January 1st, 2024, 23:30

  Underground bunker of the Blue House National Crisis Center in Jongno-gu, Seoul.

  President Choo Un-hee and other ministers who had been sitting in the operation room of the Blue House National Crisis Center, also known as the VIP bunker, moved to the underground bunker office to receive the final report on the plasma core technology leak from the Head of National Intelligence Service Director Lee Young-jin.

  Director Lee Young-jin took out a report from his briefcase and politely handed it over to them.

  “You did an excellent job. I believe we should generously reward all of the National Intelligence Service agents assigned to this mission. I’m hoping you’ll take good care of it.”


  “Yes, I’ll do that.”


  “I can’t tell you how relieved I am that one major worry has been alleviated.”


  “I’m sorry. It took me a long time to alleviate your anxiety.”


  “What are you saying? It doesn’t even make sense. You have been working really hard during this time.”


  President Choo Un-hee was satisfied with the report she received. She read it slowly, one page at a time, but her face became stiff as she reached the last page.

  “Director Lee?”


  “Yes, Mdm. President!”


  She asked while looking at the report and the director of the National Intelligence Service alternately. “It appears that things weren’t that clear when the information was verbally reported to me in the morning because I was busy with my Blue House tasks. Did the two agents die while doing their duties?”


  The president received a brief oral report from the director of the National Intelligence Service about the Tianjin case and the French case involving plasma core technology in the morning. She was aware of a minor accident involving two agents on duty in Tianjin at the time, but she was taken aback when the report stated, “Manager Lee Ja-sung and Manager Namgoong-won are presumed to have died.”


  “Unfortunately, it seemed that they couldn’t escape on time when the secret laboratory exploded.”


  “Oh this, this thing…But it’s written in the report as presumed dead, so you couldn`t confirm their death yet?”


  “We were unable to confirm this. However, the bomb used at the time of the explosion was very powerful and not a regular bomb. If they were still in the building at the time of the explosion, it would be difficult for them to survive even if they were wearing a protective suit.”


  “So what is written in the report is just an assumption? You couldn’t confirm their deaths because you couldn’t find their bodies, right?”


  When asked by the President, director Lee Young-jin shook his head and answered, “Yes, that’s right.”


  “Shouldn’t we still have hope and try to save them at all costs?”


  “It’s not that I haven’t considered it, but it’s in the middle of the enemy camp, and according to our agents, regiment-level troops and public security officers are working with heavy equipment 24 hours a day.”


  “So you just want things to end like this—as a ‘presumptive death’?”


  “I’m sorry.” Director Lee Young-jin once again lowered his head and apologized.

  “Even if they unfortunately died, we should somehow bring their bodies to our country. Director Lee!”


  Then she turned her head and called the Chief Secretary sitting next to her.

  “Yes, Mdm. President!”


  “Connect the Joint Chiefs of Staff right now.”


  “Yes, I will.”


  At the same time as the response, Chief Secretary Lim Jong-won gave orders over the intercom. After a while, a large screen hung on one of the office’s walls was illuminated. The female secretary’s voice then came through the intercom. “We are connected to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.”


  Shin Sung-yong, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, appeared on the bright screen. “Salute! I’m Shin Sung-yong, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. How can I help you, Mdm. President?”


  “I apologize for calling you so late, but we are currently dealing with an emergent situation…”


  “No, Mdm. President!”


  “Well, is there any special force commander near you right now?”


  “Yes, there is, Mdm. President!”


  “Then, can you ask him to join us?”


  “Please wait a moment.”


  After a while, someone appeared next to Shin Sung-yong, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

  “Salute! Captain of the Special Forces Command! Kang Jung Hyun.”


  An upright middle-aged man in a black beret introduced himself with a polite salute.

  “Thank you for your hard work, Captain Kang Jung Hyun!”


  “No, Mdm. President!”


  “Since you’re busy, I’ll get directly to the point.”


  “Yes.”


  President Choo Un-hee looked straight at the two generals on the screen and spoke in a strong tone, “We must conduct a VIP rescue operation as soon as possible. The head of the National Intelligence Service will provide you with the specifics. Once again, it’s VIP level. So please prepare for it accordingly.”


  “Yes, Mdm. President! We will establish the rescue plan as soon as we receive the details from the head of the National Intelligence Service.”


  The VIP-level rescue was a code classification that mobilized all national power to rescue only the top ten national ranking officials, including President Choo Un-hee.

  “Yes, please. Since you’re busy, let’s end here.”


  “Salute!”


  The video call was cut off after a big salute from the two generals.

  “Thank, thank you, Mdm. President!”


  Director Lee Young-jin bowed his head wide so that his head touched the table.

  “There is nothing you should be thankful for. Isn’t it natural to show gratitude to those who sacrificed their lives for the sake of the country? Besides is the manager Namgoong won mentioned here the same as the one mentioned by former President Suh Hyun-woo?”


  “That’s correct. After quitting his job, he returned to the National Intelligence Service specifically to participate in this mission.”


  “Oh my goodness! He is the one who has devoted himself to the development of the Republic of Korea to make it what it is today…”


  President Choo Un-hee sighed and looked at the ceiling. At this moment, the head of the security office Kang Hyun-soo, who received a call, quietly reported, “Mdm. President! I just got a call from the operation room, and they said that the aerial war with Russia has just begun.”


  “Okay. I see. Director Lee, please send the information to the Joint Chiefs of Staff as soon as possible.”


  “Yes. We will also participate in the rescue operation as much as possible.”


