Chapter 116: Selling Everything
It is always harder to clean up the mess than to make it.
The United Human Federation had plunged Iran and Pakistan into the Dark Ages, and it was up to the rest of the world to deal with the aftermath.
The US had lifted its sanctions and the UN had taken the lead in providing humanitarian aid.
The most urgent patients were transported by hospital ships and planes to nearby countries, where they were accommodated by other nations.
Of course, this was not for free, and they would receive a hefty bill once the two countries were stabilized.
And in this process, a peculiar agreement was made.
Led by Russia and India, the border lines of Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan were redrawn.
Afghanistan, which had been a landlocked country for a long time, gained a small access to the sea through this agreement.
The residents who had to leave their homes protested, but the governments of both countries had no choice but to accept the proposal from Russia and India.
Without their support, they could not even maintain their government structures.
The international community pointed out that there was a hidden agenda behind this, and it was revealed when the ships of Korea and the United Human Federation arrived to build a temporary port.
The countries learned more details about how the United Human Federation built its ports.
—They built a port that could dock 10 cargo ships of 20,000 tons each in just a week. And that was in a barren wasteland.
—I can’t believe it. It’s not just the sea level that’s the problem, it’s the scale that’s incomparable to any other disassembler.
—It’s the same with the city they’re building in Russia. They lay down infrastructure with black metal, which reduces costs and manpower significantly.
Many countries knew that Terra Island had gone through a similar process.
But there was a huge difference between guessing and actually observing and summarizing it in a report.
The countries had been desperately trying to catch up with Yu Ji-ha’s technology by passing anti-psycher leakage executive orders, establishing ether research institutes, and so on.
But looking at the port being built, they wondered if the gap was really narrowing.
—We’re barely making bulletproof vests and tank armor with black metal, but they’re laying down infrastructure like that. It’s frustrating.
—They’re going to pave a road that reaches all the way to Registan Desert in two months. We might have to redefine modern civil engineering.
What did they want to achieve by doing that?
What benefit would the dictator of East Asia get from occupying Afghanistan?
These questions led to conspiracy theories linked to his self-made drama, but as always, there was no clear answer.
They could only watch as a four-lane road connecting Kandahar was completed in no time.
It would have taken years for any other country to do that, but they did it in just two months.
Of course, many Korean construction companies also participated in this project.
They spent an enormous amount of money on materials, heavy equipment, food and water for the workers, and so on.
There must have been a lot of noise along the way, but Yu Ji-ha pushed it through with his characteristic unilateralism, and finally succeeded in paving the road.
Instead of a completion ceremony, there was a car parade on the road to celebrate Yu Ji-ha’s presidency.
He declared the establishment of a new mega-city called Afgha with Ahmad Massoud, the leader of the Northern Alliance Resistance Front, in Kandahar.
“…There is no longer an Afghanistan filled with war and terror. Now that the mega-city has been established, you will enjoy development and prosperity that will make other places envious. My brothers here and I will be with you. Please trust us and follow us.”
In other words, he meant to build infrastructure similar to Terra Island.
What would he do with such a city in this barren highland?
Regardless of people’s questions, the construction of the mega-city began.
A huge amount of money was invested to import necessities and materials from neighboring countries.
In the meantime, terrorism was completely eradicated.
The Taliban and IS remnants hiding in the mountainous areas were wiped out by relentless air strikes.
By mid-June, it became hard to hear gunshots in southern Afghanistan.
Instead, what could be seen were Afghan workers sweating as they worked for Korean companies.
Only then did foreign media start writing articles about how Afghanistan was changing.
—The dictator of East Asia is transforming Afghanistan.
—What is his intention? Is it destruction and chaos as seen in Iran and Pakistan? Or is it order and development?
—If Yu Ji-ha had 1.5 trillion dollars and 20 years of time, he might have terraformed Mars.
The last one was a joke mocking the US, but one thing was certain.
Whether they liked it or not, Yu Ji-ha’s influence was undeniable and he was the only one who could bring real change.
***
In July 2030, a defense industry exhibition was held in Korea.
There was something unusual about this event: there were no products from other countries or companies.
