Another 50mm laser beam was fired from Zeus 2. A red-and-white ray of light penetrated the tail wing of one LGM-30F Minuteman IVs, which was falling at a speed close to Mach 40. It wasn’t an exact intercept, but the wing was damaged. The LGM-30F Minuteman IV lost its center of gravity and began to fall with a great shake from side to side. Soon, a huge half-shaped flame was generated by atmospheric friction.

  The soldiers in the control room of Zeus 2 judged the interception a success. They cheered for a moment but soon froze all at once.

  The front fairing of the LGM-30F Minuteman IV, which was gradually burning in the half-shaped flame by atmospheric friction, was separated. In the fuselage, there were six proton bombs mounted on a six-length MAC (Multiple All-Up-Round Canister) in the form of a revolver. Immediately, from the six-stranded MAC, six proton bombs operated their own propellants. They came out at an instant and flew away. The six proton bombs corrected their fall positions. They held a stable posture and fell at a terrifying pace.

  Meanwhile, the S-SSM-500S Triana that had taken off from the sea found the targets had increased to seven. It renewed its targets and then stretched out vigorously to intercept.

  Pew! Pew!

  Several white rays of light flew toward the last remaining LGM-30F Minuteman IV. Unfortunately, it continued to miss. Zeus 1 and 2, which had been boasting 100% accuracy so far, continued to fail because the missile had already arrived at an altitude of 500km.

  The pairing of the last remaining LGM-30F Minuteman IV was opened as well. Six proton bombs appeared. As a result, Zeus 1 and 2 switched targets to small missiles and resprayed beams of light. It was easier to intercept the proton bombs than the LGM-30F Minuteman IVs because they had been equipped with a powerful ECM system.

  Boom! Boom!

  Two proton bombs were intercepted by laser beams and exploded. Subsequently, at an altitude of 400km, four proton bombs that collided with the S-SSM-500S Triana exploded. Huge fireballs spread in all directions and soon disappeared. There were now six proton bombs left, and 31 seconds left until impact.

  February 20, 2021, 18:30

  The sea 12km off the southern tip of Oki Island, Shimane Prefecture, Honshu, Japan (2nd landing expeditionary escort fleet)

  From three Hocula ships, six S-SSM-500S Trianas soared into the sky once again. They glowed in blue, passing through the white clouds, and disappeared from view. And within seconds, a flash show appeared again.

  Boom! Boom! Boom!

  Intercept target No. 1 succeeded. Intercept target No. 2 succeeded. Intercept target No. 3 failed. Intercept target No. 4 succeeded. Intercept target No. 5 failed. Intercept target No. 6 failed.

  As the altitude got lower, the speed became faster. So the intercept rate was only 50%. The tactical control officer ordered to intercept again.

  “Fire control officer! Reset the targets and try the third interception!”


  The fire control officer skipped the report repeat to save time and ordered the operator.

  “Reset the target! Each fleet fires one Triana!”


  “Target assignment complete! Waiting for launch.”


  “Fire!”


  “Fire!”


  It was the last chance to intercept proton bombs falling at a speed of Mach 40 or higher. Three S-SSM-500S Triana missiles soared with blue light. The attention of all crew members in the room was directed to the interceptor operator.

  The reason was this—if the enemy missiles were nuclear, not only the Chungmugong Lee Sun-shin (CG-1101) but also all of the second landing expeditionary ships could be annihilated.

  “Five seconds to collision. Four seconds, three seconds, two seconds, one second! Intercept target No. 1 succeeded! Intercept target No. 2 failed! Intercept target No. 3 failed!”


  The crew members who cheered with their arms wide open when they intercepted target No. 1 couldn’t move for a moment when they heard that the interception failed in succession.

  “Zeus 2 successfully intercepted target No. 2! Now there is one left. Fifteen seconds to impact.”


  They could no longer intercept the remaining proton bombs from the sea. Now they had no choice but to rely on Zeus 1 and 2.

