When fire erupted from the 85-type heavy machine gun, 12.7 millimeters bullets were sprayed.

  The cars, which were rushing ahead of the pouring bullets, were riddled with bullet holes and were thrown into the left railing.

  Because the other cars were taken by surprise by the sudden shooting, they turned the steering wheel, resulting in a chain collision and a complete mess in front of the border entrance.

  Cars were mangled, and white smoke was billowing from the bonnets. Some cars were thrown over after driving straight up to the entrance barrier. From behind, many cars had crossed the railing and were driving toward the border fence. The ground was farmland and the winter weather had frozen it sufficiently to allow the cars to move faster.

  “Stop them! Stop them!”


  When Major Gae-cheon shouted, the border guards began to fire at the cars that had scattered left and right.

  Even though bullets were being fired from all sides, some cars were able to drive into the Eastern Republic after driving through the iron fence. Soldiers from the Eastern Republic attempted to restrain them as well but were unsuccessful.

  The so-called “Yongcheng Great Escape” made headlines all over the world. Where the twist came from was unknown for certain, but New China began to riot from within in this manner. In fact, it was already underway.

  January 12th, 2024, 13:00 (New China time: 12:00)

  The outskirts of Langfang City, Hebei Province, New China (temporary residence of the Central Military Headquarters)

  Despite the battlefield situation, the Central Military Headquarters command room had the atmosphere of a portrait house, thanks to reports from all over the country.

  All subordinate units were currently ordered not to use civilians in their tactics, but the spark of the division had already spread across the country.

  As rumors spread throughout the country, people’s outrage grew, especially after seeing vivid photos of the scene where shooting at protesters at the temporary resident base had occurred, causing irreversible disruption.

  Currently, protests have taken place in thousands of locations, resulting in hundreds of thousands of casualties, to the point where it is safe to say that there have been popular uprisings in all cities and villages, except for large cities devastated by the leveling operation.

  The party and military officers at the protest site tried to forcefully suppress the situation, but they made the situation even worse since they couldn’t communicate with the officials of the Central Party who had been evacuated to the central military district.

  “What the hell did you do to make these kinds of photos go around?”


  President Wang Jing-wi, who was holding several photos, shook his head and criticized. He eventually threw the photos in his hands at the party officials and general staff commanders who were looking at him.

  Several pictures flew and fell on the floor. The photos that President Wang Jing-wi threw out in such fury were vividly captured scenes of subduing protesters with gunshots that took place at the main gate of the headquarters’ temporary resident yesterday.

  In particular, the scene in the picture was horrendous. Dozens of people were shot and left bleeding on the floor, surrounded by guards who beat them with a suppression rod. A man who was asking for help was grabbed by the neck and had been beaten to a pulp. The pictures appeared to have been taken intentionally.

  “Who is the senseless security officer who made this happen?”


  Mark, the general commander of the Central Military District and the current operational status director of the General Staff, replied with a glance at President Wang Jing-wi, who criticized him with a rough breath.

  “The person in charge of security is Major General Du Yu-ru, the commander of the headquarters guard, and the field commander is sergeant Feng Zhenyu.”


  At this moment, Major General Du Yu-ru, who was standing behind him, stepped forward and saluted.

  “I’m sorry. After this war, I’ll take responsibility for this accident.”


  President Wang Jing-wi gave Major General Du Yu-ru a stern look.

  “Have you ever seen such an idiot? Responsibility? Hmph! What do you mean by taking responsibility? It’s already spilt water. What’s the name of the on-site commander?”


  “His name is Feng Zhenyu.”


  “Arrest him and the guard captain right away!”


  “Huh? You mean the guard captain?”


  President Wang Jing-wi reacted nervously when Mark asked back,

  “Can’t you understand?”


  “Oh! I’m sorry.”


  Mark, who slightly bowed his head, approached Major General Du Yu-ru and grabbed his arms and then he nodded to the soldiers behind him and dragged him out of the command room.

  President Wang Jing-wi looked around, then returned to his chair and sat down. He then placed his hands on his brow and thought for a moment before speaking in a weak voice.

  “Don’t just stand there. Give me some solutions.”


  “Mr. President! I think it would be better for you to present the People’s Statement yourself to calm the current situation down.”


  Shaoyang, chairman of the Standing Committee of Jeong In-dae, replied. As a result, President Wang Jing-wi, who raised one eye, asked again.

  “Would I be able to put an end to this riot if I did this?”


  “I think it might stop depending on the presentation.”


  “What should the presentation be about?”


  When President Wang Jing-wi responded, Shaoyang replied carefully.

  “Apologize. I think you should sincerely apologize to the people, saying that you are responsible for everything that has happened.”


  “What are you saying?”


  President Wang Jing-wi shouted, but Chairman Shaoyang did not stop talking.

  “Under the current situation, other than this, there is no way to turn back the public sentiment. Also, there is no time. You should announce the People’s Statement immediately.”


  President Wang Jing-wi smashed the table and sarcastically replied.

  “Are you telling me to apologize to the people? Huh? How dare you?”


  “Based on the current situation.”


  President Wang Jing-wi smashed the table once again.

  “This guy is really…”


  “I think in the same way as the chairman of the standing committee.”


