When a human being has death right in front of them, their true nature inevitably reveals itself, and Kim Seojun had experienced desperate situations like that countless times.
It wasn’t something he had been born with.
Kim Seojun was fairly good at judging people.
‘No matter how important the mission is, no one goes down to a planet alone.’
He could also tell from talking with her.
From his perspective, Major Lee Hyena was, all things considered, a fairly decent person.
For starters, the simple fact that she was carrying out a solo mission on planet Amotia showed that, at the very least, she possessed a certain sense of duty.
She did everything she could to look after Kim Seojun and Private First Class Park Boseop.
Kim Seojun had dared to voice several opinions that perhaps weren’t his place to give precisely because he knew all of that.
And Psykers like that were rarer than one might think.
“Are you delegating all command authority to me?”
He had only stretched his legs because he knew he had room to do so.
“That’s right.”
It didn’t simply mean, ‘Do whatever you want!’
Handing over command authority was that extraordinary of a decision.
However, that was an answer even Kim Seojun hadn’t anticipated.
‘She isn’t trying to dump the responsibility on me either.’
It meant that, from that moment onward, Lee Hyena would obey Kim Seojun’s orders.
Furthermore, this wasn’t some trick to absolve herself of responsibility for whatever crimes they might commit.
Military law wasn’t so ridiculous that such a trick would work.
And Lee Hyena wasn’t calculating enough to come up with something like that either.
Of course, that wasn’t the only reason.
She had made that decision because she trusted Kim Seojun’s abilities.
‘It seems she’s mistaken me for a Psyker.’
That was undoubtedly an important reason.
However, from Kim Seojun’s perspective, there was another reason that mattered just as much.
“Thank you.”
‘It doesn’t hurt me either.’
Furthermore, it was fairly common for Psyker Agents to conceal their identities or do similar things.
Considering the abilities Kim Seojun had demonstrated up to that point, it was perfectly natural for someone to conclude that he was a Psyker.
There was more than enough reason to believe it.
Perhaps it could cause him problems in the future, but in Kim Seojun’s mind, there was no ‘future’ right now.
It was much more convenient for them to think, ‘So he’s a Psyker!’ than for him to explain every detail.
There was only one thing he had to do now.
From Kim Seojun’s perspective, there was no reason to correct that misunderstanding.
At least, that was all it appeared to be at first glance.
Planet Amotia was a wasteland.
However, if there had truly been nothing there, so many countries wouldn’t have desperately tried to develop it despite it being an Orange-grade planet—in other words, a place infested with Mog.
“Then, from this moment onward, we’ll head to the enemy stronghold.”
Within those labyrinthine places were areas that had once been used as shelters and could be reused without any problem as long as they received an adequate supply of power.
Beneath the ground were abundant deposits of all kinds of valuable resources.
That was why there were also a large number of mines, and those mines became excellent hideouts for anyone engaged in clandestine activities on the planet.
That was precisely why the thieves used Hongyuan Mine, which the Chinese division on planet Amotia had shut down after exhausting its resources, as a hideout.
In other words, they had prepared against intrusions by the owners of the stolen supplies.
The place not only had facilities capable of opening supply crates equipped with extremely strict security systems, but also defensive installations capable of withstanding possible external attacks.
Psykers weren’t among the threats they had prepared for.
Normally, they also kept a very close watch on the surrounding area.
There was only one problem.
“Psyker, it seems someone stole a supply crate. Could you recover it for us?”
If someone went through the trouble of bringing a valuable Psyker all the way there and then told them that—
In truth, the reaction would be perfectly natural.
The Psyker would probably respond with a smile.
Crack!
“It seems you take me for an idiot!”
“Clear.”
That was why, the instant Major Lee Hyena appeared, the defenses of Hongyuan Mine, controlled by the Chinese soldiers, were rendered completely helpless.
“Clear.”
Bang! Bang!
And that wasn’t all.
Kim Seojun, who had entered with her, also played an important role.
‘X-Ray Vision really is an absurd skill.’
No.
Rather than simply playing an important role, he was achieving results even more terrifying than Major Lee Hyena’s.
The ability was affected by density.
However, X-Ray Vision wasn’t omnipotent.
Even so, the value of X-Ray Vision inside a winding, labyrinthine mine was impossible to describe.
Its usefulness was enormous.
Naturally, there were also times when he couldn’t see through high-density materials like iron.
When foreign substances were suspended in the atmosphere, he could see through them because their density itself was low, but when it came to materials like rock, there was a limit to how deeply his vision could penetrate.
In particular, the combination of Major Lee Hyena and Sergeant Kim Seojun was extremely powerful.
There couldn’t have been more perfect teamwork.
One opened the way, and the other finished them off.
Thanks to that, the situation was resolved quickly.
