Chapter 149

The Second Cataclysm (5)

Even after defeating Ogatu in Taiwan and shooting down China’s ballistic missiles, the Tactical Fortress did not stop moving.

Seo Jin-Wook addressed them after everyone finished boarding.

“Let’s follow the pre-inputted coordinates.”

“Alright.”

The dragon sitting in the cockpit replied in a slightly excited tone.

She was riding and controlling a technology that was unimaginable from her original world, whose advancement was close to the Medieval period on Earth. Still, she learned with ease and was controlling it freely.

Flash!

As agreed between Seo Jin-Wook and the governments, the Fortress moved toward its next destination.

As most Earthlings couldn’t have guessed, it was initially designed to maneuver in outer space.

Since the Fortress with such capability was being operated within a planet, the movement’s speed was literally ‘instantaneous.’

As a result, the ballistic of China had to fall into a nightmare since their air defenses were disabled.

Wew! Weew!

The siren rang.

The Fortress suddenly rose above the night sky without any signals.

The Chinese troops were on alert and moved to shoot it down.

Anti-air weapons were deployed to protect the base, firing against the Tactical Fortress.

Of course, it was useless.

As if it already anticipated the sudden outburst, the blue energy barrier deployed around the Fort efficiently prevented all attempts to damage it.

And…

Whoong!

Sizzling energy was concentrated at the bottom of the Fort.

Euclid in the cockpit uttered the command word.

“Fire!”

The blue rain fell again.

The ruthless bombing smashed the hidden propellant warehouses, launch pads, and fuel tanks.

The underground facilities couldn’t avoid the penetrative vision the Fortress was equipped with.

Boom! Boo-boom!

Of course, the biggest explosion occurred around the fuel tanks.

All the tanks scattered around in case of an emergency were tenaciously found and struck by the laser.

The military command was horrified by the fact that such a destructive event was taking place at a tremendous pace and without a break.

“It’s already the fifth time!”

Just a while ago, another missile brigade under the Rocket Command evaporated.

There was a clear standard for the ‘warning’ agreed upon by Seo Jin-Wook and each country.

It was to cause no civilian casualties.

Therefore, all strike ranges were concentrated on military bases and ballistic missile bases that almost killed Taiwanese citizens.

“What the hell is that speed…!”

At that point, the Chinese military had no choice but to expect the worst.

The fear of imagining how many of those Mobile Fortresses the enemy might be operating filled their heads.

Of course, they could confirm that the timing didn’t overlap when compared to the time it was filmed near each base.

However, no possibilities could still be excluded.

Boom! Boom boom boom!

The one-sided destruction continued.

Resistance was futile due to the overwhelming difference in battle power.

“We can’t detect it in advance, we can’t stop the attack, and the counterattack is meaningless?”

As the Communist Party was briefed on the situation, they felt chills flowing down their spines.

It was because of a particular imagination that naturally followed after checking on their battle force.

What if the enemy had set big cities like Beijing and Shanghai as their targets?

Or, what if the secret base where the nuclear warhead was stored or nuclear powerplant was struck?

If they had decided to attack without mercy, then would the Chinese army be able to defend themselves? The answer that came to mind was extremely negative.

In the end, China had no choice but to admit it.

The opponent had the means to paralyze China’s national function and combat capabilities whenever they willed.

Eventually, before the night ended, the Communist Party’s supreme command delivered an unconditional surrender to countries around the world that were believed to be linked to the situation.

Both South Korea and the U.S. were, of course, included among them.

***

“I couldn’t sleep a wink last night because of the siren! I thought there was a war!”

“Have you seen the news? It seemed like it’s technically a near-war situation. I think it ended overnight, though.”

The next morning, everyone talked about the incident.

People around the world were shocked by the revelation of what happened in Taiwan and mainland China.

While many were relieved that Taipei citizens were rescued and China’s reckless attempt failed, everyone was shocked by the released photos and videos of the scene at the time.

“I mean, what the hell am I supposed to call that? Mid-air Base? Floating Fortress?”

“There’s already a hunter who has confirmed it with the Analysis scroll. I heard it’s called the [Imperial Army Tactical Fortress].”

“Imperial Army? What kind of preposterous saying is that? If it’s an Empire, which country of the past? Or another dimension?”

“It’s not the name that’s important right now. Do you know what rank it belongs to?”

What’s even more surprising was that the Fortress was classified as EX-Class.

At that moment, the common sense of considering the rating limit as SSS-Class was broken and collapsed.

“The world’s first and only EX-Class! It’s obvious where that kind of item would come out from.”

There were already several rumors circulating before.

“There had been a rumor that the Celestial dragon and Danton Corporation were working together on using an aircraft-carrier-type artifact. It turned out to be true.”

The South Korean and U.S. governments issued a joint statement.

The premise was that not everything could be confirmed because of the two countries’ secret protection agreement, but the disclosure itself was surprising enough.

The [Imperial Army Tactical Fortress] was an artifact produced and tested in cooperation between the two countries, and its ownership belonged to the Celestial Dragon Guild of Korea.

It was not jointly owned by the two countries, nor by a country, but it was an artifact owned by a guild.

Naturally, there were voices of concern.

“Didn’t you see the footage from that day? It’s a scary thing that seemed like it would make the weapons we have right now turn into child’s play. Is it okay for just a guild to own such a thing?”

“Just a guild? It’s the Celestial Dragon. Seo Jin-Wook’s guild!”

“I mean, even if it’s Seo Jin-Wook, this is a little…”

Both countries explained that EX-Class items were originally available through the main quest, but Seo Jin-Wook obtained it from the system through a particular route before climbing the Tower.

They stated that the government directly commissioned Seo Jin-Wook because they believed that it was the only way to deal with the situation without increasing the number of victims coming from the situation.

