As soon as Kim Seojun received Park Boseop’s report, he discarded all of his previous plans.
— What? Ah, yes, that’s what they said!
“Did you say he’s wearing a Block Suit?”
Even after hearing that Lee Hyena was fighting an infected Psyker, he had still thought they needed to evacuate no matter what.
‘The Block Suit is an Agent Suit that completely throws mobility out the fucking window.’
Kim Seojun had already seen what a Psyker Agent equipped with a Block Suit could do on the battlefield, and precisely because of that, he knew how absurd its capabilities were.
However, the moment he heard that the infected Psyker was wearing a Block Suit, his calculations changed.
He also knew perfectly well what had been sacrificed to achieve that level of performance.
From that moment on, Kim Seojun stopped considering simply taking the survivors and escaping.
‘Evacuating won’t be a problem.’
Instead, he began considering two possibilities.
Kill him or don’t kill him.
‘If we can kill him.’
‘We’ll be able to protect the headquarters and get the reward.’
It was then that Kim Seojun asked,
“Name and rank?”
At those words, Sergeant Viktor Lewandowski looked at him in confusion.
“What?”
Kim Seojun didn’t bother giving him a lengthy explanation.
Smack!
He gave him a light kick in the shin.
“Ugh!”
“Tell me your name and rank.”
Viktor Lewandowski’s face twisted in pain.
Of course, under normal circumstances, Kim Seojun would never have done something like that.
After all, wasn’t he just a sergeant?
Practically any NCO he encountered would have a rank equal to or higher than his own.
But there was a tradition that still worked even in the space age.
If someone didn’t listen when spoken to, you kicked them in the shin.
Furthermore, from the standpoint of military law, Kim Seojun had already committed so many offenses that this was insignificant by comparison.
And he intended to commit even more.
At that moment, none of that mattered.
“I’m S-Sergeant Viktor Lewandowski.”
The method had proven quite effective.
“I apologize for suddenly resorting to violence. The situation is extremely serious, so I considered it necessary.”
Kim Seojun bowed his head.
Viktor Lewandowski nodded with a stiff expression at the apology.
“D-Don’t worry.”
Kim Seojun asked him,
“Where are the battle tanks?”
Viktor Lewandowski didn’t answer.
Seeing that, Kim Seojun slightly raised one foot.
“Ah, I know where they are.”
At that obvious sign that he was willing to kick him in the shin again, Viktor Lewandowski immediately answered.
Shortly afterward, Kim Seojun managed to reach the warehouse at the Polish headquarters where the battle tanks were stored.
Together with Park Boseop.
“Private First Class Park Boseop, I’m counting on you.”
“……I’ll try.”
Rrrrrrrr!
Shortly afterward, a battle tank appeared.
There was no mistaking it.
When the space age began and the war against the Mog broke out, one of the first things humanity rushed to develop was the tank.
After all, there was arguably no combat vehicle humanity was more familiar with than the tank.
“Tanks have accompanied humanity throughout its entire history! The space age will be no different!”
Thus, tanks adapted to the space age began to appear, and after countless failures, tests, and improvements, humanity finally developed tanks optimized for fighting the Mog in this new era.
From then on, humanity’s tanks began to be called battle tanks.
And there were enough differences between battle tanks and conventional tanks to justify the new name.
Because they had to fight the Mog while traversing alien planets, they possessed extraordinary mobility that conventional tanks couldn’t even begin to compare with.
Since they also had to fight enormous numbers of Mog, they weren’t armed solely with conventional cannons, but with numerous additional high-performance weapons as well.
In short, they possessed superior mobility compared to conventional tanks, overwhelming firepower, exceptional durability, and were lighter on top of all that.
Anyone who heard that explanation usually asked the exact same question.
“Then isn’t it simply an extremely good tank? Is it really necessary to call it a battle tank?”
The answer was simple.
“What? You’re saying the price is in another dimension?”
Just as a conventional supercar and a Formula 1 car couldn’t simply be considered the same class of automobile, the price of a battle tank was far too exorbitant to place it in the same category as a conventional tank.
Even countries with sizable militaries had difficulty operating large numbers of battle tanks.
Naturally, the battle tanks operated by each country differed enormously from one another, including their control systems.
Furthermore, each country poured enormous amounts of money into developing its own battle tanks and jealously guarded the technology used in them.
The reason Park Boseop, a Korean Space Marine, could immediately operate that Polish battle tank was simple.
“I’m going to start it!”
Wooooong!
“Oh! It started!”
Currently, Poland was an excellent military partner that imported enormous quantities of weaponry from Korea.
“Thank goodness Poland imports battle tanks from our country.”
Furthermore, the Black Panther series of battle tanks manufactured by Korea was excellent enough to enjoy a certain degree of recognition even on a space-wide scale.
“I never imagined you even knew how to operate a battle tank.”
“What?”
“Yes, I really was lucky to meet you in this universe, Private First Class Park Boseop.”
Park Boseop spoke as if he had simply obtained an ordinary driver’s license, but getting a battle tank license wasn’t easy at all.