Of course, the real beginning was precisely that moment.
Bang! Bang!
“Clear.”
After those shots from Kim Seojun, there was no longer any sign of anyone nearby.
Kim Seojun and Major Lee Hyena headed toward the warehouse where the stolen supplies had been gathered.
The fact that they had broken into the place had surely already been transmitted to the Chinese headquarters on planet Amotia, and there was no doubt they would immediately dispatch troops.
Fortunately for them, the Chinese soldiers had organized the supplies well and stacked them neatly inside the warehouse.
“Let’s gather everything quickly and get out of here.”
“Sergeant Kim.”
Excessive greed always ended up causing problems.
The two took only what they could carry with them.
“Yes, I saw it.”
Because they understood that much.
“It looks like Psyker supplies.”
However, the instant both of them saw a supply crate that still hadn’t been opened, they couldn’t help but stop.
There was an enormous supply crate there.
‘This belongs to a Psyker, don’t touch it!’
Naturally, there wasn’t actually a sign saying anything like that.
However, it wasn’t difficult to identify what it was.
At that, Lee Hyena hesitated.
If it had been an ordinary supply crate, they would have dismantled it long ago.
But not only was it still intact, there were also clear traces around it showing that, until just a few moments earlier, they had been trying every possible method to open it.
Of course, trying to take it with them would, in many ways, mean giving in to greed.
The value of a Psyker’s supplies was incalculable.
For starters, it was too large.
Rather, trying to force it open could cause an accident.
And most importantly, even if they managed to take it with them, they didn’t even know whether they would be able to open it.
Transporting it itself wouldn’t be difficult, but because of its size, they would have to give up an equivalent amount of food, ammunition, or other supplies.
In the case of Psyker supplies, for security reasons, some crates were configured to detonate if someone tried to force them open.
‘I can’t even see the inside clearly with X-Ray Vision.’
Kim Seojun thought the same thing.
For several reasons, he was prepared to let it go.
Not even Kim Seojun could check what was inside.
‘Is it a combination lock?’
However, the moment he confirmed that the lock on the safe was a combination type, one that opened by turning a dial until the correct numbers were entered, his expression changed.
If the authorized person died or ended up in a situation where they couldn’t move, a biometric system became useless.
The safest method was biometric authentication, but that type of system wasn’t very durable.
Surprisingly, combination locks were still fairly common.
And above all, biometric authentication had the disadvantage that the lock could only be opened if the authorized person came in person.
What mattered was something else.
Of course, it didn’t matter which system they used.
A combination lock, on the other hand, had certain advantages in those respects.
Keys could also be lost.
Kim Seojun didn’t hesitate.
‘Can I see through this with X-Ray Vision?’
For Kim Seojun, who possessed X-Ray Vision, a combination lock might be a ridiculously simple security mechanism.
He immediately used X-Ray Vision.
He focused on the inside of the security mechanism itself.
Surprisingly, he began to see the inside of the dial in detail.
He began turning the dial.
Kim Seojun didn’t hesitate.
Rrrrrr.
In movies, it was common to see someone discover the combination by listening to the sound the dial made as it turned, so that mechanism had been designed specifically to eliminate even that possibility.
But Kim Seojun didn’t care about the sound.
Even as he turned it, the dial barely made any noise.
He stopped.
Every time he reached a certain number, he could see something fit perfectly into a notch in the disc behind the dial.
Because he could see it.
Then he turned it again.
Psssssssh!
The supply crate began to open with a loud sound.
After repeating that process ten times, it finally happened.
“Fuck.”
“Get behind me!”
At that instant, Major Lee Hyena’s startled voice rang out. She had been checking the supplies some distance away and therefore hadn’t known what Kim Seojun was doing.
She immediately rushed toward Kim Seojun and shouted.
Of course, it didn’t take her long to understand what had actually happened.
She had interpreted that sound as a bomb or some other dangerous device exploding or activating.
She positioned herself in front of him to serve as his shield.
The moment she understood, Lee Hyena’s face began to stiffen.
“Ah.”
As she looked at him with that expression, Kim Seojun spoke.
Half of her reaction came from embarrassment.
“H-How?”
And the other half came from disbelief.
“You got lucky?”
Lee Hyena looked at him with an expression that practically said, ‘Do you really expect me to believe that?’
“I got lucky.”
Lee Hyena was surprised when she heard the answer, but it didn’t take her long to accept what he said next.
“It’s my ability. I have X-Ray Vision. I won’t explain anything else.”
Kim Seojun replied immediately.
After all, when it came to a Psyker, nothing they did would seem particularly strange.
And this wasn’t the time to start questioning Kim Seojun about his abilities either.
The two checked the Psyker’s supply crate at the same time.