  The crew members of the Chungmugong Lee Sun-shin (CG-1101), who had been in charge of intercept control so far, could only look at the tactical screen of the battle command room. There was a line, showing one proton bomb falling, avoiding the laser beam from the Zeus satellites. However, the landing point was not a place where the 2nd landing expedition’s surface combatants were gathered, but a very faraway place.

  “Radar technician! Where is the enemy missile’s exact landing point?”


  “The impact point is 35°42’46.96″N, 132°21’34.48″E. It’s 2-6-0 azimuth and 69km away from this fleet.”


  “69km? Is this a blind shell or what? Even if that is a nuclear bomb, I am pretty sure there will be no way that can affect us from that far away. Are you sure about this?”


  “I am very sure, sir.”


  “Well, that’s a relief then. Even if the interception failed, there would be no damage.”


  Despite saying that, he still could not erase the feeling that something could go wrong.

  “Ten seconds until impact! Nine, eight……”


  At that time, the voice of the second commander came through the speaker.

  “Be prepared for the shock!”


  “Three, two, one!”


  The crew grasped the rigid structures and gave strength to their whole body to prepare for the coming impact. But no explosion or shock wave came after the operator reported the impact.

  “Is it because it landed far away?”


  Everyone was confused.

  Then, one sonar operator shouted, “The enemy missile hit the sea level! No explosions are detected.”


  “So it was a dud.”


  “It seems so. The landing point was so random too.”


  “Thank God.”


  February 20, 2021, 18:35

  The deep sea, N36°3′ E 133°48′ from the southern end of Oki Island, Shimane Prefecture, Honshu, Japan

  The proton bomb that survived the laser beam of the Zeus intercepting satellites turned on a powerful reverse propellant from the warhead just before it collided with the sea. It reduced its speed to a minimum. When it hit the sea, it created a small column of water and disappeared into the deep sea.

  The proton bomb submerged 100m deep. Its fairings opened from both sides. The MK-110 proton torpedo popped out. The screw started turning. Slowly speeding up, the MK-110 proton torpedo began sprinting at a speed of more than 60 knots toward the previously entered target. The target point was at sea with 150 surface ships of the second landing expeditionary force.

  Meanwhile, Zeus 2, which was turning in a geostationary orbit 36,000 km above space, fired six C-SE Epirus (super EMP ammunition) into the sea, following the command of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Since it was a mobile naval target, not a stationary target, six C-SE Epirus (super EMP ammunition) fell slowly, widening the distance for a wide range of strikes. Thirty-five minutes and 29 seconds left until the impact.

  February 20, 2021, 18:56

  The sea 12km off the southern tip of Oki Island, Shimane Prefecture, Honshu, Japan (2nd landing expeditionary escort fleet)

  Sejong the Great (DDH-991) and Kim Jong-seo (DDG-975), which had been repaired at Ulsan Port, and the escort ships Al-cheon (FF-852) and Heuk Beol-mu (FF-833) had joined the second expeditionary surface ships that passed through the Corean Strait and were escorting them. Sejong the Great (DDH-991) commanded the escort mission from the rear. Chief Petty Officer Heo Man-ho, the sonar operator of the ship, suddenly yelled in the ship’s battle command room. All eyes were focused on him.

  “At azimuth 2-6-2, distance of 28km, and depth of 100m, an unidentified object that is believed to be a torpedo was detected.”


  “What the hell are you talking about?”


  The tactical control officer who was looking at the tactical screen jumped up and ran toward the sonar operator.

  “What? What torpedo?”


  “Check this please, sir.”


  Chief Petty Officer Heo Man-ho pointed at his monitor. A black object that looked like a faintly marked torpedo was coming toward the ship.

  “Why did you find it only now?”


  “I-it suddenly appeared, sir.”


  “Are you saying there is an enemy submarine in that location?”


