Chapter 119

Episode 119. Clockwork Jesus (2)

****

The dock came into view. Surely the enemies wouldn’t suddenly launch anti-ship missiles, right? We don’t have a clear countermeasure for that.

“Support Department Head. Can we conduct a precision strike on the dock? Will there be civilian casualties?”

“An evacuation order has been issued for the area. Casualties should be minimal, but I can’t guarantee there won’t be any.”

“Let’s proceed with a drone precision strike. Have we learned anything new about the enemy?”

“Not really.”

Time is always the issue. To fight while controlling information, we need to respond within an hour at the latest. How much time will sending drones take?

“I’ll head to the deck for now.”

The surroundings were still dark. I squinted.

First, let’s check the weapons. The Pine Man Ship’s close-range weapon defense system, one live round, and one laser are functioning normally. I also brought the Soviet-made laser gun.

Additionally, a few Foundation soldiers were on the deck with guns. I don’t know if this will be enough, but it’s better than nothing.

“Director! The Special Forces are on standby!”

The dock was already occupied by the enemy. It seems they plan to land on the dock as per the original plan.

Though it’s the plan I came up with…

I picked up the loudspeaker.

“Ah, ah. This is Director Kim. Some of you will die here today. I’m sorry. I’ll also fight alongside you with a weapon in hand.”

The night sea was eerily quiet.

“Then… good luck.”

****

Combat begins.

Multiple rubber boats charged toward the dock. I wanted to join them, but… considering the enemy’s nature, it’s better to stay on the deck. The enemy’s target is that artifact anyway.

The enemy will definitely come here.

“Hostile entity approaching!”

I hid behind the ballistic shield. What kind of hostile entity? Anti-ship missiles? A divine-class entity? A flying object? Whatever it is, it’s approaching from the darkness.

This is annoying. Who do you think you are?

Something flashed in the sky.

[The messenger of God has arrived. Usurpers of providence, accept your death obediently. Even the darkness of the abyss in the night sky is on our side—]

I aimed my gun at the sky.

“We are the Foundation, and we are providence. If we say it’s day, it becomes day. Flares up!”

Let there be light.

Several flares and signal flares were shot into the sky from the deck. The night sky lit up like daylight. The close-range defense system spat out a hundred bullets per second toward something in the sky.

A deafening roar came from the sky. Is a fighter jet passing overhead?

The tracers from the close-range defense system lit up the night sky even more, revealing something with brass feathers in the darkness.

[I am the angel of the Clockwork God! Brass Karakxis! Your pitiful human weapons—]

Who said you could stop?

The moment the angel stopped flying, hundreds of 20mm tungsten bullets pierced the brass angel.

The brass angel rapidly lost altitude, then spread its wings and flew back up before crashing into the sea. It’s a horrifying sight, but…

So that’s the monster that occupied the dock. The Clockwork God’s ace in the hole.

Let’s think more carefully. It’s impressive to withstand nearly a hundred bullets per second from a 20mm autocannon, but… you shouldn’t mess with the Foundation with just that.

It’s do or die now.

The Foundation soldiers on the deck launched MANPADS. Several portable anti-air missiles flew toward Karakxis. A second later, a loud explosion echoed.

This time, there was no splash.

“Just how tough is it…?”

I know. Not everything can be destroyed by physical means. But if physical means don’t work, what should we attack with?

Since it’s a machine, other means might not work either. Is our firepower still insufficient?

“Full barrage!”

Vulcan cannons, anti-tank missiles, and small-caliber weapons filled the sky illuminated by flares. Overwhelming firepower, as if a war had broken out.

Still, they’re not approaching the Pine Man Ship. I don’t know if it’s because our firepower is intimidating or if there’s another reason.

****

I let out a deep sigh.

“Support Department Head. Do we have a nuclear warhead on the ship?”

“One—”

“Detonate it.”

“Absolutely not. If we detonate that, the ship will be caught in the explosion.”

That wasn’t my plan.

“Detonate it underwater, then cover the angel with a water column. It’s avoiding water, so maybe soaking it will change something.”

