Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense

Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense

183 – Wrong Judgment

“Wow! A gun? Really?! This isn’t some hidden camera prank, right? If you come out later with a camera and say, ‘Ta-da! It was a joke!’ I’ll be really mad.”

Soo-Jeong’s reaction to Major General Park Chan-Hyung pointing a gun at her was neither fear nor anger. Instead, she burst into laughter, repeatedly asking if he was seriously trying to threaten her with a gun. Her attitude made Park Chan-Hyung’s expression turn sour as he shook the gun to intimidate her.

“Does this situation seem like a joke to you, miss?”

“It can’t help but seem like a joke. Of course, I’ve always imagined that living a life with so many enemies would eventually lead to something like this. But in my imagination, my enemies always threatened me with enough firepower to blow up a city, not with something as small as what you’re holding, General.”

“I’m sorry, but no matter how special the fabric of your clothing is, it can only stop handgun bullets, not rifle rounds. Moreover, there’s a sniper outside the tent armed with a .50 caliber rifle. So, I’d advise you to stop acting so nonchalant.”

Only then did Soo-Jeong understand why the General was threatening her with a mere handgun. In reality, she was wearing power armor that could withstand .50 caliber sniper rounds, but with the optical converter active, she appeared to the General as a young female researcher in a white lab coat with no defensive capabilities.

She briefly considered turning off the optical converter to reveal her true appearance but decided against it. The situation was too amusing, and she was curious to see how the General would proceed.

In fact, since the time when awakener agents dispatched by Moon Hee-Cheol had attacked her while she was with Ho-Chang, she had never felt a genuine threat to her safety. Soo-Jeong, who rarely engaged in external activities, spent almost all her time in the lab creating equipment or, when she did go out, she was usually with Myung-jun.

This meant that even if someone had targeted her, no one would dare to threaten her in front of Myung-jun, the world’s strongest awakener. As a result, despite creating thousands of pieces of equipment daily for the protection of her clan members, she had never had the opportunity to use any of them herself.

This intriguing situation was a rare occurrence. Soo-Jeong’s eyes, filled with interest, looked at the man who would have been torn limb from limb and left as a corpse if Myung-jun had been present.

‘Let’s let him stay mistaken a little longer.’

Soo-Jeong stopped her hand from reaching for the optical converter and spoke to the General.

“Well, there are plenty of defensive measures I can use even without protective gear, but I won’t use them right now. I’m more curious about why you made this decision. Would you mind explaining?”

“As I mentioned, as the on-site commander, I’ve concluded that the Liberal Clan has failed to manage this situation. Therefore, from now on, the military will take full responsibility for handling the crisis, and we will take over operational command.”

“We have no intention of handing it over.”

“I didn’t ask if you would hand it over. I said we are taking it. This is not a proposal; it’s a notification.”

Soo-Jeong felt slightly irritated by the authoritative tone but didn’t show it. Instead, she asked,

“No matter how well-armed your soldiers are, isn’t it unreasonable to think that non-awakener soldiers can handle a gate crisis?”

“Of course, if this were a typical gate crisis, that would be true. But the infected soldiers currently causing the problem have combat abilities similar to regular soldiers. They can’t deflect bullets or destroy tanks with their bare hands. Therefore, our current forces are sufficient to handle them.”

“To my ears, it sounds like you’re saying you can eliminate the infected with your current forces.”

“That’s correct. To prevent a large-scale infection, my subordinates are currently establishing a new, wider perimeter. They are waiting for my order to shoot any soldier trying to escape from within the perimeter.”

“Nearly ten infected individuals are already receiving treatment. Are you saying you’ll kill them all despite the possibility of curing them?”

“Waiting around for a cure allowed the infected to escape in the first place. If we had eliminated them from the start, this situation wouldn’t have occurred.”

“And the result will be that you’ll be credited with preventing a large-scale infection that could have affected tens or hundreds of thousands by sacrificing over 60 soldiers?”

“If there had been an opportunity to stop the global spread of COVID-19 by sacrificing 10,000 lives, the world would have willingly made that sacrifice. It’s more rational to sacrifice 10,000 lives than to let tens or hundreds of thousands die.”

