A Space Marine Got a Status Window

“Do you know why nuclear war doesn’t happen on Earth?”

When Kim Seojun asked that question, his companions were surprised.

It wasn’t because they didn’t know the answer.

“Well, because if I launch one, the other side will launch theirs too. I think, using a slightly more technical term, it was called Mutually Assured Destruction, right?”

Rather, they knew it perfectly well, and that was precisely why they were surprised.

“So what you want to do against China now is something like, we have nuclear weapons too, so go ahead and launch one and we’ll launch ours too. Is that it?”

Because it was obvious why Kim Seojun was asking that question.

And their assumption was correct.

Kim Seojun nodded at Noah Winston’s words.

It was then that Noah Winston spoke.

“Instead of doing that, how about we just launch a nuclear weapon at China? You know what they say. When a nuclear bomb falls on your head, you even regain the sense you never had.”

At those words, the others looked at Noah Winston.

Their expressions seemed to ask whether what she had just said was a joke meant to ease the tension.

However, there wasn’t the slightest indication in Noah Winston’s expression that she was joking.

Kim Seojun didn’t take it as a joke either.

“I considered it.”

As soon as he obtained the nuclear weapons, he too had prioritized the idea of using them to immediately deal a devastating blow to China.

After all, when it came to hunting the Queen, the greatest obstacle was still the Chinese headquarters.

“Then why don’t we do it?”

“There’s a problem. For starters, there’s a possibility that the Chinese headquarters possesses more nuclear weapons. If we can’t annihilate the Chinese headquarters in a single strike, we’ll run the risk of suffering a counterattack.”

However, to carry out that plan, Kim Seojun’s group didn’t know exactly how many nuclear weapons China possessed.

“And if we use all three nuclear weapons to attack China, then we’ll have a problem with the Queen.”

Furthermore, since nuclear weapons were practically the only weapons capable of eliminating the Queen, recklessly wasting those three opportunities would be too costly.

“And most importantly, if we enter a nuclear war, all the survivors on planet Amotia will fall into despair.”

Above all, Kim Seojun had witnessed more closely and more frequently than anyone else the decisions people could make when they fell into despair.

It wasn’t even necessary for everyone to act that way.

On planet Amotia, it would be enough for a few people to lose their minds and, overwhelmed by despair, detonate some bombs inside their own headquarters to kill a considerable portion of the survivors.

“If that happens, the only ones who’ll benefit will be the Mog. And, as you already know, the Mog here aren’t ordinary Mog. This is only my personal impression, but if we fail to eliminate the Queen, this will become a catastrophe for humanity.”

After that explanation, no one refuted Kim Seojun’s words again.

And Major Jan Zabłocki was no exception.

After hearing Kim Seojun’s explanation upon his return, Major Jan Zabłocki nodded.

Then Kim Seojun told him one last thing.

“If the Polish headquarters provides a nuclear umbrella, at that very moment it will become one of China’s primary targets.”

As soon as they put that operation into motion, the Chinese headquarters would use every means at its disposal to attack the Polish headquarters.

Upon hearing that, Major Jan Zabłocki smiled.

“I don’t know about the other things, but that’s precisely what you don’t need to worry about.”

As he spoke, Major Jan Zabłocki struck the left side of his chest once.

“Anyway, Sergeant Kim Seojun, if it hadn’t been for you, everyone here would already be dead. If I have to give up this life, I’ll gladly give it!”

Upon hearing those words, Kim Seojun bowed his head.

“Thank you.”

“No. You have nothing to thank me for. Rather, I’m the one who should thank you, since you’re risking your life for all the humanity remaining on this planet.”

There was nothing more to discuss.

“Let’s put it into action immediately!”

The news that the Polish headquarters would provide a nuclear umbrella quickly spread among the national headquarters on planet Amotia.

Naturally, when they heard that, most countries thought the same thing.

“Poland has nuclear weapons?”

“That’s absurd! How could they have them?”

“Going against China now while relying on that? It’s madness.”

Most didn’t believe it.

There was only one place that reacted differently.

“You’re saying Poland is trying to convince the other countries by offering them a nuclear umbrella in exchange for cooperating in the hunt for the Queen?”

As soon as the Chinese headquarters heard that news, it became convinced that Poland possessed nuclear weapons.

“Yes. That’s what the British headquarters informed us. They also sent us the communications log.”

“How dare they!”

And naturally, Major Lin Jiayi could also immediately deduce where those nuclear weapons had come from.

‘Are they playing with me using our own weapons?’

After all, from a logical standpoint, the possibility that the Polish headquarters had possessed nuclear weapons from the beginning was practically nonexistent.