  “Okay. Let’s do it that way then. Let’s move to the operation room.”


  January 1st, 2024, 23:40 (Russian time 23:40)

  The atmosphere of Zabaykalsky Krai, Russia.

  The eight three-toed crow space fighter jets belonging to the 2nd Space Fighter Wing, Indian and Juliet Squadron, which were flying quickly outside the terrestrial sphere, entered the stratosphere and soon reached the troposphere.

  Meanwhile, the eight A-100 Airborne early warning and control system aircraft were flying in a long transverse formation at an altitude of ten kilometers above.

  They were flying in a W-shape across the border at 50-kilometer intervals, attempting to detect the Korean Air Force fighters by maximizing their radar output as much as possible.

  Within a few seconds, the eight three-toed crow space fighter jets reached the interception range and the voices of the squadron commander could be heard in the remaining seven three-toed crow space fighter jets.

  “From now on, we will start intercepting the allocated targets. It’s not a difficult mission so let’s finish it quickly and come back!”


  When the squadron commander’s order to intercept was issued, the jockeys of the remaining seven space fighters fired at their allocated targets.

  The Indian squadron continuously fired a powerful 50-millimeter ultra-high-powered laser beam. The ray of light that flew across the atmosphere penetrated the fuselage of the three A-1000 Airborne early warning and control system aircraft, which was flying at the front, and soon after being hit they exploded into dark red flames, sending large and small fragments in all directions.

  The three A-1000 Airborne early warning and control system aircraft, which were hit from a distance of 100 kilometers, turned into a show of fireworks that embellished the night sky. Not long after, the remaining aircraft followed the same fate.

  Some of the airborne early warning and control system aircraft tried to escape this fate, but their efforts were in vain in front of the non-missile laser beam.

  As they turned around and tried to escape, they faced the consecutive laser firing from the four Juliet Squadron.

  The four 50-millimeter ultra-high-powered laser beams that hit the rear of the airborne early warning and control systems went through the cabin and escaped through the cockpit window, and shortly after the plane exploded. About 20 crew members who were inside either vaporized instantly or part of their bodies turned as black as charcoal and fell before disappearing after the plane exploded.

  In less than two minutes, the eight A-1000 airborne early warning and control system aircraft, which were the eyes and ears of the Russian fighter, disappeared without performing their original mission.

  At the same time, 24 CF-21P Zhujak fighters from the 111th Fighter Squadron, 38th Fighter Wing, were flying in fingertip formation and awaiting the battalion commander’s attack order. They had long since finished preparing the intercept targets.

  “Super Moon, begin the attack on the designated targets according to your commander.”


  “Black Moon, copy!”


  “New Moon, copy!”


  “White Moon, copy!”


  “Red Moon, copy!”


  “Green Moon, copy!”


  When the long-awaited squadron commander’s order to attack was issued, each squadron fired the S-AAM-500 cobra air-to-air missiles.

  The S-AAM-500 cobra air-to-air missiles extended from the internal armament chamber, emitted blue light in the dark sky, and took off in the direction of their targets.

  The 96 cobra air-to-air missiles emitted blue light like fireflies, appeared to be getting smaller in an instant, and soon disappeared.

  The 96 cobra air-to-air missiles, which can reach a range of 500 kilometers at a speed of Mach 20, flew toward the Su-50 Pakfa fighters which belonged to the Southern Military District’s 4th Air Force, the latest stealth fighter of the Russian army.

  Soon after, the 111th Fighter Squadron’s main fighters boosted their engine output to maximum and increased their speed to begin the preparations for launching the intermediate-range air-to-air missiles.

  The most advanced squadron in the 111th Fighter Squadron was Black Moon Squadron, which was led by Major Oh Gil-seong, Major Choi Young-ho’s former assistant. He was a captain at the time, but he has since been promoted to major and is now the flight commander of Black Moon Squadron.

  In particular, the Black Moon Squadron, which Major Oh Gil-sung rides, was the same that Major Choi Young-ho used to ride, and various kill marks of various models were engraved on both sides of the cockpit to the extent that the fuselage length was insufficient.

  There was no other model similar to this. Even the former Chinese stealth fighters J-20 and J-30, Russia’s Su-50 Parkfa and Su-34 Fallback, the latest Siberian stealth fighter Mig-37 MFI developed by Migsa, and the Korean Air Force’s F-35 Lightning II and F-22 Raptor couldn’t be this versatile.

  However, despite all of this Major Oh Gil-sung was most proud of the kill mark of the Japanese Aegis destroyer Gonggo.

  He was quite proud of inheriting the squadron commander from Korea’s best gunner, who was able to defeat the Gonggo destroyer using only laser beams without any missiles.

  Perhaps, for this reason, Major Oh Gil-sung has always taken the front line in battalions. As a result, his squadron members were always ready to die.

  As the distance from the new target plane approached 300 kilometers, he gave his order to the Black Moon squadron.

  “Be prepared to fire when we’re 200 kilometers away from the bandit!”


  “Black Moon 2, copy!”


  “Black Moon 3, copy!”


  “Black Moon 4, copy!”


  The Radar Warning Receiver (RWR) alarm rang on the Black Moon 3 Aviation Instrument Panel as soon as they responded to Major Oh Gil-sung’s command.

  “What is it? What is it?”


  Lieutenant Kim Min-ju, taken aback by the sudden alarm, checked the instrument panel, thinking there was a malfunction but was soon surprised. This was because she found two surface-to-air missiles advancing at speeds approaching Mach 12……