As soon as she heard Kim Seojun’s plan, Major Lee Hyena didn’t raise any major objections.
“Yes.”
“Collect the supplies?”
It was inevitable.
With a battle against a terrifying monster like a Tank Bug ahead of them, loading the military truck with supplies, increasing its weight, and reducing its mobility would have practically been madness.
For starters, Kim Seojun’s group hadn’t managed to take much from Hongyuan Mine.
Of course, there was something that made her doubtful.
That was why leaving all those supplies there was also a waste in many ways.
“What about the route?”
Was it really worth investing a considerable amount of time?
“Eight hours.”
“According to Private First Class Park Boseop, there won’t be any problems. But it’ll take us about eight more hours to reach the Polish headquarters.”
Kim Seojun knew that as well.
Under normal circumstances, perhaps it would be, but now they were heading to the Polish headquarters and, according to Major Jan Zabłocki, although they currently lacked troops, they weren’t suffering from a shortage of supplies.
The more, the better, but eight hours was hardly a short amount of time on planet Amotia, which had now turned into a genuine apocalypse.
Even so, the reason he had made that proposal wasn’t solely because of Inventory.
“Blow it up?”
“After securing the supplies, we need to blow that place up.”
There was something equally important.
“Yes. I’m sure there will be surveillance equipment there. We need to take care of it, and the safest way is simply to blow up the entire mine.”
“They’re the kind of people who keep stealing even after the Gate has been destroyed. They won’t leave the people who took their things alone, even if they were the original owners.”
The Chinese headquarters possessed the largest force on planet Amotia.
Furthermore, she didn’t have the authority to question it either.
“No. If they discover that the original owners recovered their things, they’ll have even more reason to try to kill them. There’s never been a better time to eliminate the evidence.”
Furthermore, they were among the people one least wanted to get involved with on the entire planet Amotia.
After hearing that, Major Lee Hyena stopped asking questions.
Command was in Kim Seojun’s hands.
“Supplies?”
Only one thing remained.
Explaining it to Major Jan Zabłocki, who from that moment onward would accompany them to the Polish headquarters.
“Good, then we’ll depart.”
Of course, he didn’t raise any objections either.
“I’m not shameless enough to be a passenger riding for free and then start arguing about the destination on top of that.”
Vroooom!
They didn’t encounter any major problems along the way.
Once the preparations were complete, the vehicle started moving again in the direction of Hongyuan Mine.
That didn’t mean it was peaceful.
Living mines created by the Mog to confront humans on that enormous planet!
They were mines.
Groups of Mogdogs were stationed everywhere, usually around ten individuals.
As soon as someone entered the area occupied by a group of Mogdogs, they would begin shrieking like mad and attract every Mogdog in the surrounding area.
“There’s a group of Mogdogs one kilometer ahead. Go around them.”
And they were quite lethal.
“Yes, sir.”
Even so, the reason they didn’t pose any problem was precisely Kim Seojun’s eyes.
And although he couldn’t be completely certain, after that rank increase, Kim Seojun’s visual acuity seemed to have reached 4.
‘Every time it goes up one rank, my visual acuity increases by 1.’
Thanks to the new item he had obtained, his Hawk Eye talent had risen to rank E.
Naturally, there was an enormous difference between 3 and 4, and Park Boseop was experiencing that difference firsthand.
“The trip is pretty comfortable thanks to you, Sergeant Kim.”
Kim Seojun didn’t respond to Park Boseop’s words.
Instead, his expression hardened.
‘There are too many mines.’
From his perspective, the number of Mogdog groups present in that region was far from normal.
The Mog normally weren’t capable of reacting that quickly.
That meant the Mog had concentrated their attention on that area, and it wasn’t as though they lacked reasons to do so.
But Kim Seojun knew something.
‘It’s true that they took down the Tank Bugs, but……’
Except in one particular situation.
To be exact, each group of Mog had its own leader, meaning special individuals who acted independently, like tribal chiefs of sorts.
That was why, even if they cooperated with one another, they usually didn’t do so that quickly.
‘Even so, the fact that they’re mobilizing this quickly means the Queen is about to be born.’
That fact was what worried Kim Seojun now.
‘Even if we find the Queen, in the current situation it’ll be impossible to receive support from space.’
Naturally, when Psykers found a Queen, they didn’t challenge her to an honorable one-on-one fight right then and there to kill her.
It wasn’t that there were no Psykers capable of doing such a thing, but they were extremely few.
In most cases, as soon as the Psykers located a Queen, the warships waiting in space concentrated their fire on that location.
And naturally, with the chaos caused by the destruction of the Gate, it was practically impossible for them to receive proper support from space.
In any case, from Kim Seojun’s perspective, everything was in the worst possible state.
That was precisely why supplies were so important.
The Chinese had already taken care of “laundering” them, so he could safely store them inside Inventory and use them whenever he needed them.
‘We have to survive on our own.’
The Polish headquarters would probably have abundant supplies, but there was no way they would allow him to put all of them inside Inventory.
In contrast, the supplies at Hongyuan Mine were different.