“Ah, it’s because they said my basic bonus would increase if I got a battle tank license, so I studied for one.”
Even taking that into account, the fact that a driver knew how to operate a battle tank was still absurd.
Not only did one have to memorize all kinds of manuals, but the field of view itself was completely different from that of a normal car.
Nor was it enough to simply grip a steering wheel and step on the accelerator or brake.
The kind of intuition required to drive one was on another level entirely.
If driving a normal car was like playing a video game on a single screen, driving a battle tank was like playing on five screens at once.
“But I’m a beginner. I don’t have any actual combat experience.”
Naturally, operating one in actual combat was on a completely different level of difficulty from the test required to obtain the license.
Just as Park Boseop had said, plenty of people tried to obtain the license after hearing that it came with better pay, but they were already considered fortunate if even one out of a hundred passed the basic driving test.
However, Kim Seojun wasn’t too worried about that.
After all, the driving skills Park Boseop had demonstrated up to that point far exceeded those of an ordinary military driver.
“I can trust you, Private First Class Park Boseop.”
The real problem was Kim Seojun.
“But more importantly, do you know how to use the weapons?”
“They aren’t weapons used by Space Marines.”
Most of the weapons mounted on a battle tank required specialized training courses to operate.
They were on a completely different level from Space Marine rifles, where practically all you had to do was aim and pull the trigger.
“Ah, I’m not looking down on you, Sergeant Kim. It’s just that……”
“Ah!”
“But don’t worry. I have experience.”
Of course, Kim Seojun hadn’t climbed into a battle tank he had never operated before while thinking,
‘Well, let’s try it! Somehow it’ll work out, right?’
That would have been far too dangerous.
Furthermore, they now had to face an infected Psyker.
Battle tanks were powerful, but they had difficulty bringing that power to bear against Psykers.
If a Psyker said,
“Let’s fight fair by trading blows. I won’t dodge, so you shoot first.”
Then the battle tank could win.
Naturally, there weren’t many Psykers insane enough to do something like that.
And the few who had been were already dead at the hands of the Mog.
That was why, when normal Psykers needed to destroy a battle tank, they took advantage of their exceptional mobility and special abilities—for example, by placing a large number of anti-tank mines around the vehicle.
That was the kind of strategy they used.
For that reason, Kim Seojun hadn’t initially considered using a battle tank against the infected Psyker either.
But the moment he heard that the Psyker was wearing a Block Suit, he realized there was a sufficient chance of success.
Furthermore, Kim Seojun was quite confident in his ability to operate a battle tank’s weapons.
“What a relief that you also know how to fire a battle tank’s weapons, Sergeant Kim! But how did you learn?”
“I didn’t learn because I wanted to. When all the tankers die on the battlefield, there’s still a mountain of Mog behind you, and you’ve run out of ammunition, anyone learns.”
“Because if you don’t learn, you die.”
That was the kind of confidence that could only be acquired by learning with your own life on the line.
‘And after barely surviving things like that, I ended up reenlisting. I’m fucking crazy too.’
“What?”
He didn’t have time to explain.
Even at that very moment, Lee Hyena was fighting the infected for Kim Seojun and the other survivors.
They had to go help her as soon as possible.
In any case, Kim Seojun stopped hesitating.
“Move out.”
“Yes!”
At that order, Park Boseop began driving toward the battlefield.
Meanwhile, Kim Seojun sat in the gunner’s position, where he could aim and fire the cannon, the battle tank’s main weapon.
Once seated, he connected the appropriate cable to the special battle tank helmet he was already wearing.
“Clear.”
Then the outside world appeared before Kim Seojun’s eyes.
Just as Kim Seojun had said, the world looked perfectly clear.
As he looked out at that world, he gripped a steering-wheel-shaped controller resembling the ones used in Formula 1 cars.
It was then.
‘Huh?’
Something began to appear in Kim Seojun’s perfectly clear field of vision.
A line of intense red.
‘Do I see a red light?’
“I’m going to support you. Hold on a little longer!”
When Kim Seojun, who had already reached the vicinity of the military truck, said that, Lee Hyena didn’t think,
‘Support me? We have to get the hell out of here right now! Have you gone crazy?’
Because she was certain of one thing.
Certain that Kim Seojun would be able to achieve the best possible result regardless of the situation.
For starters, if it hadn’t been for Kim Seojun, it would have been impossible for all of them to survive long enough to reach this place.
And the greatest source of her confidence was precisely Sergeant Kim Seojun’s obsession with survival.
‘He’s the one who tries the hardest to survive.’
That was why Lee Hyena thought of only two things.
‘I’ll hold out.’
Eliminate as many infected Space Marines as possible!
‘After killing everyone except that one……’
For Lee Hyena, an infected Space Marine presented barely more difficulty than a Mogdog.
Accomplishing that objective wouldn’t be difficult.
Although they used firearms, Lee Hyena was wearing an Agent Suit.
Bang, bang! Baaang!