  The escort fleet had been carrying out an escort mission while maintaining a close anti-submarine mode in all directions. Also, it was receiving sonic information in real time from Poseidon 1. The Poseidon was a deep-sea defensive satellite. So this was a very sudden situation. The advent of the torpedo made the tactical control officer very confused.

  He pressed his forehead and asked, “How fast is this?”


  “It is currently estimated at 80 knots.”


  “What is its goal?”


  “It does not look like it is aiming a particular ship.”


  “What the hell are you talking about?”


  “I am sorry, sir. So far, it seems like it is just coming to this area. It does not aim the ship.”


  “Damn it!”


  Lieutenant Commander Lee Won-woo suddenly turned pale and shouted, “That must be a nuclear torpedo! We have to stop that! Right now! Arms operator!”


  “Yes, sir!”


  “We are going to operate a hard-kill interception immediately. Fire the armed torpedoes one to four. And which submarine is the closest to us?”


  “The Lee Bong-chang (SSP-81) is the closest. It is at azimuth 3-5-5 and distance of 55km.”


  “That is too far away! Well, I guess we have no choice. Link the data to the Lee Bong-chang and tell them to immediately support the hard-kill interception!”


  While the operator communicated urgently from the battle command room, two Red Sharks, the fleet submarine rocket missiles, were launched from the 48-cell K-VLS (vertical launcher) of Sejong the Great (DDH-991). Fierce flames burst out. Soon after, they flew to the target, which was considered a nuclear torpedo. The missiles removed the booster and lowered the altitude. Then, at an altitude of 1 km, the fuselages were separated. As parachutes were deployed, they gradually fell toward the sea.

  Whoosh! Whoosh!

  Two Red Sharks entered the sea and soon separated from their parachutes. When they changed into the K-745 Blue Sharks, they began to spin the screws and submerge. They detected targets by directing sound waves with a directional target detection sonar mounted inside the torpedo.

  Two K-745 Blue Shark torpedoes made a large turn and flew toward the detected target. Also, the Lee Bong-chang (SSP-81), which had received an intercept request from Sejong the Great (DDH-991), launched two K-744A Great White Shark torpedoes. A White Shark was a submarine-to-submarine supercavitating torpedo.

  From two directions of twelve o’clock and three o’clock, a total of four torpedoes were heading for the nuclear torpedo.

  “The Blue Shark torpedoes No. 1 and No. 2, 13 seconds remaining before crash! The White Shark torpedoes No. 3 and No. 4 are 44 and 46 seconds away.”


  Whoosh!

  The first torpedo passed by the target.

  “The first torpedo interception failed!”


  The second torpedo also passed by at an angle and failed to intercept.

  “Damn it!” The tactical control officer who was watching the tactical screen shouted.

  “Sir, do we start the second interception?” The torpedo arms operator asked.

  “Enter the target data and wait. We will fire after seeing the result of No. 3 and 4.”


  After a while, the sonar operator shouted, “The third torpedo! Five seconds left to collision. Four seconds, three, two, one…… Interception failed!”


  All the crew members in the battle command room stared at the sonar operator.

  “The fourth torpedo! Two seconds left! One! It seems like the interception succeeded…… Argh!” The sonar operator suddenly shouted and took off his headset in the middle of reporting.

  “What is wrong?”


  The tactical control officer approached the sonar operator. He glanced at the sonar screen. On the screen, he could see a huge wave growing bigger. Then, with the loud sound like thunder, a huge column of water, several times the size of a football field, soared up to a hundred meters.

  The MK-110 proton torpedo, which had avoided the third torpedo’s hard kill interception, collided with the fourth torpedo and created a massive devastation underwater. The massive explosion turned the entire depth of the sea within a 5km radius into a terrible hell. Tremendous currents entangled each other and raged. The storm waves became larger and larger and rapidly affected all the sea. Then, a huge tsunami formed above the sea level and spread in a circle.