Chapter 173

Chapter 173. Dr. Kim and the Seven (1)

****

“Aircraft entering the airspace! Multiple unidentified aircraft detected on radar!”

The Support Department Head shouted. I hurriedly grabbed my gear and rushed to the command center.

The war has already begun.

This is a showdown with the Foundation Headquarters. The plan… well, we’ve laid it out meticulously, but it’ll probably turn to shreds the moment the battle starts.

Let’s calmly assess the situation.

I glared at the command center.

“The unidentified aircraft are coming from the east. Currently 50 kilometers from the East Sea coast. Launching all fighter jets.”

“The Korean military will attempt to intercept.”

“It’s better not to expect much. There’s no way they can intercept a transport from the Foundation Headquarters.”

During the Yulje-myeon incident, Administrator Patreus’s transport was so fast that we barely had time to react. It even landed right on top of a Foundation facility.

“Korean fighter jets are launching.”

Thanks to the heads-up we gave a few days ago, they’re on standby. Fifty fighter jets, plus the Foundation’s, making a total of 70 jets taking to the skies at once.

It’ll be a grand sight.

Hundreds of infantry anti-air missiles are on standby in Seoul, along with other anti-air measures. But… I didn’t think they’d be able to stop the descent. My gut told me so.

It’ll take about 30 minutes for the Foundation’s aircraft to reach Seoul.

If the fighter jets and anti-air defenses hold them back, it’ll take longer. Once they enter Seoul’s airspace, the storm will begin.

It’ll probably be dawn by then.

That’s the logic.

The enemy’s target is me. Of course, their first move will be to try and capture me directly.

They’ll deploy multiple small teams to hunt me down, destroy key facilities of the Seoul Branch, or subdue my allies.

If I’m caught here, it’s over. If they fail to capture me, they’ll escalate to a firepower battle. They’ll increase their assets.

Landings, large-scale descents, teleportation gates—they might even bring in a force of hundreds to lay siege to the Seoul Branch.

If they fail to capture me as the Headquarters wants, they’ll probably try to occupy the Seoul Branch.

They’ll use the Seoul Branch as a hostage to lure me out. So, running away is pointless. This is my city, my facility to protect.

So, first, we need to deal with the initial small strike teams. This is the conclusion I’ve reached after using every means available to foresee, estimate, deduce, and remotely observe.

It’s worth a shot.

How do you fight an enemy who knows everything and predicts everything? Well, I’m hoping Hasti’s perception hindrance will block remote viewing and future sight, but who knows if it’ll work.

“The unidentified aircraft… they’ve split?”

“Dozens of enemy unidentified aircraft!”

I knew it.

I sighed. There were probably no unidentified aircraft from the start. They likely launched dozens of decoy missiles disguised as fighter jets.

The real transport from the Headquarters is probably flying in stealthily.

But we should take advantage of the confusion caused by the decoy missiles. They’re probably mixed in somewhere, but finding them will be nearly impossible.

There’s no way we can stop the enemy aircraft from entering Seoul’s airspace.

I gritted my teeth. Let’s see.

If the enemy aircraft came from the east, it means the Foundation’s carrier strike group is stationed somewhere in the East Sea.

It means there’s a tangible force to fight. Finding it will be hard, but if we can get a rough location, we might be able to chase it.

So far, it’s going according to plan.

****

The current plan is this.

Cosmos has promised to cooperate in this operation. We’ll use Cosmos’s teleportation ability to move to where the enemy carrier strike group is.

This is the ornamental pond at Facility 82.

A jet ski was floating on the pond. Cosmos was on my back.

“Uh… so, you want me to open a gate to the East Sea? You’re planning to teleport on a jet ski while searching for the enemy carrier?”

I nodded. Cosmos sighed while still on my back. Can’t do it?

“I don’t have the power for that.”

“The mana power plant will be running. Eighteen facilities across the country will be slaughtering pigs and cows at 10 per second. That should be enough, right?”

I explained the plan earlier. There’s no time to waste now. Who knows how many will die.

Cosmos thought for a moment.

“I’ll borrow some mana. Then… open sesame.”

A gate opened above the pond. The jet ski passed through the gate and emerged on the open sea.

The dawn sea was quiet.

Only the sound of the waves and the jet ski’s engine behind me broke the silence. Though the jet ski’s engine was pretty loud.

****

Meanwhile, in Seoul. Near Poi Station.