Furthermore, those weapons weren’t as powerful or effective as they might seem.
They had a fatal flaw.
Their ammunition ran out quickly.
Clack!
Normal Space Marines pulled the trigger while keeping at least some track of how much ammunition they had left.
But one of the characteristics of the infected was their extreme rage and the deterioration in judgment caused by it.
Grrrgh!
Their minds no longer functioned well enough to calculate how much ammunition they had remaining.
Nor did they possess the dexterity necessary to change a magazine without making mistakes.
“Uugh! Kugh!”
Thanks to that—
Lee Hyena didn’t let the opportunity slip away.
Crack!
She lunged toward one of them and split the infected Space Marine’s head in two.
Crack!
Graaaagh!
And throughout the entire process, the infected Psyker equipped with the Block Suit was completely incapable of keeping up with Lee Hyena’s mobility.
Before Kim Seojun arrived, Lee Hyena managed to eliminate every infected except the Psyker.
‘I’m done.’
Thus, the two Psykers stood face-to-face.
Grrrrrr!
The infected Psyker expressed indescribable fury toward Lee Hyena.
At first glance, anyone would have thought the infected Psyker was the one who had been cornered.
However, in reality, the one backed into a corner at that moment was Lee Hyena.
The situation wasn’t favorable at all.
‘How the hell am I supposed to finish this?’
Within the limits of her common sense, she couldn’t think of any way to bring down the infected Psyker in front of her.
It was then.
Kiiiiiiii!
Suddenly, a grotesque sound began spreading through the sky.
Upon hearing it, Lee Hyena’s gaze changed.
Without realizing it, she cursed as she raised her eyes.
“Fuck.”
And then she saw it.
A small dot.
Kiiiiiiii!
A one-eyed Cyclops was emitting those waves.
And what that meant was simple.
An army of Mog was heading toward that place!
“Sergeant Kim Seojun!”
Lee Hyena spoke urgently.
“A Cyclops has appeared! We have to get out of here!”
Her shout immediately received a response through the speakers.
“I’m already prepared to support you. I can eliminate the infected Psyker.”
“Sergeant Kim Seojun!”
“We don’t have time!”
At that response, Lee Hyena said,
“Even if you have a battle tank, it won’t do any good if you can’t hit him……!”
It was a reasonable assessment.
To destroy the infected Psyker’s Block Suit, ordinary firepower wouldn’t be enough.
And above all, the infected Psyker wasn’t an idiot.
If something appeared with enough firepower to threaten him, naturally he would try to escape.
Even though he was slow by Psyker standards, he was still clearly faster than an ordinary Space Marine.
BOOM!
At that instant, a thunderous roar rang out.
It was the sound of a battle tank shell striking the Block Suit.
At the same time, a massive explosion erupted in front of Lee Hyena.
‘It hit him?’
While Lee Hyena stared in surprise, the infected Psyker immediately reacted.
Graaaagh!
He began running while roaring in fury.
Surprisingly, the infected Psyker was still in fairly good condition.
The battle tank shell had only destroyed part of his outer armor.
Even that seemed to have absorbed the impact properly, as the internal structure remained intact.
Lee Hyena knew perfectly well how durable a Block Suit was, but even so, her expression hardened when she saw one directly withstand a tank shell.
‘This is insane!’
Then she reported,
“Sergeant Kim Seojun! It hit! But he’s still in fairly good condition! You’ll need to hit him at least four more times before it has any significant effect!”
She relayed the situation to him.
It was a conclusion anyone would consider reasonable.
“So we have to escape now!”
“Understood!”
Kim Seojun replied.
“Major Lee Hyena, retreat!”
Lee Hyena naturally interpreted those words as an order to withdraw and immediately began moving away without looking back.
Then she heard something.
BOOM!
‘Hmm?’
Another roar.
And then, a massive impact.
BOOOOOOM!
At that point, Lee Hyena stopped and looked back.
While she was still staring in surprise, another shell was fired.
BOOM!
‘What?’
The third shell struck the running infected Psyker’s body dead-on with absolute precision.
BOOOOOOM!
After taking not one, but three direct shell impacts, the infected Psyker’s Block Suit finally ceased to be intact.
And then she saw it.
Its interior had been exposed.
Under normal circumstances, the Psyker inside should already have died, because the external impacts would have destroyed his internal organs.
However, the infected Psyker was no longer the same as a normal human.
Uuuugh!
That was why he managed to get back up and move again.
He began to flee.
Ironically, the destruction of the heavy outer armor had allowed him to regain his mobility.
And his escape speed was high.
Seeing that, Lee Hyena immediately thought,
‘He’s moving.’
‘He won’t be able to hit him.’
Unless someone restrained the infected Psyker and prevented him from moving.
Lee Hyena was about to charge at him herself and bring him down when—
BOOM!
Another shot rang out.
And that shell struck the infected Psyker.
BOOOOOOOOM!
‘Huh?’
Lee Hyena froze completely.
Then she heard a voice.
“Infected Psyker eliminated.”