Many people who heard the explanation noted another fact.

‘Once we start the main quest, we can get our hands on an EX-Class item like that Tactical Fortress!’

Due to the Fortress’s outstanding capabilities, that announcement became an opportunity for all countries to focus more on the Main Quest, when even countries that shared the same path with the two countries, U.S. and Korea, were wary.

Currently, only the Celestial Dragon owned such formidable means of suppression, but it was not sure that the situation would last forever.

“Then, what happens to China? It was reported too simply on the news. That they had struck major strategic bases in China.”

Many of them were bases that were never revealed to the media, and how much damage China suffered was not disclosed to the press.

However, one thing was clear.

China would never go back to its old status again after that day.

“Did you see the news? From the U.N., those aliens… it was said that they had formed a consultative body to discuss with the ‘Union’! But China’s out of it for good!”

Realizing the need for the Main Quest, they belatedly mobilized all their diplomatic power, but it was already too late.

China had been completely isolated.

Countries worldwide had also given China the previous hunter abduction attempt.

“It’s already the second time China was caught trolling, and there’s no way they’ll let it go.”

“It’s not like they can throw their weight around like before, can they? A lot has changed since the Cataclysm.”

There was once a time when China was a hub for global industry and trade.

However, the times had already changed. After the Cataclysm, other countries’ dependence on China was already much lowered due to the industrial reorganization through Mana Cores and each country’s strategic localization policies.

“In fact, China’s recent struggle was largely intended to reverse this trend.”

But then, they had lost both of the essential elements needed to maintain a great nation: economic growth and control of its citizens.

The latter collapsed because there were limits to media control.

With almost every country in the world talking about the news, fake news and mental victory alone could not brainwash all of the Chinese people.

Eventually, cracks slowly appeared, and responsibility for the Communist Party’s command began to be discussed.

China’s response to it was, of course, a complete suppression accompanied by fear and violence.

Riots, protests, and bloodshed took place throughout the country.

It was the beginning of the chaos that had never been experienced before.

***

Except for China, which was in a dilemma of its own when it had to rush forward right away, the rest of the countries interacted with the Union through a consultative body formed based on the United Nations.

The preliminary steps, including surveys, referendums, and legislative amendments, progressed swiftly. Once the Earthlings had made a decision, the Union returned the feedback at a surprisingly fast pace as well.

Officials from all over the world were surprised at their speed. Some even speculated that artificial intelligence, such as computers, must have replaced intelligent beings’ work.

As a result of such smooth progress, the Union finally decided to dispatch a marshal.

– The final steps for Earth to join the Union will begin!

With all the headlines worldwide paying attention, the venue for their stay had been decided to be in New York, where the United Nations headquarters was located.

The next day, the alien who appeared on Earth through a Gate in New York was a man who looked like a toad.

Introducing himself as an architect, designer, and delivery man hired by the Union, he was escorted to the place where the ‘lodging’ would be set up by government officials, while the U.N. officials were in charge of the welcoming protocol.

There, he took something out with a tired and weary look, which looked like a suitcase of people on Earth. Except for the fact that there were no wheels and it was floating in the air, the shape was almost the same.

And the scene of the alien opening the lid was broadcast live throughout the globe by the media.

Flaash!

The scene that followed was like flashy fireworks.

In the open bag, a colorful glow splashed into the sky and beautifully colored the blue canvas.

And light began to form a particular substance by tangling with each other high up there.

In human terms, starting from the basic materials corresponding to the musculoskeletal system, the finishing materials were added after that.

It was a construction site at an altitude higher than the top of the tallest building in New York.

“Oh, my days, what am I looking at right now?”

It was an alien technology that completely overturned existing common sense.

Earth was preparing to be a member of a group of such beings.

After witnessing the scene through various channels, the Earthlings realized one thing in unison.

The fact that humankind was finally standing in a significant transition period incomparable to the Cataclysm of the past.

And once that second upheaval began, humankind would ride a torrent that they couldn’t turn back from.

“Oh, I think it’s almost over!”

When it finally completed its form…

“Wait, isn’t it… similar to that?”

People noticed that their accommodation resembled much of the talk subject that had recently heated the whole planet.

***

“What, that looks like a Tactical Fort, doesn’t it?”

When I watched the news and muttered like that, Adam nodded as if it were a given.

“Lodge for the Union Marshals. It’s a famous story that they benchmarked a Tactical Fort to make that.”

Other than having no parts to be considered as a weapon, the floating island-like object was very similar to the structure used to violate various parts of China.

The Empire’s technological skill was affecting all of the dimensions in such a way.

He turned his head and asked.

“By the way, when did you say the invitation date was?”

The detailed discussions with the Union were left to the government, of course, and I did not intervene.

That was because I thought it was not a place for me to step up.

It was only proper to leave politics and administration to the experts.

Therefore, since meeting with the Albanos auditors, there had been no instances to meet face-to-face with the Union’s aliens.

‘So, I’ve been waiting for the discussion to end.’

In the midst of that, the being called a representative of the Union’s marshals sent me a separate letter.

It was an invitation.

The content was that it wanted to have an interview with me before they would finally decide on the Earth’s registration to the Union!

The letter, decorated with a reasonably polite expression, also contained the sender’s name in Archid.

‘Bachurka Czezerion.’

Adam nodded when he saw the name.

“They’ve sent a high-ranking official with some power. There would be nothing bad by meeting it.”

He continued.

“They’re of different level from the Albanos. They’re not dangerous in the sense that they would do something ridiculous in this situation where the Union’s eyes are on new membership candidate dimensions, and it’s not a dangerous being in the first place.”

Taking note of his advice, I accepted the invitation and headed to New York.

The scheduled date for meeting with the marshal was tomorrow.