For many reasons, Kim Seojun had to return to Hongyuan Mine.
And after a long journey, they finally arrived.
Fortunately, everything remained exactly as it had been when they left.
“There are no signs that anyone has entered since we left.”
To be precise, the small stones Kim Seojun had placed inside the entrance in a way that only he could recognize were still exactly where they had been.
After confirming that, Kim Seojun took Lee Hyena without hesitation toward the place where the stolen goods were stored.
“Only the two of us will go in, Major.”
They already knew the way.
They quickly reached the warehouse, and as soon as they entered, they saw mountains of supplies stacked up.
Looking at them, Lee Hyena felt that it was a shame.
They wouldn’t even be able to take an eighth of all that.
It was then that Kim Seojun addressed her.
“Major.”
At Lee Hyena’s questioning look, Kim Seojun showed her.
“This is my ability.”
“Your ability?”
The stacked supplies began to disappear.
“Huh?”
“W-What the hell is this?!”
While Lee Hyena watched in surprise, Kim Seojun continued storing the supplies inside Inventory one after another.
Kim Seojun told her.
“There are two reasons why I’m showing you my ability, Major. The first is that our situation is this urgent and dangerous. The second is because I trust you.”
When she finally understood what it meant, Lee Hyena was dumbfounded.
At those words, specifically upon hearing the word “trust,” Lee Hyena’s expression changed.
“Thank you.”
After thanking him, she asked.
“Is there any way I can help you?”
“It isn’t easy to pick up each thing one by one and store it. So hand me the supply crates.”
She nodded.
“Understood.”
At those words, Lee Hyena immediately began moving.
Using her Super Strength, she began handing Kim Seojun the heavy supply crates.
“Here you go.”
And she continued.
“Here.”
Again and again.
“Here.”
More than dozens of times.
“……Here.”
And when the number finally exceeded three digits, an exclamation of amazement escaped Major Lee Hyena’s mouth.
“……This is insane.”
Because all the supplies that the Chinese Space Forces on planet Amotia had devoted themselves to stealing had fit inside Kim Seojun’s Inventory.
Kim Seojun was surprised as well.
‘It really all fit.’
That entire enormous amount.
He already knew approximately how much space he had, but after personally storing all those supplies, he understood just how absurd it was.
Not only had he not run out of space, but he still had plenty left over.
‘I could even fit a hover bike in the remaining space.’
Faced with that fact, Kim Seojun made a brief comment.
“We won’t have to worry about supplies for a while.”
Upon hearing it, Lee Hyena thought that this wasn’t simply enough for “a while.”
With that amount of supplies, if only Kim Seojun were taken into account, he could probably spend the rest of his life without ever receiving supplies again.
“So if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask me.”
At the words that followed, Lee Hyena let out an incredulous laugh and nodded.
“Underst……”
— Respond.
At that instant, both of them closed their mouths.
Their gazes changed.
It was then that a voice suddenly echoed through the place where they were.
— Respond.
Without making the slightest sound, they looked toward the place the voice had come from.
There was a radio there.
— This is headquarters. Respond.
The voice came from the radio again.
Upon hearing it, Lee Hyena thought.
‘There’s no need to look for trouble.’
The best thing to do was ignore it.
It was then.
In front of Lee Hyena, who had even suppressed the sound of her breathing, Kim Seojun began to move.
He approached the radio, adjusted the language pack several times, then pressed the call button.
“Responding.”
As soon as she heard the Chinese produced through the Chinese language pack, Lee Hyena was completely dumbfounded.
‘What the hell?!’
It was practically the same as breaking into a house to steal and answering the phone when the owner called.
And that wasn’t all.
Kim Seojun continued the conversation directly.
“I’m sorry I haven’t responded until now. There was an accident.”
— An accident? Why didn’t you report it?
Kim Seojun answered the question.
“There was an explosion while we were dismantling a Psyker’s supplies.”
— An explosion?
“A very large explosion. We suffered many casualties and extensive damage.”
— What condition are the Psyker’s supplies in?
“They’re so badly destroyed that their original form can’t even be recognized anymore. I apologize. We’ll organize the situation as quickly as possible and return to headquarters.”
— No. For now, remain there and take care of organizing the situation.
“Thank you.”
Once the conversation ended, Kim Seojun removed his finger from the call button and looked at Lee Hyena.
He indicated with his eyes that she could speak now.
“Sergeant Kim Seojun, what are you planning?”
Kim Seojun replied.
“Our relationship with China was never good, but now we’ve already crossed a point of no return.”
Lee Hyena immediately asked.
“And what does that have to do with answering the radio?”
“Before long, headquarters will send troops here. To eliminate their own subordinates.”
“Eliminate them?”
“Yes.”
“Who would believe there was an explosion and the items disappeared? Much less when what disappeared were the belongings of a Psyker Agent.”
At those words, Lee Hyena recalled the conversation Kim Seojun had just had and finally understood.
“Instead, they’ll think they found something extraordinary inside the supply crate, and because of that, their subordinates are willing to risk their lives to take the stolen goods for themselves. In that case, Major Lee Hyena, what would you do?”