Naturally, she also didn’t think the Polish headquarters had managed to infiltrate the Chinese headquarters on its own.

‘Using Poland as a shield in a situation like this…… They’re no ordinary people.’

She immediately understood that some kind of special organization, a special unit composed of Psykers, was currently operating and using the Polish headquarters as a front to conceal its own existence.

“Attack the Polish headquarters.”

“What?”

Naturally, Major Lin Jiayi had no intention of letting the Polish headquarters go unpunished after cooperating with them.

She had to punish them.

“W-What did you just say……?”

“I said attack the Polish headquarters.”

The soldiers under her command were horrified.

“B-But, Major…… T-Then the n-nuclear umbrella……”

And it was understandable.

At that moment, the Chinese headquarters’ nuclear weapons had been stolen, and they currently possessed none.

And yet she intended to attack the Polish headquarters?

Naturally, that would provoke nuclear retaliation!

No matter how powerful the forces of the Chinese headquarters were, they would inevitably be vulnerable to a nuclear weapon.

Major Lin Jiayi knew that too.

She knew they could be hit by a nuclear weapon.

She knew that, as soon as it happened, even if it didn’t mean complete annihilation, they would suffer an extremely severe blow.

She knew they would face an enormous number of casualties.

However, she didn’t hesitate.

She simply spoke.

“Is there no one present willing to give their life for the People’s Republic of China?”

She would summarily execute them for refusing to obey an order.

As soon as they saw Major Lin Jiayi’s gaze, no one dared question her.

Gulp!

They could only swallow hard.

The gaze with which Major Lin Jiayi watched them burned with greater ferocity than ever.

It was filled with anger.

However, regardless of that, her mind was making calculations with absolute rationality.

‘Sending troops would be dangerous.’

The Polish headquarters wasn’t stupid. It was impossible for them not to know that acting in that manner could provoke an attack from the Chinese headquarters.

‘There’s also a high possibility that it’s a trap.’

It was even quite likely that they were deliberately trying to lure them in.

‘Because they have nuclear weapons.’

Furthermore, among the enemy forces were no fewer than three Yuguang stolen from the Chinese headquarters.

They possessed overwhelming destructive power.

Send troops to a place like that?

It was absurd.

Precisely because they knew that too, they were acting in such a brazen manner.

Then what should they do?

When her thoughts reached that point, Major Lin Jiayi found the answer.

“Send the Mog.”

As soon as they heard that answer, the soldiers under her command thought that sending a mediocre unit without knowing the true forces of the Polish headquarters would accomplish nothing.

Major Lin Jiayi knew that too.

That was why she continued.

“Send as many as possible. Hundreds of thousands.”

“Then……”

“Yes, exactly. Give the order to the Mog there.”

As soon as they heard the number hundreds of thousands, everyone understood.

“Move the Mog located in the Queen’s nest.”

The rocky mountain where the Queen’s nest was located.

The Mog filling that place remained submerged in absolute silence.

All of them were lying against the ground, completely motionless, without showing the slightest movement.

They looked dead.

That such an enormous number of monsters could remain in such silence was a chilling sight in many ways.

But there was something even more terrifying.

The instant those hundreds of thousands of Mog reacted simultaneously upon receiving a single order.

And now that moment had arrived.

Screech!

All the Mog raised their heads at the same time.

Screech!

Then they rose to their feet.

Screech!

And then, without a single exception, all the Mog began running frantically toward the same place.

It had gone beyond the point where it could simply be described as a horde of Mog moving.

It was more appropriate to say that a tsunami was advancing.

It had reached a level where it had to be considered a natural disaster against which humans could do nothing.

And it wasn’t something that could be perceived only with the eyes.

Rrrrrumble!

As soon as that enormous horde began to move, planet Amotia began to tremble as though it were letting out a roar.

Those watching that overwhelming scene couldn’t help expressing their amazement.

“We did it ourselves, but it’s still an absurd sight.”

And the words coming from their mouths were in Chinese.

In other words, they were people from the Chinese headquarters.

Furthermore, they weren’t ordinary Space Marines.

They were Psyker Agents belonging to China.

“We’ve faced plenty of Mog, but this really……”

And they weren’t mediocre Psyker Agents who simply received all kinds of privileges merely because they were Psykers.

They were elites belonging to the Space Peace Committee!

And that was completely natural.

“Cyclops really is incredible!”

The small-car-sized device they had with them, Cyclops, was an absurd strategic weapon created by China that could issue orders to the Mog just like a Cyclops.

Naturally, not even China could freely manufacture that device in large quantities.

For starters, manufacturing it was extremely difficult.

Because the material required to build it was a special individual Cyclops.

That alone already presented enormous difficulty.