Only Yu Ji-ha’s things were on display.
The general public could not attend, and only politicians, bureaucrats, military officers, and businessmen were invited.
It was clearly aimed at B2B, but the hidden intention was revealed in the invitation.
「Sell: Everything」
It meant that he was willing to sell all the weapons systems that he had shown so far.
From railguns to ion beam, and unmanned combat ships and drones…
The bewildered countries made many inquiries and found out that he was really selling everything.
In other words, this event was an exhibition to make money.
Most of them were weapon systems, so there were plans for protests from peace groups and some countries were not happy about it.
The US was one of them, showing its concern over this event.
—I don’t understand why they are doing this. Don’t they know what kind of chaos will happen if they sell these weapon systems without any restrictions?
—Didn’t they promise not to export railguns and ion beam?
—Maybe it was a verbal agreement. They probably think they don’t need to care about the US anymore.
—The catalog says it’s a downgraded version. The range is shorter than our navy’s.
—They must be trying to secure the market before other countries start their research.
—At least they don’t have hafnium-2 warheads… The White House indirectly protested, but it didn’t become a big issue.
The US was in the middle of a presidential race.
The Democratic candidate’s victory was almost certain, and he received applause for his speech that mad dogs need muzzles and leashes.
Whether that was possible or not was another matter.
Anyway, the countries that could afford it had prepared a lot of funds for this event.
It was a golden opportunity to acquire weapon systems that were hard to get even with money.
Railguns and ion beam were very famous, and they also sold new drones and unmanned ships, which attracted the attention of not only the governments of various countries, but also the agencies in charge of defense projects and military enthusiasts.
—Fuck, we have to buy this no matter how much it costs!
—But it’s very expensive… Two 5,000-ton unmanned combat ships for 3 trillion won…
—Railguns and ion beam consume a lot of power, right? They separated the firepower ship and the air defense ship.
—The United Human Federation’s ship did both at the same time, didn’t it?
—It’s downgraded. It’s not uncommon in weapon export business.
—Don’t just look at the price, look at what they can do. With just two of those ships, you don’t need any other ships.
—One pack is a bit too little, so if we buy three packs, we can use them for training, maintenance, and rotation.
—That’s a big deal. If Russia brings this to the Baltic Sea, then Northern Europe and Poland will have to buy at least one pack each to balance it out.
—It means that all other ships are obsolete. As we saw in the Indian Ocean battle, those ships blocked dozens of ballistic missiles and hypersonic missiles.
—It might be more efficient to invest in submarines as asymmetric forces.
—Don’t forget, those things can dive too.
—That’s true, but we don’t know if they can perform well underwater, do we? Do they have active sonar?
—We’ll find out at the event.
—Damn it, when will they sell androids (sex-capable)?
—You’d better naturalize to Korea. Or get a residency permit for Megacity.
In any case, this event was expected to attract a huge crowd despite its small scale because there were no other booths.
Silla Group had finished all the preparations and finally the morning of the event came.
In early July, hundreds of planes took off from various countries and headed to Korea.
***
Many foreigners visited the exhibition held in Naro Island, Jeollanam-do.
It was Silla Group’s event, so people expected androids to handle the event progress and guidance, but instead there were strangely shaped robots that took their place.
“I am Walker. Please let me know if you need anything.”
This robot used black metal extensively and changed its shape according to its needs.
When it needed to lift heavy loads, it turned its upper body into a tray and when it needed to distribute tickets, it made arms on the spot.
People were surprised to see it.
This was something more than an android in some ways.
“It doesn’t look like it has motors in it. It’s very strange.”
“How far has black metal evolved… It can even act as muscles now.”
“Is it connected to artificial intelligence? It can understand many languages.”
This Walker was a simplified version of the Walker that was commonly used in the Future United Human Federation, and it was planned to be introduced throughout Silla Group in the future.
It was literally a worker.
The existing androids had human-like appearances, so they couldn’t achieve more efficiency than humans in work.
If they had to turn a screw, they needed a driver just like humans.
But this Walker could make tools on the spot.
