phoenix flight wings, assigned to target the 16th Army Group, also fired various missiles, and before returning, they confirmed that they had hit their intended targets.

  * * *

  October 28, 2020. 04:50

  B2 Bunker in Yongsan-ku, Seoul (ROK Military Joint Command Center)

  After an hour had passed, the first stage of the war was reaching its midpoint, and it must have gone smoothly, for reports of success streamed in from the participating forces.

  “Under first analysis, the 38th Army Group seems to have lost 80% of its forces and its capability as an army group.”


  “Reporting the damages of the 29th Army Group. Its subordinate force, the 9th Army Aviation Brigade, has lost its choppers from the plasma amplification bombs from the 38th Fighter Wing’s Phoenix flight wing, and are completely annihilated.”


  “Tactical Intelligence Officer, organize the damages into a graph. Report the status of each army’s attack for now.”


  “Yes, sir.”


  “It seems that we have damaged the Chinese military more than we had expected to.”


  The deputy of the Joint Chiefs of Staff must have been pleased by the first stage of the operation going smoothly, because he smiled slightly as he spoke.

  “Indeed, things seemed promising from the start!”


  “The Chinese were careless from the start. They probably never imagined we would attack past North Korea’s borders, especially the 38th Army Group first.”


  The strategic planning officer, who finished collecting and organizing the strategies, joined the conversation. “Right, and we definitely hoped for that.”


  Another tactical intelligence officer reported the attacks made by each corps’ artillery. “Chief! The artillery from each corps have fired the land-to-land cruise missiles.”


  “What about the Navy’s 1st and 2nd Fleets?”


  “The 1st and 2nd Fleets are reporting they will each fire thirty surface-to-ground cruise missiles to their assigned targets.”


  Listening to the continuous stream of reports, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Kang Ui-sik placed his hands behind his neck and checked the digital map that showed the changing Ap-rok river border. Then, he smiled slightly and said, “All right. How about we start going into phase two of our plans?”