From a superior’s perspective, it would inevitably look like a shameless trick.
Only one answer appeared in Lee Hyena’s head.
“I’d send troops.”
“Yes, you would. Someone trustworthy and with proven capabilities, capable of getting here as quickly as possible and recovering a valuable item. And in space, there’s only one type of person capable of doing something like that.”
“A Psyker?”
“Yes.”
Lee Hyena looked at him in surprise.
“Are you planning to kill a Psyker?”
Kim Seojun immediately denied it.
“I have no intention of doing that.”
He knew perfectly well what kind of monsters Psykers were.
They were existences best avoided provoking unless there was certainty that they could be killed.
“The reason I did all this is simple.”
“What I want is to confirm something.”
Kim Seojun intended to identify his enemy more precisely.
And he already had a fairly strong suspicion about that.
“If this matter was carried out at the level of a Major, it’ll be impossible for them to send a Psyker. But if they send a Psyker here without the slightest hesitation, it’ll mean that whoever is running the supply theft has a higher rank.”
“Higher?”
“I think someone with the rank of Colonel is involved in this. In other words, the head of the Chinese branch on planet Amotia.”
The Chinese headquarters on Amotia boasted both the largest size and the greatest strength on the entire planet.
The greatest proof of the scale of that force was precisely the rank of the head of the Chinese branch.
While other countries usually appointed officers with the rank of Major or Lieutenant Colonel as heads of their branches, China had nothing less than a shangxiao, in other words, a Colonel, commanding its branch.
Of course, that didn’t mean that the position of head of the Amotia branch was an important position reserved for powerful people.
If that had been a planet flowing with milk and honey, the other countries wouldn’t have skimped on investments either.
It was, without a doubt, a dead-end assignment.
And there was only one reason someone with the rank of shangxiao would end up assigned to a place like that.
Someone whose path toward success had ended.
Someone who would never receive a star.
That was the case for Colonel Wang Lei.
At one time, he had advanced rapidly in his career, but when the faction he had backed lost an internal power struggle, he was immediately relegated to a dead-end assignment.
And from the moment that happened, he had only one objective for the rest of his career.
“I’m going to line my pockets as much as possible before I take off this uniform.”
Naturally, he didn’t intend to make money by accumulating ordinary supplies.
His true objective was Psyker supplies.
That was why the first thing Colonel Wang Lei did upon assuming his post on planet Amotia was establish a system for stealing supplies.
He had scattered bait everywhere while waiting for a big fish to bite someday.
And finally, one had taken the bait.
They had managed to find out where the supplies requested by that Psyker Agent representing the United States would be delivered.
And just after stealing those supplies, the news arrived.
Something extraordinary had happened in space.
In truth, it was a situation that should have terrified him.
‘Now that the Gate is having problems……’
But Colonel Wang Lei wasn’t worried at all.
He possessed the strongest air-raid shelter on all of planet Amotia and even had an evacuation craft with which he could escape into space in an emergency.
It was dangerous for the other soldiers, but it posed no problem for him.
If he could flee into space at any moment, he had no reason to feel afraid.
Instead, he considered that chaos an opportunity.
‘This is a perfect opportunity.’
An opportunity to collect everything he had stolen up to that point and return to Earth.
That was why Colonel Wang Lei was waiting more eagerly than ever for the arrival of his gift box.
However, the news he received, far from exciting him, caused his anger to flare up.
“It seems those guys are trying to keep the items for themselves.”
Faced with that, Colonel Wang Lei didn’t say much.
He simply pressed a button located on his office desk.
A man immediately appeared.
He was a slender man, and as soon as he entered, he saluted.
Colonel Wang Lei told him.
“How long do you need to eliminate them all and recover the items?”
“Twenty-four hours will be enough!”
The immediate answer was surprising.
From there to Hongyuan Mine, the destination in question, the trip by military truck required more than ten hours just one way.
For an ordinary person, that was impossible.
And yet he was going to take care of everything in twenty-four hours?
However, the person who had just said it could do it.
A Psyker!
Those special existences completely ignored the standards of ordinary humans.
But Colonel Wang Lei wasn’t satisfied even with that surprising answer.
“Take care of everything within fifteen hours.”
At that, the Psyker Agent showed an expression of surprise.
Even for a Psyker, that was impossible.
He imposed an even tighter deadline.
“I’ll provide you with the Wulong.”
However, as soon as he heard the word Wulong, the Psyker Agent’s expression changed.
It was inevitable.
Wulong.
Among all the hover bikes currently manufactured by China, it was the model with the most advanced technology and performance, a machine so extraordinary that even trying to measure its value in money seemed absurd.
Even at the Chinese headquarters on planet Amotia, there were only three Wulongs.
And those three weren’t intended for soldiers fighting on the battlefield.
They were reserved so that Colonel Wang Lei could escape in an extreme emergency.
“I’ll return after taking care of everything within twelve hours!”
Three hours later, Colonel Wang Lei received a report.
“We’ve lost contact with Agent Zhang Wei!”