“…”

“Prepare the 1st Divine Execution! Pine Man Ship, turn west and head to the open sea!”

The ship began moving at full speed.

The tactical nuclear warhead team appeared on the deck about a minute later. They all looked like they’d seen a ghost.

“Um, Director—”

“I’m sorry. We’ll respond as quickly as possible.”

The brass-colored angel was still flying around the ship’s stern. We concentrated our firepower on it, and as you can see…

Like crows witnessing a moving scarecrow, the Clockwork God’s angel hesitated to approach, lingering around the ship.

The monster was hastily following the Pine Man Ship heading to the open sea. I sighed.

“Um, Director. Are we really firing this?”

Well, we can’t fire a fake one.

“Um, can we control the detonation timing?”

“Yes.”

“It needs to go underwater first. If it detonates above the surface, the angel and everything else will die.”

“I’ll set a 30-second timer.”

Is 30 seconds enough to sink? I’m not sure. The engineer team with the nuclear briefcase hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly unlocked it and started activating the device.

“Director. Activation command.”

“All personnel, equip biochemical warfare gear. Activate the deck sprinkler system.”

I put on my gas mask.

If they have brains, the others will do the same. The Pine Man Ship’s deck sprinkler system started running—

“Activate.”

A red number blinked.

“We need to get inside the ship before the bomb detonates! Run!”

We ran to get inside the Pine Man Ship. The clockwork angel was chasing us from behind. I couldn’t see exactly where it was. The flares were losing their effect.

30

29

28

The engineers threw the nuclear briefcase as far as they could, and the Pine Man Ship sped forward at 70 kilometers per hour.

[Dr. Kim. This is your grave!]

I was counting the seconds in my head.

15 seconds passed.

[You bugs, all you know is running—]

The sea turned upside down.

****

The deck was slippery from the sprinklers.

I barely grabbed the railing and stood up. What the hell just happened? It took a while to grasp the situation.

“Ugh…”

My whole body hurts.

[Dr. Kim. Snap out of it.]

I leaned on the railing and looked around.

The deck was a mess, as if a tsunami had hit. The nuclear briefcase probably detonated a few seconds early. That’s why it didn’t sink to the desired depth, and why a massive wave almost capsized the ship.

Probably?

More importantly, we were supposed to get inside the ship before the bomb detonated. Now, we might be covered in radioactive material. I’m not an expert, so I’m not sure.

We might have already been exposed to lethal radiation. I was wearing a gas mask, so I didn’t inhale anything, but…

Well, there’s only one thing to trust now.

I roughly washed my clothes with the sprinkler’s clean water, took off my gloves, and injected the Popo Serum into my wrist. It didn’t feel any different from a nutrient shot.

Damn, my thoughts are still hazy from the shock.

****

Anyway, it did detonate underwater.

Because it detonated at a shallow depth, the ship’s stern was scorched by the explosion, but it did detonate underwater.

If it had detonated a few seconds earlier, we would’ve been cooked by the radiation. What happened to the brass angel?

Maybe it melted from the radiation or high temperature? Or maybe it was swept away by the water column and sank to the bottom of the sea.

I struggled to stand and looked toward the ship’s stern. What if the clockwork angel doesn’t come back up? Do we need to search for it?

If it was caught in the direct blast of the nuclear bomb, it might have melted… All I can do is speculate. For now, we need to survive.

The engineers… did they make it inside? If they fell into the water, there’s a good chance they’re dead. Why can’t I remember?

First short-term goal: Confirm the survival of the engineers who brought the nuclear briefcase.

I wiped the moisture off my gas mask.

****

[Emergency Disaster Alert]

[Earthquake occurred at 03:35 today in international waters. Be aware of additional earthquakes. Evacuation recommended for the northwest coast.]

****

[Korea Meteorological Administration]

[Earthquake of magnitude 3.1 occurred 50 kilometers east of Taean County, Chungcheongnam-do at 03:35 today / Beware of falling objects, tsunamis, aftershocks. Follow guidelines on the National Disaster Safety Portal.]