Nanami looked up at the sky visible between the buildings. Well, the sky wasn’t even visible. A storm was brewing.

Nanami heard the sound of fighter jets.

The battle was nearing Seoul’s airspace. It meant the battle was about to begin, and the storm was about to start.

Nanami was strong.

So, she wasn’t worried about her own safety. But she couldn’t just head to the battlefield alone, which was frustrating.

Dr. Kim’s plan was this.

Spread “Dr. Kim” across Seoul. If multiple “highest-grade humanoid supernatural phenomena” disguised as Dr. Kim are roaming around, those chasing Dr. Kim will be at a loss.

– What if they figure it out?

– They’re paranoid people living in a world of magic. They won’t know who’s real until they subdue them. Whether they know or not, they’ll be fooled.

The conclusion is this.

Nanami introduced herself as Dr. Kim and stood above the Poi Station underground bunker. With Foundation soldiers and their allies.

With gas masks on, it’ll be hard to tell anyway. There are only four people in the “highest-grade humanoid supernatural phenomena” category.

Including the Director’s doppelganger created by Dr. Chae, that makes six.

The people on the scene believe Nanami is the real Dr. Kim. Well… because she said so.

If the Foundation Headquarters has internal information about this scene, confusion is inevitable. But they probably do, right? They know everything.

The enemy has to chase seven Dr. Kims. Even Nanami doesn’t know exactly where the real one is.

Some say the Director fled to Busan, others say he hid in the Abyss.

Some say he’s preparing to fight somewhere in Seoul. Honestly, given the Director’s personality, he’s probably fighting.

He might be hiding to deceive the enemy. Or he might be fighting again, expecting to deceive them. The conclusion is a chaotic mess.

Who knows. Just kill whoever comes.

Thunder roared above.

Nanami frowned. She knew the storm was summoned for a reason, but this… It’s going to be a battle under the worst conditions.

A missile fired by the Foundation exploded in the sky. A flare signaling the start of the battle.

That’s probably it.

The causality distortion bomb, made from the corpses of the Returnee and the Reality Adjuster, to block the Foundation Headquarters’ control over the future.

The die has been cast.

Now, no one knows the future of Seoul.

****

On Acacia’s aircraft carrier, the operation command center.

Though they expended dozens of decoy missiles, the four Special Forces teams sent by the Foundation Headquarters successfully entered Seoul’s airspace.

“Uh, tachyon reaction…”

“Ignore it.”

Of course, the causality distortion bomb going off was annoying, but it’s just a toy. It won’t significantly change the outcome of today’s battle.

Administrator Acacia licked her lips.

The descent was successful without a hitch.

They didn’t need many personnel.

To subdue the Korean government, deal with Dr. Kim, or infiltrate Foundation facilities—one Special Forces team is enough for such tasks.

They sent three Special Forces teams to cover all three operations, plus one for on-site support.

Dr. Kim, given his personality, would probably fight on the front lines. If they can subdue Dr. Kim on the front lines, the situation ends.

Acacia smiled confidently.

[This is Mist-1. Special Forces ‘Misteltein’. Found Dr. Kim. Engaging shortly.]

[This is Praetorian-1. Special Forces ‘Royal Guard’. Target Dr. Kim spotted. Engaging now.]

[This is Ghost-1. Special Forces ‘Transparent Blade’. Director spotted. Engaging.]

[This is Gumiho-3. Special Forces ‘Ninetail’. Found Dr. Kim. Beginning engagement.]

It’s unexpected, but finding the real Dr. Kim shouldn’t be too hard.

Dr. Kim is a top-grade supernatural. A fake couldn’t replicate that.

One officer in the command center frowned.

“All four are high-grade supernaturals?”

“Huh.”

“All four have Popo around them. And all four claim to be Dr. Kim. Even on our comms.”

Acacia rubbed her forehead.

“Isn’t there a way to tell them apart?”

“There’s some information degradation.”

Of course, there’s no surefire way to distinguish them other than what the people on the ground see. But with four Dr. Kims on the scene…

It’s all unreliable.

Even if they figure out the switch, which information is deliberately leaked, which is real, who among them knows the truth…

It’s all unknown.

What the hell? Why are they pulling such bizarre tricks, sacrificing only their allies? Are they trying to buy time? They’re all going to die anyway.

“The strongest one is probably the real one. Kill them all.”