It probably had a mini black metal decomposer in its body, but even considering the cost, it was definitely efficient.
“This could replace all industrial robots.”
“It can be used in most lines, so if it has durability, it will sell well.”
“Silla Group’s products are usually durable. They are so sturdy that it’s a problem.”
Until now, industrial robots were mostly dominated by Japan and the US, but this Walker could shake their foundation.
A separate video hall showed the smart factory that included the Walker.
There had been many cases of this concept before, but they couldn’t achieve a complete unmanned factory.
In the end, people were needed for equipment inspection and emergency response.
But in the smart factory with Walker, there was no human to be found.
The video also calmly explained that it was a complete unmanned factory.
“Smart Factory: It supports your business perfectly. You don’t have to worry about malfunctions and delivery delays anymore.”
People tilted their heads at the bold expression.
“A complete unmanned factory? Is that possible?”
“Don’t they need people for raw material management and such?”
“Even broken walkers can repair themselves. Do they really need humans at all?”
“I wonder if they can perform any kind of surgery with such sophistication…”
The spectators were astonished not only by the simple repair, but also by the fact that the walkers could self-diagnose and overhaul themselves.
There was no special equipment, but when two walkers came together and completely disassembled one of them, replaced the broken parts, and reassembled it, it was amazing.
It was like two doctors performing a surgery to save a person’s life, wasn’t it?
Of course, they couldn’t apply this to the medical field recklessly, but the potential was enough.
The reactions of the people were clearly divided.
“So this is what the United Human Federation uses for their unmanned platforms…”
“They are unbeatable in terms of efficiency. They could probably run with just a few managers, right?”
On the other hand, some people seriously discussed the necessity of humans.
“If machines do everything, from war to repair to translation, what is the role of us humans?”
“Maybe that’s why they give allowances to permanent residents in megacities.”
Of course, most of the buyers were just waiting for the release of the smart factory and the walkers.
In modern society, companies had to pursue extreme efficiency to barely survive.
Cost reduction was basic, logistics control and restructuring were essential, and all kinds of marketing and bold strategic bets that were close to fraud were made.
What if these walkers and smart factories were applied?
At least in terms of efficiency, they would be unmatched.
But it was doubtful whether the governments of each country, who were obsessed with unemployment rate management, would recommend this platform.
Especially in Europe, where unions had a strong influence, it might be impossible to introduce it.
“Anyway, the only EU country that can introduce this is Germany.”
The entrepreneurs laughed in unison.
Well, invitations didn’t even go to EU countries other than Germany.
They must have asked for materials from bureaucrats or entrepreneurs who had some connections, but it would be difficult to grasp the essence.
And the walkers and smart factories were just the beginning of the exhibition.
There were more surprises waiting for the people.
***
Usually, exhibitions are calm and don’t do much actual demonstrations.
Especially if it’s related to defense industry, because they can’t shoot guns or launch missiles at the exhibition hall.
At best, they would attract people’s attention by showing acrobatics by flying teams at the beginning.
But this exhibition held near Naro Space Center was different.
From the first day, Caliber drones that debuted in the Indian Ocean filled the sky.
This stingray-shaped unmanned aerial vehicle performed maneuvers that SU-37 or F-22 showed, as well as hovering.
It was a fighter jet that just floated in the air like a helicopter.
And while hovering, it twisted its body and rotated a full circle, and even took off vertically with its nose facing the ground.
“Wow.”
“I can’t believe they show us something like this after inviting people… They’re totally crazy.”
“That’s what happens when a dictator pushes it.”
Regardless of the risk, the picture was hot.
How often would you get a chance to see the actual operation of railguns and ion beam in your life?
Railguns didn’t have much appeal except for sonic booms, but golden lasers that filled the sky were impressive.
But all the demonstrations so far were just appetizers.
The people realized that when they saw President Yu Ji-ha.
He went on stage and calmly explained his plan to go to Mars.
It sounded easy.
Mars was the closest celestial body to Earth after the moon.
Russia had invested in Venus, so America had paid more attention to Mars and sent probes there.
But what occupied people’s minds was an unfortunate accident that happened to a certain entrepreneur.
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