“If sacrificing 10,000 lives could definitively stop a pandemic, I might agree with you to some extent. But there are conditions: First, there must be a 100% guarantee that sacrificing those lives will stop the pandemic. Second, the consent of those being sacrificed must be obtained. Lastly, it must be impossible to find another solution. Unfortunately, none of these conditions are met right now.”

“Removing the infected soldiers will 100% prevent further spread.”

Soo-Jeong shook her head, disagreeing with the General’s opinion. The infected soldiers were merely pawns; the real cause of the infection, presumed to be an monster, had yet to be found.

“In the end, unless we find and eliminate the source of the infection, even if we remove the infected soldiers, the number of infected will continue to grow.”

“Leaving things as they are won’t solve the problem either! Enough! I didn’t come here to persuade you! Please, I beg you, do not take any rash actions. The moment you try to escape, the soldiers surrounding this tent will turn it into a beehive.”

“Oh my, so I’m a prisoner now?”

“Think what you will. Whatever the Liberal Clan does, we will prioritize eliminating the infected soldiers. This crisis within the South Korean military is a matter that the Ministry of National Defense must resolve.”

As Park Chan-Hyung turned to leave, Soo-Jeong asked,

“Did Director Yoon Se-Ah of the EDA agree with your opinion?”

“It doesn’t matter. The EDA Director is currently attending a specially arranged operational meeting. While my aide stalls for time in the meeting, my subordinates will eliminate all the infected and resolve the crisis.”

Watching Park Chan-Hyung speak so resolutely, Soo-Jeong sighed deeply. She then placed her hand on her chest and said,

“I’m sorry, but I can’t allow that. With Clan Master Myung-jun out in the field, I, as the Vice Clan Master, am in charge here.”

“I warn you. Refrain from any rash actions. As I said, dozens of guns are aimed at this tent! If you refuse to comply with our control, we will have no choice but to subdue you, even if it means risking injury!”

“Try if you can.”

As Soo-Jeong finished speaking, she pressed a button on her chest, producing a ‘click’ sound. The camouflage field that had been concealing her entire body deactivated, revealing her true form clad in power armor.

“Camouflage?! Damn it! She was wearing power armor?!”

“Did you really think I’d wander around an area with infection risks without even wearing a mask? Do you have a hat rack on your shoulders instead of a head?”

“Damn it! All units, open fire!”

Despite the Major General’s shout echoing around them, the soldiers hesitated to open fire. They were inexperienced in shooting at humans rather than alien entities, and the target, Soo-Jeong, appeared to be a slender young woman despite wearing power armor. Frustrated by their hesitation, Park Chan-Hyung drew his pistol and fired at Soo-Jeong.

-Bang! Bang!-

He then shouted at the soldiers again.

“You idiots! Even if she’s wearing power armor, a headshot will only result in an injury! Subdue her now!”

The soldiers, snapping out of their daze, aimed their guns at Soo-Jeong. Hearing the numerous clicks of guns being loaded, Soo-Jeong smiled and spoke to Park Chan-Hyung.

“Indeed, as you said, outside the Liberal Clan, I’m known as a non-combatant. But did you know?”

Before Park Chan-Hyung could respond, the soldiers, following his orders, began firing at her. Her next words were drowned out by the deafening gunfire that filled the tent.

-Ratatatatatatat!-

However, even amidst the ear-splitting gunfire, Park Chan-Hyung understood exactly what Soo-Jeong had said. Thanks to the multi-language translation implants used by all members of the Liberal Clan, her words were transmitted directly to his mind like telepathy, rather than through sound.

The meaning of Soo-Jeong’s words, which he heard amidst the gunfire, was chillingly clear.

‘I’m sorry, but as the creator and designer of all the specialized equipment used by the Liberal Clan, I have access to every piece of equipment?’