  Prime Minister Shu Xiaolong courageously spoke out.

  “My my! Prime Minister Shu Xiaolong is asking me to apologize to the people?”


  “Mr. President! You’ve heard the report, haven’t you? Riots are currently taking place all across the country. If something goes wrong, we might lose because of internal divisions rather than the war.”


  “Huh! If you’re so worried, why don’t you do it Prime Minister?”


  President Wang Jing-wi spoke sarcastically to Prime Minister Shu Xiaolong.

  “If you ask me to, I’ll do it. But aren’t you the head of New China? What you do will have a greater impact than me.”


  Even though he felt upset, he tried to persuade the president by enduring the assault. Then, he looked at the other bureaucrats standing next to him for help.

  However, none of the other bureaucrats stepped forward. Consequently, he was afraid of being marked by the president, which would put his position at risk.

  “That’s enough. The Prime Minister will issue the People’s Statement. If the riots still do not come to an end, I’ll do it.”


  “Well, let’s do that. I’ll announce the People’s Statement right away.”


  “Okay.”


  Prime Minister Shu Xiaolong turned his head and instructed his secretary.

  “Make the necessary preparations so that I can present the People’s Statement as soon as possible.”


  “Yes. What time exactly?”


  When asked by the secretary who had approached, Prime Minister Shu Xiaolong looked at his watch.

  “Let’s do it at 3 p.m.”


  “Yes, I see. I’ll get ready.”


  Perhaps he was dissatisfied with that, President Wang Jing-wi stood up, said something and walked out of the command room without looking back.

  “Since the prime minister is doing something big, the bureaucrats should sincerely help, and the general staff should do so as well.”


  It seemed to be something one would like to hear, but the way he felt it didn’t seem like that.

  “Ha! It’s really a problem. Problem!”


  Chairman Shaoyang of the Standing Committee shook his head from side to side and sighed.

  “That’s what I am saying. Would be there any chance for New China…”


  Prime Minister Shu Xiaolong’s voice trailed off as he watched President Wang Jing-wi’s back.

  January 12th, 2024, 15:00 (Ukraine time: 08:00)

  Vergansk Civil Airport in Japoriza, Ukraine

  Marines from the 3rd Marine Mobile Division (Hwaryong), escorted by CUF-22P Phoenix, and military transport planes carrying various war supplies entered Ukrainian airspace one by one.

  It had been a fifteen-hour flight. Even though the flight distance from the take-off point in Primorsky Krai to Verdansk was only 7,377 kilometers, they had to fly over the East Sea, South Korea Sea, and the Indian Ocean to the Persian Gulf, covering a total of 17,854 kilometers. It would have been even shorter if the transport flight had taken off on the previously scheduled date. However, because the troops’ dispatch had been delayed by two days, they were forced to fly over the high seas.

  Due to the long flight route, six CF-21P Zusak fighters from the 206th Fighter Squadron were in charge of air escort missions from the 1st Fighter Wing Air Base in Gwangju to the Bay of Bengal, the southeastern tip of Sri Lanka, and 24 CUF-22P Phoenix UAVs later carried out air escort missions to Verdansk.

  The first military carrier to appear over Verdansk was a CC-503 military carrier carrying 500 marines and 250 tons of war supplies.

  As the landing gear of the CC-503 military carrier, which slowly lowered its altitude according to the control tower’s instructions and skimmed along the runway, it landed safely as the tires screeched to a halt on the landing strip.

  Soon after, as the CC-503 military carriers landed one after another, the operators in the not-so-large Verdansk Civil Airport began to get busy.

  When the rear hatch of the first CC-503 military carrier, which had moved to the boarding area along with a guided car, opened, soldiers above the non-commissioned officer level disembarked. They walked in a row carrying large military heads and various personal firearms.

  After getting off from the carrier, the non-commissioned officers and officer soldiers deposited their guns and personal firearms in a secure area of the airport before rushing to the military carriers. They were the soldiers who served as the main battlefield’s commander and driver.

  Soon after, the world’s strongest tank, the C-3A2 white tiger tanks appeared on the ground one at a time at Verdansk Private Airport, and the K-27P-M Kirin Marine Combat Armor equipped with a hover system and various armored vehicles such as the KSMA-1 and KSMA-2 Thunder Dragon armored car, an upgraded bourbon of the 1 Cheonma A2, appeared one after another and lined up in a wide parking lot on the other side of the airport.

  This day’s unloading work would not be completed until three hours later. During the unloading process, operational soldiers and Ukrainian soldiers involved in support and transportation to private airports were awfully quiet.

  They were taken aback when they saw such vehicles for the first time in their lives. They were especially astounded when the armored equipment hovered dozens of centimeters above the ground like a floating cloud.

  Minister of Home Affairs Arsene Abakov, who attended the welcoming ceremony as a representative of the Ukrainian government, and General Andri Russol, the commander of the military, also widened their eyes and exclaimed.

  Even those who had previously used and operated several cutting-edge weapons in Russia expressed surprise, saying they didn’t know if this was a dream or a reality.

  In the parking lot of Verdansk Private Airport, where it had gotten dark and was illuminated by various lighting devices, tanks, various armored vehicles, 3,000 soldiers had a welcoming ceremony……