Furthermore, transporting a special individual Cyclops to a suitable location for research was extremely difficult.

Not only was it complicated to transport one between planets, but transporting one through a Gate was absolutely impossible.

Because everything had to undergo inspection when passing through a Gate.

And even if they obtained a special individual Cyclops, that didn’t guarantee that they could manufacture the device.

It was necessary to invest an enormous amount of time and money, and even after completing it, it had to be configured to match the frequencies of the Mog on the corresponding planet.

Even so, its value was incalculable.

“With this, the universe will belong to the people of the People’s Republic of China!”

That was precisely the reason why China had staked the fate of the entire nation on an operation intended to make it the master of the new order.

And what they had just accomplished wasn’t ordinary either.

“We can even move the Mog that are under the Queen’s control!”

They hadn’t simply managed to move ordinary Mog.

They had even managed to move the Mog protecting the Queen’s nest.

In other words, it was as if China had obtained command authority superior even to that of the Queen herself.

The Psyker Agents showed greater excitement than ever.

“Don’t act recklessly.”

Only one person showed a different expression.

Major Zhao Hao, commander of the Cyclops unit.

His expression as he watched the moving Mog was more serious than ever.

‘This is too dangerous.’

It was true that managing to move Mog under the command of a Queen was extraordinary.

‘We don’t know what side effects this might cause.’

However, the Cyclops created by China was still a product that needed further improvement and research.

And space was never a place that could be taken lightly.

It was a place where anything could happen!

‘This wasn’t part of the operation.’

Naturally, before being deployed, their superiors had expressly ordered them never to use Cyclops against a Queen.

Because no one knew what changes that might cause.

The fact that they had nevertheless decided to use it demonstrated that the Chinese headquarters had been cornered.

And when someone was cornered, all they could do was resort to improvised measures.

That was exactly what was happening now.

From the moment they lost the nuclear weapons, the Chinese headquarters had already lost the ability to properly carry out the orders received from their superiors.

No one could say for certain what would happen from now on.

There was only one thing they could be sure of.

“The Polish headquarters is finished.”

In the face of that Mog army, the Polish headquarters base would be erased as though it had never existed.

“Then let’s return.”

Major Zhao Hao led the Cyclops unit back to the Chinese headquarters.

As he watched the Mog army, he thought.

‘I don’t know who you are, but you chose the wrong enemy. Major Lin Jiayi is a woman sharper than a sword. Now that you’ve provoked her, you’ll never have a peaceful death.’

With that thought, the Cyclops unit disappeared from the area.

Twelve hours later.

Vroooom!

A military truck arrived at the place where the Cyclops unit had been.

“Uh, Sergeant Kim.”

As soon as they arrived, Park Boseop, who was behind the wheel, spoke in surprise.

“There are no Mog! I really can’t hear absolutely anything!”

At that explanation, everyone stared at the rocky mountain without being able to say a word.

Then they looked at Kim Seojun and remembered.

‘I can’t believe that plan actually worked.’

Kim Seojun had said that even if they offered a nuclear umbrella, it was unlikely that the headquarters of the other countries would believe them and agree to follow them.

Rather, the only thing they would accomplish would be to enrage the Chinese headquarters.

And the enraged Chinese headquarters would use its method of controlling the Mog and try to send the Mog located in the Queen’s nest against the Polish headquarters.

And that plan had worked.

The Mog that had filled the rocky mountain had headed toward the Polish headquarters.

Now only the Queen and a few Mog tasked with protecting her remained!

“Sergeant Kim, this is incredible!”

Upon realizing it, Park Boseop and the others praised Kim Seojun and expressed their admiration.

Kim Seojun, on the other hand, reacted differently.

His expression wasn’t good.

“This is the worst.”

“What?”

And that was inevitable.

“This means China can now move even the Mog that are under a Queen’s control.”

Because that scene could never be considered a sign of hope.

And Kim Seojun understood something else.

“And there’s no possibility that China, after obtaining an ability like that, will limit itself to using it only on planet Amotia.”

Perhaps everything they were facing at that moment was nothing more than the prologue.

At those words, everyone tightly shut their mouths.

“So we’ll worry about what comes afterward……”

Amid that silence, Kim Seojun spoke.

“After eliminating the Queen.”

Kim Seojun didn’t wait for a response.

Now they had to enter the Queen’s nest carrying a nuclear weapon with them.

It didn’t exactly seem like a situation where anyone would feel like talking.

However, Kim Seojun did hear a response.

[An event mission has been generated.]

[You will receive a reward if you eliminate the special individual Queen.]

[The mission reward is an Upgrade Ticket (Transcendence).]

A response he had never expected.