Understanding the terrifying implications of her words, Park Chan-Hyung urged his subordinates on with even more venom in his voice. Unlike combat suits like the Guardian Suit or Elimination Suit, which had hard armor panels attached externally, the bionic suit Soo-Jeong wore was made of special fibers tougher than Kevlar, designed to provide protection against biochemical attacks.

Although it was impossible for the soldiers’ weapons to penetrate the power armor Soo-Jeong wore and injure her, Park Chan-Hyung calculated that the physical force of the bullets’ impact would still be felt by the wearer. As per his calculations, Soo-Jeong, who had boldly deactivated her camouflage, began to be pushed back into the corner of the tent by the concentrated gunfire.

“Cease fire!”

Park Chan-Hyung shouted as he saw Soo-Jeong with her arms hanging limply, as if in pain. The soldiers, following his command, immediately stopped shooting.

“This is your final warning. Surrender and hand over command before you get hurt any further.”

“Huff… It does sting a bit. I guess I focused too much on chemical protection. Next time, I’ll have to consider impact absorption as well.”

“You can make all the adjustments you want when you return to Liberty City. But for now, you need to hand over command.”

“What exactly do you want me to do?”

“Order the Liberal Clan members in the field to hold their positions. Then wait until we complete the operation.”

“And if I refuse?”

“Then next time, you’ll be hit with .50 caliber rounds instead of 5.56mm bullets. No matter how strong your power armor is, it will be extremely painful for a slender woman like you to endure.”

“You’re right. I do hate pain.”

“Then follow my instructions…”

“But I’ll have to decline your offer.”

Soo-Jeong said,

“Our Clan Master, Myung-jun, always takes the most dangerous tasks upon himself, no matter the situation. It’s not because he doesn’t trust the abilities of our clan members, but because he believes it’s the leader’s responsibility.”

“That’s not a good mindset for a commander. Considering the impact of the clan leader’s death on the clan, Cha Myung-jun’s actions could potentially lead to the collapse of the organization.”

“Of course, that’s a valid point. But Myung-jun’s actions have their advantages too.”

“What do you mean?”

“As much as the clan leader takes the initiative to face danger, the trust the clan members have in him is extraordinary. They all think this way: ‘The leader will find a way. The leader has the best solution even in this situation.’ And that applies to me as the Vice Clan Master as well.”

“Even at the risk of the entire Gangwon Province, or even all of South Korea, being infected by brain-controlling parasites?”

“Even in a worse situation. Even if humanity were on the brink of extinction, the members of the Liberal Clan would think this: ‘If it’s the leader, if it’s Myung-jun, he’ll find a way.’”

“So, do you believe that Cha Myung-jun will come to rescue you in this situation? He’s not here right now.”

“Of course, Myung-jun isn’t here. But my suit has a special feature. The moment any threat is detected to my body, a warning message along with my coordinates is sent to Myung-jun’s suit.”

Park Chan-Hyung’s face turned pale upon hearing Soo-Jeong’s words. What she had just said meant that a message had been sent to the most powerful man among humanity, informing him that his significant other had been hit by at least dozens of rifle rounds.

At that moment, terrifying communications began to come through the radio on Park Chan-Hyung’s belt.

[Urgent report! Target Cha Myung-jun is returning to the main tent at an incredible speed!]

[Failed to intercept! All 21 soldiers attempting to block his path are unconscious!]

[Two K2 tanks brought to block his route have been destroyed! All crew members are injured!]

[We’re sorry! We cannot stop him with the current forces!]

The unbelievable reports left Major General Park Chan-Hyung feeling not just bewildered but utterly hopeless.

“Wasn’t Cha Myung-jun tracking the escaped infected?”

“Of course, he was. Until you attacked me with your soldiers. But the escaped infected can only move within the containment area, so there’s no need to chase it right now, is there? On the other hand, the threat that attacked a valuable clan member, especially the Vice Clan Master of the Liberal Clan, must be eliminated immediately.”

“By threat, you mean… me?”

Soo-Jeong nodded and spoke with a hint of amusement in her voice.

“If I were you, General, I’d run away right now. Even if you’re practically a walking corpse already, you might as well make a last-ditch effort, right?”

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