“First, let’s see what’s inside.”
There was no suit.
The first things they saw were firearms, and there was a considerable variety.
There were three pistols, three assault rifles, and one sniper rifle.
All the remaining space was filled with ammunition.
Supplies were, literally, additional items that a Psyker requested during a mission or training.
Of course, there was nothing strange about that either.
If their suit was still intact and the rest of their equipment was in good condition, there was no reason to request another suit.
It was much more common to request consumables such as ammunition and firearms.
Naturally, the weapons used Gauss technology, and the ammunition consisted of special projectiles manufactured for those Gauss weapons.
Their value was enormous.
Furthermore, even that alone made the value of the supply crate exceed anything an ordinary person could imagine.
However, there was one thing in particular that caught his attention.
‘Could that be……’
From Kim Seojun’s perspective, everything in the crate was enough to draw his eye.
“Have you heard anything about Hawk Eye coming here?”
Then he asked.
The moment he saw it, a memory from quite some time ago surfaced in Kim Seojun’s mind.
A can of cola designed for use in space was sitting in one corner.
That was how overwhelming that name was to those who lived in space.
The moment she heard the name Hawk Eye, Lee Hyena’s expression changed.
She was stunned.
Because Hawk Eye was the best sniper among all the humans who lived in space.
‘America’s best sniper.’
“Sergeant Kim Seojun, are you saying these supplies belong to Hawk Eye? How can you be sure?”
There wasn’t even any country marking on the outside.
Of course, what they had in front of them was nothing more than relatively ordinary supplies.
There was absolutely no clue that would allow them to connect them to the name Hawk Eye.
He belonged to the United States, held the rank of Colonel, and possessed power that surpassed even what corresponded to that rank.
Furthermore, Hawk Eye wasn’t an ordinary Psyker.
He wasn’t someone they would send to a mere Orange-grade planet.
Kim Seojun knew that as well.
“There’s cola.”
Even so, there was a simple reason why he had asked that question.
“Cola?”
It was because he remembered the second time he had encountered a Behemoth.
As he spoke, an old memory surfaced in Kim Seojun’s mind.
“Yes.”
Far from meeting Hawk Eye, Kim Seojun had been far too busy fleeing from the Behemoth at the time.
Hawk Eye had been mobilized to hunt that extraordinary monster, and the United States Space Defense Forces, including Hawk Eye, had managed to kill the Behemoth.
Of course, that didn’t mean Kim Seojun had personally met Hawk Eye during the process.
He had only learned what happened after the battle ended, when he returned to the space station aboard a rescue ship.
“Seojun, Hawk Eye says you’re a fucking lunatic!”
His company commander had approached Kim Seojun and told him that.
And Hawk Eye had also sent him a gift.
Hawk Eye had apparently seen the desperate escape Kim Seojun had pulled off back then.
‘I suppose flooring the accelerator with a Behemoth behind me and a general sitting beside me really was insane.’
“Hawk Eye likes cola.”
That was when Kim Seojun had learned about it.
The gift Hawk Eye sent him had been a cola.
Any PX had enough cans of the stuff to make someone sick of seeing them.
Of course, cola wasn’t something only Hawk Eye could obtain.
Hawk Eye, an existence whose name alone was known while even his face remained undisclosed to the public, enjoyed drinking cola.
“That’s all. I’m not sure. I only asked just in case.”
‘……Please, don’t let him be here. Please.’
So Kim Seojun ended his explanation there.
After all, nothing was certain.
Kim Seojun simply hoped.
Seeing that, Lee Hyena flinched.
Regardless, Kim Seojun’s hand moved toward the supply crate.
Because if Hawk Eye was here, there was a high probability that planet Amotia had become a far worse hell than they imagined.
“It’s not certain that they’re his. And I don’t intend to steal them either.”
“Sergeant Kim! You said those were Hawk Eye’s supplies! If we steal that……!”
At her warning, which basically meant, ‘If we steal this, we’re fucked!’, Kim Seojun replied.
Then he added.
“That’s right. The ones who stole them were the Chinese soldiers. If we leave them here, they’ll simply end up becoming the property of the Chinese military.”
“You don’t?”
Kim Seojun continued.
“Of course, some problems may arise during the process of returning them.”
“So I’m merely collecting them so I can return them to their owner.”
The moment she heard that, Lee Hyena’s gaze wavered.
“But it won’t be our fault.”
At those words, Lee Hyena could no longer say anything else.
Then Kim Seojun looked at the corpses of the Chinese soldiers scattered around them and finished speaking.
Kim Seojun paused briefly.
Nor did she have time to argue.
Park Boseop, who was waiting outside, spoke hurriedly.
— Major! Sergeant!
The radio crackled.
— We’re fucked! A Tank Bug has appeared!